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Account of the successful Cultivation of Wheat on the 

 sea coast of Rhode Island, by Messrs, Greenes, com- 

 municated to Dr. Mease, by Dr Joseph Comstock, of 

 East Greenwich, Rhode Island. 



Read Sep. 10, 1816. 



" As agricultural concerns, occupy some part of 

 your attention, I lately took pains to make inquiries of 

 my friend, Col. C. Greene (brother of the late Gen G.) 

 whose family I was attending, respecting his extraordi- 

 nary success in raising wheat. It is probably known to 

 you, 'hat of late years attempts to raise wheat in New 

 England (upon the sea coast more especially) have been 

 frustrated either by the wheat being killed by the winter, 

 or by being ruined by blast. The Messrs. Greenes who 

 own the Potowom farm in Warwick, the last year raised 

 fifty- four bushels of excellent wheat off two and a half 

 acres of land ; and that was the fourth year that the same 

 spot had been under tillage, viz. 1st. Indian corn, 2d. 

 Barley, and then two crops of wheat in succession. 

 Last year a bushel of the wheat weighed 61 lb. There is 

 now a promising crop upon the same spot. 



The mode of culture has been : 1st. to manure the 

 land highly with manure obtained from Naraganset Bay, 

 to which their farm is contiguous ; 2d. in the begin- 

 ning of winter, after the ground is frozen, the same kind 

 o^ manure (chiefly, almost wholly ell-grass) which is cart- 

 ed on in carts having broad wheels in such quantities as 



