RE ne ne a 
1903] VEGETATION OF THE BAY OF FUNDY MARSHES 179 
So much for the reclamation and renovation of the marshes. 
In addition there has grown up within a century a most impor- 
tant practice of reclaiming and converting into marsh both the 
lakes in the bogs and the bogs themselves. Its principle is 
simple, though the practice is by no means so. Canals are dug 
from the tidal rivers into the lakes, whereby the latter are 
drained and the tide is allowed to enter with the rich mud. In 
this way a lake may be entirely filled with mud and become the 
richest of marsh, and this has been done in the several lakes 
shown by the red lines on the detailed map (fig. 2). After the 
lakes have been thus reclaimed, the surrounding bog is attacked. 
The salt water turned upon the bog kills at once all vegetation, 
which compacts, sinks, becomes covered with marsh mud and 
gradually comes into rich marsh. Immense areas have thus 
been reclaimed on the Tantramar system, as shown upon the map 
above cited, and the process is steadily going on, while a sys- 
tematic attempt is being made by the Misseguash Marsh Com- 
pany to reclaim on a large scale the lakes and bogs on the 
Misseguash. In-such operations the most constant care is need- 
ful to prevent the canals from damming and filling themselves 
up, and this is mainly accomplished by utilizing the outward 
rush of the fresh water to scour out the channels. The great 
aim, therefore, is to secure the greatest possible “rush of tide 
up, and of freshet down.’’ There are marsh farmers who have 
become very expert in lake and bog reclamation, to their own 
profit and the good of the community. I believe this process 
of reclaiming bog, here practiced, is entirely unique.” 
An important feature of the economics of the marshes is the 
aboideaued rivers, already explained, of which the Aulac is by 
there are all gradations between. Disputes then arise among the owners of the body 
as to the course to be pursued, which often go so far that nothing at all is done, and 
great stretches of marsh suffer so severely as to become of little value. This is most 
markedly the case on parts of the Shepody marshes, large ar of which, capable of 
the highest development, are lying nearly ruined through fhe abitbe of the owners 
to co-operate for the common good. It would seem proper for the local legislature to 
interfere in such cases, where not only the interests of some owners are concerned, but 
also the Beato of the neighboring region. 
*° The process is more fully described in the papers by Crawley, by Goodwin, and 
by Trueman, pay in the a 
