124 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



October 31, 1832. 



From tbe New Bedford Courier. 



BRISTOL COUNTY AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



The following Report was made at the. late Exhibi- 

 bition of this Society. 



The Committee appointed to examine and con- 

 sider the claims for premiums for tlie best cultiva- 

 ted Farms, in the county of Bristol, submit the fol- 

 lowing- Report : — 



The Committee expected that among the many 

 judicious fiirmers of the County of Bristol, there 

 would this vear be several competitors for the pre- 

 miums on the best cultivated farms; but in this 

 they are disappointed. Although the premiums 

 are not so large as could he desired, yet as an ac- 

 curate record of industry and management might 

 be advantageous to the applicants, excite emula- 

 tion, and extend useful information among those 

 who do not cultivate to the best advantage — it 

 was presumed that many would exhibit tlicir ag- 

 ricultural enterprises and claim the premiums. 

 Every improvement is important to the farmer, 

 and by bringing the results before the country, 

 many useful hints wouhl probably be produced, 

 and the general interests of agriculture he ad- 

 vanced. 



Peter Thatcher, Esq. of Attleborough, is the 

 only claimant, and on the first Monday iu July 

 last, the Committee attended to the services as- 

 signed them. This farm, situated in the east Par- 

 ish of Attleborough, consists of 300 acres, 200 of 

 which were, ten years ago, when it uas purchased, 

 under poor cultivation, and producc<l a very small 

 proiit. But hy a judicious cultivation, (ploughing 

 and manuring) where only three tons of hay were 

 produced, now, forty tons of good English hay are 

 made. 



Of the 300 acres, ahout 100 are wood land, 100 

 pasture, 20 tillage, 30 low ineadow, 40 English 

 meadow, and 10 orcharding. Included iu the 

 above, are about 50 acres alluvial, 50 rock}-, 30 

 clayey, and 20 wet and cold land. The whole is 

 well fenced into convenient lots for the purposes 

 designed, whether for pasturage or tillage. About 

 100 cords of manure are used on the farm annually 

 Upon calculation of five years past, the produce 

 of the farm annually, on an average, is as follows : 

 English hay, 50 tons ; coarse meadow hay, 50 

 tons; Indian corn, IGO busliels — 40 to the acre ; 

 Rye, (SO bushels — 10 to the acre; Turnips, from 

 100 to 200 bushels per acre ; Potatoes, 600 bush 

 els — tVom 100 to 200 per acre ; \Winter apples, 

 50 bushels; Cider, 60 barrels; Culinary vegeta- 

 l bles in profusion for family use ; Btef, 2000 lbs. 

 ' Pork, 1500 lbs. The stock consists )f 3 horses, 4 

 oxen, 7 cows, 30 young cattle, 5 hdgs, 50 sheep, 

 three fourths merino. 



As to rotation of crops, he plants first potatoes 

 on sward well ploughed, spreading m the acre 5 

 cords of coarse manure, and putting is much more 

 in the hills. The second year he plants the same 

 with corn, observing the same rule lis above sta 

 ted, spreading 5 cords on the acre and putting a 

 like quantity in the hills. The third year he sows 

 down with spring rye and grass seed, as early as 

 the state of the ground will admit. The ground 

 is then made even by a heavy roller. Nearly a 

 bushel of rye is sown to the acre, some clover, 

 Rhode Island, or red top, but a good quantity of 

 herds grass. He plants the blue potatoes, princi 

 pally, believing them to yield best, and that they 

 are best for the table. 



His beef is principally made on grass and green 

 coi-n stalks; and his pork, on boiled potatoes, 

 pumpkins and meal. | 



His stock is the native breed with a little mi 

 ture of the Beckworth blood. The calves inten; 

 ed to be raised (which must be red) are in thn ; 

 or four days from the birth, taken from the co ' 

 and fed with new^ milk for a few days, then will 

 milk porridge, and in a few weeks with a litt ! 

 dry meal. At tbe age of three months they ai : 

 weaned, and left to take care of themselves in 

 good pasture. 



There are three barns on the farm. One, ? i 



down immediately with winter rye and fine top, 

 without manure. By this course he generally ob- 

 tains six or seven bushels of rye to the acre, and 

 much better pasture. His mowing land is laid down 

 in tbe spring with summer rye, believing it to be far 

 better than oats, both for the land and grass. Of 

 summer rye he usually has ten or fifteer) bushels 

 to the acre. As to English turnips, he selects a 

 piece of sward, where he intends to plant the next 

 year, and after taking off the hay, turns it over 

 with the plough, and puts on a considerable quan- 

 tity of manure. Then the ground is made smooth 

 with a light harrow, taking care not to bring np 



y 70 feet, with a shed adjoining, 12 by GO. O the sward. The seed is then sown tliiidy and 

 the south is the barn yard, about four rods squar , j harrowed in. By this course, a crop is obtained 



and within it a well of water. In this barn an 

 wintered his horses, oxen and cows. The yard a 

 fords a large quantity of manure annually. In tl 

 autumn he carts out the manure, and uses it fi ■ 

 his corn and grass. In the winter he feeds h 

 cattle, more or less, in the yard, and in the sprin ; 

 the raw manure which is made in the winter 

 spread over, it ; he then carts in as many loads i ' 

 loam, and covers the whole, to keep the strengt 

 of the manure from evaporating, and the cattle ai 

 yarded upon it during tbe summer. Thus aboi 

 fiftyfive cords of excellent compost are anuuall 

 made in this yard, part of which is appropriate 

 for corn, and a jjart is spread on grass land, ! 

 stated above. One barn, 30 feet square, with I 

 shed adjoining, 12 by 60 feet, is filled with ll 

 poorest h.iy produced on the farm. In this bat 

 the young cattle are kept through the winter. TI 

 yard adjoining is warm, and the manure made 

 coarse (say about ten cords) and is used for pot* 

 toes. The other barn, 30 by 40 feet, is appropri-' 

 ated for the bay designed for sale. 



Tbe hog-pen, about three rods square, is an 

 important source of manure. It is so situated and 

 formed as to hold water, more or less, all the sum- 

 mer. It is cleaned out in the spring, and the ma- 

 nure appropriated for corn. After it is cleared, 

 it is then filled with almost every material th.it 

 will make manure, as old hay, straw, course ma- 

 nure from the stable, loam, brakes, bulrushes, 

 bushes of one summer's growth, sea-weed, wcejs 

 of all kinds, &c. As these articles are worked in- 

 to a smaller compass by the swine, similar substan- 

 ces are added, from time to time, through tbe 

 summer. In this manner, more than thirty corils 

 of rich manure are produced from the pen annu- 

 ally. 



Ou the south side of the English meadow is a 

 large watery swamp, the level of which is several 

 feet above the level of the meadow. A ditch ha? 

 been dug through a rise of land on the north side 

 of the swamp, by which means Mr Thatcher can 

 throw the water over a considerable portion of bis 

 meadow to great advantage ; thereby improving 

 the quantity and quality of his grass. 



There are about 500 apple trees on the farm, 

 mostly in orchards and of diflerent ages. Four 

 hundred are natural fruit : the remainder are young 

 fruit trees engrafted with tbe best of fruit. Ali 

 tbe trees are in good condition, except a few in- 

 jured by the last winter. They are well pruned 

 Mr Thatcher thinks that the best time for pruning 

 is jus*l»fore the sap starts freely. Every sin-ing 

 the younger trees are washed with equal parts of 

 ley and soap ; keeping the sward loose about their 

 roots by chip manure or old pomace. 



For several years \msl Mr Thatcher has taken 

 up five or six acres of pasture land, and laid it 



from 100 to 200 bushels per acre. 



His improvements have been great in removing 

 hedges, subduing bushes, planting little (say four 

 acres to corn and four to potatoes) an<l manur- 

 ing highly, and in bringing poor worn out land, 

 which yielded little or nothing, to produce abund- 

 antly. 



All the buildings are in good repair. The 

 dwelling-house, which is 28 by -33 feet, stands on 

 a rise of laud, fronted by ornamental trees. Ad- 

 joining the house is the kitchen, the milk room, 

 tbe cheese-room, the well-room, the wood-house, 

 the chaise-house, the wagon-house, tbe farmer's 

 «ork-sliop, and cider-mill. It seems that Mr 

 Tliatcher has adopted the very imjiorlant motto, 

 " c place for everything, and everything in its 

 piece." Order and method everywhere met the 

 eye, and were the Committee jiermittcd to step 

 « thin tbe threshold, they could say, that there is 

 tlie house of quiet, cheerfulness and plenty. 



The amount of yearly produce, exclusive of 

 p.'ipporting the family, &c, and sale of stock, is 

 about S850. The annual expenses of labor, &c, 

 in cultivating the farm, with tbe taxes, are about 

 $270, leaving an annual profit of ,'ti580 beyond the 

 expenses. 



Tbe Committee were highly gratified to learn 

 that this large farm had been managed for the last 

 three years without tbe use of ardent si)irits. Mr 

 Thatcher is confident that without rum his labor- 

 ers go through the business much better, do more 

 work, and are more peaceable. He now bears no 

 rumbling for the want of more of the stimulus, as 

 was the case when that article was used. This, we 

 think, puts to silence tbe clamor of some farmers, 

 that laborers cannot be obtained without the poi- 

 son. The practice of total abstinence from ardent 

 spirits, wherever put in force, will invariably prove 

 highly advantageous both to the farmer and la- 

 borer. In this tiling, Mr Thatcher has taken ele- 

 vated ground, on which every farmer ought to 

 stand, and is worthy of all praise and imitation. 



Although Mr Thatcher had no competitor, yet 

 from the good judgment in the cultivation and 

 management of his farm — renovating an exhaust- 

 ed and worn out soil, &c, the Committee with 

 pleasure award to him the first premium, the sum 

 of fifteen dollars. By order, 



ROLAND GREEN, Chairman. 



Octobers, 1832. 



From the American Farmer. 



SALT FOR CATTLE. 

 We are fully impressed with the idea, that a 

 free and constant feeding of salt to cattle, is es- 

 sential to their good conditioh, especially at a dis- 

 tance from salt water. The cattle on our stock 



