84 



adopt or to reject the example thus set him. lu this way, the 

 often sneered-at " Fancy Farmers" of Essex county have done 

 great good, ei'lier by practically demonstrating that it is profit- 

 ble to leave the same old ruts whicli have deepened year by 

 3'ear for the highway of progress ; or by conclusively proving 

 how worthless are many of the much talked of fashionable ag- 

 ricultural theories. 



Your committee, instructed to examine one of these so-called 

 " Fancy Farms," witnessed its improvement and its manage- 

 ment with great interest ; and it is to be hoped that the follow- 

 ing imperfect sketch of it may induce many of the farmers 

 of Essex county, especially those owning low nnproductive 

 land, to make a personal examination for their own instruction. 



Tlic ^' Appleton Farm" is in Ips\Aich, about two miles south 

 of the village, and on the line of the Eastern railroad. It is a 

 homestead, having been in the possession of the fomily Avhose 

 name it bears since 1635, and it is now owned by Daniel F. 

 Appleton, wlio is also engaged in successful business operations 

 elsewhere, but who directs its management, much of which lie 

 personally superintends. The good results of his mercantile 

 system, and of the methodical employment of capital in im- 

 proving the estate and the stock upon it, are plainly visible, 

 and demonstrate that it would be well for many of oiu- success- 

 ful working farmers to invest more of their gains from their 

 farms in blooded stock, manures, lal)()r and ditch-tile, rather 

 than in bonds or mortgages. The "Appleton Farm" contains 

 about two hundred and fifty acres, of which fifty are bog- 

 meadow, and eighty are rocky pasture. One of the commit- 

 tee, who was well acquainted "with the farm before it came into 

 the possession of its present proprietor, five years ago, stated 

 that it then produced only about six tons of English hay, and 

 twenty-five tons of fresh meadow hay. This year, it was esti- 

 mated that Mr. Appleton had cut seventy-five tons of English 

 hay, and two or three tons of meadow hay — the latter the pro- 

 duet of the then last piece of unreclaimed meadow, which has 

 since been plowed. There were, in addition, considerable 



