188 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DEC. ao, i--ir. 



(From the I'lymouth Co. Menjorial.) 



CULTIVATION OF \VHE.\T. 



We insert below n coniiiiiiirK'.itioii iVoni a v;il- 

 ucil fricDcl and con c-spondeiit on tliis snliject,u liii-li 

 is now engaging the ntteiition of the farriiei's of 

 this County. The suliject is lo ho tivat(<l at sotne 

 length. The writer is a practical farmer, and 

 we^bclieve his essays will he perused wiili inter- 

 est. 



I would invite the attention of my brother far- 

 mers in Plymouth County, to the all important 

 subject of raising ff'heat. There is much land in 

 the Old Colony peculiarly adapted to this cro|i, 

 and in my hundile o[)inion, not one dollar should 

 be allowed to go out of the Coimty for flour, — 

 unless, indeed, there should happen to be a fatn- 

 ine. There can be but little doubt (there is noije 

 in my mind,) but wheat is a more certain crop 

 even here than rye; that on an average, with good 

 .management, one third m»re can be raised on an 



acre and when raised is worth twice as mncli. 



Then what objections can there he to cultivating 

 it? Why, our fathers and grandfathers have t(dd 

 us that wheat will not grow in Old Massachusetts 

 the land is old, worn out, and incapable of pro- 

 ducing wheat — and so we take it for granted 



From several years experience, I am convinced 

 that this is not the fact; that, if tliH land iai defi- 

 cient of some of the pcculiiir constituent.s of wheat, 

 it can easily be supplied, miH when supplied, we 

 are as sure of a good crop, as we are of any other 

 crop we cultivate. 



Wheat succeeds best on a light loa'iiy soil in 

 good condition ; and if it could succeed clover, 

 or be sown on a clover ley, so umch the better. 

 Fresh unfermented manure should not be applied, 

 or if applied, should be ploughed under the soil, 

 and four bushels or more of lime or ashes shoidd 

 be sown on the acre after the wheat is up. Sow, 

 harrow and roll in your wheat in the same man- 

 ner as you do your rye. 



In our northern latitudes s|)riiig wheat Succeeds 

 best, of which tlicsre are sevejal varieties, the bald, 

 the tea, Itiiban, &c. &c. Spring wheat shnulil be 

 got in as early as the ground can be properly pre- 

 pared to receive it, — it is also essential that the 

 seed be properly prepared before sowing. Let it 

 be washed in small quantities, skimming off the 

 fold seeds that float on the top — drain oH'the wa- 

 ter, lay it on a clean floor, and mix two quarts of 

 slacked lime, and one quart of plaster with each 

 bushel — spread it and shovel or rake it over for 

 tlireo or four tiays before sowing; five pecks of 

 seed is sufficient for an acre of land. It shouhl 

 be harvested soon after it is out of the ndlk, and 

 before the grain becomes hard, and shocked in the 

 field until it is perfectly dry, and can be moved 

 away with safety, by which process much labor 

 saved in turning, threshing, &c. An able writer 

 says, "every farmer ought to live as much as pos- 

 sible upon the productionsof his own farm. Fash- 

 ion re(piires that every ftmily should consume an- 

 nually, nore or less good flour; every farmer, 

 therefore, who has land ailapted toils growth will 

 do well to raise enough for his own consumption. 

 It is good economy to raise every thing on a farm 

 which is practicable and not too expensive for 

 family use. It saves much money and considera- 

 ble time which would otherwise be einployed in 

 procuring the necessary articles from abroad." 

 Mattakees, JVov. 1837. C. 



At the meeting of the Trustees of the I'lymouth 

 County Agricultural Sosiety, at Bridgewater, on 

 the 15th inst.,the Committee on Pro(/»ce submitted 

 the following 



REPORT: 



For the premium ofl"erc<l for the best crop of 

 wheat, claims were presented by Abram Wash- 

 burn of ISridgewater, Samuel A. Frazar, of Dux- 

 bury, Horace C(d!amore, of Pembroke. 



Abram Washburn having raised 33 bushels and 

 a half on one acre, ie entitled to the first ])ren-.ium 



of $15. 



Sam'l A. Frazer, 26 bushels on an aero, is en- 

 titled to the second premiimi, $10. 



To Horace Collamore and Galen Howard, they 

 recommend each a gratuity of one vol. Complete 

 Farmer. 



The premium ofliered for the best croji of rye, 

 was claimed by Allre<l WhitniBn of East Bridge- 

 water, he having raised on 1 acre and 9 rods of 

 land, 29 bushels — tliey recotnmend that to him be 

 awarded the secoinl premium of $6, and one vol. 

 N. E. Farmer. 



Horace Collamore, of Pembroke, presented a 

 claim for tbi; premium offered for the best crop 

 of oats, having raised on 1 acre and 17 rods, 76 

 bushels. Mr Collamore not having the quantity 

 of land required by the ofl'er, is not entitled to a 

 preridum. -J hey recommend a gratuity of 1 vol. 

 N. E. Farmer. 



For the best crop of potatoes raised in the Co., 

 Paul Hathaway, of Middleborougli is entitled to 

 $6, the second [)remium oH:ered — he having raised 

 on one acre 455 bushels. Mr Hathaway is also 

 enti-lled to the preujium of $5 offered for the best 

 crop of sweet potatoes, having raised 33 1-2 bush- 

 els on 21 rods of land. 



Abram Washburn of Bridgewater, having rais- 

 ed 376 and 3-4 bushels of turnips on one acre, 

 is entitled to the prenniitn of $6, offered for that 

 object. 



John Moorehead of Marstifield, is entitled to the 

 first premium of $10 for the best crop of carrots 

 raised on one acre, having raised 410 bushels. 



Galen Howard, of West Bridgewater, lo the 

 second of .$5, having raised 233 bushels on an 

 acre of land. 



Two specimens of Corn were presented to the 

 Committee by John M. Goodwin of East Bridge- 

 water, one calleil the Phinney corn, the other the 

 Holmes corn, raised on Clark's Island, Plymouth, 

 the growth of the present season, both well ripen- 

 ed and very heavy. Hy the verbal statement of 

 Col. Goodwin, it appeared ihti* about 80 bushels 

 of ea(di kind were raised on an acre. 

 Respiiclfully submitted. 



Paschal Basskt, \ 

 Isaac Alden, > Committee. 



Sam'l A. Frazar, ) 

 Bridgeivaler, JVov. 15, 1837. [lb. 



We insert in to-day's paper, a communication, 

 from one of our most enterprising young farmers, 

 upon the advantages of lime as an improver of the 

 soil; and while we hear testimony to his industry 

 and perseverance, we must be permitted lo ob- 

 serve that every thing he says with regard to the 

 sterile character of his land prior to his use of 

 lime, is true to the very letter, and that it has been 

 a source of great delight to us in passing by his 

 estate within the last year, to behold its highly 

 improved condition. Fields, which but a few 

 years since, we could scarcely cross for briars — 



where nothing else save the poverty and sedg 

 grasses could grow, we saw clover, timothy, at 

 the various grains, luxuriating in perfection, th 

 iiicontestihiy proving that barrenness hail bei 

 supidanted hy fertility, thai-industry, enterpris 

 and intelligence had trintiiphed over neglect ai 

 the abuse of years. 



Thanking our young agricultural friend for H 

 valuable comiiMiniciition, we trust that his enligli 

 ened example will excite among his brethren 

 tlie plough, no other feelings than those of en, 

 lation — and that they will go and do likewise. 

 And as he has broken the ice, we ho|)e he w 

 often grace our pages with the result of his ex| 

 rience and practice. — Bait. Farmer, Dec. 5. 



ADVANTAGES OF LIME. 



To the Editor of the Furmer : 



Dear Sir: Although unaccustomed lo writ 

 for the public, it gives me pleasure lo comjdy w 

 your request in my plain way of giving you 

 views in relation lo the value of lime, ami the 

 suit of my experience and observations in the 

 of it. Few have been more benefited by the 

 [lerience of others, and none more willing to p 

 fit by the good example of a neighbor, 1 can 

 of course, object to oftering my mite to the c< 

 mon stock, tritsting that, like the widow's niitf 

 will he received with the same liberal feeli 

 with which it is offered. .'Vt the age of eiglite 

 I took possession of a large tarm within six m 

 of Baltimore, which had been tenanted out 

 upwards of 40 years, without any restrictions 

 To you, who have a personal acquaintance v 

 it, it would be uimecessary to say, that it 

 completely worn out; but a stranger may fc 

 soine idea of its miserable condition, when I 

 sure you that for several years before I lookcha 

 of it, the income from 600 acres did not aino 

 to $150 per year. I soon discovered that it ' 

 perfect folly to farm poor land, and directed 

 energies' to improving. IMy attention was s- 

 directed lo lime, by an old English gentler 

 who had lately bought in my neighborhood ; 

 so strong were the prejudices of the farmers g| 

 erally to trying " visionary notions," that it ■ 

 thought only those who had mnne/ to llii 

 away, could afl^ord to use it; and as I had n 

 to spare, 1 concluded to follow the example of 

 " old, experienced, and most thrifty neigbboi 

 by sending a load of wood to the city, and bri 

 ing back a load of ashes. This I continued 

 several years, by which time I was fully con' 

 ced it was too slow a business, for I discove 

 that by the lime I would reach the third or foi 

 field, 1 should have to go the rounds again ; 

 sides, with all my industry through the win 

 we could not get up more ashes than would i 

 nure 10 or 12 acres, consequently requiring 

 years to improve 200 or 240acies. This I thou 

 would never do ; to look forward lo growingj 



ll 



I ill 



at so slavish a busiiie.ss, was rather a dull 

 pect for a man of my sanguine temperamen 

 the meantime I had been watching closely tli^ 

 feet of lime on my old neighbor's farm, and i 

 by this time convinced that there was somell 

 more than "visionary notions" in the use of l! 

 and at once looked to lime as the only way 

 me to get along ; but bow to manage it was 

 difiiculty — I had not got the ready cash to 

 with, and was afraid lo go in debt. I savr 

 abundance of limestone, about three miles ab 



