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cleared yet. On my farm this swampy land had been cleared in a measure by taking off the wood to burn at the house, &c., and then suffered to grow up to bushes.

My farm contained a large amount of such swampy land. I had several acres in a body lying between my house and interval that I wanted to improve. After taking off the bushes, which cost seven dollars per acre, I dug a ditch through it in the best place to drain it, from three to four feet deep, and three feet wide at the top, at about right angles with the banks of the upland. This main ditch was left open until all the rest were finished. I then dug two others, one on each side of the main ditch, at about right angles with it and about the same size and depth, near the ridge, in the best place to receive the spring and surface water. In these, for want of draining tile, I used, for one side, small poles, (ash and cedar), beginning, in all cases, at the upper end to lay my drain, being careful to keep the water course clear. On the other side, I used brick and flat stones. After making them comparatively tight, I filled in with coarse sand or gravel to within eight or ten inches of the surface, so as not to disturb the sand with the plow when plowing. This method takes not only the spring, but the surface water readily. But this did not fully accomplish my object, for I found springy places on both sides of my side ditches; I then dug two other side ditches parallel with the first ones, and not finding much water, I filled them at once with coarse gravel from the bottom to near the surface, and found that they took the surface water readily, but did not drain my land sufficiently; I then dug smaller ditches (but about the same depth) from the side drains to wherever I found a spring on the ground. These I filled at once with coarse gravel, as before described, unless there was too great a flow of water-in that case, I laid underdrains, and filled as before. In this way my object was accomplished, and I can now raise on land that was worthless and barren for good crops-corn, potatoes, turnips, wheat, barley and oats, and the best of English hay, and get large crops. Since then, I have done more at improving the same kind of land on other parts of the farm, and have learned something from experience.

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Now, I dig the main ditch in the best place to drain the land, and sometimes more than six feet deep,-it being very important to have the main ditch deep enough to thoroughly drain. I then make side ditches from my main ditch to wherever I find a spring or very wet place. These ditches I fill, as before described, using

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judgment as to whether an underdrain is required, or whether the coarse sand will answer alone. I prefer to use sand from a sandbeach at the river, as water passes through it readily. After draining such land, and it becomes settled and comparatively hard, I find it for my interest to plow and cultivate it, for the purpose of improving the quality, as well as the quantity of the hay. Farmers attempting such work must not be discouraged if it is expensive, nor if it takes several years to make it productive. It certainly will pay by and by. There is an acid, or something of the kind, in most of such cold, mucky land, that is injurious to vegetation; but exposure to the atmosphere will remove it, although sometimes it takes several years.

For instance,-I had a small piece of swampy land, lying at the foot of the bank, so wet and soft that I could run a small pole into it eight and ten feet very easily. After taking off the bushes, &c., and ditching near the ridge so as to take away the spring water, I sowed herdsgrass and fowl meadow seed, but it would not produce anything of value; I then top-dressed, and sowed on seed with the same result; the seed sprouted and came up, but it soon withered and died. This was the second year after ditching. I supposed I knew why the grass would not grow, and let the land lie. The fourth year fowl meadow began to grow, and the fifth year, I had a heavy crop of herdsgrass and fowl meadow, and the land has produced bountifully ever since, which is seven or eight

years.

Much

The same is true with some muck used as a fertilizer. depends upon the location and surroundings of a muck bed. For immediate use, as a fertilizer, muck taken from a bed or swamp mostly surrounded by black growth, and no stream running through it, is almost worthless, except as an absorbant, until it has had the action of the atmosphere and frost for a year or so after it is taken out. On the other hand, muck from a bed sur rounded mostly with hard wood growth and near a stream, makes quite a good fertilizer for some land as soon as applied. But the best way to use muck, is to put it dry into the barn-yard, hog pen, &c., for an absorbant.

Much good is derived by mixing soils, if properly done. The most luxuriant growth of hay I ever saw was produced by mixing very fine sand and clay together in about equal parts, and spreading the mixture on coarse gravel underlaid by clay. Neither of the materials separately would have produced a single blade of

grass. The same is true in regard to top-dressing, almost anything spread on grass land will improve the crop,-the better the material, the better the result; but one cannot raise a good quality of hay on a cold, wet soil, without first ditching and taking off the water. I find in ditching my mucky land, that the water does not mix with the muck. If water gets on a muck bed it remains a long time, unless taken away by ditching or evaporation. It will not readily soak through the mud; hence the necessity of keeping out spring water. I can dig muck in wet weather as well as in dry, if the surface water is kept out of the way. I also find all my muck beds underlaid with a very fine bluish compact sand, filled more or less with small particles of charcoal. This stratum of sand is from six to eighteen inches thick, and often so hard as to require a pick to remove it, and is almost impervious to water.

In some places, much of the time and labor expended in ditching, may be saved by digging through this stratum of find sand, and letting the water up that had to find vent in other places many rods away. I have a low, sunken swamp, on the upland near my buildings, of six or eight acres. A small brook ran into it, but there was no channel through, and it was always very wet. It was surrounded by a growth of evergreens. At the lower end I built a dam sufficiently high to flow the whole, and covered it with water, and kept it so five or six years, until all the growth was killed. After taking off the timber, wood, &c., (cutting close to the ice,) I drew off the water, and in a few years the bog cranberry came in and covered most of the swamp, producing abundantly. Water moss then came in and grew eight and ten inches high, and covered most of the swamp. I let it remain in that condition for several years. Then, wanting to get muck from the upper end, but being unable on account of its wetness, I dug a ditch through it lengthwise three feet deep, connecting it with the brook above, which thoroughly drained one-half of the swamp, (no springs coming in from that side.) The cranberries and moss. soon died out on the dry side, and alders, willows, &c., began to come in, but grew slowly for three or four years. Then the foliage put on a new color, and wherever permitted to remain have grown very rapidly since. On the wet side of the ditch, which is quite springy, the cranberries and moss continue to grow, and bushes are working in slowly. I find the same acid to contend with as in the cold, wet land adjoining my interval.

I now have a very good and convenient muck bed on the dry

side, and the muck is of good quality; where I take out the muck grass works in easily and grows well. I also find the same stratum of dark fine sand mixed with charcoal in the swamp on the upland as I did on the interval, and it produces well after plowing. Oats and barley grow well and yield bountifully, but the straw is weak and liable to lodge.

The average cost of ditching is about twenty-five cents per rod; for filling with sand alone the expense is about the same with me; much depends on the distance one has to draw the sand. Covered drains are more expensive-much depending on the material used for the drain.

HON. D. H. THING of Mt. Vernon, followed with an address on what he termed "Stick-to-it-iveness," graphically portraying the advantages of remaining by the old homestead in spite of discouraging seasons, and the rewards of perseverance in well-doing, which was received with great favor, and closed the exercises of the evening.

THIRD DAY.

THURSDAY, January 25, 1872. The Board re-assembled at 10 o'clock, when an Address was delivered by T. S. GOLD, Esq., Secretary of the Connecticut State Board of Agriculture, on

THE PRODUCTION OF MILK.

MR. GOLD. Mr. President and Gentlemen:-The successful production of milk depends almost entirely upon the grass crop for its great foundation. There is no section of conntry where milk can be produced extensively and profitably except where grass thrives. We are obliged in some cases to obtain milk for a particular purpose where grass is not the natural product, but we do it under great difficulties. Where grass is the main dependence we are often obliged, by the particular character of the season or other circumstances, to call in other substances, but after all, grass must be the main dependence, either as green grass or after being dried. With either of these in abundance milk can be produced of the finest quality and in the greatest profusion. It is foreign to my purpose to expend very much time upon the subject of feeding as a means of producing milk, yet we are all aware of the fact, and I lay it down as an established principle, that the quantity and quality of the milk will depend very largely upon

the character and the quantity of the food employed. Most conclusive experiments, conducted by Mr. Horsfall, in England, upon this subject, have recently been presented through the agricultural press. Mr. Horsfall's conclusions are, that with the proper food, proper conditions of temperature, and other circumstances being taken into account, as good butter, and as full returns can be secured in the winter as at any other season of the year.

In producing milk for different purposes, we must consult the different conditions required to be fulfilled. If we wish to make milk for cheese alone, it is our object to make milk when we can make it cheapest. In cheese dairies, beginning in the spring and running through to autumn, leaving the cows three or four months to recuperate, and to pass along without giving milk, is considered as the most economical system. If you make butter, you are encouraged to extend the time of milking by employing extra food, and to protract it even into the winter. As it is demanded for family use or for market, you are obliged to furnish a supply throughout the whole of the year, and an entirely different system of feeding, and a different class of animals, and another form of management, are required to accomplish this result. The subject came up with regard to close feeding of pastures yesterday, and changing stock from field to field. There are some things to be said on both but still I may present some facts upon it. tle, high pastures seem to be desirable, and that the grass should get considerable growth; but for the production of milk, short pastures are considered to be desirable. Short, fresh, close grass

sides of that subject, For feeding beef cat

will give you more milk than where you allow the clumps of grass to run up and obtain considerable firmness and size. And especially is this grass more productive in milk when it is fresh; when it is green, as was said here the other night, than when it is allowed to grow to considerable height, so that it is white or yellow below, and has become sour by reason of moist weather. Even with the most abundant pasture, I have noticed our cows fall off when there comes a warm, sultry, damp time, in which the grass in the pastures is growing most luxuriantly, and there is a great abundance of food, because it becomes soured by getting too rank; it gets ahead of the cows. That is by no means a desirable condition for dairy pastures.

With regard to the changing of stock, there are reasons why it is desirable to change. The manure is more evenly distributed

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