106 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



not competing for a premium, who "will be willing to communi- 

 cate in writing an)' information which they may have that will 

 be advantageous to be known. If there should be those who 

 would prefer to have the committee call upon them, and make 

 such mention of their operations in the annual report as may 

 seem proper, the chairman would be very glad to undertake the 

 performance of so agreeable a duty. 



The two farms which the committee have been called upon 

 to visit are owned, the one, by Mr. Ephraim IL Thompson, of 

 Halifax, the other, by Mr. 0. H. Shaw, of Middleborough. 

 The farm of Mr. Thompson is very favorably situated for the 

 experiment which its owner has undertaken ; and there is no 

 reason why he should not have, at the expiration of four years, 

 a farm showing as great a degree of improvement as any other 

 in the county. It has a variety of soils, is conveniently divided 

 into upland and lowland, entirely free from rocks, and is natu- 

 rally well adapted to the mixed husbandry generally practised 

 in our county. It has only those drawbacks which are so 

 common to almost all New England farms ; it is for the most 

 part poor, through long cropping without a sufficient application 

 of manure. When Mr. Thompson has finished his draining 

 operations, he will have an abundance of meadow that will 

 enable him to keep the stock necessary to produce the manure 

 which his land so much needs. There is one consideration 

 which ought to be very encouraging to Mr. Thompson ; all the 

 improvements which his farm requires, will immediately pay. 

 Mr. Thompson's experience and prudence renders success in 

 his business certain. 



The soil of the farm which Mr. Shaw has undertaken to 

 bring into a fertile condition, is not naturally poor, but is 

 reduced to the lowest degree of unproductiveness by the im- 

 providence of man. The most discouraging feature about the 

 farm is the large rocks which cover a large part of the cultivable 

 land. We suggested to Mr. Shaw to dig a hole near each, and 

 drop them below the reach of the plough. We hope he will be 

 able to get rid of them without having it cost more than the 

 land is worth. But Mr. Shaw's courage and zeal seem to be 

 equal to the exigencies of the case, and will, we doubt not, 

 eventually triumph. His experiment in draining bog-meadow 

 we consider very important, not only to himself, but to all his 



