406 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Jl'JfE 87, 11.38. 



AND gardener's JOURNAL. 



Bo3Tos, Wednesday, June 27, 1838. 



I have great pleasure in presenting tlie subjoined 

 statement to the agricultuial community. It came to 

 hand some time since, but its publication has been de- 

 layed in the expectation of receiving the Unporls refer- 

 red to from the other families. Jjike every tiling else 

 which comes from this woilhy pi;ople, the report is well 

 drawn up; and will be read with much interest. It is 

 impossible I believe to find more striking examples of 

 neat, careful, exact, and skilful husbandry than are to 

 be found in these industrious and temperate communi- 

 ties wherever they are planted in any part of our land. 



H.C. 

 Report of the Fiirjn t>J the Viiitcd Society called Shakers 

 in Canterbury. First Family. 

 No of acres. Live Stock. 



Tillage 25 to 30, Horses 10, 



i'.ag. Mowed 100, Oxen 10, 



Wet Meadow 40, Cows 40, 



IVi-lure 500, Sheep 300, 



(.<icharding30. Swine 40, 



Uood, Waste, &c. 500, Young Neat Stock 10, 

 Soil, Loamy ; Ory ; Rocky; Hilly. 



tihaktr Village, Merrimack Co. jV. }1. ) 

 Oct. 20lh, 1837. 5 



Heniiv Colman, 



Esteemed Friend — I have annexed a ski^tch below in 

 answer to your enquiries with as much exactness as 

 practicable, as I had tn obtain it li-om lliose who had 

 the experience nf actual experiment, as we have never 

 kept any record "f any bucIi thing, lieiiCH llie difficulty 

 of obtainirij' \\w di'siredinforniatiun. Ifuny thing that 

 i have written on the subject will be of usi: or interest 

 to you, you are liearlily welroun- lo the same ; and were 

 it not for the pressure of business and the limited time, 

 1 should have been j^lad to have given you a more 

 lengthy and iniimii: ie)>orl. 



Willi niurh rispecl. your friend, 



WILLIAM WILLARD, 

 fur and in beh.ilf of the first family at 



Canterbury, N. H. 



Amount of Hav iisuully cut is from 140 to 250 tons 

 per year, in tins (first) family exclusive of the other two 

 lamilieSj who have made out (or will) their memoranda, 

 geparale as yon will perceive, viz: in ye;ir 1835, 140 

 tons— 1836, 22(> Lms— 1837, 133 1-2 tons. 



We have one fielil of 12 acres, another of 10 acres, 

 and part of another which has not been plmighed for 

 upwards 30 yrs. In one of said fields we rut 32 tons to 

 12 acres the fiist mowing, or 2 8-12 Inns to iho acre be- j 

 sides the second crop. We apply li=p dressing once in i 

 B few jears and mil ili*. same m i)\' ne-ans of a roll filled 

 with iron pikes, ^harp, 4 or inches long drawn by oxen 

 or horses. 



Whkat. — Our sail not beinj; well adapted to wheat 

 we can say but liule about it, as we raise but lilile ; 

 generally not more than from 35 lo 50 bushels per year, 

 the most thai we ever laised per acre was 40 bushels 

 which is an cxlia crop for us. 



CoKN — We raise but little, from 50 to 70 bushels per 

 acre. On a neighboring farm 12 miles distant was 

 laisrd a few years since 1 12 bushels 5 ijts. to the acre — 

 was planted in hills, not dunged in tlie hills but spread 

 on Ihe surl'ac." and ploughed iii, which we think the best 

 way. 



Oats. — Sow annually from 10 to 12 acres, yield on 3 

 HCres in year 183fi,80 bu>hels per acre — average yield 

 of 10 acres 1)0 bushel per acre, with exceeding heavy 

 Klraw, the land was of good quality and prepared in the 

 usual way. 



Potatoes, — We usually raise from 2000 to 25il0 bush- 

 els annually. The largesi crop v> e have raised was in 

 year 1833 which was 400 bushels per acre, (common 

 potato) the land had no extra |ireparaliou. 



Turnips. — Raise from 4 to bOi) liiisliels annually, of 

 the coinuion Lnj;li-h and Kuta l!a:;a. In 1836 raised 

 from 7 to 800 bushels of Liiglish, have raised from 4 to 

 600 bushels id Ruta Baga pur acre, consider them good 

 ftir Sheej), Cows, and Beef cattle. 



Fi.AX — Raise but little of this article of late years. In 

 1822 raised the greatest quantity which was 000 lbs. 

 Flax from 5 pecks sowing on 1 1-4 acres of ground pre- 

 pared in the usual way. 



Carkots. — We annually raise more or less of these, 

 some yrs 1000 bushels; one year raised 800 bushels 

 per acre. 



Peas. — In year 1836 sowed on one piece 3 pecks, 

 3'ield 16 bushels. 



Bekk. — Ihe largest bsef we have raised weighed 

 1400 lbs fattened on Carrots, Potatoes, with but a small 

 quantity of Meal. 



I^Rii. — There are a diversity of opinions in regard to 

 the best and most expeditious manner of fatting Hogs. 

 We have tried perhaps as many dift'erenl plans as we 

 have had diHi^renl hands lo fit them. Some will say all 

 corn, some part corn with potatoes, &c. We fijr 2 or 3 

 years have adopted the plan of gatiiering our apides 

 intii the Hog-liouse instead of the cider mill, and feed 

 them upon boiled apples, potatoes, and pumpkins, with 

 the addition of a small quanlily of meal, to be increased 

 as the killing tune draws nigh, and under this manage- 

 ment "e have never known our hogs to tlirivi' belter 

 or faster. Another method we have tried (when fed 

 with corn.) Take a light barrel fill it 1-2 full of corn 

 Pour boiling hot water until the corn be covered, lei it 

 stand a few hours and the barrel will be full of corn and 

 very little if any water to be discovered ; this answers 

 when at a distance from mill and is belter than dry corn 

 without grinding; but we think it will not fatso well 

 as made into proper meal. We had 20 hogs fatted on 

 meal, began 1st day of August, one of them killed last ol 

 October, weight 400 lbs., the other 19 killed 23d De- 

 cember, average weight of the 19,480 lbs, the meal 

 mixed part of the time with skimmed milk, mixed as 

 diy as possible; gave them at first 1 quart of meal per 

 day i:ach, from that to 3 quarts per day each, and a time 

 before they were killed they refused 3 quarts per day ; 

 have frequently had Hogs weigh 600 fattened on pota- 

 toes and meal Had one small Shoat very small size 

 taki.'ii away from the rest and fed on one pint of Corn 

 per d:iy, with meadow hay, milk, and wash, fnnii Sep- 

 tember to December, weighed when killed 500 lbs., this 

 pig when sejiarated from the rest was the sinallesl in 

 the lot. We ate decidedly in favor of apples lor Hogs 

 and Cows. We take Ihem promiscuously as they glow, 

 without regard to their being sweet and sour. 



Wool. — Average nunibi-r of lbs. of wool for Merino 

 Rucks, from 7 lo 9 lbs.; have sheared 10 lbs.; average 

 number i.f Lambs per year from 150 lo liJO Merino. 



Brefd of Cattle. — The Durham Short Horn for 

 Cows and Stall, lor labor we have not had sufficient 

 experience of them. 



Tlie most profitable article for cultivation are the Po- 

 tato and Carrot for falling Hogs and Beef, and for milch 

 cows. 



Lime as a Manure. — We have used lime as a ma- 

 nure to good advantage ; it restores and replenishes the 

 soil that is apparently worn out. We air slack it and 

 spread it and plough it in. Gypsum we have made no 

 salisfaelory liial of. 



We sugtrest the idea to all that can obtain it, tlie use 

 of Sawdust as a littiT for Hogs, Horses, Ojws, Oxen, 

 &c We have tried it liir years ; litter all our horses with 

 It, like it much better than .straw. We in the spring 

 haul the saw-dust from the mill and defiosite it in aeon- 

 venienl place lo be got at, at night throw 1-2 bushel or 

 more under each horse taking care to scrape out all that 

 is wet beforehand and in the morning it mixes in with 

 the manure, goes into llie heap, absorbs the wet. and 

 tiirms a compost and in a similar way lor Hogs, Oxen, 

 Cows, &c. 



Another effectual experiment I have tried, which is 

 before pulling a quanlily af oats into a close bin (as we 

 do frequently 7 or 800 bushels) to throw or sprinkle fine 

 salt among them ; this prevents them from heating, also 

 makes them lelish betler, and finally keeps them en. 

 tirely free fiom must 



Horse Rakks we use — when constructed on the right 

 principle are a great labor saving machine ; we usually 

 rake at the rate ol 4 acres per hour The same may he 

 said of Threshing Mills. We have one of our own 

 construction a description of which would exceed the 

 limits of this sliiiel. We usually thresh from 100 to 

 150 bushels per day, and at tfie same operation it is win- 

 nowed and cleanrd already lor putting iif). 



The report of the second family, 1 have as yet been 

 unable to procure. 



Amount of Butler for 10 yrs. past, 2436 lbs per year. 

 Cheese " " 3265 " " 



(I'or the N. E. Farmer..* 



ON PLANTING CORN. 



Mr Editor, — It has been a common praeiice, with 

 many people in Massachuseits, to put a shovel full of 

 rotten manure in the hill on planting corn or potatoes, 

 in addition lo the green or long manure spread over 

 the ground and ploughed in : and since the cold seasons 

 have commenced, tins practice )ias increased, for its ad- 

 vocates fear they shall have no crop if they rely wholly 

 on spread manure. 



There is another class of farmers who never manure 

 in the hill, but rely on what Ibey mav spread over the 

 ground for present or fiituie crops. 



Which system is best ? 



Some contend, " If you have buf little manure put it 

 in the hill— if much spread it." This can nevi r be a 

 safe rule 1 would rather say if you have but little ma- 

 nure, plant but little corn. 



It is believed that manure should never be left long 

 in heaps. 



Muck is like money— good for nothing before it is 

 spread. 



People are deceived by first appearances. Com and 

 potatoes often look more rank in June and July when 

 growing in a shovel full of manure, but is the crop gen- 

 erally larger ? We think it generally smaller. It stalks 

 are the principal object, put manure in the hill, if not 

 spread it and you will obtain a betler crop. If your 

 land be poor spread the coarse manure first, and plough 

 it in : then put on your compost manure, spread it and 

 harrow it in ; a portiim of it will then be in the hill, but 

 not so great a portion as to injure your crop or your 

 land. 



The advantages of this course are : you are enriching 

 your land — you are obtaining a better crop and with 

 less labor — you run less risk from worms and from 

 crows — for worms delight in manure heaped up, and 

 crows find less labor is required to pull corn out of a 

 heap of manure than out ol the earth. 



Bill I am often told " we cannot raise corn on cold 

 and wet lands without manuring in the hill." No nor 

 then either. Any roan who attempts to raise Indian 

 Corn on low or wet lands deserves a guardian iinnie- 

 dialely. Why plant low or wet lands with a grain that 

 ri quires the warmest soils and hottest summers to bring 

 it lo maturity ? 



You can do infinitely better with your low or wet 

 lands than to plant ihem at all. Keep them in grass, 

 renovate them by turning in a crop of roweii one month 

 after haying, and by seeding down immediately to 

 grass again ; your lands will then grow richer at every 

 turn. If you have no warm and dry land, why buy 

 some ; or rather buy your corn, and let those raise it 

 who have suitable lands, as we let them raise our rice, 

 our cotton, and our tobacco. 



But a quite small field, if suitable, will furnish any 

 family with bread ; and hogs and horses may be kept 

 much more economically than on Indian corn raised on 

 cold or wet lands. Yours, &c. W. B. 



Fra-mingham, May 20, 1838 



We are happy lo add our humble authority in general 

 confirmation of the views of our esteemed Fiamingbam 

 correspondent expressed above. We agree with him 

 that it is not worth while lo attempt to raise Indian 

 Corn on cold and wet lands. Indian Corn requires a 

 soil warm, light, and sandy to bring the grain to perfec- 

 tion in the cold summers, which we have had of late. 

 We do not however accord in the inference, which is 

 to be made from his communication, that manure is 

 never to be put in the hill lor Indian Corn. If we had 

 an abundance of manure we should certainly sjiread and 

 place it in the hill likewise ; the laller fiir the obvious 

 reason of giving the corn an early and vigorous siart in 

 the beginning; the former that the plant iriay not suffer 

 for want of food, when it b'gins to extend its lateral 

 roots beyond the manure in the hill. We should be de- 

 sirous lo spread the manure likewise with a view to 

 the general improvement of the soil. If we had but lit- 

 tle manure we should put in ihe hill; for altboiii'h the 

 crop will be much less than if treated with abundance, 

 a tolerable yield may be expected; and if the crop of 

 grain is small the stover of corn is generally equal if 

 well cured to what the grass would be on such land and 



