356 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MAT 8, 1S4 



PLYMOUTH AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Report of I he Supervisor for 1843. 



(Cnntinued.) 



A claim was seasonably entered to the premium 

 offered for an experiment in the application of salt- 

 petre to land, by Nathan Whitman, of E. I'ridge- 

 water. The experiment has been satisfactorily 

 conducted ; and the result is, one square rod on 

 the half acre where ten loads of barn manure were 

 spread and plowed in, the proddce was 47 1-2 lbs. 

 of Indian coin, e(|ual to 101 2.') 75 biisliels per acre ; 

 one rod of an adjoining half acre on which 100 lbs. 

 of saltpetre were sown, produced 48 1-4 lbs., equal 

 to 10270-7.) bushels per acre. In all experiments 

 of this kind, there is room for some doubt concern- 

 inij the accuracy of the reported result. There 

 may be dili'^rence in the strength of the soil, which 

 IK not perceived or not noted : when the harvest of 

 a sinirle rod is made tlie test of the product of the 

 whole field, we are exposed to mistake in the se- 

 lection. In this instance, we believe tlic applicant 

 took an acre of as even quality as he could easily 

 liiid on his farm. A cursory observer would proba- 

 bly think the soil on the half acre dressed with ma- 

 nure, rather the most energetic ; but it is possible 

 that the reverse is true. Repeated experiments 

 will be necessary to show conclusively to what ex- 

 tent it will be for the interest of farmers to apfily 

 saltpetre to their fields. In appearance this has 

 been a fair experiment, the plowing and cultivating 

 on both hiilf acres were the same, the result is suf- 

 ficient encouragement to make other trials with 

 the article. We suppose it always will have far 

 less enduring influence on the soil than barn ma- 

 nure, but if It will always give a larger single crop 

 of grain, the occasional use of it may very much 

 advance the interests of farmers. The committee 

 recommend the award of the premium of $10 to 

 Mr Whitman. 



Galen Manley, of N. Bridfjewatcr, has made an 

 experiment in the application of bone manure in 

 consistence wjih the conditions on which a pre- 

 rniiiin for that object is offered. Mr iM. selected 

 abo'jt an acre of land of apparent even quality ; on 

 91 rods he spread ten loads of barn manure ; on 

 82 rods twenty bushel.^ of ground bones, then 

 sowed three bushels of barley, cultivated and 

 rolled. The 91 rods produced 14 3-4 bush., equal 

 to 25 bush. 3 pecks 5 quarts and 1 pint per acre; 

 the 82 rods dressed with iO bush, bones, 13 3 4 

 bush., equal to 2G bush. 3 pecks 2 quarts I pint 

 per acre. This experiment seems to have been 

 fairly made. Perhaps Mr M. was not very judi- 

 cious in the choice of a crop: few if any of the 

 summer grains, do well when barn manure is ap- 

 plied in the year of sowing. It would have been 

 a more exact experiinont had there been only 80 

 rods manured and the same quantity dressed with 

 bones. The committee recoumiend the award to 

 Mr Manley of the premium, $12. 



Five claims were regularly entered to the pre- 

 miums offered for the largest quantities, and the 

 richest couipost manure. The claimants have all 

 of them done soniothihg worthy of commendation 

 in composting and applying inanure to their fields ; 

 but if the Trustees could obtain no know|ed;;e of 

 the amount and merit of their labors beyond what 

 can be drawn from the statements accompTnying 

 this report, they certainly would not think of be- 

 Btowinir reward in any shape. Why is it so diffi- 

 cult — shall we be obliged ultimntely to say im- 



possible ?— to persuade farmers to give any thing 

 like correct statements of their operations and the 

 reasons of them ? On the subject of manure it is 

 of little importance to us, or to the public, to be 

 informed how many loads of earth a man has cart- 

 ed into his barn or hog-yard, if we be left in igno- 

 rance concerning the time it remained there, the 

 operations performed on it, the means employed to 

 absorb the droppings of the stable and sty, and to 

 prevent llie escape of the richest gas. Full state- 

 ments concerning compost heaps are of first im- 

 portance, yet we often find them more imperfect 

 than almost any others placed in our hands. Do 

 applicants regard this too homely a subject for 

 many remarks ? Would they manifest their deli- 

 cacy in the confinement of their language and la- 

 bors on the subject to the barn and hog-stye, then 

 they must expose themselves to trreat danger of 

 wounding the delicate feelings of all visitants at 

 the domicil by the offensive efBuvia of the back 

 yards of the house, particularly where the sink- 

 spout empties. Careful composting of manure, 

 wherever materials can be found at the house or 

 barn, is productive of cleanliness : this, in a moral 

 view, is at least a half virtue, and a whole one in 

 view of bodily health and comfort. Refine as we 

 may in our language or our supposed tastes for 

 cleanly labors, we cannot easily shut our eyes to 

 the fact, that, through all creation, life is subsisted 

 on death ; therefore we can neither be prudent men 

 nor thrifty farmers without continual study and la- 

 bor in the application of the decayed substances 

 around us to purposes of vegetation. The commit- 

 tee think it would not be right to award the pre- 

 miums with 80 slender evidence as has been pre- 

 sented of extraordinary exertion ; but, willing to 

 notice every degree of merit, they hope the Trus. 

 tecs will bestow the following gratuities, viz: to 

 Gnlen IManloy, of N. Bridnewater, .$9; to Paul 

 Hathaway .$7; to Nahnm Tribou $6; to Geo. W. 

 Wood $5, of Middleborough ; and to Jonathan 

 Copeland, of W. Bridsewater, $4. 



To the premiums offered for experiment in rais- 

 ing Indian corn, five claims have been entered. 

 Nahiim Tribou, of IMiddlcborough, partially made 

 the required experiment. He planted half an acre 

 in hills and the same quantity in drills, not how- 

 ever, with so much accuracy as was desirable. In 

 the culture of corn, Mr T. seems not to have re- 

 ceded far from the tradition of the fathers. He 

 puts all the manure under the corn, and in the til- 

 lage raises very considerable hillocks, a practice 

 inconsistent both with reason and experience. 

 Through the misunderstanding of Mr T.'s laborers, 

 the stalks were all cut in that part of the field 

 planted in hills. We there weighed the produce 

 of only one rod ; it gave 30 lbs., equal to 64 bush- 

 els per acre : on the part in drills, a rod was 

 weighed where the stalks were cut, and gave 

 3<J 1-4 lbs., equal to 85.55-75 bushels per acre: 

 another rod, stalks not cut, gave 3G 1-2 lbs., equal 

 to 79 15 75 bushels per acre. This unusual re- 

 sult of a greater product where the stalks were cut, 

 may be accounted for with a good degree of_proba- 

 bility, by the fact that there was some descent 

 from llie rod where the stalks remained, to that on 

 which they were cut: a little additional moisture in 

 a dry season, may make a wide difference in the 

 crop. In the held of Jonathan Copeland, West 

 Bridgewaler, there was a similar result. Mr C. 

 staled that formerly a house stood on the field, the 

 influence of which on vegetation may still contin- 

 ue, and the productive rod might have been spe- 



cially affected by some relic of the house. Tli 

 circumstances are thus minutely stated, becausi 

 a great number o! trials, we have never km 

 any other instance of a greater crop where 

 stalks had been cut. Mr C. prepared his fieli 

 spreading twenty loads of compost manure 

 plowing six or seven inches deep ; ten loads n 

 of compost manure were put under the corn, 

 would probably have had more corn, if all his 

 niire had been plowed under the soil, as this 

 pears warm enough to give corn a sufficiently 

 orous first start. When the field was vieive 

 summer, the corn was shrinking under droi 

 more than in any other field where experin 

 was making. The field is laid in tillage in too 

 oven a state for sightly or profitable cullival 

 One rod in drills, stalks cut, 27 lbs., equal i 

 45 75 bush, per acre ; stalks not cut, 31 3 1 

 equal to G7 55-75 bushels per acre. One roc 

 lulls, stalks cut, 32 lbs., equal to 68 46 75 bush. 

 acre : stalks not cut, 30 3-4 lbs., equal to 65 4 

 bush, per acre. Paul Hathaway, of Middle 

 oiigh, prepared his land lor corn by plowing 

 sward in the fall of 1842 ; last spring, he sp 

 on the acre thirty loads of conjpost manure, 

 harrowed it in with a heavily loaded harrow 

 then furrowed four feet wide one way, and pla 

 the part in hills about three feet apart, and thi 

 drills about 18 inches — two .spires were left ir 

 drills and four in the hills. Mr H. selects his 

 corn judiciously, and plants more than suflicie 

 seed the land, pulling up the least thrifty s| 

 when it is hoed: this we believe a good prai 

 when it is convenient to bestow so much h 

 Mr H. said he had precisely the same numb- 

 spires on the half acre in hills as on that in d 

 On a rod in lulls, stalks cut 1 1th September, t 

 was 22 1-4 lbs., equal to 4735-75 bushels per a 

 stalks not cut, 25 1-4 lbs., equal to 53 65 75 b 

 els per acre. On a rod in drills, stalks cut 3 

 lbs., equal to 66 65-75 bushels |)er acre ; stalks 

 cut, 37 1-2 lbs., equal to 80 bushels per acre, 

 the above named applicants would probably 

 had more corn if they had planted a different 

 of seed. The small and early kinds of corr 

 less likely to be injured by frost, but are not 

 productive. 



Leonard Hill, of East Bridgewater, plantei 

 corn on a field which produced potatoes in 1 

 The land was very properly plowed deep the 

 spring; the manure applied, pcrhap.i, as judic; 

 ly as it could lie, and placed under the corn ; 

 if ho could have afforded more manure, andsp 

 it evenly over the field, probably the crop w 

 have been larger and the land been left in b: 

 condition. Manure under corn, especially it 

 all that is afiplied is so placed, occasions too " 

 rous early growth, and fails in its influence bi 

 the corn is formed. This was manifestly the 

 in IMr H.'s field: there were numbers of 

 stalks without any ears, and probably would 

 been more, if he had omitted the top-dre»sing 

 ashes that was given. We think Mr H. use 

 plow loo much in the culture of corn ; the 

 should not enter the field after the first ho 

 Mr II. plowed twice, and it was fortunate tor 

 that the growth of the corn prevented n third \ 

 ing as was intended. In other respects, thi 

 pcriment in this field was well conducvod. 

 rod in hills, stalks cut, gave 33 lbs., equal i 

 35 75 bushels per ncro ; stalks not cut, 38 

 equal to 81 5-75 bushels per acre ; a rod in d 

 stalks cut, 40 lbs., equal to 85 25-75 bushels 



