THE RECLAMATION OF BOGS AND SWAMPS. 67 
wall. Salt mud or ooze is one of the best materials for 
forming a wall, and in most cases it is neither difficult to 
obtain, nor to freight to the place wanted, without an 
unreasonable expenditure. 
A ditch is almost invariably cut either on the inside or on 
the outside of the wall, which, in building operations not only 
assists as a roadway, but also helps to build the wall, the soil 
extracted being used for that purpose. 
When wall building round some swamps on our farm we 
‘constructed two cheap and excellent “flats” (oblong flat- 
bottomed boats), capable of carrying from five to ten tons 
each. We found them most useful afterwards when repairing 
the walls, and in ferrying hay, osiers, and litter. One we have 
‘converted into a houseboat, and it has been used for years by 
workmen, keepers, and others, and we have often been glad to 
avail ourselves of its shelter when caught in sudden storms 
whilst shooting. 
It is impossible for us to give anything but the most general 
outline of the subject matter which we are discussing, because 
each case must necessarily depend upon its own individual 
circumstances. 
Having completed the walls and banks satisfactorily, the 
next step is to cut drains and dykes, gradually enlarging them 
the nearer they approach their main outlet; in the case of the 
former where they join the dykes, in the case of the latter 
where they join main dykes, or the opening to a sluice, or 
drainage mill of wind or steam power. The vast improve- 
ments that have been made during the past few years in 
pumps and turbines for drainage purposes have greatly 
facilitated the reclamation of swampy land, and suitable 
machinery can be obtained for draining almost any land at a 
minimum of cost to what was the case a few years ago. In 
selecting the pump err rather on the side of getting one larger 
than is required than smaller; the extra outlay will never be 
