366 [Senate 



report of committee on farms. 



The Committee on farms and growing crops report: — That they 

 have had the pleasure of viewing but four farms by request, and very 

 much regret that there is so little interest felt and manifested by the 

 farmers of the county of Onondaga, as to create no more competi- 

 tion in the honorable and pleasant business of tilling the soil^ a soil 

 not surpassed in goodness by any county in the Empire State. 



The attention of your committee was first called to view a field of 

 corn in the town of De Witt, owned and cultivated by Mason & El- 

 bridge Kinne, containing 13 i acres. The land, before fitted for the 

 corn crop, was 7 acres clover, 5 acres wheat stubble, H acre of corn 

 hills, plowed once and well harrowed, and the whole covered with a 

 light coat of barn-yard manure broad-cast. Corn planted about the 

 first day of May, in rows both ways, 2>h feet apart; cultivated by 

 passing a cultivator between the rows each way, then dressed with 

 the hoe three times; the last time about the 20th of July. No hills 

 were made about the corn; about a table spoonful of equal mixture 

 of plaster and ashes was applied twice with good effect; and your 

 committee are unanimously of the opinion, that the young men have 

 done themselves much credit as practical farmers in cultivating the 

 field of corn above referred to, which was not entered for premium. 

 Your committee would earnestly recommend to all young men to do 

 likewise, and by so doing relieve the country from its present dis- 

 tressing embarrassments. 



_^The first farm your committee had the pleasure of viewing is owned 

 by Silas Cheesebro, in the town of De Witt, about 2 miles from the 

 village of Syracuse, containing 180 acres of first rate land; 150 acres 

 under good and profitable cultivation. Your committee are of opin- 

 ion, that better farms are rarely to be found in this county. Mr. 

 Cheesebro's arrangements, as an intelligent and thriving farmer, are 

 bright examples for the industrious agriculturist to follow. 



Mr. Cheesebro's farm is divided into fields averaging about 14 acres, 

 enclosed by good cedar and chestnut Virginia or worm fence. By 

 means of lanes most of the fields are accommodated with an abun- 

 dance of good water. The growing crops, and crops that were har- 

 vested this year, were very good. Wheat, 25 acres, mostly raised on 

 fallow land, very little injured by rust; 27 acres in fallow, in good 

 condition; 21 acres of meadow, very nice, producing in the opinion 

 of your committee not less than 2 tons of good clover or timothy hay 

 per acre; 10 acres of corn neatly cultivated, by removing all the 

 w^eeds from among the corn without making any hills — and your 

 committee would reccommend to the corn growers of this county to 

 have the earth as nearly level as may be at the last dressing; 13 

 acres of potatoes very neatly cultivated, scarcely a weed appearing 

 on the entire field. Your committee think that the average will not 

 be less that 300 bushels per acre. Mr. C. says that he planted nearly 

 every variety of potato that he could find in the country, and will be 

 able to inform the potato growers of the county of the best varieties; 

 33 acres of clover pasture, giving support to five working horses, one 

 breeding mare and two colts, one pair of fine workuig oxen, six cows, 



