122 MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 



I keep two oxen in summer, four in winter, and six cows 

 and one horse, with which I carry to market all my produce. 

 I have two hogs and seven pigs. 



Wayland, September, 1850. 



Lowell City Farm Statement. 



In behalf of the overseers of the poor, and of the superintend- 

 ent, the following statement is submitted by J. H. B. Ayer 

 and Maynard Bragg, in relation to the condition and manage- 

 ment of the Lowell City farm. 



This farm contains 160 acres, nearly one half of which is 

 woodland, bushy swamp, and barren, gravelly ridges. Of the 

 remainder, about twelve acres are pasture, about thirty acres 

 mowing and tillage land, and about forty acres of brook, bog 

 and bushy meadow. Nearly one half of the meadow has been 

 mowed, yielding a very light crop of poor hay, the remainder 

 being entirely unproductive, excepting about three acres, which 

 was reclaimed during the past year, and mowed the present 

 season. 



There are now growing on the farm, about fifteen acres of 

 corn, planted on the most sandy and gravelly part of the thirty 

 acres. Three acres of the corn are upon grass land, and twelve 

 acres upon land which had been unproductive until last year, 

 when five acres of it were planted with corn, with a dressing of 

 about four cords to the acre, of compost of night soil mixed 

 with loam, mostly put in the hill ; three acres with white beans, 

 with a dressing of bog muck only, spread and ploughed in ; two 

 acres were sowed with oats, received no dressing of any kind; 

 the remaining two acres produced nothing. The present season, 

 there have been spread and ploughed in, on the ground on 

 which the corn is now planted, about eight cords to the acre, 

 of a compost of night soil and loam, the cost of which is from 

 three to four dollars per cord. The stable manure has been 

 used on the garden, on about one acre of potatoes, and for top 

 dressing on grass lands. 



The process of reclaiming bog meadow has been as follows. 

 Suitable ditches have been made for drainage ; the surface has 

 then been spaded and turned over, to the depth of a foot, after 



