THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



183 



may be nltered to give the liglit pitch to the fin- 

 gers. You have a machine totaUe up grain from 

 the cradle swathe much faster and easier than 

 taking up by the hand rake. It passes before the 

 the laborer like the wheel barrow. When a bini- 

 dle is gathered on the fingers, jou step your foot 

 on a wire attiiched to the handle which raises the 

 fingers and brings the bundle up ready to be 

 bound. 



The horse rake is a great labor-saving machine. 

 No farmer that has had one will do without it. — 

 And it is so with the Cultivator. The Corn Plan- 

 ter is a good machine for our large planters at the 

 west ; but few will be needed in our rough and 

 uneven country. Mr. Olds has happily succeed- 

 ed in his machine, especially in his mode of ta- 

 king up the seed and depositing it in the groinid, 

 all in sight, that you can rectify any mistake at 

 once, it also plants two rows at a time, and is 

 attached to the horse by fills which makes it run 

 steadily. It is giiaged for such a depth of plant- 

 ing and disUmce of the row as you may wish. 1 

 see by the Cultivator he obtained a premium at 

 Syracus3. I wish him success with his patent, 

 and can recommend his machine to those farm- 

 ers who may wish to purchase. 



In my last letter I am made to say what I did 

 not intend to, that is I am reported to say that 

 land does deteriorate by constant manureinfr,w\uch 

 ought to have been constant mowing ; and again 

 where I am reported to say half of the mowing 

 would, &.C. I should have said half of the manure- 

 ing would produce an equal crop. 

 Ever Yours, 



THOS. WHITE. 



Putney Meadows. VI., .\'ov. 30, 1841. 



Farming in Ancient Somersworth. 



Somersworth, Dec. 1841. 



Hon. Isaac Hill — Dear Sia: — I have been a 

 constant reader of your Monthly Visitor ever 

 since its commencement ; and nothing in its col- 

 umns has been more interesting to me than your 

 notices of the inifirovements in agriculture in 

 different parts of New England, especially in the 

 vicinity of Boston ; but I do not recollect of see- 

 ing any notice in your paper of improvements in 

 agriculture, neither do I know of any section of 

 country in the New England States, in which 

 they have surpassed, for twenty or twenty-five 

 years last past, that part of this town lying on the 

 main road and turn|)ike leading from Dover to 

 South Berwick, Maine. 



I hereby forward you a sketch of the principal 

 farms lying on these roads, and you may give it 

 an insertion in the Visitor if you think it worth 

 publishing. 



The first farm in Somersworth lying on the 

 main road from Dover towards South Berwick, 

 belonged twenty years ago to the heirs of James 

 Rollins. It then ])ro(luced short of 30 tons of 

 hay — about 60 bushels corn — 40 grain, and 300 

 bushels potatoes yearly. It has since been divi- 

 ded into two fiirms, which are now owned by 

 Augustus and Daniel Rollins. The former cuts 

 (jO tons of hay, and raises 200 bushels corn and 

 grain, and 1000 bushels potatoes annuall}'. The 

 latter cuts 40 tons of hay, and raises 175 bushels 

 ■"corn and grain, and 800 bushels potatoes yearly. 



As all the farmers on these roads follow about 

 the same business as the above described, and as 

 the proportions of these productions are about 

 the same, I will omit all the articles raised on 

 the farms I shall hereafter describe, except that 

 of bay: and shall confine my rejnarks to a peri- 

 od of time within twenty-five years last past. 



The next two fiirms until within a few years 

 were owned by Joshua VVentworth and Paul 

 Ricker, and, together, produced about 30 tons ol 

 hay yeai'ly. The former, although he had made 

 great improvements in his farm, took the " West- 

 era fever," sold his property in Sotjiersworth, and 

 moved into Wisconsin. The latter sold his fiu'm 

 with a view of purchasing a larger one ; but re- 

 ]iort gays both of tliem have regretted selling 

 their farms in Somersworth. These farms are 

 now owned by Lorenzo Rollins, and they produce 

 annually 70 tons of hay. 



The farm owned by the town coines next. The 

 quantity of hay on this has been increased from 

 10 to 25 tons per year. 



The farm of Capt. Ichabod Rollins, an old fash- 

 ioned farmer, is situate next on the road. H' 

 hay has been increased from 3.3 to 50 tons per 

 year. 



William W. Rollins' farm comes next in order. 

 About twenty years ago it was reported that he 

 had cut 30 tons of hay on it in one year, but the 

 truth of the report was doubted by many. He 

 now cuts one hundred and thirty ions of hay on the 

 same farm per year. 



Among the most interesting improvements on 

 the road is that of Joseph Doe, Esq., who seven 

 years ago last spring set out a young orchard of 

 30 apple trees, on a very dry and barren piece of 

 plains land ; and has since at different times, in- 

 creased it to one hundred trees. Although these 

 5 when set out were not much larger than an 

 ox goad, yet this year he gathered more than 

 twenty-five bushels of ripe fruit of the best kind 

 from it. This orchard for thrift and beauty sur- 



sses any thing of the kind in this vicinity. 



The first farms on the turnpike road from Do- 



V towards South Berwick in Somersworth, are 

 those of Bartholomew and Hall VVentworth, and 

 each produces anmially .50 tons of hay. These 

 farms formerly belonged in one, and constituted 

 what was psually called the hard and rocky farm 

 of Bartholomew Wentworth, senior. Thirty 

 years ago this farm did not produce more than 

 15 tons of hay yearly ; but twenty-five years ago 

 it had been so far improved as to produce 30 tons 

 of hay per year. 



The next that I will mention is the farm of 

 George Wentworth, which lies about forty rods 

 south of the road, and in plain sight of it. The 

 hay on this farm has been increased from 6 to 40 

 tons per year. 



The next in order is the farm that recently be- 

 longed to Geo. D. Varney and his father, and was 

 twenty-five years ago considered as being one of 

 the best farms in Somersworth. But the son, not 

 being satisfied with the slow process of making 

 money by farming, embarked in manufactories 

 and eastern lands. He also purchased some pas- 

 ture land near the homestead that was not con- 

 sidered of great value, and brought it into good 

 mowing ; he likewise commenced a system of 

 improvement on the old farm, and, in a few years, 

 increased the quantity of hay on the farm from 

 20 to 70 tons per year ; but the Eastern land pro- 

 ject did not prove successful, and he had to sus- 

 pend business. The land since then (which was 

 aliont twelve years ago) has been involved in law- 

 suits, and the hay on the farm has decreased to 

 40 tons per year. The principal part of the old 

 fiu-m is now owned by Leavitt H. Ycaton, who is 

 making the old shears cut again. 



The next farm on the road is that of John 

 Wentworth, who has earned his entire farm by 

 working out by the month at from Jive to eiglU dollars 

 per month and by farming. He was one of the 

 first that commenced improvements in agricul- 

 ture in this vicinitv. He has increased the quan- 

 tity of hay on his" farm from 20 to 60 tons per 



The last that I will particularly mention lying 

 on this road is the old John Rollins fariii, now 

 owned by Samuel Hale of Portsmouth. The hay 

 on this fiirni has been increased from 8 to 80 tons 

 per year, and with a small addition, in the year 

 1839, it produced 150 tons of hay. 



Most of the remaining fjirms are owned by 

 men younger than the above ; and they are, with 

 scarcely an exception, following on with com- 

 mendable zeal in improvements on their farms. 

 Amongst the niost .enterprising are George W. 

 Roberts, William and Francis Plumer, and Moses 

 R. Wentworth. 



The section of land over which these farms 

 arc spread does not contain more than three 

 square miles. The original growth was white 

 and red oak, and white pine, interspersed with 

 hemlock, elm and white maple. And the princi- 

 pal part of the soil is clayey loam. 



There may be some sections of new country in 

 which the improvements in farming have been as 

 large as on these fiirms ; but if there be any sec- 

 tion among the older towns where the improve- 

 ments equal those of these farms, it has not come 

 to the knowledge of the writer. 



This part of the town has been settled about 

 as long as any yravt of the State, and has been 

 in possession of what was formerly termed good 

 farmers, certainly as good as any in this town. 

 These farmers have not only made improvements 

 in their mowing and tillage lands, but in pastures, 

 orchards, fences, buildings, schools, and, in fact, 

 in almost every thing that can add convenience. 



mfort and happiness to them and their fami- 



s. 



I could give you some of the causes of the 

 success of the farmers, and the actual income of 

 e of their farms, but will close this already 

 too protracted article, and reserve these, perhaps, 

 for some future communication. R. 



We have seen enough of Somersworth within 

 the last three years to be convinced that the in- 

 dustrious and enterprising farmers of that town 

 are doing the correct thing in promoting its agri- 

 ulture. Our intelligent correspondent has fur- 

 nished the demonstration by presenting the indi- 

 vidual cases. Why is not this correct? The 

 man who, from the avails of Ins own farm, finds 

 the means of increasing its annual production, 

 ought not to blush to see his name published. 

 The individual like him who is named by our 

 correspondent, who has with his own hands from 

 the smallest wages of the farm laborer earned 

 the means of making the first payments on the 

 pin-chase of his farm and afterwards paid for the 

 whole by its products, deserves much more of 

 the people than some who are distinguished as 

 legislators and magistrates. We arc glad to 

 learn that such a man was "one of the first to 

 commence improvements in agriculture" in Soni- 

 crsworth : he has increased the product of his 

 land three-fold ; and for his enterprise fiis name 

 and his memory should be cherished with more 

 gratitude, if not more eclat, than that of either 

 ins namesake. Governor of the year 1717, or of 

 his successor of 1767. 



Somersworth lies north-east of Dover upon a 

 peninsula between the Cocheco and Salmon 

 Falls river which divides New Hampshire from 

 Maine : these streams are branches of the Piscat- 

 aqua river ; the former navigable to Dover, and 

 the latter to South Berwick, about fifteen miles 

 from the sea, and twelve miles above Portsmouth 

 harbor. At Salmon Falls near South Bei'wick 

 are large factories, and at Great Falls, some three 

 miles further up withiu the limits of Somers- 

 worth, are still more extensive factories and a 

 large village. The old John Rollins farm lies 

 near the Salmon Falls river against the village of 

 South Berwick : that farm was settled more than 

 two hundred years ago, and was owned by one of 

 the Mandamus Counsellors of former times: it is 

 an heir-loom in the family of Mr. Hale, and by 

 him has been petted on that account. Manure is 

 landed from the sea directly upon this farm : it 

 yields annually an immense amount of hay. 



The hay and potatoe crops in Somersworth, 

 as they are in many other towns having easy ac- 

 cess to the sea, are much relied on as giving a 

 sure profit to fitrming. These articles always 

 pay a good profit for shipping. We are gratified 

 at the information that in this ancient town where 

 the land has been cultivated two hundred years, 

 so far from being "worn out," the soil is now 

 made to double and treble its profitable products. 

 These improvements are made, as will be per- 

 ceived from the native wood growth, not upon 

 the first quality of virgin soil, but upon that 

 which has long been considered and treated as 

 " poor land." It is within our recollection that 

 Somersworth was set down as one of those poor 

 townships from which the more enterprising of a 

 new generation used generally to emigrate. And 

 Somersworth is not alone of the lower townships 

 where the most thriving and most improving 

 population has been of the generation which in 

 the last twenty years have remained upon the 

 ground occupied by their fathers. — Fanner's M. 

 Visitor. 



From the Cultivator. 

 Profits of Farming. 

 We believe there are many farmers who take 

 an incorrect view of the business of farming as 

 far as its profits are concerned. They seem to 

 suppose that what is sold from the farm, is 

 alone to be accounted as profit, while no note is 

 taken of what goes to the support of the family, 

 or is invested iii improvements on the farm. To 

 give an instance, we will refer to a conversation 

 had with a farmer a few days since, a man worth 

 some six or eight thousand dollars, industrious 

 and thriving; but who complained that he was 

 only able to raise in cash from his farm only 

 some three or four hundred dollars annually. As 

 a contrast he mentioned a friend of his who had 

 about the same amount in fimds that he himself 



