146 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Ma 



in one brood, twenty-nine (29) chickens, all of 

 which she raised during the past season. She is 

 large, and I should judge a native, with a cross 

 of the Cochin China or some other large breed. 

 Sheldon, Vl., Jan., 1853. Novice. 



liEGISLATIVB AGRICULTURAL MEET- 

 INGS. 



Fifth Meeting— Tuesday Evening, Feb. 15, 1853. 

 The fifth meeting of the series was held on Tues- 

 day evening, at the State House. 



The meeting was called to order at quarter past 

 7 o'clock by Mr. Proctor, of Danvers, and Hon. 

 Am.\sa Walker was called upon to preside. 



Upon taking the chair, Mr. Walker announced 

 the subject for the evening's discussion, as fol- 

 lows — 



"The comparative value and profit in the culti- 

 vation of grass, grain, and vegetables, as farm pro- 

 ducts." 



In opening the discussion, the chairman re- 

 marked that he was very unexpectedly called up- 

 on to preside, and was entirely unprepared to speak 

 on the topic of the evening. He observed, how- 

 ever, that the agriculture of Massachusetts had 

 entirely changed witliin the last twenty-five years, 

 in that the opening of railroads, affording rapid 

 communication from all parts of the country, with 

 Boston, the great market of the State, had given 

 a new value to different articles of farm production. 

 We now have to compete with the West, with 

 which we are in direct connection. By next fall, 

 cattle, and almost all agricultural products, will be 

 brought here from the Western Reserve, in Ohio, 

 whereas twenty-five years ago we had a market 

 which was essentially our own. From this change 

 of circumstances, of course our farming must 

 change also, and we must turn our attention to the 

 cultivation of those crops in which we can compete 

 successfully with those sections of the country 

 which share our markets with us. And in doing 

 this, reference must especially be had to the cost 

 of transportation entailed upon these foreign pro- 

 ductions, for in the ratio of this expense is the ex- 

 tent of our protection, and advantage over the 

 foreign producer. As for instance the expense on 

 certain articles in proportion to their value, — the 

 greater the expense on this value of course the 

 more chance we have of profitable competition. 

 Are there not some products which we can get 

 sooner to market than our competitors, and also 

 some perishable ones which cannot be profitably 

 transported long distances? In deciding what ar- 

 ticles to raise, much depends upon the judgment 

 and circumstances of the farmer. 



Mr. Proctor, of Danvers, said he would not re- 

 commend the exclusive application of the lands of 

 a farm to either grass, grain, or vegetables, be 

 cause each is in a measure useful. lie then pro 

 ceeded to institute a compjirison of the relative va 



lue of those crops, first taking up that of grass, 

 grown for the making of hay, and this because 

 the grass grown in pastures is more of. a natural 

 production. lie thought it could not be doubted, 

 however, that our pastures might be greatly bene- 

 fited by proper attention and renovation. The 

 main objects which the farmer has in view are to 

 secure the means of feeding their stock, and their 

 families, and to produce something which will sup- 

 ply them with cash. As a general thing the hay 

 crop on well conducted farms does not much ex- 

 ceed one ton to the acre, and lands devoted to it 

 cannot be estimated to yield more than $20 net 

 income to tlie acre, with a very moderate allow- 

 ance for the necessary fertilizing agents. Of the 

 grain crops, Indian corn, all things considered, is 

 the most valuable. The average of this crop 

 throughout the State does not exceed 40 bushels to 

 the acre, though on lands fairly manured and in 

 good condition, .50 bushels would be a fair crop. 

 But the general value of corn cannot be stated 

 higher than $40 per acre ; and allowing $20 for 

 extra manure and labor, the net income of any 

 kind of grain lands will not exceed $20 per acre. 

 Of root crops, carrots, beets, and turnips, are the 

 most profitable for feeding stock. Carrots require 

 much care in pi-eparing the soil, but yield abund- 

 antly. From 12 to 20 tons to the acre are fre- 

 quently raised, and they are valued by men.of ex- 

 perience at half the worth of English hay for horses 

 and neat stock. 



Mr. Proctor had no doubt that lands properly 

 managed would yield double the value in carrots 

 that they would in grass or grain, and the same is 

 true to a certain extent of beets, turnips and pars- 

 nips. He believed carrots to be the most valuable 

 crop the farmer could raise ; but they can be grown 

 only on good soil, with thorough tillage and liberal 

 manuring. The land should be plowed at leas^ 

 nine to twelve inches in depth, well pulverized, and 

 sown in rows 14, 16, or 18 inches apart. They 

 can be cultivated with less uncertainty than any 

 other crop, and the speaker knew of no insect that 

 operates to destroy them. Estimating 10 tons as 

 a fair crop, at $8 per ton they would yield $128; 

 and deducting $68 from this for extra labor and 

 manure, it leaves a net profit of $60 per acre, — 

 more than double that of grain or grass crops. 



Beets, perhaps, would be nearly as profitable as 

 carrots, and they are quite as flivorablc for cattle ; 

 but they cannot be grown for several successive 

 years on the same soil, and leave it in good condi- 

 tion. At the end of two years some rotative crop 

 is necessary, and no crop will grow advantageous- 

 ly after them. With carrots there are some crops 

 that will grow better after thera — onions, for in- 

 stance. He had known a crop worth $200 per 

 acre to be raised on land which had been used for 

 carrots. 



Mr. Smith, Senator from Hampshire County, 



