THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



441 



taken from them in the removal of crops. To give 

 a jast idea of improvements made, a brief history 

 ot the operations may be necessary. 



My first purchase of land was in 1802— fideen 

 acres ; the greater part ol which was in a very 

 rough state, and, as much ol it had been tilled, 

 reduced by severe cropping. The rocks were re- 

 moved to enclose the lots, and the bushes subdued 

 with the plough, as last as necessary means could 

 be obtained tor accomplishing those objects ; the 

 progress was not rapid^in the beginning, because, 

 being entirely destitute ol capital, I was obliged, in 

 seaman's phrase, to ' work my passage.' 



" When the fields were enclosed wiih walls and 

 the bushes subdued, attention was directed to the 

 plats which had been tilled almost to exhaustion. 

 And the principal means of renewing them within 

 my power was the incorporation of earths ol 

 different qualities. Cold and tenacious soils were 

 dressed with silicious earth and other materials 

 that tended to open and warm them. Sandy soils 

 ■ were dressed with clay, swamp mud, and alluvi- 

 ons in which sand formed the least considerable 

 part. This course, in seven years, gave ten tons 

 of English hay where less than two were obtain- 

 ed before, and about double the qiianiity of grain 

 on the acre. 



"In 1817, another lot of sixteen acres, a large 

 portion of it in a similar state with the first, was 

 purchased and managed in the same way. About 

 the same time were purchased seven acres olfresh 

 meadow ; on which no other improvements have 

 been made than clearing away bushes, tunnellinfr 

 and cutting ditches in such directions as would ir- 

 rigate the whole meadow. Another small loL was 

 enclosed from a pasture in 1820, and has since 

 been cultivated as English meadow and tillage. 

 •Four acres of the above lots are light sandy soils ; 

 six acres hazel loam, suitable for grain or grass ; 

 five acres dark friable soil ; fifleen acres argillrice- 

 ous ; and ten acres of irrigated fresh meadow. 

 Seven acres were planted with Indian corn the 

 present year — three acres of loam and lour acres 

 of sandy soil. On one acre of the loam about six 

 cords of barn manure were spread and ploughed in ; 

 on another acre, where in other years meadow 

 mud had been applied, six casks of lime \vere 

 spread ; on the other fields, which produced rye 

 the preceding year, there was no application. 

 The corn was planted in drills : this method has 

 been in practice on the farm more than twenty 

 years, and is in my judgment preferable to any 

 other. The corn was harvested between 20ih Sep- 

 temper and 20ih October. Weight of the whole 

 crop, 22,381 pounds— 298 31 75 bushels. The 

 same field the preceding year, produced 120 bush- 

 els of rye. The present year there were only about 

 two acres in rye, and the produce was 25 bushels. 



" There are nine acres in tillage, alternately 

 planted with corn and rye, excepting once in five 

 or six years each field is planted with potatoes, 

 beans, or some other vegetable considered lavora- 

 ble as a change from the ordinary course. The 

 stubble of rye is ploughed in, immediately alter the 

 removal of the crop, and some kind ofseed applied 

 to produce herbage to be ploughed in as green 

 dressing. Potatoes this year were planted only on 

 the borders of corn-fields, under trees, and in other 

 situations where not much produce could be ex- 

 pected— eighty bushels were gathered. From two 

 hundred to three hundred has been the average 

 Vol. X.— 56 



crop in the last four years. No other roots are cul- 

 tivated except in the kitchen garden. Thirty-two 

 acres are mowed, twenty of which have been 

 ploughed and will produce good English hay in 

 common seasons, with liberal manuring ; but a 

 succession ol wet seasons has introduced on a part 

 of it so much wild grass, that the hay is not now 

 suitable lor the mai'ket, though good stock hay. 

 There are ten acres of irrigated land, as above 

 mentioned, and two acres of fresh meadow over 

 which the water does not often pass. T+ie hay 

 was located before the offered premium was pub- 

 lished, in such manner tliai it is impossible for me 

 to ascertain with accuracy the quantity. Some of 

 it was placed in barns with old hay, and some of 

 it sold in the fields. The crop o( hay has varied 

 very little lor lour years, yet supposed to have 

 gradually increased. In 1827, the who'e crop 

 was measured in the mow in September, after it 

 was thoroughly settled. Four cords of English 

 hay were considered equal to a ton, and five cords 

 of fresh. According to that measurement, there 

 were thirty-three and three quarter tons of first 

 quality, or good English hay ; ten tons of second 

 quality ; and fourteen and two-filihs tons Iresh 

 hay. Five acres then mowed are now in tillage. 

 From two to three tons of second crop are annu- 

 ally cut, in situations where it is not convenient 

 tor cattle to feed, 



" Compost manure, made with reference to the 

 quality ol the soil where it is to be applied, is every 

 year spread on the mowing land. Sand is made a 

 (principal ingredient ofcompost lor clayev soils, and 

 swamp mud or clayey lor loose soils. From three 

 to five hundred loads, Ibrty bushels in the load, are 

 made in a year and applied chiefly in autumn, not 

 so mu9h lor choice as necessity, there being no 

 other season ol sufficient leisure to accomplish the 

 work. In laying down tilled land to crass, I 

 choose to sow the seed al>oiu the last week in Au- 

 gust and put no grain with it ; but any time m the 

 month of Septemper will do better than either of 

 ttic spring monttis ; and if town with winter rye, 

 it will do belter than with spring grain. The clay- 

 ey soils which are not suitable lor grain, 1 some- 

 times turn over with the plough immediately after 

 the grass is cut, roll down the furrows, and put on 

 a dressing of manure and seed again. In this 

 course cultivated grass is renewed witiiout the loss 

 of any crop. J used chiefly herds-grass seed, and 

 put one-fourth of a bushel on an acre. 



" I have Ibrty acres of pastures of a light soil, 

 and in the possession of oiher owners, it was al- 

 ternately tilled and pastured in so quick succession, 

 that only very small crops of corn or rye can now 

 be obtained. The number of acres discouraged 

 me from attempting to renew it in my usual way 

 ol mixing soils ; and therelore a plan is Ibrmed to 

 renew it in the. operations olnature. Last spring, 

 a field of between two and three acres was fenced, 

 ploughed, and sowed with the seed ofthe yellow lo- 

 cust tree. The seed came up well, and the most 

 thrifiy of the young trees are now iliree and a half 

 l(3ethigh. If the worms should nut oppose me, 

 there will probably be a very flourishmg grove, 

 which in a few years will effectually recruit the 

 soil. In this connection, it may not be amiss to 

 mention, that I have this lall sowed five acres of 

 common land with theseed of white pine, and am 

 now planting several acres with acorns, which it is 

 intended to protect against cattle with a fence." 



