300 



Report of the Ji^ricullure of Massachvsetts. 



Vol. III. 



a potato crop is kept clean with much more 

 difficulty than a corn crop, and the corn crop 

 with potatoes intermixed with it, is kept clean 

 with much more difficulty than when culti- 

 vated alone. The second tliino- to be remem- 

 bered is, that the preparation of the land must 

 correspond with the amount of vegetation 

 grown upon it; and a f]^reat crop c;in be ex- 

 pected only from a soil abundantly enriched 

 The art of producing^ fire and warmth with 

 out fuel, or of sustaining either vegetable or 

 animal life without nutriment, is not yet at- 

 tained. 



FLAX. 



I recollect meeting with a few patches of 

 flax. The crop on an excellent farm in Shef- 

 field gives usually about 400 lbs. of flax, and 

 12 to 14 bs. of seed ; and it may be cultivated 

 on the same land once in four or five years. 

 Under such circumstances, it is deemed a pro- 

 fitable crop. Farmers have yet to learn the 

 great value of flax-seed, made into jelly, in 

 fattening cattle. No sub.stance of the same 

 bulk and expense within my knowledge, is 

 60 fattening for neat cattle and sheep. 



DAIRY HUSBANDRY. 



I proceed to speak now of another of the 

 great interests of the agriculture of Berk- 

 shire, — the Dairy. 



The dairy business has always been a great 

 business. For a time it gave way to the rais- 

 ing of fine wool, when the prices of that sta- 

 ple were high. Since the abatement of the 

 demand for wool, with that caprice for which 

 mankind always have been, and there is rea- 

 son to think always will be remarkable, many 

 farmers have sacrificed their flocks ; and are 

 now giving their exclusive attention to the 

 dairy husbandry. These changes, in matters 

 so important as the dairy or the sheep hus- 

 bandry, involving, as they do, a considerable 

 investment of capital, and many expensive 

 fixtures, cannot be suddenly or frequently 

 made without risk of serious loss and disad- 

 yantnge. 



^ The county of Berkshire is admirably adapt- 

 ed to the dairy husbandry. Grass is every- 

 where abundant. The soil is suited to the 

 cultivation of esculent vegetables in the high- 

 est perfection. Several increasing manufac- 

 turing villages, with their swarming popula- 

 tion, require supplies from the farms in tlie 

 vicinity. Besides this, the great mart of the 

 country, the city of Now York, is easily ac- 

 cessible. Most of the farmers in Berkshire 

 can reach Hudson with their prwltice, by a 

 journey of four to eight hours, and put on 

 board the boats at four o'clock, p. m., it is in 

 New York by an early hour the next morn- 

 ing. The farmer usually allows two cents 

 a pound commission for the freight and sale 

 of his butter; and, upon otiicr produce, it is 



equally reasonable. He does not return from 

 the river empty ; but carries home a load of 

 plaster, or of articles of necessity for his fam- 

 ily. The great roads to the river, alter the 

 hills are surmounted, are among the best in 

 the whole country. The rail-road, already 

 open from Hudson to We.et Stockbridge, will 

 afford to many of the farmers all the facilities 

 they can desire for reaching the Hudson 

 river. 



PRODUCE AND EXPENSES. 



1. Egremnnt. — I will, in this place, state, 

 as an example, the operation of a farmer who 

 resided about twenty-five miles from Hudson. 

 The great object of his attention was the 

 making of butter, which was sold every week 

 in the New York market. 



From 18 cows he sold 2,400 lbs. butter, at 

 23 cts. net. With these cows he fed 17 spring 

 pigs until October, whose average weight 

 was 177 lbs. each ; half of this pork, say 88 

 lbs., was to be credited to the cow. He is 

 of opinion, that when pork is $10 per lOd lbs., 

 a cow will give at least $8 worth of pork per 

 year. 



Cow, Cr. 



]33 lbs. butter, at 23 cts., (commission paid,) $30 59 



Fork, 8 00 



$38 59 



Cow, Dr. 



Wintering $12 00 



Pasturing 5 00 



Salt 25 



Interest on $25, 10 per cent, risks inclu- 

 ded 2 50 



$19 75 



Profits of a cow, $18 84 



It is understood, that no extra feed is in 

 this case given to the cow ; and the butter 

 and milk used in the family, it is supposed, 

 will fully pay for the attendance. This is a 

 fair profit ; but it is, as I think we shall pre- 

 sently see, much less than it .should be. No 

 animal is better entitled to good keeping than 

 a cov,' ; because none makes a more liberal 

 return for all the extra kindness and feed and 

 attention bestowed on her. 



In another dairy, nine cows made 1,550 lbs. 

 of butter, and 300 lbs. of cheese. 



Another dairy of twenty cows produced, — 

 of butter, 500 lbs.; of new milk cheese, 

 4,000 lbs. 



In this town, two acres of land are deemed 

 sufficient for pasturing a cow or fatting a 

 steer. Twenty head of cattle, made up of 

 cows and three year old steers, were fatted 

 upr)n thirty ncrcs of land. 



The sniiject of dairy-produce is of such im- 

 portance, that I shall give various returns and 

 calculntinn.s. I omit names; I should be glad 

 to givo them, and in a majority of cases it 

 might not be di.-approved ; but a fear of giv- 

 ing oflence, or of being thought to take an 



