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these plain lands improve constantly in their fertility under cultivation, 

 even when no manures are applied. 



Frostiness. — The alleged tendency to be affected by frosts, is another 

 objection urged against the cultivation of the plain lands. It seems im- 

 possible to my mind in the nature of things, that any district of an Island, 

 in the position of Long Island, and so remarkable for its mild tempera- 

 ture, should necessarily be exposed to this great evil. If frosts do at 

 present prevail on these plains, the fact may be referred to philosophical 

 causes, which the progress of improvement will remove. Here is a vast 

 area covered by a thick matting of trees, bushes and impervious herbage. 

 The winds do not circulate through this canopy ; the earth beneath it is 

 always damp — an immense excess of evaporation takes place from these 

 combined causes, and the soil has never been penetrated or warmed by the 

 genial rays of the sun. Gentlemen remarked to me, that when riding 

 through the plains in the evening they could perceive a difference of sev- 

 eral degrees decrease in the temperature among the bushes and that of the 

 atmosphere which enveloped the clearings. When this vegetation is re- 

 moved from the surface and the earth is dried and warmed by the action of 

 the air and heat, no difficulty of this kind, I am confident, will exist. 



The expense op clearing. — The heavy expense which, by the com- 

 mon practice has been incurred, in preparing the lands of the bush plains 

 for tillage, has been a serious obstacle to their occupation by men of ordi- 

 nary means. The peculiar advantages of position and the great value of 

 these lands when subdued, will probably justify these disbursements when 

 the occupant possesses capital which he can conveniently appropriate to 

 the purpose. The soil is thus brought into immediate cultui;e and produc- 

 tiveness, and one successful crop will generally return the expenditure. 

 The method used upon these lands ordinarily is very unlike that pursued 

 with other wild lands. The usual course elsewhere, is to cut the heavy 

 timber, to clear off, pile and burn the under-brush and rubbish ; to seed 

 down with a crop dragged in on the fallow, and leave the roots and stumps 

 to decay through the processes of Nature. When this is accomplished, 

 the plow is successfully introduced. There is delay in this system, not 

 perhaps conformable to the designs and interests of the proprietors of the 

 plain lands, but by it great economy is secured. No owner of wild land in 

 other sections of the country, would dream of preparing his soil for culti- 

 vation by a preparatory grubbing by manual labor ; yet, under existing 

 circumstances, this method on these plains, has undoubtedly its advantages. 



I have carefully collected information in reference to the various plans 

 pursued in these operations, and will briefly present the result of my en- 

 quiries. Mr. Bridges has favored me with a very intelligent account of the 

 methods he has used in subduing his own lands. I can merely introduce an ab- 

 stract of his paper. He states that he has tried three methods : 1st. G-rubbing 

 all over by hand, taking out everything, stumps and bushes. 2d. What we call 

 stumping, which is to go over the land cutting the stumps 6 or 8 inches below 



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