1871. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



651 



The secret of this great improvement, was 

 m gradually finding the "Concord under Con- 

 cord," and giving it an opportunity to "bud 

 and blossom as the rose ;" and the leading 

 steps in the work, were : — 



1. To draw off the surplus water that stood 

 under some of the best land. This was done 

 over about eighteen acres, where some of the 

 grass was cut which went to feed the nine 

 head of cattle on the old farm. 



2. On other portions of these swamp lands 

 were alders, birches, and a variety of water- 

 brush common to such places. These were 

 torn out, piled and burnt. The plough fol- 

 lowed, some portions were planted with pota- 

 toes, and others, not yet sufficiently dry for 

 cultivation, sowed at once with seeds of the 

 best upland grasses. 



Thorough drainage preceded all this. With- 

 out that, nothing could have been done to- 

 wards reclaiming and finding the farm that lay 

 "under Concord." 



3. These reclaimed lands have been kept 

 in such condition as to produce from two to 

 three tons of hay annually. The oldest of 

 them having been ploughed once or twice, 

 manured, and re-seeded, without being culti- 

 vated for any other crop than grass, so that 

 these eighteen acres, in their first and second 

 crop, give about fifty tons of hay each year ; 

 enough to fill a good-sized barn ! 



4. All the reclaimed meadows have been 

 dressed with sand. First, as soon as the 

 water had subsided so as to leave the surface 

 hard enough to bear the team and load ; and 

 again as opportunity permitted, a slight coat- 

 ing at each time. 



5. In addition to these, they have received 

 an occasional top-dressing of composted ma- 

 nures, old and fine, and aided by small appli- 

 cations of ashes, bone dust, or some other 

 reliable commercial fertihzer. The latter, 

 however, only at a trifling cost. 



6. The changes wrought under Mr. Smith's 

 management are no less striking on the high 

 lands of the farm, than they have been in the 

 meadows and swamps. The surface of most 

 of the farm, compared with the surrounding 

 lands, is low. But among the meadows there 

 are abrupt knolls, and patches of upland. 

 These were dotted with bowlders of various 

 sizes ; some jutting just above the surface, 

 and rising from that point all the way to four 



feet in height. -Most of these have been sunk 

 a foot below the surface, or where this could 

 not well be done, blasted and carried off, and 

 the holes filled with small stones, and sand and 

 dressed with loam or manure. Thus, with 

 few exceptions, the plough, mowing machine, 

 tedder and horse rake, have free course over 

 the fields, and are enabled to perform rapid 

 and good work. 



7 . One side of the farm receives a large 

 amount of surface water, the water-shed above 

 being very extensive. In long rains, some- 

 times in a heavy summer shower, this land, 

 .though quite descending, would formerly be 

 covered with water during the continuance of 

 the rain, and continue so wet through the 

 season as to prevent the growth of any plants 

 but water grasses. Through these runs, Mr. 

 S., has laid tile drains, crooking about among 

 buried rocks, and picking the way through a 

 substratum almost as hard as rock itself. A 

 portion of these now yield two crops annually 

 of fine upland grasses . These runs were not 

 improved by the application of sand, although 

 in some places having black muck underneath. 



Such are some of the results of an explora- 

 tion to find the "Concord that lies under 

 Concord !" If every farm in the town had 

 received similar treatment, its present valua- 

 tion would be double what it is to-day. 



This is one of the cases where progress and 

 profit have been made, u'iildn the farm itself; 

 where skill and energy have produced the 

 most encouraging results, and not inherited 

 capital. With the exception of supplying ice 

 to a portion of the citizens, Mr. Smith haa 

 had . no other business than farming ; has en- 

 gaged in no speculations in farm products, 

 horses, cattle or lands, but has always found 

 the earth liberal, responding to his own liber- 

 ality in a ten-fold degree. His example is 

 valuable, and is a great credit to himself, and 

 equally so to his skilful and zealous co-worker, 

 who manages the internal aifairs of the family. 



MANAGEMENT OF DAZRy CO'WS IN 

 HOLLAND, 



Prof. Geo. H. Cook, of New Jersey Agri- 

 cultural College, furnishes the Country Oen- 

 tlcrnan an interesting article concerning Dutch 

 Dairies. One that he visited was 15 or 20 

 miles from Amsterdam, on a farm of 207 1-2 

 acres, nearly all in meadow and pasture. The 

 land was at the level of tide water but was 

 well drained. Tliere were 46 head of cattle 



