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grass, most of which is cut •with a mowing machine, — Manny's, 

 with Wood's improvement, being used with good success. 



The Committee understood from Mr. Quincy, that in his farm- 

 ing operations he was endeavoring to ascertain whether the busi- 

 ness can be made profitable, — whether a gentleman can invest 

 money in it with a reasonable certainty of realizing a fair re- 

 turn. We are gratified that a gentleman of Mr. Q.'s means, in- 

 telligence and energy, should have engaged so earnestly in the 

 solution of this problem. As he had, at the time of our visit, con- 

 ducted the business, in its present form, only ten months, he could 

 not be expected to exhibit his balance-sheet. When sufficient 

 time has passed for the results to assume a reliable form, it is to be 

 hoped he will present them to the public, as, in any event, they 

 can hardly fail to be useful as an example. 



The farm of H. N. Glover, Quincy, both in regard to the con- 

 dition and arrangement of the buildings, and the division and cul- 

 tivation of the land, presents a good example of okder and neat- 

 ness, those fundamental principles of good farming. Mr. G. in- 

 vited us to look at a piece of marsh land, from which he had shut 

 out the sea by a substantial dike. Below the dike are sluices, 

 fitted with gates, which allow the water from the reclaimed land 

 to escape, but prevent the inward flow of the tide. When the 

 improvement of this land was commenced, it was, in most re- 

 spects, hke ordinary salt marsh, and had been so from the earliest 

 account to be had of it ; yet it is filled with stumps of various 

 species of trees. No one has any knowledge in regard to the 

 time when these trees were standing ; but it is evident that they 

 grew when the ground was free from the action of salt Avater. 

 From the appearance of the surrounding land, it seems probable 

 that a high bar formerly protected the marsh from the sea, but 

 that by some unusual force the Avaves broke through, destroyed 

 the trees, and changed the general character of the vegetation. 

 Although this was done, perhaps, hundreds of years ago, the roots 

 of the trees imbedded in the marsh are still perfectly sound. 



In the fall of 1859, Mr. G. planted cranberries on a portion of 

 this reclaimed marsh. Of course, there has not been sufficient 

 time for the plants to establish themselves. At present there is 

 nothing discouraging in their appearance, and the public will be 

 interested in the progress and result of this attempt to convert a 

 salt marsh into a cranberry meadow. 



On the farm of Lemuel Billings, Quincy, the Committee saw a 

 six-acre field of corn which promised a large yield. Mr. B. has 

 generally had marked success with this crop. The land is pre- 

 pared for it by spreading seven cords of cow manure to the acre 

 and ploughing it in. The land is warm and rather light. He 



