76 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



two acres a year for several years to come ; by so doing, the 

 outlay will not be felt so much as though it was done all at 

 once. The soil on a portion of my farm is cold and heavy, 

 with a clay subsoil, which retains the water until late in the 

 spring; consequently I find a great increase in its productive- 

 ness by under-draining, which is done yearly as we have oppor- 

 tunity. We drain from twenty to thirty rods per year, and 

 intend to continue as fast as we can without going into extra 

 expense. 



Our mode of cultivation in the field crops is as follows : — We 

 turn over our grass ground, say three or four acres, in the spring, 

 and plant on top the sod with potatoes, using guano and plaster 

 in the drill, from three to four hundred pounds per acre, and 

 generally have had good success ; the quality of the potatoes is 

 much better than that of those planted on stable manure. The 

 second year we spread on from twenty-five to thirty loads of 

 manure, and plant with corn, using a compost manure in the 

 hill. The third year seed down with spring grain ; by so doing 

 I go through with all my tillage land, except the orchard, in 

 about six years. The young orchard I keep ploughed, and get 

 crops enough off to pay the expense. The year previous to set- 

 ting out my trees I manure high, but after that I use very little. 

 Our stock consists of six cows, grade Ayrshire and Devon, one 

 yoke of oxen, two horses, eight or ten head of young cattle, 

 and five hogs. The last named gentlemen I keep more for 

 their services under the barn, than I do for the profit of the 

 pork. I keep them well supplied with loam, and any thing 

 which we can get for an assortment. The cows and oxen are 

 stalled nights during the summer, and make almost as much 

 manure as in winter. Our fruit crop being very small this 

 year, is unfortunate for me; I am fearful when I foot up this 

 year's doings, the balance will come on the wrong side. 



My peaches and grapes have averaged about four hundred 

 dollars per year ; this year they failed entirely. The labor has 

 been done by myself and two sons, one eighteen, the other 

 sixteen years old, and one man seven months, with a small 

 amount of extra labor during the haying season. Below .you 

 have my statement of the products and expenses, as near as I 

 can estimate them : — 



