AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



^ 



voIj. XA'in.i 



PUIiLISHED BV JOSEPH BRECK & CO., NO. 52 NORTH M.'VRKET STREET, (AGaacuLTuaAL Waeehouse.) 

 BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY 24, 1830. 



[NO. 3. 



AGRICULTURAL. 



SECOND REPORT OF THE AGRICULTURE 

 OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



BY REV. HENRY COL MAN. 



As many of our readers may not have in tlieir 

 possession the second report of the agricultural 

 commissioner, and as it contains much important 

 and interesting information, we shall in the absence 

 ofMrColman, give from week to week extracts 

 from it, which will no doubt be read with interest 

 and profit by every intelligent fanner. J. B. 



The crops in Berkshire are those cultivated in 

 other parts of the State, and consist of the usual 

 grasses, herds grass, red top, and clover. Of grains, 

 Indian corn, wheat, barley, rye and oats; and of 

 esculent vegetables, potatoes, carrots, ruta baga, 

 mangel wurtzel,and common white turnip. In ad- 

 dition to these, buckwheat is raised to a consider- 

 able extent, some small amount of tla.x, and com- 

 paratively large amounts of teasels. The cultiva- 

 tion of hops was at one time attended to in some 

 places ; but is abandoned on account of the low 

 price. Large amounts of rye have heretofore been 

 used for distillation ; but this is now pursued to a 

 small extent. 



Indian corn, the great grain crop of New Eng- 

 land, with the exception of the two cold years, 18oG 

 and 1837, has been'always raised in the favorable 

 locations in Berkshire with advantage. In some 

 towns, however, tlie high prices obtained for wool 

 induced the farmers to abandon entirely the grow- 

 ing of grain for bread, and devote their farms to the 

 sheep husbandry. 



Of corn,'large crops have been frequently raised. 

 In one of the hill towns, more than one hundred 



expenses of cultivating any crops, it will be under- 

 stood, that a man's labor has always been estimat- 

 ed at one dollar per day ; and the same for a yoke 

 of oxen, and half a dollar lor a horse. In many 

 parts of the country this, undoubtedly, is an over- 

 estimate of the price of labor ; but it seemfid nec- 

 essary to fix some price as a uniform standard 

 throughout the State ; and in the cost of labor in- 

 volved in the production of any crop, one dollar is 

 to be considered as the representative of a day's 

 work. The prices of labor and the prices of board 

 vary in different parts of the State. The estimat- 

 ed price includes both labor and board. 

 Expenses of cuUwaiing an acre of corn in Sheffield, 



Mass. 

 Ploughing SI 50 



Manuring, 15 loads, at 50 cents, half the ma- 

 nure to be charged lo the corn 3 75 

 Getting out manure $2; planting $1 25; 



•seed 95c. 3 50 



Hoeing twice $2 ; gathering and husking $2 4 00 

 Interest on land at $50 per acre 3 00 



- $38 75 



$15 75 

 Product. 

 Corn stalks for fodder, equal to 3-4 ton 



of hay "k $5 00 



45 bushels of corn, st 75c. I '3,? '5 



Profit on the corn " 



Estimated expenses of an idcri'-of. Potatoes. 



Ploughing ^ $1 50 



Manuring as per corn, .$3 75 ; hoeing $4, 7 75 



Digging the crop $12 ; injferest on land $3, 15 00 



Seed, 15 bushels ''" 3 75 



$23 00 



two acres the crop amounted to 40 bu. 20 qts. The 

 mode of cultivation pursued by this farmer is some- 

 what peculiar. The land on which this crop was 

 obtained, was the preceding year in corn ; and the 

 corn crop planted on an inverted green sward. Some 

 of this field was manured in the hill ; and on some 

 of it the manure was spread at the rate of twenty 

 common cartloads to the acre. There was not a 

 remarkable difi"erence between the appearance of 

 that part of the corn crop manured in the hill, or 

 that on which the manure was spread. A circum- 

 stance, to which the attention of farmers is partic- 

 ularly invited, is that in cultivating the corn, in hoe- 

 ing and harrowing, particular care was taken not 

 to turn up or break the sod from the bottom. I 

 shall now quote from the account given by this in- 

 telligent cultivator : 



" About the 15th of April the corn hills were 

 split with the common harrow, and ploughed once 

 with great care. A thin coat of barn manure was 

 spread. The manure was principally fresh horse 

 manure. After sowing and dragging, leeched ash- 

 es were spread over that part of the field not ma- 

 nured. Six bushels of clean seed were sown, after 

 having been prepared by soaking in brine from 24 

 to 48 hours, and rolled in finely slacked lime, care 

 being taken to have as much as possible adhere to 

 the kernel. Care was taken to cover the wheat 

 sown before •!, became dry. After sowing, the 

 ground was dragged (harrowed) every day for five 

 or six days, alternately crossing the field in oppo- 

 site directiims. Dry light soils are greatly bene- 

 fited by working them while the dew is on. Heavy 

 soils, however, shi>uld be thoroughly warmed and 

 dried previously to working them. When the blade 

 was up two orHhree inches, a good dressing of plas- 

 ter was given." 



Entire expenses of cultivation. 



