l6 NEW HAMPSHIRE AGRICULTURE. 



The first horse rake ever used upon the First Minister's Farm 

 consisted of a horizontal head of wood, some eight feet long, 

 carrying a single row of teeth. Upon this stood two perpen- 

 dicular handles and a few standards to prevent the gathered hay 

 from slipping over the teeth when in motion. It was drawn by 

 long tugs attached to the ends of this head and its operation 

 required the services of a man, a boy, and a horse. When 

 filled, the boy backed the horse, and the man, after drawing 

 the rake from underneath the windrow, lifted it over and started 

 it for the next one. 



This rake was in time superseded by the wooden revolving 

 rake. With this the present proprietor began his haying 

 experiences, and it was in general use in the Merrimack valley 

 for many years. But this, in turn, had to give way to the 

 spring-toothed rake. When it had been mounted on wheels, 

 so that the lame and the lazy could ride, it was adopted as the 

 rake of the farm. For some years past, a couple of " Tigers " 

 have done its raking. To these has been added the present 

 season a " Worcester." 



Pitching has almost always been done by hand. A horse- 

 fork was introduced and used somewhat by the third proprie- 

 tor, sixty or seventy years ago, but since then hand pitching 

 only has been practised. This horse-fork has been preserved 

 and weighs some twenty to twenty-five pounds. 



At the present time, the larger part of the seeding to grass is 

 done as follows : The land is usually broken up during August 

 or the first half of September and partially harrowed. There 

 is then spread upon it six cords of good stable manure, which 

 is immediately incorporated with the soil by " Cutaway" and 

 Acme harrows. The seed is then sown by a seed sower at- 

 tached to a" Tiger" horse rake, and the ground is made smooth 

 by an iron roller, which compacts the soil about the grass 

 seeds. 



Thus far, stable manure has been generally used as a fertil- 

 izer in the production of grass. According to the present pro- 

 prietor's best knowledge and belief, it is, all things considered, 

 the cheapest and the best. Whether hay can be profitably 

 raised by commercial fertilizers alone, is a question which he 

 has repeatedly asked, and to which he has as yet received no 



