134 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



ful of farmers, gardeners and oichardists,and every 

 thing about his place is in good order, and wise 

 management is seen in his operations, and this is 

 clearly shown by his success. The item of $125 

 which was the dilFerence in exchanging piano fortes, 

 reminds us of the important fact that the same 

 "huge paws" that lay hold of the farm implements 

 nimbly operate on the piano forte, in a style supe- 

 rior to most performers. When Mr. Morrison 

 rendered the following statement, he had $600 

 worth of fruit not harvested. For 25 years he has 

 used no ardent spirit on his farm. 



M. P. MORRISON'S STATEMENT. 



To the Committee on Farms, of the Middlesex Agri- 

 cultural Society. 



In the management of my farm my object has 

 been to improve the land and trees so as to realize 

 the greatest profit from the least expense. I pur- 

 chased my farm in 1842 for $5000. It consists of 

 between nineteen and twenty acres; eight or nine 

 of which includes the buildings and fruit trees; the 

 remainder, when I purchased it, was a stony, worn- 

 out pasture, which would not produce two hundred 

 pounds of oats to an acre. I commenced ploughing, 

 digging out of stones, and manuring it, till it be- 

 came productive and suitable for all kinds of vege- 

 tables. I have set on the same between eighty and 

 ninety apple trees. 



1 have in all about 600 fruit trees; about 40 kinds 

 of apples, 20 kind of pears, 40 quince trees, 40 

 cherry trees, a few peach and plum trees. When 

 I purchased, my orchard was principally grass 

 ground, which I consider to be very injurious to the 

 growth of the trees and fruit. It was impossible 

 to plough near many of the trees in consequence of 

 low limbs; I commenced pruning about the last of 

 February I think, 1842, and made a dreadful havoc 

 both to limbs and trees, as many good and experi- 

 enced farmers thought, and assured me that I was 

 "spoiling my orchard." I commenced grafting also 

 during the same spring, and have continued to graft 

 each succeeding year. I have taken the tops from 

 about 60 trees, many of which were more than a 

 foot in diameter. I gathered from one tree, the 

 third year after grafting, 3 bbls. of Baldwin apples; 

 fifth year, 5 bbls. 



The trees are now in a healthy condition. My 

 horses can walk under and near every tree so as to 

 plough with all ease. 1 prune and scrape my trees 

 every year, generally in February and March. 

 Scraping I consider to be of great importance, and 

 would recommend to all to practise the same. I 

 think my orchard, previous to my purchasing it, 

 never produced more than 60 barrels in a year. 

 In 1842 I had 45 bbls. (early apples not included.) 



1843 "55 " 



1844 " 196 " 



1845 " 183 " 



1846 "116 (Russetts failed.) 



1847 " 200 " 



1848 " 130 (Russetts failed.) 



1849 " prospect very good. 



The nett income of my farm since 1842 up to 

 Sept. 1st, 1849, is cash paid for 



2 Wagons, $150 



Buggy and harness, - - - - 151 

 Horse, ------ 120 



3 Ploughs, Cart and Wheelbarrow, - 83 



Haycutter and Grindstone, 

 Water brought in lead pipes. 

 Barn and Sheds, . _ _ 



Cash paid for building meeting-house, 

 House, --_-.- 

 Cash for Pear trees, - - - 



" " Plum " &c., - 



" due and on hand, 

 1 Cow, ------ 



1 Piano Forte, - - - - 



23 

 50 



1000 



100 



2500 



• 25 



5 



791 



20 



125 



$5,143 



I had a partner during the first five years, whose 

 nett income was about $1,000. 



The above I consider to be a correct statement 

 of the amount realized from 19 1-2 acres of land, 

 and within the time specified above. 



The amount paid out for labor and manure on the 

 whole farm will not exceed $200 per year for the 

 last three years. In 1847 the amount sold was 

 $1,750. In 1848 about $1,200. In 1849 it will 

 probably be from $1000 to $1 ,200. I consider that 

 year to be the most unprofitable one for marketing 

 that we have had for twenty years; many of my 

 crops have entirely failed, such as early pears, 

 quinces, cabbages, &c. 



Soinerville, Aug. 27, 1849. 



illciijamcs' department, ^.rts, ^i. 



AIR, STSAM AND WATER ENGINE. 



This invention of Mr. Black, described and illus- 

 trated in former numbers of the Farmer df Mechan- 

 ic, seems in all experiments which have been made 

 with it to be perfectly successful. Messrs. Coons 

 & Aiken, the assignees of the patent, have con- 

 structed one on a larger scale, which was exhibited 

 and put in operation at Albany recently, in the 

 presence of some two or three hundred spectators. 

 The editor of the Knickerbocker, who was present, 

 after describing the arrangements of the machine, 

 remarks : 



"In the experiments which we witnessed, (which 

 was only a temporary arrangement,) three of the 

 four jets emitted very little steam if any at all, and 

 to the surprise of all present, a single jet of steam 

 but an eighth of an inch in diameter caused that 

 massive wheel (weighing 1,600 lbs.) to revolve at 

 the rate of thirty to thirty-five revolutions per min- 

 ute, and no two men present were able to check the 

 motion in the least. We were informed by the 

 proprietors of this patent that they have several 

 smaller engines in operation, and they all work 

 admirably. 



"This invention, we think, must produce a com- 

 plete revolution in all stationary motive power. 

 The remarkable simplicity of its entire construc- 

 tion, its neat and beautiful appearance, its safety, 

 and its adaptation to all the various uses which 

 power may be applied, together with its low price 

 and durability, must soon give it a preference over 

 every other engine in the market. Of its simplici- 

 ty our readers may judge, when we state, that any 

 person of ordinary capacity, whether a mechanic or 

 not, needs but an hour's instruction to make him 

 fully competent to manage the whole of the ma- 

 chinery. 



"This machine will, when completed, be placed 

 in our press-room, and taught to turn one of Hoe's 



