450 [Senate 



meadows run out, my practice has been to top dress, or plow them 

 up in the fall, plant potatoes in the spring, and in the ensuing spring 

 seed them down with oats or barley, taking care not to plow more 

 than could be well manured. From the large stock that I have kept, 

 I have always made enough manure for the wants of the farm. The 

 amount of produce raised from the farm from January 1st, 1844, to 

 January 1st, 1845, is as follows : — - 



Milk, from an average of 33 cows, 96,360 quarts, sold at 



r4 cts. per qrt. $385,44 



Hay from 90 to 100 tons consumed on the farm. 



Potatoes, 1,900 bushels, 1,530 bushels sold at 3s. ..... 573 .75 



Oats, 400 " "3s 150.00 



Apples, 300 barrels, " 9s.perbrl. 337.50 



Cherries, 9,500 lbs, averaging 3h cts. per lb 332 .50 



$1,779.19 



Having adapted my farm to dairy purposes, my object has been to 

 obtain as much pasture and hay as would maintain the stock, of which 

 I have kept about fifty head for the last three years without any other 

 feed than that raised on the place from the 15th of April to the 15th 

 of November. During the winter months, I have fed the milch cows 

 as follows: Half bushel of cut hay, quarter of a bushel of bran, and 

 four quarts of Indian meal, each, mixed together and made into slops, 

 per day, with as much good hay otherwise as they would eat. Upon 

 this feed, as much milk can be produced from a fresh cow as from the 

 best of pasture in summer. And should the cow have been milked 

 some time, she will generally get fit for the butcher, at the same time 

 giving milk enough to pay for her feed. 



Very respectfully, 

 (Signed) THOMAS BELL. 



RandelVs Island^ JV. F., October^ 1844. 



STATEMENT OF JOHN P. HAFF. 



Bloomingdale, JV. Y., Oct. 20th, 1844. 



At the last Annual Fair of the American Institute, I exhibited four 

 different varieties of potatoes, raised from foreign seed. Three of the 

 Veilotte varieties, the seed of which I obtained from France. The 

 fourth variety is called Black Potatoe, and is from Nova Scotia. My 

 reason for trying foreign seed, was owing in a great measure to other 

 seed having failed or run out, and at the same time to guard against 

 the disease which has prevailed to so great an extent in the country, 

 called the dry rot. I have made the trial, and now report the result. 

 The soil is clay, and in hot and dry weather very apt to bake, unless 

 constantly moved by the plow and hoe. In preparing the ground. J 

 had it well plowed and harrowed. In order to break the lumps, hadu 



