DATE DUE UNIV. OF MASSACHUSETTS/AMHERST LIBRARY S 73 A32 Mm:^ THE ligncKltiin af "^usnt^Mttts, SHOWN IN RETURNS AGIUCULTUHAL SOCIETIES, 1853. \ -^'U^ PREPAKED lit CHARLES L. FLINT, Secretary cf the Board of ^\yriciilture. BOSTON: WILLIAM WHITE, PRINTER TO THE STATE. 1854. s. ^^^ ^ }w\ J ^ f '^ ■^w^A p ^ ^m •* $ ^ >>■ ^ . % H ; ^m.-' 1 ^ ^ , Jj^^ K O ;,■ %4S r b— 1 '^ F o "^ THE AGRICULTURE OF MASSACHUSETTS, SHOAVN IN RETURNS AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES/ 1853. PEEPAEED BY CHARLES L. FLINT, Secretary of the Board of i.Ericulture BOSTON: WILLIAM WHITE, PRINTER TO THE STATE. 1854. ubrmw PREFACE. The materials of which the present volume is composed are of unusual value, and the societies were probably never in a more flourishing condition than at present, all but four having published their Transactions. The distribution of its volume of Transactions is one of the most eflicient means which a County Society has of awakening an interest in the subject of Agriculture. One great object of such society, with the aid of the bounty of the Commonwealth, should be to create an interest where but little exists, and no society can attain its highest usefulness, which has not vitality enough to publish, and to obtain a general distribution of its pro- ceedings. It is believed that the expense of publication would be both judicious and economical, even if its Transactions should be placed in the hands of every farmer in the county, whether a member of the society or not. It is wholly impossible to give any society the credit and position in this volume which it may deserve, unless its returns are properly made. My thanks are due to the State Society and to the individuals who have kindly furnished me, at their own iv PREFACE. expense, with the plates of valuable animals which adorn this volume. It is desirable that all first prize animals should appear here. An accurate likeness gives a far better idea of a good animal than any description can. The arrangement of this volume is somewhat different from that of any which has preceded it, and it is thought that this, together with the complete index at the end, will make it more valuable and convenient for reference. The financial returns of the societies will be found in the Appendix to the First Annual Keport of the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture. C. L. FLINT. Boston, April, 1854. OFFICERS OF AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES FOR 1854. MASSACHUSETTS. President— JOHN C. GRAY, of Boston. Secretary— BEN J. GUILD, of Boston. ESSKX. President— MOSES NEWELL, of West Newbury. Secretary— ALLEN W. DODGE, of Hamilton. MIDDLESEX. President— SAMJJEL CHANDLER, of Lexington, Secretary— SIMON BROWN, of Concord. WORCESTER. President— ISAAC DAVIS, of Worcester. Secretary— WM. S. LINCOLN, of Worcester. WORCESTER WEST. President— DAYID LEE, of Barre. Secretary—EDWIN WOODS, of Barre. V/ORCESTER NOR.TH. President— IVERS PHILLIPS, of Fitchburg. .Secrctar!/— THOMAS R. BOUTELLE, of Fitchburg. HAMPSHIRE, FRANKLIN AND HAMPDEN. President— FAOLl LATHROP, of South Hadley. Secretary— WM. O. GORHAM, of Northampton. HAMPSHIRE. PresiWen^— ALFRED BAKER, of Amherst. Secretary— J. W. BOYDEN, of Amherst. HAMPDEN. President— FRANCIS BREWER, of Springfield. Secretary — A. A. ALLEN, of Springfield. vi OFFICERS OF SOCIETIES. FRANKLIN. President— HENRY VV. CUSHMAN, of Bernardston. Secretary— il. G. PARKER, of Greenfield. BERKSHIRE. Pz-esiWen/— JULIUS ROCKWELL, of Pittsfield. Secretarij— ENSIGN H. KELLOGG, of Pittsfield. HOUSATONIC. President— E7AI A C. TICK NOR, of Alford. Secrelaiij—HAMUEL B. SUMNER, of Great Barrington. NORFOLK. PfcsiWra/— MARSHALL P. WILDER, of Dorchester. Secretary— EDW ARD L. KEYES, of Dedham. BRISTOL. President— J. H. W. PAGE, of New Bedford. Secretary— h. T. TALBOT, of Taunton. PLYMOUTH. President— SETli SPRAGUE, of Duxbury. Secretary— JESSE PERKINS, of North Bridgewatcr. BARNSTABLE. Presideiit— CHARLES MARSTON, of Barnstable. &cre/ar^— GEORGE MARSTON, of Barnstable. EXHIBITIONS FOR 1854 Essex, September 27 & 28. Middlesex, October 4 & 5. Worcester, September 27 & 28. Worcester West, " 27. Worcester North, " 13. Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden, Hampshire, October 18 & 19. Hampden, September 27 & 28. Franklin, October 4 «fe 5. Berkshire, " 4 & 5. Housatonic, September 27 & 28. Norfolk, . i " 26 & 27. Bristol, " 27 & 28. Plymouth, October 4 & 5. Barnstable, " 11. AGRICULTURE OF M ASS ACnU SETTS. FARMS. The committee of the Norfolk Society suggest the propriety of adopting some known standard of judgment to be used by committees on farms. The following is suggested by them as worthy of notice : — Requisites and Evidences of Good Farming. 1st. A good soil, well tilled, and kept free of various weeds, both on the fields and the roads. 2d. Lots well fenced, and suited in number to the size of the farm. 3d. Substantial and convenient barns and stables of sufficient dimensions to contain the produce of the farm, and to comfort- ably house the cattle kept on it. 4th. A judiciously arranged dwelling, in neat condition, with a well and filtering cistern. 5th. Convenient buildings to facilitate the economical man- agement of the farm ; among which may be enumerated a wood- house, a wagon and tool-house, a workshop, a granary and corn-house, a convenient piggery, an ice-house, ash and smoke- house, all secured against decay by being well raised from the ground and neatly painted or wliitewashed. 6th. Convenient yards attached to the barns and stables, so arranged as to prevent waste of the liquid manure, well sheltered from the blasts of winter, and provided with water for the cattle. 1* 2 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 7th. Door yards laid with grass and flower-beds, and shaded by ornamental trees, indicating to the passer-by the dwelling of taste, health and comfort. 8th. A kitchen garden highly cultivated, and containing every species of vegetable that can be raised in our climate, with strawberry and asparagus beds. 9th. A fruit garden or orchard, where choice apples, cherries and plums are carefully cultivated, and where can be found neat rows of raspberry, gooseberry, blackberry ana currant buohcs. It will be seen, also, that the propriety of increasing the amount of the premiums on farms, and extending the entries over a term of years, during which the whole operations of the farm would be under the inspection of the committee, is strongly impressed upon the attention of societies. ESSEX. The committee would suggest to the trustees the expedi- ency of revising the mode of offering premiums on farms ; and they beg leave to propose the plan of entering farms for a period of not less than three years, to be viewed, as now, twice each year, and the first premium to be $100, and the second, $50. To your committee it does seem important that some revised mode should be adopted, which it may be hoped will increase the number and grade of farms offered for the society's premiums. Richard P. "Waters, Chairman. Josiah Croshy^s Statement. In calling your attention to my farm, I feel some reluctance, in consequence of the very prevalent idea among farmers, that none but large and decidedly model farms should be considered worthy of a premium. But notwithstanding this opinion, experience and observation have taught me that small farms declare the largest relative dividends ; and in corroboration of this statement, I could, if my limits would permit, cite many instances of farms in this county, containing ten or twelve acres, FARMS. 3 that are made to produce annually a larger net income than others containing one hundred acres. In conformity with these views, I have ventured to offer my humble farm for a premium, destitute as it is of all such pleas- ing associations as "paternal acres," "ancestral oaks," or "ven- erable mansions," handed down from former generations ; and I present my claim only upon the ground that he is a benefac- tor who makes two blades of grass to grow, where but one grew before. I will endeavor briefly to convince you that this much I have done. I purchased my farm in the spring of 1841; it then con- tained about thirty acres, one-half of which was completely covered with bushes. My first move was to commence an open warfare upon these " cumberers of the ground." For a while, they resisted manfully, and seemed to bid defiance to our attacks ; but after a hard-fought battle, we found ourselves at last in full possession of the field. This field is now the best part of my farm, and is capable of producing two tons of Eng- lish hay to the acre ; but at the time I commenced work upon it, it would not have afforded subsistence for a solitary cow. The other half of the farm at the time of my purchase, was a strong and rich, but cold soil, and for want of sufficient drain- ing and manui'ing, it produced but scanty crops. It has been partially drained and had a liberal supply of manure. It is now in a good state of cultivation, and produces large crops, but is yet susceptible of great improvement. I have made several additions to my first purchase, and the farm now contains about sixty acres, all of which — with the exception of sixteen acres of woodland — is in a high state of fertility, and with a little additional draining and manuring, will compare favorably with any similar number of acres in the county. I have built a barn and cellar fifty-six by tliirty-eight feet, with sheds, carriage-house, piggery, poultry yards, &c., attached, which have cost about $1,700 ; I have entirely remodelled and repaired my dwelling-house, at an expense of about $2,500 • I have built a small greenhouse, with a cellar and well, for rais- ing foreign varieties of grapes, which has cost about $160; I have made two hundred rods of substantial stone wall, and 4 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. have dag three hundred and fifty rods of drains ; I have set out about three hundred fruit trees, comprising the choicest varieties of apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries and apricots ; I have hauled at least five hundred loads of sand a distance of a mile and a quarter, which has been spread upon the land, and is now tlioroughly incorporated with the soil, and has changed the character of it, preventing it from baking or cracking during severe droughts, and causing the crops to start much earlier in the spring ; I have paid out in cash for manures about $500, and have made various other minor improvements on the farm. But, as I have before stated, I do not enter my farm for a premium on account of its magnitude, or as being a model farm on a small scale ; neither do I claim any superior mode of cul- tivation ; but simply on the ground that I have taken it in a miserably dilapidated and worn-out condition, and have put it in such a state that it will compare favorably with a majority of the farms in our county. The following statement will show the comparative condi- tion of the farm when purchased, and as it now is : — Produce of Elm Vale Farm in 1841 : — Say about five tons of hay, worth . . . $75 00 Produce of the same for the year 1853 : — 25 tons English hay, . . $20 00 $500 00 3 " squashes, . . 40 00 120 00 25 bushels onions, ... 60 15 00 350 " potatoes, ... 1 00 350 00 2,500 heads cabbages, ... 06 150 00 60 bushels oats, .... 60 36 00 40 " corn, .... 1 00 40 00 25 barrels apples, ... 3 00 75 00 Tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, green com and peas, 35 00 Cherries, pears, peaches, quinces, &c., . . . 25 00 Pork, fatted mostly upon milk and refuse potatoes and apples, 90 00 Calves, 18 00 $1,454 00 FARMS. 5 No account is made of butter and milk, garden vegetables fruit, &G., used in the family. Original cost of the farm, .... $2,900 00 Cost up to the present time about, . . 10,000 00 Farm expenses for 1853, .... 516 00 Elm Vale Farm, North Andover, Nov. 15th, 1853. MIDDLESEX. In the discharge of their duties, the committee have visited the remotest sections of the county ; they have, therefore, had excellent opportunities to observe the general aspect of our agricultural towns, and to ascertain, somewhat critically, their condition and prospects in regard to agriculture. One opinion and the same feeling, seem to have been common to us all while engaged in our investigations. Taste and labor combined are every year making our beautiful county still more beautiful; so that ere long the poet will cease to be quoted when he says, " God made the country." The traces of enterprise, skill and perseveranse, are becoming as manifest in the fields and around the rural homesteads, as in the cities ; so that neither city nor country can now claim to be, exclusively, God's work. His sunshine falls on both, and in both alike the blessing assumes many beautiful shapes. It may be said that with a liberal outlay of wealth any farm may be made beautiful. Very true, provided the money be judiciously, and not foolishly expended. And this leads us to throw in a remark based upon what we have repeatedly seen. We are persuaded that farmers still need to learn where to spend, and where to pinch, in conducting their operations ; in other words, to ascertain the point up to which money spent for the farm is good economy, and beyond which, expense becomes extravagance. It is no economy at all to save the expense of a good plough, for instance, and to lose twice its cost, in a crop made scanty by poor ploughing. By such economy, the poor farmer is made still poorer; his " poverty " as the Scripture says, " is his destruction." We were pleased with the combination of the useful and ornamental which we saw in Mr. Wheeler's cornfield. It sug- 6 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. gests a theme of great practical importance. As the progress of agricultural science and art is promoted among us, these combinations will become more and more common. Taste, insinuating itself into the operations of the farm, will often avail itself of some accidental feature of a field, or some chance location of trees, or shrubs, or water, to make them subservient to the general beauty of the landscape. Charles Babbidge, Chairman. In order to obtain as full information as possible from those applying for premiums on farms, the committee propounded the following questions : — Replies of Daniel Tuttle, of Acton. 1. Of how many acres did your farm consist in 1848 ? A. Ninety-five acres. 2. What was the condition of the land at that time, in a good state of cultivation, or otherwise ? .4. Mostly bound out and up to brush. 3. What proportion of it was in tillage, pasture, and wood ? A. Tillage, thirty acres ; pasture, fifty ; wood, fifteen acres. 4. What amount of hay cut in 1848 and in 1852 ? .1. Twenty tons in 1852; twenty-six tons in 1853. 5. What grain do you raise ? A. Corn and oats. 6. "What roots do you raise,, and what value do you place upon them as food for stock ? A. Flat turnips and carrots, and I believe them profitable as feed for stock. 7. At what time do you seed down grass land, spring or fall, and at about what date ; kind and quantity of seed, and with what grain best ? A. In the spring, eight quarts herds-grass, half bushel redtop and eight pounds clover to the acre. 8. At what time do you apply top-dressing to grass land, and why at that particular time V A. In October. FARMS. 7 9, How do you apply manure, composted, or not ; ploughed under or on the surface, and what quantity per acre ? A. Composted, and thirty loads to the acre. 10. Do you use guano, how, and with what results ? A. Do not use it. 11. The same of plaster and lime ? A. Have not used any. 12. What course do you pursue in draining — open or under- drains, use tiles, stones, or brush? A. Open drains. 13. What depth do you commonly plough — do you use the subsoil plough, and think it advantageous or not ? A. Ten or twelve inches. 14. Have you reclaimed bog meadow, and how ? A. Yes, by ploughing. 15. How much, and what live stock do you keep, and what breeds ? A. Two oxen, ten cows, one horse, ten swine, native stock. 16. Do you employ oxen or horses, and which do you consider best? A. Oxen and horse. 17. How much butter, cheese, or milk do you produce ? A. Butter and cheese, nine hundred lbs., made and sold. 18. What fruits do you raise ? A. Apples, peaches, pears, plums, and cherries. 19. What do you consider the cheapest fences ? A. Stone wall. 20. Do you consider the careful cultivation of a garden essen- tial on a farm ? A. I do. 21. Is there profit in raising swine? A. 1 think there is. 22. What extent of orcharding have you, apple, pear, peach, or plum ? 23. What distance from each other do you set your trees ? A. Thirty-three feet. 24. Do you wash them, and if so, what with ? A. Yes. 25. Do you keep them under cultivation, and with what crops ? 8 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. A. I do, with corn and other crops. 2G. Do you think old orchards may be new topped and culti- vated with profit ? A. I do, but think they should be cut closer to the body to prevent them from being too tall. 27. Do you keep a journal of your farm operations ? JL. Do not. Elijah Wood, Jr.^s, Statement. The farm, in part, which I offer for premium, I purchased in 1840, it being in a low state of cultivation, with a large propor- tion of pine plain land, which had been cropped to death with rye. The buildings were very poor and inconvenient. The main house had been thoroughly repaired, new put up, making a convenient tenement for my father and myself. The barn has been built anew. The first year after the purchase, all the stock that could be kept in the winter on English hay, was five cows and a horse, and that, a share of it, was cut where the cows arc pastured now. Since that time I have added some 140 acres ; about equal proportions of meadow, woodland, and light pasturing. The pasturing has all been ploughed and manured, except the last, purchased in 1849, and that comes in turn next year. I plant with corn one or two years, as the case may be, ploughing from seVen to eleven inches, according to the depth it was before turned, and the nature of the soil, endeavoring to run a little deeper every year, spreading on from twenty-five to thirty-two loads of compost manure .to the acre, and plough again (if sod land) as low as can be without disturbing the sod, (if not) make one turning answer the pur- pose. I have this year used the swivel plough to avoid the dead furrow. I prepared a compost for the corn-hills, never more than 300 lbs., of guano for the six acres, (this year only 150 lbs.,) with about four proportions of plaster. All the ashes made in the house, and excrements from twenty hens, are mixed with two loads of loam, and thrown over every day till used, when but a small handful is put in each hill. The crop is hoed level three times, sowing before the last hoeing, six quarts of herds-grass, one peck of redtop, and five lbs. clover. If cxclu- FAEMS. « sively for pasturing, I sow three or four lbs. of wliite clover. In that Avay, I have raised for five years an average of not less than forty bushels of sound corn to the acre. If the grass fails, in part, I scatter more seed in the spring and bush it in. When it is to be grazed, the cows are kept from it till it gets a good start, sometimes a foot high. Nearly all my high land has been laid down in that way for twelve years, because of the saving of labor. My pasturing is in four lots, and I am con- vinced of many advantages in the division. More stock can be kept, by one-eighth, on a given number of acres ; and by keeping on each, one week at a time, when you come to the fourth the grass must be fresh and large, and the cattle are quiet and peaceable, which is not the case when in one lot ; I am a believer in the old saying that a " change of pasture makes fat calves." Of stock, I made a small beginning, keeping but four cows the first summer, and hired part of the pasturing at that ; and in the winter kept seven, partly on meadow hay. Now I keep twenty-five head in the winter on the same number of acres mowed over, and what land I have bought helps to increase the number from thirty-seven to forty, with the additional purchase of $30 worth of meadow grass standing. In the summer I keep from fifteen to twenty cows, varying as my customer wants milk, knowing that he must be supplied in August, when the feed is short, as well as in June, when it is green and sweet. Moist land I depend upon entirely for grass, having turned nearly all my high land to pasture except a few acres, an orchard, where I raise all kinds of vegetables, southern corn, &c. I am fully satisfied of one fact, that the more land a per- son has (if he undertakes to cultivate and manure it sparsely) the poorer he is. I have about thirty-five acres of the moist land, twenty of which have been reclaimed, the rest is on the river, and liable to be covered with water one-third of the year ; experience has taught me to let that alone. My great desire was to improve the land — never being satisfied to raise only my own corn and potatoes; some four acres had been gravelled by my father, but improvements on meadows in those days were hardly known. The meadow was uneven, and not sufficiently drained, all the ditches running from the edge to the centre, not even one head ditch on the whole farm. The gravel in 2* 10 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. some places was a foot thick and in others very shalloTr. Draining and ploughing those pieces and incorporating the gravel with the mud, were among the first of my improvements, causing the land to produce two crops every year since. I plough late in the fall, land that has been once fixed, and sow with oats and grass seed the next June, because I cannot spare the feed in the fall. New meadow should always be ploughed if possible ; if not, gravel ; never burn except to get rid of roots, or stumps, or hassocks bogged off, and then gravel or level up with loam. I have seen the bad effect of burning meadows on some of my neighbors' farms. Ashes produce great crops for three or four years, and then it is in a worse state (if not heavily manured) than before. Ashes in their effects are precisely like rum, exciting for a short tim.e. Some of the land that I have reclaimed was very miry, requiring the plough to be drawn with ropes attached to something permanent on hard land, other lots have been gravelled in the winter when frozen. Some three acres wore completely covered with wood and brush ; the stumps were taken out, the heights were bogged off, and burned, then loam and gravel from an old road spread over it. The last lot that I reclaimed was very near the river ; it was covered with alder and skunk-cabbage, and so wet that man or beast could hardly walk on it. Now, it is one of the best pieces on the farm. Draining is the foundation of all improvement in low land, and requires more judgment than either of the other dcpai'tnients of farm work. Marginal drains must be run, where, and how near together, is the question. I have of that description, with stone laid in the bottom, and covered, between five and six hundred rods, and one hun- dred rods, with joist, and pieces of rails, and boards, in the bottom. The first cost of covered drain is much more than those of open, but after once made, more grass will grow on tliem than on other parts of the piece ; there is no cleaning out to be done and they will last as long as the present generation. We have in our vicinity hundreds of acres of land, not mud, but black soil, wliCre the water oozes out till June, which, if it was taken off would produce twice the hay, with the same manure, and that of a much better quality. If i FARMS. 11 stone is scarce there are other materials. Where there is a will there is a way. I have set three hundred and fifty trees of different varieties, mostly apple, which are doing well, except the first hundred ; in that lot I was deceived, the seller not giving me the trees I bought, viz. : large and well-shaped heads, but sent me crooked trees and without limbs. I soon became discouraged, partly on account of the poor trees, and on account of ejicroachmerits and distance from home. The land is now laid down to grass and the few remaining trees will soon die a natural death, I hope. Dear-bought experience has taught me that I had better pay a dollar for a good tree, than to have a poor one for nothing. By a good one, I mean one that has large and fibrous roots, a straight trunk with the top well-shaped and trimmed, and high enough to let the team near it. Of the whole number all started but six, the first season, some few have died in the hard winters, and peach trees from the effects of the borer. Always mulched them the first year. I believe it no use to undertake to raise fruit without the mind is made up to keep the ground under cultivation at least two years in three. As to manure, it has been my constant effort to make and use as much as possible, from the barn-cellar, yard, hog-pen, vault, sink-drain, &c., always using it the present season. I keep loam constantly in the cellar which is ready to be put to the droppings. It is always thrown over directly after haying, and used either for fall seeding or for a top-dressing. I then commence a new pile by wheeling loam into the lean-to through a door expressly for the purpose and put it down the trap doors, and by so doing the manure thrown over below can remain for a while. I used as a top-dressing last year four hundred loads. Every thing collected, up to November, is used on grass. I then commence the winter stock by carrying one hundred loads of mud or black earth to the cellar, and throw on to the droppings during the winter as often as once a week. I find it almost impossible to make manure heat in my cellar, and for that reason I carry it to the field to mix. I consider it one man's time for the year to do the work connected with the manure heap. When I commenced on the farm little help was hired, but from year to year more help was needed, and for the last three years in 12 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. Bummer have had three men and worked out more or less. la this account no credit is given for labor of man and oxen which were kept in winter drawing wood, stone and gravel for the benefit of the farm Receipts, in 1852 : — Milk at the Car, Ruta-bagas and Carrots, For work off the farm, For Apples sold. Calves, . ,573 75 167 00 211 00 49 00 36 00 $2,036 75 Expenses, in part : — Labor of two men. • . $235 00 One man and boy three months, . . . 78 00 For grass and hay. . . 97 00 Expenses for grain, . • . 235 00 $645 00 Samuel G. Wheeler's Statement. In offering my farm for premium, I would state that it is only three years the first day of this month, since I took possession of it, and at which time, all the buildings were very old and in a state of decay, and with the exception of the dwelling-house not worth repairing. In the erection of my new buildings I had regard to convenience in their location, durability in con- struction, and beauty in appearance. You having examined the same, can best judge how far I have been successful in my labors. The walls and fences on my whole farm were in very bad condition, and my cattle had almost an uninterrupted range over the whole place. I have laid about two hundred rods of heavy-faced and bank wall, three hundred rods of heavy balanced wall and about one hundred rods of chestnut post and board fence. I have set out nearly two thousand fruit and ornamental trees, and have so improved my whole farm by the use of stable manure, meadow muck, and guano, that my crops this FARMS. 13 year ■will be more than tliree times the amomit of the first year's product. I have enclosed about eight acres for a per- manent garden, in which I have set out one and a half acres with choice strawberry vines, also half an acre with nine thousand asparagus roots, two years old, the balance in vegetables of all the various kinds, and which will yield large crops. The two fields of corn containing twenty or more acres, had no manure pul on tlie land. After the ground was furrowed for planting, I put to each hill a table-spoonfal of Mexican guano and plaster, well mixed, one-fifth guano, four-fifths plaster. A little earth was put over this with the foot, before the corn was dropped so that it did not come in immediate contact with the compost. The upper field, which is a light soil, was hoed but once, owing to hurry of farm work. I do not see but it is quite as good as the other field and the product will be as heavy. From the various experiments I have made for the last two years in the use of Peruvian and Mexican guano, I have the highest opinion of their great value as fertilizers. For some crops, I think the Mexican equal to the Peruvian, and for any crops, I think half of each, mixed with plaster as above, will produce as good crops as Peruvian alone. The improvements made to my old house, (part of which is one hundred and seventy years old,) you have seen and can judge of their convenience. I would not be willing to exchange it for any farm or mansion-house in the State however costly it may be. CoNCOKD, October 4, 1853. WORCESTER. The farm of the Messrs. Meriam is all well cultivated, but not so much better than many of our good farms as to justify the awarding of a premium. But their improvements upon swamp and meadow land present strong claims. Their state- ments of their proceedings will accompany this report, and need not be here repeated. The results, as stated by them, the committee believe to be correct. The committee saw some parts of their meadow land which had not undergone the pro- cess of improvement, and some parts of their swamp land 14 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. which "was in its original state. The former had not a crop on it which would pay for mowing, and the latter produced nothing but weeds and bushes. The Messrs. Meriam are worthy of credit for their courage and perseverance, and have been rewarded with great success. Rejoice Newton, Chairman. Statement of the Messrs. Meriam. Our farm, which we entered for the Society's premium, con- sists of 2G0 acres, of which about 85 acres are in mowing and tillage, tlie balance in pasturage and wood. This year wc have about 25 acres in corn, wheat, rye, oats, potatoes, carrots, &c., and 60 in mowing. Our yield of corn will be this year about 75 bushels per acre, average for the last five years 60 bushels ; wheat 20 bushels, oats' 33, rye 16, potatoes 100, carrots 500 bushels per acre. We cut this year, as near as we could esti- mate, about 120 tons of hay, being an average of two tons per acre ; we had many acres that would yield three tons the acre ; and that on improved swamps and interval — ^liaving about seven acres of swamp and twenty of interval improved. The interval has been much improved by turning over and seeding down in August or September. We have about forty acres of interval and improved swamp land mostly in one body, to which we have given most of our attention for improvements for the last few years. To our other lands the committee will see that we have paid but very little or no attention, with a view to im- provements, although it is of a kind and quality that would be susceptible of great improvement with but small outlays, but liavc confined ourselves to about one hundred acres, which we think we are in a fair way to bring into a high state of cultiva- tion with but very trifling outlays, as the most have paid the expense of improvements the first year. Our swamps are mostly got into mowing by planting with potatoes, and we have obtained good crops, all but one year and that was lost by the rot. We find ourselves at a loss to make a correct return of the expense of carrying on our farm, as much time of ourselves and help is occupied in making improvements and work of the farm FARMS. 15 particularly in the winter. We hire two men by the year at $150 each and board them, (we do but little labor ourselves, as our health will not permit us to do much hard work,) and in addition, we hire by the day through the summer, about fifty days at 85 cents a day and they board themselves. For getting our hay and grain, we hire three men at $1.25 a day, about twenty days each, besides our steady help, they boarding them- selves. Besides the crops before specified, we have milk, butter, eggs, fruit, vegetables, and in fact almost GYery thing that a farmer raises and has to dispose of, and which finds a ready market at our door. AcBUEN, October 24tli, 1853. P. S. — The year before we came upon the farm there were not more than ten tons of hay cut upon it, and a large share of that was of poor quality ; the first year after we came on to the farm we cut some fifteen or twenty tons, about six of this was clover that had been seeded down the year before, and for the balance we did not get two or three tons to the acre, but it took two or three acres for a ton, and much of that of very poor quality; and where we now get sixty bushels of corn to the acre, it had been sown year after year to buckwheat until they could raise nothing else. WORCESTER WEST. The committee were called to examine three farms, all entered for the society's premium on farms of 100 acres and over. As but one premium was offered on farms of this description, the committee were confined to the awarding of a single premium. The first farm visited was that of Mr. David Bacon of Barre, and is the same for which he received the society's second premium last year. For a particular description of M'hich see last year's report. The only peculiarity in the management of his farm which your committee noticed, was the stabling of his cattle and horses on the ground, upon beds of dry muck and litter, suffer- ing the cattle to stand upon the muck till it had absorbed its 16 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. fill of liquid manure, or till the accumulated heap required its removal. Mr. Bacon is confident he derives greater benefit from this method of making manure than he should from the use of a cellar. He saves the expense of stable floors, retains all the droppings of the cattle, and by the use of litter keeps his cattle warmer through the winter than they would be to stand on floors. This sul)ject is worthy the consideration of farmers. The last farm visited was that of Mr. Benjamin F. Hamilton, of New Braintrce. What he has done is stated in his commu- nication to the committee, which is as follows : — My farm contains 103 acres — s*x in wood, and ninety-seven under improvement. The valuation on the assessors' bojks is $7,000. The interest of which is, $420 00 The number and value of my stock is — One horse, .... . $125 00 Two oxen, .... . 125 00 Twenty cows, .... . 600 00 One yearling heifer. . 18 00 Seven calves, .... . 70 00 Four shotes, .... . 40 00 $978 00 The interest is, Interest on cost of tools, repairing the same, and blacksmith's bill, Amount paid for labor, .... My own lal)or, ..... The labor in the house, .... The produce is as follows : — 30 acres corn, 150 bushels, l acre of corn for fodder, I " potatoes, 50 bushels at 50 cents, 4 " barley, 150 bushels, at 5 s'lillings,' ^ " carrots, 75 bushels, at 25 ccats, 58 G8 40 00 250 00 125 00 110 00 $1,C0.J 68 . $150 00 30 00 25 00 . 125 00 18 75 FARMS, 17 30 cart-loads pumpkins, Apples, 65 tons good haj, at 15 dollars, 5 " swale and meadow hay, at 5 dollars, 3 " corn-stover, .... 4 " straw, ..... 8,500 lbs. clieese, at a fraction over 10| cents per lb 125 lbs. butter, at 22 cents, . 1,883 lbs. pork, at S^ cents, . Small pigs, sold for .... 13 veal calves, ..... Estimated value of produce of farm consumed bj family is, ....... $45 00 25 00 825 00 25 00 15 00 20 00 919 49 27 50 155 35 36 00 97 98 250 00 $2,7G0 07 In the number of cows I milked were 2 two-years old and 3 three-years old heifers, and one farrow cow. Two of my heifers lost their bags, so that I did not consider them both worth more than one would have been had their bags not have been injured. I have sometimes averaged 500 lbs. of cheese from a cow, after fatting the calf. I have expended considerable in improvements within the last three years. I built a barn 100 by 42 feet, 18 feet posts, with a cellar under the whole, at a cost of $1,700. The mate- rials used were of the best kind, and the work done in a very thorough manner throughout. I have expended on my house, and buildings connected, including front fence, $1,000, and have expended $100 in bringing water from the brook to my house and barn, a distance of 26 rods, by a hydraulic ram. I have paid $100 for blasting rocks from my mowings and fields, and have built 237 rods of stone wall, at a cost of two dollars per rod. My walls are very heavy. I have dug a trench from one to two feet deep where I have ^built wall, for two reasons. One was, I wanted the loam to fill the holes where I blasted rocks, which was no small job, and to make compost manure with. I have expended $25 in reclaiming about an acre of meadow land, and have made it produce twice as much hay, and of excellent quality. I have used about 300 loads of compost manure yearly, and have increased my crop of hay fifty per '3* 18 MASSACHTSETTS AGEICULTUEE. cent- within the last three rears. I have set about eighty Tom^ apple trees, and fifty other finiit trees, snch as cherry, ploHL peach, pear, ic. I have grafied thirty apple trees with the best kind of fruit, and ten pear trees. AH of which is respectfclly submitted to the committee. XrTT Biirvrszx, XoTcmber 21, 1S-5S. This statement, like all others which we have seen of farm- inff operations, must be taken with a discount. The amount actuallv realized from, this farm does not probably exceed $1,200 srros- :ome. out of which actual expenses are to be paid, A. - :^lance of nominal income is consumed on the farm- Tour committee were of the opinion that the affairs of this farm were manasred with ereat system and care. Every thins: was in order : the stock was good, and the quantity and quality of the products may be judged of by the price they brought in the market. But the attention of the connniitee was chiefly called to the improrement made on the place within the last three years, or since it has come into the hands of the present owner. Im- prorements made for a3\. coming time, and for all future occupants of thefenn- The stones for 200 rods of waB — ^most of it more than four feet wide— taken from the mowings and plough-fields, is so mu./' " - - nly for the present occupant, but for all who mav im on the farm. The bam and other build- inars, erected by him, are a model for all who wish to make permanent, convenient, and — in the opinion of your commit- tee—really economical improvements. The committee,, believing it to be one of the great objects of this Society to encourage such investments; and such a system of farminz as Mr. Hamilton is pursuing, have no hesitation in awarding him the Society's first premium. FbeemaX Walkee. Chairman. FABMS. 1» HAMPSHIRE. TRASKUS aXD HAMPDES. From all the observations roiir cominittee have made, ve are satisfied that agricnltnral improvements are progressing^ ^ihin the limits of our society : that the subject of maVrnc- - " - 'ng manure is better imderstood. and that a spirit o; . i? abroad among the farmers. We would say go on wiih your improvements, and rest not satisfied till you are entitled to our highest preminms. In awarding the premiums, the committee felt botmi to be guided strictly by the rules of the society, irhich read thus : ** For the best conducted farm with the most economical im- provements." Paoli Lathbop. Chairman, Xovenber 30, 13-53. Statement of Linus Grreen. The farm I ofier for premium contains one htmdred and four- teen acres, situated in Hadley. It has generally a clayey soil; but nearly one-third, is gravelly and light. Twenty-sis years ago. I began to cultivate the premises. The land, at that period, was. in part. wet. swampy and overrun with bushes : and in part, poor, worn out, and comparatively unproductive. The whole is nov in a high state of cultivatioBu There is not half an acre, that I have not ploughed. My custom has been to plough eight or nine inches deep, with three pairs of oxen ; to observe a systematic rotation of crops: to intrc^doee economical improvements ; to eomj>ost my manure with oyster shell lime for top-dressing, and to mix varieties of - " rn and grass seed. On moist land, my herds-grass seed :. p are usually sown in the proportion of two pecis of the latter, to one pect of the former.. • During the present year. I have mowed iMrty-one. tilled thirty-five, and pastured forty-eight acres. The part in culti- vation, was distributed as follows : twelve acres in rye. eleven and one-half in com. idne in oats, two in wheat, and a half acre in potatoes. I have performed all the labor, assisted by three boys; one of eighteen, another of sixteen, and the yoimgest, eleven years old. We have spread about five hun- 20 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. drecl and seventy-five loads of manure; four hundred and seventy-five of compost, and the^ remainder of pure barnyard droppings. I give the items of produce and expenditure, premising that the crop of corn is estimated in the following manner: I counted the whole number of stacks, which are of similar size and appearance, and the whole number was eight hundred and twelve. I selected sixteen stacks, being the fair average sample of the whole. Each of these stacks averaged twenty- seven baskets of corn, and each basket contained nineteen quarts and a half of green, shelled corn. Products : — 75 tons of hay, at $10, . 834 bushels, 31| quarts of corn, at 83 cents, 315 " rye, at 83 cents, . 25 tons of corn fodder, at $5, 250 bushels, oats, at 50 cents, . 15 tons rye, oats, and wheat straw, at $6, 35 bushels wheat, at $1.25, . 45 " potatoes, at 42 cents, . 12 " apples, at 75 cents. Pasturage of 15 horned cattle, 26 weeks, " " 50 sheep, 26 weeks, 375 loads of compost manure, . 100 loads barnyard " Expenditures : — My labor, 250 days, at $1 per day, . Boy's labor, 208 days, at 75 cents per day, " " " " at 25 cents per day, Grass seed, .... Seed corn, 2 bushels, at $1, " wheat, 3 bushels, at $4.50, " oats, 20 bushels, at 50 cents, " rye, 12 bushels, at 75 cents, " potatoes, 3 bushels, at 50 cents, Compost manure, 375 loads, at $1, . $750 00 693 00 261 45 125 00 125 00 90 00 43 75 19 10 9 00 150 00 43 00 375 00 100 00 $2,784 30 $250 00 156 00 52 00 25 00 2 00 13 50 10 00 9 00 1 50 375 00 FARMS. 21 Barnyard manure, 100 loads, at $1, Interest ou land, at $50 per acre, Interest on buildings, at $1,000, State, town and county taxes, . Net income, ....... Hadley, Mass. Statement of William P. Dickinson. Below you have a statement of the crops grown the past season : — 23 tons of hay, at $12, . 105 bushels rye, at 83 cents, 17 " 40 " 300 « 65 " 33 " 70 « 54 " 8 « 2 " 85 " 20 " 16 « 50 " . $100 00 . 342 00 . 60 00 32 50 $1,428 50 $1,355 80 • wheat, at $1.42, . ' oats, at 51 cents, . • corn, at 831 cents, • Carter potatoes, at 75 cents, • " " (small) at 25 cents, ' Merino potatoes, at 42 cents, ' turnips, at 1 shilling, • buckwheat, at 50 cents, ■ herds-grass seed, at $3, . ■ carrots, at 2 shillings, . ■ early potatoes, at 75 cents, ■ ruta-bagas, at 25 cents, . • broom seed, at 2 shillings, 600 pounds broom brush, at 5 cents, 1-1- tons of husks, at $14, Corn fodder and straw, . on my farm, . $276 00 87 50 24 14 20 00 . 250 00 48 75 8 25 29 40 9 00 4 00 6 00 28 33 15 00 4 00 16 50 30 00 21 00 25 00 $902 87 As your committee, from observation and previous state- ments, know something of the former condition of my farm, I do not think it necessary to make a statement of it at this time. I have employed one man and paid him one hundred and twenty dollars for the year, and have done other work to the amount of ninety dollars, leaving only thirty dollars as the 22 MASSACHUSETTS AGEICULTURE. amount of liired labor. I have expended fifty dollars for lime, salt, and bone dust. I have found lime very good for corn, and as a top-dressing for grass. I used a mixture of two parts lime, two of plaster, and one of bone dust, for potatoes — putting a handful in the hill at the time of planting. I left four rows in the middle of the field without the mixture. These rows were hardly worth the digging, while the remainder, for this year, were very good. I have tried subsoil ploughing, but cannot, as yet, see any good result from it : still, I shall try it yet again. I practice turning up a part of my mowing land, each year, in August, and give it a dressing of fifteen loads of compost manure to the acre, and sow one-half bushel of herds-grass seed and one bushel of redtop seed to the acre. I have mowed the past season, two tons to the acre, where last year, it was hardly worth the mowing. I ploughed it in August, 1852, and put on a dressing of lime and ashes, and sowed it with herds-grass and redtop seed. Hadlet, Not. 22, 18-53. Statement of Josiah Allis. In compliance with the rules of your society, I beg leave to submit the following statement : — ]\Iy farm is situated in the easterly part of the town of "Whately, containing about ninety-five acres of land. I made my first purchase there, in 1826. It had been used for growing rye and corn, and some hay, for years before ; and some six years after, as a piece of out-land, and all the crops were carried off from the farm. I moved on to it in 1832, and com- menced, in a small degree, to improve it. At that time, I could not keep more than from six to eight cattle upon it through the winter. In 1836, I attempted to raise a crop of teazles upon it. I had found, at that time, a spot on the farm large enough to raise the plants to stock two or three acres ] but not having land on my farm good enough to set the plants, I hired of Mr. Moses Stebbins, of South Deerfield, some two acres of his fine, rich, alluvial soil, at the rate, I think, of about twenty or twenty-five dollars per acre, and we grew a fine crop upon it. Xot being satisfied with hiring land at that FARMS. 23 rate, wliile owning so mucli, I determined again to improve my own, as well and as fast as I could, and at the same time meet my expenses. There is, upon this farm, some twelve acres of wood and unimproved land, including the river bank : and I usually pasture from twenty-three to thirty-five acres. This season, I have pastured twenty-three acres. Average stock in the pasture, four cows and two horses. It has been my purpose to increase my stock of hay, that I might be able to increase my "pile" of manure. We usually cast into our barnyard two or three loads of muck or sand, for every load of manure we expect to have. This, we do, the last of Xovember. After carting out the 'compost made by the hogs through the summer, early in the spring we mix our manure made during the winter, with the muck and sand carted in during the fall, and shovel it over once or more, as it may require, and apply it on ploughed land for summer crops ; sometimes ploughing it in, and some- times spreading it after ploughing. As yet, I am undetermined which is the best method. By following this method, our- manure heaps have gradually increased with the increase of our- crops from year to year ; and now we are satisfied that we are getting a rich return for the labor and expense of composted manures ; and I herewith send you a statement of the crops. grown on the farm this year, with the market value ; not claim- ing, by any manner of means, that the farm is brought to per-^ fection in cultivation, nor will it be, until the crops have doubled, and perhaps have quadrupled. I had thirteen acres of corn, and at two bushels of ears for one bushel. Hay at four hundred and seventy-five feet to the ton. 75 tons of hay, at $12, 200 bushels oats, at 50 cents, 1,000 pounds broomcorn, at 6 cents,' 100 bushels seed, at 33 cents, 1 acre, 25 bushels wheat, at $1.50, 3,900 pounds husks, 17 tons stalks, .... 5 tons tobacco, at 10 cents, 650 bushels corn, . $87B 00 . 100 00 60 00 33 00 37 00 30 00 . 100 00 . 1,000 00 . 600 00 24 IIASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 100 Inisliels potatoes, at 50 cents, . . $50 00 Poultry, . 75 00 250 loads compost^manure, . 200 00 9 slioats, . 90 00 700 pounds pork, . 56 00 Pasturing -4 cows and 2 horses, . 65 00 $3,372 00 Farm, Dr. 4 laborers, $12.50 per month, for 8 months. . $400 00 Board, $6 per month, .... . 192 00 400 loads manure, . 400 00 Plaster, and extra manures, . 100 00 Interest on cost for $3,200, . 192 00 Taxes, . 31 00 Corn for team and hogs, .... . ISO 00 Grass seed, . 22 50 $1,517 50 Balance in favor of farm, "Whaxklt, November 12, 1853. $1,854 50 HAMPSHIRE. Agriculture is not excelled in importance, not equalled even, by any other art. When it floui'ishes, every other branch of business thrives. More than three-fourths of our population are employed in cultivating the earth. If crops are abundant, and find ready markets and remunerating prices, producers become liberal in their expenditures. Merchants, in conse- quence, make large sales, and manufacturers readily dispose of goods. Mechanics are employed in the erection of buildings, or in making the numerous articles of comfort, or convenience, suited to gratify the love of the ornamental and beautiful. On the other hand, if. through lack of science or industry, or of the timely rain and sunshine, the earth fails to "yield her increase," this great national bank ceases to discount. The farmer -will buy only what he absolutely needs. Provisions rise in price as FARMS. 25 the supply diminishes. Traders have fe'wer sales. All classes curtail their expenses. The cultivation of the earth is the prominent business of our people, and the leading pursuit of our nation. It employs more men and more capital than all other trades and professions. It produces a greater amount and variety of articles, desirable and necessary, for our subsistence, our comfort and happiness. It gives to the largest class of our population that kind of employment -which develops the physical and moral poTvers, and allows of quite as much time for the cultivation of the mind as any other occupation. It is cheering, therefore, to see that so many of the leading men of our country are disposed to encourage agriculture ; that our government is toiling to aid ; that many of our educated men of all professions are endeavor- ing to make it an exact science. We confidently hope the time is not far distant when there will be facilities for a true agri- cultural education, a knowledge of principles and practice, obtained by actual observation and experiment. Then, of agriculture we shall say, " It is a science, as well as an art." It is pleasing to notice the improvement that has already been made ; to observe the change that has taken place in the public estimation of this business, and of the men engaged in it. Farmers are now better known, more respected, and have more influence in society than at any former period. The clergy- man, or the physician, or the lawyer, is not now the only man qualified to preside at town meetings, and make a record of the transactions. The learned professions do not now furnish all those who represent the people in the halls of legislation. While it is admitted, however, that there has been improve- ment in the knowledge and practice of this most important art, it must be acknowledged that the improvement in this pursuit has not kept pace with progress in other trades and profes- sions, and with the great increase of our population. Eelative- ly, there has been a falling off; and, absolutely, there has been a diminution in the production of breadstuffs in our State. Why should this great pursuit retrograde, even relatively ? Why not progress as rapidly and continuously as commerce, manufactures and the mechanic arts ? Xo good and sufficient reason can be given. Many desire to become rich faster than 4* 26 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. to advance by tlie slow but sure process of digging their treasures from the earth. Their anxiety to become affluent at once, and consequently above the toil and drudgery of tilling the ground; leads them away from home to seek other more popular and lucrative employments^ at the peril of health, and morals, and even life. Many who are engaged in this most necessary, healthful and interesting occupation, feel very little interest in their employment. They pursue it, not from choice, but from force of circumstances. Having failed to obtain other business, or having been unfortunate in their chosen vocation, they fall back to tilling the ground. Many cultivate their lands for immediate profit, rather than ultimate improvement. These make as little outlay as possible in the management of their farms ; and, instead of investing their increase of capital, from time to time, in their legitimate business, as do those who are engaged in commerce and navigation, merchandise and manufac- tures, they invest in railroad or other stocks. Some give almost exclusive attention to one field or one particular crop, instead of studying to improve their whole farm, by adapting the crop to its peculiar soil. How easy to enrich one field and produce one large crop, by making every other part of the farm pay tribute to this one. These errors we hope to see correct- ed — at least not to see them so common. We hope this im- portant branch of business will hereafter receive more and more encouragement from government, from agricultural socie- ties, and from men of science. The good influence of associations, annual exhibitions, ad- dresses, reports and statements, is perceptible in the improve- ment of buildings and fences, in the clearing of unseemly hedges, iu the removal of stumps and bogs, and in the general appear- ance of comfort and thrift. One neighbor stimulates another ; one learns from the example and practice of another ; and each becomes more interested in his work by seeing and hearing of the successful or unsuccessful experiments of others. For a description of the farms which received premiums, and the manner in wliich they have been managed, we refer to the statements below. M. B. Gbeen, Chairman. FARMS. 27 Statement of Moses Stebbins. The farm which I enter for premium contains forty-one acres, situated near the Connecticut River, in South Deerfield. When I came in possession, in 1831, ten acres of it consisted of a poor, worn out, buckwheat field. In 1838 I resolved to have a better farm. I hauled on clay, at the rate of fifty loads per acre. Then I spread twentj^-five loads of manure to the acre, sowed two liundred pounds of plaster, ploughed all in together, planted corn, and obtained a fair crop. At the outset I tried but three acres, by way of experiment, and after witnessing the result, I continued until I had treated the ten acres alike. After corn, I planted oats, and stocked down to clover. By use of clay and manure, I have made all my land as good as the best, and increased my pastures one hundred per cent, in quantity and quality of feed. I have practised ploughing deep, and do so now, but in a different way from my former practice. I now plough in manure four or five inches deep ; then subsoil as deep as I can run a subsoil plough. I prefer this to running deep, in order to turn up the subsoil. I com- monly plant my land two years in succession; thereby mixing soil and manure, and pulverizing the soil for grass. Instead of oats I raise barley, which I deem far more profitable to the farmer. Where we made one hundred loads of manure in 1838, we now make three hundred and fifty loads. I haul from seventy-five to one hundred loads of earth into my barn and hog yards, annually, to absorb the liquid manures, which I con- ider as valuable as the solid. I think much of hogs for the manufacture of compost manure. I have used salt with good results, on both grass and wheat. For old worn out pastures, I recommend the free use of plaster, and for fruit trees, I apply salt and lime, freely, and wash often with white lye. My farm has been divided, the present year, as follows : twenty- three acres of mowing ; thirteen acres in corn and po- tatoes ; three in barley, and two in wheat. My stock consists of three pairs of oxen ; three steers, three years old ; five cows ; seven two years old ; three yearlings ; one hundred and fifty sheep and twenty-five hogs. 28 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. Products : — Corn, 750 bushels, at 90 cents, Ilay, 55 tons, at $10, Pork sold, .... Corn-fodder, 35 tons, at $5, . Earley, 100 bushels, at 85 cents, Cash received for labor, Wheat, 40 bushels, at $1.50, . Potatoes, 75 bushels, at 50 cents, Corn-fodder sold, 21 tons, at $15, Straw, 4 tons, at $G, Expenses : — Labor, ..... Corn, 200 bushels, at 87|- cents, . Oats, 100 do. at 50 cents, Ashes, 300 do. at 14 cents. Plaster, 2 'tons, at $9, . Clover seed, 60 lbs. at 121 cents, Corn-fodder, 5 tons, at $5, . Straw, 2 tons, at $7, Interest on land, valued $3,200, Taxes, $675 00 550 00 250 00 175 00 85 00 75 00 60 00 37 50 33 75 24 00 $300 00 175 00 50 00 42 00 18 00 7 50 25 00 14 00 192 00 25 00 L,965 25 848 50 Net profit, . Deekfield, November, 1853. L,116 75 Statement of Austin Smith 6^ Sons. The farm, wliich we enter for premium, contains seventy-three acres, situated in Sunderland. It has been our aim to increase, economically, the productiveness of the whole farm, and to raise useful, and remunerating crops. This, we have endeavored to do, by the making-, saving, and proper application of manures, 'and l)y thorough cultivation of the soil. It is our practice in raising Indian corn, to plough, or har- row in manure, at the rate of twelve or fifteen loads to the FARMS. 29 acre, and to apply a handful of ashes, in the hill, at planting. We hoe four times, and usually seed the land with clover, red- top, and timothy, for the next year's mowing. "We have put compost manure for broomcorn, in the hills, at the rate of sixteen loads to the acre, until the jDresent year; when we have applied it, as on our Indian corn land, at the rate of twelve loads to the acre. AVe added half a spoonful of super-phospate of lime and plaster in the hill. We planted our broomcorn with Woodward's corn-planter, and we have never known our land so well and uniformly stocked, as the present year. We prefer, for a wheat field, to turn over a rich and warm clover sward. Oats we have nearly done raising. We plough from six to nine inches deep, and loosen the soil a little deeper each succeeding year. We usually make about three hundred and fifty loads of manure every season. During the present season, our farm has been divided, as fol- lows : twenty-seven acres in mowing ; ten in Indian corn ; four- teen in broomcorn ; five in rye ; two in wheat ; one in oats ; one in carrots and sowed corn ,• thirteen in pasture. The following table correctly exhibits the products, expen- ditures and net profit of our farm, the present year : — Products : — 580 bushels 11,900 pounds 980 bushels 52 do. 115 do. 45 do. 50 do. 50 do. 16 do. 40 tons of 23 do. H do. H do. 624 pounds of corn, at 92 cents, . of broomcorn, at 5i cents, of broomcorn seed, at 40c wheat, at $1.50, . rye, at 87|- cents, . oats, at 50 cents, . potatoes, at 40 cents, carrots, at 33^ cents, turnips, at 25 cents, hay, at $12, corn-fodder, at;$6, wheat and oat straw, at $6 rye straw, at $5, of butter, at 16|- cents, $533 60 654 50 392 00 78 00 100 05 22 50 20 00 16 66 4 00 480 00 138 00 15 00 17 50 104 00 30 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 350 loads of manure, at $1, . $350 00 Improvcmeut of farm, .... 100 00 13 025 81 Expenditures : — Our own labor, 452 days, at $1, $452 00 First hired man, 8 months, 5 days, at $20, 170 00 Second do. 8 months, at $19, . 152 00 Third do. 7 months, 13 days, at $18, 136 00 Grass seed, 10 00 2 bushels of seed corn, at $1, 2 00 3 do. oats, at 50 cents, 1 50 41 do. rye, at 80 cents, 3 60 3 do. wheat, at $1.50, 4 50 3i do. potatoes, at 50 cents, 1 75 2 do. broomcorn, at 75 cents, . 1 50 150 do. ashes, at 16| cents, . 25 00 li tons of plaster, at $10, . 15 00 Super-phosphate of lime, salt, and oyster-shell lime, ...... 40 00 350 loads of manure, at $1, . 350 00 Interest on tillage land at $100 per acre. 360 00 Interest on pasturage at $40, . 31 20 Taxes on the same, .... 32 60 • 1,788 65 Net profit, on seventy-three acres, . . $1,237 16 Sunderland, October 4, 1853. Statement of Samuel Powers. My farm is in Hadlcy, and contains eighty-seven acres. Fifty- four acres lie almost in one body, within half a mile of my dwelling. Twenty-one acres of pasture and twelve acres of woodland, are near Fort River. I purchased, several years since, a number of acres of very trifling value, so filled with water as to be unproductive. But, by draining, ploughing and subduing, this land is now as beautiful in appearance, and as productive, as any in this region. It has FARMS. 31 paid for all the improvements. I have, also, taken large quan- tities of muck or peat from my swamp, and spread it on lands at a little distance back. This has increased both the crops and value of the land, fifty per cent, or more. My pasture, consisting' of twenty-one acres, is situated on Fort River ; and, in consequence of being yearly overflowed, is very productive, and capable of keeping in good condition from eight to ten cows. During the present year, I have cultivated fifty-two acres, as follows : twenty-seven acres in grass ; seven in corn ; five in broomcorn ; five in rye ; two in wheat ; two in tobacco ; two in potatoes ; and two in oats. The labor has been performed by myself and a hired man. In hay time, I employed another hand ; but, during the season, I worked enough for others to pay for him. Products : — 40 tons of hay, at $10, . 1^ do. of tobacco, at $250, 420 bushels of corn, at 87|- cents, 11 tons of broomcorn, at $110, 1 ton of pork, . 150 loads of manure, at $1, . 300 bushels of broomcorn seed, at 100 do. of rye, at 87|- cents, of wheat, at $1,25, of oats, at 50 cents, of potatoes, at 42 cents, 40 do. 80 do. 75 do. . $400 00 375 00 367 50 165 00 160 00 150 00 33 cents, 99 00 87 50 50 00 40 00 31 50 Expenses : — Labor, ...... Grass seed, 5 bushels of rye, at 75 cents, 4 do. of wheat, at $1.50, 4 do. of oats, at 50 cents, 10 do. of potatoes, at 17 cents. Seed corn, 8,000 tobacco plants, $170 62 L,025 50 00 75 00 00 70 18 00 32 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 150 loads of manure, . . . . $150 00 Interest on 54 acres, worth $5,400, . 324 00 Interest on 21 do. worth $1,050, . . 63 00 Town and county taxes, . . . . 30 00 $7G0 25 Net profit, . . . $1,1G5 25 Hadley, Not. 25, 1853. HAMPDEN. The committee on farms respectfully submit their report upon the duties referred to them, viz. : the examination of such entire farms as might be entered, as competing for the premiums offered. The object of these premiums is one of the most im- portant in its results that can arrest the attention of the farmer. It is — as the terms of this society declare in the offer — to ascertain from reliable data^ " the most valuable and economical improvements in the cultivation and management of an entire farm, with all its appendages." This subject, in many of our sister societies, is made more deeply interesting in its details than most others pertaining to their transactions. They pre- sent the total inventory of the farm in all its appendages, and show to the farmer, and (through the press) to the world, the skill and enterprise of its owner. It is indeed a mirror, reflect- ing the lights and shades of a farmer's life ; it details his opera- tions and his success, as a guide for others ; and no individual engaged in ao-ricultural pursuits should permit the year to close until he has made this inventory of his affairs for his own use at least. Having the Transactions of the Worcester "West Society now open before us, we look upon the report of two farms in the town of Barre, perfected in all their details, and the balance sheet exhibits more distinctly than argument, the value of the record. We would give an abstract from this report, with the pleasing hope that it would stimulate many in this county to favor us with their statements in future, but we will not disturb the unity of the whole, for a part ; the whole is most earnestly recommended to the farmers of Hampden, as a model. And let it be ours to learn something from every FARMS. 33 practical lesson. The statements to wliicli we refer may be found in the Annual Report of the Commonwealth, on the trans- actions of the agricultural societies in this State for 1852, page 239 ; but to aid those who may not have the benefit of this volume for reference, we would suggest some of the outlines which should constitute the form and material of the statements, upon which the claim for premium should be predicated. The number of acres contained in the farm ; the distribution of these acres in relation to their culture — as tillage, mowing, pasturage, woodland, and unimproved — with their aggregate value — the number and value of the stock kept on the farm, the manner of feeding and fattening all animals intended for slaughter, the separate and distinct operations of cultivating the various crops produced, the amount of manure made, how made, and how applied ; the amount of help employed in the management of the farm, both men and cattle ; these are some of the appen- dages which are required to sustain the claim of the applicant ; and no statements are perfect unless they include the internal arrangement of his domestic interests, for no good farmer will ever desire to exclude the industry, economy and assistance derived from his partner, from a full participation in the exhibit of his success, for surely neither justice nor equity would ever award all the credit to the " off ox," for all the work done on the farm ; so far your committee subscribe to the declaration of " womcui's rights,^^ in the full belief that in this way they will receive that just reward which their duties and diligence entitle them to receive, but which are now denied them, as silent partners in the concern. If an intimate knowledge of one's business is necessary to success in any concern, it is surely so in agricultural pursuits. This is in fact the true Science of Agriculture ; a term too often misconstrued, and supposed by many to mean something etherial, and beyond the reach of ordinary minds ; something desirable to possess, but too distant to be overtaken ; while in fact, it is nothing more subtle or difficult of possessing, than a practical knowledge and an inti- mate acquaintance with the various duties of your vocation : in the mechanic arts, for instance, the steam engine is a complete union of mental ingenuity and physical application, and is a perfect demonstration of all we ask in favor of agriculture. 5* 34 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. And wlienevcr the mind is applied to this subject, with that energy whicli the subject demands, the hands will execute the design. And then, and not till then, will the science of agricul- ture keep pace with her sister sciences. But it will be said by many that this operation is attended with too much trouble ; that the charge is worth more than the game. It is not such minds that we would address with the hope of success ; but to the young farmer, who has or is about to engage in this employ- ment, we can present no surer method to positive results and success, than to keep the memorandum of his daily operations well posted up. The time has come, and now is, for the friends of agriculture to make some demonstration, of a more elevated system of practice, and this can never be accomplished until the mind is made to cooperate with the hands. The materials are presented at every step ; in every operation upon the farm there is something that oflers a subject for investigation. In presenting this subject, your committee are not insensible that they have assumed a broader range of remark than a mere presentation of their action (upon the duties referred) would seem to demand ; but the importance of the subject has been deeply impressed upon our minds at every step of our progress in the pursuit of these duties. The great difficulty of obtaining the statistics of the farm, from those immediately interested, is the most convincing evidence that the subject has not received the attention which its importance demands, and we cannot forbear once more to solicit the careful consideration of every farmer to the subject. And were we permitted to offer one suggestion by way of counsel, we would repeat the advice of Ex-Governor Steele at our anniversary dinner table, '' Plough deep — plough deep !" and we would add : let the soil represent the mind, and then plough as deep as you please, stir up the subsoil, and bring out the resources that have too long been hidden from the surface. In this way only can we improve the mind and the soil. In presenting the statements furnished by the individuals competing for the premiums, we have but few remarks to accompany them. Such instances of successful enterprise are to us like some interestins; volume in which we meet with so many absorbing recitals that we are turning down a leaf, or FARMS. 35 marking for future use, almost every page in the book. The idea of enriching, and permanently improving an entire farm from its own resources, should be the prominent action of every farmer. The most judicious method of applying these re- sources, to obtain the greatest results, is the work of the mind. These resources may be considered as distinct, the one natural or mechanical, the other artificial or animal : the first costs the farmer comparatively little more than the expense of removal from their present location; the other, almost the entire pro- ducts of the farm, in its manufacture. By natural resources it will readily be perceived that we refer to those means which are available, and within the reach of every one. Such are the liead lauds of his fields, the sides of his ditches, and other portions of his farm, which have long remained unoccupied, and have not only retained their natural richness, but have been annually increasing in value by the increase of decomposed vegetable materials. Clay is another resource which by being exchanged, load for load, with some other portion of the farm, will produce astonishing results. But a bed of good muck may well be considered the farmer's bank, the capital of which is unproductive until drawn out and put in circulation. It is like the specie, which redeems all drafts presented, and is still accumulating interest. Let every one who is a stoclcholder in such a bank realize his facilities, by presenting his frequent drafts upon the capital stock. The instance of Mr. Ashley is more pertinent to the point, and unequivocal in demonstration, than any theoretical argument however forcibly presented. One fact, practically illustrated in agricultural pursuits, we consider worth more than a thousand theories. And the state- ments of Mr. Ashley we candidly recommend to the considera- tion of every farmer, with the earnest hope that many of them will thus be induced to realize the full amount of all their re- sources, and communicate freely to the society the results of their experience. Francis Brewer. Cliuirman. 36 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. William Pyncho7is Statement. Having entered my farm for premium, I respectfully submit the following statement for the consideration of youi* commit- tee : — My farm contains ninety acres, which are divided as follows : The lot upon which my barn is built, contains fifty acres, and with the exception of twelve acres, which I have purchased the present season, enclosed with good post and rail and slab fence, the latter along the public road. My principal crops are hay, corn, potatoes, tobacco, rye, and oats, and these fifty acres are mostly appropriated to these products in the following proportion : — about thirty acres in grass, seven to eight acres in corn, two to three acres in tobacco, and the balance in oats, potatoes, and other small crops. My usual way of managing this land, is as follows : — for my corn crop, I take that portion of my grass land which has been the longest seeded down, and consequently the tightest bound, and put on about ten cords of good manure per acre, and cover it to the depth of ten inches. This produces from seventy-five to eighty bushels per acre. For my tobacco crop, I take a portion of the land that I planted in corn the year before, and plough again to the depth of ten inches, and then spread on from the cart a good coat of compost, which I make with soil and yard manure, in the proportion of two parts of the former to one of the latter. This I harrow in thoroughly, and until the ground is very mellow. My tobacco land, pre- pared in this way, produces two thousand pounds per acre, and leaves the land in fine condition for restocking, which I do as soon as the tobacco is off. I use no plough in this operation, but give the land a good harrowing, and sow on the seed and roll it in. I think this preferable to ploughing, having tried both ways. The balance of my corn land I usually put in oats and stock at the same time. My oats average about sixty bushels per acre. My potato crop varies with the seasons. For my rye, and other small crops, I select such portions of land as need the plough and a little stimulus in the way of manure, and restock as opportunity ofi'ers. I use compost on my grass land, preferring the fall season for this purpose. After going FARMS. 37 over witli compost, I use a fine tooth harrow, which breaks the knobs and loosens the surface, giving the compost a better chance at tlie roots of the grass. My crop of grass is usually heav}', producing, unless affected by drought, two to three tons per acre. Managing my land in this way, I am enabled to keep it in good condition, always getting large crops at compara- tively small expenditures. I consider my land worth from fifteen to twenty per cent, more now, than when I commenced this system of culture. My barn is one hundred feet long, by forty-two wide, and cost me $1,700. This enables me to house all my crops, including my corn fodder, which, when properly cured, I con- sider of very great importance, and worth to me, $6 per ton, in keeping my young stock. The balance of my farm is in pasture, containing forty acres, and is enclosed with stone wall, and post and rail fence. I have this divided in two nearly equal parts by a fence running through the middle. I pasture only one-half at a time, changing from one to the other as they eat it down. With the assistance of a sprinkling of plaster in the spring, this keeps in fine condition, twenty or thirty head of young cattle. I sell only such parcels of my crops as I cannot feed out to my stock advantageously, preferring to return to the soil all I take from it. My plan is, in raising or purchasing stock, to select none but the choicest breeds ; this enables me, in selling, to obtain satisfactory prices, and makes farming a pleasant and profitable recreation. Springfield. Edmund Ashley's Statement. The farm which I offer for examination by your commit- tee, contains sixty acres of rolling, uneven surface, embracing high gravelly knolls, and descending from these points, to low swamp muck beds, or to the margin of running brooks, leaving but a small portion that is level. This profile will exhibit these margins as naturally wet and spongy; and as productive, in its natural state, of little else than the coarse, sour grass and herbage, indigenous to such locations. The higher portions of this farm are evidently an argillaceous soil, well filled with 38 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. coarse gravel. The latter predominates largely. These features may be considered repulsive, and may have lent their influence; to the former proprietor of these acres. But from the cause we turn to the result. The farm had deteriorated for many years, and the products might be summed up in the word, moiety. The amount of good hay cut annually, would not probably exceed five tons ; the remainder, if any, was cut along the margins of the brooks, and swales ; consequently very little stock could be wintered on the farm. With the small amount of manure made, little attention was bestowed upon the cultivation of vegetables, or the cereal crops ; these were the external features of the farm at the time of my purchase in 1846. I should here observe, that this purchase did not include the whole .sixty acres. Recent additions of similar land have been made to the first purchase, and are included in the aggre- gate. The method whicli I pursued in the commencement of my operations, was the purchase of manure, from the stables in Cabotville, and applying it liberally to the soil for the growth of corn and potatoes, hoping, in this way, to warm and sufficiently invigorate such portions as I could annually manage by this process, to produce a larger crop of grass, after being seeded down with a crop of winter grain, or with oats, in the spring, — giving to each a top-dressing of leached ashes, at the time of sowing. This process was pursued for several years, until a large portion of the farm had been once, at least, re- versed in its surface, but the results were not perfectly satis- factory. The balance sheet, after paying for the manure, ashes, and the cartage of them some two or three miles, with the necessary expenses of cultivation included, exhibited a balance which would hardly justify a continuance of this pro- cess. These applications soon lost their influence, and must be renewed, with similar results, or some more effective and durable appliances must be made. With this view of the sub- ject, I resolved — against the dissuasive arguments and even ridicule of many whose opinions upon almost any other sub- ject would have influenced my purpose — to commence opera- tions with the use of muck. The evidence of an abundant supply near the centre of the farm would not incur much ex- pense in the experiment, and if successful, would justify a FARMS. 39 further prosecution. These inducements led me to have exca- vated several hundred loads of it, during- the season when most available. This heap, after lying several months, was tried as a top-dressing, and harrowed in on land which had been ploughed for corn and potatoes. The results which followed this trial induced me to continue tlie experiment, and I speak with entire confidence, when I assert the success which has attended the use of muck, used in the form of compost, made with two loads of muck and one of green or unfermented manure, which is preferable ; or the muck used alone, after being sufficiently digested in the heap. It is to the results of this practice which I have called the attention of the commit- tee, in the examination of the farm, as more especially worthy of their notice, and indicated by the crops standing upon the ground at the time of their visit. I present no claim for origi- nality of design or execution in the pursuit of this experiment, but present my farm with the improvements, which have been made by the most economical, and, I believe, judicious means, in my power. I give you a memorandum of the available pro- ducts of the farm for the present season, which I think are not overestimated, and will exhibit the entire arrangement of the farm. 25 acres mowing,- -cut . . 50 tons of hay. 3 cc wheat. yield . 75 bushels grain 5 11 ry^, a . 100 a u 4 a oats. u . 150 ii a 4 a buckwheat, " . 100 11 11 3 a corn. a . 150 u u 6 Cl potatoes. a . 700 The remaining ten acres are not available as tillage, but arc available as a fund for the future improvement of the farm, in the article of muck, and other materials for the compost heap. In the use of stimulating materials for my crops, I have but little experience, — plaster answers well on some crops, but does not avail on many others, especially the narrow leafed grasses and the grain crops ; vines, clover, and potatoes, are especially benefited by the use of plaster. I sometimes have tried, with signal benefit, a mixture of muck, hen manure, and 40 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. plaster, ia the hills of corn, used at the time of planting. There was upon the farm, when I bought it, about forty apple trees. These have, in some seasons, added largely to the in- come from the farm, but are unproductive this season. I have enlarged the number within a short period past, by setting out about fifty more trees of selected fruit. I keep no stock on this portion of my farm, as it is some distance from my resi- dence. I have not mentioned the value of the products, nor included in the account the straw of the grain, or the fodder from the corn; nor have I presented the bill of expenses attending the cultivation ; the balance, however, is satisfactory to me, and will induce me to continue my present course of management. West Sprixgfield. NOEFOLK SOCIETY.* The committee have been invited to visit but a single farm during the past year — that of the Hon. B. Y. French, of Brain- tree. To describe this farm minutely and render a statement, in detail, of its cultivation, its products, its improvements, and their cost, is not, at this time, in our power. Indeed this can be done only by the respected occupant of the farm himself. Our visit, occupying the greater part of a bright summer's day, was entirely devoted to a view of improvements, made and in progress, which are, at once, upon a grand scale and of thorough workmanship — producing, where finished, results of rare beauty and utility. Whoever wishes to see one of the best examples, in our county, of deep and thorough ploughing, trenching, and draining, or _^to understand the benefit of the practical application of science to labor, so as to give the highest culture and most attractive finish to a once hard, rough and rocky soil, — whoever is curious to know how immense bodies of granite can be expeditiously removed, and converted into massive, durable, and well-finished walls, or laid as covering for drains beneath * The statement of the only farm that received a premium is embodied in the Eeport of the Committee. FAEMS. 41 the surface ; or to ascertain how imsiglitly and noxious bogs, and well-nigh worthless swamps and meadows can best be turned into smooth and fertile grass fields, or prolific cran- berry beds ; or how a barren, sandy hill-side can be covered with nutritious food for cattle, — whoever would gratify his love of horticulture, and feast his eye and his palate upon delicious fruits and beautiful flowers, — whoever asks if it be possible that a farm of little promise and many disheartening features, can ever be made a scene of beauty pleasant to behold, easy to cultivate, remunerative of labor, and satisfactory in its whole results, let him go with your committee when next they are invited to visit this noble farm. Observation afforded us ample proof that here was syste- matic, intelligent labor, under careful oversight and super- intendence, of liberal outlay for desired results ; of generous confidence in the laborer, and care for his comfort and improve- ment, and, in return, of sympathy with the employer, and a readiness to meet all his wishes ,• and of a daily record of operations and results, kept with business-like minuteness and accuracy, showing at once the cost and receipts, the prod- ucts and improvements of the farm. Of the different classes of stock, we saw choice breeds of oxen, cows, horses and swine, which had been selected with the greatest care, and preserved with unsparing attention to their comfort, nourish- ment and growth. The farm buildings are all contrived for use — the most convenient and economical use — with no ex- pense for mere ornament and show. In the barns and the sties cattle and swine are at home, and enjoy all the comforts of a proper home. In the house are apartments for the labor- ers, provided with every requisite for their ease and enjoy- ment. A well-warmed and lighted reading-room, furnished with many papers of the day, and with books of scientific and general information, invites them to spend their even- ings there ; while, in another apartment, a largo and well- selected library, containing many of the best agricultural pub- lications, discovers the resort of the employer for that informa- tion whicli enables him so skilfully to direct the operations of the farm. That the outlay and income of such a farm would more than 6* 42 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. balance cacli other — if indeed so favorable a result as this were produced — we should not expect in the hands of most farmers. That it is profitable, under its present management, we have no good reason to doubt. But were it not so, we should still account the cultivator of such a farm a public benefactor. A knowledge of his modes of operation and their results would be a public benefit; and the imitation of his example, with judicious reference to the different circumstances in which it may be applied, would be a source of individual and public wealth and happiness. There are, besides the actual returns in dollars and cents, by which most men do, and perhaps ought, to estimate the present value of their lauds, the satisfactions arising from the successful accomplishment of one's plans, bring- ing health and cheer ; from the knowledge of superior means of support and comfort afforded one's laborer's ; from the sight of valuable and permanent improvements made, by which others, if not one's self, will reap large benefit ; stone walls that are built for ages, and in the construction of which it is difficult to imagine further improvement ; waste, or almost worthless lands reclaimed and rendered bountifully productive ; trees planted, from which generations are to pluck the choicest fruit ; and the whole farm made beautiful by skill and culture. There is in these facts much to compensate any failure of remuneration in hard money, if such failure ensues. Then, too, in the case of Mr. French, there is another and higher satisfaction, the worth of which is understood by every mind possessed of right sensi- bilities. He cultivates and adorns, improves and preserves his paternal acres ; the spot which was his early home, and is now endeared to him, beyond all others, by associations and remem- brances of the purest and most inspiring sort ! Who would not wish to preserve the soil on which his fathers trod and toiled, where his own first breath was drawn, from passing into stran- ger-hands ? Who would not cheerfully labor through years of hardest business life, for means to be expended in reclaiming and enriching, in preserving and adorning the place, which shall go down, with his ancestral name, to future generations ? Who would not love to be the benefactor of his own and his parents' neighbors and friends, while he lives, and to mingle his ashes with theirs, when he dies ? FARMS. 43 In tliis utilitarian age and community, sucli remarks as these may to most men appear absurd. Yet would we think it none the less our duty, in attempting to further the ends of an asso- ciation like our own, to speak of such motives and encourage- ments to the farmer ; to inculcate'a high regard for the better sentiments and sensibilities of our nature ; and to hold forth to the young the idea that there is something, besides money- making, to be estimated in the plan of one's life ; — that there are more enduring and satisfying riches than the "golden ore," and that such riches lie within the reach of every honest and true-hearted laborer on the soil. The following are the crops cultivated by Mr. French, the past season. Tilled land :— Two acres of peas ; two and a half acres flat turnips ; one- half acre sweet corn; one-half acre squashes; one and one. half acre mangel-wurzel and blood beets ; two acres onions ; one-quarter acre parsnips ; one-half acre ruta-bagas ; four acres cabbages ; four and a half acres potatoes ; one-half acre to- matoes; two acres carrots; two acres fodder corn; two acres miscellaneous crops in the garden — total, twenty-five acres. We commend the example of Mr. French to the young and aspiring farmers of our county. In conclusion, we would once more urge upon farmers the ormation and generous support of town clubs, or associations for mutual encouragement and help. These clubs or associa- tions are obviously needed, and may be made the sources of benefits which can hardly be overestimated. They may be par- ticularly useful in a large part of this county by enabling the several members of them to avail themselves, at comparatively trifling cost, of a large number and variety of the best agricul- tural books and newspapers which a common fund might easily procure. Still further, they would, in much the same way, fur- nish many individuals the help of labor-saving implements and conveniences which their separate means would not afl"ord, however desirable such help might be. The most intelligent farmers, and best managed farms, will generally be found where valuable agricultural books and papers are most extensively read ; and the most thrifty and contented cultivators of the 44 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. soil will generally be seen, we believe, where the best imple- ments and means for saving hard toil, and a too often limited time, are at hand. Charles C. Sew all. Chairman. RECLAIMED MEADOWS. ESSEX. From the Report of the Committee. Tlie committee on wet meadows and swamp lands, have the satisfaction to believe that the subject intrusted to their charge, is one of vast importance to the farming community, and is, every year, more distinctly appreciated. Although the number of claims presented for consideration is not so great as might have been expected in the county, still there are enough to present a distinct illustration of what can be done in the way of improvement, and to show the benefits that may be derived by doing it. The several claimants have so fully stated the peculiarities of their operations, that the committee do not feel called on to go much into detail as to what they themselves have seen. And they are the more willing to be relieved of this duty, as by an unfortunate combination of circumstances in relation to the notices of the entries, made by some of the claimants, their opportunities for examination, while the crops were growing, were not so complete as could have been desired. Their opinions, therefore, of the comparative merits of the claims pre- sented, are made substantially from the statements submitted, of which, all who read them, will have the opportunity of judging, as have the committee. A few general ideas seem to be essential to be regarded in relation to lands of this description. First, the surplus water is to be removed, and completely removed. While any of this remains, so far, at least, there will be an clTcctual barrier to improvement. Ditches or drains RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 45 for the conveyance of the surplus water are to be constructed, and so far as practicable, covered, the better to increase the surface for cultivation, and to remove the awkwardness of the excavations on the surface. This is particularly the case with ditches or drains for the shore springs, and cross ditches or drains running to the drains in the centre of the meadow or swamp operated on. Drains laid with tile, made for this purpose, from two to four inches in diameter, at a cost of about four cents a foot, have come to the knowledge of the chairman, greatly improving the grounds on which they are laid. Without question, many par- cels of what are generally denominated cold, spring land, would be doubled in value by properly laying one hundred rods of such drains to the acre. This mode of improvement has hither- to been but little regarded by Massachusetts farmers. It is coming much into use in Western New York. As to the depth to which these ditches or drains should be made, much will depend upon the depth of the mire and the hardness of the bottom ; generally three feet will be found quite sufficient to let ofi" the water, if the meadow has ordinary slope or descent. There are few meadows that have not some avenue for draining that can be opened near at hand. Nature, when she built the one, took care to provide the other. There are few " dismal swamps," or " sloughs of despond," about the farms of New England. Another consideration, in undertaking an operation of this kind is, how far is it expedient to carry gravel or other materials from the upland upon the surface of the meadow? Just so far, we should say, as may be necessary to give the surface, after the water is drained oflF, an operative firmness for sustaining the crops, and no further. We do not hold to expending twice as much, in covering the meadow, as it will be worth after it is covered ; but would have all the operations in the process con- ducted with an economy that will pay ; at the same time with a thoroughness that shall forever remove the meadow character from the land. We are particular to notice this, because we have more than once seen meadows pretended to be reclaimed, that would not stay reclaimed. In our observations upon this class of lands, we have repeat- 4G MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. edly witnessed the benefits of the application of fertilizing liquids, much after the manner mentioned in the well-drawn statement of Mr. Page, of the meadow improved on the Danvers town farm. If, as he proposes, the surplus fluids from the hog- yard and the receptacles of fertilizing materials about the dwellings, can be conducted and diffused over the two or three acres of grass land near by, we cannot doubt they will be amply sufficient to keep these lands in a condition capable of growing three or four tons of grass to the acre annually. We have seen, the present season, a field of ten acres, adjacent to a stable, where a large stock of animals was fed and stationed, so fertilized by the liquids accumulated in these stalls, as to add to the burden of grass at least one and a half tons to the acre — that is, to cause the entire field to yield three tons to the acre, when heretofore it has yielded only half this amount. This was on the beautiful farm of Richard S. Rogers, in Dan- vers, who, while he expends from his ample fortune freely on his greenhouses and his fences by the way, exhibits discrimi- nating judgment upon his cultivated fields, and produces crops in great abundance. One of the most interesting operations that has come to our observation on meadow lands the present season, was on the farm of Thomas E. Payson, in Rowley. He has fifty acres or more, adjoining, where the peat or mud is from three to seven feet deep, so situated as to be capable of being drained so as to admit a wagon with a common load of hay to pass on any part of it. Mr. Payson has cut narrow ditches about five feet apart, and thrown the mud on the beds between, and planted these beds with potatoes. In the autumn, when the potatoes were gathered, he threw the vines into the ditches, levelled the ground and sowed grass seed. Where he pursued this course last year, on about three-quarters of an acre, he cut three tons of good English hay to the acre the present season. In this way he contemplates bringing the whole into English mowing. The failure of the potato crop this year, by reason of the rot, prevented his forwarding his statement. It will be observed that this improvement proceeds without carrying any material from the upland upon the meadow, except a common dressing of manure to start the potatoes. Conse- RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 47 quently it must be done, if effectually done, at mucli less expense than is ordinarily applied. The great difficulty attendant upon covered drains is the expense of their construction, unless there may be on the farm, at times, a surplus of hands, and the work can be done at odd jobs when other work is not pressing. Such, we understand, were the circumstances under which much of the labor was done, in the experiment on the town farm in Danvers. The committee recommend the publication of the several statements as presented. J. W. Proctor, Chairman. Adirio Page's Statement. I offer for examination, and premium, (if thought worthy of it,) a piece of reclaimed meadow and run-land, situate on the town farm in Danvers, near the avenue that leads to the house, and easterly of the same. This parcel of land, previously to 1850, was usually known by the name of the "pond-hole." The peat mud was several feet deep over the greater part of it — in some parts the mire was ten or twelve feet. It was sup- plied with water by springs oozing from the surrounding high- lands, and was often impassable, by man or beast, and so full of water as to have an offensive and forbidding aspect. In the season of 1850, it yielded only about half a ton of the coarsest kind of meadow grass and rushes. In the autumn of that year, ditches were cut around the borders, so as to receive the water that came in from the hills ; and cross-ditches were cut to an old ditch in the centre, that was cleaned out, so as to let off the water at the southerly end. These ditches were cut across about three rods apart, thereby forming the land into beds of that width, and were covered with stones and turfs, so far as convenient to do so. "Where the land would support a team, the plough was used to turn the sod ; in other parts, it was broken and turned with spades and hoes. Nearly all the surface was covered with gravel from the adjoining knolls, from one to twelve inches deep, according to position — making an average coating of material from the upland of five or six inches in depth. This was intermingled with the soil of the meadow, as thoroughly as it could conveniently be done. 48 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. In May, 1851, the land was again dug over and smoothed as far as practicable, and then planted with corn, in the ordinary way, with a common dressing of manure placed in the hill. The crop of corn was fair, being about fifty bushels of sound corn to the acre. It was partially injured by the frosts, the land being too cold for corn. After the crop was taken off, the land was levelled and smoothed, with the harrow and hoes. In March, 1852, it was sown with herds-grass and redtop, just when moistened with a coating of light snow. But the seed did not catch well, and the growth that season was light. In the spring of 1853, the grass started in a promising manner, and completely covered the ground. No addition of fertilizing materials was applied. It continued to grow luxuriantly, yield- ing an abundant crop of excellent grass. On the three acres, we cut between nine and ten tons of hay at the first mowing, and full three tons at the second, being an average amount of four tons to the acre, for the season, — the best^iay product grown on the farm. Some additional improvements have been made since, by com- pleting the arrangement of the ditches, so as effectually to let off all the surplus water, — which is now drained to about eighteen inches below the surface of the land, — and by arrang- ing conduits, or fluid conductors, from the backyard of the house, and the hog-yard, so as to convey the liquids from these establishments to the meadow, which being done, it is not easy to estimate the quantity of grass tliat may be grown thereon. It is safe to say that four tons to the acre can be grown annually, without any other dressing. When it is considered that all this has been done on a worth- less bog, without any extravagant expenditure, chiefly by the aid of the inmates of the house, I feel a pride in presenting it to the notice of the committee and society ; both because of its being a valuable improvement on the farm, and as an exemplifi- cation to others of what patience and perseverance will accom- plish. Having no personal interest in the matter, I feel that I may, without any impropriety, so far boast of what has been done. DA.XVER9, October 27, 1853. RECLAIMED MEADOWS. • 49 I, "Wingate Merrill, chairman of the Overseers of the Poor, in Danvers, having been fully acquainted with all the opera- tions above detailed, the same having been executed with the approbation of the Board of Overseers, am clearly of the opinion that the crop, the present season, has not been over- estimated by Mr. Page, the master of the house. Royal A. Mefiani's Statement. In the year 1808, forty-five years ago, a piece of worthless meadow, the most worthless of any land on the farm, was oper- ated upon, (probably one of the first efl'orts made in the county for redeeming bog meadows,) by covering with gravel and about two inches of loam from the roadside, and sowing down to English grass, and I have never known this land to produce less than one ton of English hay to the acre. This year, the crop was larger. A few bunches of meadow grass have occasionally, made tlieir appearance, which have been shaved off, perliaps half a dozen times. In 1832, I engaged with some ardor in working over bog meadow, by levelling up a part of my garden, which bordered on a bog. Some more of the adjacent bog was, at that time, reclaimed ; but I found that I was working at great disadvan- tage, on account of the superabundant water, and that I could not do much till my neighbor below should open a drain for the water. The land, being parsonage, had, like most of such lands, been suffered to remain in its native state. Ten or twelve years ago, this parsonage land came into the possession of Richard Phillips, Jr., who took hold of it in good earnest, and opened a drain through for about one hundred rods, cleared off the bushes, and worked over the soil. Six or eight acres were thus worked over, two of which made an im- penetrable swamp, inhabited only by reptiles and rabbits, and from which he cleared off and burned about two hundred tons of bushes and brambles, and, in the language of the workmen, '' bulls'-heads," being bunches of serge grass, the bigness of a flour barrel, and half as high. This piece of work is thought, by all observers, to be the greatest improvement that has been made in the town, of late years, the land being now as productive as any like quantity in 7* 50 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. Topsficlcl. Some years since it was oflfered to our society for premium ; only one of the committee, however, visited it, and, for some informality about the statement, it was rejected. After Mr. Phillips had so clearly opened the way, I began, ten years since, the work of reclaiming wet meadow and swamp land, with which I was surrounded, being on a peninsula, and joined to him below. I opened a main drain through my meadow, and bedded up, by cross-ditches, about two acres, which I should not do again, the cross-ditches and bedding being unnecessary, grubbing and gravelling being better. During these ten years, I have grubbed and gravelled over some half dozen acres of wet meadow and swamp laud ; making, together with that of Mr. Phillips, all in one body, twelve acres, which, from being unproductive, have not failed to pro- duce, taken together, not less than one ton of hay to the acre, every year since. The hay is not the best stock hay, but sells well in the Boston market. The meadow, which I now offer for consideration, has been reclaimed about six years. It was covered with bushes ten feet high, which were grubbed and burned, and the land seeded down with herds-grass and redtop, and it has produced two tons to the acre every year since the first. This year we esti- mated, by weighing one load, that the yield was three tons of herds-grass, redtop, and other grasses. The expense thirty dollars per acre. Twenty dollars worth of fuel was preserved from two acres, in pine stumps and roots. Now, if the reclaiming of these half dozen acres within a stone's throw of our dwelling, added to as many more adjoin- ing, all in full view of the public highway, and in the heart of the village, is no improvement, so far as dollars and cents are concerned, it is, at least, a relief to the eye, and a gratification to the taste and feelings of every good farmer who has had opportunity to observe the change. The damage to the health of the neighborhood, which so much stagnant water and putre- faction would make, must be certainly lessened. These re- claimed lands are exempt from some of the foul weeds of uplands. I have never seen white weed, lady's slipper, nor the Canada thistle, on tliese lands. They will always make RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 51 good returns for any kind of dressing, and are not affected by the season, but yield better, if any thing, in a dry season. ToPSFiELD, July 25th, 1853. /. P. C Hayes' Statement. The meadow I have offered for consideration, comprises from one and a half to two acres. One year ago it was a mass of muck and brush — a forsaken spot. It was rendered wet by heavy springs rising in the margin of the meadow, which hav- ing no particular point of accumulation, kept nearly the entire surface of the meadow in a state of quagmire. I purchased this lot more for the water than the land ; but, to render the water available, it became necessary to ditch the land. The ditching was commenced August 25th, 1852. As it progressed, I became impressed more and more with the idea of making something of the land. The ditching was completed, including deep cuts in various directions into the surrounding highland, and filling the cuts with stone at a cost of about one hundred and sixty dollars. The ditch through the low ground, probably, cost not above fifteen dollars. The operation of ditching completed, that of clearing the ground of brush and wood was next commenced. This was done with an eye to economy, bordering on parsimony. Every stick of the size of the workmen's thumb, was trimmed and carted off for firewood. The small brush remaining, was piled and burned. The wood obtained more than paid the expense of clearing and ditching. Having thus arrived at the bottom, my nest idea was to put the meadow in a state of cultivation. My Irishman told me that the roots must be pulled out and burned. So also said the farmer, whose opinion I solicited. I was neither a farmer nor the son of a farmer, but I knew something of the nature of soils ; and after getting the advice of many, I determined to follow my own inclination. The meadow on the north side of the ditch, I concluded to treat in the usual way ; while that on the south side should be treated as I conceived to be the best way. I accordingly commenced covering the stumps on the south 52 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTrRE. side of the ditch vrith turf, muck and loam, taken from the lot adjoining where Lowell Street has since been graded. The turf was cut br sharp spades, taken in barrows and placed bottom up. directly upon the top of the meadow. The loose earth left in taking up the turf, was then spread over the top of this turf, and made level with a hoe. This done, the labor of reclaiming was completed for the time being. In this con- dition, with no manure, and without ploughing or spading, the ground was planted last spring. It has produced good corn, peas, beans turnips, ruta-bagas, cabbages, carrots, pars- nips, «$:c. Indeed, every thing has grown luxuriantly, except the onion : the potato grew finely imtil the rust put a check toit The cost of covering is. perhaps, something greater than that of clearing. But it is the best way, for the reason that what- ever ammonia is found in wet land, as is this of mine, like the cream upon a pan of milk, must be near the top. Hence, if we remove the turf, the best portion is taken away. By putting the top of one lot upon that of another, its natural productive- ness must be increased. The effect of this mode of procedure, is best told by the produce. The produce of the covered, com- pared with that of the cleared portion of my ground, is at least four to one. The covering process is quite effectual, in killing the growth of most kinds of brush wood. The elder and svect- ,briar alone, have made their way through the turf, and coming as they must through several inches of earth, they are easily pulled out by the hand, or yield readily before the hoe. The cost of covering an acre of ground to the depth of six inches, when the run for the barrows is not over fifty feet, on an average for the lot, cannot exceed fifty dollars. The covering of my lot cost even less than this, as the weather was -freezing cold,"' during most of the time it was being performed, and each man made rapid work for the conifort of it. Mr. Stowell will carry to the fair, samples of the various kinds of vegetables raised on the above patch of ground, during the present year. Xext year we shall cultivate with the aid of manure, and with more system, apportioning to each vegetable its proper limits. LiwasfCE, September 10, 1S53. RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 53 Mark H. Davis's Statement. I submit for consideration my operations on one acre of meadow land on the farm of Lewis Allen, in Danvers, that lias been under my care and improvement for three years last past. In July, 1850, I began to invert the sod by the use of a plough, but the mud was so soft that the oxen could not stand in the furrow. Consequently, I made use of a pair of wheels that the oxen might travel on the sward, and then I cut the furrows to the depth of ten or twelve inches. This meadow has a peat bottom — some parts of it are so soft that I could wo;^"k only in the driest part of the season. In September, 1851, I put a coating of tanner's manure, in which were min- gled hair and lime, on about half the lot, and sowed herds- grass and redtop thereon. In July, 1852, this part, measuring seventy rods, yielded one and three-quarters tons of hay, of first rate quality, as estimated by those who saw it. In August, 1852, I prepared the remainder of the lot, by applying barn and night manure ; the difference was observable all the season — the appearance being much the best where the barn and night manure were used. I have taken from the ditches fifty cart loads of mud that I estimate to be worth - fifteen dollars, for upland dressing. The crop was injured the present year, by the heavy fall of rain, about the 25th of May, which caused the water to overflow and stand upon some parts of the land, the effect of which was perceptible all through the season. I have sold 4,310 pounds of hay from the land for And have left what I estimate half a ton at . Making the entire product of 1853 to amount to The product of the previous year was sold for Amount of product for two years .... $91 96 I estimate the expense incurred as follows : — Labor, $14 00 Manure, 10 00 $45 96 10 00 $55 96 36 00 54 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. Grass seed $:2 52 Cutting aud making at $2.50 per ton, . 1 1 il5 Xet income of the land, .... $54 19 Daxteiis, Scptemb« 2S, 1S5S. - Stephen Blanei/'s Statement. I present for inspection and premium, (if thouglit worthy of it,) a piece of reclaimed s\ramp, containing one and a half acres. It is situated in Salem, near the Sheep Pasture, (so called.) About six rears since, it was a coarse, rough, uupro- ducuve swamp, of alders, blueberries, and other bushes, with more hassocks and holes than could well be counted, and* a sufficiencT of water to render it impassable for man or beast. These bushes were cut and cleared, and the surface left naked, and as unsightly and forbidding as possible. Early in September, 1S52, 1 cut a two-foot ditch tlirough the centre, to let off the surplus water. I then carried on gravel and loam, from the shores adjoining, about two hundred cart loads, and filled the holes and cavities, so as to make the surface as even as I could. I applied about twelve cords of compost^ made of glue grounds and meadow muck, about equal quaniities of each : spreading it uniformly over the surface. I employed M. H. Davis, two days, with his team of three cattle. and inverted the sod to the depth of ten inches, and afterwards I picked out the stumps and roots, and smoothed the surface. Eight cords of compost, collected from the refuse about my wool and morocco factories, were then applied and mingled with the soil, by the use of the harrow. Mr. Davis then sowed it down to grass, using two bushels of redtop, and three pecks of herds-grass seed. A brush was used to smooth the surface, it being too soft to support the roUer. The work was thor- oughly and neatly done, and thus far, completed in September last year. The seed sown came up thick and promised well. In July the present year, I mowed and sold the first crop, being 4 tons 1,170 lbs., on the ground, at eighteen dollars per ton. Subsequently. I mowed and gathered to my barn, a second crop of two and a half tons, of first quality fodder. RECLABIED MEADOWS. 55 The Tvliolc amount of hay gathered from this piece, of one and a half acres, in one year, after the turf wag inverted, was seven tons, 170 lbs., or four and two-thirds tons to the acre. I estimate the value of this hay, as it now sells at twenty dollars per ton, amounting to ..... . $141 70 Incidental expenses, viz. : — Grubbing, smoothing, and clearing, fifteen days' labor, at one dollar per day, . . . $15 00 Paid for ploughing, . . . . . 7 00 Compost applied, estimated at . . . 20 00 Paid for grass seed, . . . . . 4 25 Labor in curing the crop, at two dollars per ton, 16 oO Other services on and about the field, carrying on the manure, &c., say . . . . 10 00 Total amount of cost of cultivating, . . . $72 Balance, net income for the year, .... $68 95 I estimate the land worth tliree hundred dollars an acre, (because it will command that price.) Before I commenced the improvement it yielded nothing. If any of the farmers — for I do not profess to be one — ^have done better with their lands, I should like to see how it has been done. Those who saw the grass growing, of whom were several intelligent observers of such culture, spoke of it as being as successful an experiment as they have ever seen. Saiem, XoTember 14, 1853. James Taylor's Statement. The piece of bog meadow to which I invite your atten- tion, contains about thirty-three acres. I bought the lot in 1847, for which I paid twelve dollars an acre. This meadow had formerly been covered with a heavy growth of wood, consisting of maple, birch, and spruce. - The principal part was cut off about six or eight years ago. There was some wood on a part of it that I cut. that brought me one hundred and sixty-eight dollars, besides paying for chopping. 56 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. I began ditching in 1847, and finished in 1852. I began to bog in 18-48 and finished in 1853. I have duo: four hundred and eighteen rods of open ditch at a cost of 20 cents per rod, .... 150 rods of blind ditch at 50 cents per rod, I have bogged 23 acres at a cost of $28 per acre. $83 50 75 00 644 00 2 50 In 1849, I planted five acres with potatoes. I put thirteen loads of compost manure to the acre, in the hill, on four and a half acres, at a cost of one dollar per load, $50. I dug the potatoes the last of August, and the first of September, which I sold on the ground for $85 an acre, .... 425 00 I calculated I lost eighteen barrels, besides, by rot. In 1850, 1 planted eight and a-half acres of potatoes. I manured four and a half acres with compost man- ure, twenty loads to the acre, cost one dollar per load. I sold the same in June, as they were, for fifty dollars an acre, . . . . . . 425 00 I planted half an acre with corn, put on seven loads of compost manure in the hill, had twenty bushels of corn, 20 00 $445 00 In 1851, I planted two and a half acres with corn. Spread on twenty loads of compost manure to the acre, cost one dollar per load. I had forty-five bushels of good sound corn to the acre, . . 112 00 Cows' fodder, ten dollars per acre, . . . . 20 00 Planted seven and a half acres with potatoes without any manure, which I sold on the ground, after being dug, for eighty dollars an acre, .... GOO 00 I calculated I lost besides, by rot, ten barrels. In the fall of 1850, I sowed down six and a half acres to grass, with half a peck of herds-grass and one peck of redtop to the acre. This fall I cut twelve RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 57 tons of hay that I sold at the barn for ten dollars a ton, $120 00 I fed the rest, and considered the feed worth . . 20 00 $872 00 In 1852 I let four acres for, 65 00 I planted six and a half with potatoes without any manure, which I sold on the ground, after being dug, for seventy-five dollars per acre, . . . . 487 50 I planted two-thirds of an acre with corn without manure, had thirty-five bushels of good sound corn, 35 00 Sold the fodder for $8, 8 00 Cut on the six and a half acres of grass ten tons of hay, which I sold at the barn for eighteen dollars per ton, 180 00 Feed, 20 00 $795 50 In 1853 I let seven and three-quarters acres for, . 215 00 I planted five and a half acres with potatoes, which I sold on the ground, after being dug, for fifty dollars per acre, 275 00 I calculated I last forty barrels, besides, by rot. I sold the grass standing on the six and a half acres for 184 00 $674 00 Calculated the feed worth, . . . . . 40 00 $714 00 Last winter I put on to the six and a half acres of grass two hundred and sixty loads of clear gravel, and one hundred and thirty loads of compost manure, which is the first that has been put on since it was sown down ; the expense of putting on this gravel was $70; compost $130, .... 20000 Other incidental expenses, 100 00 8* 58 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. In 1851 I sold to my brother about thirteen acres for $600, and twenty acres left, which is all bog. Carlisle, September, 1853. WORCESTER. Statement of T. $f I. S. Meriam. We have two methods of reclaiming our swamp lands. One is to plant potatoes, and cnltivate the swamp in this way for two or three years until the old turf is fully rotted — using care to take all roots and stumps out, so as to be able to leave a smooth surface at the time of seeding, which is usually done in the fall as soon as we can get the crop of potatoes off. The other is to cart or sled on gravel in the winter when the swamp is frozen enough to bear up a team ; we have about five acres reclaimed in this way, and two reclaimed in the other manner. But as we did not call the attention of the commit- tee to but two pieces of improved swamp, we shall confine our- selves to them. They contain about one and half acres each. The lot which we shall call No. 1, was covered over with gravel in the winter of 1 845, about five inches thick, spread at the time of carting ; there being but little snow at the time, we could spread it even. We seeded with herds-grass and redtop the last of March following, using one peck and a half herds- grass, and half a bushel of redtop to the acre. The first sea- son, we had but little hay, but it was very thick. In 1849 we applied about six loads of compost manure to the acre, and have cut about two and a half tons of hay to the acre every year since 1847. Cost of gravelling was forty-four days' work for one man and one yoke of oxen, in the short days of winter, and after taking care of a stock of cattle ; we think that fifty cents a day for man, and the same for oxen, a fair price, so that the expense was but $44 for the one acre and a half. Lot No. 2, contains one acre and a half, that has been planted three years with potatoes. In February, 1849, we sledded on twenty loads of manure from under the stable — it was frozen at the time, and we think it would not have been over fifteen cart loads, such as we usually get out in the spring. This piece had been mowed the year before, although we got the RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 59 very poorest kind of grass where it was not covered with brush and stumps. We dropped the potatoes on the top of the stubble, put the manure on, planted in drills, and turned the turf on to the potatoes with spades, and did nothing more to them until we dug them — we dug one hundred and thirty bushels of potatoes. Labor of two men five days each, at eighty-five cents a day to plant, and two men four days each at eighty-five cents a day to dig them. We planted again in 1850, at about the same expense for planting and digging, but as the potatoes rotted badly, we obtained only about twenty- five bushels of good potatoes. Have used no manure on the lot since the first year, except plaster at the time of planting. In 1851 planted again to potatoes, at about the same cost as the two other years, and had one hundred and forty bushels of good potatoes, which were dug early in October. We then seeded down to grass. In 1852 we mowed it and got about two tons of hay. In 1 853, this season, we obtained, as near as we could estimate it, four and a half tons from the acre and a half. We have improved our interval or meadow land by plough- ing it the last of August or first of September, using care to turn the sward over smooth, and when it cannot be well done with the plough, have it done in some other way, but have it done, and then have it well rolled ; put on twenty cart loads of good manure to the acre, spread evenly, and sow the hay seed — using about one peck and a half of herds-grass and a half a bushel of redtop to the acre. Harrow thoroughly lengthwise of the furrow and roll it down. We have usually got two tons of hay to the acre the first year, and not unfre- quently two and a half tons. We have another piece near the road of about four acres which, a few years since, was covered with bunches of brush and produced but very little grass. We have cleared ofl" the brush, ditched it and smoothed the surface with the plough, seeding down in the fall. We irrigate it all we can with a small stream that runs through it, and now it is a fine piece of mowing, and produces a good crop of hay. AtTBTJBjN, October 24, 1853. 60 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. HAMPSHIEE, FRAJ^KLIN AND HAMPDEN. Statement of Edrmmd Smith. The piece of swamp meadow which I offer for your atten- tion is situated in the cast part of Hadley, containing nineteeyi and a half acres. I purchased it in 1840, for twelve dollars and fifty cents per acre. Six acres, at the west end of the lot, was swamp mowing land, except an acre on the south side, which was called " high land," fit for tillage. These six acres had been rented for nine dollars per year. The east part of the lot was a brush pasture. This piece of land lies at the south end of a large tract of swamp — being the lowest part. The water stood in so large a quantity in the spring of the year, that nothing of any value would grow. In October of 1840, I moAved the brush on four acres on the south side of the pasture and ploughed it. The next May, it was planted with corn, manured in the hill, and a good crop was secured. Oats and hay seed were sown the next season, and a good crop of oats followed. It mowed well the next season. I made a ditch across the lot north and south — in 1842 I think — which took off a great part of the water from the meadow. I think it was in the last of May, 1843, that I ploughed two acres of this low meadow. The furrows drained it to the south, and a ditch then conducted the water to the main ditch. Potatoes, manured in the hill, were planted, yielding a good crop. The next spring I spread on manure, cultivated and harrowed in oats and hay seed without ploughing. The oats were light, the hay came in well. This piece of land I mowed six years, obtaining a ton and one half per acre, yearly. I mowed the brush in 1843, the last part of the season, on three acres east of the ditch in the lowest part of the land on the lot. Two years after mowing the brush, I mowed the land on which the water stood through the spring and first part of the summer, in such quantity that the hay mowed was of no value. The season in August, 1845, being very dry, I dug the stumps on this three acres, and put them into a fence. In the same month I ploughed this piece of land with four yokes of oxen and a large plough. RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 61 turning the furrow handsomely ten inches deep, and occupying eight days with the labor. The lands were four rods wide ; and the furrows drained the water to the ditch which crossed the lot, and left the land dry. The next spring it was sowed with oats, herds-grass, redtop and clover seed, producing a good crop of oats. The grass seed took well, and yielded a ton and one half of good hay, to the acre, for five years after it was seeded, without any manure. Three years ago I planted three-quarters of an acre of this land with potatoes, manured in the hill, producing a good crop. The next spring it was sown with oats, seeded with grass seed without manure ; and the two last seasons I have mowed at the rate of two tons of good hay, to the acre. Last fall, the remainder of this piece was ploughed, and about the middle of May last, planted with Indian corn, manured in the hill with seven cartloads to the acre ; five bushels of shell lime and half a bushel of plaster to the acre, dropped in the hills. I think there were sixty bushels of shelled corn, to the acre. Five years ago, I made a ditch sixty rods on the north side of the lot, as far east as the woods, which helps the north side of the lot very much. There is one acre and a half of wood- land on this lot, eighteen acres mowing and tillage land. I ' have, for a few years past, planted three or four acres, and sowed about as much with oats, and seeded with grass seed. The crops on this eighteen acres last year, were ten tons of good, and four tons of poor hay, one hundred and fifty bushels of corn, and thirty bushels of oats. The crops this year, were one hundred and seventy-five bushels of corn, one hundred and fifty bushels of oats, twenty bushels of rye, eight tons of good hay, and three tons of poor hay. The wood paid for the labor of cutting the brush — one acre which I cleared, yielding very good wood. From the remainder, the wood and timber had been cut ofl", and it had grown up to alders and white bushes, covered with moss. H.4.DLEY, Nov. 8th, 1853. 62 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. HAMPSHIRE. JRepo7't of the Committee. The word meadow, in its first sense, signifies flat, depressed land, generally lying upon the banks of a brook, or river ; as for example, the meadows on the banks of the Connecticut River, or upon Muddy, Flat or Beaver Brooks in the eastern part of this county. Meadow land does not, necessarily, imply wet land, neither does it exclude such, as those will admit who have observed the gromids situated near the streams here named. Meadow is sometimes, though improperly, used as a synonym of the word swamp, signifying low, spongy ground, soft in consequence of the water's being suffered to remain, where draining has not been employed to remove it. These are usually seen interspersed among the hills of the four western counties of this State. The term swale is used among the farmers in the same sense as the word swamp, as here defined. Such land; as is indicated by the words swamp and swale, has been regarded as more or less valuable, according to the quan- tity and quality of the grass produced. It not unfrequently holds the water that falls upon it, as well as that which runs in from the surrounding hills, bringing down, often, the choicest mineral elements of the soil, which sink beneath the water, and are thus rendered nearly worthless until the water is drained off. The more solid matter, found in a swamp, when drained is, sometimes, peat ; a substance of vegetable origin, more or less saturated with water, consisting of roots and fibres in almost every stage of decomposition, from the natural woody substance to the almost perfect black vegetable mould. Mr. Shipman's reclaimed swamp, in Hadley, furnishes one of the best specimens of this quality, that has come under the observation of the, committee. ~^ Mud, such as is found in some of these swamps, is a moist soft eartli, differing essentially from peat. Swale mud is more thoroughly decomposed than peat, and resembles it less than it does muck, a decomposition of vegetable matter — more com- pletely disorganized than peat. It is not so easy to draw a RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 63 dividing line between swamp mud and muck as it is to use the two words. The difference between them and peat is very dis- tinct and marked. Mud and muck seem, generally, to be so entirely disorganized as to leave scarce a trace of vegetable substance, and, in some cases, none whatever. The mud in the lowest parts of the land bordering upon the brooks, in the eastern part of this county, is of this kind, and is so deep that a hay-pole, twelve feet in length, may be pressed into it without touching bottom. Whether these mud swamps will ever be drained, it will be, probably, for some future generation to determine. If the work is ever accomplished, it will be done by great expenditure of money and labor. When drained, they will furnish most valua- ble lands for tillage, which, in their unreclaimed state, are nearly valueless, except as a dwelling-place for toads, frogs, snakes, moles, snipes, woodcock and blackbirds. Alas, for this numer- ous hoard of swamp aborigines, when these low lands shall be reclaimed from the dominion of water, and turned into rich fields of the very best tillage land, of which New England can boast. This is no groundless speculation. Mr. Shipman's re- claimed land, in Hadley, is, this very day, worth more per aero than the very best meadow land in the world-renowned Connec- ticut Valley, for the reason, that a given amount of labor and manure will produce more tobacco, more Indian corn, or broom- corn, or potatoes, than the same expenditure will yield on the best alluvial on the river of pines. Such a fact should cause every man who owns a peat swamp to smile in view of his treasure. For, when drained, it may be rendered not only very productive, but will furnish, also, material to reclaim worn-out old fields. Many are beginning to believe that these lands, that have been deemed worthless swamps, are the most desira- ble for improvement. The day is not far distant when a good farmer will be ashamed of his neighbor, whose unreclaimed swamp furnishes a dwelling place, through the warm season, for croaking frogs, toads and peepers. The time is at hand, it is hoped, when all the swamps and swales of Massachusetts will be drained and tilled, and thus rendered productive. Many acres in this county have already been reclaimed, and made to bear much produce. 64 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. There are more, however, that remain unreclaimed and un- productive. Four entries, of what were called reclaimed meadows, were made. The committee viewed them all. Only two pieces came within their province, to wit, those entered by Messrs. Mon- tague and Smith. L. Wetherell, Chairman. Statement of Albert Montague. I offer three acres of reclaimed meadow in Sunderland. T can give an accurate statement of the method and expense of reclaiming only one acre, and of the amount of produce obtained therefrom. The entire piece lies in a swamp of about ten acres, which has been partially drained, from time to time, since 1833. By draining at considerable expense, and overcoming opposition of neighbors, who were not willing, at first, that I should cut a drain through their lands — although their lands became twice as valuable in consequence of the drain — this whole swamp has been very much improved, and yields much good feed, as well as much that is sour. My lot of three acres, to wliich I invite your special attention, lies near the south end of this swamp, being as low as any part of it. I mowed it for a series of years previous to 1852, and obtained a little coarse bog hay, barely sufficient to pay for my labor. In August, 1851, immediately after mowing, I commenced draining more faithfully, and bogging it evenly, to fit it for the plough, as most of the stumps had already been removed. I then ploughed, about seven inches deep, taking pains to have it well turned, and the furrows lie nearly flat. I turned up some two or three inches of muck, which lay until May, 1852, and being then well pulverized with a harrow, I was enabled to cultivate it without much expense. I planted on the 22d of May, spread a light coat of manure, composted of barnyard manure and sand, in equal proportions, using at the rate of eight loads of compost to the acre. I added twelve bushels of ashes to the acre, putting them in the hill. I planted Indian corn, hoed three times, and cultivated between the rows. Just before the last hoeing, I sowed grass seed at the rate of one peck of herds-grass, four quarts of red- RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 65 top, and five pounds of clover to tlie acre, and mixed in a little turnip seed. I cut my corn September 18th, and liusked about the middle of October, one hundred and fifty-seven bushels of good ears of corn, on one acre, and about three tons of corn- fodder. The weight of the fodder was obtained by weighing one stack, and multiplying it by the number of stacks. I finish- ed pulling my turnips the 20th of November, and had one hundred and twenty-five bushels on one acre. In July last I cut a fair crop of good hay, estimated by competent judges at two tons to the acre. I think I should have had a greater crop, had the season been favorable. The muck was dry enough to burn well a long time before the grass was cut. The land is now in good condition. The grass thickens so well, that I expect a heavier crop of hay next season. I have com- puted the expense of reclaiming one acre from its condition — in August, 1851 — when it was drained and the stumps removed. Produce : — 78 bushels corn, at 831 cents, . . . $65 00 3 tons corn fodder, at $6, . . . . 18 00 125 bushels turnips, at 12-1- cents, . . 15 62 2 tons hay, at $7 per ton, . . . . 14 00 -$112 62 Expenses : — Bogging and moving bogs, . Draining, .... Ploughing and harrowing, . Manures, compost and ashes. Planting and hoeing three times. Grass seed. Corn, Turnips, . Hay seed, . 43 00 $6 00 3 00 6 00 10 00 5 00 1 50 6 00 3 00 2 50 Net gain on one acre, $69 62 To this might be added the value of the land, or nearly so, for before I commenced in August, 1851, there was no net in- crease from it — the bog hay barely paid the labor of getting it. 9* 66 • MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. Statement of Edmund Smith. The piece of meadow wliicli I offer for premium, contains about three acres, in Hadley. It is the centre of a lot of nine- teen acres and a-half, which I bought in 1840, and which was then worth five dollars per acre. There was some wood on the north side — the south side was higher, and part had been ploughed. In 1842 I mowed the brush to see if I could make a piece of swamp-mowing ; but it proved worthless, in conse- quence of the Avater flowing from a large tract of swamp on the north side. It was so wet, that nothing grew of any value. I had cut a ditch, west of this piece of land, running north and south across the lot, which took off some of the water. The season was very dry in August, 1845, and I thought I would try the experiment of ploughing. I dug the stumps and put them into a fence — used a large plough, drawn by four yoke of oxen, and had a man with a bog hoe to relieve the plough whenever it clogged or stopped. We were eight daj's plough- ing three acrfes, ten inches deep, beds four rods wide. The furrows drained off the water into the ditch on the west side. The next spring I sowed oats and hay seed, at the rate of eight quarts of herds-grass, three pounds of clover, and four quarts of redtop seed to the acre. The crop of oats was better than I expected. The hay seed came up well. For four or five years after it was seeded, I think there was at the rate of one and a half tons of hay to tlie acre, worth six dollars per ton, standing. The north land — about three-fourths of an acre — I ploughed and planted in the summer of 1850, with potatoes and broomcorn, manuring in the hill. The next spring I sowed oats and hay seed — had a good crop of oats — the hay seed came up well. I cut from this piece, the past two seasons, at the rate of two tons of good hay to the acre, and have never manured it, except in 1846. The remainder of the three acres I ploughed last fall, about eight inches deep. It was planted in May, and manured in the hill with oyster shell lime and plaster. I think the crop equal to fifty bushels or more of shelled corn to the acre. The land, since it was first planted, has yielded a yearly income of six dollars per acre ; but the last two years the income has been greater. RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 67 Result : — Present yaliie of the land, $50 per acre, . . . $150 00 Expenses : — First cost, at $5 per acre, . . . $15 00 Clearing brush and stumps, . . . 20 00 Ploughing, 30 00 $G5 00 Net profit, $85 00 Hadley, Mass. HAMPDEN. Statement oj S. F. Merrick, Jr. The meadow oflfered for your inspection is a low, irregular swale of eight acres — about one-half of the work is completed. We commenced, August 11, 1851, by digging a main drain in the centre, six feet wide, eighteen inches at the lower end, and gradually increasing to the depth of between four and five feet. The muck varied from eighteen inches to four feet; care was taken first to bog the sides of the ditch, as it makes it easier to remove the bogs and earth. The bogs and muck were thrown on one side ; the gravel opposite. The banks were cut almost perpendicular, to increase the quantity of gravel and to secure the greater durability of the drain. The next object was to drain off the water that came in from the side ; although there is considerable fall, so great was the quantity, that it destroyed nearly all vegetation except moss ; and there was plenty of that, and now and then a patch of cranberries. Near the lower end of the main drain we commenced an under-drain (digging it as narrow as could be conveniently worked) running at right angles with the main drain directly to the upland, quite into the hard and solid ground. Experience has taught that the nearer the upland (within certain limits) the nearer will the water be to the surface, and the less hard pan to pene- trate. This ditch was dug the same depth with the main drain, and increasing, as we neared the upland, to the depth of five or six feet; we intended to go down to quicksand the whole length G8 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. of tlie drain ; this ditcli was then laid down with stone chips, but they were afterwards mostly taken np and tiles put in their place ; stone will do in hard pan very well. After this ditch was complete, the land was bogged, the sand from the main drain spread, and by the aid of scraper and shovel, well covered with loam and sand : a large part was ploughed ; it was then all well dragged, at least two days to the acre, a light coat of compost or fresh manure added ; then stocked, dragged and bushed. We then raked all the light sods and roots with a hand rake and the work was complete. We experienced more than ordinary difficulty on account of having to keep the water at a certain height to convey to another meadow below for irrigation. We ran the under- drain along the bank till the fall decreased so as to render it advisable to have recourse to the main drain by another perpen- dicular. We find the best course to pursue is to mark out by an under-drain as much as can be completed in one season, and then commence again at the main drain. We find where the land is not ploughed it is necessary to cut the bogs very close, or rather to completely skin the land. We find it better to plough ever so slightly, as the sand can be more readily mixed with the soil, and if dragged in the right state the turf will all drag to pieces, and that which will not drag to pieces, ought always to be removed. Bogs will grow in quite a dry soil, if they be well rooted; therefore it is quite important to thoroughly subdue the old sod before you attempt to make a new one. I have numbered the pieces as they were finished. No. 1 contains about three-fourths of an acre, lies between the main drain and a drain that conveys the water along the upland to a meadow below not ploughed ; sanded by spreading the bank of ditch; finished sometime in October, 1851 ; seeded one-half pound Timothy, one-half pound festuca-pratensis ; the fcstuca somewhat killed out but came in to redtop and June grass. But in 1852, twenty-five large cocks, being light and leafy, would not weigh over ten hundred. In 1853, cut thirty-five hundred, and a large crop of rowen now on the ground. No. 2 contains over an acre, lies opposite side of main drain with under-drain along bank; was partially fitted in the fall. RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 69 Mostly ploughed and fitted in the spring of 1852, stocked with millet, herds-grass, festuca, clover, and blue grass, (I never intend to sow any more clover on meadow land,) had a large crop of millet averaging six feet in height. Cut in 1853 three large loads, over two tons of hay, and a heavy crop of rowen now on the ground. WlLBRAHAM, MaSS. HOUSATONIC. Report of the Committee. There were eleven entries of lands in the year 1850, all of which your committee viewed in the autumn of said year, and have again viewed said lands the present season. The whole quantity thus presented for our consideration, will not vary much from seventy-five acres, a majority of which was partially drained, and other portions of the work of re- claiming more or less in progress at the time of our first view in 1850. Another portion of said lands was quite thoroughly re- claimed, having had crops of grass and other productions either taken ofi" or growing upon them at that time. The improvement of the latter portion of said lands was very praiseworthy and valuable, but your committee do not consider them as coming fairly within the rules and regulations of the society as competitors for premium. We have not, therefore, taken into account those pieces of land which were nearly or wholly reclaimed and made productive before your society had taken any action on this subject, believing it to be the intention of the society that the improvements should be nearly, or wholly made after they were entered to the secre- tary of the society as competitors for premium. In their action on this subject, your committee have endeav- ored to keep in view the most expeditious and economical method of reclaiming these lands to a state of productiveness and value. We have found it dijBficult to form a satisfactory opinion of what is the best, most economical, and quickest method of 70 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. accomplisliing the end in view, owing to the great variety of soils, and obstacles to be overcome; they being quite as valu- able and numerous as the pieces of laud which have come un- der observation. Those which we have viewed, with a single exception, after having been drained and the bogs and brush cut off, have been subdued by repeated ploughing and harrowing, which is a very slow process of reducing the foul grasses and other substances, and the unyielding qualities of such soils, more, particularly when there is great dampness, which is most usually the case in such lands, be they ever so thoroughly drained. This may be a good method where there is little inclination to wetne.=rs in the soil and not much inclined to coarse grasses and bushes. But where these obstacles do exist to much extent, your committee are fully of the opinion, that after thoroughly draining, the best method is to float or cut off the whole surface of the ground, throw it into winrows, and burn it on the ground. This method, although it may appear very slow and expensive, we are satisfied is the quickest, the most thorough, and taking all things into the account, we believe to be the most economical mode of reducing such lands to a state of useful productiveness. The ashes, which will be produced in great quantity, when spread upon the soil, afford the best of manure which can be produced. All the coarser materials of the land are at once reduced by fire, and are not only more useful as a manure, but are more thoroughly subdued and reduced than in any other way. The surface, with slightly ploughing or thoroughly har- rowing, is much earlier prepared for a crop than by the other method, gaining one or two years out of three or four in the use and production of the land over that of subduing by the plough. Your committee, from the limited observation which they have been able to make, would not fail to recommend this method of reclaiming lands of this character in preference to any other, always keeping in view that the land should be thoroughly drained before the operation is commenced. We believe that the premiums offered by the society for the reclaiming of such lands, are having a beneficial effect, and are operating as a stimulus to those who possess them, to exert RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 71 themselves to bring them into a state of productiveness and value. Your committee have awarded to Mr. Orange Smith, of Egremont, the first premium of $15, for the greatest improve- ment on five acres of wet, swampy, unproductive land, by bring- ing the same into a state of productiveness. Mr. Smith's improvement embraces between seven and eight acres in quantity. This land, was, on our first view, wholly unproductive. From his representations, after he had drained the land and cut off the brush and bogs, and dug and carried off the stumps and roots, the remainder of the work was mainly done with the plough and harrow. The amount expended, including board of workmen, grass and other seeds sown, about $200 00 The amount of the value of crops taken off the same land up to this time, exclusive of a crop of buckwheat, now on a part of said land, which is unpromising owing to the season, amounts to about $75 00 $125 00 Leaving a balance against him of $125, or about sixteen dol- lars the acre. The land is now seeded to grass, and bids fair to be productive in future. "We further award to Frederick F. Cooper, of Sheffield, for the greatest improvement on three acres of such land, the sum of $10. This is a part of a swamp of thirty acres, which Mr. Cooper has now under process of reclaiming, which, after cutting off the bogs and draining, was mainly performed by the plough and harrow, \ The expense, as rendered by Mr. Cooper to us, including grass, and other seed, is . . $50 90 The crops taken from the land within three years, he estimates at 64 00 $13 10 Leaving a balance of $13.10 in his favor, after paying all expenses. 72 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. We further award to Mr. Harrey Royce, of Sheffield, a pre- mium of $5 for the greatest impToVement of one acre of such land. The improvement of Mr. Royce embraces about one and one- half acres in quantity, on our view in 1850. The surface was covered with a very thick growth of white-bush, coarse grasses and brakes ; the soil a deep muck, and wholly unproductive ', the water wholly taken off by draining. The manner of reclaim- ing this piece of land, as given us by Mr. Royce, was by wholly paring off the surface, throwing it into winrows and burning it on the ground, and spreading the ashes over the land, and har- rowing it over and sowing it to grass seed. This was all done the last fall, or in 1852, and he has cut a crop of hay from the land this season, of one ton to the acre. It is now in good turf, and bids fair to be very productive, more thoroughly reclaimed, to appearance, than any piece we have viewed. The expense of ditching, cutting, pulling and burning the white-bush, &c., including grass seed, is $25 62 Crop taken off this season estimated at . . 7 50 $18 12 Leaving a balance of $18.12 against him, or $12.08 the acre. All of which is respectfully submitted, Ralph Taylor, Chairman. BARNSTABLE. James G. Hallefs Statement. The piece of reclaimed meadow which I present for premium, is the upper part of about five acres, which I diked in three years since, which at that time did not produce half a ton of any kind of hay. The manner of treatment has been as fol- lows : — the first year it was ploughed and planted with potatoes, and the next spring put down to grass. On the outside of my barn I have a vat forty feet long, eight feet wide, and four and a half feet deep, which is water tight and receives all the urine and liquid excrements from the cattle, which are stalled every IMPROVING PASTURE LAND. 73 night through the year. Into this vat I carted red sand and allowed it to remain until well saturated, and then applied it as a top-dressing. The result is below. Yarmouth Poet, July 23, 1853. This is to certify that I have measured a piece of reclaimed meadow belonging to James G. Hallet, which he presents for premium, and find it contains one hundred and twenty rods. Chakles Teacher, Surveyor. Yarmouth Port, October, 4, 1853. This is to certify that we have weighed the hay cut on the piece of meadow measured by Charles Thacher, Esq., belong- ing to James G. Hallet, and find it four tons, sixteen hundred and twelve pounds. Daniel Crocker, & Co., Weighers. IMPROVING PASTURE LAND. ESSEX. Report of the Committee. If we rightly understand the object of the society in ofi'cr- ing this premium, it is to collect and diffuse such information upon the management of pasture land, as will give increased attention to the subject of grazing land, and not, as some have thought, to the reclaiming of pasture land for the purpose of tillage. It is a fact obvious to all, that the pastures have been neglected in this county for the last thirty years, while increas- ed attention has been given to our tillage land. Our pastures have been left to be managed by any boy that was large enough to let down the bars or shut the gate. It will be an object in this report to awaken inquiry upon the subject, rather than to give any particular method for improving our pastures. What is the cause of the deterioration of our pastures ? We think that many of our pastures have been injured by long-con- tinued close feedinar. Observation has tautrht us that twitch grass, that pest of tillage land, will die when closely fed for 10* 74 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. .two or tlirce years ; so with many of the grasses in our pastures, if they are not permitted to mature their seed, they die, and moss takes their place. If pastures are so situated that they can be permitted to mature their seed once in three or four years, and are then closely fed, they will produce much more than when they are fed all the season. It is not so much against close feeding that we so much object, as against con- tinuing for a series of years, without giving the pasture any time to rest. We can point to pastures that have been injured, we think, by not being fed close enough at any time ; the briers and bushes have outgrown the grasses. " Change of pasture makes fat calves," is a maxim which contains much sound philosophy, and if its teachings were more heeded, we should have better pastures and cattle. In many of our pastures it is now literally a struggle for life or death between the cow and the grass, from spring to autumn, and often neither has vitality enough to exult in a victory. But how shall we manage our pasture land ? When a farm is so situated that it can all be conveniently ploughed and manured, it may be best to change from pasture to tillage. But upon most of our farms there are portions that cannot be profita- bly tilled. When such land is covered with moss, we recom- mend harrowing it in the spring, or warm days in winter, when the frost is out of the surface from one to two inches, and sowing grass seed. We prefer the harrow rather than the plough for land that is to remain in pasture, believing that nature put the soil right side up for grazing. In the south-eastern part of the county, the pastures are injured by a weed that is not found to much extent in other parts. We refer to wood-waxen, a plant which will have the sole occu- pancy of the land wherever it gains a foothold. We know not what resemblance this plant may have to the bush which the Oriental shepherd saw burning is his pasture on Mount Horeb, but wc know that this is often burned, but not destroyed. Another method for improving dry, gravelly land for pasture, is by raising the locust tree. This, unlike most other trees, improves the quality of the grass, and increases the quantity. A strong illustration of the benefit of this tree upon pasture land may be seen upon the farm of John Nichols, in Danvers. IMPROVING PASTURE LAND. 75 But what shall we do with our cold, rocky, bushy pastures ? To improve them by ploughing will often cost more than they will sell for when reclaimed ; yet the farmer may be so situated that it may be well for him to reclaim them. We think, how- ever, that there is much land in this county, that is now known by the name of pasture, that might be more profitably used as woodland. Where the white pine and the birch grow up spon- taneously, they will in a few years destroy the small bushes, and when the wood is fit to cut, we shall have a pasture which nature has renovated. In the pastures to which the attention of the committee has been called, plaster has been used as a means for improving them. It bccomes^an interesting inquiry to know in what parts of the county,' and on what kind of soils, plaster can be profita- bly used. Both of the pastures which we viewed were elevated, and moist, strong soil upon a retentive subsoil. We had tlie impression that plaster was best adapted to dry, poor soils ; but from what we have seen and heard this season, we think that it is the best soils that are improved by it. In conversa- tion, a short time since, with a gentleman from Bangor, he said that an accidental experiment, a few years ago, taught him that they had been acting upon a wrong impression in regard to it in that vicinity; that they received the most benefit from plas- ter on good land, well manured ; that a greater proportional increase of crop was obtained when it was applied in addition to the manure than when applied alone. If the society shall continue to offer this premium, we would recommend that it be under the direction of the Committee on Farms, so that we may have the benefit of the observation of the committee for a longer time. Wm. R. Putnam, Chairman. Joseph Hoiv^s Statement. It is with some hesitation that I offer my pasture lands for premium, as I have previously given my opinion, and partially my experience, which have been published in former reports. But as there has heretofore been no application for premium, and as last year there was no *eport from the committee, I 76 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. therefore concluded to offer my pasture for premium, that we might at least have a report on tlie subject. And believing, as I do, that good pasture land is as profitable as most other lands, at the price at which it is usually valued ; that a large proportion is comparatively of but little income, and that much of it can be profitably improved, it therefore seems desirable that individuals should communicate their experience to others, and it may be expected that some benefits may be derived therefrom. My pasture contains in all about seventy acres, and is sub- divided into smaller pastures by stone wall. The soil may be termed a gravelly loam, with a mixture of stones, and on some of it the stones are so abundant that it cannot be conveniently ploughed. It is somewhat hilly; most or it is rather moist; although there are some dry knolls. Some of it was old bound out pasture forty years ago, and from other portions of it the wood has been taken off at different periods. Some of it was formerly ploughed and planted with corn, without manure, or with a very little compost in the hill, then sowed down to grain and hay seed, which partially improved the pasture for a short time. We occasionally used some plaster, but fearing that it might essentially injure the land, we used but little. About twenty years ago, we commenced using it more freely, and for the last few years have used it on nearly all our pasture every year, or once in two years, at the rate of one and a half or two bushels to the acre. Some of our pasture land is benefited more than others, but all of it is improved more or less. Some years ago I purchased about fourteen acres of land, one-half of which was covered with wood and bushes, the other half was an old bound out pasture, which had not been ploughed for twenty-five years. Previously to that time, it had been planted and sowed without manure, until it would hardly pay for cultivation. It had been rented for several years for three dollars per year, and the person that hired considered it a hard bargain. During the seven years I have sowed it with plaster four or five times, and it is now a good pasture. I think the feed is now worth as much on one acre as on the whole piece when I purchased it. But I think it is not what it would have IMPROVING PASTURE LAND. 77 been liacl it never been ploughed, for land that has once been worn out by excessive tillage without manure, although it may lay uncultivated or pastured for a long series of years, will not be what it would have been had it never been ploughed. About four acres, which were covered with wood and bushes, have been cleared, the land sowed with plaster, and it is now a first rate pasture, far superior (as might be expected) to the old pasture described above. One cutting of the bushes was suffi- cient, as it usually is where plaster is used ; not that the plaster in any way prevents the growth of the bushes, but a thick growth of grass springing up, the cattle, while feeding it, will also feed the tender sprouts, and soon eradicate the bushes. Bushes, however, that the cattle will not eat, such as sweet fern^ hard-hack, ground hemlock, (fee, will require occasional cutting, or pulling up by the roots. In the above case, the brush and bushes were not burned, but rotted on the laud, which I think is much better than burning. The growth of bushes was whor- tleberry, hazel-nut, witch-hazel, &c. On a dry part of the pasture, I spread on last year about three cart loads of mud to the acre, which has improved the pasture, and I think will pay the expense. The mud was taken from a pond-hole in the pasture, in August, 1852. It appears to be rotten vegetable matter, not unlike common meadow weed, but not peat. On some of my other pastures I have used leached ashes, from 150 to 200 bushels to the acre, with good success. The iirst of June I had in my pasture thirty-seven cows, four oxen, one yearling heifer and two horses. It was not long, however, before the butchers commenced taking away my beef cows, so that by the time of the severe drought, in August, the number of my cows was considerably reduced. Thus I had a tolerably good supply of feed through the dry season, and an abundance after the rains commenced. But I cannot state definitely the amount of stock that my pasture would keep through the season. It is desirable that there should be some surplus feed in pastures, as close feeding is injurious, and causes them to deteriorate, or bind out. The increase of the feed is not all the benefit resulting from improving pasture laud, for as the quantity increases the quality 78 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. improves ; and if an animal will get fat for the butcher at mid- summer, instead of running the whole season, the keeping for one-half the season is saved, while the beef usually sells then at a higher price. Methuen, Nov. 15, 1853. Jacob Farnuni's Statement. I present to your examination two pastures, one with fifteen acres and the other with twenty- three. May, 1851, I spread one ton of plaster on each pasture. In 1852, the expense of cutting and pulling up savins was about ten dollars. First of May I spread two tons on each pasture. Cost of plaster pur- chased at Ilaverhill, was $5.50 per ton; cost of drawing and spreading was $2.50 per ton. One pasture is very spongy; the other is dry. I feel encouraged to try more on my other pastures. Andover, Nov. 12, 1853. ORCHARDS. The interest in the cviltivation of fruit has increased to such a degree that most of the societies offer premiums for orchards of various kinds, leaving the examination to be made in some cases by the committee on farms, and in others, appointing a special committee for this purpose. MIDDLESEX. Amos Hagar^s Statement. ' I submit the following statement in regard to the management of my orchards. The first orchard contains, by estimation, two and one-half acres, has a north-westerly slope. The soil is a deep loam, with a clayey subsoil mixed with blue gravel. This lot contains two hundred and thirty-four apple trees, set thirty- two feet square, with one in the centre. One hundred seventy- four trees were set out in the spring of 1844, twenty-five in the ORCHARDS. 79 spring of 1845, and thirty-five in the spring of 1851. The trees ■when set were, most of them, one year's growth from the bud. Every fall I have put on some ten loads of compost manure to the acre, and ploughed it in. I have kept it planted with corn, potatoes, and turnips (common shovelful of manure to the hill) with the exception of the summer of 1852. The second orchard contains, by estimation, four acres, has a northerly, north-easterly, and north-westerly slope. Soil is similar to that in first orchard. This lot contains six hundred and twenty-eight trees, one-half apple, one-half peach, set thirty- two feet square, with one in the centre, or sixteen feet each way — apple and peach alternately. Four hundred and seventy- four trees were set in the spring of 1851, and one hundred and fifty-four in the spring of 1852. My manner of setting this lot was merely to dip the roots of the trees in soft manure, just before placing them in the earth. I have manured this the same as first lot, and kept it planted with corn, potatoes, and turnips. Most of the apple trees were two years', and peach trees one year's growth from the bud when set. My principal variety of apples is the Baldwin. I have some one hundred trees of Hub- bardstons, and a few trees of other varieties not now remem- bered. I have never washed my trees with any thing ; trim them in May and June. LiNCOLx, Sept. 24, 1853. WilUain B. Harris' Statement. My orchard contains six acres, covered with trees of the Baldwin variety, with five or six exceptions. They are set two rods apart with peach trees between, in most places. In regard to setting peach trees between apple, I think it should in no case be done where the apple trees are less than two rods apart, for they will certainly infringe on the growth of the apple trees unless they are kept closely pruned. If apple trees are far enough apart to allow the peach sufficient room, peaches can easily be raised between them ; as the peach tree is of short duration it would usually die before any harm could be done to the apple, if room is allov/ed. My plan, however, 80 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. is to set peach trees by themselves, not less than one rod apart, and apple trees should never be set within two rods of each other. My orchard contains two hundred and thirty-six trees, and set in their present place in the spring of 1844. An important object was overlooked in rearing my orchard, until it was too late to correct the fault ; this was in not shaping the heads of the trees, in a manner that would allow ploughing, &c., to be done among them with sufficient case ; all the fault I notice in the appearance of my orchard is in our not having known that by arranging the tops of trees, properly, it would favor the future growth, and also the bearing and ripening of the fruit. The most important fault is in not starting the lower branches sufficiently high to allow oxen or horses ample room to plough beneath ; this fault should be corrected by all who contemplate to raise an orchard ; every one should bear in mind that, "just as the twig is bent the tree's inclined." My folly should be a caution to others. The soil upon which my trees are planted is of many varieties, from the rich loam to the almost unproductive knoll of rocks, and I can see a vast difference between the trees on productive land and those on that which is poor. I think apples can be raised on rocky land, that will keep longer and better than those raised on loamy soil, but the apples will in most cases be much smaller, as will also the trees, and apples thus raised are more liable to be of an irregular shape. I keep the trees under a continued state of cultivation, raising potatoes, corn, squashes, beans, cabbages, &c., with a large variety of root-crops ; which are raised with profit, if not in too close conjunction with the trees. I make it a rule to prune annuallj^ in May or June, not forgetting that too many branches taken off at once will injure the tree ; of the two months for pruning we prefer May. I manure my crops liberally, and when dunging for crops I usually throw a quantity about the roots of the trees. The manure used is composed of muck and barn manure well mixed together ; I intend to keep the land as free of weeds as possi- ble ; I have never washed the trees but once, but think young trees should be washed annually, with a composition of potash water and manure, which will give the trees a healthy appear- ance if it does not benefit them. ORCHARDS. 81 I tliiak I shall gather at least twenty barrels of apples from the trees this present season, which will be as many as I could expect. In regard to the treatment of insects, I remove cater- pillars as soon as discovered ; have never been troubled with borers, and seldom with insects of any kind, except that the present season a large number of the " Palmer "Worms " could be found on almost every tree ; they seemed to come all at once and to disappear in the same way; they have not as yet injured the trees, but we think their presence another season will be more disastrous, as we anticipate them in larger numbers. I know of no prevention. NoKTH "NVoBVEX, Sept. 27, 1853. Luther Adams' Statement. I send you a statement concerning my apple and peach orchard that you had the goodness to examine. My land is a sandy soil wdth a coarse, gravelly subsoil, full of stones, and sloping to the west ; it was pasture land planted one year with potatoes, and one year with corn, and well manured. The trees were set in the spring of 1847, two years from the bud, and raised in my own nursery. The holes were dug two feet deep, and broad enough to receive the roots without bending them ; the soil laid one side and the subsoil the other ; soil thrown into the bottom and the trees set in the soil, making no use of the subsoil, with care not to have the trees stand too low. It contains ninety-seven apple trees and one hundred and six peach trees; the apple trees stand thirty feet each way, the peach in the centre of the square ; the peach covering more ground than the apple trees. I have kept the land cultivated, spreading on about twelve cart-loads of green manure from the barn cellar every spring. I cultivate corn, beans, potatoes, squashes, and ruta-bagas. I trim my appl6 trees every spring, believing that it does not make much difference when you trim after the tree has done growing in the fall until it starts in the next spring. I do not like to wound a tree when it is growing, for I think I have seen its bad effects. I washed my trees in 1851 and in 1853, with potash water, one pound to a pailfid of water. TowNSEND, Sept. 12, 1853. 11* 82 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. John D. Moore s Statement. The orcliard I offer for premium contains two hundred apple trees, seventy-two trees set in 1850, and one hundred and twen- ty-eight in 1851. The trees were all raised by myself, and were one and two years from the bud when set, and nearly all Baldwins. The land was an old pasture, soil high, dry, and gravelly loam, broken up at the time the trees were set, and has been constantly cultivated with some hoed crop. Manure mostly spread and ploughed in, and none ever applied directly to the trees since setting. The trees were set in holes two feet deep, two rods apart, and manured with two shovelfuls of weak compost, composed of manure, bone dust, ashes and peat. I have never seen any insects except caterpillars, and those we destroyed. Usually wash my trees with a weak solution of oil soap, but these trees were never washed. Trim in June, but small limbs at any time when convenient ; begin always to get a well-balanced head and a stocky tree with- out ever tying to stakes. Concord, September 1, 1853. Benjamin Wellington's Statement. The orchard to which I wish to call your attention, consists of one hundred and forty apple trees, one hundred and ten of which were set in the spring of 1846, the remainder in 1849. The soil in which they are set, is a deep yellow loam, situated upon the eastern slope of a hill. They are set out in rows, thirty-five feet apart each way, with peach trees between the rows in one direction. The holes were dug about three feet across, and eighteen inches iu depth, then filled nearly level witli the surface soil, particular care being taken at the time of setting, that the roots should not be covered more than their original depth, and I have several times since spread from the trees the extra soil which had accumulated about them by the plough. The land had been ploughed and planted with alternate crops of corn, potatoes, &c., with the exception of ORCHARDS. 83 about one-fourth, from which I took a crop of oats, and one of clover, thinking then, as many do now, that if a space was kept dug around the trees, that was sufficient ] but I learned, by a very perceptible difference in the growth of the trees, that I was mistaken, and I am now satisfied that no orchard can be successfully grown without a thorough cultivation of the lohole ground overspread. I have washed my trees every spring with a weak solution of potash, and have not been troubled at all with borers or other worms. Ehenezer Richardson's Statement. The orchard which I offer for your inspection, is on a lot of six acres ; the soil is slate gravel. When I bought the farm, this lot was sown with rye, and the crop was not enough to pay the expense. I sowed it once afterwards, with the same result. I then turned it to pasture for fourteen years, during which time, I do not think it produced more than half enough to keep one cow. I came to the conclusion that it was good for nothing but pines, which began to grow thriftily, but not liking to have their shade on land north of them, I tliought I would try an expcrim.ent with an orchard on it. I ploughed one-half of it deep, and sowed buckwheat ; the crop was thirteen bush- els. I then ploughed the whole lot as deep as I could, and sowed it with buckwheat, and to my astonishment, had the largest growth of straw that I ever saw ; the seed was not equal to the straw, but a good crop. I then ploughed it as deep as I could conveniently. I had a lot of apple trees in the woods and pastures which came up from the seed scattered by the cattle, and the next spring, which was 1848, 1 took up these scrub trees and set them thirty feet apart each way, with a peach tree between one way. Not finding quite enough, of the right size, of the scrubs, I examined a large tree with a lot of thrifty sprouts about it, and found they came from large roots, from four to six inches under the surface, and full of fibrous roots. I broke off sixty of them, cut the ends smooth and filled out the lot with them ; they all lived and grew finely. In taking up and setting out, I spent the time of three men two days in 1849. I cut them off and grafted them about three inches under the surface ; all 84 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. l)ut about fifty of tliera wliicli were not large enough. Put two scions in a stub. In 1850, 1 cut out one where there were two^ and found roots on the scions fifteen inches long. "We set out two or tliree of them that were cut off and they lived and grew finely. I have ploughed the lot deep, every year but one, since the trees were set out. Three years I manured with compost manure, three shovelfuls to a tree, the other two years, two quarts of ashes to a tree ; never have washed them with any thing. Pepperell, 1853. H. H. Bigcioiv^s Statement. I send you a statement concerning my apple orchard, which contains one hundred and ninety-two trees, standing on four and one-quarter acres of land. The soil is a deep, dark loam, and was considerably rocky before the trees were set out. The land was dug up, and ploughed, the rocks removed, and the holes dug for the trees, in the fall of 1850, and the trees were set out the April following. The holes were dug about twenty inches deep, and from five to seven feet wide, and two rods apart; the best part of the soil being laid by itself, to put around the roots, after mixing with it about two bushels of compost manure to each tree. Care was taken that the trees were set at the same depth they were before being trans- planted, and that the roots were spread and arranged in their natural positions. The land was, the same year, and the fol- lowing, planted with -corn, and hay was put around the trees to keep the ground moist ; but I removed it in the fall, for fear of the mice, and put, instead, compost manure, to support the trees and keep the soil warm during winter, — spreading it upon the land in the spring. I have washed the trees with potash-water once — one pound of potash to a pailful of water. I think too frequent washing not good for the trees. I liave trimmed the trees, thus far, in the months of May and June. I never was troubled much by borers, caterpillars, etc. The trees are mostly Baldwins, and were two years from the bud when set out. Marlboko', September 12, ISoS. ORCHARDS. 85 James O. Freeman's Statement. As I offer the same orchard for premium, this year that I did last year, and as there is no change in the committee, I have not deemed it important to give you many particulars, rather referring you to the 55th page of the last year's commit- tees' reports. I will merely say, that the orchard contains three hundred and six apple trees; sixty-four set in the spring of 1844; fifty in the spring of 1845; fifty-seven in the spring of 1847; sixty in the spring of 1848; seventy-five in the spring of 1852. The soil in which my orchard is located, is a sandy loam, with more or less stone, about two feet or more below the surface. This year, and last year, have manured my crops of corn and potatoes in the hill only (in the orchard). Have before used about thirty or thirty-five cartloads to the acre, ploughing it in about four or five inches deep. Have not been troubled with borers or other worms, but very little. Usually wash my trees with potash-water in June. Generally trim in May or June. Fkamingham, September 28, 1853. Asa Clemen fs Statetnent. I send you a statement concerning the orchards you saw at my place. The land on which the pear trees are now growing, four acres, was, five years ago, an old bushy pasture, and covered, to some extent, with rocks, large and"small, which were cleared off, and put into double walls around the piece. There are on it eighty rods of blind ditch, from three to four feet deep, a small culvert through the whole, and filled with stones to within about one foot of the surface. Many large stones were dug under and sunk, so that a plough will run over them without interrup- tion. Some of the soil is wet and heavy, and other portions are dry and warm, comparatively, and contain some sand, while the wet portions contain a large amount of gravel, and a very small share of clay ; the whole being so hard, that, after dig- ging from eighteen to twenty-four inches deep, I was obliged to 86 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. use a pick. The laud was, half of it, manured with wool-waste, at the rate of five cords to the acre, and planted with corn and potatoes, in 1850. After liarvesting, the stones were cleared off, another light dressing of manure applied, the ground ploughed, smoothed down, and laid out for the standard trees, and at the same time planted with nursery stock, and one hundred and eighty pear trees were planted in the autumn of 1850. The following year, the remaining half was treated in the same manner. I dug the holes for the trees about two feet deep, and from three to four feet in breadth, and used from one and a half to two and a half bushels of compost manure, for each tree, which had been prepared in the following manner: four cartfuls (thirty bushels each) of virgin soil from the woods, four of meadow mud, three of stable manure, one of wool-waste, two of clay, thirty bushels leached ashes, four bushels air-slacked lime, two of plaster, one ton iron, turned from castings, mainly, and very fine. All this was mixed together, and made a somewhat highly-seasoned minced pie. My share of practical knowledge of pears being within nar- row limits, I was obliged to resort to the books for instruction, and planted the different sorts in wet or drier portions of soil, as they were reputed to be adapted, — Bartletts in dry, and Van Mons Leon le Clerc in wet, etc. The varieties, beginning on the south-west corner, are as follows, viz. : three Madeleine, four Bloodgood, five Julienne, six Dearborn's Seedling, four Golden Beurr6 of Bilboa, four Muscadine, seven Flemish Beaut}", seven Belle Lucrative, four Erbaniste, five Lewis, six Oswego Beurre, eight Winter Nelis, nine Beurre d' Aremburg, ten Vicar of AVinkfield, three Pound, or Winter Bell, eight Duchess d' Angouleme, ten Van Buren (of Edwards), nine Knight's Monarch, eight Lawrence, two Catillac, two Easter Bergamot, two Passe Colmar, three Glout Morceau, two Easter Beurre, forty Bartletts. South-easterly section, nine Beurre Diel, five Beurre Bosc, six Andrews, seven Heatlicot, eight Seckel, nine Buffum, ten Fulton, eleven Dix, eleven Onondaga, eleven Louise Bonne de Jersey, three Bonne Chretien Fondante, three Van Mons Leon le Clerc, three Napoleon, and one or two each of forty other varieties, for ORCHARDS. 87 testing. The reason why I have planted so many varieties, is, the cultivation of pears here, is looked upon as a visionary scheme, and by many, talked about discouragingly ; and should some fail to do well, I hope to find others that can be worked upon, and prove satisfactory. The growth of the trees thus far, has been all I desire, with very few exceptions, which will occur among three hundred trees of any sort. Many of the above have fruited this season, and a greater number have set with fruit-buds for the next. The apple orchard contains one hundred and seventy-five trees wliich are planted two rods apart, and zig-zag, so as to cover the ground more equally. The varieties are the follow- ing, viz. : ninety Baldwins, fourteen Ladies Sweet, twelve Hub- bardston Nonesuch, eight R. I. Greening, eight Jewctt's Fine Red, four Danvers Winter Sweet, four Early Sweet Bough, three Early Harvest, three Porter, two Russet Sweet, two Northern Spy, two Aunt Hannah, and one each of the following for the purpose of testing : Superb Sweet, Victorious Reinette, Canada Reinette, Cogswell, Dodge's Sweet, Lyscom, Minister, Swaar, Red Astrachan, Golden Ball, Yellow Bell Flower, Green New- town Pippin, Fall Pippin, Maiden's Blush, and others, together with three or four seedlings with peculiar habits of growth, which I intend shall bear fruit before they are worked. About one-quarter of the number were set out six, and one-quarter five, and one-quarter four, and one-quarter three years ago, and the ground covered with nursery stock at the same time. The trees grew rapidly, and for the last three years I have been obliged to move much of the nursery stock, to prevent interfer- ence with the standards, which I find grow better the less they are obstructed by a proximity of other trees. The soil in this orchard is similar to that I before described, except that it nearly all lies higher, and that portion on which the peach trees are planted with the apple, is much more dry than the other, prepared in pretty much the same manner, except that the stones were not so thoroughly cleared off, and compost made of stable manure and meadow mud in equal parts was used instead of wool-waste. Dug holes as for pears, and used two bushels of the last named compost to each tree. The peach trees, two hundred in number, were planted with 88 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. the apple, on tlie highest part of the last named orchard, and at tho same time, one rod asunder and oiie rod from standard apple trees, wliich gives three of the former to one of the latter. About half as much compost used in planting as with the apple. Varieties : Coolidge Favorite, Grosse Mignonne, Early Craw- ford, Late Crawford, Southwick Seedling, Cutter's Rareripe, Chelmsford Mammoth, and Boot Peach; the four last local names, hut good, nevertheless ; and Osgood's Late Yellow, which last matures about the same time as Late Crawford. The growth and fruitfulness of these trees has been satisfactory. As you had an ocular demonstration of their bearing quali- ties, and an opportunity to test the quality in the surest manner known by me, I will leave the subject and bide your judgment. DiiACUT, Sept. 15, 1853.. HAMPSHIRE, FRANKLIN AND HAMPDEN. Report of the Committee. Your committee report that there were but two apple orchards offered for premium; one by Mr. Josiah Ayers, of Amherst, the other by Mr. Leonard Loomis, of Whately. Mr. Ayers' orchard contains one hundred and fifty uncommonly thrifty trees, ten years old, all raised from the seed, and budded with the best varieties of fruit, with his own hands. He is entitled to much credit for his good management. His orchard shows conclusively, what can be accomplished by a judicious course of treatment. The orchard of Mr. Loomis contains over one hundred trees, all very thrifty in growth, but not as straight and well-balanced tops as those of Mr. Ayers. The committee are of the opinion that Mr. Loomis failed in two important points in starting his orchard ; first, in not getting the best trees to set, and second, not selecting — in all his trees — the best varieties of fruit. Paoli Lathrop, Chairman. November, SO, 1853. ORCHARDS. 89 Statement of Josiah Ayres. I have in my orchard one hundred and fifty trees, budded on seedlinj^ stock. They are ten years old from the seed, and most of them have produced fruit. I have several varieties ; the principal are the Baldwin and Rock Greening ; the others are the Green Newtown Pippin, Seek-no-further, Roxbury Rus- set, Boston Russet, Hubbardston Nonesuch, Belmont, Talman Sweeting, Golden Sweet, Ribston Pippin, Famouse, Crimson Pippin, and some choice seedling varieties. Mode of cultivation from the seed to the present time : — One year from the seed, they were taken up, the tap root cut off, and set in rows. When large enough, they were budded. They have been transplanted four years. They were set two rods distant from each other, in holes from four to six feet in diameter, from one to two feet deep — the same depth as in the nursery — with compost mixed with the subsoil. They have had compost put around them in the fall, and in the spring the earth has been dug around. One year the turf, one foot in width, and about six feet from the tree, was removed and com- post worked in, with 'good results. The trees have been, washed with weak lye, in the month of May. I have not seen a borer on my trees. I have avoided trimming, as much as possible, and keep the trees in proper shape. The land on which the trees stand is sandy loam, and hard, stony and moist subsoil. Amherst, October, 1853. Statement of Leonard Loomis. Below I send you a statement of the time and manner of setting my orchard, which I offer for a premium. The orchard contains over one hundred trees, a part of which were set in 1844, others in 1847, and the remainder in 1849. The holes were six feet in diameter and about two feet deep, and filled with compost of swamp muck and barnyard manure. The trees were carefully set in the spring of the year, which I consider preferable to the fall setting. I have not lost a tree. Whately, November, 1853. 12* 90 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. HAMPSUIRE. Report of the Committee. The culture of fruit trees has always received the attention of the inhabitants of Massachusetts, as a matter of high im- portance in its relations to beauty and utility. While the soil was new, it contained all the elements necessary for their growth; so that a crop of apple trees was raised with as much certainty as a crop of wheat. But afterwards, when some of the elements were exhausted from the soil, the orchards planted failed in vigor of growth and in perfection of fruit. The trees were smaller and shorter-lived, and the fruit was inferior in size and number. Their enemies too, of the insect tribe, — if not from increase of number, at least from diminished power of resistance in their victims, — were more successful in their attacks. As cider became less in demand for the table and for the distillery, and the orchards became thinner and less pro- ductive from the axe or from natural decay, — while the popu- lation of the State increased, — the supply of fruit became less, while the demand for the table or for culinary purposes became greater. Wliat then shall be done to supply the increased and increas- ing demand ? The answer is : Increase tlie number of growing trees ; improve the modes of cultivation. As nature, in the diminished fertility of the soil does less, art, reinforcing nature, must do more. By studying the laws of vegetable life, by the application of appropriate manures, in short, by proper cultiva- tion, fertility can be communicated to the soil, vigor to the growth of the tree, and improved flavor and increased size to the fruit. It is the ol)ject of the committee, in making their report, to throw together a few brief remarks for the benefit solely of the young and inexperienced cultivator, in the shape of rules, with- out accompanying them with a statement of the principles on which the rules are founded. Those who seek for the foundations of these rules in the conclusions of science, can find them elsewhere. 1. Plant a Nursery. Let your nursery consist chiefly of ORCHARDS. 91 apple trees. But let it also contain pear trees, cherry trees, peach trees, plum trees, and grape vines. Let them all be seedlings, obtained from good seed; unless the quince and the grape form exceptions. Let the nursery be planted in a deep, rich soil, and be kept in a rapidly growing condition by the free use ot manure and the hoe. Let trees which you remove to the orchard or the garden, be replaced by other trees, in order to meet your future wants. Let the trees in the nursery be so far distant from each other as to leave full space for the roots and for the sun, and for the removal of the trees without injury to other trees. It may be best to purchase, some trees at first, which may come into bearing sooner than those from your own nursery. But, for the most part, in the course of your life, depend upon your own nursery. First, be- cause it is more economical ; secondly, because it will make you acquainted with the laws of vegetable life and with the habitudes of trees, and thus better able to take care of them in their advanced stages ; thirdly, it will serve to interest you in trees, by keeping them before you from their infancy up to maturity ; fourthly, it may be a source of revenue. 2. Select the ground for your orchard or fruit garden, care- fully. It is not every soil or every exposure, that is adapted to your purpose, though judicious cultivation may do much in removing the disability of a poor soil and unfavorable exposure. TThat is the best soil and the best exposure your observation of the experiments of others in the vicinity, whether successful or not, can teach you. As a general rule, a deep loam is better than a stiff clay, or a loose sand. Which is the best exposure — a north or south, an east or west — will, in different localities, depend on the season, on the proximity of the sea or a marsh, of a mountain or a forest. As a general rule, when you have your choice, you had better try both sides of a hill, and one or the other will prove preferable. It has been found, on trial, that peach trees bear best, sometimes on the sunny side and sometimes on the shady side of a building, according to the season ; it is safe, therefore, to try both sides, and then you have a double chance for success. The fruit buds, swollen by the sun and then checked by the frost, on the south side, may be safe on the north side ; or the fruits destroyed by severe 92 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. cold on the north side, may be safe on the south side. For your encouragement, however, it should be remembered that the best exposure and the best soil are not essential to suc- cess, provided you bestow the appropriate culture. 3. Prepare your ground carefully. Fruit trees delight in a deep soil, made mellow, in which the roots can move freely in search of pasture. The soil should be prepared as carefully by the plough for a crop of trees, as for a crop of wheat. If it is your purpose to plant an orchard of apple trees, plough your land deep, according to the nature of the soil. Apply manure generously. Raise a crop of corn or potatoes on green sward. The next season manure again, if necessary, and sow the ground with oats. Just after your oats are sowed, plant your trees in the soil thus rendered mellow and enriched by manure, in which the roots can move freely and find nourish- ment. The oats will protect the trees against the great heat of the sun, and the roots dying will afibrd them nourishment. The soil formed of turf is appropriate to the nourishment of the roots of the trees. 4. Plant your trees carefully. In taking them up, see to it, that the spade does its office by digging a circular trench around each tree, near the end of the roots, which radiate from the trunk or stem. Dig under the ends of the roots towards the trunk or body, without wounding them. Raise each successive- ly, commencing at the extremity, and the whole gently without tearing them. Keep the roots moist until they are transferred to their new habitation. Dig the hole so large that the roots will not be cramped. If there is any difference between the surface soil and that at the bottom of the hole, let the two be kept separate. Lay the surface soil next to the roots and the soil taken from the bottom, on the surface. Some cultivators apply a stratum of well-rotted manure between the two kinds of soil ; but not in contact with the roots. Apply water to the roots after the surface soil is placed on them. The time for doing this in our country and climate is generally best in the spring, just after the buds have begun to swell, rather than in the autumn, though some kinds of trees succeed well when planted iu the latter season, if proper care be taken in trans- planting them. ORCHARDS. 93 5. Tend your trees carefully. For the first few years it is advantageous to keep the ground in cultivation, at least occa- sionally. Trim judiciously, not severely, unless the grape is an exception to the rule. The small branches can be taken off at any time of tlie year. The large branches seem more readily to harden and to be kept from decay until grown over, when trimmed in the winter. A strong soap suds or a very weak solution of potash applied to the body of certain trees, like the apple and pear, is recommended for giving them a smooth bark. Keep cattle away, but let in pigs and poultry, when it can con- veniently be done, as it may sometimes. Our limits will not allow us to point out the various modes of defending them from their insect enemies. We will venture to suggest a repetition of a series of experiments, tried by one of our number ten or fifteen years since, which appeared to be eminently efiicacious in destroying insect life. Sulphur intimately mingled with quicklime or with saleratus, appeared to be efficacious in de- stroying the worm in the root of peach trees, and tlie grubs and worms in garden beds. Would not these mixtures, thrown in powder upon trees, be a preservative against insects like the curculio, and the caterpillar, and canker-worm ? The experi- ment is worth trying. If this should not succeed, are there not certain mineral poisons which might be proved by experiment to be efficacious in protecting vegetable life from insects ? As the enemies to fruit increase, let your vigilance increase. The motives for the cultivation of fruit may be found in its relation to beauty, health, comfort, and profit. Fruit trees in leaf, in flower, and in fruit, are eminently beautiful. Some of them are shapely and graceful in their forms. Certain pear trees and cherry trees are almost as regular and symmetrical as the evergreens. Besides being ornamental, they, like other trees, protect the house from the intense heat of summer and the intense cold of winter, by their shade or by breaking the force of the winds. Fruit is wholesome. Bonaparte, on a certain occasion, cured his army of the dysentery by sending them into the vineyards to eat ripe grapes. Moreover, the cultivation of fruit can be made profitable, even when conducted on a great scale. Witness the peach orchards of New Jersey and the apple orchards of New York, Fruit trees make home 94 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. attractive, and long-rcmembercd. Tlicy make it like Eden, of which it is said that out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Imitate your creator, on your own grounds, and some of the happiness of Eden shall be yours. William C. Fowlei^, Chairman. Amherst, Mass. Statement of David Rice. An individual may often own, or come in possession of a farm, on which stands an old orchard, that has ceased from excessive age, neglect, and improper management, to produce fruit, except in sparing quantities, and of the poorest quality — unfit for eating, and hardly worth gathering. There may be no young orchard on the place, or it may not be old enough to produce fruit. The owner desires to be supplied with fruit, while his young orchard is maturing, and must either purchase fruit or recruit the old orchard. The principle of economy is consulted, and he finds that it will be economical to reclaim the old orchard. And if the trees are not too aged, if they have not lost too much of their vitality, and if they formerly bore, good, fair, palatable fruit, the chances for success are altogether in his favor. The trouble and expense of reclaiming an old orchard is small ; and if the owner succeeds, he is repaid more, than ten times over for his labor and expenses. In addition to this, the general appearance (and appearances go a great ways) of his estate is improved and be.autified. About eight years ago, I came into possession of the place on which I now live. On it was standing an old orchard, that had almost ceased to bear, and was, as it then existed, almost worthless. A part of the trees were beyond any hope of cure, "z?i articiilo mortis,'^ as the doctors say, and fit only for firewood. The remainder, I considered to be in an improvable condition. There was also on the premises, a number of young grafted trees, not yet in a bearing condition. Under the then existing state of things, I was obliged to purchase nearly all my fruit, or go without any. The thought occurred that I might do something to improve the productiveness of my ORCHARDS. 95 old trees, both ia qualitj and quantitj, so as to be supplied with fruit, while my young trees were maturing, and getting old enough to bear well. Accordingly, in the fall of 1845, I set myself about the task. I selected twenty-five or thirty of the most promising trees, had them well and faithfully trimmed of all dead, dying, unpromising, and useless limbs ; being particular to leave the most thriving and vigorous ones, that grew from the centre of the tree. "With a hoe, I scraped off the old loose bark and moss from the trunk and limbs, and removed the grassy turf from around the body of the trees, for a distance of two or three feet. I then applied from one-half to a bushel (according to the size of tree) of unleached wood ashes around the trunk, from whence I had removed the turf, being careful not to have the ashes approach within four or five inches of the bark. Over the ashes, I replaced the turf, with the grassy side down. The following spring, I noticed that the trees put forth new shoots in abundance, and large, luxuriant leaves of a dark green color, and were well filled with blossoms. I gathered, the succeeding autumn, from them and from a few young trees, just beginning to bear, nearly two hundred bush- els of apples. Fifty bushels of these were fit for the fruitery or for winter use, and the others were as good as second rate apples commonly are. I have since continued to apply the ashes, and my trees are yet in an excellent bearing condition for an old orchard. My young trees are now beginning to bear a few apples. Last fall I gathered two hundred and fifty bushels in all. Two-thirds of these were from my old trees, and chiefly from those treated as above described. About seventy-five bushels of these were excellent winter apples. I would not recommend ploughing among apple trees, espe- cially old trees, at any time, nor under any circumstances. They need all their roots to sustain life and vigor. The plough always breaks and bruises more or less of the roots, if run ever so shallow. Some endeavor to avoid this, by leaving a space untouched under and around the tree, for a distance of fifteen or twenty feet in diameter. But the evil is not avoided in this way. The smaller roots, which are the most important, are certain to be broken, and the trees will sustain an irrepa- 96 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. rablc injury. The addition of some ferruginous substance to the ashes, if the soil is not well supplied with iron, would do well. A quantity of cinders from the blacksmith's shop, such as fly from tlie hot iron when beaten, (oxide of iron,) has been suggested by Professor Nash. The soil in which my orchard stands, is well supplied with iron, and for that reason I applied none. Tlic application of compost manure, to be spread under the trees, as far as their roots extend, is also necessary on sandy, gravelly soils, that do not contain much organic matter or loam. A compost of equal parts of chip, barn, and hog- yard manures, will make one of the best applications of the kind. I would also recommend the grafting of those trees that send up new and vigorous limbs, and which do not already bear good varieties of fruit. I have grafted several, and they arc in a flourishing condition, although the scions are not yet old enough to produce much. Leverett, September 27, 1853. Statement of J. E. 6f A. C. Marshall. Our peach orchard consists of eighty-five trees, and contains thirty varieties. Nearly all of the trees bore fruit the present Beason. A part of the land is a rich, gravelly soil, and the remainder, loamy. It was ploughed and planted, two years in succession; then sowed with oats, and seeded, previous to 1847, when we commenced setting our trees. We have conthiued to add new varieties. When we set our trees, we put three or four shovelfuls of well rotted compost manure into each hole, and mixed well with the soil. We have not since used manure around tlie trees or upon tlie land ; but we hoe, the first sea- son, and keep the ground clean and free from grass, for a space of two and a half feet in diameter. We have put some lime and ashes mixed together, around the trees once or twice. We have lost no trees by the borers, nor have we been troubled with them at all. Our hens and chickens have had free access, wliich we think may have been a preventive. We have culti- vated five liundrcd nursery trees between the standard trees, on a part of the land. The remainder has been mowed, and two crops of hay taken oflf annually. We estimate the entire ORCHARDS. 97 cost of setting and talcing care of the trees at twenty-five dol- lars. "We have raised fruit enough in past years to pay nearly that amount. The fruit raised the present season was not all measured, but we estimated it at sixty bushels, worth one dol- lar per bushel. Amherst, October 26, 1853, HAMPDEN. Report of the Committee. The cultivation of fruit in this county is a subject of vital importance ; one in which every individual has a direct interest. It is not the farmer who owns his hundreds of broad and rich acres that alone is interested ; every one who owns even a building lot, has an abiding interest in the cultivation of fruit. His own necessities, his convenience, his love of rural scenery, his taste for the embellishment and improvement of his happy home, are all concentrated in the pursuit and accomplishment of this subject. Other equally cogent reasons are ready to sustain our views. But argument upon this point is unnecessa- ry. The fact is demonstrated, and it is a matter of gratulation, that it is fully recognized by many in various sections of our county. The increasing attention bestowed upon the subject for a few years past, affords a cheering prospect for the future.* But the ardent hope that the supply will soon equal the de- mand, is a precarious one, with all its cheering appearances. While the demand is still increasing far beyond the supply, how long will the citizens of this county permit this state of things to exist ? How much longer will you continue to reward the enterprise of those living in other States, to the sacrifice of your enjoyment as well as property. This should not be so any longer. The time has come when every individual should not only think but act, and act with decision and energy. Every inducement is before you to engage in this enterprise. It is a * From the most reliable sources we are informed that not less than five thousand dollars have been paid in Springfield for apples only, this fall ; from one individual we learn that he has paid for cherries this season, $61.50 ; strawben-ies, $135.37 ; peaches. $309.08 ; melons, $30 ; pears, $2.50 per bushel, $100 ; chestnuts, $174 ; walnuts, $142 ; apples, $500. Another house has paid for strawberries, peachetR and pears, $207.75, making a total of $1,710.62, 13* 98 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTUKE. deliglitful employment, full of instruction to the mind, and rich in its rewards for the labor bestowed. The late lamented Downini^ said, and few were ever better qualified to say it than himself, that "Jite fruit is the most perfect union of the useful and beautiful, that the earth knoivs." Every one who loves his home or his country, is in duty bound to supply his own de- mands, and thus add his proportion of the useful and beautiful, both to his home and his country. The directors have been called upon to examine the orchards of five applicants : three of apples and two of pears. An opportunity has been thus offered, for a more extended ob- servation of the attention which the subject has already aroused in the minds of many who have too long deferred their action ; we noticed, with great satisfaction, the recent trans- planting of many orchards, which, from their healthy growth and general appearance of skilful management, gave every indica- tion of a sure remuneration for the labor bestowed. In pass- ing upon those more immediately under our cognizance, we mean no disparagement to any one when we mention more par- ticularly the one of Mrs. Richard Bagg, Jr. Mr. Bagg was the pioneer in the enterprise of supplying the growing markets in this vicinity with garden vegetables ; in this, his uncompro- mising energy and success went hand in hand; having syste- matized this branch of his business, his active mind embraced a wider range, and his products found a ready market in our large cities. The cultivation of fruit seemed to him an appro, priate branch of his business. To think and act, were with him synonymous ; with these views he purchased a tract of land, with no higher recommendation for such purpose, than the minimum price at which it was offered ; it was here Mr. Bagg commenced, in the spring of 1851, his operations, by setting four hundred trees ; the exact position in which they stand to each other from any position of view, is characteristic of the man in all his dealings ; his labors here were short ; scarcely had he arranged these materials for his monument, before he was sum- moned to have his name written — with the dead ; his epitaph upon this monument should be written, useful and beautiful. The remaining orchards deserve the attention of all who are about commencing an orchard, and would avail themselves of ORCHARDS. 99 the judgment and experience of others ; in awarding the pre- miums, the directors have not been governed solely by the rapid growth of wood and branch, but have considered the facilities for promoting the growth and the position of the trees. Daniel Reynolds, Chairman. Mrs. R. Ba^or^s Statement. This orchard is situated on the farm of the late Richard Bagg, Jr., in West Springfield, and consists of four hundred trees. They were set in the month of April, 1851, in rows two rods apart each way ; when set, holes were dug about two feet square and two feet deep, and filled with rich meadow loam, in which the trees were placed. The land has been cultivated with hoed crops, and received a good dressing of manure and ashes every spring. Ocran Dickinson's Statement. The orchard which I ofi"er for the examination of the direct- ors, is in the immediate vicinity of my dwelling-house ; the soil, a rich alluvial loam, admirably adapted to the cultivation of fruit; with this view, I transplanted, in the fall of 1848 and spring of 1849, what I considered a judicious selection from several nurseries, of the most approved varieties of apples and pears, as per catalogue annexed. The mode of cultivation which has thus far been pursued with them, has been, chiefly to promote a healthy action of the sap, and thereby to cause a rapid growth of wood; to produce these results I have usually, in the month of November, given them a full dressing of ma- nure, fine and well prepared, as a top-dressing; and in the spring this is dug in and thoroughly mixed with the soil ; in June they are washed, trunk and limbs, as high as practicable, with a solution of whale oil soap, prepared with one and a half pounds of the soap to a pailful of soft water. This prepara- tion protects the tree from insects, and keeps the bark of the trees in a healthy state. During the summer the ground around them is kept clean from weeds and grass, by the use of the hoe. In pruning, I prefer the spring season, and the knife rather than the saw; amputation of limbs should be prevented by the 100 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. early application of the knife. The following varieties consti- tute the selection above referred to, viz. : — Baldwin, twenty; Northern Spy, six; R. I. Greening, six; Golden Sweet, four ; Roxbury Russet, four ; Winter Pearmain, four ; Pome Royal, three ; Congress, three ; Porter, three ; Hubbardston Nonesuch, three ; Newtown Pippin, three ; Early- Sweet Bough, two ; Early Harvest, two ; Orange Pippin, two ; Fall Pippin, two ; Summer Pcarmain, two ; Maiden Blush, two ; Sour Bough, two ; Yellow Gillyflower, two ; Moore's Sweeting, two ; Late Golden Sweet, four ; "Wine Apple, one ; Pennock'a Winter Red, one; Blue Pcarmain, one. Total, eighty-four. My collection of pear trees, contains the following varieties, viz.: Bartlett, six; Flemish Beauty, five; Duchess D'Angou- leme, four; Virgalieu, three ; Jargonnelle, three ; Seckel, four; Louise Bon de Jersey, four; Beurre Diel, two; Bloodgood, one; Glout Morceau, one ; Yicar of Winkfield, one ; Passe Colmar, one. Total, thirty-five. In the cultivation of the pear, I pursue the same method as with the apple, with this important exception, a mixture of iron filings should be incorporated with the manure used in the pear orchard. I would caution all against the use of long or straw manure around their trees in the fall, or in any manner provid- ing material for the winter quarters of mice. West Spiungfieij>. Sardis GilletCs Statement. The apple orchard which I offer for premium, consists of one hundred and one trees, viz. : fifty Baldwins, twenty-one Rhode Island Greenings, fourteen Roxbury Russets, seven Newtown Pippins, seven Fall Boughs, and the remainder assorted kinds, which were set out in the spring of 1849. The land is on the top of a hill, the highest land on my farm, and consists of a red gravel ; the land was new, and had a crop of rye on it the year previous to the planting of the orcliard ; it has been cultivated witli corn and potatoes every year except the past. I have cleared up my wood-yard every fall, and put the chip manure around the trees, which is all the manure it has had except in ORCHARDS. 101 the spring of 1851, wlicn I planted it with potatoes j I then spread a little fine compost around the trees. SOUTHWICK. D. Chauncey Brewer's Statement. At your request, I have sent you the number of pear treea ■vrhich I wish to enter for premium. It is twenty-six ; one-half are standards, the remainder, dwarfs. They are of tlie follow- ing varieties : Bartlett, Beurrd d'Amalis, Beurre Did, Beurre d'Aremburg, Louise Bon de Jersey, Flemish Beauty, White Doyenne, Frederick of Wurtemburg, Henry IV. and Madeleine^ The soil on which they stand, is a sandy loam ; it has been cultivated for three years, and was in a good slate for trans- planting. Part of them were set in the spring of 1852, the remainder in the fall. The standards are set twenty feet apart; between these are set the dwarfs, which brings them ten feet from each other. Many persons would suppose this too near. But the pear requires less space than other trees. Many individuals set them only eight feet apart ; but I think this too close. I keep my trees well headed in, and give them plenty of mulching; some of them have made three feet growth this season. Success depends, in a great measure, upon judicious pruning, and proper mulching. I have recently picked from one tree, two Flemish Beauty pears, that weighed three-quarters of a pound each ; the same tree has had quite a number taken from it that would weigh nearly the same. Sfbingfield. FRANKLIN. Report of the Committee. There were entered, for premium, sis young apple orchards. The committee visited them in September, 1852, and in Sep- tember, 1853. The season has been an unfavorable one for apple trees. The drought has been severe, and the worms stripped the trees of leaves in June, and materially retarded their growth. Some of the orchards visited have done very well, and have 102 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. amply repaid all the care and labor wliicli have been expended upon them. Tlic committee are rejoiced at the increased interest which has been awakened, within a few years, among our farmers in their orchards. Young and thrifty trees are appearing on every side, and the old native cider apples are giving place to choice eatable and marketable fruit. Tho people of Franklin County are just becoming conscious of what they can do in raising good fruit. We have been and are still behind most other counties of the State, but the increased facilities for reaching market have turned the attention of many in this direction. It is to be hoped that the good work will be carried on, and that many of our hill sides will, ere long, be covered with fruitful orchards. We think that our farmers have no occasion to fear that the market for good winter apples, will be overstocked. The demand is yearly increasing, and we, in Franklin County, are not able, and shall not be for years, to supply the wants of our own neighborhood. Fruit is becoming a more important article of food, and is destined to occupy a far higher place than it now holds, in the supply of the tabic. The time is not far distant when, in every " well regulated family," a bed of strawberries and raspberries will be thought as indispensable as a bed of beets and cabbages now is, and when a dozen barrels of winter apples will be regarded as only a moderate supply for a family. The day for dried apples has passed. We want, and we can have, fair? fresh apples till June, when strawberries come to take their place. There are few departments of agriculture which are better calculated to awaken a generous enthusiasm, and a sincere love and respect for the occupation, than the cultivation of fruit trees. It taxes the best powers of a man's mind ; it brings him into near and pleasant contact with many of the most beautiful operations of nature. A thrifty orchard which a man has set with his own hands, whose growth he has watched for years, which he has defended summer and winter, will be to him a source of exquisite pleasure ; it will bind him more closel}^ to the spot which he calls by the sacred name of home. The moral influences which attend the cultivation of fruit trees, and the free use of fruit as an article of food, we conceive to ORCHARDS. 103 be botli great and good. As a source of pecuniary profit, we are persuaded that the labor of the farmer in this county can- not be turned to better account than by the cultivation of fruit ; only he must be content " to labor and to wait." Something more will be required than to set out his trees ; they need cul- tivation as much as the field of corn. Every month of the year they need something to be done, and which cannot be neo;lected. Labor and care arc the conditions of success here as well as every where else. We do not propose to write an essay upon the raising of fruit trees, but a few thoughts have been suggested by our visits to the orchards of the county, which we beg leave to offer. We think more pains should have been taken than has usually been the case, in the selection of the young trees from the nursery. A tree can be forced into proper shape after it is transplanted into the orchard ; but it is far better that it fihould grow into proper shape in the nursery. It is the busi- ness of the tree raiser to furnish you with a straight, healthy, well-balanced, well-rooted tree, a model, on a small scale, of what you want in a full grown tree. If he has not done this, he has not done his work well. Why should you patronize him more than any other bungler, and oblige yourself to do his work over for him ? There are trees to be had whose branches are neither too many nor too few ; they are the right height from the ground, and are regularly distributed about the trunk. Such trees are the most profitable to set out. Too much pains cannot be taken to have a straight trunk and a well-balanced top. The former can be obtained either by tying it to a stake driven into the ground, or by a stake lashed to the body of the tree. The latter can be secured by judicious pruning, or, in some cases, by cutting off the ends of the growing shoots on the heaviest side, and thus throwing the growth on to the weaker side. A tree which divides into two branches near the ground, can be made a useful tree only by cutting off one branch, even if it takes half of the tree ; the other half is better than the whole would be. If the tree is not well shaped, the fault is in the orchardistj he has no one to blame but his own want of care or skill. We have noticed, with regret, that some of the gentlemen 104 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. who have presented their orchards for inspection, have allowed their grouad to remain in grass. If young orchards are of trifiiiig or secondary consideration, this will do j but if one would have a good orchard, one worthy to be commended, it is indispensable that the ground be kept loose by cultivation. A crop of corn or potatoes may be taken advantageously from the orchard if care is taken in ploughing not to break tlie roots of the trees, and in hoeing to keep the ground round the trees clear of weeds and grass. Mulching young trees is not sufficiently attended to. It is the only way i:i which young trees, or trees recently trans- planted, can be preserved from a drought. "Watering the sur- face docs not do it. If the trees are well mulched they do not need watering. We would urge all who can, to set out and cultivate fruit trees. Have an orchard, if circumstances will admit; if not, use up the odd corners of the garden, or the side hill, which is now suffered to run to waste. Do it for the sake of adorning your home and making it attractive and beautiful. Do it as a source of profit, and as a means of providing for your family wholesome and agreeable food. Mr. Stebbins' orchard is not very large. He has no more trees than he can well take care of. His trees have grown well this year. "We commend to the society the means which he has taken to free his trees of the worms, whose ravages have been so destructive to the fruit this year. We have heard of others who have used the same means with success. His orchard is well sheltered from the wind, and is upon land, which, owing to its position, would not be worth a fourth part as much as the land upon which all the other orchards to which a premium has been awarded, is worth, Mr. Loomis' orchard gave the committee much satisfaction. He has a fine lot of trees. One row, in particular, which was get by the side of a tight board fence, and where a row of maple trees once stood, have grown with unusual rapidity. Query. Was it the decaying leaves of the maple which fur- nished the right nutriment to those trees ? Mr. Clapp had taken great pains with his trees. The bark ORCHARDS. 105 was clean and healthy, the trunks -were straight, the tops well proportioned. Had his ground been ploughed and cultivated, we should have probably awarded him the first premium. John F. Moors, Chairman. HOUSATONIC. From the Report of the Committee. Of the capability of Berkshire to produce fruits of almost every kind, and in great perfection, we have for years been satisfied. We often hear the remark, " we cannot raise peaches in this climate, it is too cold ; " and yet we have seen, during the present autumn, full evidence of the folly of tliis idea, in almost every town in the county. From Adams to Sheffield, the trees are loaded with the choicest varieties. The late, hard kinds, which nothing but a snow-storm could soften, and which, we were once assured by an owner, were raised ex- pressly for the wool, seem to have disappeared, and it is found that the Melocoton, Crawford's Early and Late, Morris Whites, Stockton's Seedling, and other choice varieties, can be raised in the greatest perfection. The pear is also fast becoming a standard fruit. The doc- trine, that the tree must be left to a slow and stinted growth, to insure its life, is exploded. The superb pears, so large and fine as almost to deny their parentage and name, are produced by high culture, deep digging, and heavy manuring. This, we were assured by more than one very successful culturist at the heart of our Commonwealth, only the last week, was the secret of success ; and by it, some foreign varieties which are in high repute at home, but had been called almost worthless in this country, have recently been brought out in all their ancient glory. 14* 106 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. NORFOLK. Report of the Committee. Accorclino- to the old Hebrew story, man was placed in a garden to till and to keep it, and man will never be contented and happy till he gets back into a garden again. The tales of the gardens of Alciuous and the Hesperides, prove to us that, even in ancient times, men connected the golden age with golden apples, and put Paradise always in gardens. And, with the coming of the future Paradise, and the bright millennium of human hopes and aspirations, there is always associated the thought of the whole earth as one great garden of beauty and "delight," (the translation of the word "Eden,") abounding everywhere with luscious fruitage, and wreathed with sweetest flowers. This hope is the ultimatum of all outward culture — the crowning point of all outward earthly bliss. Even the ancient prophet places his joyfully-anticipated millennium in a garden, when he predicts that " the wilderness and solitary plain shall be glad, (or fruitful,) and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." In the progress of that civilization which is to beautify, perfect, and bless the earth, first comes the wilderness, with hunting and fishing, and an immethodical, careless, half-savage cultivation of the soil ; next, the farm, with its careful system and abundant products ; and lastly, and finally, the garden, with its various and delicious fruits, — fit food for the immor- tals. And, if the civilization of our own land and the world at large is to be judged by its gardens, or even by its syste- matic and well-tilled farms, we can hardly yet be regarded as having emerged from the original wilderness. Every friend of culture cannot but earnestly feel that the end and aim of all outward civilization, is to bring back to man the ancient Paradise ; and a desire to feed again on the fruits that nourished his joyful days of primeval happiness, gives him no peace, till, lo ! again the vines and the orchards gladden the hill-sides, and the trees, bending down with their golden perfumed bounty, win him back to the bliss of Eden, that seemed once to have forsaken the world forever ! ORCHARDS. 107 The table of refined civilization is not a table of the huntino-- ground, the -wilderness, or even of the farm only — but of the garden. Think, for a moment, of the ancient Adam — the primitive man of Chaldee story — his hands dripping with gore, slaying and dressing a fattened ox, or an overgrown swine, while the lovely Eve, with smirched and greasy fingers, is peppering the roasting spare-rib on the Paradisial hearth. How much more delicate, refined, and beautiful! — how much more inviting and seductive! — a table covered with melting and delicious strawberries, with gushing raspberries, sending forth their delicate aroma, and fair bunches of the ruby cherry ; or crowned with delicious, downy peaches, luscious, golden pears, or glowing apples, with their shining, waxen surface, and transparent clusters of rich, luxurious grapes, with their "pur- ple light," not to speak of the various spring melons, and countless lesser fruits 1 I am aware that, in a report of a society, distinguished by having Marshall P. Wilder for its president, and including among its members, men like B. V. French, Samuel Walker, E. M. Richards, Samuel Downer, Jr., etc., all hardly less ac- complished and famous in the annals of American fruit culture^ it may seem superfluous, as well as presumptive, to urge any reasons for the more extensive cultivation of fruit in our county. And yet, no true friend of culture and his race can ever rest content, while the blessings that result from such culture are restricted to the refined or wealthy few among us ; or be willing to cease his efi"orts in the divine and glorious cause, till, from a costly luxury, fruit comes to be a cheap and universal comfort — one of the very necessities of life. Aye! he would labor by word and by deed, — by the dissemination of sound information, and through the influence of example, till the poor man's table shall be loaded with these luscious productions, and the child of the humblest citizen shall bs blessed by their abundance. The arguments in favor of universal fruit culture are so various, as well as so powerful, that we can allude to only a few of them here. And we fear, that, with all efforts, ----so rapid is the increase of the non-producing consumer over the producer, — that it will be long, very long, ere the market price 108 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. of fruits will be such as not most fully to remunerate tlie wise cultivator. And first. People of all ages and conditions of life enjoy the delightful refreshment that the juices of fruits bestow, even those who, not being cultivators themselves, vainly pretend to care little for such things. Such men will eat their neighbors' fruits fast enough, and, when they enter your house or grounds, do not heed their professions or their pretence of a distaste for fruits. Do not imagine that you will save your reputation, and pears and apples too, by offering to them such dainties. Second. The fondness for the various unwholesome imita- tions of fruits, such as cakes, custards, pastries, and confection- ery, not only indicates a love for the real article, but the dis- placement of these vile and noxious compounds would doubtless have a most beneficial effect upon the health of our people ; for there is no diet so salutary, so refreshing, and delightful, both to the young and the old, as ripe fresh fruits. Indeed, there are not a few diseases, for which fruits are the best remedy. Those wdiose breakfast, or first food in the morning, is of fresh fruits, seldom or never suffer from dyspepsia, constipation, in- flammation, or bilious complaints of any kind. The acid of fruits is a panacea for scurvy and eruptive disorders. Ripe peaches are found to be a specific in summer complaints ; and the juices of all fruits tend to drive humors to the surface, and to purify the blood ; and whole families, with scrofulous tendencies, have been saved and restored to blooming and elastic health, by returning back to the simple fruit diet of nature. In these respects, fruit is the antipodes of the mineral potash poison that, in the form of saleratus and soda, is destroying the teeth, stomach, and tissues of those of our countrymen who use such an uncivilized diet. The principal element of the bile is a sodaic alkali, and the natural acids of fruits stimulate the secretions of the gastric juice, and, by uniting with the alkaline secretions of the liver, purge the stomach and bowels of any excess of bile, cleanse and purify the whole system, and render all its secretions and motions natural and healthful. Carry the puny children of our towns and cities, who have been brought up on a miserable regimen, principally of meats, cakes, and teas, into the free, open country, to feed on berries and fruits, ORCHARDS. 109 and they soon pick up and grow plump, rosy, and hearty. ! how the meagre, wizened, pale-faced little ones of the street leap with joy at the sight of the glowing peaches and shining apples, bottling up, in their beautiful perfumed skins, more po- tent medicines than any apothecary's shop can boast, as curative as they are grateful. Third. Doubtless dram-drinking and intemperance itself would be infinitely lessened, if not utterly banished from our soil, by an abundance of fruits ; for the love of wines, cordials, ardent spirits, and liquors, is but a corruption of the true and natural taste for the juices of fruits ; and it has been often noticed, that those addicted to the excessive use of such drinks are extremely fond of fruits by nature ; and only give such an abundance of fresh wholesome fruit, and they will soon banish their wines and liquors, and various poisonous spirituous mix- tures. Fourth. Again, the philosophy of specifics, which is but just in its infancy, even in its application to the vegetable world, will, ere long, be seen to be equally applicable to the animal organiza- tion ; and it will be found that, while potatoes, cabbage, &g., tend to muscular development, as instanced in the Irish and in the Dutch, the hull of corn and grain contributes to the bones, and their flour to the substance of the brain — fruits feed the nervous tissues and the spiritual body, and produce a mental elevation and harmony, and an exhilaration of spirits, that give a perpetual serenity, peace, and joy. Such are some among the many reasons, besides the continu- ally increasing pecuniary compensation to the intelligent culti- vator, why we would urge the universal culture of the various garden fruits in their succession, till our fruit rooms shall be as. common as cellar or pantry ; our drawers of grapes and pears for winter use, shall be more universal even than our good stores of apples now; and the time come when the poorest and humblest man, from his little plat of ground, may nourish and delight his little ones, the year round, with the luxury of suC' cessive fruits, grown to be a necessary comfort. And to this end it might be well for agricultural and horti- cultural associations, not only to distribute in their counties and towns the best seeds, the finest and most profitable scions^ no MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. plants and trees, gtoWn to that end ] lout— ^"wliat is of equal, if not greater importance^-to diseeminate, hj J)tiblicatioiis andi by lectured before lyceitmR ftnd (igHG