826 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



for a stone wall or a fence ; take up no room, 

 and are of great value. Four species are found 

 in Massachusetts, some varieties of which pro- 

 duce delicious fruit, and the finest of all of 

 them may be converted into excellent jam or 

 marmalade, a most agreeable addition to a 

 breakfast or a dinner table. 



All the plants, — trees, shrubs, undershrubs 

 and climbers — that I have recommended, grow 

 from seed. It is only necessary to find out 

 the proper time to sow the seed, and the 

 kind of protection the seed requires. This is 

 to be discovered in every case by studying at- 

 tentively, in its natural habitation, the plant 

 in question, and finding out the season when 

 the seed is ripe and how it sows itself, — on the 

 bare earth, or among bushes, or under leaves, 

 decayed or just fallen. G. b. e. 



Boston, May, 1867. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 LITTLETON, MIDDLESEX CO., MASS. 



This town, situated on the Fitchburg rail- 

 road, twentj'-six miles from Boston and twelve 

 from Lowell, is of small extent in territory 

 and contains but a little more than one thou- 

 sand inhabitants. Its surface is diversified 

 with hills and valleys, and contains some beau- 

 tiful ponds. The soil is generally a rich loam, 

 with subsoil of gravel and clay, and produces 

 excellent crops of grass, grain and fi-uit. 



The business of the inhabitants is almost 

 exclusively farming ; and yet, considering its 

 extent and population, it is one of the most 

 wealthy and flourishing towns in the State. 

 The taxable property amounts to over six hun- 

 dred thousand dollars, or about one hundred 

 dollars to every man, woman and child. Its 

 wealth is very evenly distributed ; there being 

 few who are worth more than ten or twelve 

 thousand dollars, and few who have not a com- 

 petency. This town expended money liberal- 

 ly and furnished men promptly during the 

 war, and in six months after its close it did not 

 owe a dollar. 



There are many young farmers in this place 

 whose public spirit and improvements are most 

 commendable. We think the estate of J. A. 

 Hakwood, Esq., in the southerly part of Lit- 

 tleton, is one especially deserving of notice. 

 It contains 200 acres, lying nearly in a square, 

 and has been in possession of the Ilarwood 

 family for five generations. The original pro- 

 prietor, who came from England, first settled 

 in Concord, Mass., but shortly afterwards re- 

 moved here. 



When the present owner came in possession 

 of the farm, fourteen years ago, several of the 

 fields, which now add much to the beauty of the 

 estate, and are among the most profitable, pro- 

 duced very little. Just across the road which 

 passes in front of the buildings is a fine or- 

 chard containing ten acres. Two acres of this 

 lot nearest \\w road were set out, twenty years 

 ago, by Col. Nahum Ilarwood, the father of 



the present proprietor. The other eight acres 

 were at this time a pasture, producing very 

 little feed ; much of it was covered with brush 

 and moss ; and that part of it most conspicu- 

 ous to the road and buildings, being a steep hill, 

 considered nearly worthless for cultivation. 

 When Mr. Harwood began to tear up this hill 

 some of his neighbors thought he was going too 

 fast. But the result speaks for itself. The 

 trees are in a very thrifty condition and bear 

 evidence of judicious management. The whole 

 is now a profitable field, and a beautiful or- 

 chard. Separating the two acres first planted 

 from the eight planted fourteen years ago, there 

 is a run which was formerly very wet throughout 

 the year. This has been drained by the pres- 

 ent owner and produces large crops of grass 

 of excellent quality. On the whole farm there 

 are one thousand apple trees, some of which 

 have been set over fifty years, and have been 

 very profitable. 



By the roadside is a fine peach orchard of 

 six acres, containing the best early and late 

 varieties, which are now just coming into bear- 

 ing condition. The land occupied by this or- 

 chard was likewise a pasture, badly worn out, 

 and a very uninviting field for cultivation. 

 The change made here has added greatly to 

 the appearance of the farm. The cultivated 

 crops have paid for the labor, and there is ev- 

 ery prospect that the peach trees will bring a 

 handsome return. IMr. Ilarwood has full faith 

 in the profitableness of fruit- raising, and says 

 that he would as soon set a peach or an apple- 

 orchard to-day as ever. 



Another improvement is a reclaimed meadow 

 of about eight acres. The mud is deep on a 

 large part of it. Before it was drained, cattle 

 could not go on to it. The grass was so poor 

 that, for one or two years, the growth on about 

 five acres was sold standing for five dollars. 

 A portion of this has been improved yearly by 

 Mr. Harwood, until now the last remaining 

 part has been dressed. The method of re- 

 claiming has been to spread on gravel enough 

 to cover the grass thoroughly ; then a coat of 

 horse manure without plowing, or sowing any 

 grass seed. A crop of weeds is obtained the 

 first year, but after that good herds grass 

 comes in ; which, when ready for the mowing 

 machine is as high as the horses' backs. ]\Ir. 

 Ilarwood says that the crop will average four 

 tons strong to the acre, though he never cuts a 

 second crop. This meadow is dressed every 

 other year with a compost of horse-manure 

 and mud. The prevailing idea, that mud is 

 not a suitable dressing for a meadow is re- 

 garded as erroneous by Mr. Ilarwood. 



About eight acres of corn fodder w<!re raised 

 last year, mostly in the apple orchards, requir- 

 ing but little labor, as managed. After plant- 

 ing time, the land was plowed, tlu^ corn sown 

 broadcast and harrowed in. It was cut in the 

 last of September, bound, stooked, and left to 

 stand from one to two months until thoroughly 

 dried. It was then put in the barn and packed. 



