292 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 80 Ki», 



bestowed ; and in addition to these advantages his 

 soil will be p^ri-atly and permanently iiii|)roved. On 

 this point we speak with conliJence, becaust! our 

 opinion is the result o'' many years practice. 



Mr Wetherbee's method of reclaimJiinf wet 

 meadows and swamp lands, we thinlj is attended 

 with too great expense ; but this is not the great- 

 est objection. The process is inefTcctu-il. Cover- 

 ing with sand or gravel, with heavy manuring, may 

 give good crops of grass for two or tiiree years; 

 after this the wild grasses, and coar.~e herbage will 

 find thi-ir way through the covering, and grow with 

 incrensod vigor, and entirely supplant tho cultiva- 

 ted grasses, when the whole must be covered again 

 or abandoned as worthless. \vhy should we lose 

 the benefit of the rich vegetable mould upon the 

 surface of our peat and swamp lands by burying it 

 under a mass of unproductive gravel or sand ? Our 

 wet poat grounds in tliis way may in time, by cov- 

 ering them deep enough, be converted into coal 

 mines, but they will never become permanent 

 English meadows. 



After thoroughly draining by marginal and cen- 

 tre ditclies, the best course is to turn over the turf 

 on topin the month of August or September, with 

 a plough having a wrought iron share, ground to a 

 sharp edge, follow with the bog hoe, and les'el what 

 tlte plough has left uneven. Late in November, or 

 a short time before severe frosts set in, put on com- 

 post made of two parts of Idttn, clay, or vegetable 

 mould to one of stable manure, tw-enty cartloads to 

 the acre, sow the g)-a.-5S seed, and roll or bush it in. 

 In this way, if the weather in September be dry, 

 ell the coarse and wild grasses wiUbe completely 

 exterminated, and a firm, compact svrface is given, 

 which will yield great crops of clean English hay 

 for njany year with an occasional top dressing. If 

 the ground be too wet and miry to admit of plough- 

 ing it, the whole may be turned over with the bog 

 hoe. The expense of this will not e.xceed $20 to 

 the acre, at the usual price of labor. 



The zealous and praiseworthy exertions of Mr 

 Wetherbee, we think however entitle him to the 

 favorable notice of the trustees, and we according- 

 ly recommend that a gratuity -of one hundred dol- 

 lars be paid to him. 



Mr William Pomroy of Northfield has a farm of 

 90 acres — a very productive one for its size, and 

 well managed. From 21 1-2. acres of grass land, 

 he lakes GO tons of hay, a great crop — and seventy- 

 five bustiels of corn to the acre — plants his corn 

 'vpon inverted green sward, without maniire except 

 plaster of Paris and ashes put into the hills, which 

 he states is done more for the purpose of prcveni- 

 ing injury from worms then to assist the growth of 

 the corn. Three yeai-s out of five, has ]mt noth- 

 ing in the hills, depending eirtirely upon the de- 

 composed vegetable matter which is turned and 

 kept under. This is an important fact, and goes 

 far to establish our theory in regard to the manage- 

 ment of sward land. It is to this cause, w^ ap- 

 prehend, more than to any other, that the great fer- 

 tility of his grounds, and his abundant crop of 'hay 

 is to be attributed. It also shows that the belief 

 in the fertilizing properties contained in the sub- 

 soil is not without foundation. The committee 

 however regret that Mr Pomroy has not given a 

 more particular account of his crop and manage- 

 .ment in the second and third years after turning 

 over his sward land. His preference for turning 

 in dried clover, rather than green, with his wheat 

 or rye stubble may be well founded. The sugges- 

 tion is new to us, and contrary to the popular no- 



tion on this subject. We do not feel entirely sat- 

 isfied wiih the reason assigned for his preference ; 

 but never having tried it, we cannot speak with 

 confidence. That green clover and all other green 

 substances lose some of their fertilizing (pialities 

 by drying, cannot be doubted : and why the fer- 

 iuentation of green clover beneath the surface 

 should render his soil, which he says is " loam bor- 

 dering on sand,'' '^ cold itnd heavy,^' we profess not 

 to understand. 



The systematic method pursued by Mr Tomroy, 

 in the management of his farm is worthy of »nich 

 praise. The comuiitlee recommend that Mr Pom- 

 roy be paid a gratuity of seventyfive dollars. 



Mr Nathl. S. Hennet, of Framingham, has a farm 

 of i)2 acres, whicli he cultivates at a small expense 

 — breaks up his sward land in August, cross 

 ploughs in April, spreads 25 loads of green ma- 

 nure on the acre, harrows it in, and piants his corn. 

 Turning over green sward in August he thinks a 

 perfect remedy for the corn or cut worm. This 

 may be the effect, but we should probably diifcr 

 with him as to the cause which produces this effect. 

 r>y ploughing so €arly in the season, the grass has 

 time to spring up, and grow before winter, between 

 the furrows, and when he cross ploughs in the spring, 

 the young grass furaJshes a sufficiency of food tor the 

 worms, and therefore the corn is not injured by them. 

 Asa remedy not only for worms,but for much useless 

 labor, we recommend to him to turn over his green 

 sward in the spring, and never to cross plough be- 

 fore planting, if he is desirous of benefiting his 

 crops, and preserving the fertility of his soil. We 

 think there is a great want of economy in apply- 

 ing long manure to the surface, when much of its 

 fertilizing properties is lost by evaporation. By 

 mixing his long manure with his peat mud, he will 

 have compost to spread upon the surface, which 

 will be much less liable to waste. 



Mr Hennet has tried irrigation, but abandoned it 

 because " the water was loo pure" — a very novel 

 objection. Water from springs is sometimes found 

 to be impregnated with mineral qualities which 

 prove injurious to grass, but this is the first time 

 we haxNi known it objected to on account of its 

 too great purity. Farmers differ in opinion as to 

 the beneficial effects of irrigation. This difference 

 arises, we apprehend, from the different situations 

 of the land, upon which tlie experiment has been 

 made. On 1, nd which is level or nearly so, fi-om 

 which the water does not move off quickly, it will 

 inevitably drown and destroy the cultivated, or 

 English grasses, and introduce in their place a wild 

 kind of sour grass, which may be said to be worth- 

 less. On the other hand wlien the water is thrown 

 upon grass land from whichit moves oft' quick, it 

 invariably is attended with a good effect, however 

 " pure" the water 'may be. The very abundant 

 rains which fell in the months of April and May, 

 1837, killed the grass upon liundreds of acres of 

 level mowing grounds in the vicinity of Boston, 

 while the side i)ills, whose declivity formed an angle 

 of not less than two -jiegfees with the plane of the 

 horizon, were greatly benefited by the abundant 

 rains. Many farmers supposed their grass was 

 " winter killed," when it was very apparent to a 

 ■close observer, that it was killed by the water's re- 

 maining on the surface, and becoming stagnant, lui 

 order that irrigation should be made useful, the 

 water as soon as it reaches the level part of a field 

 or that which is nearly so, should be collected into 

 drains and conducted off. 



Mr Bennet has bestowed immense labor upon 



his fields, which wore once very rough. Ilis build., 

 ings and fences are in fine order — these, with his 

 800 grafted apple trees, and sou.e hundreds of other 

 fruit trees, do him great credit, and entitle him, in 

 the opinion of the committee, to a gratuity of fifty 

 dollars. 



Mr Salisbury, of Groton, considering the obsta. 

 cles he has had to encounter, has been very suc- 

 cessful in bringirig a worn out farm into a very pro- 

 ductive condition. His operations, with some few 

 exceptions, we think highly judicious, and if per- 

 severed in with energy, will soon amply compensate 

 him. His plan for the improvement of his stock, 

 is highly commendable, and should be followed by 

 every farmer. If our farmers every year would 

 raise the calves of their best cows, we are confi- 

 dent they would find it to be not only the surest, 

 but much the cheapest method of enhancing the 

 value of their stock of cattle. The committee rec- 

 ommend that a gratuity of fifty dollars be paid to 

 Mr Salisbury. 



Mr William Welles of Shelburn, we think is 

 well entitled to the appellation of a good farmer. 

 His rotation of crops is less exceptionable than tliat 

 of any one, whose claim for premium has been pre- 

 sented. His method of ploughing and cultivating 

 sward ground, accords with our views, with the 

 exception of spreading, and lightly harrowing in 

 his green manure from the stable. This we think 

 is bad economy, arxl must be attended with a loss 

 of much of its fertilizing properties. Green manure, 

 if ever applied, should be turned under with the 

 plough. There is no danger that the roots of the 

 plants will not reach it, and if its nourishing qual- 

 ities are ever thrown out, they will ascend ; and 

 never until the laws of gravitation are altered, will 

 they descend. We think Mr W'elles' crop of corn 

 and potatoes would have been greatly benefited by 

 making his long manure into compost, and spread- 

 ing it on the surface, and mixing it well with the 

 harrow or cultivator. We are of opinion that Mr 

 Welles should be allowed a gratnity of fifty dol- 

 lars. 



Mr Peter Fay of Southborough has a valuable 

 farm, which he manages with much skill, and 

 profit, and is deserving of a gratuity of fifty dol- 

 lars. 



Mr Joshua R. Lawton, of Great Barriogton has 

 a farm of 173 acres, beside woodland. He makes 

 a free use of gypsum, as many others do in Berk- 

 shire. He gives more attention to composts, than 

 is common in the place where he resides, and has 

 to a great extent renovated his farm in a fav/ years. 

 The committee think him deserving a gratuity of 

 fifty dollars. 



Mr William Buckminster, of Framingham, has a 

 faxm of 150 acres — ^exclusive of woodland. His 

 merit as a farmer, and his efforts in various ways 

 to aid the cause of agriculture, entitle him in the 

 judgment of the committee, to a gratuity of fif\y 

 dollars. 



The committee are aware that it is the practice 

 of many judicious agriculturists to break up in the 

 fall for their corn or potato crops, as it lessens their 

 spring work, and the earth may he thotight to be 

 rendered more mellow by freezing and thawing. 

 The committee, however, from the experience and 

 rcareful observation of some of their number, are 

 satisfied that the spring is much to be preferred to 

 the fail, to jilough for corn or root crops, and re- 

 spectfully request their brother farmers in the 

 country to make tiie experiment. The committee 

 will only add tliat every suggestion that appears to 



