290 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MARCH 15, 1843. 



er are covered by a double wall, built for the pur- 

 pose of disposing of stones, which would otherwise 

 have been a nuisance, not bein^ needed for the 

 wall, that encloses two sides of the meadow, the 

 sub-drains and three stone bridges. 



I did not keep an exact account of the compost 

 put on the part first sown ; but I think it was 

 about 15 loads to the aero. On the 23d of June, 

 the part included by the main ditch and a small 

 part of the border, were sown with herdsgrass, red- 

 top, and clover and oats. On September 4th, I se- 

 cured a ton of good fodder. After haying, I pre- 

 pared about a third of an acre more of the border, 

 and sowed it, I think, in September, with herds- 

 grass and redtop ; but no clover. After this, 1 

 prepared and covered with sand and manure, anoth- 

 er acre of the border. The rest of the field en- 

 closed, being most of it neither upland nor meadow, 

 but between both, had in it a large share of the 

 Bub-drains. A part of this was dug up with hoes, 

 'and a part plowed and planted with potatoes last 

 year, and all prepared to be plowed this year. 



On the ]5th of April, this year, the meadow, 

 Banded and manured last fall, was sown vvitli oats, 

 4 bushels and about 1-2 bushel of herdsgrass, and 

 a bushel of redtop, and a little clover, and the 

 ground well harrowed and rolled. The oats were 

 cradled and threshed, and yielded 12 ;}-4 bushels. 

 The grass seed came up well, and when I cut my 

 second crop, I mowed about a ton, resembling 

 second crop on this piece. On the parts sown 

 last year, I cut more than two tons to the acre at 

 the first mowing, and more than one at the second. 

 The remaining parts of the border were plowed 

 last spring from 7 to 9 inches deep, harrowed, and 

 as much as 30 loads of compost spread on them, 

 and then harrowed well, and two and three light 

 furrows alternately turned together, and a furrow 

 made on these, in which potatoes and corn were 

 planted. About a fifth part was planted with corn 

 in alternate rows with potatoes. '] he crops are as 

 follows: Corn, between 7 and 8 bushels ; rutabaga, 

 planted with the corn, 22 bushels ; potatoes, 97 1-2 

 bushels ; beets, 3 bushels, and hay as estimated, 

 by weighing several cocks in the field, 2 tons and 

 17 1-2 hundred, and more than two tons at the 

 second mowing, and 12 3-4 bushels of oats, before 

 mentioned. 



Before I commenced the improvement of this 

 land, the whole produce was of very little value, 

 being in a great part brakes and bushes : when the 

 whole is laid down to grass, the produce will pro- 

 bably be not less than two tons of good hay to the 

 acre. The whole labor bestowed upon the land, 

 including the building of the wall, reckoning the 

 labor at what I paid, and adding a quarter of a 

 dollar a day for board, amounts to $414 96, and 

 the amount of crops secured is $131 03, reckon- 

 ing nothing for mud, used for manure on my home- 

 stead. The land is now so thoroughly drained, 

 and the stones so generally taken out that the 

 whole may be plowed, or may be kept in a produc- 

 tive state by top-dressing. 



15. Including what was planted at the meadow 

 as stated above, I had about 2 1-2 acres of corn. 

 The principal part on ground that was a rough pas- 

 ture, partly subdued last year. The field consists 

 of about 3 1-2 acres, including a small run in 

 grass. I commenced digging stones on it in the 

 autumn of 1840, anil in the spring of 1841, nearly 

 completed a double wall on one side with the 

 stones taken from the piece. Having plowed and 

 harrowed it, I put on 230 loads of compost, spread 



it where the ground v.'as sufficiently smooth, and 

 harrowed it in. Where the ground was very 

 rough, it was put in the holes. But owing to the 

 severe drought, and the previously impoverished 

 state of most of the land, the crop was very small. 

 This year, the ground was plowed across the fur- 

 rows of last year, 7 or 8 inches deep, where the 

 stones would permit. It was then harrowed, the 

 stones were drawn off, and 97 loads of compost 

 spread upon it, and again harrowed and planted, 

 as is stated concerning the meadow in answer to 

 question 14. Pan of the corn was planted in al- 

 ternate rows with potatoes or beans. The crop 

 was 74 bushels of corn, 102 bushels of potatoes, 

 and C 3-4 bushels of beans. 



The compost used was in part prepared as fol- 

 lows : 22 loads of mud, dug the preceding spring, 

 and laid in a pile during the summer, were carted 

 near the field in the winter. On April 5th, when 

 the frost was out about (i inches deep in the pile, 

 the part thawed was shoveled ofl^, and a cask of 

 unslacked lime spread on the frozen part and cov- 

 ered with the mud shoveled off. On the ISth, 5 or 

 loads of dung from the barn-cellar, were added 

 to the iieap and overhauled with it. It then lay 

 nearly a month, when it was spread. The rest of 

 the compost was prepared by mixing together the 

 mud taken from the barn-yard and hog-yard, and 

 manure from the barn cellar and necessary. These 

 ingredients were overhauled together, and lay till 

 they began to ferment, and then they were spread. 

 I planted principally the Parker corn ; but some 

 of the Phinney corn. All was prepared by being 

 soaked in a pickle made by dissolving saltpetre in 

 water, in the proportion of little more than two oz. 

 to a gallon. After the corn had been soaked 24 

 hours or more, it was taken from the pickle, and 

 plaster put with it — as much as would adhere to it. 

 The corn was cut up near the ground as soon as it 

 began to grow hard, and six hills bound together, 

 and five bundles set up, by placing one upright 

 and the others bracing against it on four sides, so 

 as to let the air circulate as freely as possible be- 

 tween them. The tops were bent over and bound 

 together. 



10. Had about 1 1-2 acre of potatoes. Part 

 were planted on the border of a meadow, and jiart 

 in alternate rows with corn — and all cultivated in 

 the same manner. The rows were about 3 feet 

 9 inches apart, and the hills 2 1-2 feet. The corn 

 was seeded four or five corns in a hill, and the po- 

 tatoes two whole ones in a hill. Before the first 

 hoeing, the earth was turned from the rows by a 

 horse-plow, and before the second, it was turned 

 towards them. Afterwards, some weeds were cut 

 up with the hoe, and some pulled up by hand. I 

 should have used the cultivator before the second 

 hoeing, but 1 feared from its effects the preceding 

 year, it would injure the corn by breaking too 

 many of its roots. By using the plow, I made 

 some ridge, but the hills were small. 



17. About one acre of other vegetables. One 

 fourth of an acre with carrots and beets, and 

 three-fourths of an acre with beans, peas, turnips, 

 cabbages, squashes, and vegetables for family use. 

 The carrots yielded 87 bushels, the beets 18, the 

 turnips 33, the ruta baga 30, the onions 4 : parsnips 

 not dug — probably 3 or 4 bushels; beans 8 bush- 

 els ; and my potatoes in all 234 bushels. I ex- 

 pect to feed the roots, not used in my family, to 

 my stock. 



18. Besides the oats before mentioned, I sowed 

 only 1 1-4 acre with Black Sea wheat. The wheat. 



2 1-2 bushels, was soaked in strong salt brine for 

 several days, and as much lime was mixed with it 

 as would adhere to it when wet. The soil was in 

 part gravelly loam, and part bordering on a peat 

 meadow, was peaty. Last year, corn was planted 

 on the ground, and about .30 loads of compost ap- 

 plied to the acre. Early in the spring, the hills 

 were split and the ground harrowed, and then plow- 

 ed 5 or inches deep. It was then harrowed and 

 sown with the wheat and grass seed, and then har- 

 rowed in. The stones that had not been before re- 

 moved, were then picked and drawn off, and on the 

 12th of April the ground was rolled. The crop 

 was much injured by weeds on the peaty part, 

 though the cultivator had been used three times 

 between the corn the preceding year, the corn hoed 

 twice, and afterwards the weeds pulled up or cut 

 up with the hoe. 'I'ho grain was cradled July 30, 

 and the crop a little more than 11 bushels. 



19. Besides the acre of peat meadow before 

 mentioned, I have sown with grass only the 1 1-4 

 acre of wheat ground. On this I sowed herds- 

 grass 11 quarts, redtop 1 bush., and clover seed 

 8 1-2 lbs. The seed came up well, and promises 

 a good crop of hay next year. 



20. I cover my barn-yard twice a year, and my 

 barn cellar once, with peat mud, and my hog-yards 

 twice with earth or mud; I also cut some brakes 

 and weeds and put them green into my yards. I 

 mow the weeds and bushes in my pastures, and 

 dry them and lay them up in my barn for litter for 

 my horse and hogs. I use a ton or two of plaster 

 yearly, and few casks of lime, 



21. I keep one yoke of oxen, one horse, and four 

 cows, and have one pair of yearling steers, a year- 

 ling heifer and a heifor calf. My cows and oxen 

 are of native breed ; my young cattle partly of the 

 Durham breed. I have one cosset sheep and her 

 lamb, part Merino. The old part of my barn is 

 42 feet long, 26 feet wide, 14 feet posts. In this I 

 have made a cellar sufficiently large to contain 

 1000 bushels of roots, secure from frost. The 

 part of the barn which I have built, is of the same 

 width as the old part, 40 fef't in length, and the 

 height of the posts 10 feet. In the lower part of 

 this I keep my wagons, carts, sleds, roller, plows, 

 harrows, iSic. I have a cellar under the part of the 

 barn where my cattle are tied, and the manure is 

 dropped into it. I have also two barn sheds, one 

 20 feet by 10, and the other 36 feet by 10, and 

 chambers over both. I have a corn-lumse 15 feet 

 by 12 1-2, and a hog-house 37 feet by 15, with a 

 room 10 feet square, having a boiler set in it for 

 cooking vegetables. 



22. Answered in the preceding. 



23. I sometimes take the calves from the cows 

 when two or three days old, and learn them to 

 drink milk and milk porridge, and sometimes let 

 them suck till they are 12 weeks old, and learn all 

 to eat meal or roots. I think the calves are more 

 healthy when allowed to suck. 



24. I keep boarders, and spend most of the milk 

 for family uses. Part of my cows calve in the 

 spring, and part at other seasons. We make no 

 cheese, but make a little butter at most seasons ol 

 the year — seldom more than 8 or 10 pounds pel 

 week. 1 have no data by which I can state the 

 exact amount. 



25. See answer to question 2)st. 

 20. Have one iiog, three-quarters Berkshire ant 



part Mackey, and one sow, half Berkshire and hall 

 Norfolk grass breed from an imported mother 

 three pigs, two offsprings of the above, and on* 



