284 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Sept, 16, 1856, 

 Present — Messrs. Rev. Mr. White of Stat,en Island, Mr. Darling 



75 years of age, Dr. Waterbury, Captain FrOTicisco Borden late of 



the Mexican army. Dr. Wellington, John M. Bixby, Mr. Veeder^ 



Prof. Nash of Vermont, Prof. Mapes and others. 



Rev. Mr. White in the chair. Henry Meigs, secretary. 



The Secretary read the following report of the committee on the 



Mapes Experimental Farm at Newark : 



THE MAPES FARM. 



The committee appointed by the Farmers' Club of the 

 American Institute to visit the farm of Prof. James J. Mapes, near 

 Newark, New Jersey, on the 6th of September last, beg leave re- 

 spectfully to report, 



That they have performed that duty, and take pleasure in re- 

 porting, as the result of their investigation, the following facts : . 



The farm has been occupied by Prof Mapes for ten years, du- 

 ring which time it has been gradually increased in size, now em- 

 bracing 93 acres of upland, and devoted to various crops. When 

 this farm comprised but 30 acres, and was visited by some of the 

 members of the present committee, it was devoted chiefly to gar- 

 den crops, and under the old system of garden cultivation, by 

 hand hoes, forks, spades, etc., required from 10 to ?5 hands, since 

 which time, by the introduction of new tools, the farm, now three 

 times as large as it then was, is cultivated in the most thorough 

 manner by only seven hands. 



The Soil and its Preparation. 



The soil of this farm varies in quality — many of the fields being 

 distant from others — chiefly, it may be said, to consist of a red- 

 kellis hard pan sub-soil, with a thin clayey mould on top — the 

 sub-soil of a very tenacious quality and difficult of manipulation ; 

 indeed, without the use of the peculiar tool used for its disturbance, 

 it would seem to be impracticable. Large numbers of boulders 

 occupied the surface-soil, which have been removed; the better 

 portions of the land have been underdrained, and the whole thor- 

 oughly sub-soil plowed to a great depth. This free admission of ' 

 atmosphere into the sub-soil, has caused a disintegration of the 

 redkellis, and now the whole surface to a great depth is in the 



