16 THE HISTORY OF THE 



of COWS, the comparative values of crops, etc., with 

 detailed facts and figures. In his "Hints Addressed to 

 the Farmers of Essex County," published in 1829 (though 

 his name does not appear), he summarizes the maximum 

 of crops in the County, which were well authenticated : 



Wheat, 26 bushels to the acre. 



Indian corn, II714 bushels to the acre. 



Barley, 52 bushels to the acre. 



Potatoes, 5I8I/2 bushels to the acre. 



Carrots, 900 bushels to the acre. 



Mangel wurtzel, 1,340 bushels to the acre. 



Ruta bagas, 688 bushels to the acre. 



Beets, 783 bushels to the acre. 



English turnips, 814 bushels to the acre. 



Onions, 651 bushels to the acre. 



We know of a lot of 6 acres from which thirty tons 

 of hay actually weighed were gathered in one season, 

 and another field of about forty acres, from which accord- 

 ing to the statement of respectable and disinterested 

 individuals, the yearly crops have averaged more than 

 one hundred and twenty tons or three tons to an acre. 



Querying as to the most profitable crop for an Essex 

 County farmer, he remarked that hay was one of the 

 first articles which would ordinarily yield a fair profit. 

 "The Ipswich farmers have for years found a profit in 

 transporting vast quantities to Boston market by land, 

 in spite of the competition of the neighboring towns and 

 the screwed hay from Maine." Yet, in his Andover ad- 

 dress in 1831, Mr. Colman said the average yield of 

 hay in Essex County was only li/4 tons to the acre and 

 that it sold for $18 in Boston and Salem. In the same 

 address, quoting manure at $2 a cord, corn at 70 cents a 

 bushel, and potatoes on the farm worth scarcely more than 

 a shilling a bushel, with an average yield of 150 bushels 

 per acre, he distrusted the value of the potato crop and 



