1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
273 
©bituarp. 
Death of E. Phinney, Esq. 
Editors of the Cultivator —I last week learned 
the sad fact of the sudden decease of our most estima¬ 
ble and respected friend. E. Phinney, Esq., of Lexing¬ 
ton, Mass. In contemplating this unexpected event, I 
have the compound feeling of deep pensiveness at the 
great loss the community has sustained, and of exulta¬ 
tion on account of the lustre, the bright beneficence, 
shining forth from his virtuous and industrious life. I 
think it right that we should pause a little, to consider 
the great and important influences, radiating from the 
life and character of our lamented friend, and the se¬ 
cret springs of those influences. Particularly is it right 
that his example should be held up to the view of every 
farmer in the land.—for he had not a superior, in all 
we understand by the terms—a hospitable, highly edu¬ 
cated, and yet eminently practical and successful 
farmer. 
Mr. Phinney was born in the year 1780, in Nova 
Scotia, whither his father had temporarily removed, 
from the then province of Maine. The family soon re¬ 
moved from thence to Lexington, Mass., upon the farm 
that our friend afterwards cultivated, till his death. 
The youthful days of our friend, until the age of seven¬ 
teen years, were spent upon this farm. He assisted his 
father in the various labors of husbandry, during the 
season of seed-time and harvest, and his winters were 
devoted to the prosecution of his studies, preparatory 
to entering college. In walking over this farm, a year 
ago, with our deceased friend, he related, with a smile, 
many of the rude ancient modes of agriculture, which, 
while a lad, be assisted his father in performing. 
Among others, he mentioned, as we came to the now 
beautiful reclaimed meadow, yielding the most luxuri¬ 
ant crops of the cultivated grasses and grain, that he 
had toiled many a day with his father up to his knees 
in mud and water, in carrying off, upon poles, the 
swamp hay from this meadow, to dry ground. 
In the year 1797, lie entered Harvard University, at 
which he graduated, with distinction, in 1801, at the 
age of twenty-one. Entering immediately after upon 
the study of law, he came early to the practice of his 
profession, at Thomaston, in Maine. He afterwards 
returned to Massachusetts, and attained a high reputa¬ 
tion in a long and laborious career at the bar, in the 
county of Middlesex. In the year 1831, he was ap¬ 
pointed the Clerk of the Courts in that county. The 
duties of the office he discharged for eighteen years, or 
until the time of his death, with the most patient indus¬ 
try and faithfulness, to the entire acceptance of the 
court and the community. Indeed, he may truly be said 
do have met death with his harness buckled on; for he 
was carried directly from his office to his residence and 
the couch where he died. But it is my intention to 
speak more particularly of Mr. Phinney, as a farmer. 
Mr. Phinney commenced farming some twenty-five 
years ago. His farm had been carried on previous to 
that time, under the rude and improvident methods ge¬ 
nerally current in those days. The uplands were cover¬ 
ed with stones and bushes, and the fields that had been 
plowed and cropped, were most thoroughly exhausted. 
The lowlands were either unreclaimed sour meadow, or 
wild impassable morass. He was persuaded, however, 
that from the contiguity of the farm to a large market, 
and the natural freeness and quickness of the soil, an 
investment might here be made in the removal of ob¬ 
structions to cultivation, and the improvement of the 
soil, which, in the end, would be richly remunerative. 
It was no part of Mr. Phinney’s nature to do things 
‘ by the halves;’ and his plans for improvement were 
upon a grand scale. All his prominent operations, 
however, were entered upon, and perfected with great 
judgment, and a strict regard to practical utility,—as 
results have proved. The total income of the farm not 
exceeding five hundred dollars per annum, for several 
years, reached nearly as many thousands before his 
death. His expenses, all the while, were very heavy, 
for his hospitality was unparalleled and unbounded. 
Hardly a week occurred, during the year, and at some 
seasons hardly a day in the week, but his family were 
entertaining visitors, attracted thither from all quarters 
of our country, to observe his modes of culture. It is 
believed that few men were as accomplished, in ail that 
pertains to the gentleman and the hospitable host, as 
Mr. Phinney. 
As a farmer, he brought to bear a most thorough inves¬ 
tigation of the principles by which nature is governed in 
her operations. He never rested content wit h mere sur¬ 
face knowledge of scientific principles, nor with customs 
of husbandry, simply as such, but always was in the habit 
of looking into the interior merits of things. All his 
operations, in all stages, from the turning of the furrow, 
to the securing of harvests; from the breeding and 
rearing, to the full maturity of his agricultural animals, 
displayed the most thorough investigation of correct 
principles, by an enlightened and practical mind. I 
will but barely enumerate some of these operations, as 
the readers of The Cultivator have had an extended 
description of them in my former notices of his farm¬ 
ing. 
1. One of the first experiments made by Mr. Phinney, 
was the one by which he ascertained the amount of 
purely vegetable matter of the sward in an acre of 
grass land not yielding more than 500 lbs. of hay. 
The sward was carefully dug up on a portion of the 
field in the month of May, the roots and tops carefully 
separated from the dirt, and weighed; and it was found 
that an acre of sward land, of this description, contain¬ 
ed twelve and a-quarter tons of vegetable matter. He 
therefore, commenced with, and always continued in, 
the practice of but one plowing for the whole rotation 
of crops following. By this means, the vegetable mat¬ 
ter of the sod was turned under, there to remain, free 
from wasting influences by sun and wind, and, by its 
gradual decay, to keep the land light and permeable, 
and furnish nourishment to all the crops of that rota¬ 
tion. 
2. The extensive manufacture, and correct applica¬ 
tion of peat, and other composts. 
3. The thorough under-draining of his bog-meadows 
and springy soils, thus bringing into profitable cultiva¬ 
tion, land before without value. 
4. The planting of extensive orchards, of valuable 
fruiis, the rearing and training of the trees, showing 
the benefits of keeping the soil constanly open by culti¬ 
vation, and of spreading out the tops or branches by 
the horizontal method of training, so as to admit the 
genial influences of light and heat in the perfecting and 
ripening of the fruit. 
5. The scientific crossing, and the care and feeding, 
of improved breeds of cattle and swine. 
However pressing professional duties might be, Mr. 
Phinney always found time to direct the various and 
daily business of the farm. To accomplish so much, it 
was his custom, during the fall and winter months, 
when iiis official duties were the most pressing, to rise 
by four o’clock in the morning, shave himself by the 
light of his fire, and then draw on a pair of stout boots, 
and with lantern in hand, sally forth to the barns 
and piggeries, to inquire into the condition of his nu¬ 
merous animals, and give the workmen the necessary 
directions for the business of the day. At six o’clock 
he took his breakfast, and immediately after started for 
the Court house, eleven miles distant, returning home 
