104 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



character which might be cited, are sufficient to settle the 

 point, often agitated, respecting the practicability of making 

 farming profitable in this section. 



The committee went over a portion of the Welles Farm, 

 Dorchester, belonging to the heirs of the late Hon. John 

 Welles, a prominent agriculturist and promoter of agricultural 

 improvement. The farm is leased by Luther Spear, Jr. Vege- 

 tables for market, in connection with milk are the leading 

 objects. Sugar beets, mangel wurzel, and Swedish turnips are 

 cultivated for feeding the cows. The crops were promising. 



Mr. Spear's success in growing late-planted Indian corn 

 deserves notice. He called our attention to a lot of two acres, 

 planted on the 13th of June. The ground was sward ; was 

 ploughed just before the corn was planted, a good dressing of 

 V)arnyard manure spread on and harrowed in. The corn was 

 never hand-hoed ; the cultivator was run through it twice. At 

 the time of our visit, August 21st, the growth was large, and 

 excepting that it was rather too thick, the prospect was favor- 

 able to a large crop. Mr. Spear has planted corn as late as the 

 22d of June, and got forty bushels per acre. When planted 

 on sward, at that season of the year, the decomposition of the 

 sward takes place quickly, and the growth of the corn is very 

 rapid. 



Mr. Spear greatly prefers sweet corn to the common kinds for 

 fodder. He stated that in feeding his cows last winter on the 

 fodder of sweet corn, the supply became temporarily exhausted, 

 and instead of the fodder a full supply of the best hay was given, 

 the keeping in other respects being the same that it was before ; 

 ))ut the quantity of milk decreased considerably, till by remov- 

 ing some hay another supply of corn fodder was reached, and 

 on returning to it the cows soon gave the former quantity of 

 milk. This was the dried stalks from which the ears had been 

 sent to market as " green corn." The stalks were cut close to 

 the ground soon after the ears were gathered.* 



* Since this report was written, Cheevcr Newhall, Esq., lias informed the 

 cliairman that lie planted three-fourths of an acre of sweet corn, in the latter 

 part of May, drojiping the seed with a corn-planter, in rows three feet apart, and 

 in hills about two feet apart. The cultivation was nearly all done with the cul- 

 tivator. Sixty l)arrels of cars were sent to Boston from the lot, and on the 15th 

 of Seiitemher tlie crop was cut close to the ground and shocked — the stalks 



