NEW ENGEAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY GEO. C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agricultural Warehouse. )-T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOL. XII. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 25, 1833. 



NO. 24. 



MIDDLESEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



REPORT ON FARMS, &C. 



The Committee on Agricultural Experiments, 

 Farms, Shrubs, Fruit and Mulberry Trees, have 

 attended to the duty assigned them and ask 

 leave to report : 



There were bul two applicants for tho Socie- 

 ty's Premiums on Farms, viz : 



Abraham How, of Marlborough, 

 Abel Moore, of Concord. 

 We, the undersigned Committee, feeling our- 

 selves incompetent to do any thing like justice to 

 so important a station, yet we are unwilling to re- 

 fuse our services in the cause of Agriculture; it 

 being of vital importance to the growth of any na- 

 tion. 



Mr. How's Finn contains 117 acres, well pro- 

 portioned with the various kinds of soil, which ire 

 necessary to make a farmer more active. This 

 farm, purchased by Mr. How about 40 years ago 

 was destitute of fences, except brush and wood ; 

 and the buildings nearly decayed ; and not more 

 than one ton of English hay cut on the farm. 

 By the industry and hard labor of Mr. How, tie 

 farm now is in good state of cultivation, with 933 

 rods of wall, 400 rods of ditches, a large house, 2 

 barns, sheds and out buildings, necessary for i 

 farmer, built by Mr. How ; a good stock of cattle, 

 and now cuts 20 tons of English hay, 10 tons if 

 meadow hay ; grain and other produce in propoi- 

 tion. The improvements on this farm have been 

 made chiefly by draining the low lands, and taking 

 the manure from the ditches and putting it on the 

 high land, previously passing through the cow and 

 hog yards, and also by levelling with hoes rough 

 and boggy land, and covering the same with sand 

 or gravel, manure and hay-seed ; which your Com- 

 mittee think far better than ploughing where the 

 soil is wet and heavy. The labor that has been 

 performed on the farm was chiefly done by Mr. 

 How's own hands and team. We are of the opin- 

 ion, that much of the labor on the walls must 

 have been done at a season of the year, when 

 many other farmers have been sheltered from the 

 severity of the cold. We cannot select any part 

 of the farm as having any extraordinary mode of 

 cultivation ; but each part has been made subser- 

 vient to the benefit of the whole. By a long and 

 steady course of industry and good husbandry, the 

 farm which was of little income, has now become 

 a profitable field. The labor of cultivating and 

 gathering the crops are performed by Mr. How 

 and a boy with a team ; it is now a very produc- 

 tive farm according to the labors. 



Mr. Moore's Land, which we have examined, is 

 about 60 acres, chiefly swamps and meadow land. 

 In 1826 the produce was equal to keeping out 

 cow. In 1830, 1831, 1832, and 1833, there were 

 from 40 to 50 tons of English hay cut annually, 

 This land lies about half a mile east of Concorc 

 meeting house, and is known to a large portion of 

 the county. The mode of cultivation has beet: 

 first by taking from the soil from 6 to 10 inches, 

 then levelling with sand or gravel, and spreading 

 manure; second, by ploughing and hoeing ; third, 

 by levelling the ground with the hoe and covering 

 with sand or gravel and manure. The last mode 

 is thought to be the best ; it being less labor, and 



frequently covering it with a little gravel and ma- 

 nure, it will always hold good. Some of this land 

 is worth from 100 to 150 dollars per acre ; bearing 

 from 1£ to 2J tons per acre, which for seven 

 years previous the income was not one cent per 

 acre. It is difficult to ascertain the expense of re- 

 claiming an acre of this land ; but no man tired 

 fear to undertake, for it will amply compensate 

 him for his labor. Your Committee are of opin- 

 ion, that if more labor was laid out on swamps 

 and meadow lands, that do not produce any wood, 

 and less on high and rocky land that might pro- 

 duce wood, it would be much for the interest of 

 the farmer and country at large. Although but 

 two applications were made us to examine farms, 

 your Committee did not pass by any without east- 

 ing an eye on them ; they are happy to say that 

 many of the farms made a fine appearance, and as 

 they had two premiums not disposed of, they would 

 have been willing to have awarded them if appli- 

 cation had been made. There were many farms 

 which needed great improvements, and the Com- 

 mittee would recommend their owners to double 

 their diligence, that they may obtain premiums; 

 they would also strongly recommend to farmers 

 and all others a little attention to their door yards, 

 and the highway near their houses. A little time 

 spent in removing such things as are not necessary, 

 would add much to the appearance of the situation, 

 and to the convenience of their visiters. 



The applications for premiums on Fruit Trees 

 were four, viz: — 



James Eustis, of Soulh Reading, 

 Asa Parker, of Acton, 

 Robert Chafin, of Acton, and 

 Darius Hubbard, of Concord. 

 James Eustis had 150 apple trees, set in 1820, 

 1827 and 1828, in a thriving state generally ; had 

 been well pruned, bid fair for very fine trees. 

 Mich skill had been used in shaping the tops of 

 the trees. 



Asa Parker had 125 apple trees, set in 1827 on 

 the easterly side of a large swell of land ; the trees 

 are on a good soil, and in a thriving state ; they 

 l;ave been neglected in some measure as to being 

 pruned, but they bid fair to make a fine orchard. 

 Robert Chafin has an orchard of 115 trees, gen- 

 erally in a thriving state ; the situation is well 

 chosen, being on the southerly side of a rise of 

 land. 



Darius Hubbard has the largest orchard we 

 examined, containing 300 trees on a very rich soil 

 on the westerly side of a large hill ; the trees are 

 not in so flourishing a state ns others we visited, 

 owing partly to the quality of the trees when set, 

 partly to the want of cultivation and pruning; but 

 by attention for 2 or 3 years it may be made one 

 of the finest orchards in the county. There ap- 

 pear to your Committee to be two very important 

 things respecting an orchard, which are not well 

 attended to ; one is the selection of the trees ; 

 none should be set excepting those which are 

 straight and have smooth bark ; the other is the 

 pruning the trees and keeping them in proper 

 shape. 



Your Committee are of opinion that sufficient 

 attention has been generally paid to manuring, and 

 perhaps too much ; for, by forcing the growth of 



the tree, there is danger from the early cold in the 

 fall. The wash that is generally used, and which 

 your Committee think is best, is a strong lye made 

 from ashes or potash. The orchards that "we have 

 examined have been grafted generally in the nursery. 

 Your Committee had but one application to 

 look at Mulberry Trees ; that was from Anthony 

 Wright, of Concord. He has 200 trees, set in 

 1828, 70 of them are very large; in 1832, 130 

 were set ; and a nursery of about 6000 planted. 

 These all look in a thriving state and much im- 

 proved the year past ; part of these trees stand in 

 a light soil, but they are thrifty and in a flourish- 

 ing state. Mr. Wright has spent much time in 

 cultivating these trees and gaining information up- 

 on the subject of the Mulberry tree, which knowl- 

 edge he is ready to communicate to others. Your 

 Committee would recommend the culture of the 

 Mulberry tree. At no distant period it will be 

 one important branch of agriculture. It can be 

 performed with little hard labor. 



The Committee award the following premiums: 

 Abraham How, Marlboro', for the best farm, $2.5 

 Abel Moore, Concord, 2d best, - - 20 



James Eustis, South Reading, best orchard, 15 

 Asa Parker, Acton, 2d best, - - 12 



Robert Chafin, Acton, 3d best, - - 6 



Anthony Wright, Concord, for the best Mul- 

 berry trees, ----- 25 

 Your Committee close their services with their 

 best wishes for the success of the agriculturer, 

 knowing in his hand are the destinies of the na- 

 tion. Respectfully submitted, 



James Brown, 

 Concord, Oct. 2d, 1833. Be.nj. Dix. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 THE CORN HUSK MATRESS. 



The season is now approaching when farmers 

 will have leisure to prepare matresses from Indian 

 corn husks. Except in winter, these are much 

 superior in our estimation, to feather beds, as be- 

 ing more conducive to comfort and to health ; and 

 for the information of such readers as are not 

 skilled in the manufacture, we have prepared the 

 following directions : 



Take bright clean husks, and separate them 

 from each other. Trim them neatly at each end 

 with the shears; and pass them in little bunches, 

 one at a time, through a fine hatchet, exactly in 

 the manner that we hatchet flax. 



When the matress is to be made up, spread the 

 tick on the floor, and over rather less than one half 

 of it, scatter the shreds of the husks evenly, making 

 them lie across each other, as much as possible in 

 every direction. This not only renders the mat- 

 ress more elastic, but the shreds are less liable to 

 collect into wads. When the whole quantity in- 

 tended, is scattered in this manner, turn over the 

 upper fold of the tick, and secure it by sewing. 

 A few bits of strong twine, as in curled hair mat- 

 resses, should be passed through in different 

 places to keep the shreds from shifting. 



We have tried stuffing the matress by handfuls, 

 after the tick is made up, but we prefer the mode 

 which we have recommended. 



This manufacture may serve as a preventive 

 against drowsiness ill the long winter evenings. 



