ESSEX SOCIETY. 65 



stumps, when I purchased the farm. In May and June, 1850, 

 I cut and mowed the same and raked into winrows with a 

 horse rake, made for the purpose, and burnt it on the ground ; 

 then sowed grass seed, and harrowed thoroughly. That year 

 I cut in August, a heavy burden of wild grass and weeds, 

 about one half of which was unfit for cattle to eat ; this year 

 I have mowed most of it twice, and think it yielded three tons 

 per acre, of good quality stock hay ; much of the first crop was 

 six feet high, and resembled blue-joint, but I think it is a differ- 

 ent grass. I have given it the name of Island blue top. I 

 also mowed eight acres of clover on the island where the spring 

 rye grew, and the ashes were spread the last year, which I 

 think yielded one and a half tons per acre. The second crop 

 would have yielded three quarters of a ton per acre, most of 

 which was ploughed in and sowed with rye and wheat, as 

 before stated. 



On the home lot, which is the forty-three and a half acre 

 lot , where the dwelling house stands, I mowed thirty acres, 

 making forty-five acres in all ; two acres of this lot have been 

 taken for, and is occupied by a railroad ; three acres are wood- 

 land on the river bank, one and a half acres occupied with the 

 buildings, yards, and road to the river ; the residue is in crops 

 before specified. The corn-fodder was grown on land taken 

 from the pasture, and was fed to my cows in August and Sep- 

 tember. I measured my hay accurately the first day of this ' 

 month, and allowing five hundred and twenty-five cubic feet for 

 a ton, I cut this year one hundred and twelve and a half tons, 

 besides some thirty tons of straw and corn fodder. 



My new milch cows are fed with four quarts broom seed, 

 meal and shorts per day, in winter, with cut hay. I have here- 

 tofore fed pretty extensively with carrots, but from careful ex- 

 periments last winter, I am satisfied they do not increase the 

 quantity of milk. I averaged from twenty to twenty-five cows 

 in milk, summer and winter. Most of the calves were sold when 

 three or four days old. The principal part of the milk is sent 

 to Haverhill every morning, and delivered to customers at four 

 cents per quart, from April first to Oct. 1st, and from then to 

 April 1st, at five cents per quart ; the remainder is made into 

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