6l
t-eservoirs for water conveyed during the night, it is now render-ed highly useful ; as, during the winter months, and after rainin summer, it is able to keep 15 persons fully employed,
In the year 1787> two more tenants agreed for eight acreseach ; in 1788 four ; in 1789 eight ; and in 1790 four. By these18 additional tenants taking 144 acres, the whole of the highmoss was disposed of, except that portion called the Jlow moss,containing about 400 acres. Here the moss is twice the usualbreadth, so fluid that a pole may be thrust down to the bottomwith one hand, and the interior part, for near a mile broad, is threefeet above the level of the rest of the moss. After many unsuc-cessful efforts, attended, by much trouble and considerable ex-pense, a stream of water has been carried fairly across the centreof this flow-moss; and a certain number of the old tenants, whosehabitations were nearest, were induced to take leases of allotmentsof this morass. As some additional aid and inducement werehere necessary, it was agreed to advance 12 1. gradually to eachtenant till he should be able to clear an acre; for which he or hissuccessor is bound to pay 12s yearly, or 5 per cent, on the sumadvanced. In consequence of these arrangements 85 of the oldtenants agreed in 1791 for eight acres each of the flow-moss; sothat 1200 acres were then disposed of in all among 115 tenants;and as these old tenants are bound to dispose either of their oldor new possessions when they have each cleared one acre of theflow-moss, purchasers will not be then wanting, and the moss willthen contain 150 families upon its 1200 allotted acres, at 8 acreseach.
For several years at first the water was chiefly used for form-ing roads and preparing reservoirs, which greatly retarded theprincipal object of gaining land. Yet 350 acres of excellent soilhave been cleared, producing abundant crops of wheat, barley,oats, and clover; and there is good reason to believe the opera-tions will yearly advance with increased rapidity, especially asmuch the greater number of tenants have only begun of late tooperate. Many of these tenants, besides maintaining their fami-lies otherwise by occasional employments, have in the high mosscleared one rood of land in a year, while some have cleared twoor even three roods; in the low moss an acre. Many of themnow raise from 60 to 360 bushels of grain yearly, and have nooccasion to go off to other work, which will soon be the case withthe whole. Though few of them entered with any large stock,one only has been obliged to quit the moss from inability to pro-ceed. Many indeed have expended their narrow stock, and even,tun a little in debt ; but in this case 11 1 ey have been allowed tosell their tacks on two conditions; 1. That the purchaser was tobe a responsible person ; and, 2. That the seller was to take anew allotment. Some even have made a trade of selling; inso-much that, from 1774 to 1792, when this account was drawn up,
£> 2