lOQ [Senate 



I herewith send a statement of the expenses and proceeds of my 

 farm for a few years ; but it must be borne in mind^ that the profits of 

 a farm cannot be uniform, owing to many causes independent of the 

 market and the productiveness of the soil ; including these, it is very 

 fluctuating. 



The frequent failure of the clover seed to germinate, is a great in- 

 convenience, and frequently compels us to sow on ground not in con- 

 dition to produce a bountiful crop. The expense of making and re- 

 pairing fences is not yearly uniform, and on grain farms the amount 

 of stock sent annually to market is very various ; nor can the ex- 

 pense of team and tools be accurately calculated for each year. 



But the greatest irregularity arises from the ups and downs of the 

 market, and the non-market value for coarse grains, and the minor 

 products of the soil. Previous to 1812, we here could not be said 

 to have a market value for our produce ; from 1812 to 1817 inclu- 

 sive, prices for every thing were extravagant ; from 1818 to 1822, 

 the depression was great, there being no market value for any of the 

 farm productions ; from 1822 to 1829, crops were tolerably good, 

 prices middling — farmers were industrious and economical, made mo- 

 ney, became rich and independent ; from 1830 to 1840, crops were 

 heavy, prices extravagant, and farmers got into debt — (the wheat crop 

 of 1836 and 1837 was light, but the price was enormous;) from 

 1840 to 1843, crops of wheat were light, price small, and farm stock, 

 coarse grains, and the minor products of little or no value ; which 

 brought ruin on many who expected that capital and labor, judiciously 

 employed in agriculture, would be profitable. 



But to my own business. My farm consists of 200 acres of clear- 

 ed ground ; but the mill pond overflows 10 acres, which is of little 

 value except for pasture in autumn and dry seasons, and 6 acres are 

 occupied with roads and yards ; which leaves 184 for cultivation. I 

 generally calculate, when circumstances will admit, to have 45 acres 

 in wheat, 15 in barley and oats, 15 in hoed crops, 40 in pasture, 40 

 for hay and clover-seed, and 30 in fallow. The ground intended for 

 the hoed crop is always in clover, if practicable, highly manured with 

 rotted manure, and plowed under in the fall. The barley stubble is 

 twice plowed, receives a light dressing of manure, and is sowed with 

 wheat ; so that about two-fifths of my wheat crop are raised after 

 summer crops, the remainder after fallow (viz : clover pasture ;) the 

 whole of the wheat always seeded with clover and timothy. I annu- 

 ally sow from 10 to 12 tons of plaster, and the two seasons past have 

 put 4 tons, each year, on my manure in the yards. My general av- 

 erage stock has been 300 sheep, 30 hogs, 15 head of cattle and 8 

 horses ; keep three good teams, a span of mares for breeding, and 

 odds-and-ends. 



I stable or yard all my stock in winter, and make all my forage 

 into manure. I keep the stock in the yards in the spring as long as 

 I conveniently can, seldom turning sheep out before the 1st of May, 

 cattle the 10th, and team not until spring work is done. My first 

 pasture is my fallow ; second, clover, which is intended for hay and 

 seed. 



