38 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



cedars, wild rose bushes, swamp Avhortleberries, &c., and was so 

 wet as to make it difficult to plough ; soil varying from gravelly 

 loam to black mould, having fur the most part a clay bottom. 

 After cutting off the wood and bushes, I ploughed it Avith four 

 heavy oxen, and by repeated cross-ploughing, harrowijig, and 

 digging out the stumps, I have got it into a condition for root 

 crops of almost any kind. 



The first year I planted it mostly with potatoes, and lost the 

 principal part of the crop by the rot. Before planting, I ran a 

 ditch through it, stoned and covered it. In 185-1 I planted it 

 with potatoes, corn, squashes, pease, beans, cabbages, ruta 

 bagas, and sugar beets, from the most of which I had a good 

 crop. But not then thinking of offering it for a premium, I did 

 not keep any account of them, but I hesitate not to say, that, 

 with the brush cut off the land and made into faggots, with the 

 crops, it considerably more than paid the expenses of the first 

 two years. • 



This season (1855) I ran another blind ditch through it, and 

 planted it with corn, potatoes, beans, pease, squashes, ruta 

 bagas, sugar beets, carrots, cabbages, and flat turnips. The 

 early potatoes yielded well, and were dug and sold in July, at 

 from 9s to 10s 6d per bushel. Corn being planted betvreeu the 

 rows the late ones did not yield well. There was also a failure 

 in the pease, which I think was caused by the use of guano ; 

 they ran very much to vines, and the pease mildewed. 



Expense and Profit : — 



Dr. 



To 358 days' labor of man and horse at 75 cents per 

 day, ..... 

 4 days' hire of ox team, 

 |- day, horse team, 

 In 1855, about 6 cords of manure, . 

 ^ bag of guano, .... 

 8 bushels of ashes, 

 95 apple trees, at 16 cents each, 



$335 45 



