VOL. XVI. NO. 3S. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



253 



hns sold IJoOO worth of liny the two pnst year.s, 

 ;in'l hits $300 worth to sell this year. He last 

 y«!iir, iil'tfr piiyinfj all the eAjHiTises of liis farin, 

 had remaiii'mg hetween nine hundred and one 

 thousand do'lar.';, the net proSt of his farm and 

 nursery. What part of this was froin his farm, 

 and what |>art from the nursery, he has not in- 

 rormed us. It would seem from Mr Buckmin- 

 ster's account of product.-', that he raises hut little 

 for the market, except the 560 dollars wortii of 

 liay and milk, and his ycimg cattle fatted and 

 iohl for heef ; for he says, he cannot afford to 

 raise grain to sell," that " labor is too high to allow 

 Df cultivating turnips in drills." He keeps no 

 «lieep, and he states " that swine will not pay the 

 :oBt." His great object is to render his farm pro- 

 Juctive iu hay for the market, and to keep his 

 and iu heart l>y turning over his mowing grounds 

 soon after haying, and sowing them directly down 

 .0 gra.ss, depending on the ileeomposition of the 

 nv'erted sod, and the application of compost made 

 )f peat mud, and stable manure. Tliis method of 

 [•eating grass grounds, whether to be planted on 

 he sod, which is not to be disturbed in cultivat- 

 ng the crop, or to be iirnnediately sowed down to 

 »rass, as introduced some years ago, and since 

 ;uccessfidly pursued by another farmer in MiJ- 

 Jlese.x, is undoubtedly one of the best methods of 

 ■estoring our exhausted and worn out fields. The 

 jeneficial effi cts of this mode of cultine some of 

 he Conunittee have witnessed, and fully believe 

 hat in hdlowing up this economical course of 

 rulture, Mr IJuckminstcr will eventually deepen 

 lis soil, and rendt r his fields highly productive, 

 .vitli no more manure than a very light dressing. 

 I'o this pari of Mr B's. account the Committee 

 vould invite the attention of our farmers, partic- 

 ilarly those, who cannot obtain manure without 

 ;reat labor and expense. If upon this inverted 

 ;reen sward, he would raise a few more acres of 

 oru and potatoes, which he should do without 

 !ioss ploughing, or in any way disturbing the sod, 

 jie would essentially improve his grounds, and 

 hereby increase the quantity of his favorite staple 

 nd also obtain a crop, which would enable him 

 extend the number of his swine ; and they in 

 eturii would furnish him with a certain means of 

 till further enriching his fields, for if, as he ad- 

 nils, he can obtiiu .56 bushels of corn to the acre 

 nd with 300 bushels of potatoes to the acre, which 

 i no more than an ordinary yield, we believe he 

 lay make them a profitable crop for feeding swine 

 rhile pork in the market will sell for ten cents 

 er lb. especially if he procures the best breeds. 

 n addition to the corn, lie gets his turnips, pump- 

 ins, &.C. and th^ stover from an acre of corn, 

 ielding a quantity equal to one and a half 

 )n of hay ; and this again, by being consumed 

 u the farm, will give him a cord of manure. He 

 lys likewise that labor is too high to cultivate 

 ny kind of turnips iu drills. We shall he able to 

 low hitn in our reports, crops of Rnta Baga 

 lised in drills, and yielding from four acres in u 

 It, at the rate of nearly 900 bushels to the acre, 

 tid costing only about three cents to the bushel. 

 " we allow that on his farm, which may not be 

 > well adapted to this crop as some uthers, he 

 3uld not aflibrd to raise them for less than six 

 ;nts, or even twelve cents per bushel, still, as 

 irmers generally admit, that one hundred of 

 >arse hay wortli fifty cents, and one bushel of 

 uta Baga, which at most costs twelve cents, will 

 igetlier, make as much beef, or produce as much 



milk as a hundred of English hay, worth one dol- 

 can Mr B. on a momeul's rufleclion, maintain the 

 opinion, that the price of labor is too high to ad- 

 mit of raising turnips in dril's ? 



Mr Biickininster's success in the use of pla.ster 

 and ashes is a fact deserving of notice, anil his 

 communication contains many remarks and sug- 

 gestions, which are valuable in lea<liiigto inquiry 

 and experiments. The cash proceeds of bis I'arm 

 are certainly considerable; hut we should like to 

 see on the other side the family charges for vari- 

 ous articles, which, upon his mode of fanning, for 

 aught we see, must be [lurchased. 



We are obliged to him for giving us a plan of 

 a horse rake, of so simple and cheap a onstruc- 

 tion, and yet so efficient; and we should at the 

 same time have been glad if be had given us the 

 ptai or model of a mower, who, on land yielding 

 one ton of hay to the acre, will mow four acres 

 per day ; such human machines, we believe, are 

 rarely to be found. We have no doubt that Mr 

 Buckminster's farming operations are skilful. We 

 are not disposed in any measure to question his 

 statements of the tuccsssful lesults, but wo could 

 have desired, in order to decide intelligently, more 

 exact statements of its products and expenses. 



As the applications of Mr Lawlon and Mr Howe 

 were not made in season to entitle tliem to a pre- 

 mium, by the rules of the Society, the committee 

 recommend that a gratuity of seventy-five dollars 

 be given to Mr Lawton, and fifty dollars to Mr 

 Howe ; and although Mr Buckminster's applica- 

 tion was made wiiliin the lime prescribed, and 

 exhibits many processes of judicious husbandry, 

 yet, for the reasons mentioned in the report, they 

 do not think him entitled to the Society's premi- 

 uni, but recommend that a gratuity of fifty dollars 

 be granted to liim. 



Signed, P. C. BROOKS, 



WM.PRESCOTT, 

 E. H. DERBY, 

 ELIAS PHINNEY. 



To the Commiilee of Ike Massachusetts Jlgricullu- 

 ral Society on Fanns. 



Gentlemen : The farm, which 1 offer for your 

 attention contains 108 1-2 acres. The soil is hard 

 and rocky aud more particularly adapted to the 

 growth of hay than of grain, as you will perceive 

 by my statement of crops. I this season mowed 

 35 acres ; sowed about 11 acres with oats; and 

 planted about 5 acres. The remainder is pas- 

 turage. 



I cut the present season, as nearly as I could 

 estimate the amount, from 70 to 75 tons of English 

 hay on the home farm , add about 4 tons of Iniy 

 away from home. 



1 sowed 5 acres of oats on a piece of pasture 

 land, which was last year planted with corn with 

 no other manure than a little compost in the hill, 

 and raised thirty bushels to the acre, making 150 

 bushels. On another piece coniaiiiing 3 1-2 acres 

 raised 30 bushels to the acre making 105 bushels. 

 I sowed another piece containing 2 1-2 acres, 

 which was last year, well manured and planted 

 with potatoes ; but iu consequence of excdssive 

 wet, after they were sown, they were considerably 

 injured ; but 1 think we shall have forty busliels 

 to the acre; although they are not all threshed 

 which will make 100 bushels ; in the whole 355 

 bushels. I usually sow three bushels to the acre. 

 I planted 3 acres and 30 rods of pasture land with 



corn ; ploughed about two thirds of it in Septem- 

 ber ; the remainder in April ; carted on seventeen 

 cart-loads of barn manure to the acre ; then cross- 

 ploughed about half of that which was idoughed 

 fin-^t ; iiarrowed it ; planted it 26th of May, three 

 feet one way and two the other with Canada corn ; 

 put on it 4 bushels of ashes, and 2 bushels of 

 Plaster of Paris in the hill to the acre; hoed it 

 three times ; some part of it was considerably in- 

 jured by the woi-njs. It yielded 30S bushels of 

 ears of sound corn, two bushels of which 1 shell- 

 ed, which made one hu.shel and four quarts of 

 corn, which made 64 bu:?liels to the acre. I 

 planted from 8 to 10 kernels in a hill, although I 

 think that 3 or 4 plants are enough to grow in a 

 hill. I could see no dift'eience bclween that 

 which was ploughed in the fall, ploughed in Oie 

 spring, or cross-ploughed. 



I planted one acre and 129 rods of potatoes in 

 one piece ; the sward was turned over about the 

 20th of April. T carted on^about 30 cart-loads 

 of stable and compost manure to the acre ; plant- 

 ed them the last of May and first of June ; plant- 

 ed them three feet one way and two the other. 

 They were consiilerably injured by the drought, 

 and were not so large as our potatoes usually are ; 

 gathered 600 bushels, which makes 332 bushels 

 to the acre. I raised 100 bushels on another 

 piece making in the whole 700 bushel.^. 



I gathered from my orchard 175 bushels of 

 winter apples besides 100 bushels of sauce ajiples, 

 which dropped from the trees. The refuse ap- 

 ples I used mostly for fattening beef and pork. 



Our dairy has not been as large as usual, (as 

 on account of domestic calamity, 1 sold several 

 cows iu the spring) ; it has consisted of only 3 

 co^vs and 4 two years old heifers; from which 

 the calves were taken nearly as follows : 2 the 

 first of May, 1 the 20th of May, 3 the 5th of 

 June ; and the remaining one the 15th of August. 

 Previously to the 15tb of November we made 

 615 pounds of butter and 400 pounds of cheese, 

 besides using as much as one cow's milk in the 

 family. As to the growth of my stock, I can 

 state nothing definite as I have no system by 

 which to be governed ; but manage as circum- 

 stances require. 1 usually make 1 ut little pork, 

 as I sell most of my sur])lu8 grain and potatoes. 



The whole amount of labor employed fro:ii the 

 first of April to the first of November, including 

 all my teaming and marketing, (which is prin- 

 cipally to Lowell,) bsying and threshing my grain, 

 is equal to two hands for seven months, and a 

 third hand four months. Their wages amount to 

 $240. 



As enfering my farm for premium was entirely 

 unpremeditated by me at the first of the season, 

 therefore I cantiot give so definite a statement in 

 every respect as I might otherwise have done. 



I add a brief statement of the management of 

 my farm and the comparative increase of crops 

 for a few previous years. 



I u?ualiy mow my fields from 4 to 6 years ', 

 then plough and manure them ; plant the first 

 year ; the second year sow with grain and hav. 

 seed. Recently I have practised top-dressing m'y 

 land with compost manure with good success. 



As most of my j.asture lands are suitable for 

 cultivation I occasionally plough them ; plant one 

 year with corn j manure in the hill with compost 

 manure ; and the second year sow with grain and 

 hay-seed, which much improves the pasture. 

 1 have purchased since the spring of 1829 on 



