t^ A k i\l E k S ' k E G 1 S T E R . 



[No. 7 



and then with Corked hoes, made very stronff, pulled 

 off the sod iind cleared out the stutnpe an(l logs. 

 Then using the same hoes, cleared out all l lie small 

 roots, levelled the surfnce, and placed back the 

 sods the other side up. This part oC the work I did 

 in strips of about, one rod in width. In August, 

 1837, I commenced this. In 1836 I mowed the 

 bushes and dug one ditch. The stumps and logs 

 I took out without the help of oxen. Some of the 

 stumps I should judge had nearly Iialf a cord of 

 wood in them. There were a considerable number 

 of trees that had blown down, and the meadow 

 had formed over them. Many of them were per- 

 fectly sound, and some measured sixty feet in 

 length. The stumps were very numerous. I 

 found three tier deep, and under the bottom lay a 

 pine log, that had some time or other been on fire. 

 Af"ter going over the surface and clearing in (he 

 manner I have described, I found the expense to 

 have been, at a fair estimate for the labor, §'504. 

 In the winter I hauled ofT the wood and piled it 

 up lor coalintr. The largest of the small roots I 

 selected lor my own fire, the smallest I burnt upon 

 the ground. I commenced harrowing with an iron 

 tooth harrow, as soon as the frost began to come 

 out of the ground. The sods being fastened down 

 by the frost, and the harrow passingoverihe upper 

 side, they mouldered away as fast as the frost would 

 admit ; and when the harrow had got to the depth 

 of the sods, they were worked up pretty fine, the 

 frost below making a bridge lor the team ro pass 

 on. About the first of last May I began planting 

 with potatoes, without any manure. I cut the seed 

 very fine, and planted the parts near together. I 

 merely marked the hills with a hoe, then a man 

 followed after with the seed, and then another 

 man to cover it. So I made speedy work in plant- 

 ting. I calculated to have the seed, when covered, 

 one inch Irom the surface. I used sixty-nine bush- 

 els of seed, that is, about tburteen bushels to an 

 acre. I should not liave seeded so light, had I 

 not felt an uncertainty about obtaining a crop, 

 without the use of manure. There was but one 

 man, among those I consulleil, who gave me 

 any encouragement. Many said I should lose 

 my labor. To their astonishment I harvested 927 

 bushels of excellent potatoes. The expense incident 

 to planting, hoeing, harvestins, &c., including the 

 seed, I estimate at $117. The land is now in a 

 Plate that I can plough it at pleasure. On a small 

 piece of the landl planted corn, and it ripened well. 

 On a small piece I sowed wheat, but it came to no 

 perfection, either in the straw or grain. 



The wood was converted into charcoal. In 1S37 

 1 coaled 1201 bushels, which sold in the mar'v i 

 for 8166 40. In 1838 I coaled 4200 bushels, whul. 

 sold on the hearth lor §333 33, and I asceriaincd 

 from the purchaser that it sold in Boston market 

 for $'630. I sold wood to the amount ol'.'gSO, and 

 I estimate that which I used lor my own fire worili 

 §j50 more. I have on hand one hundred cart loads 

 of the bottom of the coal pits, which I value atS75, 

 having had some knowledge of its virtue as a 

 manure. 



TiLc accounl may he iliiis s/a/cd: 



Proceeds of coal in 1837, - $\GG 40 



Do do in 1838, - 3.33 33 



Value of crop of potatoes, at 50 cIh. 



a bushel, - - - - 163 50 



Value of ashes l(>i' ?iianure, kr., 75 00 



Value of wood sold, - - $50 00 



Value of wood used, - - 50 00 



Increased value of the land, it be- "| 



ing now worth $125 an acre, [ ^^^ qq 

 and oriiiuially thought to be f 

 worth only $12 an acre, J 



$1702 23 



Labor, fyc. 



Levelling and clearing the 



land, &c., - - $504 00 



Carting the wood and roots, 35 00 

 Harrowing, &c., - - 12 00 



Planting, hoeing, harvesting, 



&c., - - - - 117 00 

 Coaling in 1837, - - 40 00 



Coaling in 1838, - - 100 00 808 00 



Balance in fiivor of the experiment, $894 23 

 I have about two acres more of similar land, that 

 I am managing in the same way. It requires 

 much hard labor, but it yields a fjiir reward. 

 Yours with respect, 



Timothy II. Brov/n. 

 Saugus, December 7, 1838. 



fVllliam Osborn, Jr^s, statement. 



Tlie suliscriber presents the following statciiieiit } 

 to tlie Committee on Reclaimed Meadows : ^ 



The piece of meadow land reclaimed and cullr- 

 vated by the subscriber lies in Sangus, and containa 

 4 acres, very wet, and peaty bottom, and admitted 

 of running a pole in some places 10 leet without 

 reaching hard bottom ; covered with a large (pjan- 

 tity of pine stumps, and a young growth of maples, 

 alders, dogwood, &c. 



In the first place I commenced removing the 

 sods and roots from about one-fourih of an acre, 

 and burning the same, but finding the land would 

 not be made sufficiently dry by this process, I 

 turned the sods over the whole |;iece in the iail 

 (1837), and let them remain lor the action of the 

 Irost until spring (1838), then had them chopped 

 with large grub hoes, fine enough lor planiing 

 potatoes, &c. The process of turning over the 

 sods and getting out slumps were both done at the 

 same time; after doing this I run a ditch around 

 the piece, and four ditches across it, 3 leet deep 

 and 4 leet wide, with an outlet sulricient to drain 

 the land al all times last season, to 15 inches be- 

 !'>w the surface. 



I annex a rough sketch of the diirercnt lu;s, which 

 i will dpscribe : 



Lot No. 1. Containing one-fourth of an acre, 

 nearest the upland, was cleared in the fall and 

 spring by chopping and clearing the small roots, 

 and made in a good condition lor cabbaires ; ina- 

 nured with compost of loam and manure, and a 

 small portion of unbleached ashes put in each hill. 

 Crop, 50 dozen large cabbriires. 



Lot No. 2. One-lburih of an acre, pared and 

 burned ; sods not fully burned collected into heaps 

 and ndxed with stable manure, lime, mid salt ; 

 in spring choppeil fine and spread in drills : planted 

 with rata baga. Crop, 100 to 150 bushels— mixed 

 with others and I cannot give the exact number. 



Lol5 No, 3 and 4. Sods turned and mud wheeled 



