87 



The 2oth of September was appointed for visiting them by 

 the Committee, and a part of the committee attended to that 

 duty. 



Mr. Mann is now but twenty years old, and, when a mere 

 boy, was compelled by circumstances to take the charge of, and 

 perform the labor of a farm of ten acres. Being left an or- 

 phan at an early age he was taken into the family of his 

 grandmother and aunt, wliose farm he has conducted by his 

 own labor. It is naturally good land, but was entirely run 

 down and neglected when he commenced. Although a mere 

 boy, he has exercised the perseverance, industry and good 

 judgment of a man, in the management of the farm, and as 

 will be shown in his statement accompanying this report, has 

 increased his stock from a single horse and a few hens to two 

 horses, seven cows, two heifers, one hog, two slioats, and a 

 large flock of poultry, built a very conveniently arranged barn, 

 (28 by 86 feet), with a well built cellar under the whole ; has 

 underd rained and reclaimed one acre of wet meadow, brought 

 the whole into a good state of cultivation, and supported the 

 family, of four persons. All was the result of his own labor 

 on ten acres of land. 



His sales are of market vegetables, apples, milk and poultry. 

 It is perliaps unnecessary to add, for his works are evidence, 

 that Mr. Mann does not use intoxicating drinks or tobacco in 

 any form, and attends strictly to his business. 



Although the committee feel that Mr. Mann has done re- 

 markably well, and desire to give him proper encouragement, 

 they do not consider his farm (in the language of the society's 

 oflfer of the premium), " the best conducted and most improved 

 farm," but think that he is entitled to a gratuity of fifteen 

 dollars, and recommend that it be awarded him. 



Mr. Herrick, after graduating from the Massachusetts Agri- 

 cultural College, seven years ago, took possession of seventeen 

 acres of land, upon which was a small one story house of but lit- 

 tle value. This small farm was principally composed of rough 

 stony land, which had never been cultivated, with boulders crop- 

 ping out all over it and bushes and some wood growing on it. 



