1826.] 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Marks were ihen made exactly two leel six 

 inches apart l-y <lrawinga strai-ht line over the , 

 centre olthe manure. On these marks or line? 

 ill that part of the piece, w lich was inten- 

 deJ for single rows, small holes were made 

 exactly nine mches apart and about two inches 

 deep, (,hus-o-o~o-). In each of these holes 

 1 dropl one kernel of corn, covering it with my 

 foot The remainder of the piece 1 then point- 

 ed off in a similar manner, but having the holes 

 exactly eighteen inches apart on the line, and 

 makinn- two holes instead of one, (thus—:—:—; 

 _-_f In each double hole, or hill as it may be 

 called,! dropped two kernels and covered as be- 

 fore. ' In each row, throughout the whole acre, 

 there was the same quantity and quality of man- 

 ure and of corn, and there was no difference ol 

 soil that 1 coul.l discover. The time of plan- 

 tin'^' was beteen the lOth and 14th of May. It 

 was all hoed three times equally alike, and hill- 

 ed, as little as possible. In August 1 topped the 

 stalks and bound them in small bundles. The 

 harvesting was done in October, when it was all 

 huiked and measurjcd, and produced as follows, 

 viz- the part planted in hills or double holes 

 yield 41 bushels, containing five eighths ol an 

 acre— and the other yielded thirty bushels, con- 

 taining three eighths of an acre. 



The expense of cultivation as follows, viz: 

 Ploui'hing one day, two hands, three cattle, $2 50 



Planting three days, two hands, 

 Hoeing three days, two hands, 

 Furrowing and ploughing corn U 



boy and horse. 

 Cutting stalks two days one man, 

 Harvesting Soc. six days, one man, 



4 00 



4 00 



day, man, 



2 00 



- 1 30 



. 4 00 



To Paul Kitiredge, M. D. of Lilllcton, a pre- 

 mium for raising on one sixteenth of an acre of 

 oi' land forty-six bushels of onions.* 5 00 



To Luke Willinglon of Ashhy, for the great- 

 est quantity of Barley raised on a single acre, 

 being forty-eight bushels, 10 00 



To Joshua Brown of Concord, for the great- 

 est crop of Indian Corn raised on a single acre, 

 beinc seventy-eight bushels, twenty-two quarts, 

 and "one pint, weighing sixty-two pounds per 

 bushel.* 20 00 



To Stephen Longley, Esq. of Shirley, for a 

 crop of wheat, one half the proposed premium 

 of tifleen dollars, "^ ^^ 



To Moses Whitney, Esq. of Stnw, the other 

 half of said premium for a crop of wheat 7 50 



To John Adams of Concord, for his orchard 

 of Apple trees in Acton, the first premium, 

 •^ 15 00 



The Trustees passed the following vote, which 

 it is important should be borne in mind by per- 

 sons, who shall on any future year make appli- 

 cation for premiums on agricultural experiments, 

 ' &c. 



"That all applications for premiums on agri- 



' cultural experiments, shall hereafter be accom- 



' panied with statements of the nature of the soil, 



the mode of cultivation adopted, the quantity 



and kind of manure used, and the expense of 



the same." 



This regulation will be of great advantage to 

 enable others to reap practical ioslniction from 

 attempts of successful competitors for premiums. 



pi 80 

 Although I entered my claim for a pretei^im 

 on corn, yet, as I have not come up to the quan- 1 

 tily required, Ihave no right to expect the offer- 1 

 ed reward; but, thinking it might be oi some 

 general benefit, I have thought proper to give 

 you a statement of my proceeding,wishing to be 

 put right wherever I may be in an errour. 



In looking over the various agricultural re- 

 ports of our Commonwealth, I find that the same 

 experiment has been made heretofore by differ- 

 ent "■entlemen, producing the same re;=ult as a- 

 bove In 1320, J. Hnnewell, Esq. received a 

 premium from Ihe Mas,s. AgricuKnr.il Society 

 for raising one hundred and eleven bushels of 

 shelled co'rn upon one acre of land, planted in 

 drills. Oliver Fiske, Esq. of Worcester, has al- 

 so received the Society's premium for ascertain- 

 ing by experiment that, corn when planted in 

 rows, produces more than when planted in hills. 

 Other evidences might be shown, but it is pre- 

 sumed to be unnecessary. 



I am, eenticmen, respectfuUv yours, &c. 

 ' ° LEONARD HILL. 



MIDDLESEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Trustees of the Society of Middlesex 

 Husbandmen and Manufacturers held their an- 

 nual meeting in Concord on Thursday last. At 

 this meeting the following premiums were a- 

 warded lor successful experiments in agricnllure. 

 PREMIUMS. 



To Nahum Hardv of Waltham, the third pre- 

 mium for his orchard apple trees. ^9 00 



To Benjamin Kimball of Littleton,the second 

 premium for his orchard. 12 00 



COLD WEATHER. 

 We believe that the coldest weather experi- 

 enced in this country, of which a record has 

 been preserved, was that of 1740 and 41. Then 

 rivers were frozen over so as to be passable on 

 the ice as early as October, and as late as the first 

 day of April. Snow commenced falling about 

 the first of November, and conlinued on the 

 ground till the middle of April. Among the 

 singular circumstances noticed by the historian 

 in "recording this severe weather, we find an 

 account of a sheep being taken out of a snow 

 drill in Guilford, Con. alive, after having been 

 buried more than ten weeks. The unusual 

 length of this cold weather occasioned such a 

 scarcity of provisions in spring, that the farmers 

 lost most of their cattle and sheep.— Sa/em Obs. 



UNITED STATES. 

 The sudden developement of Commercial 

 power in the United Slates, is unprecedented in 

 Ihe annals of civilization. Discovered only a- 

 bout 330 years ago, this immense territory re- 

 mained for years the abode of savages and 

 beasts : a few wandering and half starved hordes 

 possessed the land which now supports 10,000,- 

 000 civilized beings. In 1778, Ihe Capital ol 

 this country might be roundly stated at between 

 two and three millions sterling: in the short 

 period of half a century, this sum has been in 

 creased to no less an amount, it is calculated, 

 than nearly one hundred and forty millions. 



Chrislian Obs. 



180 



STEAM. 

 The strides which Steam is making in the. e- 

 concmy of the country, are moire gigantic and 

 surprising than those who are domesticated at s 

 distance from its immediate operation imagine ; 

 but ■ • capability of the locomotive engine to 

 travel ivlh ease and safety with a weight of 

 ninety "ons in its tram, at the rale of eight miles 

 an hour, having been proved by the opening of 

 the Darlington and Stockton rail road, it becomes 

 our duty to submit a more detailed stalement of 

 its powers and advantages, than we believe has 

 yet appeared in print. 



The engine will travel over 25 miles 7 times 

 a day, making 175 miles a day's work, with 90 

 Ions, consuming 7 tons of small coals each day, 

 or 42 tons per week, which at an average cost 

 of 7s. will be 14/ 14s. One man and a boy in 

 constant attendance, supposing the 24 hours 

 equal to 3 days, will be 3 men and 3 boys each 

 day, which at 16s. 6d. will add 5/. 8s. Cd. ; mak- 

 ing the total weekly expense 19/. 17s. Gd. The 

 engine will cost 600/. ; 80 waggons 900/.— giv- 

 ing 1500/. for the entire set out. 



"Now, 90 tons will load 6 boats ; each of these 

 boats will be a day in performing 20 mi*«s ; 

 therefore 52 boats, with 52 horses, 52 men and 

 52 boys, will be required to execute the trans- 

 fer of 90 tons 175 miles in one day ; each horse 

 will cost weekly one guinea, each man a guinea, 

 and each boy 12s., forming a total weekly charge 

 of 140/. 8s. in lieu of 19/. 17s. and 6d The 52 

 boats and horses will be worth 10,000/., and re- 

 quiring a considerably greater amount to keep 

 them in repair; throwing a balance of full 7000/. 

 per annum in favor of every locomotive engine 

 that may be used. How many may eventually 

 be at work it will be difficult to conjecture; but 

 as 40 would be required to work the London, 

 Birmingham and Liverpool, and the Manchec- 

 ter anil Stockport lines, in all probability not 

 less than 500 would be employed, and as the 

 saving on every five engines would be equal to 

 the interest of one million, the 500 would put 

 the people in possession of a sum as great as the 

 interest of one hundred millions sterling, inde- 

 pendent of the advantage of speed, and the great 

 saving of tonnage, the rail road lines being one 

 third shorter than the canals in use. Finally, 

 1000 persons may bo conveyed one mile, or one 

 person 1000 miles, by locomotive engines, at the 

 rate of 8 miles an hour, at a cost of something 

 less than five pence. — London Journal. 



*The'=e prf miiims were awarded conditionally ; as 

 the persons, who claim them, have omitted to accom 

 pauv their applications, with the vouchers required by 

 the rules of the Society. If the applicants comply with 

 the conditions, the money will he paid, otherwise they 

 can receive no premium. 



LUMBER BUSINESS. 

 We are gratified to learn that Capt. Porter is 

 making arrangements to transport from Bruns- 

 wick to Bath, by means of Tow Boat.s, the lum- 

 ber which has hitherto been brought in rafts.— 

 This project is not only practicable, requiring 

 a capital not much exceeding g.3000, but is also 

 of the highest importance, both to the maker 

 nnd shipper of lumber, and consequently to 

 Brunswick, Topsham and Bath. This mode of 

 freighting boards not only saves the loss trom 

 split and waste in rafting, but it preserves the 

 lumber clean and free from sand and gravel, 

 which is so troublesome lo the carpenter. Me- i^a. 



4man in Dublin being asted why a double marriage 

 took place between the Marquis of Wellesley and Mrs 

 Patterson, replied ' Because the gentleman was twice 

 as old as the lady." 



