434 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



In the single article of berries, as many as 

 200 bu.^bels per day have frequently been sent 

 to market from this depot ; and, of these, Mr. 

 Blanchard has sent fully one-half. During 

 this time, he has also carried on a large farm, 

 employing constantly quite a number of men. 



He served a full apprenticeship upon the 

 farm in his boyhood, and prides himself upon 

 this ^ucation as the foundation of his success. 

 He intends, hereafter, to relieve himself from 

 many of the laborious cares incident to his bu- 

 siness as a n.arketman, and devote himself 

 more particularly to farming. 



By untiring industry, enterprise, honesty, 

 and fair dealing, Mr. Blanchard has won the 

 highest character in the community ; and has 

 fairly earned the fruits of his labors, which he 

 has thus liberally obtained while yet a young 

 man. 



In speaking of t^ese particular improve- 

 ments, I would not be understood as intimating 

 that there are not other individuals and other 

 specimens of improvements all around that de- 

 serve notice, but being striking and very cred- 

 itable instances they are alluded to as showing 

 forcibly, what might be done in hundreds and 

 thousands of other places in New England. 

 Let a like energy and enterprise, backed by 

 capital, and guided by a practical farm educa- 

 tion be directed to the improvement of other 

 waste places, and many thousands of acres, 

 now lying almost waste, — some of which are 

 to be found in almost every town, comprising 

 much of our best soil and within easy access 

 to the best markets, — may not only be doubled 

 in value, but greatly increased in attractive- 

 ness. Let this be done, and our young men 

 would soon discover here in our midst mines 

 more valuable than those of California ; situa- 

 tions more desirable than those which allure so 

 many young men to exchange their New Eng- 

 land homes for an ideal Eden at the West or 

 South, or In some other occupation. w. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 "WASTE LATSTD-MOWINGS-PASTUKES- 

 lEBIGATlOK". 



No one can travel much, even in New Eng. 

 land, without seeing considerable %vaste land- 

 By waste land I do not mean land naturallv 

 unproductive ; but land naturally fertile, but 

 which, by mismanagement, either produces 

 nothing valuable or less than it might easily be 

 made to produce. With this definition, waste 

 land may be found everywhere, — in close prox- 

 imity to our dwellings, in fields, in pastures, 

 and wood lots. ISometimes a spot of wa.ste 

 land may be found where the water rims from 

 the sink, or wlure tiie wasli water is thrown 

 out. yometimes such waste sjiots arc cau.-cd 

 by the sawdust, chips, and otlier debris of the 

 wood pile being left lo accumulate year after 

 year. ISouietimes where tiie broken and worn 

 out faini implements, anc* '.lie broken and use- 

 less household furniture, articles too numerous 



to mention, are thrown in one promiscuous 

 heap, or scattered helter-skelter in every di- 

 rection ; and sometimes where the wash of 

 the barnyard or hog yard is too powerful for 

 anything to grow but burdocks and nettle. 



In regard to the unhealthiness and unsight- 

 liness of such surroundings, and to the waste 

 of manure caused thereby, each one may form 

 his own opinion. To say the least, such spots 

 of ground are wasted. We hoe too much, 

 mow too much, pasture too much, and thus 

 encroach upon the growth of our forests with- 

 out obtaining an equivalent benefit. 



I have not found the first man who will con- 

 tradict these statements ; and yet, most pur 

 sue the same old beaten track which their 

 forefathers trod. The common practice is to 

 break up grass ground, plant it two }ears, 

 putting on about one half the proper quantity 

 of manure, and seed it down the third year 

 with grass and grain without any manure. 

 The soil is thus left in not much better condi- 

 tion than when first broken up. In a few 

 years land treated in this way will } ield no 

 more than one half a ton of hay to an acre. 

 The average crop throughout New England 

 probably is not more than that. If this mode 

 of farming is good under any clrcutustam e-', I 

 think it is not so where the land is good lor 

 grass, and is near a market. In such cases I 

 think that grass is the most ])!ofital)le crop, 

 and that no one should be satisfied with a less 

 yield than one ton per acre. On some fields, 

 especially moist land, top dressing is doubtless 

 better than plowing. AVhere we do y)low we 

 should manure highly, and lay the land down 

 in good heart. If mowing fields were not led 

 in the fall they would jjroduce good crops 

 much longer. 



Some fields might easily l)emade to produce 

 more abundant crops by irrigation, i know 

 of a field of five acres, which, without any ex- 

 pense except turning a small stream of water 

 on one pare of it, and surface draining another 

 part, now produces more hay and of better 

 (luallty than it did ten years ago. It seems 

 tliat water in some way eniiches the soil. I 

 once knew a spring of ])ure water to be turned 

 on to a side hill only one summer, witli some 

 benefit to the grass. The next spring the wa- 

 ter being turned in another direction, the field 

 was [)lowed and sowed with oats without be- 

 ing niaiiured. Dui'ing the season there was a 

 striking difference belween the oats where the 

 water run the previous year and the rest of the 

 (ield. 1 know of a field watered by a s])ring 

 tliat is dry by mid summer, whicii, without 

 bi'ing manureil, has produced large and un- 

 diminished cro[)s of hay lor more than twenty 

 years ; and I know of no reason wliy it may 

 not continue to do so for an indefinite period. 

 A farmer in Manchester, N. 11., informed me 

 that he had a piece of sandy ground which 

 would not produce white beans ; but after wa- 

 tering it a few )i'ars, i)y means of a brook, it 

 would produce anything. 



