240 



of Salem, in Essex county, since deceased, a brave and good 

 man, whose farm lay on the Salem turnpike, land at one time 

 very aptly denominated the " abomination of desolation," but 

 on which he, with an indomitable perseverance and great saga- 

 city, effected as extraordinary improvements as have ever been 

 made in the State ; and converted this pasture, deemed scarce- 

 ly worth the fencing, into a most productive farm. He found, 

 among the rocks and bushes, many peat bogs, which having 

 drained and cleaned, and inverted the sward, he applied compost 

 manure largely mixed with loam, and sowing freely of grass 

 seed in the spring, obtained an abundant crop the same season. 

 The Middlesex farmer to whom I have above referred is in the 

 habit of renovating and recruiting his grass lands in the same 

 way. 



VII. Rotation of Crops. — The usual rotation in the coun- 

 ty is generally limited to two shifts, and sometimes to only one 

 ploughing, seldom more than two. Greensward is generally 

 broken up when it ceases to produce more than one ton of grass, 

 and corn is planted, manured with barn manure either in the 

 hill or spread broadcast ; and very often, where a large crop is 

 desired, manure is placed in the hill and spread also. Some- 

 times the corn crop is repeated, and not unfrequently potatoes 

 are taken as a second crop after corn. The next crop is com- 

 monly oats, barley, rye, or wheat ; and the land is stocked 

 down to grass. 



A eminent farmer in the county has been in the habit of 

 ploughing once only, completely inverting the sward and rolling 

 it : on this he plants corn manured, the manure either in the 

 hill or spread ; and the ensuing spring he simply harrows the 

 ground very finely and sows his grass seed with small grain. — 

 His success certainly commends this practice. Where the au- 

 tumnal sowing of grass seed is preferred, the crop of corn is 

 not always removed in season to do this. 



The usual rotation then is, — first year Indian corn ; second 

 year oats, wheat, rye or barley, with grass seed ; third, fourth, 



