122 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



farmers thought I had spoiled our land. I have had wheat 

 twice on that land, and tliink tlie deep ploughing did no hurt, 

 but good." 



Passing over a period of nearly three-fourths of a century, 

 during which its cultivation was pursued with indifferent 

 success, notwithstanding the efforts of the older agricultural 

 societies, especially of the Massachusetts Society for the Pro- 

 motion of Agriculture, to promote its cultivation by the almost 

 yearly offer of large premiums, its cultivation grew less and 

 less, until we find, that about 1830, it had ceased to be a 

 common crop. A field of wheat was rarely seen in any part of 

 the State ; in fact it had become quite a curiosity, and we 

 were, as a State, entirely dependent on other countries for our 

 breadstuffs, except the coarse kinds. This disgraceful fact was 

 urged upon the attention of the legislature from year to year, 

 until, in order to ascertain the cause of the failure, and if 

 possible to find out new modes by which it might be success- 

 fully and profitably cultivated, an Act was passed in March, 

 1838, as follows : " That there be allowed, and paid as a 

 bounty, to the person who shall raise fifteen bushels of well- 

 cleaned wheat, the sum of two dollars ; and for every additional 

 bushel above fifteen bushels, five cents, from the treasury of 

 the city or town where such person shall reside. Also, the sum 

 of one hundred dollars to the person who shall raise the greatest 

 quantity in one year of not less than five hundred bushels, on 

 one farm." 



The passage of this law called the attention of farmers to 

 its cultivation in good earnest, in all parts of the State. There 

 were applicants for the bounty in nearly or quite every town ; 

 and the number of persons to whom the bounty was paid, the 

 first year of the law, was 8,642 ; the amount of money drawn 

 from the treasury of the Commonwealth was 'S^9,280. There 

 were cultivated that year 6,840 acres, yielding 108,570 bushels 

 of wheat. The highest average yield in any county was in 

 Worcester, of sixteen bushels per acre. The smallest average 

 yield, in Nantucket, of ten bushels. As a fact showing the 

 universality of its cultivation that year, it may be stated that 

 in the town of Pittsfield, Berkshire County, there were two 

 hundred and twenty-one farms, on one hundred and nineteen 

 of which wheat was raised. During the second year of the 



