26 ESSEX SOCIETY. 



and one bushel of red top, brushed it, and then laid all smooth 

 with a loaded roller. My rye and grass have always done well ; 

 the straw selling from seven dollars to ten dollars per acre, and 

 the grain bringing ten per cent, more than the southern. Di- 

 rectly after taking off a crop of hay, early in July, I have in- 

 verted the sod, rolled, harrowed in a good coat of compost, sow- 

 ed one peck of millet to the acre, brushed, then sown grass 

 seed, clover, herds, red top, and brushed and rolled smooth. I 

 have never failed of getting a ton of millet fodder to the acre, 

 and when the frost has delayed for about seventy days from the 

 time of sowing, thirty or forty bushels of millet seed to the acre, 

 and the next year, and for several years, a good crop of hay. 

 But it is not prudent to sow millet after the tenth of July, on 

 account of the frost; it should not be sown before the middle of 

 May ; best sown in June. In August, I ploughed two acres of 

 land, which was this year mowed ; rolled it flat, spread sixty 

 loads of compost, harrowed it well, sowed one half bushel herds 

 grass, and two bushels red top, then brushed and rolled it smooth. 

 This process has always succeeded with me. 



In planting my corn the present season, instead of cross fur- 

 rowing, I ran the plough but one way, and not so deep as to 

 disturb the sod, nearly filled the furrows, which were four feet 

 distant in part of the field, with my common compost, in part 

 with pig manure, then dropped the kernels in the furrows, six 

 inches apart, and covered, leaving the surface of the ground 

 even ; in May, went between the rows with the cultivator and 

 hoe, and again, the last of June, but making no hill, and this, 

 with the exception of pulling by hand a few weeds, was all the 

 culture. The crop, as you witnessed, was clean and heavy. 



In October, 1842, I ploughed three acres of field land, which 

 had been in grass five years, and rolled it. In May following, har- 

 rowed it and spread seventy loads of compost, which was well 

 harrowed, then marked the hills four feet apart each way, drop- 

 ped the corn and covered ; in June went through with the cul- 

 tivator and hoe, and late in July sowed grass seed among the 

 standing corn, went through with the cultivator and hoe, mak- 

 ing no hills ; in October, the corn was cut up close, and the 

 ground rolled with a loaded roller. On one acre I had one hun- 



