m)t Jarmcr'5 iViontW llisttor. 



Merrimack Agricultural Society. 

 REPOKT ON FARMS. 



l.nprove.nent is llie ol.ject of our associiUion ; 

 anil it is well occusionMly lo take a review ol 

 llie imst aiul examine our laiiil uiarlis, ami as- 

 certaa, wl.ether we .nake any real a.lvaM.-e 

 either in the art or science of agriculture. It l^, 

 nineteen or twenty years «ii,ce the chairinai, 

 fir.it served on a conunittee ol the kind, and l 

 ,„ay be well to note some of the changes winch 

 have taken place in the course ol a htUi ol a 

 ceiunry. There are many sad reminiscences, 

 some of us have made a transition from the vig- 

 or of vouth, to the verge of old age, and ■nany 

 value.i members of our society have gmie l.om 

 lit . in eternity We look in vain for Ameb, 

 Geeou-hf Moore of Canterbury ; Web»tcr 

 ^d Ser of Boscawen; Pecker and Ayer, 

 he Ambroses, the dignifie.l Col. Kent and lace- 

 tious Col. Carrigain of Concord, Judge btevens 

 of Pembroke, with many others wlu.se names 

 do not occur, have within the period under con- 

 sideration closed their labors and duties in tins 

 cliaU"ing world. 



liut notwithstanding these which seemed to 

 be pillars have iallei, -there has been a con- 

 linned progress in improvement and it seems 

 the order of Providence, and designed to lead us 

 not to think more highly of ourselves than we 

 ou"ht to think "that wisdom does not die with 

 us" The iireatest moral improvement m the 

 agiicullurarcommnnity in the last 20 years is in 

 the disuse of alcoholic drinks. It is bu lit le 

 more than that period since Kittridge made the 

 astounding assertion that "two gallons of rum 

 for the town of Lyme was just eight quarts too 

 much"-aiid on my first tour viewing arms, it 

 was uniformly offered wherever our .bnsuiess 

 led us, and thought indispensable to civil tie, t- 

 luent. Cider was thought indispensah e on the 

 table-now spirit was not named as a beverage, 

 and cider was scarcely met with on the tab e , 

 and we find we can have a public dinner to-day 

 washed down with pure water 1 his i-eform 

 alone is of incalculable benehl. T he debdi.ating 

 and demoralizing iidiuence of ard-nt spirit could 

 only be known by conlrasling onr present with 

 oni former situation. The business ol cider 

 „Kiking was once one of the heaviest items ol 

 fall work fi-om which we are now almost wholly 

 released. In implemenls of husbandry, new m- 

 venlions and the bringing into use older ones, 

 have verv much abridged the expense and physi- 

 cal ibrce necessary to carry on a larni. I he hay 

 rack has almost unifbrmly succeeded what was 

 fin-merly called the mocJdng for carting hay, which 

 U more safe, much easier to unlade and rake af- 

 ter The cradle has come into much more gen- 

 eral use for culting grain, which abridges the 

 labor of securing grain more than one halt over 

 the sickle, and tlireshing which 20 years ago, 

 was a standing job for fall and win.er, is iiow 

 done up in a few hours Ry lior.se power. Ihe 

 horM. rake, which has recently been inlroduced, 

 is nerliai.s the most important invention to the 

 farmer, of any of modern dale. On smooth 

 farms perhaps it is not betler than some older 

 rake- but on onr rough farms it is worihas iiincli 

 as a t'omtli man added to a gang of three. the 

 general iiitroductiou of the cast iron plough 

 within twenty years has taken place, wliieli has 

 ,„adea saving of at least one lourlli ol the team 

 —while it has added nearly as much to the va ue 

 of the work— oiher impleinciits ol hnshanilry 

 are a verv diflerent arlicle from what they were 

 twenty years ago-compare a buy or manure 

 fork Willi one of tiie generalion belore_ ns-aiid 

 you find a polished, light elastic article in place 

 of a rusty heavy iron tool which reipiired very 

 elastic and energetic nerves to wield. '1 he con- 

 liast will hold good wiih almost all tools, as axes, 

 luie.S shovids, &c. &c. .•i„,„r 



Tueniy years ago among ihe staple articles o 

 this countrV were' the prudnrls of the dairy ami 

 the sty, as the most prominent lor market. 1 liese 

 „ow ".lo not greaily exceed our consumption, 

 while w(Hd has become a promment article. 

 Iloiiseliold iiiaimlactniTa arc to a great txient 

 aban.loneihfof Ihe reason that the maaufaclurmg 

 ..viablishments monopolize the help which is m- 

 • .hsneusable for the old order of things, lliese 

 i,„ movements are probably l'"t '!'« beginning 

 of what we may expect, and but the begmnmg 

 of what we must have, lo kre]. our heads above 



water in the farming business. The facilities 

 of transportation have now brought lis into fa- 

 miliar neighborhood with Boston ; and Buflalo, 

 which was beyond the west in our boyish days, 

 is now withiiricss di-stance of tiu.e than Boston 

 ihen was. While we glory in our improvements 

 and apprehend ourselves near perfection, we 

 are in reality hut at the threshold. In agricul- 

 lure and mechanical skill probably Kgypt was 

 ahead of us three thousand years ago. With all 

 our mechanical |)0wers we could hardly raise 

 the stones of an Egyptian pyramid. But as llie 

 ingenuity of onr conulrymen seems fairly arouseil, 

 we may expect great results. And it is no more 

 chimerical to expect a conveyance of passengers 

 anil merchandize through the air within the 

 next twenty years, than our present mode ot 

 transportation by railroad and intelligence by 

 electricity, would have been thought twenty 

 years aco. And the use of steam power on our 

 farms vviihin the next twenty years to relieve 

 our o.\en and horses, is no more chimerical than 

 it would have been twenty years ago, that they 

 should be disused for transportation across the 



country. , , , ■ i .. 



The improvement in stock has beeu consulei- 

 able in the period under review. There are 

 very many more oxen over seven feet than lor- 

 ,„ei-|v— very many more prime cows ; and sheep 

 have'improved in quantity and quality of wool. 

 lu horses there has been a striking advance; 

 hut yet we are very fiir behind some parts of 

 our country and very far behind our own inter- 

 est. It is gratifying, in thus reviewing apeno.l 

 which is so large a part of the active lie of a 

 man, to hud ourselves advancing, and that we 

 have reason to believe our lime and money 

 spent in the Society has been well invesled.— 

 What we now need to give an impetus, i" "''- 

 cordance with the limes— is scientific knowledge. 

 We feel the need very much of a knowledge ot 

 Ihe elements of different soils, plants and ma- 

 nures, that we may not waste onr labor m at- 

 tempting to raise a crop on soil which contains 

 not the necessary ingreilients, and m applying 

 manure which shall retard and deteriorate our 

 plants, instead of pressing them forward and 

 invigoratiiig them. _ ■. • i , 



I would make the suL'geslion whether it might 

 not he a good application of our funds to print 

 for our use some compendious disqmsiiion on 

 chemistry-stripped of all teclmicalilies, and 

 a<lai.ted to our capacities. Our friend Bartlett 

 ini'dit furnish somelhing to meet the case. 



Lest 1 should draw too lirgely on tlie |.atience 

 of the audience I will close with what I suppose 

 was exiiecled, a sliorl account of the duties o 

 viewing of fiirins, gardens and crops performed 

 by your commiltee. , , • r 



"'i'he committee met to attend to the duties of 

 their appointment the third of August, at the 

 house ofBenjamie Whi|>;de, Esq. of Dmibarlon, 

 who entered his farm. His farm is siiuated on 

 bi.di ground, ihereli.re not frosty, but like other 

 N("w llninpshire hills naturally hard ; and the 

 |,re-5ent condition of his iiirm indicates lliat it has 

 had a hard working man on it. It is ninslly 

 fenced Willi stone wall, and the material is nut 

 exhausted, ihougli his fields are so tar cleared as 

 to be very coudbrtably cnliivated. His crops 

 were proiusiiig, and his wheat fit for the sickle. 

 He deserves much praise for the perseverance 

 which is manifest from - the appearance of his 

 farm. After partaking largely ol the goo. 

 ihin"S provided by our hostess, (and hero 1 

 would say there was no lack of hospitality on 

 the part of any whom we visilcd,) we went to 

 view the corn of WolcoU A. Blodgett ol Con- 

 looeookville. He hud fi.ur acres on the intervale 

 al the ■•onnuenee of llie Contoocook ami Warner 

 |.-,vers— very large growth and jnannred in the 

 hill with a compost of stable maniiro and saw- 

 dust taken IVmn an eddy below a saw-null. \\ e 

 i„.M looke<l at ihe wheat of Mr. Jeremiah I.. 

 Gerrish of Boscawen. Ho had three acres- 

 ■rood .'i-owth, but injured by the wevil and rust. 

 VVe next viewed the corn and wheat ol A. Bur- 

 bank l':sq. of Boscawen — he had lour acres (d 

 each' both of which indicated good culuvalion. 

 Next in course were the general crops ol ■I'homas 

 lOlliot Esq., of Boscawen: Ins crops showed 

 Ihat he understood the apphcalion of both lal;or 

 ,„ul mauure-lhough his wheat was inucli m- 

 i„r,.d Willi rust. We next visiled the lariii ot 

 Mr John Sanborn of Boscawen. His larm is on 



high ground, and was, when he came to the pos- 

 session of it, a very rocky, hard piece of land, 

 though the soil was very good. By dint ol bard 

 knoclis he has made his fields smooth and 

 easy of cultivation, and liis fences permanent ; 

 his original farm being all fenced with stone 

 wall— his buildings and all about them indicating 

 that a man has been about them who made work 

 the business of the day, and that the odds and 

 ends were used to some good purpose. Ihis 

 ended our first day's work. 



The farm of Col. F. Coffin next called our at- 

 tention. His also is a hill farm, but has been 

 longer cnliivated than Mr. Sanborn's and was 

 not nalurally so hard-his crops appeared well, 

 and his husbandry was good, and his labor as 

 well directed. We next viewed the corn and 

 wheat ot Laban M. Chadwick, Esq. of Bosca- 

 wen. His land is rather f5at, and ihe spring was 

 so wet that his crops were backward— but well 

 grown and promising. His corn was planted m 

 drills about twelve to fifteen inches asunder; in 

 ,-ows about three feet apart. We next viewed 

 the crops and Harden of Mr. Benjamin Walker 

 of Boscawen ; his corn and wheat were promis- 

 ing, and his garden had a full fall and winter 

 supply for his family of all the usual vegelables. 

 After looking at the garden of Oapt. Enoch Cot- 

 fin of Boscawen we proceeded to look, at ilie 

 crops of Mr. James H. Gill of the same towu.- 

 His general husbandry was good-his corn anil 

 oats very large. The garden of John Green- 

 ouo-h, Esq., next called our attention. He had 

 growing a great proportion of kitchen vegetables 

 —and no weeds to ob.struct them- while there 

 seemed a female department where there was 

 much that was ornamental— exhibiting good 

 taste and the whole so blended as lo almost 

 .rratify at once the three senses which are so 

 u-eated as lo receive their impression in the face. 

 After a walk ihroiuih the garden of VVorcester 

 Webster, Eiq. which was shown merely for ex- 

 liihiling and admiring what wealth and good 

 fisie combined could do, we visited ihe farm ot 

 \l)ram Brown, Esq., of Norlhfield for the pur- 

 pose of viewing his crop.s. His corn was large 

 and his wheal and potatoes the largest we saw 

 in onr tour. From these we proceeded to view 

 the wheat and corn of Nathan Blanchnrd, Esq., 

 of Canterbury. His crops indicated good hus- 

 bandry and seem promising. From 'l'«s^ /^« 

 proceeded lo examine the farm of Got. Hi 1 nl 

 Concord, who was requested to, and from whom 

 it is expected the socielv will have a slalenient 

 of his fuming operations. This closed onr sec- 

 ond day's labor. 



A part of the committee called to see the 

 crops of Capl. George W. Dow, of Concord,- 

 which were not understood to be entered tor 

 premium. Two of the .■ommiltee afterwards 

 called on Mr. Charles E. Pulney of Boscawen 

 who entered his crops, and by an oversight ol 

 Ihe secretary was not known when the commit- 

 tee were together. His crops were good and 

 his farm indicated good husbandry ; and as he is 

 a young man we may hojie lo find him slndying 

 the science as well ns art of farming, iour 

 cnminittee find corn uniformly good, wheat as 

 uniformly injured -oats and potatoes not extra- 

 ordinary.' We find al.so some diHiculiy in adjusi- 

 in.r the"premiums to our own satisfaction, nit 

 hni.e onr best endeavors will meet the approba- 

 tiou of all concerned. We recommend the pre- 

 ,„i„,„s to be .lisposed of as toll""'^; <Si (10 



First premium on farms, to Gov. Hill, §4.W 

 '2d do. John- Sanborn, Boscawen, d.Ul) 

 3d do. C..1. F. Cofliu, Boscawen, 2.0U 

 4th do. B. Whipple, Esq, Dunbarton, l.OU 

 1st on ixeneral cropf, A. l^rown, Esq. 



Norlhliehl, ■^■"^' 



od do. 1!. W^dker, Boscawen, 2.00 



3d do. Thomas Elliot, " I'S 



4,hdo. James II Gill, ^ '^ 



1st do. on wheat, J. E. Gimm, ^-UU 



•2d do. .'\. Burbank, I-™ 



3d do. L. M. Chadwick, " 1.0" 



1st on corn, W. A. Blodgett, Conto- ^^^ 

 cookville, ,■ ,, 



od do. A. Burbank, Boscawen, l.-) 



3.1 do. N. Blanchar.l, Canterbury. 1.0 

 1st best oats, J. Grecnough, Boscawen, 2. • 

 2.1 do. B. Walker, / , „: , ,., 



We recommend a premium of one doll.u to 

 ririrlcs E Pulii.-y, of Boscawen, on Ins great 

 Clu.Us 1.. y, ^ ^ LITTLE, Chaiman. 



