NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



357 



hay for the cows. Thirty acres of the marsh pro- 

 duce a good quality of salt hay, and twenty acres 

 lying low, and being subject to tlowage, yield an 

 ordinary quality of hay. In feeding cut hay to the 

 cows, a mixture of salt and fresh hay is given, 

 which is agreeable to them, and promotive of 

 health and thrift. 



Mr. Adams raises a variety of fruit. His 

 orchards of the apple give, in good seasons, from 

 five to six hundred barrels of fruit. There is an 

 old orchard on the farm that contains some of the 

 largest apple trees I have ever seen; they are very 

 sound and thrifty, their tops spread over a wide 

 surface of ground, and the trees are very produc- 

 tive. The soil in this orchard is kept open with 

 the plow; it is manured with about twenty loads of 

 compost to the acre every third year, no crop be- 

 ing put into the land; indeed the foliage of the 

 trees is so dense and luxuriant that no crop other 

 than the apple can grow. Among smaller young- 

 er trees corn is sown, in drills, for the production 

 of green feed for the cows. 



In a portion of one of the orchards the ground 

 became badly infested with twitch-grass, which 

 could not be killed with the plow. Last year the 

 land so encumbered was fenced off by itself, sev- 

 eral bushels of corn sown broadcast to the acre 

 and plowed in, and fifteen or twenty hogs turned 

 into the enclosure. They immediately began to 

 root for the corn, and with the most untiring in- 

 dustry turned the soil over and over again. A 

 few weeks after, corn was again sown and the 

 land plowed, and the hogs again rooted it over. 

 Then the operations were again repeated; and this 

 year no twitch-grass is seen. 



I had but an hour or two to spend with Mr. 

 Adams. I should have been glad to have devoted 

 at least a day to an examination of his farming-, for 

 I saw enough while there to convince me that he 

 is a very enterprising, excellent farmer. I hope 

 to call upon him again, at a time when I have 

 more leisure; and if I do, I will give a more ex- 

 tended account of his farming. 



Brattleboro\ 185L F. Holbrook. 



AGRICULTURAL CIRCULAR FROM PA- 

 TENT OFFICE. 



The Commissioner of Patents has issued a cir 

 cular desiring farmers to furnish answers to the 

 following questions: — the replies to be forwarded 

 before the 1st of January, giving the name of post 

 office, county and State from which the answer is 

 sent. The U. S. Census will furnish reliable 

 data as to the quantity of grain and other crops, 

 the number of domestic animals, &c., so that such 

 questions are omitted in the circular. 



Wheat. — Is guano used in the production of this 

 crop"? And, if so, what is the gain in bushels per 

 100 lbs. of the manure] What the average pro- 

 duct per acre — time of seeding and harvesting — 

 preparation of seed, and quantity used per acre — 

 how many times and how deep to plough — youi 

 system of rotation in ciops — best remedies for Hes- 

 sian flies and weevils — average price at your near- 

 est market in 1851. 



Corn. — Is guano used in the production of this 

 crop? If so, in what way is it applied? What 

 is the gain in bushels per 100 lbs. of guano ? 

 State the average product per acre — cost of pro- 

 duction per bushel — state the best system of cul- 



ture — best method of feeding, whether whole or 

 ground, cooked or raw. State, if you can, how 

 much grain the manure formed by ten bushels of 

 corn consumed by hogs will add to an acre, if care- 

 fully saved and skilfully applied, at or before the 

 time of planting. 



Oats, Barley, Rye, Peas and Beans. — Average 

 yield of the several crops per acre — quantity of 

 seed used — 'which crop least exhausting to land — 

 are peas cultivated as a renovating crop, and, if so, 

 with what success? 



Clover and Grasses. — Quantity of hay cut per 

 acre — best fertilizer for meadows and pastures — 

 the grass seeds preferred in lying down meadows 

 — cost of growing hay per ton. 



Clover and Grasses. — Quantity of hay cut per 

 acre — best fertilizers for meadows and pastures — 

 the grass seeds preferred in laying down meadows 

 — cost of growing hay per ton. 



Dairy Husbandry. — Average yearly produce of 

 butter or cheese per cow — comparative cost per lb. 

 of making butter and cheese — treatment of milk 

 and cream — mode of churning — of putting down 

 butter for market — average price of butter and of 

 cheese. 



Neat Cattle. — Cost of rearing till 3 years old — 

 usual price at that age — value of good dairy cows 

 in spring and in fall — how many pounds of beef 

 will 100 lbs. of corn produce — will a given amount 

 of food yield more meat in a Durham, Devon, or 

 Hereford, than in a native animal? How do you 

 break steers to the yoke ? 



Horses and Mules. — Is the growing of these ani- 

 mals profitable ? What is the expense of rearing 

 a colt or mule until three years old ? How should 

 brood mares and colts be treated ? What is the 

 best way to break young horses and mules for ser- 

 vice. 



Sheep and Wool. — Is wool-growing profitable — 

 cost per lb. of growing coarse or fine wool — how 

 many pounds of wool will a ton of hay produce — 

 are large or small sheep more profitable either for 

 their mutton or for their fleece — how much more 

 does it cost to produce a pound of fine Merino than 

 of ordinary coarse wool ? The proportion of lambs 

 annually reared to the number of ewes. 



Hogs. — What the best breeds — the cheapest 

 method of producing pork and bacon — how many 

 lbs. of meat will 100 lbs. of corn yield — the best 

 method of putting up pork, and curing bacon and 

 hams. 



Cotton. — Average yield of clean cotton per acre 

 — cost of production per lb. — what crops best grown 

 in rotation with cotton — best preventives against 

 rust, army and boll worms — how deep do you usu- 

 ally plough for this crop; have you any experience 

 in subsoiling or deep tillage for cotton — your ex- 

 perience in the use of cotton seed as a fertilizer — 

 how can cotton lands be best improved without 

 resting them? Is guano used; and, if so, with 

 what result ? 



Sugar Cane. — Is the cane losing its vital force 

 and becoming more subject to premature decay than 

 formerly — should not the seeds in place of rattoons 

 be occasionally planted to produce new and healthier 

 varieties — can you suggest any improvement in 

 cultivation of the cane, or the manufacture of sugar 

 — cost of producing sugar per lb.! Is guano used; 

 and, if so, with what result? 



Rice. — Can rice be successfully cultivated on up- 

 land — do von know of any varieties decidedly su- 



