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On Draining. By Samuel Dickey, Communicated to 

 John Miller. 



Read March 8th, 1808. 



East Nottingham, Chest. Co. Feb. 18, 1808. 

 Dear Sir, 



As you have expressed an opinion that the experi- 

 ment I have made in draining, might be worth commu- 

 nicating to the agricultural society, the following state- 

 ment is at your service, to be presented, if you think 

 proper. 



In 1803, from some observations in the proceedings 

 of the agricultural society of New York, on swamp mud 

 as a manure, together with some accounts of the great 

 fertility of drained sw^amps, in the New England farm- 

 er's dictionary, I was induced to undertake the drain- 

 ing of two small ones in my possession. With both 

 I have succeeded equal to my expectations. But while 

 engaged with these, I became so fully persuaded of the 

 value of such kind of land, that a purchase was made of 

 a large fiat of swamp containing ten acres, adjoining 

 my own land. It was covered with bushes, principal- 

 ly the diiferent kinds of alder, swamp sumack, maple, 

 8cc. very wet in every part, and in some places danger- 

 ous for cattle to go upon. The black mud upon its 

 surface, was from one to four feet in depth, in different 

 places, and evidently formed through a long course of 

 time, of decaying vegetables, mingled with fine parti- 

 cles of earth, washed from the ground above. The stra- 

 tum next belovv% was mostly clay, but in some places 



