64 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



AVa. 18, IR4I. 



AXn HORTICULTURAL UtGISTF.R. 



6 at-Tr.6 planted, al ^20, 

 3 do. snwpd, " 10, 

 15 do. in grass, ** 2 2 



Boston, Wednisdav, Aucdst IS, 1841. 



IMPROVEMENT IN AGRICULTURE. 



How rnn oik farmers obluin the best relurn f<ir the 

 oipenspB of culti%iition ? How ran their |iursiiit b(i riTi- 

 dered most hicnilive ? Tliesc are questions wliicli innny 

 are compelied to ask, and which thny wouhl ghidly 

 have answered. No general reply can be made whicli 

 will admit of appiic.ition in all cases. .\rid yet it is not 

 diflir.ult to furnish some views whicli ninsl farmers 

 would do well to regard. Though many of our coni- 

 iniin farmers are now nccu.<tomed to read and think 

 much in rehilion to their pursuit, there yet are more 

 who rcguliirly go the rounds in wliich their fntliers mov- 

 ed, seeking no now light and making no i.aprivcment. 

 To all such we woulil soy, take some agricultural peii- 

 ediral, and read it. Hut wlit-n you read, make use of 

 your common sense and sound discretion. The paper 

 will cnniaiii many things that you should not put entire 

 confidence in ; it will give advice which yon are not lo 

 follow; it will give you imperfert and unsatisfactory 

 etatement«; but, mingled vviih much that is mt worth 

 a second thought, you will find many statements and 

 hints which can be lurned to pood n''Count. Separate 

 the chafi from the wheat for yourselves. Do this, and 

 you will find wholesome food. Learn how others farm, 

 and compare their methods with your own, for it must 

 be tli.it you will now and then learn tli.it some man in 

 some parts of his ftirmin;; operations, has modes of pro- 

 ceeding wliich you will find it for your inlenst to adopt. 

 You are not wiser th:ui all others. A^ricultur.il read- 

 ing need not do you any harm — it may do you much 

 good. 



Another means of improvement to which some are 

 BOW resorting, is the formation of town agricultural so- 

 cieties fur the purpose ol weekly or monthly discus- 

 sions. From these small local societies, we anticipate 

 more benefits tli;in from the rouniy, Slate or national 

 associations. There the minds of the actual tillers of ' 

 the soil, will he roused to idisi'rvation and reflection. 



An improvement may bo efTecled on many firms by 

 diminishing the quantity of land that is annually tilled. 

 Take, for instance, a small farm which contains, besides 

 its pasluri'S and woodlands, 2'1 acres that are in tillage 

 and cultivated grasses. Suppose that 6 acres arc plant- [ 

 ed to corn, potatoes, roots, &r. ; that 3 acres are sowed | 

 to English giain ; and that 15 acres are in grass. On 

 this farm it is customary to plant land that is broken up, 

 two succ-'ssivc years, and then sow upon it grains and | 

 grans seed. The usual quantity of m.Tnure to the acre 

 on the planted ground is 4 i-ords. This land will yield 

 at the rale of JO bushels, or $30 worth of corn, and $10 

 worth of stover. The crop, whether of corn, potatoes 

 or roots is worth .$40 per acre. On each acre of gniin 

 the crop is 20 bii'hels, or $15 worth of grain and $7 

 worth of straw. The hay from an acre is one ton, or 

 $12 worth— 



C acres planted, will produce at $40, $240 



3 do sowed, " ■' at 22, 6e 



15 do. in grass, " " at 12, 180 



$186 

 N.iw, leaving out of the Tccnoni the interest of land, the 

 worth of manure, the wear Jind tear of tools, Ac Ac, 

 wo will soppoao the labor and ejpenie required for 

 icedmi!, phinting, tilling and harvesting the crop on 

 each plantfd aere is $20 ; on each sowed acre, including 

 seed and threshing, $10; on each acre in gross, $2 25. 

 We have then in th- se items of cost — 



This sum, siihslracted from ; 



$183 75 

 leaves .$302 25. 

 These csiimates, though they leave unnoticed many of 

 the Items of ixpeiiso, and are not to be regarded as helps 

 in determining the absolute profit or loss in fanning, are 

 yet believed to be quite near to I he facts on many farms 

 d few miles b.iek from the city. 



We wish to determine whether the same amoijut of 



manure may not be so applied on these farms as to give 



a more profitable rpturn. Ami for this purpose wc will 



make .some further suppositions — Let 9 of the 24 acres 



be tumid out as pasture land. Let 3 acres be planted 



and 1 1-2 acre be sowed. N"w, the quantity of manure 



on the acre maybe doubled; we will apply 8 cords. 



As the crops will be increased, the expenses, especially 



those of harvesting, will be increased. Lot tfio tilled 



or planted land require 25 dollars per acre — the sowed, 



eleven — the grass, two and a half dollars. The cost 



then will be — 



3 acres planted, at 25 dolls. $75 00 



1 1-2' sowed, at 11 " 16 50 



10 1-2 ' ill grass, at 2 511 26 25 



$117 75 

 The crops we suppose inny now be, on the planted 

 land, GO bushels ur 45 dollars worth of corn and 12 and 

 a half dollars worth of stover — or other produciinns 

 worth 57 and a half dollars per acre. The sowed land 

 may yield 30 bii.-liels or 22 and a half worth of grain, 

 anil 10 dollars worth of straw. The grass Ian. I should 

 give 1 12 ton or 13 dollars worth per acre. The 9 

 acres turned out should be worth as pasturage 3 dollars 

 each. We have then — 



3 acres, planted, at $57 50, $172 50 



112' sowed, at 32 50, 48 75 



10 1-2' in grass, at Iri 00, 1H9 00 



i) ' in pasturage, at S3, 27 00 



$437 25 

 Taking from this SI 17 75, there is left a balance of 

 S319 50. In the foimercase we had n balance of 8302 25. 

 The difFi rence between these gives 817 25 in favor of 

 putting 8 cords of manure, instead of 4 cords to the acre. 

 Another fact of much consequence is here disclosed. 

 By ih- process first described, the labor and seed co.-t 

 S183 75; in the latter case they cost only SI 17 75: 

 tJiis Utier and smaller outlay, gives an income greater 

 than the other by 817 25. Consequently the double 

 manuring diminishes the amount of lo-s in tliose sea- 

 sons when the crops fail. 



Each reader, we presume, will modify our supposi- 

 tions so as to fi; them to the usual expenses ami usual 

 crops on his own lands and those of his neighbors. In 

 some places the balance may be found on tho other 

 aide, but we doubt whether it often «ill in this vicinity. 



Tliero are difficulties in the way of makinglhe change 

 complete at once, i^liould the 9 ncres be forthwith 

 opened to the cows, the crop of hay would come short. 

 Tins we know, and we should advise the turning out of 

 only a small part of this at first, and increasing the quan- 

 tity from lime to time, as the remaining lands were 

 broujrlit up in fertility. Each man can judge from year 

 to year how it is best to proceed. Our o'lject is not lo 

 advise in regard lo the details, b'ui merely lo present ilis- 

 tinctly the queslion whether it is not more profitable to 

 till less land trell manured, than lo distribute the ma- 

 nure so widely that all the cups miisi be smull. 



MASS llOKTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



At a meetina of ihe Society held August 7lh, 1&41 — 



Voted, That it is exprdirnl lu have an u.xhi'jiiion of 

 Fruits and Flowers — and the f dlowingCommiitees were 

 choBi n to carry the same into elfect : — 



Committee of General Arrnnfrements — Messrs Samuel 

 Walker, Joiia. Winship, L P (irosvenor, M P. \\ ild- 

 ••r,J. Siicknev, J. J. Low, J. L. Kussell, R. T. Paine, 

 C. M. Hovey. J. E Teschem.aclier, Otis Johnson, Da- 

 vid Hag^erslon, Win. H Cowan, K Manning, J. M. 

 Ives, Geo. IJrown, Ci.eever Newhall, Jos Breck, Win. 

 McLelUn, W. Kenrick. S. R Johnson, S Suerter, P. 

 B. llovey, J L L. F. Warren. J A. Kenrick, Wm. E. 

 Carter, J W. Russell, Rufus Howe, S Pond, J. llovey, 

 h. Bowdiirli, Wm. B. Kin;;sbnry and Augustus Story. 



Sjitciul Committee to decorate the Halt and to take 

 eharife of the tritits and Fioicers — Messrs Sain'l Walker, 

 Wm. Oliver, B. V French, J. L. L. F. Warren, P. B. 

 llovey and Augustus Siory. 



Commi'tee to make Rrport of the Fruits, Flatters and 

 Ke»-p<aW«»MJa//!(«(/— Messrs >^ani I Walker, B.V. French, 

 J. L. L. F. Warren and I'. B llovey. 



Attest, E. M. RICHARDS, Ret. Secry. 



(CrThe Commiltee of Arrangements will meet at Ihe 

 Society's room on Satuiday neil, 21st inst , at half past 

 11 o'clock, A. M. A punctual aiteiidance ol the mem- 

 bers is requested. Per order, 



SAM'L WALKER, CAm». 



Miissachuaefta Ilorticiiltiiral Soclecy. 



tjHiBiTio.t or n.OWKRS. 



Saturday, Jlug. 14. 



From S. R. Johnson — a fine display of Cidna Roses, 

 including the varieties Amie VibrrI, (a fine uhiie.) Ue 

 Arcole, Noisette la Mark, and a sph ndid cluster of 

 Noisette (Madame de Prez,) with more than forty buda 

 and flowers. 



From (,'a[it. Macondry — fine Dahlias. 



From Aliss Sunint r — Bouquets. 



Fiom J. L. L. F. U arren — Bouquets and Dahlias. 



From S. Sweotscr — Bouquets and Dahlias. 



From Hovey &. Co — Bouquets. 



Fiom Parker Baines — Dahlias. 



From Sam'l Walker — fine large Bouquets, and Plilni- 

 ea of different sorts, including a fine seedling from W. 

 Richardson, the heautilul white seedling raised by W. 

 K. Carter, called Harrisoniu, Phlox decussata, which we 

 think the very best of Whites, and other fine sort* ; 

 Dracocephalum repens. 



From U. E. Colling — Native flowers, including Lobe- 

 lia cardinalis, Lythrum verlicilloium, and other fine 

 sorts. 



From M. P Wilder — Liliuni Lancifoliuni album— one 

 of the new Lilies imported from Japan into Cicrmany, 

 by Dr. Van Siebold. On two spikes there wi re eight 

 expanded flowers and ten buds : it is, in our estimation, 

 a superb plant. W« noticed some fine specimens of 

 Dahlias of tho newly importod varieties; also, some 

 fine flowers ol the old ones. 



From J. Slickney — Dahlias. 



From J. H. Hovey — a fine specimen of Gladiolus flo- 

 ribiindus. 



From Messrs Winship — Bouquets and several rare 

 cut flowers. 



In some of the stands there were good specimens of 

 Dahlias, but ihe season has been very unfavorable lor 

 perf'ct flowers, unless considerable pains have been lak 

 en to water, &c. For the Committee, 



JOSEPH BRECK. 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Saturday, ."iug. 7. 



Tho specimens of fruit exhibited at the rooms today 

 were niimorous, and many of them very fine 



The choice specimens of Black Hamburg Grapos, by 

 Otis Johnson, Esq , of Lynn, attracted much notice, and 

 were will worthy of it 



E Breed, Esq , of ('hnilcstown, exhibited the mo^i 

 aplendiil Peaches that have been shown lor some len^ili 

 of lime. They measured from 8 1-2 lo 10 inches in cir- 

 cuiiiferonce, and weighed from 6 1-2 lo 7 1-2 oz each. 



J. A. Kenrirk, Nowlon, ezhibiitd good spociinons of 

 the Apricot — out of door cultivation ; als >, Early Scar 

 let Cherry Plum, and Belle Magiiifique Cherry. 



From J. Lovell, Beverly, a haiidsonie siiniiiiHr appla, 

 but without name. Also, ipecimens of White Wbur- 

 tleberricB. 



