j: 



Published by John B. Russell, at JVs. 52 ^Yorlh Market Street, (at the Agricultural Warehouse). — Thomas G. Fessendek, Editor. 



VOL. VIII. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1830. 



No. 32. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



EXAMPLES OF GOOD FARMING. 



Mr Fkssende.v — In your paper of 5th instant, 



ider the head of "Advantage of Thorough Cul- 



re," 1 was pleased to sec the produce of a farm 



forlycight acres in the vicinity of Boston. It 



rtainly does honor to tlie management of the 



ace; yet I thiidi it would have been only just 



those private farmers, wlio can scarcely suc- 



ed in doing half as nuich, to liave informed us 



at this is tlie produce (as I have learned by in- 



rirv) of the Farm belonging to the City of Bos- 



n at South Boston, where tlioy have at their 



ni-nand all the manure of the city, all that is 



oduced from the hogs and cattle belonging to 



e establishment ; and at the same time all the 



fjbor of the tenants of the Alms-house and House 



Industry for its cultivation. These, it must be 



mitted, are singular advantages; and such as 



conuiion farmer can possess. 



I honestly think that this produce is very great; 



do not mean to undervalue it ; and I hope it 



il III not be ascribed to any improper motive, if I 



nijiare with it some other crops, the accounts 



which are in my possession. It ma)' at least 



pire an honorable coiripetition, which in agri- 



Iture is both laudable and useful. 



The crops of the City farm at South Bostop, 



cording to your account, in 1829, are as follow: 



31 tons of English hay, 



Lucerne valued at five dollars, 

 SOO bushelr. of potatoes, 

 '» U7 ' beets, 



150 ' mangel wurtzel, 



in J86 ' or 21 tons of carrots, 



Pasture for 14 cows 9 vveek.s, (aftermath) 

 !22a bushels barley, 

 )00 ' onions, 



100 ' parsnips, 



300 cabbages, 

 00 bushels turnips, 

 2}; tons squashes, 

 Cash received for vegetables §306,64, 

 Amount used iu a large victualling concern, 



S17C,00, 

 Celery on hand valued at $5. 

 It is not stated how they ascertain the amount 

 ' vegetables used at $175, but it is supposed to 

 l)y conjecture. 



The juoduec of this farm in 1826, as given in 



e Report of Ai>ril 30, 1827,* is as follows:— 



4 tons barley cut green, at $16 per ton $64,00 



4 ' hay S20 ' 80,00 



3 ' rowen $18 ' 54,00 



U ' millet $8 ' 12,00 



Corn fodder valued at 260,00 



80 bushels corn at 90 cts per bushel 72,00 



potatoes 42 ' 903,04 



carrots 33 ' 108,90 



mangel wurtzel, 33 ct.s ' 99,00 



turnips, at 16 " ' 48,00 



beets, 50 ' 170,50 



JOG cabbages, at 4 cts each 72,00 



162 

 530 

 $00 



too 



« HI 



•See N. E. Farmer, vol. v. p. 380. 



Amount brought up $1948,44 



Peas, Beans, small vegetables, ;ind fruit 

 sold and consunicd in the house, about 500,00 



Piofits on the pmchnse and slaughter 



of Beef, 

 Profits on the Piggery, 



$4062,67 



The prices of many articles of produce, as ap- 

 pear above, must have been very high. The ar- 

 ticle of Corn fodder is rated at 260 dollars. We 

 suppose it must have been used for soiling — the 

 profits of the beef and swine ought not to be 

 teckoned at the full amount ; if, as is probable, 

 though the fact is not stated, they were jtept and 

 fattened upon some of the produce credited as 

 above to the farm. The sum of $500, credited 

 to the farm on account of peas, beans, &c, &c, is 

 we su pposo by estiiuatiou ; so it appears, and, 

 perhajis, is not overstated, though it varies from 

 this year's estimate. 



Let us look next at the account of the Salem 

 Alms-house for years 1817-18 and 19. 



In the year 1817 about eighteen acres of land 

 \*'ere broken up, the produce of which was as fol- 

 lows : — 



Pork raised 4391 lbs., of which 2000 lbs. sold 

 for $280. 



Turnips 1000 bushels, 



Potatoes 2700 



All the summer vegetables used in the house. 



in 1818 about thirtyfive acres were cultivated. 



Produce as follows : — 



Pork killed, weight 7960 lbs. 



12 live pigs sold for $42, 



On hand, 57 ])igs, 



Corn 400 bushels. 



Potatoes 2250 < 



Turnips 900 ' 



Three tons squashes, 



Fifiy ' i)umpkins, 



Aiid all the summer vegetables necessary for 

 the Alms-house. 



"In 1819 fourteen acres more of land were bro- 

 ken up and cultivated, and about the same quan- 

 tity laid down to barley and grass ; so that the 

 acres of land actually in tillage were nearly the 

 same this year as the last." 



"the barley groimd must be considered tillage, 

 certainly, if included in this year's crops. 



Produce for 1819-— 



Pork already killed 9012 lbs. 



28 hogs to be killed this season, and will now 

 (when this account w^s given) average over 

 250 lbs. 



A few live pigs sold when small, 



73 live pigs, on hand to be kept over, now 

 average over 170 lbs. each, 



Corn raised 325 bushels, 



Barley ' 235 < 



Potatoes' 3138 ' 



Onions ' 225 ' 



Turnips ' 250 ' 



Pumpkins raised, 48 tons. 



Squashes raised, 22 tons, 



Broom Corn sufficient' to make one lumdred 



dozen of brooms. 

 Beets, carrots, cabbages, &c, sufficient for the 

 winter, and all summer vegetables in abundance. 

 The farm has superior advantages \'ox collecting 

 manure from the sen, rock weed, sea weed, and 

 nuiscle bed in the greatest abundance. 



To the above, I have the pleasure to subjoin 

 the accoimt of this fiirm for the present year, 

 which I have recently received, and which exhib- 

 its most honorable results. 



" The following is the amount of jiroduce raised 

 iqion the Salem Alms-house Farm during the 

 year 1829, the same being as near the quantity 

 jiroduced as can be ascertained without actual 

 weighing and riieiisuring." 

 75 tons of English hay, 

 3 ' salt^iay, 



600 bushels corn, 

 4000 ' potatoes, 



200 ' barley, 



500 ' turjiips, 



200 ■ ' boots, 



600 ' onions, 



100 ' carrots, 



50 ' peas in pod, 



30 • beans do, 



10 tons squashes, 

 10 ' pumpkins, 

 300 dozen cabbages, 

 200 lbs. Evveet niarjorum, 

 300 ' sage, 



200 ' balm and other herlw, 

 40 ' frurden seeds, various sorts, 

 50 bushels cucutubers, 

 3 tons melons, 

 100 bushels radishes, 



Broom corn for 12 dozen brooms, 

 500 roots celery, - 

 300 fowls, 

 11600 lbs. pork, 

 10 calves, 

 200 cords manure, 



Apjiles, ])hmis, ])eaches, cherries, &c, but 

 few — say 10 bushels. 

 Stock kept upon the farm, — 



Oxen, average number 10 



Cows ' ' 10 



Horses 2 



Bull 1 



Hogs of all ages, 80 



'35 acres of ground were cultivated, 

 50 ' ' ' mowed. 



This farm contains now probably about 110 acres, 

 several of which being ledge, is incapable of cul- 

 tivation. 



We come next to the accounts of some private 

 establishments, which have been given to the pub- 

 lic, and which we deem highly creditable to the 

 intelligent and successful cultivators, w hose names 

 they bear. 



John Prince, Esq. of Ko.xbury, reported to 

 the Massachusetts Agricultural Society, in 1821, 

 the following amount of vegetables for consump- 

 tion on his farm, and was honored with their pre- 

 mium. The quantity, however, he states, is much 

 smaller than he had the jireceding season. 



