388 State Boahd of Agriculture, &c. 



some cases may be large, jet, if the work is properly per- 

 formed, it is a permanent investment, transforming a wet, 

 cold and almost barren field into a fruitful one, enabling 

 the farmer to sow his. seed and gather his crops in their 

 proper season and under favorable conditions. 



Xow, let me ask which would be better, to drain this 



r 



iield that may be supposed to be twenty-five rods from the 

 barns, at a c^ost of say forty dollars per acre, and thereby, 

 double these figures in its real value, or go a mile away 

 from home and buy more land at the price per acre that it 

 would cost to drain this ? 



There can be l)ut one answer ; yet I fear many would 

 buy more land in preference to improving thus some 

 that they already possess. If there be any such, I 

 would say, study the matter over carefully and see if the 

 practice is not entirely wrong, and in pursuing which loss 

 will very likely be sustained in the end. 



On most of our farms in this part of the State an abundance 

 of stones is found. These are often a great hindrance to 

 all farming operations, and should be removed. This will 

 cost something, but once done and thoroughly done, and 

 the improvement will be so marked and gratifying that 

 the only wonder will be that it was not done before. 



I have lately had a field cleared of stones, mostly large 

 and having to be split and blasted in order to remove them. 

 These stones were of good quality, and were made into a 

 substantial wall by the roadside, that will neither decay nor 

 be blown down by the wind. 



Formerly, it was difiicult to plow the land, some of the 

 best on my farm, or run a movnng machine or horse-rake 



