22 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Augusts, 1830. r 



son in the world to whom we would wittingly or 

 'vvillingly give any cause of oftoiice. And wlien 

 ■we observed that ' the blight mentioned above by 

 •" Agricola''' is probably what is called by writers 

 -fire blight, the blight in the limb of a jiear tree 

 sent us by Dr Fiske was, no doubt, caused by 

 ScoZyiJS ;ji/rt,' we intended merely to express our 

 concurrence in opinion with ' Agricota,' and we tlien 

 quoted certain authors as nulhorilies on the same 

 side of the question, without wishing to claim any 

 ' inferences' of our own which were not deduci- 

 ble as well from Agricola's premises as from other 

 sources. In short our article was meant to be 

 understood as an approving and corroboraling 

 comment on that writer's teii. 



Since writing the above wc have conversed 

 with Dr Harris, of Milton, whose acqnisitiotis in 

 entomological science are as honorable to himself 

 as beneficial to the community ; who expressed 

 his acquiescence in these opinions, advanced as 

 well by A<;ricola as the writer of this article, rel- 

 .ative to different causes of blight in pear-trees. 



SCIENTIFIC, JUDICIOUS, AND PROFITA- 

 BLE FARMING. 



We have lately enjoyed the pleasure of viewing 

 thebeneficial resuhs of correct cultivation, as ex- 

 liibited on a farm of about 140 acres, 80 acres 

 under cultivation, belonging to Elias Phinney, 

 Esq. of Lexington, Mass. Mr Phinney began to 

 cultivate this place about seven years since. The 

 farm, previous to that time, though mostly cleared 

 from its native growth of wood, shrubs, &c, was 

 ' cnn-ied on,' according to the old fashioned modes 

 of fanning, in which every agricultural operation 

 was conducted witli the least possible labor, and 

 the crops were in due proportion to the deficiency 

 of science, means, and exertion used for obtaining 

 them. • The grass-land was ' hound out' that is, 

 the sward was so matted and tufted as to be almost 

 unfit for vegetation ; and the plough-land was ^run 

 out,' or exhausted of food for plants; and no judi- 

 cious methods were adopted for accumulating, 

 preserving, and making the most of manure. The 

 amount of hay usually cut on the farm, was from 

 7 to 10 tons a season ; and the other produce in 

 about tiie then usual proportion to that quantity of 

 .liay, on similar farms in this section of the country. 



Mr Phinney, however, within the seven years 

 to which Ids superintendence and occupancy have 

 extended, iias about ten folded the ordinary a7inual 

 produce o/ the farm ! Instead of from seven to 

 to ten, he now cuts seventy or eighty tons of hay, 

 and obtains other articles of customary culture in 

 New England, in about the same [jroportion. He 

 has, moreover, successfully introduced new pro- 

 ducts as well as new modes of cultivution. 

 Among others, the Tall Meadow Oats Grass, (Ave- 

 na elatior) of which he favored us with some no- 

 tices given in the New Engla^.d Fanner, vol. viii. 

 I). 300. In these he states that ' in the Spring of 

 1827, I sowed with barley a field of four acres 

 and put on 2i bushels of oat grass seed per acre, 

 (3 would have been better) 5 pounds 9f red clover, 

 and 2 of white clover seed to the acre. The soil, 

 was thin aftd had been exhausted by long crop, 

 ping. I intended it for jiasturing, but in the spring 

 i', looked so promising that I concluded to mow it 

 the first season. On the 3d of June, 1328, it was 

 cm, and gave me two tons to the acre, of the fin- 

 est and best hay either for cattle or horses, I have 

 ever had in my barn.' 

 "Mr Phinney's farm is adorned with an orchard. 



composed wholly of choice fruits, for which its | 

 owner, in 1827, received from the Massachusetts] 

 Agricultural Society, a premium of a silver cup of 

 the value of 20 dollars. Mr Lowell, then Presi- 

 dent of that Society, in an address, delivered at 

 its public meeting, Oct. 17th, 1827, slates that a 

 'committee ai)pointed to examine orchards, for 

 which application had been made for a preiniiun, 

 examined an orchard planted by F.lias Phinney, 

 Esq. of Charlestown and Lexington. iMr Phinney 

 selected a most fiivorable spot, declining towards 

 the south, covered five years since with shrub- 

 oaks and rock.s, and there planted his orchard, 400 

 trees in niunber, of the best fruits. The trees 

 were in the most beautiful condition — every su- 

 perfluous twig carefully and judiciously extirpated, 

 aiid their general health gave the best evi<lence of 

 judicious management. If the premimn of the 

 society had been offered to the orchard in all re- 

 spects best managed, without any regard to number, 

 Mr Phinney would probably have carried the pre- 

 mium.' * ♦ * 



'The general state of Mr Phinney's farm, was, 

 however, so perfect, considering the means applieil 

 to it — there was so much good judgment in all 

 his operations — he having made also ihe first and 

 a very successful experiment in making wine from 

 the native gra[ie, that your committee recommend- 

 ed, and the trustees have voted, to present to Mr 

 Phimiey, a silver cup of the value of 20 dollars, 

 with such inscriptions as a connnittee of the trus- 

 tees may devise, indicative of his merit, as a far- 

 mer.' 



The trees in this premium orchard are at this 

 day in a most prosperous condition. We have 

 never seen any whose verdure was so deep, 

 bark so smooth, and appearance of thrift so prom- 

 ising and luxuriant. This orchard has been kept 

 almost constantly under the plough, and, when we 

 saw it, was covered with a very fine crop of Indian 

 corn and potatoes. The tops of the trees were so 

 shaped and thinned by judicious and skilled |)ru- 

 ning that the limbs did not interfere with, nor ap- 

 proach too near each other, and were so arranged 

 that the fruit must have the full benefit of the sun 

 and air. Where limbs had been cut offthere was 

 scarcely any appearance of a scar or cicatrix, nor 

 the least rottenness, drynesss, or cavity in the wood 

 of the stem "from which the severance was made. 

 In order to effect this, the excision was at such a 

 distance from the stalk or branch from which ihe 

 limb cut off was divided, that the stub or stiuup left 

 might just be inclosed or covered with the next 

 season's growth of the tree, and thus the stem was 

 not weakened and no cavity left to admit water, 

 and cause decay or gangrene in the parts adja- 

 cent. 



In 'a reply to inquiries of the Hon. Mr Lowell, 

 an<l others of the Agricultural Committee,' Mr 

 Phinney says ' Most of my trees were taken from 

 the nursery in November, the roots placed in 

 trenches and covered with dirt until the following 

 spring. This was done to avoid the necessity of 

 setting them out before the ground had become 

 warm and dry. If left in the nursery till spring 

 (hey are seldom or never taken up until the sap 

 has begim to flow. When removed after this 

 takes place, the check occasioned by the removal, 

 if not fatal to the tree, often injures its future 

 growth. The best time to take up trees is unques- 

 tionably, when the sap is least active. If taken up 

 late in autumn, and the roots secured from the sun 

 and air, they may be kept with perfect safety till 



Ji 



the middle of May; and if planted out at this ti 

 with proper care, and as near the surface as po: 

 ble, vegetation commences almost instantaneous 

 they will not require to be supported by stakes, t 

 will grow nearly as much the first as any sub 

 quent ysar.'* 



Mr Phinney is not only eminently successful 

 a cultivator, but obtains his crops at a less expel 

 of labor than has been deemed requisite by the i 

 system of husbandry. In ploughing sward la 

 he directs to ' let the roots and tops of the grass 

 together with all the vegetable matter on and m 

 the surface, be buried and retained to ferment a 

 decompose, and the poor earth be brought to a 

 retained on the surface, where by culture and i 

 posurc to the atmosphere it will soon become 

 body of rich mouhl.' He has given the details 

 his mode of cidture by which from two acres 

 swani land, which had been considerably exhaus 

 by long cropping, yielding less than a ton of i 

 top and herds grass to the acre, ploughed the fi 

 of May, 1828, he gathered from 70 to 80 bush 

 of Indian corn to the acre in the September si 

 ceeding ; and the next summer 69J bushels 

 excellent rye, with which the land was laid dc 

 to grass. Ill this way he obtained, by one plouf 

 ing, only, two large arable crops, and stocked 

 land to grass, which has yielded at the rate of 

 tons the acre. He raised from 70 to 80 bushels- 

 Indian corn, and about 35 bushels of rye to I 

 acre, on land, which had usually yielded but fri 

 35 to 45 bushels of the former, and 15 bushelstlm 

 the latter to the acre.f He has, moreover, plou^ 

 ed up grass-ground in May, raised a crop of bar* ' 

 with which he laid the laud down to grass agav 

 and in another instance, having turned the bwHL[ 

 completely over, and parsed a roller over 1 

 furrows, he sowed grass seed without grain, s 

 thus renewed the growth of grass, without an a 

 hie crop. The success in all these experime 

 was the consequence of keeping the sod under' 

 soil, till the former was completely decomposed 



Mr Phinney has made improvements in t 

 structure of the Roller, an implement of which 

 makes great use ; of which we here give 

 sketch 



His improved rdller consists of four worn oi 



For further notice of Mr Phinney's mode of cultiV)< '"< 

 ting fruit trees, see N. E. Farmer, vol. vi. p. 122. 

 j See N. E. Farmer vol. viii. p. 42. 



