38 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



ouglily pulifoiized, in order tliat the fibres of tlie 

 roots of the plan'3 mioht easily penetrate^ it in all 

 directions in search uf their appropriate food ; for 

 without an abund;ince of nvitriinent, vegetables can 

 no more grow and thrive than animals. Be care- 

 ful to procure tlie purest and best seed ; for there 

 is no more labor or care required to cultivate plants 

 of the best varieties than to produce those possess- 

 ing interior qualities for human subsistence. Let 

 them be committed to the ground under circum- 

 stances the most favorable to their growth, and 

 then with a little careful attention from time to 

 time, whlcli may rather be termed pleasure and rec- 

 reation than labor, with the blessing of Providence 

 on your labors, you may reasonably hope to reap 

 a rich reward for your careful attention to this 

 interesting and useful branch of domestic econo- 

 my. 



Peas, beans, and all other seeds that are -planted 

 in drills or hills at an early period in the season, 

 should have the earth well raised on the north side 

 of them for protection ; and the reflection of the 

 rays of the sun from the raised earth, warms the 

 soil where they are planted, and causes them to 

 vegetate sooner, and the increased heat ati'orded by. 

 this simple means accelerates their growth. Cu- 

 cumbers, cabbage, and various other plants which 

 it is desirable to forward early, will come up much 

 sooner by the adoption of this plan, tlian if they 

 be planted on a flat surface without the earth be- 

 ing drawn up on the north side of thenr. Some 

 place an upright board on the north side of, and 

 near to, those plants which they wish to bring for- 

 ward at an early period, to gain the reflected heat, 

 and to protect them from the nortli wiuds. 



If some one of tiie young people <jf a fiimily 

 were to register in a book to be kept for that pur- 

 pose, all the doings in the garden, a great benefit 

 raiffht arise from it. Set down the time of plant- 

 ing or sowing each kind of seed and the time of 

 its coming up, and note all the particular circum- 

 stances relative to the cultivation of the difierent 

 plants, and the results, together w.itli notices of the 

 state of the weather, and every other matter tliat 

 might be supposed to inilueuce the state or produc- 

 tiveness of the crop. Such a record, if correctly 

 and pro])erly kept, would in a few years furnish a 

 large collection of important and interesting facts, 

 which might confer great benefit, and it Would al- 

 ways be a never failing source of amusement and 

 instruction to the person who made it, by promot- 

 ing habits of reilection and correct observation. 



Abraham. 



16 bushels Indian wheat, 



at 50 c. 



3U 



40 

 1,85 

 1,00 



r.0 



20 

 17 

 25 



080 " potatoes, 



200 " oats 



15 " beans 

 160 " corn 



16 " pig do. 

 40 " apples 



260 " turnips 



16 " sugar beets 



22 1-2 " Black Sea wheat 2, 00 



62 1-1 " rye 1,06 



62 lbs ■ fleece " wool ■ 42 



4 " pulled, do. 37 1-^ 



2 " turnip seed 1,00 



1134 " pork f) 1-2 



152 " squash 1 1-2 



25 tons meadow liay 6,00 



8 " English, do. 12,50 



1 1-2 " rye straw 4,00 



."■jGO bundles corn stalks 



216 superior mulberry plants Ish 



^363 skeins sewing silk 4 t 



.- - Lumber 



The following produce has been sold, viz : 



8 00 



204 00 



80 00 



18 75 



160 00 



8 00 



bOO 

 43 33 



4 00 

 45 00 

 87 45 

 25 84 



1 50 



2 (III 

 107 63 



2 28 



150 00 



75 00 



6 00 



1 on 



36 00 

 14 52 



8 00 



$1,105 30 



4th. Rye, (8 acres) Clearing new land, 

 sowing, harrowing, digging in with 

 hoe, harvesting, and thrashing, 78 13 



7 3-4 bushels seed, at 1,51), 1 1 53 



Produce, 82 bushels rye at ] ,06, 86 02 

 1 1-2 tons straw, at 4,00 6 00 



$89 76 



Three years ago the editor of the Monthly Visi- 

 tor, desirous to contribute his mite to^vurds the cul- 

 tivation of silk, joined himself to a company which 

 had already purchased the farm of the late Ballard 

 Hazeltlne, Esq. about three miles westerly From 

 this village, near a beautiful sheet oi water called 

 Turkey pond. The farm from hard usage had been 

 almost entirely run down. iNIr. Andrew Cape.n 

 a trader from Boston, took a deep interest person- 

 ally in reclaiming the land, repairing the build- 

 ings, laying out the grounds, and particularly in 

 the cultivation of the common white mulberry. 

 Owing to the cold seasons, the mulberry trees have 

 not succeeded as well as might be wished. During 

 the last year, Mr. Capen has left his. store, moved 

 to tlie farm house, and taken hold of and pursued 

 the work with a zeal and perseverance truly com- 

 mendable. His last year's labors as well as Ihe 

 condition of the farm may be gathered from tlie 

 following reporl, which he has drawn up and sub- 

 mitted to the Directors, and has by them lieen a- 

 dopted. If the Morus Multlcaulis or the Alpine 

 mulberry is to succeed in this State, our " Concord 

 Silk Farm," of all others is the place to make a 

 successful experiment ; and its proprietors mayyet 

 find their "bread cast upon the waters," returnin"- 

 to them frmrfold " after many days." 



Coucord Silk Farm. 



llae Directors of the Soncord Silk Company sub- 

 mit to the Proprlet jrs the following report, show- 

 ing the cash expenses, and also the produce rais- 

 ed on this farm the past year ; — 

 Expenses, viz; — 



Labor, including board 



Lime and shell dust 



Farming tools 



English hay 



Exchange of horses and sheep 



Seed wheat and seed corn 



Blacksmith work 



Sundries, according to bills 



$072 85 

 The produce of the Farm estimated aa follows, viz -. 



107 63 

 25 84 



1 50 



2 28 

 36 75 



2 02 98 



10 20 



12 25 



34 00 



50 



9 60 



50 



92 92 

 $89 76 



$313 09 



Remaining on hand the following, tiz ; — 



$5^9 39 



The following will show the separate expenses 

 of some of the principal crops raised on the fiirm 

 the past year, which we take from a memoran- 

 dum which has been kept of each day's work — 

 we allow 7.5 cents per day for a man, the same 

 for a yoke of oxen, and 50 cents for each horse. 



1st. Corn, (4 3-4 acres) Ploughing, plant- 

 ing-, lioeing, harvesting, and liuskln;2", 73 ''8 

 Expense of 1-2 the manure, 37 50 



Sped corn, 3 00 



Produce, 160 buaJiels, at$l, 

 Corn stalks, 



160 00 

 10 00 



113 78 



170 00 

 113 7^ 



Balance^ $56 23 



2d. Potatoes, (S acres) ploughing, plant- 

 in;y, hoeing, and harvesting, 



1-2 tlie manure, 



IIG bushels seed planted, at o7 1-2 ceiita 

 per bushel. 



balance . $3 16 



ith. Wheat, (1 acre) Ploughing, sowing, 

 harrowing, harvesting, and thrashing 

 1 buahel seed, 



Expense of going after sred, 

 3 bushels oyster shell dust, principally 

 lime, sown on the vv-hcat, June 18th, 



Produce, 20 buslicls, at $2, 



11 00 

 2 67 



1 50 



2 00 

 liftl7 17 



40 00 

 17 17 



66 80 

 8 00 



43 50 



Produce, 6rfO bushels ul 30 cts. 204 00 



138 30 



A13?) 30 



lialance $65 70 

 3d. Oats, (H acres) Ploughing, sowing, 

 harrowing, harvesting*! and thrash- 

 ing, 

 29 bushels seed, at 50 cts. 



Produce, 200 bushels, at 40 cts. 80 00 



62 25 



47 75 

 14 50 



$62 25 



Balance $17 75 



balance $22 83 

 Turnips (Ruta baga, English, and French tur- 

 nips) raised on the uphmd and on the meadow, av- 

 erage cost, 8 cts per bushel. Those on the meadow 

 were sown as late as the 9th of July, in places 

 where the upper part of the soil was burnt off by 

 the fire one year ago last fall. The yield was at 

 the rale of one thousand bushels per acre. 



If cTopi on the farm can be raised at the above 

 expenses when the land is generally in so poor a 

 state, soiJie calculations inay be made what may be 

 done when the fields are all enriclied by sufficient 

 manures. The great difference between this land 

 in a poor and good condition is very conclusively 

 shown by the following facts which were noticed at 

 the harvesting of tht; crops last fall. One part of 

 a 'eld yiekieii con' at the rate of 6U bushels to the 

 acre, while on another part with the same kind of 

 soil, the produce was scarcely thirty. Some places 

 it took eighty hills for a bushel of potatoes, at oth- 

 ers sixteen hills made the sa.ae measure'. Manure 

 then is the vital support of farming. Without it 

 no farm can thrive. Tlie crops in the field require 

 feeding as much as tlie stock in our barns ; and as 

 a lean stock are indications of a poor farmer, so 

 poor fields tell the same pitiful story. We think 

 we shall not be accused of being visionary when 

 we say that the good farmer who payd three dollars 

 per cord for manure, invests money atone hundred 

 per cent, interest. 



The mud drawn from the pond, although valuable 

 for making compost, we tliink not very' beneficial 

 to land in its crude state. We intended to have 

 used "considerable of it the past season, but found 

 it riot in proper state to assist the crops. We be- 

 lieve the cow, arid more j»articularly the hog yard, 

 (with the as.^istance of some lime and ashes,) are 

 the best places to prepare this vegetable matter for 

 profitable use. Accordingly v.'e have had as much 

 carted intn both places as v.'e tliought would be suf- 

 ficiently pulverised and fitted for use another sea- 

 son. The importance then of keeping more stock 

 must be apparent to us all — ^for we not only increase 

 the manure pile, but we increase our means of pre- 

 paring the mud for use, of wliich we have an a- 

 bundance. 



Besides raising of the crops other work has been 

 done, such as clearing up swamp land, cutting bush- 

 es in the island and in the pasture, setting out and 

 taking care of the mulberry, &c. Tury brook 

 has also been cleared out as, far as our meadow ex- 

 tends, being much obstructed by logs, eel dams, 

 bushes, &-c. The result was tliat much of the brook 

 which was before stas'nant and motionless now 

 took new life and set off in good speed for the pond 

 below. 



The v/ork done a year ago last fall by Mr. Abbot 

 in deepening the channel of the brook between 

 Turkey pond and Runnells- mills has in our opinion 

 do te much good to the meadows above as well as 

 thj. mills below — as the water when higli passes off 

 much quicker than before., and not so much of it 

 has a chance to soak into the land. The im- 

 provement by Mr. Abbot did not reach the outlet 

 of Turkey pond. There still remains much to ob- 

 struct \vhich might be cleared away at a small ex- 

 penne. The many acres of meadow land owned by 

 the Company wliich hitherto has been considered 

 almost worthless, can undoubtedly be made the 

 most valuable part of the firm for grass. The ef- 

 fect of improvements already made certainly justi- 

 fies further efforts to remove every obstacle in the 

 way. liesides the hitid which is somewhat affect- 

 ed by tlie rise and fall of the Turkey, there are 

 many acres of rich soil entirely above its reach — 

 acres which probably never have been witnessed by 



