CROPS OF COGGINS POINT FARM. 185 



Explanatory Remarks on the Land and its Management. 



Quantity of land for cultivation (exclusive of waste parts), at first 472 

 acres ; increased by new clearings to 602 by 1826; to 652 in 1832 ; and no 

 more in 1842, though 30 more acres have since been cleared and tilled, be- 

 cause as much in 1836 converted to a permanent pasture. All the new 

 land added by clearing was poor, and very few acres of it would have pro- 

 duced more than 10 bushels of corn, or 6 of wheat (without the marling), 

 after the 3 or 4 first crops. Of course the new land added served to reduce 

 instead of increasing the general average product per acre. 



Rotation at first of three-shifts, viz. : 1 corn, 2 wheat on the richer half, 

 3 at rest, and after 1814 not grazed. This changed gradually to 4 shifts 

 (by 1823) of 1 corn, 2 wheat, 3 and 4 at rest. 1820, began to fallow for 

 wheat, in part and only in some years. In 1826 or 1827 began to sow the 

 wheat fields generally in clover, and about 1835, to fallow a part (say one- 

 fourth to one-third) of each clover field for wheat the year preceding the 

 crop of corn. This changed in 1 840 to a five-shift rotation, one-fifth of the 

 arable land being in corn, two-fifths in wheat (and oats), and two-fifths in 

 clover (or weeds), or other green or manuring crops. 



The crops of wheat for first six years (1813 to 1818) raised on the richer 

 parts of each shift, making not much more than one-half the land only; 

 the remainder being then much too poor to be sown. As these poorest parts 

 were marled, all were sown in wheat, in their turn. Therefore, the earlier 

 average products of wheat per acre as stated, were for the richer part of 

 the land, while since 1822 the average is for the worst as well as the best 

 land of each shift. 



Grazing the clover fields commenced partially about 1830, and increased 

 since. Latterly about 20 head of cattle and 100 of hogs on the clover 

 during the grazing season. 



The crops of hay, corn-fodder, &c., being all consumed on the farm, 

 their products have not been estimated. 



Notes on Particular Crops, $c. 



a 1818 to 1822, inclusive, 27 acres of rich embanked marsh in corn every 

 year, which served to increase these crops, and their average which land 

 sunk too low after 1823 for corn, and has since been under the tide. 

 - fin 1818, the first marling. 



1828, oats on 17 acres. 



1826 to 1830, a succession of bad seasons for wheat, or of crops made 

 much worse (as I afterwards believed), by the land having been so long 

 kept from being grazed and trodden by cattle. 



* These crops not actually measured, but amounts otherwise estimated. 

 All otlier quantities measured, unless stated otherwise. 



The richer half of the shift only cultivated in corn this year (1821). 



Marling nearly extended over all the cleared arable land requiring it, 

 and injurious where too thick. 



From 1825 to 1830 inclusive, the richest land of the farm kept under 

 cotton, which served greatly to lessen the general products, and still more 

 the average product per acre of the wheat crops, during that time. Also, 

 fallowing for wheat had ceased (the suitable land being occupied by cotton), 

 and this had served still more to reduce the crops of wheat. The largest 

 crops of wheat raised previously (1819 to 1825) were' partly owing to the 

 crop being in part raised on summer fallow. And though this was in ad- 

 vance of having the all-important aid of clover, as green manure, still 

 wheat on fallow always produced much better than would the same land if 

 in wheat after corn, as usual. My first largely increased crop of wheat 



