312 HAMPSHIRE SOCIETY. 



Interest on land, $50 per acre, . . $360 00 

 Taxes, 57 00 



$1,351 25 



Net profit, $1,070 04 



Moses Slebhins's Statement. 



In compliance with the rules of our society, I herewith trans- 

 mit a statement of the management and products of the farm 

 which I offer for a premium. This farm contains 35 acres of 

 land, ten acres of which is a light, sandy soil, totally neglected 

 previous to the year 1838. I then entertained the idea that 

 such soils would leach all the manure out if any was applied. 

 It had been kept for buckwheat, or occasionally a part of it 

 sowed to rye, the product of which was from six to eight bush- 

 els per acre. 



In the spring of 1838 I resolved on an improvement of my 

 farm. Instead of summering my manure in my yards, to blow 

 off in the atmosphere, and then put the chaff into the hill for 

 corn and potatoes, I hauled it out in its green state, and spread 

 at the rate of 25 loads per acre, with 200 lbs. of plaster, and 

 ploughed it in, for corn. I made about 100 loads of manure 

 in one year. The produce of my farm at that time, previous 

 to 1838, was about 20 tons of hay, from 150 to 500 bushels of 

 corn, 200 bushels of bats, 30 of rye, and 50 of potatoes. I 

 have pursued a regular rotation of crops on most of this land 

 since 1838, with corn, oats, and grass. AH of this land, except- 

 ing two acres, comes under the plough once in from three to 

 six years, when I plant two years in succession, manuring as 

 before mentioned, then sow to oats, and seed to grass for 

 mowing. I then sowed one peck of herds-grass to ten pounds 

 of clover seed per acre. As I pursued this system my crops 

 increased in quantity and quality, and my lands improved at 

 the same time. As I improved my lands I have substituted 

 corn and wheat for rye, and barley for oats ; and instead of 

 one peck of herds-grass seed to 10 lbs. of clover seed per acre, 

 I now sow from' three pecks to one bushel of herds-grass seed 

 per acre, always having clover enough, and more than I want 

 for hay, in the soil. It has been my object for the last ten or 

 twelve years to bring all my land into as even a state of culti- 



