31 



THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



early vegetables which produce tlie highest price. 

 Through these efforts the hest breeds of cattle, 

 horses, sheep, and swine have been greatly diffu- 

 sed, and as the pride of pre-eminence has been 

 aroused, so improvement lias progressed. The 

 practical farmer who tries no experiment without 

 a moral certainty of success, copies from his 

 wealthy amateiii- neighbor when and where he 

 sees practical results, and is soon able to keep 

 along side of him, if not in every thing that is 

 curious, in whatever is useful and profitable. 



During the long continuance of a sturdy win- 

 ter in which the snow has almost constantly cov- 

 ered the ground, pent up for a portion of tlie time 

 in the city and in an office where we have never 

 felt much at home, the editor of the Farmer's 

 Monthly Visitor has lamented his want of oppor- 

 timity to witness the grand agricultural improve- 

 ments which are going on within the distance of 

 ten or a dozen miles out of Boston. Descrip- 

 tions of these improvements, although the farm- 

 ers of the interior have not the means or the abil- 

 ity to imitate them in their fiill perfection, must 

 always be interesting ; and in a more extended 

 and minute view than we have ever before taken, 

 we may hereafter attempt Ihcm. 



If stern winter has closed vegetation in ice, we 

 sometimes have an opportunity of conversing 

 with men who know ten timi^s as much about 

 farming as we can ever pretend to oui-sclves. A 

 veteran gentleman and j)atron of Agriculture in 

 Dorchester, who subscribes for and takes annual- 

 ly twenty-five copies of our Visitor, calls in and 

 looks upon us generally as often as once a week. 

 The conversation of an intelligent gentleman of 

 his years, who has read as well as observed, and 

 who recollects distinctly tlie most prominent 

 events of the last fitly years, has been to us high- 

 ly interesting. As he has jiarticipated in public 

 business, so he has been and continues to be con- 

 versant with most public men of his time, and 

 his personal observation and knowledge extend 

 back full fifty years. Living in the midst of the 

 best farmers in America, as are those in the vi- 

 cinity of Boston, Maj. S. knows how to value and 

 appreciate the best modes of farming ; and as 

 fully illusti-ating his views a few days since, he 

 stated the following fuels which he not long since 

 derived from the mouth of Gen. VVillum Ki.vg, 

 of Maine. 



The town of Bath, where Gen. King resides, 

 situated near the sea at the mouth of the river 

 Kennebeck, is of thin soil, and has not been ex- 

 tensively cultivated. Particularly was the land 

 beyond the immediate village settlement destitute 

 of fruit orcharding. A few years ago, Gen. K. 

 selected a lot of this light soil consisting of twen- 

 ty acres. Upon it he expended in work what 

 would be equal to the labor of two men for a full 

 season. The land was ploughed deep and high- 

 ly manured. While the ploughing was going on, 

 hands followed afler to fill the furrow with ma- 

 nure so that it might be turned in deep. The 

 production of this land afterwards was wonder- 

 ful : he has continued to reap a great advantage 

 from its cultivation. The first application of ma- 

 nure has almost entirely changed the color and 

 appearance of the soil. It has been act out in a 

 beautiful apple orchard, which has commenced 

 bearing. Tlie value of these twenty acres is now 

 greater than that of one hundred and eighty acres 

 (nine times the amount) of land of a similar qual- 

 ity, and locally as well situated, that has not yet 

 had the benefits of the same improvement. 



Take this single case of improvement which in 

 illustration of our ideas is as unfavorable in point 

 of quality of land and expense in its renovation 

 as any one we could present. The first year's 

 expense on this lot of twenty acres we will put 

 down at $400 for the labor of two men and the 

 requisite team and S;800 lor as many loads of 

 manure — making, exclusive of fences, $1200. If 

 planted with potatoes the crop at 200 bushels to 

 the acre and 25 cents the bushel, would be worth 

 $1000 : if with Indian corn at 50 bushels to the 

 acre and 75 cents the bushel, its value would be 

 $750. It could in no event bo expected, if the 

 eround was already well fenced, that the crop the 

 first year would be worth the cost of the improve- 

 ment. But the value of the land has been in- 

 creased, in this time, to at least four times its pre- 

 vious value ; and if the twenty acres at fifteen 

 dollars the acre were worth at first three hundred 

 dollars, the fu-st step has multiplied its value four 

 times three hundred, making it twelve hundred 



dollars, giving with the lowest estimate of the 

 crop, $1650, and a clear jjrofjt of $450 at the end 

 of the fu-st year's operations. The subsequent 

 planting of an orchard and the keeping up of the 

 improvement, on «liicli the proprietor annually 

 must have received a profit, after allowing for the 

 investment, probably equal to the added expense, 

 raised the price, as will be perceived, to nine 

 times its first value, making the land worth one 

 himdred and thii-ty-five dollars the acre, and the 

 entire lot $3700. 



From this example the farmers of New Eng- 

 land may be taught the value of thoroi-.gh culti- 

 vation, keeping in view constant improvement in 

 the capacity of the soil. When cultivation is 

 once carrie«l to a high point, the improvement at 

 its high point may be kept up without the propor- 

 tion of additional expense. For example, the 

 acre that has its forty loads of manure, at the end 

 of four years, will be in a condition to produce 

 for a second term as great a relative crop \\ ith a 

 smaller relative quantity of manure. When the 

 land is once placed in the fine state, the same 

 quantity of manure annually applied will produce 

 much greater succeeding crops than the land 

 where the cultivation was comnienced with but 

 one-fourth the amount of manure. 



The operation of the higher and better cultiva- 

 tion is to increase the value of the land in a Com- 

 pound ratio ; for if with very little additional labor 

 we can make a piece of land produce double, that 

 same land must be raised to be of fouy-fold 

 value. 



Of what inmiense benefit to the country must 

 be a system of Agriculture which is constantly 

 making the soil more productive ? How different 

 from this the spectacle of seeing the productions 

 of the farm growing annually less and less — of 

 seeing the fields of the farmer becoming barren 

 and deserted, and his houses and barns becoming 

 naked and dilapidated ! 



Reported for llie Boston Courier, by Mr. Colman. 

 Tie Sixth Agticultural Meeting. 



Fcbrumi/ 18, 1841. 

 Mr. King in the Chair. Subject of last meet 

 ing continued — Live Stock. 



Mr. CoLMAN stated that as far as the subject of 

 the evening's inquiry embraced Neat Cattle, it 

 had been already fully discussed. Without 

 doubt the meeting would be glad to hear from 

 any gentleman, who had any fmther remarks to 

 make on this matter. The subject of sheep, like- 

 wise, had been slightly touched upon. The sub- 

 ject of swine, a most important j)art of the far- 

 mer's stock, had not been treated. 



Of swine, there were various breeds now well 

 kuowj] among us, and within the last forty years 

 the most valuable improvements had been made 

 in this race of animals. Twenty years ago, a 

 distinguished packer of beef and pork, in this 

 vicinity, said, that the improvements which had 

 tlien taken place in this stock were worth hun- 

 dreds of thousands of dollars to Massachusetts. 

 These improvements have consisted in introduc- 

 ing in the place of a long, gautit, hungry species, 

 a compact, small-boned, thrifty, good humored 

 kind, who were kept at a comparatively small e.\- 

 pense ; and made large reUans for the amount of 

 food which they consumed. 



These improvements had been effected mainly 

 by a cross v/ith the Chinese breed ; but this was 

 not well ascertained. The introduction of the 

 BrEFiELD breed was perfectly ^vithin his own 

 recollection. He had a relative living in Byefield, 

 a parish of Newbury, who attended, as a butcher, 

 tlie Neubuiyiiort "market. He found in the 

 market, a woman, with two remarkable pigs for 

 sale, which he immediately purchased and^^- 

 ried to his farjn. He did not know the ffli^^ 

 of these pigs, but this laid the foundation of what 

 is called the Byefield breed, knov/n as such in 

 this country and in England and which proved 

 most excellent ( ross with the best of our native 

 swine. They were remarkable for their thrift, 

 their early maturity, their good humor, and the 

 cheapness with which they were kept. This 

 was the first important step in the improvement 

 of the breed. This occurred about the year 

 1793. 



The next improved breed of swine introduced 

 into the country was the Bedford. It is under- 

 stood tliat some of this breed, which had acquir- 

 ed much celebrity in England, were sent as a 



present to General Washington ; and the jicrson 

 by whom they wei-e sent betrayed his trust, and 

 sold them, or their progeny, for his own benefit. 



The Mackay, another improved breed, was in- 

 troduced by Mr. Mackay, who commanded a 

 packet between Boston and Liverpool, or Boston, 

 and London ; and, having a taste fitr agricultural 

 pursuits, he selected abroad some of the best 

 stock he could find, and placed them on his farm 

 at Weston, from which many valuable animals 

 have been obtained, and are scattered in differ- 

 ent parts of the State.s. They are a breed re- 

 markable for their thriftiness and plumpness, and 

 lor their great weight 



The next valuable breed known among us is 

 the MocHO, a white hog, of excellent thriving 

 properties ; but where he originated is not known. 

 Mr. Colman had found this breed in the western 

 and southeastern parts of the State, in the cen- 

 tre of the State likewise, and in western New 

 York ; but was not able to trace their genealogy 

 The cross with this hog has produced an excel- 

 lent stock. 



The next valuable stock introduced among us 

 is the Berkshire. The pure Berkshire, it is be- 

 lieved, were first introduced into the country by 

 Mr. Hawkes, an English farmer, who came over 

 and settled near Albany. He brought many val- 

 uable animals with him ; but for some reasons, 

 having given up his establishment, his stock pass- 

 ed into the hands of a very enterprising farmer, 

 JMr. Caleb N. Bement, by whom they were prop- 

 agated, and have now been widely extended over 

 the country. IMr. Colman remarked that the 

 change which had taken place in the hogs of Al- 

 bany, which are allowed to run at large in the 

 streets, since die introduction of the Berkshire, 

 was most remarkable ; instead of a lean, hungry, 

 prowling, noisy race, objects of universaj disgust 

 and dread, there « ere now every where to be 

 seen in the su-eets and styes of that city, fine 

 sleek and plump pigs, which appeared to be kept 

 with the greatest care and liberality. 



The Berkshire breed, however, were" thought 

 by many persons to want size; and a cross of 

 the Berkshire with the Mackay has produced the 

 finest and most thrifty race of animals that had 

 ever come under his (Mr. Colman's) notice. This 

 stock, of the very finest description, might now 

 be seen in perfection, at the place of Mr. Phin- 

 uey, Lexington, and of'Mr. Cushing at Walertown 

 Finer animals than were here to be found, in Mr.. 

 Colman's opinion, could not be found any where. 

 The Mocho breed had likewise been crossed 

 with the Berkshire; and intermediate crosses of 

 the Berkshire, with the Mocho and Mackay to- 

 gether had been equally fortunate.* 

 t The Chinese breed had likewise been repeat- 

 edly introduced into the country direcdy from 

 China. Mr. Cushing, .of Watertown, had now 

 some animals of the pure blood. The pnr 

 blood stock was not large enough for our purpos- 

 es ; but the croes with this breed had alway 

 been advantageous ; and Mr. Colman believed 

 the Chinese breed to be the foundation of the 

 be.it improvements in this country and in Eng- 

 land. 



Mr. Colman considered the fatting of pork of 

 great importance to New-England. We could 

 not rai,<e pigs in this vicinity to advantage; cer- 

 tainly not to the same advantage as where pas- 

 turing is cheap, and the wash of the dairy abund- 

 ant ; but they might be raised with much profit 

 in the interior, and fatted here. Mr. Colman was 

 satisfied, from considerable experience, that 

 when corn is seventy cents a bushel, and pork 

 will bring in the market six cents a poimd, or 

 six dollars per himdred, pork may be flitted to a 

 profit. Hogs are particularly valuable to the far- 

 mer, on account of the large amount of manure 

 which they may be made to furni.«h. If well 

 supplied with the raw material, a hog may be ex- 

 pected to produce ten loads of good compost 

 manure per year. 



Mr. Colman expressed his unwillingness to go 

 further in the disciission ; his only object being to 

 introduce the subject to the meeting; and he 

 should therefore cheerfully leave the field to oth- 

 ei\=. 



General Low of Boxford then addressed the 





*E. Phinney, Esq. of Lexington, lias just graduated from 



Ills Porcellian Seminary fifteen hogs, whose a\erago 



ight was 53f lbs. One of them weighed 728 lb?. As 



