92 MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 



Jonathan Rice's Statement. 



I came into possession of my homestead in 1841 ; built an ad- 

 dition to my house 42 feet long and 18 feet wide ; half upright ; 

 dug a cellar under the whole of it, and carted the dirt upon the 

 mowing. In 1842, I built a shed to my barn, 30 feet by 18, 12- 

 feet posts, and built about 50 rods of wall. In 1843, I built 50 

 rods of wall. In 1844, '45, '46, and '47, I built 150 rods, or 

 more, of heavy wall. All the stone for the wall was taken from 

 the mowing, the blasting of which took over five casks of 

 powder. 



My homestead contains 34 acres, about one half of which is 

 mowing; the other part, pasturing and ploughing. When I 

 began, I cut about 15 tons of hay, — about 30 tons, now. I 

 have 125 acres of out-lands, pasturing, meadow, and woodland ; 

 the whole number of acres, 159. 



My barn is 80 by 32 feet ; shed 30 by 18, posts 12 feet. The 

 barn is full of hay ; 5 tons in stack ; the shed is full of straw. 

 I estimate my hay at 50 tons, — 30 tons of English, and 20 of 

 meadow. I raise from 125 to 150 bushels of corn, and 300 to 

 450 bushels of potatoes. In years past, 75 to 100 bushels of 

 oats, and 25 to 30 bushels of barley. I have set about 300 

 grafts. Since I began to "make the rough smooth," two men 

 will mow it as quick as three did formerly, and not dull their 

 scy-Xhes. 



Marlborough, Sept. 13, 1847. 



Aaron Fletcher's Statement. 

 4 

 My farm contains about 75. acres, and, when I entered on it in 

 1839, there were four acres of English mowing, and about six 

 acres of meadow, about two acres in tillage and the rest pasture, 

 run up to birches and pines. The farm was badly run out, the 

 walls all down, stones scattered along the sides of the fields, and 

 the buildings very much out of repair. I did not cut over two 



