Year: 1874

Undertaking has been sadly neglected
by the farmers of Maine. The richest
lands OF the State are so wet as to be OF
little value. There are thousands OF acres
OF swamps and meadows, which to-day are
almost useless and of little value, but
which, if thoroughly underdrsined, would
become the most productive aud the most
valuable of any. Into these wet lands the
fertility OF the surrounding hills has been
carried by every rain during countless
ages. These broad acres now await the
hand of the intelligent and dillgent hus-
bandman.


Our farmers need not go to the West to
find fertile fields which will yield abundant
hsrvests- They lie within sight OF nearly
every farmers home. These fields can be
purchased at lower prices than almost any
other Kind of land. By thoroughly under
draining them, they become capable Of
producing the most abundant harvests Of
hay or grain without the application Of
fertilizers. 1t looks like 8 ruinous policy
for our farmers TO purchase SO much grain
Of this West and permit their richest lands
thus TO lie useless


1t Is true that it costs more 10 bring such
lands into state ofcultivation. II is also
true that the productiveness viii more than
compensate the extra cost. A field that
by understanding can be made 10 annually
yield from two 10 three tons of hay per
acre, is the land that is worth almos, any
price. Ten acres of such land are worth
hundred OF the best of ordinary farming
land.


Not all wet land is as valuable as that
which We have been considering The
hiad TO which the preceding remarks ap-
ply, is that which has q deep black soil
with much muck in it. There are some
pieces of wet land that are so clayey that
their value is useless under any kind Of
treatment; yet such lands are exceptional;
avery small part of our meadows and
swamps are of that description. The most
of them are composed of deep black soil
with abundance of muck. This is just the
Kind to make the best OF tillage.


p
ing. it is generally considered that tiles
make the best and most enduring drains.
A very good drain can be made of small
stones, where they are abundant, and often
it is quite desirable TO place them out OF
sight. A ditch four feet deep aud foot
wide al the bottom, filled up two feet with
small stones. will use up the stones very
rapidly and make at the same time very
good drain. After the stones have been
leSeled, straw, brakes or boughs may be
thrown in 10 keep the dirt from falling
among the stones, and the rest of the ditch
be filled with dirt. In this way the stones
are placed low enough so as not TO be dis
turbed by the frost and the drain will last
many years.


Undertaking land renders it dryer and
earlier in the Spring when there is an
abundance Of water. 1t is not parched so
rapidly by drought in midsummer. The
top OF the ground does not bake so hard,
and the soil remaining more porous, water
is drawn by capillary attraction from the
subsoil to supply the wants OF the growing
plants.


We believe that the farmers of Maine
are yearly losing money by not undeT-
draining their wet lands. Money invested
in understanding will yield better per
cent. than any OF the savings banks can
afford TO pay such investments will also
be beyond the reach OF burglars, financial
crises, and failures. The principal, Of
course can not be readily withdrawn, but
this matters little. so long as a large
annuity is regularly received FROM it.
Mother Earth is bank that never fails
The dividends are large. Ii is the best
chance for the farmers Of Maine to invest
few hundred dollars Lewiston Journal.