31 



MR. THADDEUS CLAPP S LETTER. 



Dorchester, Oct. 1, 1858. 



Dear Sir, — In the following communication I have aimed to 

 embody answers to such questions in your circular as relate to 

 subjects I am more particularly conversant Avith, and to give the 

 replies in the order in which the questions are presented. 



My father's farm contains forty-six acres, viz : — four of wood- 

 land, three of pasturage, twenty-eight of upland and meadow, in- 

 cluding salt marsh, and about thirteen acres of orcharding. That 

 portion appropriated to fruit trees is usually kept under cultiva- 

 tion ; also, about four acres designed for roots, corn and potatoes. 



The soil consists principally of a black and yellow loam, with a 

 subsoil of gravel. 



The fences are chiefly of stone, being faced walls, and division 

 walls, — the former built at a cost of eight dollars per rod, the lat- 

 ter of about three dollars, inclusive of the stone. 



One of the two barns occupied by us is provided with a cellar, 

 a part of which is appropriated to a sty, to receive the liquid s 

 well as solid portions of manure from the stable above. 



As materials for making manure, we use loam, seaweed, and 

 trash — a collection of hay and stubble floated up by the sea-water 

 from the salt marshes — weeds and decayed vegetation, and other 

 refuse matter of the farm. 



In Spring and Fall, and at other times when required, the ma- 

 nure is carted from the sty and barn-yard, and applied in a green 

 state to potatoes ; or, when well mixed and rotted, to corn, carrots 

 and other roots. It is also taken to a heap to be composted. 



We have never, but in one or two instances, tried any of the 

 special fertilizers. Our proximity to the city enables US' to obtain 

 a sufficient supply of stable manure without a resort to any sub- 

 stitutes. 



In respect to rotation of crops, our practice has been to plant 

 potatoes or corn on fresh turned sward land, two or three years, 

 then follow with a crop of carrots or other roots, and afterwards 

 seed down to grass. 



Once in three or four years we seed down our mowing lands, 

 usually in the latter part of September. Sometimes we turn the 

 sward of our low lands, manure, and seed down immediately, with- 

 out any change of crop. For seed Ave ' use a mixture of iierds- 

 grass, redtop and clover, in the proportion of one bushel of redtop 

 to half a bushel of herdsgrass and four pounds of clover to the 

 acre. Manure applied, common barnyard manure, well mixed 

 and rotted, eight cords per acre. 



Once in two years we top-dress our mowing lands, preferring 

 the Fall or Winter, when practicable, to the Spring, for this pur- 



