180 



THE FARMER'S AIOiNTHLY VISITOR. 



some sixty yeai'S ago when the whole region was 

 a dark and seemingly inaccessible forest ; the 

 nioiiieiit site wiped the tear which trickled in 

 her eve at meeting one wlio had just lei't the ])l;;ce 

 where she was born which she had not visited 

 for many years, was embraced to exhibit a beantifnl 

 Higliiuud |jlai<l shawl, the nianufactm-e oi' her 

 owi hands. We at one time was so extravagant, 

 in om- younger days as to buy a Cashmere Shawl 

 to brin'^- home from the city of New York for 

 which we paid thirty-six dollars; we bonnlit a 

 much better Highland shawl raannfactmed by a 

 lady of Caledonia for four dollars and a half; and 

 on our return we told the females of our faujily 

 froui old to young if there were none who would 

 wear it, we would take and use it while on our 

 winter journeys for our own comfort and bene- 

 fit. . _^_ 



Merrimack County Agricultural Society. 

 Report oil Farms. 



The Awarding Committcp upon Farms, Crops, 

 and Gardens, make to the Society the following 

 report : — 



They found four farms entered upon the rec- 

 ords of our Secretary for an examination, viz: 

 three Intervale farms and one Upland farm. 



The Conmiittee first exfimined the farm of 

 Hamilton Perki.ns, Esq. .situated on the Contoo- 

 cook river, in the norlheni part of Hopkinton. 

 This farm consists of about 170 acres, thirty 

 ac)-cs of which is wood laud. Sixty acres of the 

 upland are occupied as pasturage. About tliirty 

 acres were tills year improved as till.ige h.nd ; 

 and the remaining fifty acres were mowing. 



Our attention was devoted particularly to the 

 tillage and mowing lands. We found ten acres 

 of the best oats we have seen anywhere this year, 

 upon Mr. Perkin's intervale. Wc also (blind there 

 five acresof good wheat — five acres of corn — two 

 and a half of potatoes — one fourth of an acre of 

 ruta baga. Upon his upland six acres of hulia 

 wheat — five do. of rye — one of peas and bean.s. 



Mr. Perkins stated his income last year to have 

 hec-n, — from oats 600 bushels ; wheat GO bushels ; 

 lye 15 do ; corn 200 do : India wheat 94 do ; po- 

 tatoes 800 do ; peas 10 do ; beans 15 do ; ruta 

 baga •lOO do ; pork 1250 lbs. 



His stock upon his tiuin lids year consists of 

 two ))airs ot' oxen, lour horses, five cows, two 

 other horned cattle, and two hundred sheep, a- 

 boiit one hundred and fifty of which were of the 

 Saxony breed, producing about 500 lbs. of fine 

 wool. Also seven working old hogs and twenty- 

 five pigs. These swine were all well employed 

 in a suhable yard making compost manure. They 

 w^ere not allowed in the day-time to idle away 

 their time in sleeping upon a dry hard floor, but 

 they were out mixing the muds and making a 

 conipound that neither vegetables, chemists, or 

 good farmers complain of! 



The five acres of land upon which Mr. Perkins' 

 corn was growing, was intervale grass land, brok- 

 en up on the 15th of May last, and planted with 

 the Brown corn on the 24th of the same montli. 

 It was manured by the ap|)lication of diirty-four 

 loads of manure, principally compost, upon each 

 acre. This was spread upon the surface and har- 

 rowed in. His potatoe land was manured and 

 managed in the same manner. The crop of corn 

 and potatoes when examined by us were prom- 

 ising. The wheat land was this year prepared by 

 the application of five or six loads of compoyt ne 

 a top-dressing. Ono nere of tea wheat sown the 

 90th of May ; foiu- acres of Bkcic Sea wheat the 

 24thof May ; one bushel and hiiiiof ej'ch kind to 

 the acre. The growth and general appearance 

 of the wheat were good for this year. Somewhat 

 injured by the droua;ht, but less i;ijiuioiisly eftec- 

 ted by the mildew or rust than any other field ol' 

 wheat examined by us. Forty tons of English 

 hay was the estimated crop from as m.any acres 

 of Mr. Perkins' intervale. About fifteen tons of 

 hay was the estimated quantity jiroduced from 

 ten acres of reclaimed n:eadow. This meadow 

 was comparatively a waste four years since. i>ro- 

 ducing its bushes, flags, pnlly-pod and wild grass- 

 es. Now, by means of conductinL' oft'tbe water 

 by digging (ne or two I'itches, at no great ex- 

 pense, some of the most productive and profita- 

 ble land upon the whole farm is here to be found. 



The liuildings of Mr. Perkins are generally ca- 

 pacious and convenient. About them we saw a 

 place for almost every thing, and every thing in 

 its plac<'. And the tommittep loo, cannot but 



speak approvingly of the ladies of the household, 

 who received us upon their best carpets all wet 

 with rain as we wer,:, without showing the least 

 ill tenijier, and led us, hmigry as we were, most 

 profusely, and sent us av\ay rejoicing. How 

 then could we relbse to uw ard to Mr. Perkins the 

 higiiest premium upon liirnis, which we found to 

 l.ie $7,00 ? 



The Committee also examined the intervale 

 liirm oi' WiLT.iAM H. Gage, Esq. situated on fhe 

 jMerrimack river, near the mouth of the Coutoo- 

 cook. The repiiiation of this larrn has for some 

 years stood deservedly high. It consists of three 

 hundred and filly acres of land ; sixty of which 

 arc pasturing, and eighty of the intervale part are 

 tillage and mowing. About sixty tons of li.ay are 

 annually cut on the iiatn. Esq. Gage had this 

 year about four and a half acres of excellent corn, 

 "his land being previously i)rc])ared by the appli- 

 cation of nineteen loads of barn yard nmuui-e 

 spread and harrowed in upon each acre, and 

 again by six loads of compost for each acre, be- 

 ing put "in the hill. He had also three and a half 

 acres of potatoes, pait of which were manured 

 by barn yard manure, and the other by simply 

 putting plaister of Paris in the bill. In the 

 growTh of the Pot:.toes wc perceived bi;t little 

 difl'erence, — giving some preference to those sup- 

 plied with the yard manure. Ivir. Gage had also 

 two acres of Black Sea wheat, injured, however, 

 by a severe mildev.' ; seven acres of oats, of a 

 middling nualiry : twenty-five bushels of rye. — 

 He keeps on his iinin thirly-ibur head ol' horned 

 cattle, including eight cows, and four oxen ; also 

 108 sheep, 78 of which produced this year 314 

 lbs. of good fine wool. Also seven ohl swine and 

 seventeen young ones. 



Esq. Gage has made extensive improvements 

 upon Ills place, not more by the erection of good 

 new fences ar.d a new bam than by the manu- 

 factm-e of good compost manure. He in this way 

 has already made more than two blades of g)-ass 

 spring up where but one grew before ; and his 

 eminent success in this way will of course had 

 him to make renewed efibrts to efl'ect still more. 

 The Committee voted to Esq. Gage the second 

 premium on farms, viz: .*6,00. 



The Comniittcp examined the farm of the Hon. 

 Isaac Hn.L, siliiated on both sides of Merrimack 

 river in Concord. We were so unfortunate as to 

 find the owner absent, and therefore cannot give 

 a very minute detailed account of the manage- 

 ment of if, nor of the crops of the season. The 

 readers of the valuable Farmer's Manual, the 

 Visitor — will find in the numbers of this year, as 

 well as last, well condensed view's and results of 

 the ownei's improvements, and general experi- 

 ments upon his farm, in tilling his land, in his 

 crops, stock, and impletncnts of husliandry. It 

 therefore, becomes unnecessary to recite them 

 again at this lime. Sufiici; it to say, we Ibund 

 about one acre of land near the buildings of Mr. 

 Hill, under the care of Mr. Whitney, who has an 

 interest in the profits of this tract, very tastefully 

 and skilltidly laid out ior a garden. Here were 

 good arrangements, — a good selection of such 

 vegetables, seeds, and roots, of various kinds .as 

 give the greatest profits to the gardener. This 

 was the largest, and this year, the most profitable 

 garden in the County e.xatnincd by ns, and would 

 (irobably have commanded the Society's highest 

 in-emium, had not our By-Laws prevented us 

 from giving a premium of this kind two years in 

 succession. Mr. Hill's farm is valuable lor its 

 great products of h.iy. And it is near one of tlie 

 liest hay-markets iii the State. It costs but little 

 io remove this hay to the stables of the Inn-hold- 

 ers in Conco;d street, or to take back in ex- 

 change for it the valuable manure from the sta- 

 bles of those who piu'chase it. A profitable bar- 

 ter trade can in tliis way be carried on, and the 

 owner of the farm, managing econonncall}, in- 

 creasing the tpuuitity and quality of his stable 

 manure by inte:n;i.xing with it meadow mud or 

 turfs from the road side, and applying it with 

 judgment to his land, will thus find out the art of 

 all arts, that of doubling his coppers without 

 prejudice to any one. We found the Brown corn, 

 on Mr. Hill's intervale flourishing; also a very 

 large luiid called the Lamprey corn. We fear 

 this corn will reipiire too much strenglh of soil 

 and ti)o iung a season to make it a proillaljle crop 

 li:r New Humpshire. 'i'ije buck wheat on IVIr. 

 Hill's plain country was very flourishing, as were 

 the ruta baga, squash, &r. 



The barns of Mr. Hill, (or convenience are well 

 worthy of imitation. Ourroot crops which farm- 

 ers will find advantageous to raise tor feeding their 

 stock, require barn cellars. Mr. Hill furnishes a 

 good specimen in his cellar. The Committee 

 voted the third preniium to Mr. Hill, viz : .*5,00. 



A portion of our number next examined the 

 farm of Abraham Brow.-v, Esq. in Nortljfield. 

 This was an upland farm, and the only one enter- 

 ed for a premium. It consists of one hundred 

 and twenty acres of land, thirtj-five of which are 

 mowing and tillage, forty of iiasturing, forty-five 

 of wood-land. The wood-land will furnish about 

 seventy-five tons of good white oaktindjcr. Tliis 

 farm descended to the present occupant tiom 

 his father, and prior to the occupation of his lath- 

 er uiore tlian thirty years since, although a large 

 portion of it was then cleared, it produced only 

 about five tons of English hay. Ir was then car- 

 ried on under the high steam pressure, and fenc- 

 ed with em|)ty new rum bottles. Under the cul- 

 tivation of Mr. Brown and his father it has been 

 renovated, producing now from twenty-five to 

 tbii'ty tons of hay ; about forty bushels of wheat 

 from three bushels sowing, and three acres of 

 land ; thirty bushels of rye ; from sixty to one 

 hundred bushels of oats; two hundred bushels 

 of potatoes from two acres of land ; more than 

 one hundred bushels of corn from three acres of 

 land. He had for stock, seven cows, four oxen, 

 iliree horses, tliirty-five sheep and eight swine. 

 Mr. Brown makes from all sources about one 

 humlrcd and twenty-five loads of manure annu- 

 ally. Tliis fiirm is mostly well fenced by about 

 five hundred rods ef good stone wall. Some 

 built every year. Mr. Brown's boys do not ^vear 

 safety watch chains, nor go to the stores and 

 s^vap jack-knives and French watches for a live- 

 lihood. But they are trained ii|) in applying the 

 custom work upon stone wall, and in doing some- 

 thing either useful to themselves or to posterity. 

 The Conrmittee awarded the 4th prem um on 

 farms to Abraham Brown, Esq. viz: 4,00. 



The Committee examined two pieces of corn 

 owned by Capt. Samuel Chadwick, on Water 

 street, in Boscawen. Ca[)t. Chadwick planted 

 three acres of corn, two with the Brown corn so 

 called, and one acre with the Gilford corn. It 

 was well manured by about forty loads to the 

 acre. The laud where the Brown corn grew 

 was broken iq) this spring, and the manure prin- 

 cipally spread upon the surfiice and harrowed in. 

 The corn was planted pretty thick, and it was 

 uniformly good. The Committee awarded the 

 first premium on the crop of corn to Mr. Cliad- 

 w ick, viz : §3,00. 



We also examined on his fiirm about one half 

 an acre of Rohan potatoes, planted on ground 

 naturally moist and which has been eiu'lched by 

 good cultivation. It was this year manured by 

 fourteen load.s of manure. The growth of the- 

 potatoes was large and luxuriant, and the whole 

 [jroduct bushels. The Committee re- 

 commended a ]iremiuni to Mr. Chadwick on 

 these potatoes. 



Tlie Committee also examined a piece of corn, 

 consisting ot about one and a half acre on the 

 farm of Laban M. Chadwick, near his iJitlier's 

 in Boscawen. The land on which this grew was 

 grass land ploughed in the spring, inanurrd by 

 S|)reading twenty loads and putting ten loads in 

 the hill for each acre. The Connnittee awarded 

 lo Mr. Chadwick the third premium on corn, viz: 

 the sum of S1,00. 



The Committee also examined an excellent 

 |)iece of corn on the farm of D. S. Caldv.ell, 

 in Dunbarton. (t grew on the eastern side of a 

 fine piece of upland, well manured and managed. 

 To this piece we awarded the second premium 

 on corn, viz : ,f 2,00 



We also examined another )iiece of corn in 

 Dunbarton, on the farm of BIr. BeiXjami.n Whip- 

 ple, a good growth from a hard piece of land. 

 We recommended a preniium of §2,00 to Mr. 

 Whipple. 



We find no premium awarded to tlie crop of 

 potatoes by the f>xecutive Committee. There 

 was jnobably not so many Irishmen on ihat Com- 

 mittee as there were on the farhi Committee: — 

 Iherelbre we excuse them for this oier-sight. 

 We, therefore, recommended a premium of at 

 least $2,00 to Cajit. Be>-j. T. Kimball, of Bos- 

 cawen. for the best field of common jiot; toes. 

 Mr. Kimball had about t.vo acres in iiis piece. 

 Thev had suffered none from the drout lit. The 



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