134 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Statement of Mr. Motleij. 



The Bussey farm, occupied and managed by the subscriber, 

 contains three hundred acres of land, various in cliaracter. 



Tlie largest crop is hay. This season we cut about one hun- 

 dred and eighty tons. Had under the plough, as follows : — 



Eleven acres winter rye — yielding three hundred and ten 

 bushels. My plan in raising rye, is to take a piece of grass 

 land which requires ploughing up, and in August, after taking 

 off the hay and ploughing, seed down witli rye, one bushel and 

 a half to the acre, harrow and roll, without any manure. In 

 this way, I get from twenty-five to tliirty bushels per acre, and 

 a good crop of straw ; and my land is in good condition to 

 receive manure for a corn crop, the following year, — the old 

 stubble making the land when ploughed, remain light. 



Five acres corn, which owing to the cold and wet early in 

 the season, proved a failure, yielding only forty bushels per 

 acre. The variety planted is the Bristol or smutty white. 

 Heretofore, I have raised from eighty to one hundred and seven 

 bushels per acre. Four acres in ruta-bagas, sugar beets and 

 carrots, yielding 1,016 bushels ruta-bagas, 771 bushels carrots, 

 278 bushels sugar beets, making a total of 2,065 bushels. 



I have been very unfortunate in the potato crop, for the last 

 five years, invariably losing from a half to the whole crop. 



This year I planted only one acre to Davis seedling, and the 

 result was a total failure, saving only about twenty bushels, 

 which sold early. 



My neat stock is of the Jersey breed, either full blood or 

 grade. I raise all my full blood calves, and all the grade heifer 

 calves. We make, on an average, about fifty pounds of butter 

 per week. 



In raising calves, after having tried the different plans sug- 

 gested, I prefer to take them from the cow on the third day and 

 then give them new milk, warm from the cows, morning and 

 evening, in such quantities as is necessary to keep them grow- 

 ing well, until they are ten to twelve weeks old, and then put 

 them to pasture. The first winter, feed them well on good hay 

 and a peck of ruta-bagas per day. Put them to the bull at 

 fifteen months old. My stock consists of one bull, twenty-four 

 cows, heifers and calves. 



