270 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 5, 1S33 



R F !■ O R T ON W I^E A T C a O P. 



Fitcllburg, Feb. IBtli, 1635. 

 To P. C. Brooks, Esq. 



Dear Sir — Having rccpiitly receivcil a liiip 

 from JohnHc-anl, Es(|. tlie Tieasurer of the Mas- 

 sachusetts Society for tlie promotion of .Agricnl- 

 ture, referring me to atltlress you as (^hairman ol 

 Committee on " Vegctaljle anil Grain Cro])s," in a 

 statement which the rules and regulations of said 

 Society demand, in order to become a recipient 

 of its "premium on wheat, I with pleasure do 

 now, what I should liave done before, but for the 

 circumstance of their being «o premium oiitrcd 

 for S|)ring Wheat. As the Society have thought 

 proper to grant me a premium on my crop ot 

 Smyrna Spring Wheat, I have (since the receipt 

 of Mr Heard's letter,) had the tield surveyed, as 

 per the certificate enclosed, with such otlier 

 "proofs" as the rules demand. 



The field is situated on a very high swell of 

 land very near the one, (and in point of fact part- 

 ly the same) which drew the premium on potatoes 

 several years since, which field in the following 

 year, if I ndstake not, also drew the premium on 

 wheat,. by producing over 37 bushels of Oilman 

 Spring vVlieat. Since which time it lias produc- 

 ed good crops of hay, clover, herds-grass, and red 

 top, averaging 2 tons to the acre, each year. It 

 being again liroken up in the autumn of 1832, in 

 the spring of 1833, a dressing of about 18 coi-ds 

 of long manure, unfermented, was spread and 

 ploughed in, furrowed two and a half feet 

 for potatoes, the seeds placed about 15 inches 

 apart, the plants hoed twice. I harvested I be- 

 lieve, 62.5 bushels of the red and blue sorts. 



Uefore the winter set in, the field was thrown 

 into ridges by the plough, these ridges were open- 

 ed in the following spring, as soon as the frost 

 would permit : after which I cross ploughed the 

 other way, deep nndjine, sowed on wliat we sup- 

 posed an acre, two and a half l)usbels of Smyrna 

 or Black Sea Wheat, and harrowed it in across 

 the furrows, immediately following with the roller. 

 Tlie time of .sowing, about the 20th of April. 

 When the plants were 2 inches high, sowed on 

 20 bushels of nnleacheil wood aslies. During tlie 

 summer, up to its heading out, the crop looked 

 remarkably well, but untbrtunately when in the 

 milk, we bad a succession of thunder storms 

 whicli beat it down in such a manner, tiiat nmch 

 of the crop did tiotf II to perfection. 



On threshing out the crop, which we perform- 

 ed by the assistance of a horse-power machine, 

 we found from what was grown on the acre 

 and ten rods, fifty luid one half bushels of 

 wheat. 



Notwithstanding we pei-formed the threshing 

 with much rare, yet in feeding out the straw I 

 find from the many kernels scattering on the barn 

 iioor, that there were fully fifty bushels grown or. 

 the acre, as expressed in my former letter to the 

 rommittee. The field is again stocked down to 

 herds-grass and red top ; I sow no clover, as 

 sufficient goes out witii the sheep manure. I will 

 before closing, observe that the Smyrna Wheat 

 fidly answered my expectations; we had 112 

 bushels grown on various fields, some sowed on 

 tlie newly broken field, ali which rose af\er the 

 -Storm, were well filled. 

 Yours with high esteem, 



Payson Williams, Oicr.er. 

 J. D. Williams, ./Issislonl. 



Commonwealth of Massachusetts.— H'orcester 

 County, ss. Ftbuary 2Ath. 1835. Then appeared 

 the above named Tayson Williams, and J. D. 

 Williams, and made oath to the truth of the forc- 

 2-oing certificate by them subscribed. 



Before me. 



Daniel Brigham, 



Justice of the Peace. 



I, Philip F. Cowdan, of Fitcllburg, in the 

 County of Worcester, sworn Surveyor, hereby 

 certify that I have this day measured a certain 

 piece'of land on which wheat was grown the 

 past season by Payson Williams, of said Fitcll- 

 burg, and find the same to contain one acre and 

 ten "rods or one hundred and seventy square rods. 



PHIilP F. CoWDAN. 



Fitchhurg, Fch'y 14th, 1835. 



EXPENSE OF CROP. 



Place to the account of wheat crop, its pro- 

 portion drawn from the manure carried on to the 

 field and ploughed in previous to the planting 

 of the iiotatoes; say, about one-third or six 

 cords, $ 12 00 



2h bushels seed, ^ *^0 



ploughing, harrowing, and rolling, 4 00 



20 busheis wood ashes, and sowing do., 3 00 

 Cradling 1 50, binding and carting, 2 50, 4 00 

 Threshing and cleaning up, 7 00 



$35 00 



REPORT ON FOREST TREES. 



The Committee of the Massachusetts Society 

 for promotinsi Acriculture,.to award premiums for 

 the best plantation of forest trees, beg leave to re- 

 port tluit there are two applications for premiums 

 on plantations of the locust tree. One of these 

 by Williapi Buckminster, Esq. of Framingham, 

 and the other by AVilliam Clark, .lun. Esq. ot 

 Northampton. 



Both experiments appear to have been carried 

 into eflcct with cava and perseverance. It has 

 not been practicable for the committee to have 

 visited the two plantations, distantly situated as 

 thev are, but they are satisfied from inquiry and 

 the' several docu'inents which accompany these 

 applications, parts of which will be submitted 

 with this report, that the exertions of both liave 

 been meritorious. They liave zealously exerted 

 themselves in tliis earSv eflort to promote an in- 

 quiry and experiment which m«st in i.rospective 

 be of great hnportauco to the country. This has 

 been done at some expense, and with a jiraise- 

 worthy desire to promote tlie object.s contemplat- 

 ed liy the Trustees. 



It'is to be hoped that their exertions may be 



continued, and that others may be induced to 

 make extensive ])lantalions of the locust, .so that 

 this useful and ornamental tree may be restored, 

 and again become familiar to our view. In the 

 rearing of forest trees extensively, it must be 

 useful to know the best mode of culture. Tins 

 has been little understood or practised in our 

 country, exc<pt in the re-growlli of our wood-lots. 

 The importance of the locust tree can hardly be 

 oveiTated either for the purpose of timber or fuel ; 

 and what is more, this tree combines nipid growth 

 with great durability. It has been ascertained by 

 your Committee that posts, after standing in the 

 ground nearly half a century, on removal have 

 be ui found perfectly sound. 



The locust tree for tinibeJ- ami wear, particular- 

 ly for treenails was in m<t-t beneficial use jirevious- 

 ly to the revolutionary war. But at that time the 

 borer, so called, niBdj its destructive appiarance 

 and his ravages luid waste this beaiilifiil ties! 

 These pests of vegetable life, seem fortunately to 

 be disappearing — and it has been thought by the 

 Trustees that it would be well, by the ofTer of 

 liberal premiums to encourage the introduction 

 and culture of plantations of forest trees, having 

 reference more especially to the vigorous re-ap- 

 pearance of the locust tree. 



The modes of culture are placed before the 

 public, and may be improved upon by experience. 

 The Committee, however, cannot refrain from 

 expressing a distrust of the proposition of Mr 

 Buckminster, to cut them down when young in 

 order to increase their nltimate growth. This 

 must rest upon his own opinion, the correctness 

 of which a few years will decide. True it is 

 that this is occasionally jiractised with some fruit 

 trees, but your Committee are impressed with the 

 opinion that timber trees grow more straight and 

 will become more vahiable by remaining untouch- 

 ed. An objection of some weight here presents 



itself to these applications. They were both be- 

 fore the Committee heretofore, when Mr Cogs- 

 well's plantation was preferred and received the- 

 premium. They are again presented. It must 

 be obvious that a renewal of applications if con- 

 stantly made, would be attended with inexpedient 

 results and may require future regulation. 



But the Committee consider the labor and ex- 

 ertions manifested in these- plantatious as merito- 

 rious, and likely to be attended with good success, 

 and as no new applications are ofl^ered, that it 

 would be beneficial to give some encouragemeni 

 to these applicants to induce them to extend and 

 perfect their experiment, it is, therefore, recom- 

 mended, that a gratuity be presented to Willian 

 Buckminster, Esq. of Framinghan, of $20. And 

 to William Clark, .lun. Esq., of Northampton tin 

 like gratuity of $20, as an expression of the sens( 

 the Society have of their exertions in furtheranci 

 of this usefiil object. All which is submitted h] 

 order of the Committee. 



John Welles, Chairman. 

 Boston, Feb. 1835. 



We have deferred some communications, as well a 

 editorial matter, to oar next, for the purpose of intrc 

 ducing as many of tlie Reports as possible ot the Mai 

 sachusctts .flgriculturid Socirtij. 



3!I \SS. nOKTICl I.TiIRAI. SOCIETY. 



Satin ilay, Feb. 28. 



By I.. Josselvn, a fine well grown Hyacinth. Bouqui 

 Tpndrc ' For the Committee, 



^•""^ JONA. WINSHIF. 



^?,.n^.r^ _]„ the communication for the N. E. Fa 

 mcr,^ioaded •' Cold Wkathkh," P^ige 254, about tl 

 middle of tlie third paragraph, instead of year, ret 

 "ears. In tlie last sentence of the oth paragraph, f 



this year," read the year. 



NEW YORK CATTLE MARKET. I 



AroMiAV, E.d>.2;?,-At niaiUcf this day about 650 he| 

 of Beef Cattle, 1000 sheep, and 40 Milch Cmvs. 



Tic Beef C'aulo were "..f lai.-1-.li.y, and ihogrea, 

 noition readily sold. E.Mra lots were laken at $ , go 

 So r,n $6 to 6 50, fair $5 75, ordinary and middling 



-^°/:!!.n:;:d..n,andwasfn.andcons^.blenu 

 bci-s were sold at the following prices : e^« ■! h^'^ 

 flood do $4 to 4 50, fair $3, ordinary and middling $. 



^' T/M 0„c..-Sa1es noticed, $20 to 25 and 30 each. 



