34-2 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAT I, 1839 



A.ND HOHTICULTUKAL RKGISTER. 



Boston, Wednesday, M*y 1, 1839. 



ELEVENTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING AT 

 THE STATE HOUSE. 



CULTIVATION AND DEPTH OF PLOCOHINO. 



We have already given a short sketch of the conver- 

 sation ami discussion at the tenth agricultural meeting at 

 the Stale House. Our reports must of necessity be very 

 brief, and consequently imperfect. We shall claim then 

 from the candid every just allowance. 



The subject of general discussion was Cultivation, and 

 several gentlemen took a part in the conversation. The 

 Ciiairman for the evenini;, the Rev. Mr Abbott of West- 

 ford, had tried what he denominated trench ploughing, 

 by which we understood liim to mean, going a second 

 time in the same furrow; the depth reached was about 

 a foot ; he a,pplied ten or fifteen loads of manure to the 

 land ; the soil was a strong clayey loam. He felt con- 

 vinced that the crop of wheat on this land was much 

 benefited by tliis mode of cultivation. 



He had been accustomed to plough to the depth of 

 eight inches for corn. He had manured this land copi- 

 ously with a dressing of compost consisting of peat mud 

 and barn manure; having applied one himdrcd loads of 

 this mixture to four acres of land He planted the 

 Phinney corn as it is denominated, a kind well known in 

 the vicinity of Boston, and obtained a large yield. The 

 experiment was not conducted so as to enable him to 

 asccitnin with precision the advantages from this mode 

 of cultivation; ^ut he was satisfied it was very consi^ 

 dernble. 



Dr Stearns, of Sudbury, was of opinion that the depth 

 of ploughing should be regulated by the nature of the 

 soil. He thinks no method has been as yet fuirly tested. 

 There is a good deal of plain-land in his town. A far- 

 mer in his neigliborhood never ploughed more than four 

 inches, and his cultivation was successful. Ariother farmer 

 ploughed deeper and lie was equally successful. (The in- 

 ference was plain th.tt much depended on the character of 

 the soil, and much likewise upon the amount of manure 

 which, in such cases, a farmer has it in his power to 

 apply to the amelioration of his soil ) 



Mr Thaxter, (.f Martha's Vineyard, rensarked that no 

 farmer would undertake to prescribe beforehand the 

 depth of ploughing until the nature of the soil and sub- 

 Boil were fully understood. Land which h.is been heaped 

 up is always improved. (This brings it to the air, the 

 light, and the heat, the action of which is always pow- 

 erful and ameliorating upon the soil.) If the soil be shal- 

 low and rest upon a gravelly substratum the ploughing 

 should not be deep. If the subsoil be clay, the plough- 

 ing should be deep. When one piece of land is ploughed 

 to the depth of two inches and another to that of four 

 inches, there can be no question, which would prove 

 most productive. Shallow ploughing is not adapted to 

 effect .my permanent improvement of the land. 



Mr Choate, of Essex, spoke of the inconvenience and 

 evil he suffered from the quack grasf, (triticvm repens) 

 sometimes called the wheat-grass, and known by vari- 

 ous local names in different parts of the country, but 

 known everywhere and under all names as a great pest, 

 though it found one friend in this case strongly disposed 

 to defend it. Mr Choate considered it no disadvantage 

 in mowing lands, but a great evil in cultivation. He 

 wished to know what was the best method of destroying 

 it 



Dr Stearns, of Sudbury agreed in opinion of the diffi- 

 culty of getting rid of it; and deemed it best not to cul- 



tivate the land in which it prevailed. Such land could 

 not be cultivated to advantage. A judicious neighbor 

 of his was accustomed to till such land never ofiener 

 than once in five 5'ears. 



Mr Nichols, of Danvers, stated that he was well ac- 

 quainted with this grass; but he did not seem to pride 

 himself much upon the acquaintance. He was of opin- 

 ion that the best method was to starve it to death. 

 (This was rather an ungracious way of treating one's 

 acquaintance ) A farmer of his acquaintance %vas ac- 

 customed to turn out land to pasture which was much 

 infested with it. Th s would destroy it. It would not 

 Sourish without manure; and it was advisable to let it 

 run out. (The inmates of the house quit, when there 

 is nothing put upon the table.) 



The Chairman agreed with Mr Nichols in the expe- 

 diency of this mode of treiitment. He had turned out 

 to pasture a field in which it abounded ; and was satis- 

 fied with this process. 



The discussion then reverted again to the subject of 

 ploughing. Mr Bruce, of Grafton, questioned ihe ex- 

 pediency of ploughing deeply in new lands. He deemed 

 five inches sufficient. He had never succeeded in ob- 

 taining good crops when he had ploughed new lands 

 deeply. (By new lands we understood him to mean 

 lands that had been recently cleared of their wood and 

 never before cultivated.) He had a neighbor whose 

 lands had been in his opinion materially injured by deep 

 ploughing. The bad effects Irad been apparent for the 

 last fifieen years. 



Dr Slebbins, of Swanzey, was strongly in favor of 

 dee(i ploughing. The virgin eartli. which was turned 

 up, soon became productive. The substratum of many 

 low grounds was of a marly character ; which might 

 be brought to the surface with great advantage. . 



Dr Stearns expressed a strong desire that this 

 matter of the depth of ploughing should be made the 

 subject of exact experiment Tlie gravel from the bot- 

 tom of a well, after having been exposed on the surface 

 for a year or two produced clover freely. Deep plough- 

 ing was likely to bring to the surface any lime which 

 was in the soil, where its chemical influences would 

 be felt and diffused. He deemed it important to deepen 

 the mould as much as possible, and this could only be 

 effected by deep ploughing. 



Mr Thaller, in a light siindy soil, ploughed to the 

 depth of eight inclies. He manured it with .ishes, and 

 obtained the first year a crop of turnips of 450 bushels to 

 the acre. Next year he planted the land with corn in 

 rows four feet apart, and in hills three feet apart. The 

 kind ol manure was not stated but the crop was good. 

 This was succeeded by wheat ; of which he gets a yield 

 of never less than eighteen bushels; and has obtained 

 thirty bushels to the acre. 



Mr Bruce after the first crop then proceeds to deepen 

 his cultivation, until he reaches the aver.age depth of 

 five inches. 



Mr Danforth, of Pittsfield, mentioned the case of a 

 German farmer, whose success from deep cultivation 

 had bi en very great. (He did not mention the name 

 of this farmer but we presume he referred to Van Voght, 

 of whose cullivation we design at a future time to 

 give a full account) He had taken a farm in a low 

 condiliim; and had gone on improving it until he culti- 

 vated, by what he called trench ploughing, to the depth 

 of fourteen inches, by which means he had fully doubled 

 his crops 



Much other discussion occurred but we are unable 

 more hilly to report it. We have given above the 

 opinions of practical men, familiar with the operations 

 of husbandry, and observing of actual results. VVe 



agree with Dr Stearns that experiments are wanted with 

 a view of more fully testing results. 

 (1"o he continued.) 



SILK CULTURE IN VERMONT. 



The subjoined letter is from an excellent, active, and 

 highly intelligent friend of agriculture in Vermont 

 Henry Stevens, Esq. of Barnet. Barnet is one of the 

 best farming towns in New England. The dairy far- 

 mers in Barnet are quick scented ; and have been dowB 

 repeatedly after the premiums of the Massichusetts Ag- 

 ricultural Society (or butter and ch>-ese ; and have, by 

 just right, carried them ofi in triumph. We wish liiem 

 as many more such successes as they will deserve; and 

 we can have no objection to their deserving as many as 

 arc to be obtained. 



We hope our friend Stevens will not be offended at 

 the liberty we take in publishing this letter. The ac- 

 eount possesses much interest. 'The skeins of silk en- 

 closed are of the most even and beautiful description; 

 and shall have a conspicuous place in our collection. 

 We have often heard of the fiiir Vermontese and now 

 begin to believe all the fairy stories we have been told 

 of them. VVe do not know many M.issachusetts girls, 

 who would do half as well ; but we hope this beautiful 

 example of the Green Mountaineers will stimulate a 

 generous and active competition. 



1'ravellers in search ol agricultural improvements or 

 of the most picturesque sjenery, can no where find 

 higher gratification than in an e.xcursion up to the head- 

 waters of the Connecticut. This would carry them 

 through Barnet, which is near the junction of Wells 

 river with the beautiful Connecticut. The ride, for 

 hundreds of miles, presents an uninterrupted succession 

 of interesting objects, and as enchanting scenery as 

 ever the eye rested upon. The placid curient of the 

 river, as it often presents itself in long reaches, the deep 

 eiiihankinents, the precipitous bluff on the river side, 

 bristled with firs, and as the traveller winds his nariow 

 passage between it and the river, threatening to stop his 

 passage, the level, wide-spreading and verdant alluvions 

 and prairie grounds, the cultivated hills, the dense and 

 varieiiated forests, the rich pastures sprinkled over with 

 flocks rioting in the profusion of nature's beneficence, 

 'and occasional glimpses of the highest mountains in the 

 remote horizon, combiningevery variety ol magnificence 

 and sublimity of form, theii snow clad 'summit°s piercing 

 through a thick drapery of clouds, hanging in graceful 

 folds and festoons around them, make it the region of 

 the perfect poetry of landscape and rural beauty and 

 splendor. jj (j 



Barnet, Vl., April 24, 1839. 



Dear Sir, — • • • j gp^j ^.^^^ ^^ j^^ deposited in 

 your agricultural museum, two skeins of sewing silk ma- 

 nulaclured by my daughter Sophia in 183G ; also two 

 skeins of colored silk manufactured by Miss Elvela 

 Skinner the same year. I believe these samples are of 

 the first manufactured in this part of Vermont. In the 

 fall of 1S34, I procured from Mansfield, Conn., a few 

 eggs; in the spring of 183r> the eggs hatched. I had 

 thousands of worms. I tried to feed them on the leaves 

 of the common mulberry in our woods; however in the 

 course of a few days aU died but seven. I had of the 

 white mulberry leaves sufficient to sustain them. Five 

 •f the seven worms produced excellent cocoons ; from 

 these I had eggs enough in the spring of 1836. 



-My white mulberries bavins grown, furnished a sup- 

 |dy for about COO worms : and from tlie^e my dau"liter, 

 then nine years of age, with a little help from Mrs Ste- 

 vens, manufactured thirteen skeins. The silk was 

 reeled on a common hand reel, and twisted on the com- 

 mon woollen wheel. Miss Skinner maiiufaciured hers 

 after the sume manner. MissS. lasi year had about 

 sixteen pounds of cocoons, most of which she has manu- 

 factured into sewing silk. Many of the tops of our 

 white mulberry trees have been injured by the hard win- 

 ters, but the roots send forth a plenty of sprouts every 

 spring. 



Miss Skinner a few days since sold 1000 of the Alpine 

 two years old trees for .$100; she has several hundred 

 now standing. I examined them yesterday. They win- 

 tered well and are very nice. If you have any farmer's 

 daughters in .Massachusetts, that never saw a silk-worm, 

 that will begin and manufacture better sewing 

 silk than the enclosed, I should be glad to have them 

 send you a sample. Ifyou wi.sh to ornament your agri- 

 cultural museum, it must be done with the handiwork of 

 the females. Your friend. 



HENRY STEVENS. 



