No. 105.) 169 



He seeds with timothy and clover, 4 quarts to the acre. Raises 1 J 

 tons to the acre. Keeps an account of sales. 



RuFus S. Ransom, Perryville, Madison county. Improves 176 acres 

 Soil, vegetable mould mixed with clay, gravel, with a slight pro- 

 portion of sand, subsoil, clay, and shelly slate. Blasts the scattered 

 rocks on his farm, and makes stone wall of them. Has 300 rods 

 underground drains. Plows from 6 to 8 inches deep ; deep plowing 

 is desirable both in wet and dry weather. Uses about 20 loads 

 manure to the acre ; makes about 250 loads annually. Plows in 

 unfermented manure for spring crops, from 15 to 20 loads to the acre ; 

 then uses a topdressing of from 5 to 8 loads, well rotted. Has found 

 lime useful, and plaster valuable ; has used salt with good effect. 

 Found lime, salt, plaster and leached ashes, mixed, a good application 

 for corn. Sows plaster in the fall, with good effect. 



He sows 2 1 bushels barley to the acre j yield 35 bushels. Of oats, 

 45 to 55 bushels per acre. 



He sows spring wheat IJ to 2 J bushels to the acre. Product, 22 

 bushels per acre. 



Plants about 18 bushels potatoes to the acre. Yield, 200 bushels. 



Plows three or four times, for flax. Product, generally, from 15 to 

 22 bushels seed from the acre, and from 250 to 400 lbs. lint. Manure, 

 20 loads to the acre, unfermented. 



^ Yield of hay, 11 tons to the acre. Has practised irrigation, to a 

 small extent, with good effect. 



His cattle, a cross of native and Devon. 



Weight of swine, at 18 or 20 months, from 300 to 450 lbs., feeding 

 mostlv with boiled food. 



He made the following experiment with potatoes : 



On one row, he put on each hill a teaspoonful of plaster ; 



On the next row, on each hill, an equal quantity of lime ; 



On the third, same quantity of salt. 



The first row yielded 281 lbs. ; 



The second do. 300 lbs. ; 



The third do. 282 lbs. 



The fourth row, where nothing had been used, 273 lbs; and the row 

 immediately before number one, 274 lbs. 



According to this calculation, if he had used only lime, it would 

 have increased the product 16 bushels per acre. 



