114 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



DR. SHURTLEFF'S ANSWERS TO OUR 

 INQUIRIES. 



Boston, Ort. rih, is-ia 

 Mr Josrph Brf-ck— Dear Sir— In answer to 

 the iiiqnirics in the New EnqKind Farmer of tlic 

 4th iiist., concerninjr my son's farm in Chelsea, I 

 would remark, that as you have questioned nie up- 

 on a great variety of subjects, and as I am some- 

 what infirm, and cannot handle my pen with as 

 much readiness as in former times, you must ex- 

 cuse me if I do not immediately give all the infor- 

 ciation desired ; bui it will afford me much plea- 

 sure to communicate, from time to time, for publi- 

 cation in your valuable paper, as I find it conve- 

 nient, and as ray health will allow. 



1. That part of the farm in question contains 

 about ISO acres, and is at present divided as fol- 

 lows, viz : Pastunnjr. about (54 acres ; salt marsh 

 53 acres ; English mnwiniT, 48 acres ; tillatre, with 

 winter rye, potatoes, corn, carrots, blood and -su-rar 

 beets, rota ba^'a, flat turnip, corn-fodder and nur- 

 sery— about J2 acres. Of rotten salt-peat marsh 

 some centuries ago a cedar swamp, (of which there 

 18 decided evidence, by the remaining rotten roots 

 of large growth,) about 4 acres. Of unproductive 

 cay land, about 2 1-2 acres. This clay land 

 though of no consequence for cultivation, is valua' 

 ble to make bricks, it being of a very fine and pure 

 quality. 



2. There is cut upon this farm about one hun- 

 dred tons of English hay, and as many of salt. 

 1 he salt hay is all consumed on the farm.'but near- 

 ly all the good English hay is sold. 



3. Six years ago, thirteen acres of upland were 

 mown, and the quantity of hay produced was only 

 three tons: this year, the same land produced 

 more than twenty ton.s. Part of this lot was 

 plowed and laid down with a compost of two-thirds 

 rotten saltmud and one-third of either horse or cat- 

 tle manure, but by far the greater part was not 

 broken up, but liberally top-dressed with the same 

 compost. Most of the remainder of the mowin<r 

 has been plowed deep and laid down with composl 

 manure, and the balance top-dre.^sed with the same 

 without breaking up at all. We have used the' 

 compost liberally without weight or measure, and 

 to this we attribute our great increase cf En-lish 

 hay. =■ 



4. The increase of our salt hav has been effect- 

 ed by ditching. The ditches are dug from one to 

 two rods apart, three feet doep, and eight inches 

 wide, at an e.Ypense of nine cents per rod The 

 grass IS much better and heavier on the mar.nn of 

 the ditches, and it is my opinion that it would be 

 profitable to cut them as near together as half a 

 rod, or the width of a swath, even. 



\Ve have tried the salt-ley as a' manure, but not 

 sufficiently to be satisfied with the result. We 

 have also tried the scum-dirt from the su<rar refin 

 ery at East Boston, which has done mu'ch better 

 for corn-fodder than any thing else. It should bo 

 plowed in deep, at least 20 cords to the acre, and 

 alter the corn is sowed, (three bushels of the horse 

 tooth corn to the acre,) it should be harrowed four 

 times, viz: lengthwise, crosswise, and dLvronally 

 from corner to corner each way, and then rolled 

 wilh a heavy stone roller. If half this quantity of 

 scum-dirt were to be used ns a top.dress,n;r it 

 would utterly destroy the grass. Our use of "this 

 manure has been experimental ;-it havin.r been 

 considered a nuisance to the manufactt,r"ers, we 

 took It away, agreeing to pay whatever we found 

 ire could afford, ufter having proved it value. As 



OCT. II, 1813 



It IS not in the power of many farmers to obtain it, 

 we would remark, that for such a crop of corn- 

 foddrrasyou Saw, it is necessary to put the land 

 in the highest order possible— the better manured 

 the better crop. As to the economy of this crop,' 

 we think highly of it, especially for milch cows. 

 The quantity which can be produced on an acre is 

 immense. 



5. Our best salt-hay, we call Goose-grass and 

 Fox-grass, (we do not Icnow the botanical names ;) 

 the third kind we call Black grass; the fourth i's 

 the natural grass, which grows where the marsh 

 has not been ditched or very sparingly where it 

 has. Of this we cut but little, and'mcan soon to 

 cut none. We keep our working cattle on the 

 best of salt hay and Indian meal. Th^y do more 

 work and keep in belter flesh than wben kept on 

 the best of of English hay with the same quantity 

 of meal. 



C. Our bull, one-half Durham and one-half 

 Cream-pot, is a full match with an ox tivo years 

 older and much larger than himself, or for any ox 

 we have in either team. When kept constantly 

 at hard work, he is very docile and a surB calf- 

 getter. 



Our milch cows give more milk and as good, il I 

 not better, when kept on the best of salt hay and ' 

 roots, as they do when kept on the best of English | 

 hay and roots. ° 



WI.en not employed in our spring work, getting 

 in hay or carting mud, we are plowing with both 

 teams, 8 or 9 inches deep, our old pastuTes and In- 

 dian hills, that have thus laid for half a century or 

 more, which, after spreading on a copious dressing 

 of our salt-peat compost, we sow down to winte'r 

 rye, at the rate of three bushels of seed to the acre, 

 together with grass seed. For this purpose we 

 make use of the Southern clover, and Rhode Is- 

 land redtop, or herds-grass, harrowing all length- 

 ways of the furrows, and rolling the whole faithful- 

 ly with a heavy stone roller. We have sometimes 

 omitted sowing the clover seed in the fall, and 

 sowed it upon new snow in the last of winter or 

 beginning of spring, with greater success. 'Jhe 

 clover is liable to be .killed out when sowed in au- 

 tumn. 



When our land is shut up with frost, and cover- 

 ed with snoir, we employ both teams in haulimr 

 wood fiorr our maple swamps. We endeavor to 

 keep our teams well, in good heart, and constantly 

 at work. 



At another time I hope it will be in my power 

 to continue my answers to your inquiries, which, if 

 they can be of any service to your numerous read- 

 ers, will be cheerfully given. 

 Yours, &c. 



BENJAMIN SHURTLEFF. 



Dr. Beetman stated in his address before the 



N. Y. State Agricultural Society, at Rochester 

 that 10,000,000 of cattle and 44,000 000 of sheep' 

 are kept in England advantageously on a territory 

 but little larger than the State of New York This 

 IS not far from twice the mimber of sheep in the 

 "hole United States. The English cultivators of 

 the soil harvest annually, according, to Dr B 

 2.2,000,000 bushels of grain. The farmers of 

 New York about 51,000,000. 



Fame Fame is like a shaved pig with a greased 



tail ; and it is only after it has slipped through the 

 liands of some thousands, that some fellow, by 

 good luck, holds on to it. 



The following communication (for which i 

 Putnam has our thanks,) was received in seas 

 for our last week's paper, but mislaid. 



CATTLE SHOW IN ESSE.X COUNTY. 

 -MaBRKCK— I stole away from my business , 

 Wednesday last, to meet the farmers of my nati 

 county, at their annual festivah The dav was fii 

 for the Show, and the citizens of AndovePhad doi 

 all that they could in the way of makin- convenie 

 arrangements for the exhibition. The farmers 

 the county were there in vast numbers. As tari 

 my recollection goes, there has never been a be 

 tershow in the county than this, if I u,„y be n 

 lowed to take general testimony in relation to tl 

 parts which I had no opportunity to inspect 



A hasty run along the pens, let me see tliat the 

 contained many fine oxen, bulls aiul heifers, wuh 

 few guod cows and horses. Working oxen . 

 fine appearance and large size, wore to be seen i 

 all directions : they were numerous above prece 

 dent, and I think I have never seen their eoui 

 regarding both numbers and size, at any show i 

 any county where it has been my privilege to bl 

 present. " 



After the run among the stock, it became necefl 

 sary to spend an hour or so in making arrange 

 ments for putting into operation Mr Isaac Clap'o'l 

 Pulverizer which, partly at my request, he sent u : 

 from Dorchester. Other engagements prevente. 

 my seeing its work, but my youngest brother, t 

 whose care I entrusted it, and who held it on th. 

 field, was much pleased with its work, and sai, 

 that on so rough a field, no better, plowed, the bar 

 row would have torn up the furrows very badly 

 while with this implement the land was qJite wel 

 pulverized He liked its operation well, and sc 

 Md all with whom we conversed who witnessed if 

 work. We were glad to learn that the committee 

 onagriculturalimple.nents.sawfit to rccommenc 

 to Mr Clapp, though the citizen of another county 

 a gratuity of $10. ^ 



Next came the Plowing Match_Me plowino 

 match-for I never before saw one equal to it, i^ 

 the number of competitors. Fortytw,, teams were 

 on the grotind_23 with two yoke of o.xen ; the 

 others either a single yoke of oxen or a span of 

 horses. As one of the committee on double teams, 

 all opportunity to observe the doings of the others 

 was denied me. The 23 double teams did their 

 >'ork well, almost without exception, and it was 

 no easy matter to determine to one's own satisfac 

 lion who were the most deserving. Twentythree 

 fine teams each with two yoke of o.ven, ,novin<. 

 brisk.y and yet without noise or confusion, on one 

 field were a beautiful sight. The land selected 

 for the trial was rather hard and gravelly, and con- 

 tained no small number of rocks and stones It 

 was a good field on which to show skill and dex- 

 terity at the plow-handles. 



All other parts of the show we saw only with 

 the eyes of others ; but they were said to be good. 

 Hon. L. Saltonstall, President of the Society 

 presided at the dinner table, with his usual .race 

 and dignity, and in a neat speech set forth the 

 bearing of general peace among the nations upon 

 agriculture. Col. Duncan, of Haverhill, Hon. Jo- 

 seph Cabot, of Salem, and Mr Hayden, of Boston 

 favored the company with remarks instructive o; 

 agreeable. 1 he dinner passed off pleasantly, and 

 subsequently a large concourse of citizens in .he 

 meeting-hou.e, were instructed and delighted by 

 the President in hia address. 1 will not attempt 



