ESSEX SOCIETY. 33 



last part of summer and fall, I cleared, ditched and ploughed, 

 the remainder. I would here state that I made use of a strong 

 purchase — consisting of tackle and fall, to remove the stumps. 

 I supposed my purchase, with one yoke of oxen, would move 

 one hundred tons. Tlie expense of pulling the stumps, reckon- 

 ing my own time at one dollar per day, and the oxen at fifty 

 cents per day, I estimate to have been $175. In 1812, I planted 

 about one half the land with corn and potatoes, and had a very 

 fair crop of each. The other part, or half, was so full of brake- 

 root, that I could not work it ; in order to get rid of which, 1 let 

 the land lay until after haying, when I gathered the brake-root 

 into large heaps and burned them. In 1843, ploughed and plant- 

 ed part with potatoes, and sowed part with barley. In 1844, 

 ploughed and sowed part with oats, which I cut for fodder. 

 The other part I planted with potatoes. After getting off the 

 oats in August, ploughed and sowed, with herds grass and red 

 top, about six acres. In 1845, ploughed and sowed with oats 

 three acres ; planted one acre with potatoes, six acres being in 

 grass ; all, this year, bearing heavy crops. In August, ploughed 

 and sowed with herds grass and red top the three acres which 

 were in oats. The present year, 1846, ploughed and sowed with 

 barley and grass seed one acre in April ; cut, in July, a heavy 

 crop of barley. From the nine acres in grass, I think I can 

 safely estimate an average of two tons good hay per acre. I 

 have used very little manure on any part of it, and some parts 

 nothing more than a light sprinkling of ashes when seeded down 

 to grass. 



The expense attending the whole improvement, over the usual 

 labor on common tillage lands, I estimate thus : 



Cutting down brush, .... ,^45 



Pulling stumps, 175 



Hauling off do., ..... 35 



Extra team and labor ploughing, . . 40 



Expense of apparatus for pulling stumps, 30 



$325 



