THE FAKMERS' REGlbTER. 



23 



seed, there were one hundred and thirteen bushels; 

 eighty bushels o!" which, sold for twenty-five cenis 

 per bushel. This was at the rale ol eight hun- 

 dred and seventy-five pounds of brush to the acre. 

 1 subjoin, also, the exact account ol'a crop culti- 

 vated by Alvah Hawkes, in Deerfield meadows, 

 with which he was kind enough to favor me. 



Expense of cultivating one acre of broom corn. 



One ploughing the 12ih of May, - -$125 



Holeing out, one third of a day's work, - 34 



Ten loads ol' manure at 75 cents per load, 7 50 



Putting manure in the hills, - - - 2 00 

 Planting, one day's work, ^1; seed, 4 



quarts ai 75 cents per bushel, - - 1 10 

 Hoeing first tiiiie, 3^- days, $3 50 ; hoeing, 



second time, 3 days, !§3, - - - 6 50 

 Hoeing, third time, $2 50 ; horse and boy 



to plough for the season, j§l - - - 3 50 



Tabling and cutiing, 4 days, - - - 4 00 



Gathering, carting, and packing away, - 2 50 



$28 69 

 The expense of cultivating one acre is as bbove 

 $28,69, the labor being rated at $1 00 per day; 

 which is more than the actual cost. The yield 

 was at the rate ol 991 lbs. to the acre. If the 

 ground had been fully stocked, the crop wou'd 

 have been more than 1000 lbs per acre. The 

 brush was sold at 8| cents per lb. The crop of 

 seed was light and poor ; at the rate of 50 bushels 

 to 3 acres ; and was sold at 16| cents per bushel 

 or $2 77 per acre. 



To the above expenses of $28 69 are to be 

 added as (bilows: 

 Scraping 1000 lbs. $3 30 ; board of man 5 



days $1 07, - - - - - $4 37 

 Rent of land, 1 acre, - - - - 16 00 



$49 06 

 The sales of the above brush 1000 lbs. at 



8.i cts. pr. lb. 85 00 



Seed upon above acre, - - - - 2 77 



$87 77 



Net profit per acre, - - . . ^33 71 

 This product may be deemed unusual ; but 

 there is no difficulty under suitable cultivation in 

 obtaining it. The price is not extraordinary ; 

 and had the brush in this case been kept until 

 the spring, it would have brought 12^ cents per lb. 

 Another estimate by a good farmer, is as fol- 

 lows : 



Ploughing, $4 00 ; drasgrng, $1 00 ; ma- 

 nure, $12 00; seed, 25 cents, - - 17 25 

 Planting 2 feet by 3^ leet apart, 75, - 75 



First hoeing, $4 68 ; 2d hoeing, $2 34 ; 3d 



hoeing, $1 17, - - . - 8 19 



Gathering brush and scraping seed off, 12 00 



Returns. 

 700 lbs. of brush at 8 cents, 

 40 bushels seed at 25 cents, 



Net profit per acre. 



$38 00 



56 00 

 10 00 



$66 00 



$27 81 



No charge is here made for the rent of the 

 land. 



MANURES. STABLE, COW AND HOG YARDS. 

 HUMAN EXCREMENT. 



From the same. 

 The price of manures in this county is very 

 high. The farmers in the vicinity of Boston de- 

 pend upon the city stables for a large portion of 

 what they use. The price in Boston varies irom 

 three to lour dollars a cord. I have known a 

 market larmer to purchase one thousand dollars' 

 worth in a year. Since the value ol liquid ma- 

 nure is esiabli hed, and its intrinsic efficacy is so 

 much superior to the solid parts ol manure, it is 

 strange that no provision is made by the larmers 

 lor Saving the vast quantities that are now lost 

 in the city. Hardly an instance can be lound, 

 there is not one within my knowledge, of any 

 ] fovision for saving it at their own barns. This 

 is an improvement yet to be effected. I have 

 urged this matter so strongly, though not beyond 

 its importance, in my tbrmer reports, that 1 shall 

 add little more. 



1 have known $6 50 paid per cord ibr stable 

 jnanure taken at the stable ; and a larmer, whose 

 soundness 0! judgment in other matters 1 have 

 always respected, expressed his willingness to 

 purchase all the n)anure (rom the cow-stable in 

 Lowell at five dollars per cord, though he must 

 then cart il lour or five miles in order to reach his 

 farm. These prices are enormous, and the more 

 surprising, since almost every farmer in Middle- 

 sex has at hand the means of preparing a com- 

 post-dressing ibr his land of equal value, at not 

 half the cost. 



Upon the larms in the vicinity very great quan- 

 tities are carried Irom the livery-stables in the 

 city. The hog establishment at West Cambridge 

 supplies a large amount of manure to the farmers 

 in its neighborhood. I do not, refer in this case 

 exclusively to the excremenlitious matter of the 

 swine, but also to the relirse garbage from the 

 stables, of which I have spoken. This is spread 

 upon their grass lands, or ploughed in on their 

 cultivated grounds, or spread round their apple 

 trees; and in every case with great advantage. 

 If not used immediately, it is placed in a compost 

 heap, and covered with mould, to be used when 

 needed. It has been found particularly useful 

 when applied to Iruit-trees at the roots. It is of 

 course llill of animal matter, and must furnish in 

 abundance the principles of vegetable life. The 

 intelligent farmer who gives me this account 

 speaks of the effects of this manure as immediate 

 and powerful. To night-soil he objects that its 

 influence is transient. He gives the preference 

 over all others to stable and horse manure. He 

 raises largely of early vegetables and small fruits 

 for the market. The stable manure is more con- 

 venient for his forcing beds in the spring, and, af- 

 ter it has performed its part there, is easily ap- 

 plied to other crops. 



Large amounts of night-soil are obtained in 

 Boston and Charlesiown, and applied by the 

 market-gardeners. It is brought out in a crude 

 state in covered and tight wagons, and too often, 

 without regard either to decency or comfort, is 

 carelessly deposited by the road-side near the 

 dwelling-house in a kind of basin, where a quan- 

 tity of mould is at hand to mix with it, to absorb 

 the liquid parts, and to put the whole into a con- 

 dition to apply to the soil. The slovenliness with 



