KEPORTS. 29 



the sedges and grasses, and expose it on high ground to the heat of the 

 sun, and to the drying winds, and to frost and rain ; turn it over oc- 

 casionally with a shovel, mingle with it half a dozen bushels of good 

 animal manure. And to furnish the requisite earthy or saline matter 

 in which it may be deficient, lime it, or ash it, or marl it, or clay it, 

 or gravel it, or sand it, or loam it. Under this process it looses its or- 

 ganic character and becomes adapted to the support of plants. What 

 is true of a cart-load of this vegetable matter, is true of the whole 

 mass in the meadow from which it was taken. By draining, by turn- 

 ing up to the sun, by the action of the air, of frost, and rain, by the 

 addition of saline or earthy matter, by the use of the plough, the har- 

 row and the hoe, by the addition of a small amount of appropriate 

 manure, it becomes to some depth decomposed, and exceedingly well 

 adapted to the support of vegetation. Its character is changed by 

 this process from an organic into inorganic state, from barrenness 

 into fertility . 



Besides changing the condition of the soil, this process increases 

 ease of cultivation. The plough, the cultivator, the harrow, the hoe, 

 the rake which were impeded in their use before a thorough process 

 was commenced upon land partially reclaimed and while it was in 

 progress can, after it is completed, perform their office with compara- 

 tive ease. The work can not only be well done, but can be done at 

 a less expense offeree and time. The productive area of the farm-is 

 increased. Even if the redeemed meadow land should continue to be 

 tio wet for wheat and Indian corn, it will, by an abundant production 

 of hay, leave the other parts of the farm at liberty for the production 

 of such crops. 



This process improves the quality of the production. It changes 

 aquatic plants and coarse grasses into land plants and fine grasses, 

 just as surely as it changes aquatic animals like the frog and the wa- 

 ter-rat for other animals like the horse and the sheep. Aquatic 

 plants with the exception of rice, which cannot be cultivated in our 

 climate, are inferior to land plants. It not only changes the kind 

 but improves the quality of the same kind, in accordance with the 

 general law that vegetable productions take their character from the 

 soil, whether they are grapes or grass or peaches or wheat. 



This process of thoroughly draining land by removing stagnant 

 water which contains no carbonic acid for the nourishment of plants, 

 allows rain and running water which contain this important ingredi- 

 ent, to have access to the roots to nourish them, allows the air also to 

 find its way to the manure in the soil, to decompose it and make it sol- 

 uble and thus prepare it to enter into the composition of the growing 

 crop. Thus too by the withdrawment of water the ground is often 

 left porous for the free range of the roots in search of pasture, and 

 gives them food that is not too much diluted. The farmer should con- 

 stantly remember that stagnant water is not invigorating to a man or 

 to a vegetable in comparison with rain or running water, even though 

 they are both thirsty. 



