546 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



verized seed-bed, so that the labor of planting 

 and hoeing is very light. Our use of it has not 

 been sufficiently extended to justify a positive 

 opinion in regard to its merits, anJ v/e can only 

 say, as we do of all implements and machines, 

 that the farmer should be slow in adopting them 

 until he has given them personal attention and 

 investiaration. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CROP3 IN ESSEX COTJIf TY. 



Messrs. Editors : — Below may be seen some 

 statements as to the yield and quality of crops in 

 this town and vicinity. 



Although the nature of the season has been 

 favorable, our people have realized only a fair 

 crop of English hay ; but it is of the finest qual- 

 ity, having been well matured in growth and 

 cured in the best order ; some stubbles have 

 come in well, while old bound-out lands have 

 produced light burdens. A few fields have pro- 

 duced two tons per acre, but in such cases the 

 ground has I'eceived outside dre-sing, or has late- 

 ly been laid down. Although some of our farm- 

 ers have given their attention to the improve- 

 ment of mowing lands by converting intervales 

 and previously unproductive land into English 

 mowing, yet, generally, this is not the case, and 

 though the present progressive age calls loudly 

 for such improvements, there are hundreds of 

 acres still in the crude state, only waiting to be 

 turned upside down and sown to hay seed to pro- 

 duce the owners two tons of hay to the acre. 



The meadows on Mill's river, and the "River 

 Meadows" in Topsfield, have produced well. 

 Some seasons, when heavy and early rains fall, 

 these valuable meadows are flowed, and in many 

 cases cannot be cut during the season. This year 

 they vt^ere cut early, and are well secured. 



Rye has yielded well, and is of very good qual- 

 ity. Some pieces of winter rye were so stout as 

 to make harvesting quite slow and difficult. 



Barley generally yields well, has a good ker- 

 nel, and pays as well for the land and labor as 

 any kind of grain grown by our farmers. 



Oats are raised to some extent, and peculiar 

 soil in favorable seasons will produce oats of a 

 fair quality, but I have never yet seen among the 

 farmers in our own community oats that would 

 begin to compare with those produced in Ver- 

 mont and Canada, either in quantity or quality. 



Pastures became short very early in the sea- 

 son, and of course, this has essentially diminished 

 ■ the products of the dairy. Mr. Preston Lov- 

 ERING, of this town, informs me he has thus far, 

 in feeding his stock of twenty head at the bai'n, 

 consumed over three tons of English hay. Cut- 

 ting "second crop" this season is quite out of the 

 question. 



Corn, owing to the early frosts, heavy rains, 

 no drying winds following, has proved next to a 

 failure. The ears have very sharp tips, though 

 more in a hill than some seasons, and the husk 

 has lain so close to the ear, being so green and 

 moist, that in some instances sprouts of half an 

 inch long may be seen on the ear. While there 

 are some good fields, the universal cry is poor 

 corn. Mr. Wm. Potter has a field confaininsr 



ten to twelve acres of heavy corn, which, on ac- 

 count of its size, and the quality of the corn, is 

 worthy of notice. This field was planted early, 

 on a large plain, and manured well — the ears are 

 large and well filled out, and the yield, per acre, 

 though not known, must be great for this region. 

 Truly, twelve acres of heavy corn upon a plain is 

 no mean sight ! Mr. Potter has, in all, about fif- 

 teen acres of corn. 



Potatoes are better in yield and quality than 

 for several years past. The disease, which has 

 been slight, did not commence till quite late in 

 the season, and fortunately, (providentially, we 

 may say,) that most valuable of vegetables has, 

 to a great extent, escaped the rot, and we have 

 reason to hope that the fatal epidemic will soon 

 disappear. The quality of potatoes this season 

 is particularly spoken of, both in grain and flavoi*. 

 The "Jackson White" and "Scotch Apple" are 

 of the very finest quality. Potatoes yield from 

 ten to sixteen hills to the bushel. Mr. Jarvis 

 Lamson, a good farmer here, who raises large 

 quantities of produce, I am informed, is digging 

 potatoes, where they uniformly turn out at ten 

 hills to the bushel ! The Chenango, which has 

 been so highly esteemed for years past, and which 

 has rotted the most extensively with us, has be- 

 come quite unpopular, and seldom planted. 



Onions are extensively raised on the place of 

 Mrs. Saunders, of Salem, superintended by Mr. 

 James Manning. Good crops have been realized 

 for a few years past, but the crops of last season 

 and the present, here, suffered from the maggot. 

 Some two thousand bushels a season have been 

 raised on this place. 



Pumpkins and squashes did not suffer so much 

 in the early part of the season from bugs as in 

 former years, and have yielded a good supply for 

 family use. 



Pears and peaches are not produced among us 

 to any extent. Some gardens have aftorded a 

 few bushels of that most delicious fruit, the 

 "Bartlett pear," which have readily brought from 

 $4 to $5 per bushel. 



Apples are few and far between, generally, 

 though some orchards will yield a surplus above 

 home demand, and some others will just supply 

 the wants for family use. 



The cranberries, owing to the early frosts, will 

 not be equal in quantity, if they are in quality, 

 compared with past seasons. The grass and bush- 

 es which grow among the vines and shade them, 

 serve to protect the fruit from the effects of frost 

 and therefore these should never be mown off. 

 Z. A. Appleton. 



Eamilton, Oct. 10, 1859. 



Annual Meeting of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society. — The annual meeting 

 of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society took 

 place in their building in School Street. From 

 certain causes well understood among the mem- 

 bers, but of no public concern, there was an un- 

 usually full attendance, and much interest was 

 manifested. 



Three tickets were in circulation for officers of 

 the Society for 18G0 — all, however, bearing the 

 name of the present very acceptable President, 

 Joseph Breck, Esq., for re-election, and differing 

 only in a few of the candidates presented for 



