168 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



I chose the latter, to be adopted as soon as I could get my 

 land into shape to warrant it. I have tried it the past season 

 and like it. Here let me say, I think that on our dairy or milk 

 farms, in this section where the greater part of the land can 

 be ploughed, soiling will be practised at no distant time. 



Writers on soiling have recommended green corn to be fed 

 exclusively in its season. I believe this to be a mistake. So far 

 as my experience goes, cattle cannot be well kept for any length 

 of time on corn alone. I would feed, per day, three times green 

 corn, once dry hay, once green oats, clover or cabbage, accord- 

 ing to season. Next spring I shall begin to feed rye as soon as 

 it is a foot high, then pasture while feed is good, then feed oats, 

 corn cob, &c, in the barn. 



I have at present for stock, ten cows, seven heifers and calves, 

 two oxen, a horse, about a dozen swine, &c. I raise my best 

 heifer calves using Ayrshire to cross with Native. I have been 

 using Essex swine to cross with Native ; find them far ahead of 

 anything I ever had before. I raise potatoes, cabbages, winter 

 wheat, rye, oats and corn for fodder, and a supply of garden 

 truck for family use. Wheat in 1870 yielded thirty bushels per 

 acre ; in 1871 got winter-killed ; cut it for hay. 



This farm, like many others, had numerous stone walls run- 

 ning in every direction, without regard to order or shape of 

 fields, of double and treble thickness, and lined with brush and 

 briers. As soiling was my object, I have taken every opportu- 

 nity to remove these and have nearly all the inside ones cleared 

 off. I have cleared nine acres of old pasture, at a cost for plough- 

 ing and getting out and drawing off stone of from $75 to 1100 

 per acre. I have now about thirty acres that I can cultivate. 

 Believe in having land in such shape that it can be thoroughly 

 stirred ; first drained, either naturally or artificially, then thor- 

 oughly cultivated ; then we get a full benefit of our manure. 

 Drainage, manure, thorough cultivation, are the three great 

 things. I have made plans to drain my swamp and commenced, 

 but no results yet ; only a beginning. I shall use tile ; have 

 used stone to drain portions of upland, but it is too expensive, 

 and, withal, unsatisfactory. 



My gross receipts for 1870, were $2,748.34; for 1871, $2,- 

 736.82. Paid for labor, 1870, $703.62 ; for 1861, $920.71. 



Finally, gentlemen, to fix up a run-down farm, with poor 



