484 [Assembly 



Dr. Antisell observed, that in general, the cost of draining in Eng- 

 land, is frojn eighteen to twenty dollars an acre. 



Mr. Carter. — Potatoes do well planted on the surface with manure 

 over them. Top dressings are very useful. 



Dr. Antisell. — Potatoes are planted in Ireland, much in the manner 

 last mentioned. 



Mr. Elliott. — We have termed this subsoiiing, skeleton ploughing, 

 going to the depth of fifteen inches, but covering successive furrows 

 the subsoil with the soil. Hogg's garden is trenched about three feet 

 deep, his trees are always vigorous, never sutfer from drought. I have 

 drained here in damps lands, at the foot of side hills, and in what I 

 consider to be the cheapest v ay, that is, trenches with stones of various 

 sizes in them, enough of them, of about one inch in diameter, to make 

 the crevices so small that the mice cannot get in and do the mischief 

 to the drain, which otherwise they will do. I have used a spade of 

 peculiar form for making trenches, it is somewhat concave and tending 

 to a point • it lifts out of the trench all that it cuts without spilling 

 portions of the earth, which crumbled are more troublesome to get out. 



Dr. Peck, of Jamaica, Long Island. — I have a piece of wet land on 

 the island, worth nothing without draining. I drained a part of it 

 about four rods wide, and five rods long. I made trenches in it three 

 feet wide and about fifteen inches deep. I filled these with the pure 

 siliceous sand, throwing over that the wet earth taken out in making 

 these trenches, smoothing all, I formed a rich and valuable spot ol 

 it, which was worse than useless 'before. ' 



Subject-adopted for next meeting, Transplanting Fruit Trees. 



Club adjourned to first Tuesday, of March 1850. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



