RECLAIMED SWAMPS. 181 



ground for many rods around him. Some parts of it were so 

 soft that no animal larger than a water-rat could cross it. A 

 large part of it produced nothing but pond-lilies, moss, water- 

 grass, barren cranberry vines and meadow-fern ; a part alders, 

 hardback and willow. The outer edge was covered with swamp 

 ash, soft maple and white pine, and the monster stumps showed 

 at some former period a giant growth of pines. Appearances 

 indicate that it was once a pond of water. The soil is almost 

 entirely vegetable matter, of a reddish brown color, or in some 

 places black, partially decayed, and appears to have grown 

 where it is, and thus to have accumulated to its present amount. 



About fifteen years ago we commenced to reclaim this piece 

 of worthless land ; an^ the first step was to lower the outlet, 

 which we did about three feet, and finding then it was not 

 sufficient to drain it, we dug it as much deeper, making it six 

 feet deep, through as hard a bed of hardpan, filled with rocks, 

 stones and boulders as a hard-working man could desire, the 

 distance of seventy rods, and about the same distance thi'ough 

 the centre of the swamp. It was so soft, we had to stand upon a 

 plank to work. We have been working as we have had leisure, 

 every year since. We have dug about two and a half miles 

 of ditch, including the outlet ; have laid about one-half mile 

 of under-drain, using on the margin small stone, and in the 

 centre, old rails and brush, which answer very well, and cost 

 nothing but tlie labor of using ; have cleared oif and seeded 

 twenty acres, and have drawn on to it about one thousand loads 

 of dirt. We estimate the expense as follows : For lowering 

 the outlet, 1300 ; for digging ditches, $350 ; for clearing off 

 logs, brush and stumps, $500 ; for drawing on dirt, f 300 ; 

 making -11,450 in all, estimating labor at fl5 per month. It 

 will be seen that the expense of covering with dirt has been 

 great, owing to the fact that it was so soft that we could 

 not work a team on it excepting when the ground was frozen 

 or covered deep with snow, which has doubled the cost. When 

 it is turfed over, it is hard enough to cart off the hay. We seed 

 to Timothy and redtop. A plenty of clover comes in without 

 sowing any seed. 



We have at different times applied small quantities of stable 

 manure, ashes, guano and super-phosphate of lime, with good 

 success, super-phosphate being best and cheapest. The more 



