22 



the sprouts without withering the tubers, which can be ascertained 

 by carefully watching them from day to day. The object is to 

 have a good, strong, but not very long sprout by the time the 

 ground is ready to plant. From potatoes thus sprouted Mr. N. 

 obtained a yield of 150 bushels per acre this year — the whole 

 crop having been sold in July at ninety cents per bushel. The 

 ground was then sown to turnips, which yielded 266 bushels per 

 acre, and sold on the field at fifteen cents per bushel. 



Mr. N. called attention to a very handsome lot of cabbages, on 

 ground from which a crop of strawberries had been taken the pres- 

 ent year. The vines were turned in with the plough, after they 

 had done bearing, a dressing of manure applied, and the cabbages 

 planted. The ground was entirely free from weeds, and the crop 

 of cabbages promising. We learn that they made a good return. 



Mr. N. leases fifty acres of his farm. ' The Committee went 

 over a portion of this, which they found had yielded large crops 

 of hay, Indian corn, vegetables of various kinds, and apples and 

 pears. An apple orchard, which has been planted eight years, 

 attracted attention from the good condition of the trees and their 

 productiveness. 



In regard to the general productiveness and profitableness of 

 the farm, we need only to cite the fact that the tenant, Mr. Hard- 

 ing, pays j\Jr. Newhall a satisfactory sum as rent, and lays up 

 money for himself. A former tenant was enabled, in the space of 

 five years, to lay by enough to purchase a fine farm in a neigh- 

 boring town. These simple facts, and others of like character 

 which might be cited, are sufficient to settle the point, often agi- 

 tated, respecting the practicability of making farming profitable in 

 this section. 



The Committee went over a portion of the Welles Farm, Dor- 

 chester, belonging to the heirs of the late Hon. John Welles, 

 a prominent agriculturist and promoter of agricultural improve- 

 ment. The farm is leased by Luther Spear, Jr. Vegetables 

 for market, in connection with milk, are the leading objects. 

 Sugar beets, mangel wurzel, and Swedish turnips are cultivated 

 for feeding the cows. The crops were promising. 



Mr. Spear's success in growing late-planted Indian corn de- 

 serves notice. He called our attention to a lot of two acres, 

 planted on the 13th of June. The ground was sward ; was 

 ploughed just before the corn was planted, a good dressing of 

 barn-yard manure spread en and harrowed in. The corn was 

 never hand-hoed ; the cultivator was run through it twice. At 

 the time of our visit, August 21st, the growth was large, and ex- 

 cepting that it was rather too thick, the prospect was favorable to 

 a large crop. Mr. S. has planted corn as late as the 22d of June, 



