1936.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



219 



um for the greatest quantity of Inriian corn raised 

 tlie past year upon another tract of land. 



2^0 the Executive Vommitlee of ihe Hampshire, 

 Hampden and Franklin y/gricuUural Society: 



Gentlemen — In llie spring of 1S34, I com- 

 menced ploughing for a crop of corn, a field of 

 about fourteen acres. In various part^ of the 

 field were swales, wet, springy places and swamp 

 holes, some parts of which were covered with 

 water most of tlie season, some with moss and 

 s:mall bushes, and others with sedge and course 

 jjrass, amounting in all to four or five acres. Tiie 

 best part of this wet land wns mown in 1S33, and 

 gave of poor ha}- but little more than enough to 

 pay the expense of gathering; the remainder was 

 entirel}^ unproductive and probably ever kad 

 been. 



As it was desirable that these places should be 

 {?0mething more than mere nuisances, and if pos- 

 sible, the whole field wear the appearance of civi- 

 Jization, it became a question for consideration, 

 whether it could be done in such a manner as that 

 the produce would pay the expense. After a 

 careful view of the ground, it was thought that 

 the plough would be the readiest and least expen- 

 sive instrument for draining off the water as well 

 as subduing the wild grass and shrubs. 



A long swale running nearly through the lot 

 Nvith a moderate descent, gave a good opportunity 

 to drain with the plough, not only the water that 

 was oozing out over its surface, but also that from 

 the springs and wet lands on either side. 



The largest basin, or swamp hole, amountinir 

 to about half an acre, including the belt of small 

 hushes and balk around il, and situated near the 

 highest part of the lot, was laid dry by an under 

 or covered drain of about six rods in length, cut 

 through the rim of the basin, previoui? to [ilough- 

 ing; the other parts were drained ol" the surfiice 

 water without the use of the spade, by drawing 

 the first furrow, when striking out the lands or 

 ridges, at such places as would cut oil' the springs, 

 and in such directions as would give sufficient fall 

 to the water, and lead it into the main furrow in 

 the long swale. Considerable care was necessary 

 to strike out the ridges, so that when the plough- 

 ing was finished, the furrows should not only 

 have a good descent, but lead ofl" the water with- 

 ont further labor in opening communications fi-om 

 one to the other. 



After the superabundance of water was thus 

 taken off, and the ground became so solid that it 

 could be ploughed, which was in a day or two, 

 the whole was turned over; care being taken that 

 none of the former growlh should be left on the 

 surface, but all turned under to the depth of five 

 or six inches; if possible, without bringing up 

 much of the poor subsoil. And to drain the 

 ground yet more perfectly atler it was ploughed, 

 the furrows were deepened by running the plough 

 through them a second time, and the loose earth 

 hauled out upon the ridges. After it became suf- 

 ficiently dry to work, it was rolled, and about 20 

 cart buck loads to the acre of horse manure, was 

 spread from the cart over the surfl^ce and harrow- 

 ed in. 



The other parts of the field having been treat- 

 ed in the satne manner, except the draining, the 

 whole was planted with corn, in rows without re- 



gard to furrows or drains, except not planting in 

 them. When harrowing the corn, particular 

 care was taken not to disturb the sod, and at each 

 time of hoeing the ground was kept as level as 

 possible, except the water furrow.s or drains were 

 cleared of the earth that the liarrow in crossinrr 

 them had hauled in, and a free passage for the 

 water at all times maintained. At the last time 

 of hoeing, the whole field was sown with grass 

 seed, and also with about lialf a bue.hd of plas- 

 ter to the acre. The whole crop of corn, as as- 

 certained by the admeasurement of the ears, was 

 aboi5t thirty bushels of shelled corn per acre, and 

 had probably suffered a diminution of about twen- 

 ty-five per cent, from the severity of the drought 

 at the time tlie corn was filling out. 



In the wet, or those parts of the field more par- 

 ticularly under consideration, the crop of corn on 

 an average was light, perhaps not over two thirds 

 the average of the whole field, or twenty bushels 

 to the acre, altlsough in eome places where the 

 draining was the most f)erfe^,t and took effect ear- 

 ly in the season, it was very good. 



The grass seed took well, and after the corn 

 and stalks were cleared off, the field contrasted 

 finely with its former appearance. The brown 

 and sere plain, the mossy hog, and heathy knoll, 

 were clothed in green. No cattle were allowed 

 to go on it, nor was it fed at all, except a little by 

 trespass. 



In the spnng of 1835, after the ground was set- 

 tled so as not to poach, il was rolled to re-set the 

 grass roots that might be partially thrown out by 

 the frost, crush the corn stubs, and level for the 

 scythe. Having a preference for early cut clover, 

 it was mown in June, part of that on the reclaim- 

 ed land having begun to lodge, ahhouffh the field 

 in general was backward, not in full bloom, and 

 according to common usage, not ready to cut. 

 The reclaimed land suffered the least from the 

 drought, and gave an average of about one and a 

 half tons to the acre, while that of the whole field 

 wiis about one ton. The hay was a fair mixture 

 of clover, herdsgrass and redtop. 



Immediately after the first crop was off, half a 

 bushel of plaster was sown to the acre. The se- 

 cond crop was principally clover, and the reclaim- 

 ed land at this cutting also gave much the best 

 grass, probably an average of not less than two 

 tons to the acre. The average of the whole field 

 was something over one and a half tons, as as- 

 certained by the actual weight of about twenty 

 tons sold from the field. One of your committee 

 went over the ground and viewed the crop at the 

 last cutting. If is impossible to state precisely the 

 expense of removing the stone and stumps, and 

 that of ploughing, cultivating, and gathering the 

 crops of tlie reclaimed land, or the value of its 

 products separately, as the labor was performed 

 in connexion with that of the whole field, and no 

 separate account was kept with any given part 

 of it. 



I will, liowever, submit the following estimate, 

 as being in my opinion not far from correct, ta- 

 kuig the average of the reclaimed land, or that 

 part of the field which before give no valuable 

 product. 



One acre sivamp. 

 1834. Dr. 1834. Cr. 



To clearing for I^v 20 bu. at 75c, $15 



