84 



NEW ENGLAiND FA.tiVIER. 



From the American Farmer. 



Observations of a Correspondent, on a late visit to 

 Saratoga — Earl Stimson—his Premium Farm 

 — its manat^emenl and produce. 

 Amongst the grent variety r>! visitors who have 

 recourse to this place, I'otne for iiealth arid some 

 for pleasure ; young men in search of wivp'!, 

 and wives to show o^ their daughters; not the 

 least numerous or valiiable class consists of se- 

 date and inteihgent Farmers; chiefly those who 

 migrate hither annually to escape the diseases 

 of the southern climate. These soon gel tired 

 of the continual round nf lighter amusements, 

 provided for the entertainment of the young 

 and the gay, and readily embrace every propo- 

 sal to reconnoitre the adjacent country. Hence 

 we found yesterday, no difficulty in making up 

 a party of a dozen farmers from Georgia, South 

 Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, &.c. to 

 beat 11]) the quarters of Earl Stimson, Esq. re- 

 siding fifteen miles from here, in the town of 

 Galway ; well known for having taken in 1819 

 the premium offered by the Agricultural Socie- 

 ty for the best cultivated farm in the county — 

 an honour dearer to the heart of benevolence 

 than all the blood stained trophies that ever 

 shadowed the brows of Alexander or Caesar. 



We were received very politely by Mr. Slim- 

 son ; to whom it was obvious such visits were 

 by no means uncommon. Ife seemed at once 

 to understand our object; and having first ten- 

 dered us refreshments, promptly offered to con- 

 duct us over the farm — so away we followed 

 close at his elbow. It was a miniature picture 

 of Mr. Coke, and his 500 followers over the 

 fields of Holkham, except that we went on foot, 

 and Mr. Stimson himself was not mounted on 

 an old white charger, with sagacity to conduct 

 his master's guests through the most fertile por- 

 tions of the fields, as was, I suppose jocul;irly said 

 of the great Norlolk farmer by one of his friend*. 

 We examined, as minutely as the time would 

 permit, his various crops ; the implements and 

 processes by which they were made ; and eve- 

 ry where we saw exemplified the great deside- 

 ratum of judicious farming, to wit : Labour ju- 

 diciously applied as to time, and manner, on 

 fields in good condition, yielding heavy Cfops. 



You may feel assured that with a dozen close 

 at his heels, some connoisseurs, and some ama- 

 teurs, our host was well employed to answer all 

 the interrogatories we put to him — no student, 

 on trial for his degrees, ever encountered more 

 critical examination, and few are ever so well 

 prepared to pass the ordeal: and here let me 

 premise, that Mr. Stimson is a plain matter of 

 fact man, who proceeds on the solid foundation 

 of experience, with habits of close and accurate 

 observation, wedded to no theories which prac- 

 tice does not sanction, and always ready to be 

 guideil by results, even though he cannot trace 

 lliem to their causes. Hence when he announc- 

 ed to us in the outset, that his plough never 

 sunk beyond the depth of three inches, was al- 

 ways drawn by one liorse, and that his manure 

 was always given to his small grain crops, and 

 spread upon the surface, to be turned only with 

 a liglil harrow — we, farmers by the new lights, 

 were all astonished, and with one voice demand- 

 ed his justification of this heretical departure 

 from the newly established canons of the church 

 agricultural! He replied, gentlemen) I pretend 



not to be deeply versed in the rationale of farm- 

 ing; my business is with its results. I can only 

 tell you, that in tilling ray land, at best a labo- 

 rious business, my soul object is clear profit — 

 I have tried all the systems I have heard of, 

 and can only say, that the one which I follow is 

 the one which most improves my land, and 

 yield'- me the greatest nett income from labour 

 and capital 1 This was a kind of argumentiim ad 

 argentiim, that none of us could parry — it en- 

 tered at the pocket nerve, and like friend Gris- 

 com's galvanic batlerv, reanimated and put in 

 motion a system of farming, which it was sup- 

 posed had been, as an old criminal, tried, con- 

 demned and executed, beyond the power of re- 

 suscitation. 



His whole farm, as 1 understood, now con- 

 sists of 250 acres of arable land ; whereof a 

 considerable portion, of course, is in pasture, 

 and 100 acres of wood. He was reaping his 

 principal crops when we were there, and 

 judging from appearances, compared with past 

 years, he calculates on gathering 150 tons of 

 hay, 2,000 bushels of potatoes, 5000 bushels of 

 grain of all sorts, and 10,000 weight of pork. 



As late as the year 1812, the average crops 

 of this farm were ; 



The following account of his management, 

 the progress of improvement, and increase of 

 crops from that time to the year 1821 inclusive, 

 is confined to one of his lots of eight acres, and 

 may be received as a fair specimen of the whole 

 farm. It was furnished to my hand by Dr. 

 Steele, a gentleman of excellent judgment, and 

 various, and valuable acquirements, whose so- 

 ciety and skill contribute most essentially to the 

 pleasure and the safety of visiters at this place. 



A. D. 1812. 



Early in September, the sod was 

 turned over with the plough, to 

 the depth of about .'5 inches, 

 and then well rolled, at the ex- 

 pense of ^2,25 per acre, which, 

 for 8 acres, is ^18 00 



Barn yard manure, 5 loads, and 

 leached ashes, :} loads, worth 

 75 cents per load, ^G per acre, 

 amounts to 48 OOi 



This was spread equally over the 

 surface, immediately after roll- 

 ing, and then lightly ploughed 

 with a one horse plough, so as 

 not to disturb the sod, but just 

 to scratch the surface. Ex- 

 pense gl per acre, 8i 

 1813. 



Ploughed again light. Expense 

 $1 per acre, S 



Sowed with barley, 2^ bushels 

 per acre, worth 75 cents per 

 bushel. Seed cost 15 



Harrowed with a light harrow. 

 Expense 07} per acre, 3 



Reaping, cartage, threshing, &,c. 

 Expense g6 C2J per acre, 53 



Total expense of the crop, gl63 



Produce, 50 bushels to the acre, 

 400 bushels, worth 76 cents per 

 bushel, amount 300 



Nett profit of the crop, 



In the fall, ploughed up the stub- 

 ble, three inches deep, and 

 rolled at the expense of ^1 75 

 per acre, 14 



Harrowed and ridged, cost ^! 50 

 per acre, 12 



1814. 



Planted with Indian corn, 2 feet 

 7 inches apart, cost g2 per acre, 

 including seed, 16 



Ploughing both ways one furrow 

 in a row, without disturbing the 

 sod, and hoeing, cost g2 per 

 acfe, 16 



Plaster, j^I per acre, 8 



Ploughing, hoeing 2d time, and 

 suckerwg, ^2 per acre, 16 



Harvesting, threshing, putting up 

 the croji, &c. ^4 per acre, 32 



Total expense of the crop $1H 



Crop, 80 bushels per acre, C40 



bushels, worth 75 cents per 



bushel, 480 



Nett profit of crop, 

 1815. 

 Split the hills and harrowed — 



cost f,0 50 per acre 4 



Cross ploughed and harrowed, ^I 



per acre, 8 



Sowed 1 1-2 bushels wheat, worth 



gl per bushel, 12 



Sowed at the same time, 5 lbs. 



red clover seed, and 2 quarts 



timothy per acre — cost ^1 8 



Labour of sowing, harrowing in 



seed, &c. $1 per acre, 8 



Harvesting, carting, threshing, 



&.C. g4 per acre, 32 



Total expense of crop, 72 



Crop, 24 bushels per acre — 192 

 bushels — worth ^1 25 per bush- 

 el, 240 

 Nett profit of crop, 

 1816. 

 Mowing, curing, cartage, &c. of 

 grass — worth $1 per acre, 56 



Total expense of crop, 56 



Crop, 3 tons per acre — 24 tons — 



worth !iS7 per ton, 168 



Fall feed — worth ^2 per acre, 16 



Nett profit, 

 1817. 

 Expense of mowing, curing, &c. 

 this year, $-\ per acre, 



184 



Total expense of crop, 32 



Crop, 2^ tons per acre — 20 tons, 



worth ;j57 per ton, 148 



Fall feed, $1 50 per acre, 12 



152 



Nett profit, 

 1818. 

 Pasture, Tvitbout any expense- 



gl47 



$366 



1C» 



$12.* 



« 



^120 



