VOL. XIX. NO. 34. 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER 



267 



REPORTS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AG- 

 RICULTURAL SOCIETV. 



MR LATHROP'S STATEMENT. 



I. Of how much land does your farm consist ex- 

 clnsive of woodland ? 



One hundred and sixty acres. 



2d and 3d. VVIiat is the nature of your soil ? 



It consists of clay with a large mixture of sand, 

 with clay subsoil. I find it well adapted to both 

 grain and grass, but think the best method nf im- 

 proving it IS to keep the greater part to grass. 



4. How many acres do you till, and how many 

 cartloads of manure do you generally put on an 

 acre .' 



Have ploughed the season past for corn, pota- 

 toes, ruta bagas and small grains, 21 1-2 acres. — 

 Have generally put from 15 to 25 loads, as I thought 

 the condition of the soil required. 



5. Is your manure applied in a long or green 

 state, or in compost .' 



The manure made during the winter I choose to 

 have go through a slight fermentation before using. 

 That made during the warmer seasons I convert in- 

 to compost. 



6. Do you spread and plough in your manure 

 put upon fields to be planted, or put it into the hills .' 



In planting turf grounds in a high state of culti- 

 vation, I should only manure in the hills ; if rather 

 poor, should plough, then spread a light coat of 

 barn manure and harrow it in, and manure with 

 compost in the hill, to give an early start. If I 

 plant corn on stubble or warm mellow ground, 

 should by all means spread and plough in, though 

 not deep. Manuring such ground in the hill, es- 

 pecially in dry seasons, will give many stalks and 

 but few ears. 



7. What is your method of ploughing and culti- 

 vating green sward .' 



To prevent injury to my corn crop by the cut 

 worm, 1 have usually ploughed green sward in the 

 fall of the year. In the spring I give it a thorough 

 harrowing; manure and plant as described in the 

 foregoing answer. 



8. How many acres of grass land do you irri- 

 gate ? 



Not any. 



9. How many acres of upland do you mow, and 

 what is the average quantity of hay upon an acre .' 



About 40 acres : not less than two tons per acre, 

 including rowen, which is taken from only about 

 one fourth of the ground. My upland mowings are 

 manured on the turf in the spring with what ma- 

 nure I can spare from my ploughed grounds, and 

 annually sowed with plaster at the rate of from 00 

 to 100 pounds per acre. My pasture lands are also 

 sowed in the same way. 



10. How many acres of low land not suitable 

 for the plough do you mow .' 



About ten. 



II. What is the quality and quantity of hay cut 

 the present year.' 



The most part is fine ; consisting of white clo- 

 ver, English and timothy. A small portion is rath- 

 er coarse with a mixture of foul meadow. Quan- 

 tity about 1 1-2 ton per acre. 



12. What is your method of reclaiming low, bog 

 or peat lands, and what has been your success? 



The above ten-acre lot described in the answers 

 to questions 10 and 11, is low and was somewhat 

 boggy or hassocy. My method of reclaiming has 

 been deep ditching and cutting off the bogs or has- 



socs. I have had most wonderful success ; increas- 

 ing both quantity and ([uality of hay. It has never 

 been manured. 



13. How many acres of corn have yon planted 

 the present season ; what was your mode of prepar- 

 ing the ground and the seed ; the kind and quan- 

 tity of manure used to an acre; the manner of ap. 

 plying it and the quantity of corn raised to an 

 acre ? 



Planted nine acres. Prepared the ground and 

 manured as described in answer to question No. C, 

 having planted both turf and mellow ground. Have 

 raised the Dutton corn with great success. Have 

 not harvested all. Six acres of the green sward 

 manured only in the hill with compost, is judged 

 by our farmers to yield fifty bushels to the acre. 

 The three-acre lot was mellow stubble ground, 

 where 1 raised wheat last year. I carted on at the 

 rate of fifteen or twenty loads of barn manure 

 and ploughed it in last spring. This is harvested, 

 and averages not less than sixty bushels per acre. 

 The seed was soaked in water and rolled ni plaster. 



14. How many acres of potatoes did you plant 

 the present year; what was your method of plant- 

 ing ; your manner of cultivating ; and what was 

 the average quantity raised on an acre ? 



Two and one fourth acres. One acre of Rohans 

 were planted four feet apart each way, measuring 

 from centre to centre, with two eyes in each hill. 

 Three fourths of an acre of Biscuit or Carter, for 

 table use, planted three feet each way. The Ro- 

 hans were hoed three times ; the Biscuit but twice. 

 The Rohans were planted in the same field with 

 the three-acre lot of corn above named, and ma- 

 nured the same as the corn. The produce was 

 3.55 bushels. The Biscuit were planted in a pas- 

 ture without manure, and yielded at the rate of on- 

 ly one hundred and twenty bushels per acre. One 

 half acre planted with various kinds, not accurate- 

 ly measured. 



15. What number of acres of other vegetables 

 did you plant; what kinds, and how many bushels 

 of produce have you to the acre, and to what use 

 shall you apply them .' 



One and a half acre of ruta baga, not gathered. 

 Should judge it to produce (300 bushels to the acre. 

 Shall feed them to all my sheep and cattle, (ex- 

 cept milch cows.) Potatoes I design for milch 

 cows and swine. 



16. How many acres of grain did you sow the 

 present year; what kind of grain, and at what 

 times; how was the ground prepared; what quan- 

 tity of seed did you sow on an acre ? If you have 

 raised wheat, of what kind ; the nature of the soil ; 

 and was it sown with or without using lime? 



Eight and three fourths. One and three fourths 

 of Italian spring wheat, sowed early in April ; 

 ground planted year pro^fious ; ploughed but once 

 last spring ; sowed at the rate of one bushel and 

 26 qts. per acre ; nature of the soil as described in 

 2d and 3d answers; sown without lime; sowed 

 about 60 lbs. plaster to the acre after it came up. 

 The produce was 36 1-2 bushels good wheat — 

 Sowed seven acres of oats about the 20th of April. 

 Ground prepared the same as for the wheat ; the 

 same nature of soil. Sowed three bushels seed to 

 the acre. Oats not thrashed ; from the number of 

 shocks and what few are thrashed, the produce can- 

 not vary much from 45 bushels to the acre. Have 

 about 100 bushels of rye from land sowed last fall. 



17. How many acres have you laid down to 

 grass the present season ; at what time did you 



sow it; how much seed to the acre; and was it 

 sowed alone or with grain crops ? 



F.ight and three fourths ; sowed in April ; one 

 peck of herds grass and eight pounds of clover 

 seed to the acre was sowed after the grain was 

 harrowed, and the hay seed was rolled in. 



18. What are ynur moans and what your man- 

 ner of collecting and making manures? 



My plan of collecting and making manures is, 

 immediately after haying to cart meadow mud and 

 turf, and place it at thj foot of where the manure 

 from stables is to lie during the winter and spring, 

 that it may receive the benefit from what may leach 

 from the heaps. This I have found to be of essen- 

 tial benefit to the compost. My cattle also have 

 the privilege of lying upon it while at the barns. 

 This is left until after haying another year, and 

 thi'n carted where I intend to plant the year fol- 

 lowing. My hog pens are filled at the same time 

 with the sanae materials. Often I make holes with 

 an iron bar and fill with corn. The corn pays the 

 hogs for their labor and saves shoveling the manure 

 over. I usually ii.ow the stubble and weeds from 

 my new seeded ground. This is beneficial to the 

 clover and serves to increase the quantity of ma- 

 nure. I also gather weeds, potato tops, &c. to put 

 in the hog pens. 



19. How many oxen, cows, young cattle, horses 

 and shoep do you keep through the year? What 

 is the size of your barns, and have you a cellar un- 

 der them ? Is your manure covered ? 



Usually from 35 to 40 cattle ; have now some- 

 thing over 40 ; one horse and 30 sheep. One barn 

 64 feet long and 40 wide, 16 feet posts ; one 40 

 feet square with 18 feel posts ; one 20 feet square 

 with II feet posts, used entirely for hay. A cellar 

 under the first described barn. Only a small share 

 of the manure is covered. 



20. Are your cows of native, foreign or mixed 

 breed ? 



They are of the improved Durham Short Horns, 

 thorough bred ; have nineteen, including young 

 stock, of pure blood, such as are termed herd book 

 animals ; remainder of stock are mixed bloods. 



21. What is your management of calves intend- 

 ed to raise ? 



I let them run with a cow until they are six or 

 seven months old. 



22. How much butter did you make and how 

 many cheeses, and what proportion of it new milk? 



Generally have milked only two cows and a 

 heifer ; have kept no account of butter or cheese. 

 The milk of two thorough-bred cows was weighed 

 for 90 days ; one averaged 48 lbs. per day ; the 

 other 45 lbs., on grass only : milked twice only 

 each day. 



23. How many sheep do you keep, and of what 

 breed ? How many pounds of wool do you get 

 from your sheep ? What is your manner of hous- 

 ing, penning, rearing and feeding them, especially 

 in winter and at the time of lambing ? What time 

 do they lamb, and what proportion of their young 

 die, and from what cause ? 



I keep about 30 sheep of the Southdown breed ; 

 average fleece between 3 1-2 and 4 lbs. In win- 

 ter I yard them and give them a chance to go un- 

 der a shed when they please. I feed them on 

 good hay and a moderate quantity of ruta baga, 

 and am particular that they have plenty of water. 

 A very erroneous idea many farmers have, that 

 sheep do not require water when snow is on the 

 ground. I believe thousands in New England be- 

 come diseased and die for the want of it. My 



