MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 89 



There are, on the farm, about five hundred young fruit trees, 

 of the best varieties, including three hundred apple, and two 

 hundred peach, pear, plum and cherry trees. 



My farm work is so connected with my other business, that I 

 cannot make any accurate statement of the expense of carrying 

 it on, but judge it to be equal to two good men's work during 

 eight months, and one four months in the year. I keep two 

 horses to do the work on the farm, and work them out half the 

 time besides. 



Lowell, Sept. 14th, 1847. 



Mark Fay's Statement. 



On my farm, the quantity of improved land is about 25 acres, 

 divided as follows : — This season about 6 acres in corn and po- 

 tatoes ; two acres of oats ; 12 acres of mowing, and the re- 

 mainder in pasturing. When I bought it, twelve years ago, I 

 kept one cow in summer, and three cows and a horse on hay 

 the first year, and had no hay to sell. The last year, I kept 

 three cows in summer, and twelve cows and a horse on hay. 

 Nine of the cows gave milk through the winter and spring. I 

 sold, in hay and rowen, what amounted to $108 25 of the last 

 year's crop. I have built, within the twelve years, about 250 

 rods of wall. Within nine years, I have raised and set over 

 200 grafted apple trees, which are now beginning to bear. I 

 have also topped about fifty old apple trees, part of which are 

 now in a bearing state. I bought the bog meadow, which I 

 showed you, eleven years ago, at $9 per acre, which was not 

 more than the worth of the wood on said land. I have re- 

 claimed about nine acres of the meadow. More than half has 

 been reclaimed since I received a premium, five or six years 

 ago. I now consider the land to be worth at least $100 per 

 acre. 



A statement of my process of making compost manure, may 

 be of service to some who have such materials as I have. I 

 take brake bogs and such as will not readily decompose, (or 

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