The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-07-20
REcLAIM1NG SWAMP LANDS.
pY Or. JOSEPH REYNOLDS.

This subject is beginning 10 arrest the al
,en,iOu of,ho New England cultivaios.-
No subject connected with farming can
more properly occupy the thoughts OF the
farmer who has such land, still unre-
claimed upon, his farm. The frequent
drough,s 10 which we are subjected, are
teaching US to Sc, higher value upon such
lands, than wei have hitherto done. Ex-
perience is showing US that they are the
most productive and the most reliable lands
which we cultivate. l, was formerly sup
posed that potatoes grow upon such lands
were more liable to disease than those grown
upon uplands. But think the experience
Of the las, two years has shown that pota-
toes grow upon peat lands, are as lille Ii
able to rot, as those grown upon any kind Of
soil whatever, while the YIELD was much
larger than upon any other soil.
one OF my neighbOrs, realized clear
profit, Of ninety dollars an acre for peat
swamp cultivated in potatoes which three
years aSo would not have sold for twenty
dollars per acre, Now the land Is worth
hundred dollars per acre. 0ne Of The finest
pieces Of reclaimed land which have seen
is situated near the center Of Carlisle, on
tho road from ConroTd to Lowell,Y1 ] think
j, contains no; less than twenty ,sftes. A
Few years ag6, it was an unsightiy' swamp,
filled with stumps hassocks and bushes
The water stood upon a large portion oft,
mos, Of the year. 1t was The favorite resor,
ofbullfrogs and tortOises. The blueberries
were the only prOduc, Of any value that j,
yielded. The only pleasan, memory assOci-
a,ed with It is the blackbirds that sported
and whis,led aroundi It's margin in the spring
time. BY skillful and indefa,igable labor,
il has been converted into one OF The mos,
beautiful meadows 10 be found in Massachu.
set,s. II always rive,s my attention when
Ipass by II, and | don't cease 10 look a, it
while any portion Of it is in sight. Immense
quantities Of roots have been extracted from
il, which have been used for fuel. Its sur.
face has been smoO,hed by the bog hoe anil
the plow. !, has been dressed with COM
posi-, OF barn!manure,and gravel mixed 10.
gather upon It's margin. Small portions OF
il has been reclaimed annnualy in this way,
principally By the labor OF the owners, un.
Ill it has now been converted from offensive
blotch upon the bosom Of mother earth, into
spo, Of beauty, ,ha, delights the eye Of
every behOlder. / have been informed that
portion OF i, cultivated the two past years
ia potatoes yielded clear profit OF 500
per acre. Mos, Of j, is in grass, and yields
from two TO three tons per acre OF fine hay !:
This land, few years AGO was no, worth $40
per acre, now is worth 5000. The secre,
by which 500 has thus been converted into
$4,000. is through draining. The fuel
which the owners have taken from this
swamp, and the potatoes which they have
grown upon its surface, have paid them for
their labor from year TO year, and now they
have valuable estate which will continue
to yield them large crops, with but little ex'
pense in its cultivation. How could they
have made a more profitable Investment
than thisi Bu, they did no, inves, money.
They have created this property by their
own labor, and the proper question is,
wha, way could they employ their laSOrs
more profiiably. Tho effec, produced upon
such lands by draining Is truly astonishing.
There are .evers, reasons by which the ben
efcial effects OF draining may be accounted
for. But shall speak Of only oneof these
reasons a. present.
Draining eleva,es the temperature Of the soil
many degrees; and thereby fits il to yield
vigorous growth TO plants, which before re-
fused altogether 10 grow upon Il. When a
,oil Is saturated with wafer, the most in
tense heat Of the sun can raise its ,empera'
ture bu, very lille. Ifycu place kettle
tilled with water over the fire, the ,empera-
,urs Of the water viii rise rapidly until /,
reaches 2i2 degrees. The water then be-
gins 10 be converted into steam. You may
continue to add fuel, and apply the bellows,
but the water grows no hotter. AL the ca
loric added Is rendered latent IN the change
from which The wafer undereoes. In
other words. the caloric is carried of by the
steam rs fas, as !, is impaired to the water,
Steam Is water combined into certain a
mount Of caloric. Abstract this caloric nom
steam, and becomes water sgain. So the
hca, Of the sun poured upon a we, soil, is
employed in converting portion Of the wa
,er in,o vapsr and IS conveyed away BY the
upOr, jus, As tho heat Of the fire is carried