376 



X E \\ ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAY 13, J'i40 



old the 17th day of April last. She has given 

 milk friini the 6th of May; siie has not had any 

 provender since she was turned out to pasture the 

 first season. Ths average of her milk has been 

 from the 8th of May to tiiis lime, 2 gallons per day. 

 She has had no fall feed this season. She has 

 made from 3 to 5 lbs. butter per week, besides 

 what milk there has been used in the family of 4 

 and sometimes 5 persons. 



N. B. This heifer was taken from the cow when 

 three days old, at which time the cow died, and 

 brought up by hand. 



JOSEPH DANFORTII. 



Sept. 24, 1839. 



Eben Uploii's Statement. 

 To the Commillee on Milcli Cows and Heilers; 



Gkm'lf.men — I e.xhibit for premium my red cow, 

 nine years old. She came into milk on the 10th 

 of last April : the calf was allowed all thetniilk slie 

 .would suck for four weeks, (then taken oft' tooaise,) 

 during which lime and up to the 20th of MayJ'i sold 

 IS gallons of milk, and churned li) lbs. of b-ntter. — 

 From the 20lh of May to the 1st of July, inclusive, 

 (42 days,) she gave 1638 poumls of milk, an -ave- 

 rage of 43 3-4 pounds per day, from which, after 

 using what was wanted in the family, G(i lbs. of but- 

 ter were made. From the 1st of July to the- 20th 

 of the present month, HO lbs. of butter were made. 

 Quantity of milk used in the family, one quart daily. 

 Whole quantity of butter nuide during the season, 

 175 lbs.; 40 lbs. of which, made in the month of 

 June, are in the hall of the society. The commit- 

 tee will notice that milk is obtained from three teats 

 only, the other she cut with one of her hoofs in 

 1837, on the day she brought a calf. Unfortunate- 

 ly the gash could not be healed, and the milk runs 

 to waste. Keeping, ordinary grass feed. 



I also exhibit for premium and for the notice of 

 your committee, a heifer, Ifi months old, from the 

 above described cow. She was taken from her 

 mother when two days old, and turned away'to pas- 

 ture with a cow that gave four quarts of milk daily, 

 and weaned when 3 1-2 nionths old. Her keeping 

 during the winter was English hay , and occasional- 

 ly a little meal; the present season, common pas- 

 ture feed. Respectfully, yours, 



EBEN UPTON. 



Danvers, Sept. '26, 1839. 



[From I he same. J 



ON RECLAIMED MEADOWS. 



The comn-iittee on reclaimed meadow and swamp 

 land, respectfully report: 



1 hat applications for premiums have been made 

 by Daniel Putnam, of Danvers, and WiUiam Os- 

 born, ofLynn. The committee have viewed the 

 premises of the claimants and exaunned the state- 

 ments which are here annexed, and recommend the 

 Society's first premium of $20, be awarded to Mr 

 Osborn ; and the second premium of $10, be award- 

 ed to Mr Putnam. Mr Osburn has given a detail- 

 ed account of all his expense and income. This 

 is as it should be; so that our brother farmers may 

 see how profitable it is, and those who have mead- 

 ows may go and do likewise. The committee have 

 great pleasure in remarking, that they have reason 

 to believe that there is an increasing attention paid 

 to the cultivation of that part of our land which has 

 remained so long uncultivated, and, comparatively, 

 worthless; but which has proved by experience, to 



be in poiot of fertility, surpassed by none, even the 

 fertile prairies of the west. It lias been ascertained 

 by experience, that nearly all kijids of grains and 

 vegetables that our climate affords, can be raised 

 on meadow land to good advantage. Four and a 

 half tons of English hay has-been cut on ah acre in 

 one year. One individual says 400 bushels of po- 

 tatoes is his usual crop. Rye, oats and corn have 

 also been raised in like proportion. It is an old 

 saying, that it is a good shot to kill two birds with 

 one stone ; but in this case more can be done. In 

 removing the stumps and log.s with which many 

 meadows arc incumbered, the fuel will more than 

 pay the expense ; in draining the meadow, the mud 

 will more than pay the expense of ditching, to be 

 carted into the hog-pen, cow-yard or compost heap, 

 then to be applied to upland, as it makes a valua- 

 ble manure. Two crops will usually more than 

 pay the expense of cultivating them, and tlicn the 

 laud instead of being comparatively worthless, in 

 most cases will be worth at least one hundred dol- 

 lars per acre. 



In regard to the best manner of managing mead- 

 ow land, different peisons have different opinions ; 

 as it is natural for a person to be partial to his own 

 way if he has tolerable success. Grain or roots 

 may be cultivated profitably on meadows that can 

 be well drained. But there are meadows that can- 

 not be drained so much as would be desirable, or 

 that are occasionally overflowed ; such are more 

 suitable tor grass. There are meadows within the 

 knowledge of the committee that have produced 

 good crops of English hay without any other dress- 

 ing than sand; others have used gravel with equal 

 success. Good crops of corn and potatoes Imve al- 

 so been raised without manure, sand or gravel be- 

 ing put in the hill. How much better to cultivate 

 land when suitable dressing can he procured from 

 the gravel knoll or sand bank, than to neglect such 

 land and haul manure some miles after paying an 

 extravagant price for it, to be applied to upland, and 

 perhaps not raise an equal crop. Although good 

 crops have been raised without manure as above 

 stated, yet it is thought that a little compost ma- 

 nure may be profitably applied. 



Notwithstanding all that has been said, there are 

 those who arc so opposed to the new method of 

 farming, 9.s they call it, or so tenacious of the hon- 

 or of their venerable fatliers, that they will not turn 

 to the right hand nor to the left from the path in 

 which they trod. But I would ask whether farmers 

 ought not to keep pace with the improvements of 

 the day, and if they would be as good husbands as 

 those that have passed off the stage before them, 

 whether they ought not to improve just so far as 

 the light of science developes itself.' 



Again, some say that they cannot afford to make 

 improvements, but it will do for Mr A. or B., who 

 has money. In conversation with an individual 

 who hud been improving a part of a small meadow, 

 he said, if I could afford to hire lielp, I would re- 

 claim the remainder of it. While in conversation, 

 ho acknowledged that one crop of hay had actually 

 paid all the expense of cultivation. Now if a man 

 under those circumstances cannot aflbrd to hire 

 help, I know not who cai-i. 



It is not the intention to convey the idea that 

 all meadows in ail seasons will produce four and a 

 half tons of hay or four hundred bushels of pota- 

 toes to the acre, for it cannot be expected. But it 

 is the intention to convey the idea that meadow 

 land will produce more net profit than any other; 



$332 .57 



as it requires less manure and is less liable to be 

 affected with drought or wet, if it is properly drained. 

 For the Couuuittee, 



JOSEPH HOW, Chairmaii. 

 Dec. 31, 1839. 



WiUiam Oshorn's Statement. 



To the Commillee ot the Essex Agricultural t^ocietyoii lie- 

 claimed Meadows : 

 Ge.ntlemen— Enclosed you will find a copy of 

 my statement of 1838, and I now hand you a state- 

 ment in addition to that, for 1839, and will only re- 

 mark in advance, that you may perhaps think the 

 yield of potatcies and the quantity of manure small 

 for the land cultivated ; but in addition to the ma- 

 nure, I burnt a consi.lerable quantity of brake and 

 other roots found on the meadow, and used the 

 ashes. The crop of potatoes would have been lar- 

 ger if I had not used lime instead of manure on a 

 large part of the meadow, where in gathering I 

 found a large decrease in the yield. Another 

 cause of decrease was in planting the St. Helena 

 potatoes instead of Chenangoes, which I have rea- 

 son to think, from a fe\V that were mixed, if I had 

 planted all of that kind, I should have had at least 

 one third more. 

 Crop foi,- 18.38, per account. 



Income for 1839. 

 3C0 bu. St. Helena potatoes, at 45c. 

 57 " Rohans, at .$2, 



2 Ions hay, $12, 

 41 bu. of carrots, 25c. 

 74 " of sugar beets, 30c. 



Squashes and pumpkins, 

 40 bu. mangel wurtzels, 

 10 " ruta haga, at 25c. 



Wood for family one year, and for boil- 

 er for hogs, 



$702,. 82 

 Expenses. 

 Expenses of 1838, per account, $246 67 

 1839. 74 1-4 days work, farm 



help, 50 45 



Extra labor hired, 26 45 



4 cords of manure, 16 00 



Seed potatoes, 15 00 



1 bushel Rohan potatoes, 8 00 



1-2 pound sugar beet seed, 50 



" " carrot seed, 37 



1-4 " mangel wurtzel seed, 19 ■ 



4 casks of lime, at 40c. 1 60 ■ • 



35 bushels ashes, at 6 l-2c. 1^5 



Hauling " from Lynn, 50 



Ruta baga and squash seed, 25 



Use of horse and cart, 20 00—387 93 



Balance in favor of meadow, $314 89 



with of course an increased value of the land, which 

 is by good judges considered in its present state, 

 worth one hundred dollars per acre, which in ad- 

 dition to the crops taken off, would give a net 

 profit of seven liundred and fourteen dollars eighty- 

 nine cents. 



Respectfully, your ob't serv't, 



WILLIAM OSBORN. 

 Lynn, Dec. 14, 18.39. 



Daniel Putnam's Statement. 



To iTie Committee of the Essex Agricuhural Society on Re- 

 claimed Meado-Mf Lands ; 

 Gentlfmen — The meadow which some of yoiir 



