194 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



DKC. 20, li 



MIDDLESEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The CommiUce on Farnia liavo attended to the 

 duty assigned Ihem, and respectfully submit the 

 following 



There have been offered for the Society's pre- 

 miums, eight farms, three reclaimed peat or bog 

 meadows, lour apple orchards, four peach orchards, 

 two pear-orchards, and one mulberry orchard, all 

 of which have been visited by your committee. 



Farms. 



Mr. Simon Tutlle, of Acton, offered his farm for 

 a premium. His farm contains about 100 acres of 

 land,- which has evidently been much improved by 

 him. lie has made most of the improvements since 

 1832. At that lime the whole farm produced only 

 nine or ten tons of hay, and five or six barrels of 

 ■winter apples. Since then he has subdued, and 

 brought into a good state of cultivation, about 18 

 acres of very rough, rocky land, laid 500 rods of 

 stone wall, planted a nursery, and set out orchards 

 of apples, pears, and other fruits, built two barns — 

 one 3G by 48, the other 30 by 40 feet — and made 

 the "hole farm ten-fold mcirc productive than it 

 was formerly. 



Mr. Tuttle estimates the produce of liis farm to 

 be 40 tons Kng. hay, live tons Swale hay, 500 

 bushels potatoes, 1.50 bushels corn, 100 bushels oats, 

 10 bushels rye, fruit $200, trees from the nursery 

 $100, turnips and garden sauce, $15 — amounting 

 in all to $1200. In his statement no mention is 

 made of butter cheese and pork. The work is 

 done by himself and his son, (17 years of age) and 

 about $100 worth of hired labor, but he thinks that 

 ha works in his shop (at coopering) enougli m llie 

 winter to balance the hired labor. 



Mr. Tuttle has no cellars under his barns, and it 

 seemed strange to the Committee, that a man with 

 BO much skill to devise, and energy to e.xecute, 

 should commit an oversiglit so important to the 

 farmer. 



The committee award to Mr. Tuttle the first 

 premium of $25. 



The farm of Mr. Robert Chaffin, of Acton, pre- 

 sents a very neat and tidy appearance, and is in a 

 good state of cultivation. Mr. Chaflin has been at 

 times an invalid, but the improvements on his farm 

 evidently show that he has not been idle. Plis farm 

 contains about 100 acres of land, 20 acres of which 

 are under cultivation. Twenty years ago, this farm 

 produced only hay enough to keep one horse, one 

 yoke of oxen, and three cows. Now the stock and 

 all the products of ihe farm are very much increased. 

 Mr. ChafRn has done much work on his rocky land 

 he hns laid over 400 rods of stone wall, and de- 

 posited more than 20U0 loads of stone in the pond 

 near his house, and set out many fruit trees. He 

 has reclaimed several acres of swamp land, with 

 the appearance of which the committee were much 

 pleased. His method of saving manure is worthy 

 the attention of farmers. He carts loam or sand 

 into his barn yard, and every morninnr after milking, 

 he puts two or three shovels full of it on to each of 

 the cow-droppings. 'I'he practice will at once com- 

 mend itself to all, who have no barn cellars. Mr. 

 Chaffin is about to build a barn with a cellar under 

 it. 



The committee award to Mr. Chaffin the second 

 premium of $20. 



The farm of Mr. Jos'<r)h Tucker.of Pepperell.con- 



tains about 70 acres of land, beautifully situated, I 

 lying all in a body near the east village. The build- 

 n'_'s are remarkably neat and convenient, and were 

 all, with the excption of a part of the barn, erected 

 by himself. Mr. Tucker commenced on his farm 

 in 1837. His greatest improvements have been 

 made on his pasture and mowing lands. His pas- 

 ture, containing 40 acres, would not keep more than 

 four cows, and one half of It was worthless for feed, i 

 being covered with bushes. He mowed the bushes, 

 burnt it over, and sowed two tons of plaster on it, 

 and has continued to sow plaster on it every year 

 since, till the present. For four years he has pas- 

 tured 10 cows, one yoke of oxen and one horse, and 

 this season he had not only a plenty of feed, but cut 

 two tons of hay on it, and a neighbor went in and 

 cut a load after he had done. The mowing lands 

 were part of them wet and swampy, and covered 

 by trees, which he has taken out by the roots. 

 He has also made 327 rods of half wall, and 88 rods 

 of whole wall. The barn has no cellar under it — 

 with that exception the committee have seldom seen 

 a farm that was, altogether, managed with so much 

 skill, economy and neatness. 



The committee award to Mr. Tucker the third 

 premium of $1.5. 



The farm of George W. Walker, of Marlborough, 

 contains about 70 acres of land. Nine years ago 

 Mr. Walker purchased a very rough, rocky pasture, 

 on one of the hills in Marlboro', containing 45 acres. 

 At that time he was young and. poor, with no capi- 

 tal but his labor to begin with, and of course he 

 purchased on credit. He commenced cutting the 

 bushes, digging out stone, and laying wall. He 

 managed to build a barn 31 by 33 feel. He was 

 in the habit of " working out" some portion of his 

 time, and after he had finished his day's work, he 

 would return to his own land moon-light nights, and 

 work among the stones till 11 or 12 o'clock, and then 

 sleep in his barn. He now has 13 acres in a good 

 state of cultivalion. He has built him a house, 

 laid 175 rods of stone wall, paid for his place, and 

 has some money at interest, and all this has been 

 done with his own hands, for the last two years, 

 with the assistance of a boy now nine years old. 

 Let all poor young farmers look at this, and be as- 

 sured that persevering industry will be sure to 

 meet its reward. 



The cormiitt£e award to Mr. Walker the fourth 

 premium of $12. 



Mr. Ebenezer Richardson, of Pcpperell, entered 

 his farm for a premium, but subsequently withdrew 

 it, he having entered his peat meadow, and it being 

 a rule of the committee not to award two premi- 

 ums to the same person in the same year. 



The farms of Daniel P. Winning, of Billerica, 

 Abel H. Wheeler, uf Concord, and Sylvester Ja- 

 cobs, of Groton, were also offered for premiums. 

 With regard to these, it wifl not be necessary tu 

 particularize. 



Mr. Winning's farm looks well — he has evi- 

 dently done much on it, but the committee can 

 only urge him to persevere. 



Mr. Wheeler's farm is well managed — he is no 

 doubt a good farmer. The committee saw some 

 things there with which they were much pleased, 

 particularly the spacious cellar under his barn, and 

 his facilities for making manure. His " horse slip- 

 pers" (invented by himself) show much ingenuity, 

 and are worthy of notice. 



Mr. Jacobs offered his farm for a premium last 

 year, but no premium was given. None is award- 

 ed this year, because it is not considered worthy of 



one. Indeed, with the exception of the corn-fie 

 which are only decent, the committee saw no 

 dence of good husbandry about the farm. ' 

 fences were in a bad condition, the pig-sty ful 

 loose stones, fowls roosted on the cider-mill pr 

 and everything about the premises wore a slove 

 appearance. This seemed the worse because 

 farm ia naturally one of the finest iu the neighl 

 hood. 



Jlpple Orchards. 

 Mr. Aaron Foster, Jr., of South Reading, offi 

 his orchard for a premium. Mr. Foster took 

 second premium on this orchard last year, 

 statement, which is well worthy of being read, 

 companies this Report. 



The committee award lo Mr. Foster the 

 premium of $15. 



Mr. Eliel Haywood, of Weslford, presented 

 orchard. This orchard contains 127 trees, set 

 part in 1837 and part in lt38, on a rocky 

 which was never plowed, until the year be 

 the teres were set. The trees look very etc i 

 and thrifty. He keeps the ground cultivn 

 about half of the time, and washes the trees 

 potash water. 



The committee award to Mr. Haywood the 

 ond premium of $12. 



The orchard of Abel Moore, of Concord, cont 

 246 trees, set out in three different pieces at var 

 times from 1839 to the present. They are set] 

 erally two rods apart, and the land has been 

 cultivated all the time. They have been wai 

 every year with potash water till Ihe present, h 

 they were washed with whale oil soapsuds, 

 makes the trees look better than potash water, 

 perhaps is as useful. 



The Committee award to Mr. Moore the 1 

 premium of $8. 



The orchard of Mr. Simon Tuttle, of Acton, 

 examined, but it is considered as included in 

 farm, on which he takes a premium. 

 Peach Orchards. 

 Mr. Joshua Bennett, of Billerica, offered a p< 

 orchard containing 300 trees, set out two years 

 last spring, in rows 17 feet apart. The grc 

 has been kept plowed till this fall, when he 

 it down to grass in order lo check the growth ol 

 trees. When he set out the trees he made a 

 use of leached ashes. The fruit is of the choi 

 kinds, and many of the trees are now in a b 

 ing state. Take it altogether the committee n 

 saw a peach orchard more handsome and th 

 than this. 



The Committee award to Mr. Bennett the 

 premium of $10. 



The peach orchard of Mr. Zacheus Reed, J; 

 Westford, contains 170 trees. Set out — 70 in 1 

 100 in 1842. Part of them are budded but nol 

 They are set in rows two rods apart. He has 

 the land cultivated till last spring, when ho lai 

 down to grass, to check the growth of the ti 

 and prevent their winterkilling, but the groun 

 I kept loose round the trees. He has washed t 

 I once with potash water. 



j The Committee award to Mr. Reed the se< 

 premium of $5. 



The orchard of Mr. Schuyler Parks, of Line 

 looks well and is in a thriving condition. He 

 ICO trees set out, one half in '41 and half in 

 in rows 15 feet one way and 10 feel the o 

 About one-third part is budded, and the rest is 

 ural fruit. 



Mr. John Flint, of Concord, entered a pi 



