FARMS. 117 



Statement of Epiiraim B. Thompson of Halifax. 



I have had 2.] acres of wheat the present year, 1^ acres of 

 which was summer wlieat. I sowed 3 bushels April 17th, without 

 soaking or any preparation, on light gravelly soil, which had been 

 planted the two years previous to corn and turnips. From some 

 cause not more than three-quarters of the seed came up. It 

 looked very thrifty for awhile, but was injured by the drought 

 in June, and the wet weather in July. On the 5th of August 

 it was harvested, and turned out much better grain than I had 

 expected. 



One acre of winter wheat was sowed September 5, 1862. I 

 find it more sure than spring wheat ; it is less liable to injury 

 from insects and the drought. I have sown another acre the 

 present autumn on a sward ploughed soon after it was mown ; 

 spread and harrowed in 25 loads of manure from the barn cellar, 

 (it being what had collected after June 1st;) I sowed 5 pecks 

 of seed to the acre. It now looks very thrifty, the mild days of 

 October having been favorable for it. In March I shall sow 

 grass seed on the lot. We had 2^ acres of oats which were 

 very good for the past season. 



The number of bushels of wheat and oats we are not able to 

 give, as it has not been threshed for the want of water. Our 

 threshing is done at my mill, where the grain is takeji directly 

 from the field. 



Of the 2| acres of corn, one acre had been mown for five years 

 previous to last year, when it was planted to corn ; I ploughed 

 in 20 loads of manure, with compost in the hill, and harvested 

 30 bushels at a cost of 90 cents per bushel. On this acre we 

 had six cart-loads of pumpkins which are not taken into account. 

 The corn was planted May 27th. It is an early variety which 

 has been planted on the place for 27 years, but for several years 

 past it has not produced so good a crop as formerly. I know 

 not why a crop of corn would not be improved by change of seed, 

 if it was not obtained from a distance, as well as oats or wheat. 



The other lot of 1| acres of corn was an old field, which had 

 not been ploughed for six years, during which time it had been 

 used as a sheep pasture. I ploughed in 30 loads manure from 

 the barn cellar, 7 inches deep, planted the Whitman corn, so 

 called, but this seems to be an improvement on what that corn 

 formerly was. The cob is much smaller, while the kernel is 



