100 ON FARMS. 



given considerable attention. Most of my trees that bore natural 

 fruit, have been grafted, however large they were. By grafting, 

 pruning, scraping and manuring, ray orchard has been much increased 

 in value. 



I am very much in favor of deep ploughing and manuring highly, 

 even if by so doing we are obUged to cultivate much less land. 

 The little experience I have had in farming, convinces me that most 

 farmers pay quite too little attention to the maldng of manure. 



I had no cellar to my barn until about one year ago ; since which 

 time I think my manure heap has been very much increased, especi- 

 ally in value. In making manure, (which has been almost entirely 

 compost,) muck has been used very freely, and I think to great ad- 

 vantage. I have purchased but little manure^ with the exception of 

 leached ashes, for some years. Since I have had a cellar under my 

 barn, my fresh manure has been made into compost daily ^ (Sundays 

 excepted,) and so managed that most of it becomes saturated with 

 urine. In laying down my land to grass, it has been done mostly, 

 lor a few years, late in the autumn, so that the seed did not vege- 

 tate till the next Spring. I have had very good success in this way 

 of managing. * 



DANIEL MERRILL, 2d. 



Methuen, Oct., 1849. 



SIMEON L. WILSON'S STATEMENT. 



To the Committee on Farms : 



Gentlemen, — Having been favored with a visit from the Commit- 

 tee on Farms, and requested by them to make a statement of facts 

 relating to my place, it is with pleasure I comply with their request. 

 I suppose their attention was attracted to it by the pecuUar circum- 

 stances under which I have labored, in bringing a barren piece of land 

 to its present fertility. I will briefly state the particulars. At the 

 age of thirteen years I became a cripple, by a white swelling on my 

 knee, which caused me to lose the use of that joint. I at first got 

 about upon crutches ; afterwards with only a cane, and finally with- 

 out the aid of either. And whilst I was buoyed up with the hope of 

 again getting well of my lameness, or nearly so, I was afflicted with 



