18 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



ing one hundred sixteen dollars and sixty-seven cents, leaving 

 a profit of sixty-six dollars and sixty-seven cents on the lot, or 

 at the rate of one hundred and six dollars and sixty-seven 

 cents per acre, if I am correct in my figures. 



Billerica, September, 1854. 



WORCESTER. 



Report of the Committee. 



The committee on farms respectfully beg leave to report : — 



Mr. Harvey Dodge, of Sutton, is the only person who has 

 entered his farm for the "Worcester County Agricultural Socie- 

 ty's premium the present year. Two of the committee, Messrs. 

 Reed and Brigham, visited Mr. Dodge and examined his farm 

 in June ; and Messrs. Reed and Bickford viewed the same in 

 October. Mr. Dodge's farm lies in the north-east part of Sut- 

 ton, on a slope of land descending towards the north, and con- 

 tains ninety-three and one-quarter acres and thirty-seven rods. 

 The general aspect of the soil is black mould, mixed with sand. 

 The subsoil is comminuted sand, mixed with clay, and is reten- 

 tive of water. For a more full description of his farm, and 

 the management thereof, reference may be had to Mr. Dodge's 

 statement, which is appended. 



The claim of Mr. Dodge is for reclaiming his land by de- 

 stroying bushes, ploughing, summer tilling, removing dilapidated 

 stone walls, sinking stones, under-draining and irrigation. The 

 principle of Mr. Dodge's husbandry may be well upon his hill soil. 

 The expense of his labor is somewhat less than that of many of 

 our "Worcester county farmers to produce the same results, as 

 Mr. Dodge employs mainly foreign labor, and with his sound 

 judgment and eagle-like eye he has made his experience in 

 farming very profitable. 



There arc strong doubts whether his mode of husbandry will 

 well apply to most of the hill land in "Worcester county, as the 

 subsoils arc essentially different ; we believe, too, that there are 

 many farms upon the hills where a suitable number of partition 

 wa'l fences arc truly necessary and useful to the farmer, so 

 much bo a^ to repay the expense of building. Trench out 



