270 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Sept. 
per acre was 55 bushels. Both the oats and barley, as 
well as the wheat, exceeded the standard weight. It 
may be proper to state that the scythe and cradle were 
used in harvesting those portions of the oat and barley 
fields where the reaping machine could not be worked 
to advantage. 
Indian corn is planted about the middle of May, in 
drills 3^ feet apart, Emery’s seed planter being used. 
It is cultivated and hoed twice during the season. Part 
of the land being ill adapted for corn, the average yield 
this season is light, being at the rate of 55 bushels of 
ears per acre. 
For the last four years, the potatoes have been affect¬ 
ed with what is termed the rot, frequently decaying, al¬ 
though apparently sound when dug, before a month has 
passed. No remedy has been discovered. Early and 
late planting and harvesting have both been tried, but 
without success. 
Grass Lands. —Clover and timothy are grown on 
this farm. Twelve pounds of clover seed, mixed with 
four quarts of timothy, are sown per acre in the spring, 
either upon the growing wheat or harrowed in with the 
barley. Those fields intended for timothy meadows are 
sown in the fall, with from eight to ten quarts of good 
seed per acre. Both the timothy and clover seed are 
sown by hand. 
Thirty-five acres were mown this year, the average 
yield being about a ton and a-half per acre. The man¬ 
ner of making clover hay is as follows: The clover 
that is cut one day is allowed to remain in the swath 
till the following morning, when it is turned, and the 
same afternoon raked with the horse rake, and put into 
small cocks; the next morning, if the weather is fine, 
these cocks are opened, anti the hay is then carried to 
the sheds. From four to six quarts of salt are allowed 
to every load. The time of cutting varies of course 
with the season, but is generally about the first of Ju¬ 
ly. Timothy hay is cut when the bloom is past, but 
before it is fully ripe. It is allowed to remain in the 
swath over night. The following day it is turned, ra¬ 
ked into windrows and drawn in, without having been 
drawn into cocks. Salt is also freely used with this hay. 
All the mowing lands can be plowed. 
I have not practiced irrigation, as there is no means 
for so doing. 
There is no bog or low land on the farm. 
Domestic Animals. —The stock at present on the 
farm is as follows-.' seven cows, six young cattle, and 
four calves, six horses and a yearling colt. The cows 
and young cattle are a cross of the native breed with 
the Durham. 
I have hitherto made no experiments to test the value 
of different breeds. 
The milch cows during the winter are housed in a 
building set apart for this purpose, each cow having 
her separate stall. They are allowed, however, the 
use of a yard adjoining the stable during part of each 
day. In this yard there is a trough which is always 
full of pure water. Morning and evening the cows are 
fed in the stalls, with corn-stalks and roots, as long as 
they last, while in the yard they are supplied with fresh 
straw, placed in racks. When the corn-stalks are all 
consumed, they are fed with hay. The young cattle 
are allowed to run in a barn yard, to which a warm 
shed for their shelter is attached, and are fed with corn 
stalks and straw till about the middle of February, 
when hay is substituted for the stalks. The corn stalks 
for the milch cows are usually cut with a cutting ma- 
ahine, moved by horse power. The young cattle have 
at all times access to water. The calves are kept in a 
yard by themselves, and in addition to hay, receive a 
feed of bran, or of corn and cob meal, daily. The cat¬ 
tle fed in this manner, keep in good condition and stand 
the winter well. 
As most of the butter is consumed on the farm, no 
very accurate account has been kept of the quantity. 
There is nothing peculiar in the manner of making it. 
No cheese is made. 
I have at the present time, 175 sheep. They are of 
the Merino breed, though not of pure blood. The ave¬ 
rage yield per fleece this season w^as 3^ pounds. Last 
year’s clip brought 30 cents a pound. The wool of 
this'year’s shearing is still unsold. About three-quar¬ 
ters of the ewes have lambs, and usually about four- 
fifths of these are raised. The sheep will now com¬ 
mand from $1.50 to $1,75 per head. The lambs can 
be sold for $1. 
The sheep are wintered in large yards, with sufficient 
accommodations for shelter, and abundantly supplied 
with water. The ewes, wethers and lambs have each 
separate yards. The ewes and wethers are fed with 
straw, placed in suitable racks, with an occasional feed 
of bran, until about the first of February, when they 
receive in addition, a daily allowance of clover hay. 
The lambs aro fed clover hay all through the winter, 
with a daily feed of oats or corn and cob meal. Th© 
past winter I lost but one sheep from the whole flock. 
There are now on the farm 11 hogs, 2 breeding sows 
and 4 pigs, 15 in all. They are fed with fallen apples 
and the slop from the house until a month or six weeks 
before killing them, when they are fed as much corn as 
they will eat, in addition to the slop. They are killed 
when from 12 to 15 months old, and will average from 
250 to 300 pounds when dressed. In the summer, the 
larger hogs are allowed to run in a clover lot. 
No experiments have been made to test the value of 
different root crops. Turneps were once attempted, 
but without success. Half an acre of carrots are usu¬ 
ally grown for the use of the milch cows, the land', 
however, being ill-adapted for roots, the yield is seldom 
large. 
Fruit. —There is an orchard of three and a-half 
acres, in full bearing, containing 120 trees; and I have 
lately planted another acre with 66 trees. The trees 
are all grafted, and comprise the following varieties: 
Early Harvest, Sweet Bough, Fall Pippin, Jersey 
Sweeting, Baldwin, Spitzenberg, Bellflower, Tallman 
Sweet, Vandevere, Pearmain, Seek-No-Further, Swaar, 
Rhode Island Greening, Spice, Winter Pippin, Lady 
Apple, Northern Spy, and Newtown Pippin. 
There is a pear orchard of two and a-half acres, 
lately planted, containing 178 trees of the following va¬ 
rieties: Madeleine, Bartlett, Bergamot, Virgaliein 
Seckel, Duehesse d’Angouleme, Louise Bonne de Jer¬ 
sey, Passe Colmar, Winter Nelis, Glout Moreeau, 
Bcurre d’Aremberg, &c. The cherry and peach trees 
are mostly young. The varieties are, of cherries: Na¬ 
poleon Bigarreau, Elton, Elk-horn, Black Tartarian, 
Yellow Spanish, Morello, &c.; of peaches, Early York, 
Early Slocum, Tillotson, Rareripe. There are some 
fine plums in bearing, and a large number of young 
trees of approved varieties. 
The apple-borer has injured the apple trees to some 
extent. To prevent its further depredations, I this year 
caused each tree to be surrounded with clay subsoil to 
the height of about eighteen inches above the ground, 
and have noticed but few trees that have been attacked 
since this was done. 
The young orchards are kept always under cultiva¬ 
tion, the ground being planted with either corn or po¬ 
tatoes, and well manured. The old orchard is plowed 
once in three years, receiving a good dressing of ma¬ 
nure ; one crop taken from it and then seeded down to 
clover. 
No experiments have been made, worthy of note. 
Fences, Buildings, &c.—T he farm buildings are ar¬ 
ranged in the form of a square, enclosing the barn-yard, 
which, with the exception of a small portion on tb# 
