146 



NEW ElVGLAND farmer. 



cook all their provision in boilers prepared for .ground is kept loose about them, aiffl free from 

 the purpose. Some swine have a much great- weeds. 



er aptness to fatten on the same food, and when | ^^^ ^.^^^ ^^ p^, j^^,^,^ Newiiall, in West 

 fatted are-of a much superiour quality to oth- j^e^bury contains about one hundred and twenty 

 ers; — much better tn the sight and to the taste ; y ...,.,..,- 



— and these shouhl always be obtained, if possi- 

 ble. Their kee[)ing costs no more than the 

 poorer kind, and often much less. Great atten- 

 tion has been i)ai<l to the making of manure on 

 this farm, and to this is to be alliiliuled, in a 

 great measure, its present superiour condition 



acres, of some of the best land to be found for 

 cultivation in the County. The swine on this 

 farm, «ere among the best that we have seen. 

 The breed is good, and they were in the finest 

 order. Mr Newhall has lately built a barn, 

 which for convenience and durability of construe 



g...„. ...,.,.-...■,..-,--- — - --,. -- - lion is worthy of much praise. It is calculated 



We are aware ol the objection that will l-e ' ,^^,,3^ (■„, „,e"farmer-s use than any one we have 

 made in this case, viz. : " that money does all 

 this — give us the money of Mr Parsons, and we 

 could do as well." It is certainly true that 

 capital is important in farming, as in every oth- 

 er art and application of labour ; — but the pru- 

 dent management of a single talent will produce 

 a second, and the two combined a correspond- 

 ing increase. 



The lands of Mr. Tbistram and IIi.nry Lit- 

 tle, of Newbury, were visited by the Commit- 

 tee with much satisfaction. These gentlemen 

 have been distinguished for several years, tor 

 producing' some of the largest and best crops in 



the County, and for a successful and prolilable 



cultivation of their lands. The ajipearance of 



their fields the present year indicates a corres- 

 ponding produce. The soil is of the very best 



quality, and their skill in management is worthy 



of the soil. Their field of mangel wuitzel is 



the finest we have ever seen ; — and \\q doubt 



not that the produce will be at least one ihou- 



sand'liushels to the acre, — equal in value to ten 



tons of the best of English b;iy, 'i'licir ex- 

 periments on Indian corn have berofofore been 



very successful, — as liie |iremiums of this and 



the State Society will abundantly testify. In 



the present year, we are of the opinion that 



their field is planted quite too thick ; — that it 



contains twice as many stalks as will be found 



profitable. It is planted in rows, and has sov- 

 ■ eral stalks to every square toot of land. It 



seems to be their opinion that the best mode of 



planting corn is in hills, from three to four feet 



apart, and with from four to six stalks in a hill. 



Care should be taken in the selection of the 



•seed; — this should be done in the field, from 



the fairest and earliest stalks;— and where two 



well ri|)ened ears are found on one stalk, they 



are always to be preferred as being more pro- 

 ductive. It is imjiortant that the cars earliest 



ripe be selected, for their produce will ri|ien 



earlier in the succeedmg year ; and hence 



yield a .safeguard against early frosts, the most 



dangerous enemy to this most valuable of crops. 



Without good seed it is vain to expect large 



-products ; and the little attention necessary to 



procure the best seed, will be most abundantly 



rewarded in the quality and quantity of the 



harvest. Tlieir field of English turnips ex- 

 ceeded any thing of the kind witnessed else- 



xvhere. We were informed that they had rais- 

 ed of this crop more than six hundred bushels 



to the acre, after a crop of grass had been tak- 

 en from the land. In tiiis way may the farmer 



easily rfinedy the evil conscquentos of a short 



crop of iiay ; — a few acres well cultivated with 



'tuinips will fully supply all the deficiencies that 



<l,rdinarily occur. Their turnijis were planted 



in rows about two feet apart, and so thined, that 

 the jilanls wer(! not permitted to grow within 



ten or twelve inches of each other. They hoe 



iUem several times, and lake eare that the 



seen. It is not too much to say, that during the 

 haying season, the most bu=y season with the 

 farmer, its superior conveniences will save at 

 least the labour of one man on the farm. It is 

 about eighty feet in length, thirty tour in width. 

 and twenty feet post. It 'has two floors, one 

 eight feet above the other; — on the up|)er of 

 which the hay is carried in. Mr Newhai.l has 

 favoured the Committee with a plan of it tor the 

 benefit of the Society. 



Woodman's winnowing machine, for cleaning 

 all kinds of English grain, wheat, barley, he. was 

 exhibited to the Committee, by Col. Newhall. 

 It is said to answer the pur|)05e more perfectly 

 than anv other that has been in use in that vici- 

 nity. Tliere did not a[ipear to be any new prin- 

 ciple in if, different from those seen before ; but 

 rather a combination of the best parts of other 

 machines with which we have been ac(]nainted. 

 We have never belnre seen the application of a 

 third sieve in the inanner used in this machine. 

 This is for the purpose of separating I be .small 

 seeds of grass and weeds from the grain, and it 

 does it very perfectly. The machine is neat in 

 its construction, of small size and very conveni- 

 ent. When proper sieves are applied, if serves 

 equally well in cleaning grass seed, as grain. — 

 The price of one of the machines, including the 

 patent right to use it, is about 20 dollars. 



The farm of Mr Wiiltam Tnrniow, situate in 

 West Newliuiy, contains about 1 .jO acres. Ills 

 distinguisiicd for having flie largest and most 

 jiroductive apjde orchard in the County. There 

 are upon it alioul "500 grafted trees in a bearing 

 condition. In some seasons they have yielded 

 more than 1000 barrels of sound and f\ir winter 

 apples, worlh at lea<-t 1200 dollars. Mr Tburlmv 

 suffers sheep only to feed in his orchard grounds. 

 The limbs of his frees being low, he docs not per 

 mit cattle of any descriptinn to go among them. 

 He never ploughs the land about the trees, or ap- 

 [ilies any manure to them. He prunes them more 

 or less annually. Their flourishing condition 

 must be atfribute<l to the peculiar adaptation of 

 the soil to their growth, nnd its superior natural 

 strength and fertility. In general much benefit 

 is derived to trees, by keeping the earth loose 

 about them, and by occasionally applying favour- 

 able kinds of manure. Conii<osf manure, the scra- 

 pings of yards and drains, the substances that col- 

 lect about walls and fences are all of this descrip- 

 tion. Most of Mr Thurlow's trees produce the 

 common Koxbnry russet apple. This is a valu- 

 able fruit, and pielly sure to bear; — but lately 

 other sjiecies have come into use much more val- 

 uable. Our farmers generally appear not stilh- 

 cienfly allentive in grafting their trees, to obtain 

 the best kinds of fruit. Regard also should be 

 had to the character of the tree, from which the 

 scions are taken; — that it be thrifty, productive 

 aad coustuat in bearing ; and that it be of a kiad 



of fruit that is not on the decline, or in the far- 

 mer's phrase, ncarhi run out. Natural fruits, of 

 trees growing from the seeds, are occasionally 

 Inund of excellent qualities, either for cider or 

 ealing. These should be preferred in grafting. 

 The farm of William riAUTLCTT Esq. in ]\Ielhu- 

 en was visited by the Committee with the hicli- 

 esl salisfaclion. If is the same to whitli the first 

 premium uf thirty dollars was awarded in 1822 

 and which i\Ir Bartlelt generously gave to the 

 funds of Ihe Society, for the purpose of procur- 

 ing a suitable plate I'or a certificate of premiums. 

 This firm contains about 200 acres of land, in 

 the highest state of cultivation. It is a most 

 sltiking illustration of the powers of art over 

 nature. Originally rough, rocky, cold nnd un- 

 prodnclive, — it is now by the application of la- 

 liour and manure, one of the most productive 

 farms in the County. It is Irne that it is not in 

 tlie [lower of every farmer to do ivliat Mr B.irl- 

 lefl iiasdone, I'or they have not the mean* ; — but 

 there are many ot the improvements that he has 

 I made, that it is in the power of' all our farmers 

 iwho :ire willing to labour, to imitate ; and by 

 imitating of which great benefit might be deri- 

 ved. This firm isso far from the sea that plais- 



ter ol Paris operates advanfageously up<m if. 



This is a means of improvement in the power 

 of every farmer alike situated. Mr Bartlefl's 

 metliod of iiniiroving those parts of his fields 

 >ihich before yieliled grass of a poor qualify, anil 

 the low [daces where Ihe water was apt fo ^el- 

 l|p, ly means of covered drains, has been very 

 successful and is deserving of imitation. It is 

 done by digging a tiench 3 or 4 feet in de[>fh 

 and about the same in width, through the centre 

 nf the low land, and filling in small stones (cast 

 in by tilting up the loaded cart) from his stnb- 

 liles and adjoining land*, then covering the stones 

 with the earth taken tiorn Ihe ditch. 'I'his forms 

 a permanent and effectual drain for many rods 

 of land on each side of the ilifch, and does not 

 injure Ihe ai)pearance of the field in Ihe least 

 or leave any part of it unproductive. It serves 

 also as a convenient deposit for the small stones, 

 a great abundince of which were to be found 

 on this I'arm. ^Vhere they are less [denliful, the 

 ditches may be narrower. There are many a- 

 cres jirodiicing the best of hay on this farm, that 

 have been rindered ca[)alde Ihereof, entirely !iv 

 the use of thc.'e drains. The cold, moist bmU 

 thus improved have gentle slopes; so that the 

 superfluous water sinking into the covered drains 

 is freely carried away. ']'he fine stock of Cows 

 on this farm, is one of its [irinci[ial ornaments. 

 It shortS that great advantages may he derivcft 

 I'rom attending fo the breed of cattle, and takiii,' 

 care to raise only those which are of good p,ir- 

 enfage. There are fifteen in number, of one 

 and the same breed, and which bear a striking" 

 resemblance to each other. Their excellence is 

 lcste<l by the [iroducts of the dairy; which far 

 exceedeil any thing of the kind seen elsewhere 

 by the Committee. Not less [iraise is due fo 

 Mrs Morse, who has the management of this dai- 

 ry, than fo the cows that [iroduce the material. 

 It is believed that many of our farmer's daugh- 

 ters would find as uselul lessons of instruction, in 

 the dairy room of this lady; as are often I'ound 

 at the more fiishionable resorts of education. 



The mangel wurlzel and rutabaga have been 

 cultivated with success on this farm. The man- 

 gel wurlzel is considereii Ihe most valuable crop. 

 The rulft baga is esteemed for fattening ciiltt«, 



