22 



NEW ENGLAND FAEMER. 



Jan. 



being- in the Peach-blossoms and the latter Davis' 

 Seedlings, and spreading each vray to the walls, 

 north and south, in the course of two or three 

 weeks, while the top vines remained green until 

 October IG, when they were killed by frost. The 

 potatoes on the low land were nearly one-third af- 

 fected with rot. In the Peach-blossoms, a very 

 few, while among the Davis' Seedlings none were 

 diseased. The best of the Peach-blossoms yield- 

 ed a bushel on a square rod, containing 24 hills, 

 or 1(50 bushels to the acre, while the poorest were 

 less than 100 bushels to the acre. 



The best of the Davis' Seedlings Avere a bushel 

 on three-quarters of a rod, containing 18 hills, or 

 about 210 bushels per acre, while the poorest 

 yielded less than 150 per acre. 



The land rose nearly 20 feet higher in the 

 centre than at the valleys, while at the north and 

 south ends it was from 5 to 10 feet higher. 



One other thing I noticed. The land was old 

 pasture, broken up in the fall of 18o7, and had 

 been plowed and harrowed several times ; in most 

 places it was fi-ee from grass, but as the land was 

 natural to red top, in some hills it was found quite 

 strongly rooted Avhen I dug the potatoes, and 

 where the grass was, whether in the whole or a 

 part of the hill, nearly all of the large potatoes had 

 begun to decay. 



I have given a statement of things as I found 

 them at various times, and hope that some of the 

 wise ones among your numerous readers Avill give 

 a scientific demonstration thereof for my benefit, 

 and others interested in the raising of the potato 

 "crop. Hervey Barber. 



Wanvicl; Oct. 24, 1859. 



For the New Enrjland Farmer. 

 IS FAKMIWG- PROFITABLE ? 



Mr. Editor : — I have just read in the N. E. 

 Farmer of Nov. 12, the article signed "T. J. Pink- 

 ham, Chelmsford," on the profits of farming, or 

 rather on the losses of farming. I am surjn'ised 

 that any one living in the counties of Middlesex 

 and Worcester, Mass., or Hillsborough, N. H., 

 should Avrite such an article, when the farmers in 

 these counties are the most wealthy of any part of 

 the population. 



There are 40 to 50 farmers in the town of Hol- 

 lis, N. H., worth from $13,000 to $15,000, or more, 

 and I have known most of them from the time 

 they took possession of their farms, either by pur- 

 chase or from their fathers. I think at least two- 

 thirds of them either ovred, or had to pay out to 

 heirs or support the old folks, to at least two-thirds 

 of the value of their farms at the time they took 

 possession of them. 



In almost every case where a young man has 

 bought a farm, and has ])een temperate and indus- 

 trious, and had tolerable health, he has made 

 money. Nor have these farmers been miserly or 

 mean, either with themselves, their families or the 

 public. They have most of them good, comforta- 

 ble dwellings, well painted inside and out, for their 

 families, good barns for their stock, and sheds, &c., 

 for .wood, carriages, grain, &c., most of which they 

 have either built or repaired since they came into 

 possession. They educate their children, and 

 spend mosney for proper purposes as freely as any 

 other class of citizens. If farmins: is such noor 



business, how have these men supported their 

 families, paid their debts, repaired their hous- 

 es and barns, or built new ones, and lent money, 

 taken stocks, &c. ? Could they do it by raising 

 corn at a loss of $10 each acre, or calves at a loss 

 of $16 on each calf? 



Let us look at his estimate below on the cost of 

 raising an acre of corn, viz. : 



One Acre of Corn. Dr. 



May ;0, Two mon, two yoke oxen <aufl plow one clay .$4,25 

 " i5, Olio man, four oxen and cart one day haul- 

 ing manure 3,25 



:5Iny l."), Ten loads manure 10,00 



" Id, One man one day, yoke oxen and harrow 



half day, spreading- manure and harrowing. 1,75 



3Iay 17, Man, horse and boy \ day furrowing- 75 



" IS, Man and boy one day planting, Sl,50, seed 25. 1,75 

 " 10, To putting up line, &e 25 



June 0, Two men, horse and plow cultivating and 



hoeing 2,50 



June G, To replanting and ash'ing 2,00 



" 25, To hoeing and cultivating 2,50 



.Tuly 10, To pulling weeds 50 



Sept. 10, To two men cutting stalks and stooking do.. 2,00 

 " 25, To carting stalks to barn, &c 50 



Oct. 12, To harvesting 2,00 



" 13, To husking and taking care of butts 2,00 



" 13, To interest on land, capital and taxes 3,00 



" 13, To fencing and rents of barn and corn-house. 3,00 



Dec. 15, To shelling and marketing corn 5,00 



$47,00 



Acre of Corx. Cr. 



Dec. 15, By 30 bush, shelled corn sold $30,00 



" 15, By 6 bush, ears soft corn sold 2,00 



" 15, By stover and pumpkins 5,00 



$37,00 



Net loss on crop $10,00 



Now, our land, (upland,) must be broken up, 

 whether we raise corn or lay down immediately to 

 gi-ass. 



Not over one-third of the cost of breaking up 

 should be charged to the first crop. The manure, 

 'if spread, not over one-fourth should be charged 

 to the corn. 



Few replant or ash, and as to pulling weeds, you 

 had better let them alone than pull them in a dry 

 time. A boy Avill cut the stalks for half the price, 

 and your men will husk it out in an evening, if 

 good corn. Shelling the corn is much too high. 

 I have had 50 bushels threshed out in a day by 

 one man several times. Now let us see : 



1 of the cost of first plowing to the first crop $'-,42 



.\ of the manure and hauling 3,31 



Harrowing, &c 1,75 



Furrowing, planting, seed and line 2,75 



First and second hoeing 5,00 



Cutting stalks and transplanting 4,50 



Husking corn 1,00 



Interest, &c 3,00 



Thrashing out corn 1,00 



$22,73 



All this help has been called one dollar per day. 

 Help hired by the month, for 8 months, does not 

 average over 58 cents per day, and this help, be- 

 sides doing the work set down in the above list, is 

 expected to get up in the morning, make the fires, 

 feed the hogs, milk the cows, feed what stock may 

 be at the barn, and cut wood, or work in the gar- 

 den the rest of the time till breakfast, and milk 

 and do the other chores at night — well nigh enough 

 to pay the board. Put call it 75 cents per day — 

 three-quarters of $22,73 is $17,05. Allowing his 

 estimate of $37,00 sold, the cost that should be 

 charged to the corn is $17,05. Profit, $19,95. 



T consider corn one of the best co'is raised ; 



