1835.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



195 



designed to run between this city and Buffalo. 

 The boat is made considerably narrower than the 

 ordinary packets; is exceedingly light, and finished 

 in the most elegant manner. It is a sample of the 

 workmanship of our enterprising and faithful fellow 

 citizen, Seth C. Jones, who has for some time, we 

 understand, been of opinion, that a boat might be 

 so constructed as to be drawn by horse-power, at 

 the rate of ten or twelve miles to the hour. The 

 test on Saturday was a delightful realization of 

 the fact. Although the horses were unaccustomed 

 to the business, and for four or five miles of the dis- 

 tance, were exceedingly fractious and hard to 

 manage; the ride was completed in two hours and 

 thirty-four minutes, a distance of twenty-four miles, 

 including changes of hoises and a short stop at 

 Spencer's Basin. It is found by experiments, that 

 when the boat is propelled at the rate of seven 

 and a half or eight miles to the hour, it rides upon 

 the swell, creates less commotion in the canal, 

 than the common packets at four miles tothe hour, 

 and requires, we believe, about the same power 

 to draw it. An enterprising company has been 

 formed to run a daily boat of this size to Buffalo, 

 leaving Rochester after breakfast and going 

 through by daylight, a distance of ninety-five 

 miles ! This will be "going ahead" on the "rail 

 road principle," and those who are going from this 

 to Buffalo, or from Buffalo here, we think it will 

 not be difficult to say how they will go. 



Extracts from an Address to the Essex County Agricultural So- 

 ciety. 



ON IRRIGATION. 



By Ebenezer Moseley, President of the Society, 

 September 25, 1S34. 



The committee of the Essex Agricultural So- 

 ciety, on Irrigation, consisting of Daniel P. King, 

 Hobart Clark and Moses Newell, report: — 



Thattheir attention was invited by Mr. JEbene- 

 zer Jenkins of Andover, to four acres of mowing 

 fctnd on which he has been making an experiment 

 in irrigation. The field is a sandy gravel, the kind 

 of soil most capable of improvement by watering, 

 and so situated as to be flowed at pleasure. Mr. 

 Jenkins bought of a neighbor the use of the wa- 

 ter and the privilege of digging through his pas- 

 ture for ten years, for twenty dollars; he then 

 built a dam across a constant stream and made a 

 channel about fifty rods in length; by means of 

 this and other smaller ditches, he conducts the wa- 

 ter on his field in such quantities and at such times 

 as he thinks proper. Mr. Jenkins states that it is 

 his practice to bringthe water on the last of April, 

 and to stop flowing about the 25th of June. In 

 the spring of two years out of the four that his 

 land has been in a course of experiments, he has 

 applied a very light top dressing. The experi- 

 ment has been successful and creditable to the en- 

 terprise of Mr. J: the average crop of grass for a 

 number of seasons, according to the statement of 

 several disinterested and judicious farmers, had not 

 exceeded 10 cwt. to the acre: for three years past 

 it was nearly equal to 30 cwt. and the present sea- 

 son, was judged to be two tons to the acre; the 

 quality of the hay is good, and it would command 

 a fair price in the market. 



Irrigation, though long and extensively prac- 

 tised in other countries, has been but seldom at- 

 tempted here. That it might be profitably em- 



ployed by many farmers is probable: that it haa 

 been so employed by Mr. J. is certain. We will 

 offer him a few suggestions; if the trial should not 

 prove them to be improvements, he will have the 

 additional merit of having extended his experi- 

 ment, and having proved many things, he can hold 

 fast to that which is good. 



We think he should commence flowing earlier 

 in the spring, and draw off the water sooner than 

 the 25th of June; his grass would be ripe earlier, 

 and by bringing on the water directly after the 

 hay is housed, he would probably secure a heavy 

 second crop. If his top dressing were applied in 

 the fall instead of the spring, it would protect the 

 grass in the winter, and might be productive of 

 greater advantage. Mr. J. in his statement re- 

 marks that "observation and judgement are required 

 to know how and when to apply the water," we 

 agree with him, and offer our hints with some dis- 

 trust of our ability to advise him. The writers on 

 the subject whom we have consulted, recommend 

 a course different from his in some respects. They 

 say that the night, and cool or cloudy weather are 

 to be preferred for bringing on the water. They 

 also give a general rule, that no water should bo 

 applied, (unless in time of drought,) when the 

 grass is tall and nearly full grown, as it might 

 cause it to lodge, might make it gritty, or give it 

 an unpleasant taste. 



In our opinion Mr. Jenkin's experiments and 

 statement are satisfactory, and entitle him to a pre- 

 mium of $20 00 

 Respectfully submitted by, 



DANIEL, P. KING^ 



New Rowley, Sept. 25th, 1834. 



Ebenezer Jenkiii's statement, to the Committee of 

 the Essex Agricultural Society, on Irrigation. 



Gentlemen — I present you with the following 

 as a statement of my method of irrigating my 

 mowing land. In the spring of 1831, 1 purchased 

 of a neighbor for twenty dollars, the privilege of 

 conducting the water from a constant brook", 

 through his pasture, for the term of ten years: I 

 then made a canal or ditch about fifty rods in 

 length, after constructing a wooden dam across the 

 brook; and on the 31st of April conducted the wa- 

 ter on to one acre of sandy field land. This land 

 has a gentle slope towards the south, had been 

 four years in grass and the average crop was about 

 one half ton. I stopped the flowing of the water, 

 June 25th. The hay when made was estimated 

 byjudicious neighbors to be two tons. 



In 1832, I continued and extended the experi- 

 ment. On the acre above named, I obtained about 

 two-thirds as much hay as last year. On the two 

 acres, covered with water, for the first season, I ob- 

 tained by estimation three tons of clover hay. 

 Method of flowing the same as in 1831. 



In 1833, I applied a light top dressing of com- 

 post manure, which I obtained by ploughing a 

 yard where I had watered my cattle one winter. 

 It amounted to about four cords, was mixed fine, 

 thrown into a heap where it laid through one 

 winter, and was spread in the spring. I obtained 

 this year by estimation from 23 to 27 cwt. per 

 acre. 



In 1834, in the spring, I spread on about four 

 acres eight cords of compost manure which I 

 bought for $2 50 per cord. The water was used 



