116 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Mr. Wakeman, of Westport. There is a great deal of 

 wheat raised in the town of Westport, and more tiian there 

 was twenty-five years ago. We do not break up a piece of 

 ground for the purpose of raising wheat entirely, but we have 

 a great deal of meadow land and we always find that grass 

 will take better after wheat, and always sow it eitlier after 

 corn or potatoes. I think for ten or fifteen years past we 

 have got from twenty to twenty-five bushels to the acre, on an 

 average. Forty bushels have been raised to the acre. My 

 brother had two acres this year on which he raised nearly 

 seventy-five bushels. I should think that within a space of six 

 miles square nearly half the breadstuff's we use in that placf 

 is raised. There is very little rye raised with us. We should 

 not consider it a very profitable crop if we could not get but 

 ten bushels to the acre. We should want to get from twenty 

 to twenty-five. 



Mr. Day. I believe Mr. Wakeman lives in the vicinity of 

 salt water, where there are a great many fish taken. I would 

 enquire if he has ever fertilized with fish pommace, or fish gu- 

 ano or anything of that kind ? 



Mr. Wakeman. I used fish guano to a considerable extent 

 some years ago, but I did not think much of it. I have also 

 used fish, but do not find its effects very lasting. But in that 

 section of country, six miles square, I suppose there are 

 $50,000 paid for manures every year. Two years ago there 

 were 75,000 bushels of ashes bought, and last year 50,000, 

 besides two or three hundred tons of bone dust. One of my 

 neighbors^ who lives within half a mile of me, went around 

 among the farmers, and they engaged over a hundred tons, 

 within a circuit of not more than two miles from my house, 

 besides what other fertilizers they used.* 



* Mr. Wakeman gives the following estimate of amount and value of fertiliz- 

 ers used in 1871 in the vicinity of Westi^ort: 



60,000 bushels of ashes at 25 cents, $15,000 



5,000 tons of bones at $35, 17,500 



120 tons super-phosphate at $50, 6,000 



1,000 tons of salt hay at $10, 10,000 



5,000 loads of sea-weed at $1, 5,000 



$53,500 



