74 ON .MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS. 



part of this land I planted potatoes in 1841 — 2. The 

 crops were large and the quality fine. 



After the potatoes were harvested, I laid the land to 

 grass about the middle of October, and although sowed 

 so late, the grass scarcely making its appearance before 

 winter, yet late in July following 1 cut one and a half tons 

 to the acre, and three quarters of a ton in September. 



4'he other part of the swamp was seeded down to 

 grass in August, 1840, without having been previously 

 planted, and the first crop was over two tons to the acre. 

 This portion of the swamp having received a top dress- 

 ing of rock weed in March, 1842, produced 6057 lbs. of 

 first rate market hay to the acre. The herds-grass 

 standing at the time of harvest over four feet high, the 

 tallest heads being four feet eleven inches. The second 

 crop was estimated at one ton. The crop the last sea- 

 son was considered by good judges to be two and a half 

 tons at the first cutting. 



After draining the peat meadow, my first inquiry was, 

 how I could cultivate it to the best advantage. Plowing 

 was out of the question, as a team could not walk upon 

 it. I offered to hire two men to invert the sod with bog 

 hoes, or a topping knife : they made a trial, and refused 

 to do it for less than twenty cents a rod ; this I declined 

 paying, it amounting to thirty-two dollars an acre, about 

 four times as much as the meadow was valued at a i'ew 

 years before. I then pared off the hassocks, and hauled 

 on gravel when the meadow was frozen, (as before stat- 

 ed) at an expense of about twelve dollars per acre. 



Having other lots of peat meadow susceptible of simi- 

 lar improvement, and considering the very large amount 

 of such lands in the State, said to be 70 or 80,000 acres, 

 a large portion of which may be made the most valuable 

 lands we have, for potatoes and hay, it becomes a sub- 

 ject of much moment to ascertain the best method of re- 

 claiming them. So far as my experience goes, all things 

 considered, I have arrived at the conclusion that the 

 most economical and profitable course to be pursued, 

 after ditching and draming, is to cover with gravel in 

 the winter, spread it on the grass in June, and after put- 



