TOWN FARMS. 321 



the house; two square rods of this grass weighed, at the time of 

 cutting, when green, sixty-six pounds ; the same grass, when suffi- 

 ciently dry to cart, weighed thirty pounds, equal to two thousand 

 four hundred pounds per acre, which, at one-half cent the pound, 

 amounts to twelve dollars. Two square rods, not manured, weighed, 

 when green, thirty pounds ; when dry the same grass weighed fifteen 

 pounds, equal to twelve hundred pounds of hay per acre, which, at 

 one-half cent the pound, comes to six dollars. Although the guano, 

 in this case, doubled the crop of grass, it failed, at the estimated 

 price of hay, to pay for itself; but, calling hay worth fifteen dollars 

 the ton, the increased product would just pay for three hundred 

 pounds of guano per acre. If the guano shows itself next year, it 

 may yet pay, estimating hay at ten dollars a ton. 



The rye field Avest of the barn was seeded down in September last, 

 with a view of testing the effect of the guano upon the grass the next 

 year. 



In reviewing these experiments, the committee feel that they have 

 been successful, and they cannot but believe it for the interest of the 

 town to pursue them further, and make the coming season a larger 

 outlay for fertilizers than they have heretofore done. The land of the 

 farm is greatly exhausted, and will be more so, unless some resort is 

 had to measures for improvement ; and the undersigned know of no 

 better way to accomplish this desired object than to pursue the plan, 

 or some similar one, which they marked out by their course last 

 year, until the increase of crops, and their consumption on the farm, 

 shall produce manure enough to supply its wants. 



JOHN BROOKS, 

 ALBERT C. HOW, 

 EBEN. SMITH, 

 Overseers of Poor, and Committee for improving Town Farm. 



I take this opportunity to urge again the importance of care- 

 ful experiment upon the town farms in every town in the State. 

 This course would bring the knowledge of the results obtained, 

 home to the farmer's own door, as it were, and be the means of 

 interesting many in the improvement of their lands, who now 

 fail to arrive at satisfactory resiilts for the want of the assist- 

 ance which properly conducted experiments would give. It 

 would commend itself to the good judgment of intelligent 

 farmers, while the expense to the town would be too insignifi- 

 cant to be felt by individual citizens. The importance of care- 



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