214 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



May 



in the ear were taken from the field in the autumn 

 of 1864. 



After the com was removed^' the land was 

 ploughed and again dressed with 500 pounds of a 

 compost made up of bone-dust, ashes, and refuse 

 saltpetre, and sowed down to winter rye. The 

 crop was 31 bushels of nice, plump grain. 



The season of 1866 was exceedingly dry, and 

 the ground became so parched that the tender 

 grass roots were greatly injured. The crop of hay 

 was twenty-three hundred pounds. 



The next season, a top-dressing of 500 pounds 

 of compost made of bone gelatine and muck was 

 given it in the spring, and a crop of hay cut weigh- 

 ing forty-ihree hundred pounds. A heavy after- 

 math was secured this season, which was not 

 weighed. 



The present season, 1868, the crop of hay reach- 

 ed two and a half tons, and the field appears to be 

 in good condition for a fine product next year. 



Here we have what may be considered a fair ex- 

 periment, which proves that wii;hout the use of 

 animal excrement, a worn-out field may be brought 

 to produce very generous crops — crops which pay 

 a good return for the expense incurred. It proves 

 that chemical unorganized agents are capable not 

 only of supplying nutriment to plants for a single 

 year, but tor sustaining crops for a series of years. 

 The fertilizing elements supplied for the five years 

 cost a little less than thirty dollars. The experi- 

 ment upon this field is not regarded as finished, 

 and the crops will be noted until they are observed 

 to falter. 



PITCHBUBO FARMERS' CLUB. 



The grand annual gathering of the Fitchburg 

 Farmers' Club took place on Monday evening, 

 March 1, at the town hall in Fitchburg. About 

 four hundred ladies and gentlemen sat down to 

 supper, which was bountiful and excellent. The 

 presiding ofiicer was George E. Town, Esq., 

 whose capital hits often "set the tables in a roar." 

 After relieving the dishes of some of their viands, 

 — which occupied about an hour,— the President 

 introduced Dr. Loring of Salem, who spoke at con- 

 siderable length in defending the avocation of the 

 farmer against the old, stereotyped and false im- 

 putation that 'farming is unprofitable." He then 

 related some of his own experiences in reclaiming 

 lands by draming, clearing, ploughing and subsoil- 

 ing, and in adapting his animals, as to size and 

 habits, to the soil upon which they were to be sus- 

 tained. 



The President then, in a very happy manner in- 

 troduced Asa Clement, Esq., of Dracut, Presi- 

 dent of the Middlesex North Agricultural Society 

 and member of the State Board of Agriculture, 

 who spoke highly of the avocation of the farmer, 

 of his useful life, and general integrity, and gave 

 some pretty strong contrasts between the modes of 

 farming practiced in his boyhood and^ those which 

 prevail at the present day. That great progress 

 had been made, all could see who wished to see, 

 and he doutited not that a still greater degree of 

 improvement was before us. 



At the close of Mr. Clement's remarks, a quar- 

 tette club of gentlemen sang an appropriate song 

 with great acceptance. Dr. Jabe? Fishek of Fitch- 

 burg presiding at the piano. 



Mr. Brown, one of the editors of the Farmer 

 was then introduced, and read a paper upon " TAe 

 Culture and Use of Flowers." The Hon. Alvah 

 Crocker was then called for, introduced, and 

 made most happy and exceedingly pleasant re- 

 marks upon some of the sayings of the "master of 

 ceremonies," "knocking into pi" the stale assertion 

 that fanning is unprofitable, and declaring his 

 opinion that no life can be more useful than that 

 of the intelligent, industrious and conscientious 

 farmer. His remarks often elicited applause. 



The Rev. Mr. Davis of Lunenburg being intro- 

 duced, spoke admirably upon several matters, 

 "driving some sharp nails clear in" to the chair- 

 man, who had personated himself as an oW farmer, 

 in his opening remarks, although a young man. 

 Mr. Carter of Leominster closed the speaking 

 with some admirable hits that kept up the vivacity 

 of the occasion until its close at eleven o'clock. 



The gathering was not only a hnppy, but an in- 

 structive one, as many valuable experiences and 

 suggestions were made which will continue to work 

 in the minds of the hearers while engaged in their 

 duties on the farm. 



Few things can be more appropriate, or have a 

 greater tendency to make rural life pleasant and to 

 improve both mind and manner, than such gather- 

 ings as this. May they be multiplied in all our 

 land. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 WASHING AND BEATING BDTTEB. 



When I told my method of making butter, 

 I did not intend to get any one angry, or "up 

 in arms." Perhaps, if I had not given my ex- 

 perience in this difficult art, we should never 

 have heard anything from Mrs. D., for when 

 she saw how mu(;h I differed from her, she 

 could not help grabbing the pen and writing 

 what she thought. When we read anything 

 that don't exactly correspond with our 

 views, it is about sure to wake up our 

 thoughts and set us to investigating, analyz- 

 ing and finding out whether the things are so 

 or not. 



What is written in the Farmer is for our 

 instruction, admonition and correction, and 

 tends to make us more interested in every- 

 thing relating to the farm. 



If Mrs. I), will carefully look over what I 

 wrote, she will observe that I laid no claims to 

 being an accomplished butter maker. I have 

 only taken the first degree, though I confess 

 myself a candidate for those higher ones of 

 "better," "best," and even the "gilt-edged," 

 which I suppose is the highest di gree known 

 to the order. Hence 1 shall try to profit by 

 the instruction and experience of others, and 

 if possible go on to perfection. 



When I spoke of keeping the cream I didi 

 not wish to be understood to say that it ought 

 to be kept three days, but merely that it ought 

 not to be kept over three days. Many women 

 with large families neglect ciiuruiog from press 



