AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



PUIiLISHED BY JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO. 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Agricultdral Warehouse.) 



VOI-. \I».l 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 2, 1840. 



ixo.fta. 



N. E. FARMER 



NEW HAVEN COUNTY AGRICULTURAL 



SOCIETY. 



Report of the Cumm'dtee on Fanns. 



[Concluded.] 



MR Allen's farm. 



From Middlebury your committee passed across 

 to Cheshire. They tliere visited the farm of IHr 

 Claudius Allen, formerly called the Law farm. It 

 contains 180 acres, and, except a piece of woodland 

 at its eastern extremity, lies in a parallelogram, 

 having its greatest length from east to west. It is 

 situated about half a mile north of the centre of the 

 town, and is intersected by the Cheshire turnpike, 

 and also by the old road running upon the top of 

 the hill west of the turnpike. The buildings are 

 all upon the old road, and upon nearly the highest 

 ground on the farm, and such is the descent that 

 all the wash is carried onto the farm itself 



Soil. — The soil is principally a deep sandy loam. 

 On some parts of the farm gravel prevails. Under 

 the soil on the hill, grey sandstone is found at va- 

 rious depths. Elsewhere, the subsoil is gravel and 

 sand. 



Buildings. — These are ancient, but in good re- 

 pair, and tolerably convenient. The barns have 

 thatched roofs, for which your committee are not 

 advocates. 'J'ho cider mill under the barn is well 

 worth the attention of all interested in that branch 

 of farming operations. 



Cultivation. — Hay and pasture are the main ob- 

 jects aimed at in the cultivation. There is a neat- 

 ness about the lots not as often found as the inte- 

 rests of our farmers would seem to require. No 

 bushes or weeds were to be seen, and the whole 

 farm is well cultivated and in good condition. 



Fenres. — Of these there are three kinds — stone 

 walls with rails on the top, posts and rails, and 

 worm fences. They are generally very fair. 



Rotation of Crops. — Three different rotations 

 are pursued, extending through three seasons, and 

 one occupying only two. They are, 1st, after 

 grass ; corn with manure ; oats ; and rye with 

 grass : 2d, buckwheat on sward which has been 

 mowed, with one ploughing ; potatoes or corn with 

 manure; and oats or rye with grass: 3d, rye with 

 manure ; corn with manure ; and oats and grass : 

 4tli, turnips ; and oats with grass. Grass seed is 

 occasionally sown with the turnips. 



Corn — Is planted in the early part of May, on 

 grass, or after rye or buckwheat, with ten double 

 loads of manure, in rows three and a half feet apart, 

 hills three feet distant on the rows, and three or 

 four kernels in the hill. Plaster is put into the 

 hill, and also on the corn after the first hoeing. 

 The seed is also soaked in tar water. The Dutton 

 and Tuicarora varieties have heretofore been cul- 

 tivated : this year they have given place to the 

 White Flint and the China Tree. The crop is 

 toed three times, being ploughed in the same di- 

 rection each time. It is either cut up and stacked 

 in the field, or the tops are cut and the corn picked, 



and the bottoms then cut up and secured. It pro- 

 duces 40 bushels per acre. 



Potatoes. — For this crop the land is prepared as 

 for corn, except that the rows are but three and 

 the hills on the rows two feet apart : the seed is 

 cut, and 8 to 10 bushels used : they are hoed twice, 

 plastered after the first hoeing, and produce 250 

 bushels. The Orange, Pink-eyes, Mercers, and 

 now a few Rohans are raised. 



Oats — Succeed corn or potatoes. The rows 

 are split and the land harrowed, two bushels of 

 seed is sown and ploughed in, and the grass seed 

 covered with the harrow : 35 bushels is considered 

 an average crop: they are cut when two thirds 

 changed. 



Ri/e — Is sown during the first week in Septem. 

 ber, either upon fallows or after oats. Fallows are 

 ploughed and harrowed twice, and the seed (one 

 bushel per acre) is ploughed in. After oats two 

 ploughings and one harrowing are given. The 

 ordinary crop is twenty bushels. 



Wheal. — For this the land is prepared as for rye, 

 except that a much larger quantity of manure is ap- 

 plied. One and a half bushels of seed is sown, 

 with an average product of 15 bushels. 



Pumpkins. — These are planted in hills six feet 

 apart, on land prepared as for corn, and are also 

 manured in the hill ; two vines only are permitted 

 to remain in each hill. 



Roots. — Carrots, ruta baga, and white and yel- 

 low turnips are usually raised: the land is careful- 

 ly cultivated, and the seed sown in drills : the last 

 year's crop was estimated at 1000 bushels; ,500 

 however, is the usual crop. 



Meadou'S. — These, 35 acres in the whole, are of 

 cultivated grasses, and are not manured except 

 with plaster: two quarts of herd's grass is sown in 

 the fall, and two of clover in the spring, and the 

 same quantity of each kind is used when sown in 

 the spring : the grass is cut, tedded, and put into 

 heaps, and the next day opened and carted, and 

 averages one and a half tons. Being grown upon 

 upland meadows, it cures with great facility. 



Pastures. — With a single exception these are 

 all cultivated : the same quantity of seed is sown 

 as for mowing. Plaster is occasionally sown, but 

 not regularly, because it brings in large quantities 

 of red clover. 



Il'oodlund. — Twentyfive acres are in wood, of 

 thrifty growth. A fine tract at the eastern extrem- 

 ity of the farm is not pastured. 



Jfater .For an upland farm this is tolerably wa- 

 tered, the arrangement being such that there is 

 water the principal part of the year, in every lot 

 except three, and those open into a small pasture 

 which is well supplied. 



Manure. — 200 double loads are annually made, 

 by the collection of various matters into the yards, 

 and eight double loads per acre is the usual dress- 

 ing : 500 loads of muck have been carted from a 

 swamp on the farm with decided advantage. 



Of plaster, three tons a year are used on corn 

 and potatoes, and cultivated grasses, at an average 

 of two bushels per acre. 



All the ashes which can be obtained are annu- 

 ally purchased. 



One thousand bushels of shell lime, and one 

 hundred of stone liirie, have been used on the farm 

 recently without perceftible effect, except in the 

 compost heap. 



Stock. — This consists of one yoke of fine oxen, 

 and eight cows, each yielding 15 quarl.« of milk : 

 these are nearly all young, and were bred on the- 

 farm. 



Hog>. — Fall shoats, of the common kind, are^ 

 fattened for market, and weigh from 300 to 350 ibs.. 

 Sheep. — 10 of the Bakewell breed are kept, yield- 

 ing 5 lbs. each of wool. 



Horses. — 2 are employed for family use and in. 

 work on the farm : the ploughing in corn and pota- 

 toes is done with a horse. 



Poultry. — Geese, chickens, ducks, and turkeys, 

 are extensively raised for sale, and are considered 

 a source of profit. 



Labor 2 sons of Mr Allen, both working men, 



one man hired by the year at .$13 per month, and. 

 also one at $1 25 per day through haying and har- 

 vest, are employed on the farm. 



Receipts. — The average receipts, as estimated by 

 Mr Allen, are, for 



Grain, $400 



Stock, 300 



Hogs and pork, 200 



Hay, 100 



Butter and cheese, 200 



Fruit and cider, 300 



Vegetables, 50 



Poultry, 50 



$1000 



MESSRS spencer's FARM. 



The last farm visited by your committee is that ' ' 

 of Messrs Christopher and Samuel Spencer, of ' '. 

 Guilford. The whole farm occupied by them con- • 

 sists of 380 acres, and lies in various detached pie- • ■ 

 ces in various parts of the town. The home lot of ! '. 

 GO acres, and a tract of 75 acres on the shore east 1 ; 

 of Sachem's Head, only were presented for premi- • • 

 um. 



Soil. — The home tract is principally of a light . , 

 sandy soil, with some rocky knolls, and is generally- ' 

 very feasible and free from stone: that on the point ■ ; 

 is, or rather was, excessively hard and stony : both; i i 

 tracts are now in excellent heart and produce heavy- 

 crops. 



Cultivation The land is generally well culti-. 



vated : the object appears to be to obtain great:,", 

 crops, and also to enrich the land ; but this is dones' 

 with less regard to expense in labor and manure^ j 

 than the small farmer with limited means finds re-« i 

 quisite for his profit,; nor is there that minute at- 

 tention which, in farmin"' as elsewhere, lies at the 

 foundation of success. 



Fences — On the home tract these are reasonably 

 good, being principally of rails. On the point 

 they are of stone, anil are good. In this departs- 

 ment, however, the. sa.me want of system and orde r 

 IS apparent, ' i^ ■ " ;„'''; 



