148 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



been made within this time. Large quantities 

 of maoure have been carried upon it,anil the land 

 is now in a highly improved state. The most 

 striking improvement on the fiirm, is the con- 

 verting of 6 or 8 acres of low and unproductive 

 wel meadow land, into the best of English mow- 

 ing. This was done simply by ditchinjf, plough- 

 ing, and the application of manure. The orch- 

 ards will not bear a comparison with those on 

 many farms in the county. The crops promise 

 fair the present season, — particularly a field of 

 mangel wurlzel, of about one acre, which will 

 be very productive. To pass from the (ields to 

 the buildings, and to a view of the order and 

 regularity in the system, of labour on Ibis farm, 

 — here the Committee can speak with praise 

 unqualified. The motto exhibited at the entrance 

 of the barn, viz. — " A place for every thing, and 

 every thing in its place, is the rule of this farm,'''' 

 was well exemplified in every apartment. The 

 arrangement of the tools and Hiiplerocnts of hus- 

 bandry; the conveniences for the accommoda- 

 tion of the cattle, — for storing the pmduce, — 

 and for keeping and feeding the swine, are de- 

 serving of entire approbation. The Committee 

 feel no hesitation in saying thTt most, even of 

 our good farmers, would find their time well 

 spent in taking a few lessons on these subjects 

 at- this place. They are such lessons as would 

 be serviceable to us all,— from the gentleman 

 who farms for his amusement, to the laborious 

 husbandman, who earns his daily bread by the 

 Sweat of his brow. 



Col. Jesse Putnam's farm is situate in the 

 North Parish of Danvers, and contains about 

 100 acres. It is the same to which the second 

 premium of this Society was awarded in 1822. 

 A part of it is land of a good quality ; the great- 

 er part is not of good quality ; and some of it is 

 naturally very poor. These are circumstances 

 that deserve to be noticed, for they are embar- 

 rassments in the way of successful cultivation. 

 that the proprietor of a fertile soil has not to en- 

 counter, and knows but poorly how to estimate. 

 The man who by skill and industry surmounts 

 these obstacles, St causes the produce of his lands 

 to rise to an equality with the products of other 

 lands naturally fertile, deserves well of his 

 country. He literally " makes two blades of 

 grass to grow, where but one grew before." 



The orchards on this farm merit particular 

 attention. There are from 1500 to 2000 trees 

 of grafted fruit in a bearing condition. Much 

 of the iVuit is of good quality. The thrifty and 

 lively appearance of the trees is to be allribut- 

 cd in a great degree to the attention they have 

 received. Many of them are planted on a bar- 

 ren soil, that, at first view, would seem wholly 

 insufficient for their Jiip|)ort. 



The wet meadow lands on this fnrm that have 

 been converted into |)rodiiclive English mowing 

 grounds, by means of ditching and the applica- 

 tion of sand Si manure, are line specimens of the 

 (ulvantages of this kind-of labour, and aflbrd good 

 samples for imitation to proprietors of similar 

 kinds of land. The increase of crop, in a very 

 «hort time, pays for all the extra labour ; and 

 there remain-; to the proprietor a permanently 

 fertile field of the liighest value. 



The mauagoment of the dairy on this farm is 

 •qually praiseworfliy, as the cultivation of the 

 lands. The ((uantity of butter made from the 

 RiMk of seven cows, since the 20th of May, in 

 "he present year, was not leas than 200 pounds ; 



together with 1100 lbs. of cheese, a part of it of 

 good quality. This gives, on an average, G lbs. 

 of butter a week to a cow. It also affords to the 

 Trustees satisfactory proof of the pro|)riety of 

 their limitation of the premiums on butter to the 

 produce of 7 pounds per week to a cow. For 

 had four of the bett of these cows been selected 

 for the purpose, no doubt this quantity would 

 have been obtained. 



The mode of making manure, (which is very 

 similar to that practised by Mr I). Putnam be- 

 fore mentioned) ; tlie plan of recrnitiiig the pas- 

 ture lands, by occasionally ploughing the same; 

 the manner of keeping an<l feeding swine ; the 

 order and arrangement ofthe implements of hus- 

 bandry, as practised by Col. Piilnam, were each 

 noticed by the Committee and met their appro- 

 bation.* 



The Committe conclude their Report on the 

 farms which came under their observation, witli 

 a few remarks on the propriety of continuing 

 the (iremiums for the entire management of a 

 farm, and their relative importance compared 

 »'ith premiums for other objects. 



The oliject contemplated by the Trustees in 

 the offering of premiums for the n\anagomenl of 

 a firm has not as yet been attaineil. The com- 

 petition has not been suthcient. In 1S22 there 

 were but four, the present year but two com- 

 petitors. Surely, in a county like this, where 

 llie means of living, of three-fourths of the pop- 

 ulation, is drawn from agriculture, and where 

 all are in a degree dependent on its prosperity, 

 the number of competitors for premiums so lib- 

 eral as those offered by this Society, amounting 

 to more than one hundred dollars annually, ought 

 not to be less than the number of towns in the 

 county. It should also be remembercil, that the 

 Slate Society, in correspondence with the sug- 

 gestion of our venerable President, have gene- 

 rously promised a premium of thirty dollars to 

 the person who shall obtain the first premium 

 for the management of a farm in each county 

 annually. So that the first premium offered is 

 in fact sixty dollars. AVe are fully persuaded, 

 that if our farmers rightly understood the sub- 

 ject, thev would come forward in such numbers 

 that the honour derived from successful compe- 

 tition would be increased, while the premiums 

 themselves will not be unworthy of their regard. 

 It is a lottery in which (different from all other 

 lotteries) every ticket will draw a prize. The 

 I'armer who cultivates his farm with increased 

 attention, in th<; hope of obtaining a premium, 

 will be sure to find one, — -if not from the hands 

 ofthe Treasurer of this Society, he certainly 

 will from the increased produce of his soil; and 

 possibly one from the Treasurer will be super- 

 added, — which will prove to him, that in agri- 

 cultural lotteries there are two prizes to a tick- 

 et, instead of "two blanks to a prize." 



It is said by some, that they cannot afford to 

 purchase manures, to hire labourers, &c. &c. in 

 order to make their farms compare with those 



* The produce of Col. Putnam's farm in 182J, was 

 as follows : — Puinmer apples 63 Imsli — Winter do 291 

 barrels. — Cutler ',','M lbs — Cheese S 10 lbs — 7 calves sold 

 (or $3j — Cider 41 barrels — faiglish hay 27 tons — Wet 

 meadow hay IJ tons — Oals 1 ton— Pork 2057 lbs — pe.as 

 I'nr market h5 bush — potatoes 340 bush — 21 pigs sold 

 lor $53 — turnips 300 bush — Corn 250 bush — Onions GO 

 bush — Cabbages 35 dozen. — The produce of the pres- 

 ent will probably e.xceed that of the last year. The 

 Committee were informed that the nett proceeds of 

 this faim ^^re sot Jess than lUUO dollars annually. 



that are entered for premiums. These obser- 

 vations are founded on mistaken notions. They 

 pre-suppose that premiums will be awarded on 

 false principles. And that the rich landlord, 

 who values no expense in enriching his lands, 

 will be |)referred to the more humble labourer, 

 who sits down and carefully counts the cost, 

 and hazards no experiments until assured of 

 their advantages. It is this latter class of citi- 

 zens that we would urge to come forward ; and 

 at the same time assure them, that Iheir claims 

 will over be received with as much pleasure, 

 and treated with as much attention, as those of 

 the inilepcndent gentleman, if equally merito- 

 rious. 



Tiiese premiums arc offered for such a geaer' 

 al improvement of the entire farm as will coti' 

 stitnic the farmer''s permanent prosperity. In this, 

 the lands, the dairy, the stock, the orchards, 

 the building", and every thing about the farm, 

 is, or ought to be, taken into consideration. — ■ 

 Premiums are oflered on particular objects, and 

 this is well, for the present. The awarding ot 

 premiums is a novelty, bnt lately introduc3d. It 

 is scarcely twenty years since they were first 

 heard of in this Comrnonweailh. But when 

 the subject comes to be belter understood, and 

 an interest is more generally excited, premiums 

 on the entire management of farms, will as- 

 suredly gain the ascendency, and supersede all 

 others. 



The Committee recommend that the follow- 

 ing premiums be awarded by the Board of 

 Tru.-itees, viz. : 



ToCol-JF.SSK PUTN.AM, of D.anvcrs, for the man- 

 a^-enient of his farm — the first premium. 



Thirty Dollars. 



To " The Indian Hill Farm," in West Newbury, — the' 

 second premium, Tivenly-Jivt Doltars. 



To Col. MOSES NF.WUALI,, of West Newbury, for 

 his ing'enious and improved plan of a barn, a gratuity 

 of, Ten Dollars. 



Respectfully submitted, 



By order of the Committee, 



JOHN \V. J^ROCTOR. 

 Danvers, October 26, 1824. 



FOR THE xr.Vf EN(;l..'VXD FARraER. 



ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



REPOHT OF THE tOMMITTEF. ON 



Pousii.s nnti J^loufifitng. 



The important object of the Society in offers 

 ing premiums on ploughs and ploughing — lim- 

 iting the team to one yoke of oxen, without a 

 driver — has been to induce the farmers of Es- 

 sex to furnish themselves with ploughs of the 

 best form ; and of lliis the test is, that they be 

 easy in the draught, and turn the furrow-slice 

 completely. To effect this the oxen must be 

 well-trained, and the ploughman acquire skill 

 by practice in ploughing. 



Governed by these rules, the Committee 

 award the lirst premium — being 15 dollars — 

 to Perley T.iPLEv, of Danvers. He had a ve- 

 ry good plough, and his oxen were admiribly 

 well trained. He was himself the expert 

 ploughman. The fore end of the plough-beam 

 was furnished with a roller (as usual) to reg- 

 ulate the depth of the furrow, which was five 

 inches; and a circular cutter (a plate of iron, 

 steeled, and perhaps ten inc-ies in diameter j 



