47 



STATEMENT OF A. L. SMITH. 



The piece of pasture land -which I oflfer for premium, contains 

 four acres ; the soil is a gravelly loam. It had been used for a 

 pasture for nearly a hundred years, and a great part of it -was 

 covered with whortle and blueberry bushes, ground savin, and a 

 small piece with alders. In August, 1858, I mowed the bushes 

 and burned them upon the ground. The following month I ploughed 

 two acres of the piece with four oxen, then harrowed thoroughly 

 and sowed with rye. In April, 1859, I ploughed the remaining 

 two acres, one and three-quarters of it with four oxen, the other 

 quarter, where the alders grew, with six oxen. Then harrowed, 

 furrowed, and applied three cords per acre of coarse strawy ma- 

 nure in the hill, and planted the piece with potatoes, hoed them 

 once, and produced a fair crop of good, sound potatoes. The 

 rye on a part of the field was quite good, and the remainder very 

 slim. In April, 18(^0, I ploughed the part on Avhich the rye grew 

 last season, across the old furrows, then harrowed it well. In 

 May I ploughed the other two acres, and harrowed the parts on 

 which bushes had grown ; then raked up several loads of roots, 

 burned them, and spread the ashes upon the ground. The last 

 part of the month I planted three acres of the piece with corn, 

 applying three cords of good compost manure per acre in the 

 hill. The remaining acre was planted with potatoes, manured 

 ■with about three cords of strawy manure in the hill. As there 

 were but few weeds to contend with, I hoed the corn and pota- 

 toes but once. In each alternate row I planted pumpkin seeds, 

 and where the crows pulled up some hills of corn at one corner of 

 the field, planted pickle seeds. The corn was very good, with 

 but little soft corn. To ascertain the amount of fodder upon the 

 piece, I weighed an average rod of the husks and stalks, after 

 they were well dried. The cost of husking the corn was of small 

 amount, as I had a husking bee to husk part of it, and the re- 

 mainder was all husked evenings, except one stormy day. 



The expenses were as follows : — 



1858. To mowing bushes, $5.00 



To ploughing, 3 days, . . . . . .11.25 



To harrowing, 2 days, ...... 4.00 



To 4 bushels rye, and sowing, . . . . 4.50 



1859. To ploughing If acres with 4 oxen, . . ij-ii'd 

 To ploughing ^ acre witli G oxen, h day, . . 2.87 

 To boy and oxen 1| days, harrowing, . . . 2.18 

 To furrowing, $1 ; 20 bushels seed potatoes, $10, . 11.00 

 To 6 cords manure, applying manure and planting, . 32.00 

 To ploughing and hoeing, $7 ; harvesting potatoes, $6, 13.00 

 To cradling rye and binding, $3 ; threshing, $2, . 5.00 

 To carting straw, . . . . . . 2.50 



