15G 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOVEMBER 33, ISSfi 



(From tlie Plymouth County Ueimlilican) 

 UEPORT. 

 Mr President and Gtntleinen Trustees, 



The Committee on Improvements appreciate 

 your kindness in placing' tliem in a situation to see 

 the results of ex|)eiiinent made by our most judi- 

 cFous and enterj)rising farmers. In discharging 

 the duty assigned us, we find ourselves in a school 

 where numerous lessons can be profitably review- 

 ed, and where some new ones are jjresent.'d, which 

 should not be neglected with that easy and spe- 

 cious apology under wliicli we endeavor to exten- 

 uate the guilt of a multitude of sins, that we are 

 wearing hoary heads and new lessons belong not 

 to us. It is incumbent on us to receive lessons 

 and present them fnr the consideration and appli- 

 cation of others. This branch of our duly, it is 

 obvious, cannot easily he as impressively perform- 

 ed trs the duty assigned committees in some other 

 departments, where the results of experiments are 

 seen. Your i)ens filled with fattene<!, beautiful 

 and useful animals, shew the skill of farmers in 

 feeding and their judgment in selection. Yonder 

 field, where one of our morning liours jiassed, 

 jjrovcd how much care and kindness can effect in 

 training oxen to all that is useful in their labor. 

 The curious implements jjroduced by mechanic 

 ingenuity strengthen your hopes that labors will 

 be lightened and facilitated to an extent that will 

 remove all reasonable foundations of avoiding 

 them as irksome. The i)leasant impressions pro- 

 duced in the hall of the manufactures, are renew- 

 ed as often as you look up and see many of the 

 delicate hands which wrought those curious arti- 

 cles. 



Our department embraces olijecls of first im- 

 portance, but we can come before you only w-ith 

 a report of cold descriptions drawn by a cold ge- 

 nius. Could we give a clear view of the rich grass 

 fields we have traversed and all the prepara- 

 tions we have seen to nourish useful plants, you. 

 Gentlemen, would hope the progress of improve- 

 ment will soon deliver us from the repetition of 

 an occurrence so disgraceful to an agricultural 

 community and so mortifying to every enlightened 

 citizen as was witnessed the last year in the im- 

 portation of English hay from France. . Could we 

 bring before you the stone walls made for the pro- 

 tection of fields, you would suppose no animal 

 would attempt lo leap them, luiless you should 

 think of the ])olitical aspirant, against whose in- 

 roads there can be no effectual defence but in the 

 presence and vigilance of faithful watchmen. Be- 

 sides leaping all sorts of fences, the ardent pursuer 

 of place and ])ower not unfrequently contracts 

 another even more vicious habit, one more dan- 

 gerous to the welfare of society ; they acquire the 

 habit of standing on the fence, gazing into all the 

 fields around them, with the purpose of presently 

 lea]>iug where the richest pasture is found. Some 

 of our wall might greatly endanger their legs; 

 hovvi;ver, let them make the attempt if they choose, 

 for the community can very well afford the loss 

 of some such legs. 



Several objects proposed by the Trustees have 

 not attracted enough of the attention of our farm- 

 ers to induce them to enter claims to the premi- 

 ums offered. We hope this neglect is to be ac- 

 counted for by some peculiar circumstances em- 

 barrassing to farmers the i)ast ssason, rather than 

 to any growing indifference to the agricultural 

 interest. For, if this be suffered to decline, every 



other interest in society must be injurious'y affect- 

 ed. Farmers have experienced much difficulty 



in obtaining the necessary laborers to carry for- 

 ward improvements. We are annually importing 

 thousands of them, yet few are employed on farms : 

 public works an<l populous towns take np most ol 

 them. Of native citizens, a pretty numerousclass, 

 who might have honored themselves and added 

 something to the general stock of wealth in the 

 cidtivation of i)atcrnal or acquired farms, have been 

 induced to abandon in a gieat measure so humble 

 interests, and engaged intlie ardent pursuit of sud- 

 den riches in moon-light si)cculations. Knowing 

 that the wealth of individuals never can in.nke am- 

 ple amends for the injuries the community always 

 sustains in rash jjursuits, we hope an early return 

 of these citizens, to what they niay now think less 

 invit ng employment, but where moderate gains 

 are much more certain. 



The Trustees in the year 1834, offered a premi- 

 um of §40 claimable the present year, for the best 

 plantation of forest trees raised from the seed. 

 This premium is clairaerl by Ebenezer Copeland 

 of West Bridgewater. He sowed more than an 

 ncre with white pine seed in the spring of 1827. 

 He has now about 1400 trees on the acre, most of 

 which are in flourishing condition. Mr C. has 

 sowed several other kinds of s^eds on the same 

 field, birch, button wood, white ash, maple, oak, 

 walnut, with which he has hitheito had very little 

 success. On this statement of facts and the ab- 

 sence of other claims, it may be supposed that Mr 

 C. will be considered entitled to the premium. 

 But the committee have thought it their duty to 

 inquire whether the purpose of the Trustees have 

 been accomi)lished in the character of the soil and 

 the situation where the forest has been planted. 

 They certainly did not intend to encourage the 

 conversion of fields capible of yielding a succes- 

 sion of good crops of grain into pine forests. We 

 think that in nine years engagement in experiment 

 Mr C. should have qualified himself to communi- 

 cate something mure of information. He would 

 have performed a useful service in planting pine 

 seed in different years, in spring and in autumn, 

 placing the seed at different depths in the earth 

 and noting the results. These are points on which 

 wo want instruction, and can obtain it only in re- 

 peated exi)eriments. Books at present give but 

 very little information. In Europe pine trees 

 have long been propagated to some extent from 

 seed, but writers on this subject generally recom- 

 mend sowing the seed in nursery beds, and trans- 

 planting the trees. Pine forests cannot be raised 

 here in^uch manner without an essential change 

 in our habits of labor. We must raise them from 

 the first planting, or we shall not easily engage 

 men in the work. We want infornuition concern- 

 ing the best time and manner of planting. The 

 experiment of Mr C. your Committee are not dis- 

 posed to undervalue ; he has proved the ))ractica- 

 bility of what some have doubted, tliat promising 

 pine forests can be raised from seed artificially 

 sown. The greatest error in the experiment, in 

 our view, was the choice of soil and situation ; we 

 think not improbable that the successor of Mr C. 

 will demolish that beautiful grove of pines lor the 

 purpose of cultivating the soil. We feel author- 

 ized to indulge such anticipation from the state- 

 ment given o( the crop taken the year before the 

 trees were ])lanted. With these impressions we 

 deem it inexpedient to recommend the award of 

 premiums, but hope the Trustees will notice and re- 



ward the praiseworthy exertions of Mr C. in a gra- 

 tuity of thirty dollars and one volume of the Com- 

 plete Farmer. 



We. have the satisfaction of stating that a num- 

 ber of gentlemen in the county have entered on 

 exi)eriment in raising forest trees. Several have 

 planted tlie locust to a considerable extent, but 

 liave lost many of them by the severity of the win- 

 ter. We hope this circumstance will not discour- 

 age the planters of the locust or the mulberry 

 tree, for we shall not be likely to experience a 

 long succession of winters so unfavorable to young 

 trees as some of the passed. From trials made it 

 appears that locust and mulberry trees require 

 more care and labor in their early growth than for- 

 est trees generally. — We must dress them, some 

 of the f rst years, with about the same care we do 

 garden plants, to ensure success. — We believe 

 some cultivation is necessary in raising a garden 

 of oaks ; there is, however, but one artificial forest 

 of this kind in an advance state, within our knowl- 

 edge, in that, there was some cultivation. Some 

 attempts have been made to propagate forest trees 

 on connnon lands, without fence ; these have 

 proved nearly abortive, (rom the ravages of cattle 

 which are suffered to range without limits, and 

 have no more respect for our young trees than rad- 

 ical politicians have for ttie doings of their prede- 

 cessors. We have large tracts of land in this 

 county, of no use at present, which would soon 

 become spontaneous forests, if the owners of cat- 

 tle could be persuaded or compelled to keep them 

 at home. — Pasturage in common, if it ever proves 

 beneficial to individuals, is a very great scourge 

 in the community ; as long as it is suffered, we 

 shall do wisely in giving encoiu-agement to the 

 raising of protected forests. Wood and timber are 

 becoming so important articks as will justify very 

 liberal encouragement. 



Four claims have been regularly entered for 

 building stone wall in the year beginning Septem- 

 ber 1st, 1835, and ending September 1st, 1836. 



We recommend the award of the first premi- 

 um of thirty dollars and one volume of the Com- 

 plete Farmer to Mr Nehemiah Howard, of West 

 I5ridgewater, who has built 92 rods of good stone 

 wall and managed his farm judiciouslyin other re- 

 spects. The second of .$20 and 3 volumes N. E. 

 Far., to IMr Robert Barker, of Pembroke, agent of 

 Mr Job Turner, of Boston, who has built 63 rods 

 of new wall, and rebuilt 21 rods of old wall. The 

 improvements on this farm as, will appear in the 

 statement have been very great which circumstance 

 induced the Committee to add to the premiums an 

 unusual number of vohmies of the Farmer. 



The third of ten dollarsand one volume of Com- 

 plete Farmer, to Mr Nathan Snell, of West Bridge- 

 water, who has built 63 rods of wall. 



The fourth claim is in the name of Mr Josiah 

 Hatch, of Pembroke, agent of Capt. Josiah Barker 

 of Charlestown ; on that farm 55 rods of very sub- 

 stantial and ornamental wall liave been built. The 

 quantity in this case being so near an approach to 

 that of successful claimants, and the improvements 

 proceeding on the farm so commendable, we rec- 

 ommend that a gratuity be given of seven dollars, 

 and one volume Complete Farmer. 



Two claimants only to the ])remiums offered for 

 manure, have made returns to the Committee. 

 We reco:iimend that the first premium of thirty 

 dollars and two volumes of the N. E. Farm(;r, be 

 awarded to Mr Philip Brewster, of Hanson, who 

 has made six hundred and seventy six loads. Some 



