403 



the plants two feet apart in the rows. This would give 7260 

 plants ; but of these a great many must be expected to fail.* 



From an acre in apples Mr. Hill in one case obtained 300 

 barrels. As a wash for his trees, he uses a composition 

 of one pound of potash to one gallon of water ; but is of 

 opinion that this or any application to the bark will seldom be 

 required, where the land is well manured and cultivated. 



Mr. Hill differs from many farmers, in preferring to feed his 

 meadows in the autumn ; as he thinks they will produce more 

 hay than when the *' old fog " is left upon them. Where the 

 grass is cut early, this may be the case ; but where a late haying 

 is practised, and an opportunity is given for the thorough decay 

 of the old vegetation, I apprehend a different result would be 

 found. At any rate, the poaching of the meadows by cattle, 

 where the land is soft and clayey, so as to leave many holes for 

 the water to stand in, must be prejudicial. The observations and 

 experience of so successful a farmer, who has been exclusively 

 devoted to agriculture for thirty-seven years, and, in that time, 

 has sold much more than 75,000 dollars' worth of produce from 

 his place, exclusive of the consumption of his family, are highly 

 valuable, and I, therefore, make no apology for going into these 

 details. 



Here is the encouraging example of a man making himself 

 rich and independent by farming, unassisted but by his own 

 labor and the resources of his own farm, which his improve- 

 ments have continually multiplied and enlarged. He began 

 before the mast, and now walks the quarter-deck. Many men 

 think it extraordinary that they cannot walk the quarter-deck 

 without knowing, far less pulling, a single rope in the ship. 

 They are afraid of getting tar upon their hands. Agricul- 

 ture is a trade or profession to be studied and learnt as 

 much as any other trade or profession. The general opinion is, 

 that any dnnce may be made a farmer; so any dunce may be 

 made a merchant, or a lawyer, or a minister ; but what sort of 

 merchants, or lawyers, or ministers will dunces make ? Not 



* Appendix, N. 



