46 ON THE RECLAMATION 



sand without any vegetation on it. After it was levelled it was 

 divided into fields by open ditches and iron fences. The ditches 

 had to be made very wide at the top in order to get them to 

 stand. The land was then drained with 3-inch pipes, each drain 

 opening into the ditch on each side of the field. The tiles were 

 embedded in peat moss, to act as a filter to prevent the sand run- 

 ning into them. The sand is so fine that, without this precau- 

 tion, the drains would have filled up yery quickly. The drainage 

 is the great difficulty, as the pipes are very apt to fill up after 

 every precaution has been taken. 



On the portion which was grassed over before it was enclosed 

 two crops of oats were first taken, and then it was green cropped. 

 It grew for a few years good crops of wheat, beans, and clover, 

 as well as Swedish turnips and mangolds, but though a great 

 quantity of manure was used the crops fell off, and at present it 

 is nearly all in grass. The portion which was bare sand when it 

 was enclosed was treated in the same way, except as to the first 

 two crops of oats. It was green cropped after it had been enclosed 

 about two years. After the railway was made there was no 

 means for silting that portion of the enclosure which was sand. 

 The tide was entirely kept out. Had it been admitted the lands 

 would have been much more valuable and much higher. We 

 would then have had better drainage and a richer soil. That por- 

 tion which was grassed over at the time it was enclosed is still 

 much the best. 



When land is reclaimed from the sea, the first thing to be 

 looked to is a good outfall for the water, and when it is possible 

 no doubt it is very desirable that the land should be silted up 

 gradually. In our case this could not be done, as the reclama- 



