268 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



FEB. 38 1 »3~ 



I'REMIUM VEGETABLE CFOPS. 



Pjttsfif.ld, Nov. 28,1837. 

 To the Trustees of the Mas.iachuset's Societij, for 

 promoting Jlgricullure. 



Gentlemen: — Permit inu to call 'your (ittrmi<iii, 

 to tlie preparation, cullivalioii, ami product of one 

 acre and two rods of Rnt.i Baga, raised on my 

 farm nt Pittsfield, the present year. As also the 

 condition of said land in tli:- spiing of 1836, its 

 product grndur.l culture, qualiiy, and qiiantily of 

 manure used. In May 1836, the acre above men- 

 tioned was to pasture the soil which is a loam ; the 

 20th it was first ploughed and harrowed soon, 

 and manured with 15 loud.-*, somethinf^ over half 

 a cord to a load of unfefmented manure to the 

 acre, and that placed in H,<;ht drills 3 feet 4 inches 

 apart; and in whiidi were dropped 16 bushels of 

 potatoes ill bids of 2 feet. The crop was ploufrhed 

 and hoed but once, and that on the 29th of June ; 

 and from this I harvested on the second week 

 of October, 40C bushels of the Mercer potatoes. 



The present season the labor bestowed on the 

 acre was as follows: — 



1837. 

 April 1. First ploiighiirp man and horse 



team, 1-2 day, $1,00 



June 5. Second do. di>. d-o d^. 1,00 



8. Drawing on 16 loads of stalile 



manure and muck from the 

 yard, the proportion of man- 

 ure as 2 to 10 of muck, 3 men 

 and 3 teams were each em- 

 ployed 1 day at $1,50, 



9. Man 1-2 day spreading manure, 

 1-4 day, man and horse team, 



harrowing, 

 1-4 do. do. do. do, 



1-4 day, man sowing with drill 

 barrow on light ridges of 2S 

 inches apart, 

 6 oz. seed, 

 July6&6. 2 day's work hoeing and wee3- 

 ing at $1,00 per day, 

 12, 13. 2 do. do. do. do. do. 

 Oct. 17. 6 men and boys with 3 teams 

 for gathering and drawing to 

 barn apd cellar, at 75 ets. 



June 16. 

 20. 



21. 



4,50 

 ,50 



.50 

 374 



.25 



37a 



2,00 

 2,00 



6,76 



If the interest on land was charged 



at 40 per acre, $2,40 



Tlie manure at half its value 374 6,00 



$19,25 



8,40 



$27,65 

 The quantity gathered was lOSO bushels, .wejg:.t 

 56 pounds, free of dust, at 2 1-2 els. per liushel is 

 $27,00. 



From my ov\b experience, I am .satisfied that 

 much depends on having, the land rich .and mal- 

 low, and early thinning Ui the product of all root 

 crops, potatoes excepted,and in keeping it as loose 

 as the crop will allow, the grouud to be stirred. 

 Owing to the wet season and the rapid growth of 

 the tops, this acre as also all my roots were left to 

 take care of thejnselves. 



This may certify, that I have measured the land 

 on which the above crop of Ruta Baga was raised, 

 and f.nd it to contain one acre and two rods of 

 ground. CALEB GOODRICH. 



Piltajield, A'or. 28, 1837. 



Gentlemen, it becomes neci'ssary before I give 



you the quantity of roots I have raised this year July 5, 6. 

 for home consumption and their respective value 

 as food, to make you accpiainted with my farm 12, 13. 



situated in Pittsfield ciiiitnining 350 acres all a Sept. 27. 

 daik loam, 69 acres covered with wood, 30 to til- 

 lage, 80 mowing, and 180 to pastiire. 1 have for Oct. 16, 18. 

 years in addition to the above occupied 200 acres 

 as u grazing lot on the highest lidge of the 

 mountains west of Pittsfield; this land is valued at 

 $6 per acre and very choice pasture. My stock 

 now consists of 1000 Sheep, 8 young oxen, 6 

 milch cows, a pa r of horses, and a single horse. 

 I have raised this season for the use of :iiy stock, 

 5544 bushels of vegi'tablesand all to be grated and 

 fed out with cut straw, the cattle constantly, the 

 sheep only one feed a <lay, which seems to be a 

 necessary food in oiu- long cold winters ; it keeps 

 them in health and also in flesh. As to the re- 

 spei-tive value of the vegetable as food, the fol- 

 lowing statemejit ■ will perhaps best exhibit it. I 

 have comniencfd feeding and shall continue to 

 feed, 

 14 head of horned cattle with 20 lbs. cut straw 



each per day, 4 ets. for each 20 lbs. 0,56 



Also to each 113 lbs. roots grated mixed with 



straw, 3 els. 0,42 



.^nd now allow 150 ilays for the season of • , 



feeding at 0,98 is 14,70 



Tliesanie stock woulil require 205bs.of hay 

 each [ler day i'nr 150 days, they would 

 consume 42,000 Ib.s., e(pial to twenty- 

 one tons, at the inoderati; (irice of $10 

 per ton, 210,00 



Balance in favor of the root feed on 14 head is 

 $63, and I aiTi sure the stock will appear far bet- 

 ter at the opening of the Sjiring. You will jier- 

 ceive that the respective value of vegetables for 

 food is 6 cents a bushel, while hay is at 

 10 and straw at 4. It may be said there is some 

 cost in preparing the fooil ; this is more than bal- 

 anced if properly ilone by the extra niainire made. 

 You will have below the condition of my lands 

 of 1836, and occupied for roots the present sea- 

 son together with the -cultivation, manure used 

 and their proc'.uct far eacJi year.. 



April 20, l836, 4 acres was to pasture: immedi- 

 ■ rttt-ly ploughed and uianured with 15 loads of un- 

 , fermented manure to the acre, and ploughed in 

 drills of 3 ft. 4 in. apart in which were dropped 

 64 bushels of potatoes in bills two feet apart. The 

 crop was harvested and on 29tli June, from which 

 I harvested 1600 bushels potatoes, on 2d week of 

 Oct. 1836. 'I lie present sea.son the expense ofcul- 

 tivation and |)roduct of the tuiuvip crop is as fol- 

 lows on the 4 acres. 



1837. 

 April 2h 22. 2 days man and horse 

 team ploughing at $2 

 per day, $4,00 



June 5, 6. 2 do. do, do. do. 4,00 

 6 to .9. 5 men, S teams, 3 days 

 each, in all 9 days 

 -drawing on 64 loads of 

 .manure, 1,50 per day ,13,50 

 2 men spreading man- 

 ure, one day at 1,00, 2,00 

 1 day, man and horse- 

 team harrowing, 2,00 

 1 day, man and horse 

 ridging, 1,50 

 1 day, man sowing with 



drill barrow, 1,00 



14 lbs. of seed, 1,50 $29,50 



8 days hoeing and weed- 

 ing at 1,00 per day, 8,00 



8 do. do. do. 8,00 



3 men and a team 1-2 

 day gathering turnips, 1,50 



18 days labor while 

 gathering the remain- 

 der and three teams 

 each 3 days at 75 ets. 

 per day, 21,25 



16,00 



21,75 



$67,25 

 From the 4 acres were harvested 3580 bushels. 

 A second piece of turnips containing one acre, 

 was in green sward on the 1st of April 1836, on 

 the 5th ploughed, harrowed, and sowed with 3 

 bushels of Marrowfat pease, an<l harvested on the 

 8tti of August, 15 1-2 bushels. The present i5ea- 

 son the ground was ploughed on the 15ih of April. 

 Man and team jjart of the 



day, 1,00 



do. do. do. second 



ploughing, 1,00 



2 men and 2 teams cart- 

 ing on 16 loads of sta- 

 ble manure, at 1,50, 3,00 

 Man 1 2 day sprcadiog, ,50 

 1-2 "lay, man, and horse 



ridging, ,50 



do. do. do. sowing 



with drill barrow, ,33 



6 oz. EnglJsh,turnip seed, ,37 $6,7i 

 Ju3.y 12, 13. 2 days, man hoeing and 



weeding,l,00 per day, $2,00 

 19. 1 do. do. do. do. 1,00 

 5 laborers 1 day each, 

 with two teams, har- 

 vesting the crop at 75 

 CIS. per day. 5,25 7,2 



$13,9 

 Tills was a crop of English turnips wliich pro 

 duced 720 bushels. 



The third piece, 3 acres of land, occupied fo 



roots the present season was in nwwing in 1836 



land in good condition produced at least one am 



a half tons of choice hay to the acre ; as early a 



the 5th of A|)ril commenced ploughiirg, and ende 



on the 7lh. 3 days at 1,50 per day, $4,5 



June 1, 2. 3 men with 3 teams 2 days 



each, drawing on 45 loads 



unferniented manure,at 1,50, 



■3. 1 man spreading manure, 



Man and horse team, harrow- 

 ing, 



4. Man and horse, ridging, 

 36 bush, seed potatoes at 2S 



ets. the bushel, 

 4 1-2 do. plaster used in th« 

 piece, at 62 1-2 per bush. 



5. 9 days work dropping:, har- 

 rowing, at 1,00 per day, 



July 7. Man and horse, one daj 



ploughing, 

 7, 8. 9 days hoeing, 1,00 per ilay, 



Sept.26 to 30. 4 men and 2 teams 4 days 

 each, digging and harrow- 

 ing the eroji at 75 ets. per 

 day, l^t 



From this lot of 3 acres we gathered 1244 bushe 

 of the Mercer, English white, and blue potatoes; 



9,0 

 1,0 



2.0 

 1,8 



9,0 



2,6 



9,(1 



1.6 

 9.t 



