66 



lands, which seems to present as formidable difficulties to be over- 

 come before reduced to regular cultivation as could be found in 

 the most rugged of our New England farms, proceeds : "As the 

 basis of all improvement in such a case, without which every other 

 operation would have been impracticable or nugatory, the lands 

 were first subjected to a system of thorough drainage. The 

 drains were dug thirty inches below the bottom of the open fur- 

 rows of the round ridges, which was equal to 38 inches below the 

 level surface of the ground, and placed 18 and 30 feet apart. 

 The main drains were dug four feet deep, bottomed with horse- 

 shoe tiles and soles, having gravel occasionally placed above them ; 

 but it was found that the surface earth turned into the drain 

 answered all necessary purposes. The drains placed widest apart, 

 viz., 30 feet, were found to drain the land sufficiently, especially 

 when followed by deep ploughing, by which the escape of the 

 water is greatly facilitated. The expense of thorough draining, 

 thus described, was X5. 9s. 6d. sterl., or $27.50 per acre. The 

 desci'iption of the subsoil trench ploughing follows, the expense of 

 which is thus stated : 



Four men and four pairs of horses ploughing an 

 acre a day ...... 



Labor turning out and carting off stones . 



To which add the above expense of draining 



make £8 2 6 

 or S40.50. 



From the higher prices of labor with us, it is fairly to be in- 

 ferred that the same quantity of work could not be accomplished 

 here without a considerable addition to these items of expense. 

 It is, of course, for every intelligent farmer to make his own esti- 

 mates of outlay, and also of the results to be expected therefrom. 



It is hardly necessary, as your Committee believe, to inculcate 

 caution upon our practical farmers ; they possess that valuable 

 quality to a healthy extent, — and perhaps in some, if not many 

 instances, it retards substantial improvement. If, however, they 

 are somewdiat slow in adopting novelties, they are nevertheless 

 sure of availing of well-tried experiments, the good results of 

 which are no longer problematical. 



Respectfully submitted, 



THOMAS MOTLEY, Chairman. 



