296 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



MARCH 4, 1S4( 



SIXTH AGRICULTURAL MEETING. 



The sixth agricultural meeting washolden at the 

 State House on Thursday evening, 90th inst. Mr 

 King opened the meeting and resigned the chair 

 for the evening to iVIr Brigham, of Westboro', one 

 of the vice presidents. 



The Commissioner had the pleasure of exhibiting 

 to the meeting a sheaf of rice, presented him by E. 

 Dyer, Jr., Esq., of l^rovidence, and for which Mr 

 Dyer will please to accept his respectful acknowl- 

 edgement-i. "It was gathered by Mr Dyer from a 

 plantation in Georgia the last spring, and was in 

 the straw. The rice was taken promiscuously from 

 a heap, and was not to be considered as any thing 

 more than a fair sample — the head rice being much 

 liandsomer." It was gratifying to those persona 

 who had never seen the plant in a growing state. 

 We should be gratified if Mr Dyer would e.xtend 

 his kindness by giving us at his convenience, some 

 account of his observations in liis agrio-ultaral tonr 

 south. 



Tlie Commissioner tlicn presented a letter from 

 Wm. Foster, Esq., containing interesti'Tig informa- 

 tion respectin,' the manufacture of butter in France, 

 and suggesting valuable improvements which might 

 be adopted here ; referring especially to the ma- 

 chine exhibited at a former meeting, for the perfect 

 expression of the buttermilk, and other matters. — 

 This letter will be given hereafter. 



Mr Foster tlieu, as no other opportunity would 

 be available to him on account of his expected ab- 

 sence at the south, was pleased to address the 

 meeting at large, on various miscellaneous agricul- 

 tural topics, and gave many valuable hints and in- 

 teresting reminiscences of agriculture in France 

 and Spain, where he resided many years, and be- 

 came familiar witli their practices. He showed 

 himself a most careful observer of every thing of 

 this nature which came under his view, and pTomi- 

 ses that we shall hear more fully from him on these 

 subjects through the N. E. Farmer. In the mean 

 time, we shall, if time allows, prepare a synopsis of 

 his remarks, to be given at a future time. 



The meeting then passed to the order of the 

 evening, which was Indian Corn and the Small 

 Grains. The former subject, with some miscella- 

 neous matters, occupied the remainder of the- eve- 

 ning. The meeting was very fully attended. 



E. Hasket Derby, Esq., of Boston, at the instance 

 of the Commissioner, addressed the meeting. 



Mr Derby was the owner of a farm in New 

 Hampshire, situated on an island in Winnipisseogee 

 lake; and if it would interest or gratify the meet- 

 ing, he would give an account of its management. 

 He made no pretensions to agricultural knowledge 

 or skill. Farming was not his business. His pro- 

 fession was the law : — but this property coming in- 

 to his possession, he had done what he could to 

 manage it to advantage. 



It was situated in a' cold climate : the soil was 

 strong. He owed his success partly to the soil, 

 but in his opinion more to the cultivation. His 

 farm included 500 acres : 170 acres were in wood; 

 280 acres in pasturage ; 50 acres were in mowing 

 and tillage. He had usually eight or ten ncres.un- 

 der the plough. 



He deemed it best to simplify as much as prac- 

 ticable, the objects of his farming, and therefore the 

 great purpose on the farm was the dairy ; and, ex- 

 cepting the necessary supplies for the family, other 

 things were made subsidiary to this primary object. 

 lie had now 37 cows, and sometimes had kept 44. 



His farming, in a pecuniary point of view, had been 

 productive, and fully met his expectations. The 

 original cost of the farm and stock was .f4U00. The 

 sales in 1838 had amounted to $1968. This year 

 they had reached !t!l500. The falling off was attrir 

 butableto the decline in the prices of the products. 

 Hissales consisted of butter, cheese, and pork. The 

 cows and swine gave him abundant resources for 

 manure, which he applied liberally; on his culti- 

 vated grounds putting from thirtyfive to forty buck- 

 loads per acre. 



The island was in two parts, connected by an 

 isthmus, and of narrow extent. This saved hiw». 

 much expense in the fence required, for one por- 

 tion being devoted to pasturage and one to cultiva- 

 tion, it waB easily divided by a fence extending 

 across the isthmus. 



He had this year ten acres under the plough ; 

 two acres in potatoes, one in wheat, one in oats, and 

 six in Indian corn. His six acres in corn produced 

 him 400 bushels : one acre of this corn gave him 

 131 bushels. He applied to the agricultural socie- 

 ty of that county for a preinium, but he was defea- 

 ted by a competitor who claimed it for 132 bushels 

 to the acre. The corn was faithfully measured! It 

 v/as rated at 131 bushels when taken from the field 

 in the cob. Of course it was liable to fall conside- 

 rably short of this when perfectly dried. It has 

 since been shelled and measured recently, and 

 gave 108 bushels. He considers 12 bushels of 

 corn with the rough fodder included, as equal to 

 one ton of hay. This would make his crop upon 

 the acre equal to eleven or twelve tons of hay for 

 his stock. By wliat other process could he realize 

 such avails from an acre of land ? 



The results of Iiis farming operations the two 

 past years, had fully satisfied him. One ground of 

 his success was, that his farm manager was himself 

 directly interested in the results. He conducted 

 matters with great discretion, and his personal in- 

 terest in the results secured his fidelity. 



His farmer in the first place, had what he needed 

 fror^'. the farm for the support of his family. In ad- 

 dition to tKis he gatfe him in cash 300 dollars per 

 year, and on his sales he allowed, when his butter 

 was sold at 30 cents per pound, (and it had often 

 brought .32 cents,) four cents per pound ; on cheese 

 sold, 1 1-2 cent ; on pork, 1 1-2 cent. This gave the 

 farmer nearly 500 dollars per year. 



His sales the last year were, new milk cheese, 

 5900 lbs. ; butter, 2350 lbs. ; pork, 2600 lbs. ; be- 

 sides reseiving enough for the consumption of the 

 family. 



The male labor on the farm consisted of the far- 

 mer and two hired men, who are of course paid by 

 the manager. The female department is filled by 

 one woman, the wife of the manager, (we mention 

 this fact, lest we should disturb the sleep of some 

 forlorn bachelor*) — who performs all the household 

 work and makes all the butter and cheese. (We 

 should like to know at what boarding school or fac- 

 tory she was educated !) Under this management 

 Mr Derby says that he has received from his farm 

 an income of 15 per cent, on the original invest- 

 ment, and the farm is in a course of improvement. 



The kind of corn which he p'auts is known as 

 the Golden Sioux, and was brought by a traveller 

 some years since, from the country inhabited by 

 that tribe of Indians. It is an early as well as pro- 

 ductive variety, and in the cold season of 1836, he 



"The clause in parenthesis is not a part of Mr Derby's 

 speech, but a more garniture of tiie cook. 



gathered a good crop. He has several times re 

 ceived a premium for his corn. 



By the mode of culture adopted, he breaks up hi 

 mowing land when it ceases to yield more than on 

 ton to the acre. He takes a crop of potatoes firs 

 lightly manured ; the second year corn — sometime 

 the third year corn ; and this is followed by whea 

 His wheat gives him 31 bu. per acre. He has raise 

 40 bu. per acre. His corn is planted 2 ft. in one d 

 rection and 2 ft. 8 in. in another. His seed is selei 

 ted always with particular care. Three plants ai 

 suffered to remain in a hill. The corn is cultivate 

 usually with a plough. After wheat the land 

 laid down to grass and left in good condition. 



A principal ground of his success is in his opi) 

 ion, that he cultivates no more land than he Ci 

 manure and cultivate well; and a second groui 

 not less important, is in the limitation of his objec 

 of husbandry. The dairy is the principal matte 

 No sheep are kept excepting for consumption ( 

 the farm. '! he attention is therefore not distracK 

 among many objects. In the vicinity the soil is 

 as good quality as that of his own farm. Many 

 the islands, however, are not productive. The fa 

 mers divide their attention among too many objecl 

 They do a little of many things and much of not! 

 ing ; and this he regards aa the cause of their coc 

 parative ill-success. 



His corn crop is directly connected with his da 

 ry and available for his cows and his swine, i 

 are his potato crops, which are raised general 

 without manure. 



The meeting was then addressed by Mr Dodg 

 of Hamilton, the secretary of the meeting, on tl 

 mode of harvesting corn. 



He spoke of the New Jersey mode of harvestil 

 corn, which was by cutting it up at bottom ai 

 "stooking" it in the field. He knew, likewise, th 

 a Scotch farmer, the manager of an e,xcelleut far 

 in his vicinity, had been in the habit of plantii 

 his corn in drills, and when it was glazed, cuttii 

 it up at the b<jttom and allowing it to become curi 

 in that way. His experience had satisfied him th 

 this mode was to be approved. As soon as the co 

 was cut the circulations were of course stoppi 

 and all danger from frost was over. He thoug 

 the labor of harvesting was much increased 1 

 this mode ; but he was not prepared to say whii 

 mode was most eligible. There were very gre 

 a,dvantages in encouraging inquiry. 



Mr Dodge then went on to speak of the advant 

 ges of agricultural rending,* and the benefits whii 

 the community received from agricultural perioc 

 cals. He referred particularly to the case of a fa 

 mer in Southboro', who states that five years aj 

 he kept one horse, one yoke of oxen, andsixcowi 

 cut 25 tons of hay and made 60 loads of manur 

 His improvements were such that he now on tl 

 same farm keeps two yoke of oxen, twentyfive cow 

 cuts from 70 to 90 tons of hay, and makes 400 loai 

 of manure. This came from husbanding his r 

 sources; and all this from reading the New En| 

 land Farmer. He at that lime took one agricult 

 ral paper, — he now takes two, and would on no a 

 count be without them. 



The question was then presented to the mee 

 ing. What is the best mode of managing with col 

 that has been injured by early frosts ? 

 t, 



"Our respected friend here, as the farmers say, showi 

 a disposition to be '^breaciiy," and got through the fen 

 into another field. As, when he let down the bars, 1 

 let the whole drove in with him, and as the feed was ve 

 good " in this other lot," we believe no one was dispos* 

 to complain. 



