14 



llie adoption of a regular routine of crops, or by the application 

 to the soil of substances containing those elements of which by 

 previous crops it has been deprived. The expense attending it, 

 has perhaps led farmers not sufficiently to consider, the beneficial 

 effects to be derived from the practice, of some of the mechanical 

 processes of agriculture. In many cases, the cost of irrigating, 

 and underground draining, in comparison with tke value of land, 

 forbids all attempts at such methods of improvement, bnt in 

 others, as in most parts of this county, where land has become 

 valuable, it is believed that some of them may be resorted to 

 with advantage. I allude to this subject, »ather for the purpose 

 of stating a fact, than from an intention of entering upon its 

 discussion ; a fact, as it seems to me, that may be of interest to 

 some, because there exist m the county of Essex, large tracts of 

 land of the same character as that to which this fact has reference. 

 It has been found by actual experiment in the County of Norfolk, 

 that the salt marshes are greatly improved in value, by simply 

 ditching them, so as to drain off the surface fresh water that 

 collects in pools and allow the tide to flow freely tlirough the 

 ditches ; that by this method the crops of hay have been greatly 

 increased, so as to produce more than two tons to the acre, and 

 the lands when thus treated can readily be let for from ^7 to $8 

 per acre per annum. 



The mode however more usually adopted, for renewing or 

 increasing the fertility of the soil, is by the application to it of 

 various substances, distinguished by the general name of manure, 

 that in their constituent parts, contain the elements of the growth 

 and nourishment of plants. The substances used for this purpose, 

 it is unnecessary here to recapitulate. Such should if possible 

 be produced upon every farm in sufficient quantity for its use. 

 In some instances however this cannot be done, as in the case 

 of farms devoted to the raising of supplies for the market, where 

 the produce raised is consumed off the farm. In such cases, a 

 supply of this element, indispensable to success in agriculture, 

 must be sought elsewhere. And as it can only be obtained at 



