298 



hlepnrt of the Jigricxdlure of Massachusetts. Vol. III. 



a reg'ular rotation ; and I shall subjoin min- 

 utes of these expenses, iurnished by experi- 

 enced and judicious farmers in different parts 

 of the county. 



In the estimates which have been made of 

 the expenses of cultivating^ any crops, it will 

 be understood, that a man's labor has always 

 been estimated at one dollar per day ; and the 

 same for a yoke of oxon, and Haifa dollar for 

 a horse. In many parts of the country this, 

 undoubtedly, is an over-estimate of the price 

 of labor; but it seemed necessary to fix some 

 price as a uniform standard throug^hout the 

 state; and in the cost of labor involved in the 

 production of any crop, one dollar is to be con- 

 sidered as the representative of a day's work. 

 The prices of labor and the prices of board 

 vary in different parts of the state. The 

 estimated price includes both labor and board. 



Expenses of cultivating an acre of corn in 

 Sheffield, Mass. 



Plougliing $1 50 



Manuring, 15 loads, at 50 cents, half the manure 



to be charged to the corn, 3 75 



Getting out manure, $2; planting, $1 25; seed, 25, 3 .'0 

 Hoeing twice, $2; gathering and liusking, $2,. .. .4 Od 

 Interest on land, at §50 per acre, .3 00 



$15 75 



Product. 



Corn-stalks for fodder, equal to f ton of 



hay, $5 00 



Forty-five bushels of corn, at 75 cts., 33 75 



§38 75 



Profit on the corn, $23 00 



Estimated expenses of an acfe of Potatoes. 



Ploughing, $1 50 



Manuring as per corn, $3 75; hoeing, $4 00, 7 75 



Digging the crop, $12; interest on land, $3, 15 00 



Seed, 15 bushels, 3 75 



$28 GO 

 Product, if 300 bushels, $74,00 



400 " iQiroo 



Suppose 300 bushels,— Profit, $47 00 



Estimated expenses of an acre of Rutabaga. 



Ploughing and preparing ground, planting on 

 ridges, eight days, $8 00 



Twenty loads of manure, half charged to this 

 crop 5 00 



Seed, $1; sowing with machine, 50 cts., 1 50 



Fifteen days' hoeing, $15; 12 days' harvesting, 

 $12 27 00 



Rent of land, at $50, 3 00 



$44 50 

 Product of above, 800 bushels, at 12i 100 00 



Profit, $55 50 



Cost 5| cts. per bushel. 



I shall now proceed to give in detail an ac- 

 count of a wheat crop in Lenox, in 1837, by 

 a farmer, whose uniform success in raisinar 

 wheat is ample proof of his agricultural skill. 



The extent of land sown was 2 acres 60A 

 rods; the whole crop was 89 bs. 26 qt.«. On 

 one of the two acres the crop amounted to 

 40 bs. 20 (]ts. The mode of cultivation pur- 

 sued by this fanner is somewhat peculiar. 



The land on which this crop was obtained, 

 was the preceding year in corn ; and the corn 

 crop planted on an inverted green-sward. 

 Some of this field was manured in the hill; 

 and on some of it the manure was spread at 

 the rate of twenty common cart-loads to the 

 acre. There was not a remarkable difference 

 between the appearance of that part of the 

 corn crop manured in the hill, or that on 

 which the manure was spread. A circum- 

 stance, to which the attention of farmers is 

 particularly invited, is that in cultivating the 

 corn, in hoeing and harrowing, particular care 

 was taken not to turn up or break the sod 

 from the bottom. I shall now quote from the 

 account given by this intelligent cultivator: 



"About the 15th of April, the corn hills 

 were split with the common harrow; and 

 ploughed once with great care. A thin coat 

 of barn manure was spread. The manure 

 was principally fresh horse manure. After 

 .sowing and dragging, leeched ashes were 

 spread over that part of the field not manured. 

 Six bushels of clean seed were sown, after 

 having been prepared by soaking in brine 

 from 24 to 48 hours, and rolled in finely 

 slacked lime, care being taken to have as 

 much as possible adhere to the kernel. Care 

 was taken to cover the wheat sown before it 

 became dry. After sowing, the ground was 

 dragged (harrowed) every day for five or six 

 days, alternately cro.«sing the field in opposite 

 directions. Dry light soils are greatly bene- 

 fited by working them while the dew is on. 

 Heavy soils, however, should be thoroughly 

 warmed and dried, previously to working 

 them. When the blade was up two or three 

 inches, a good dressing of plaster was given." 



Entire expenses of cultivation. 



1 day with one pair of horses, splitting hills,. . . .$2 00 

 i " " dragging 1 00 



2 days' ploughing, at $2 4 00 



() bs. seed wheat, at $3, 18 00 



Preparing seed, 50 cts. ; 1 peck salt, 25 cts 75 



2 bs. lime, C8 ct.«. ; labor in sowing, $1, 1 C8 



3 days, man and team, harrowing the wheat, 6 00 



2 men, 3 days, to can and spread manure, team 



and cart,. 9 00 



24 loads of manure, at 50 cls 12 00 



350 lbs. plaster, at ,«13 per ton 2 27 



Sowing plaster, | of a day 34 



2 hands, 3 days' reaping. $(>; board of hands, $1 5ii,.7 50 



3 days' work binding, $3 ; board, 75 cts., 3 75 



Carting, 2 hands U day, and team, $3 75; board, 



7J cts., 4 50 



$72 79 



The soil is, what is here called, a dark 

 loam, strongly silicious. The substratum is 

 mica slate. 



One of the best farmers in Pittsfield, and 

 in the state, puts down the expense of ciilti- 

 vatinfj an acre of wheat at $9; of oats at S8; 

 of rye at $7; of potatoes at ^2S ; of ruta baga 

 at ^■2.'>. The items of expense are not given. 



I subjoin from another enterprising culti- 



