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UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
LIBRARY

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74

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1 840-45

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

FOR

1840.

VOLUME III. — NUMBER I.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY

JANUARY, 1841.

SALEM:

TRINTED AT THE GAZETTE OFFICE.

1841,
i * •

ii \ I

lif^msiTY OF

ADDRESS,

nv

ASAHEL HUNTINGTON, ESQ,

Mr. President and Gentlemen :

Having again assembled on this twenty second
anniversary of our society, and brought up hither
the choice and beautiful fruits of the earth, together
with the firstlings of our herds and flocks, it becomes
us to render the tribute of grateful hearts to the Be-
neficent Author of all these gifts, who has caused
his sun to shine, has given us the early and the lat-
ter rain, and has crowned the year with ample and
abundant rewards of the labors of the husbandman.

It is no useless or unmeaning pageant that has
brought together the farmers of the county on this
interesting occasion. Devoted to a high and hon-
orable pursuit — to a most useful, indeed, an indis-
pensable calling, the cultivation and improvement of
the earth, from which we all derive our food, rai-
ment and shelter, and to a profession, for the suc-
cessful prosecution of which, the observation or ex-
perience of no single individual, however much aid-
ed or enlightened by science, study or reflection,
^ will adequately suffice ; why should not the farmers
*— come together on stated times, to interchange opin-
^^ ions, to compare results and different modes of cul-
'""' ture, and to devise the best means of advancing the
^~ great and paramount interests with which they are
E5 intrusted ? Men engaged in the other departments
of industry or business, have their days and occasions

4 MR. HUNTINGTON S ADDRESS.

set apart for these purposes, and have found them
attended with highly beneficial results. The mer-
chants have their chambers of commerce, boards
of trade, and mercantile associations — those en-
gaged in manufacturing and mechanical pursuits have
their institutes and societies — the learned profes-
sions have similar organizations — and why should not
the farmers have theirs also ? If agriculture, the
mother of the arts — being coeval and coexistent
with the civilization of the race in all past genera-
tions— being the primeval trunk of which all other
departments of human industry are the branches, and
forming the foundation and support of all the great
economical interests of society, in its just and true
development and expansion, be not worthy of the
highest regard of all, and especially of its more im-
mediate ministers and professors, then there is no
pursuit or employment in life, which can claim a mo-
ment's consideration. Being first in time, and in
the natural constitution of things, it is paramount to
all in importance. Connecting and blending itself
with all the ramifications of human industry, in their
endless varieties, by the golden chain of a mutual
interest, and imparting to all vitality and strength,
from its own inexhaustible resources and fullness, it
may justly be deemed the centre and life of the
whole. Engaged in a pursuit, eminently adapted
to give health to the body, and if prosecuted
in a just spirit of inquiry and research, vigor and
purity to the mind and moral sentiments, and free
from those corroding and anxious cares and embar-
rassments, which beset most of the avenues in other
departments of industry ; and second in intrinsic
dignity to none, whether we consider the pursuit it-
self, or the ends which it seeks to accomplish, well
may the farmer, who cultivates his own acres, re-
gard his condition a most fortunate one, and apply
and realize in his own experience the sentiment of
the great Ptoman poet, " Oh, too happy farmers !
did you but know your own blessings."

MR. HUNTINGTON S ADDRESS. 5

But these are general remarks, and however just
or true in themselves, have no particular application
to the agriculture or yeomanry of this county, and
thus tend to no practical results. We live in a dis-
trict of the State eminently commercial and manu-
facturing in its pursuits and character. Our soil,
as a general fact, is not remarkable for its fertility
or productions. Agriculture is not regarded as the
chief or main interest of the county, and is very gen-
erally held, as a pursuit, in secondary estimation.
Trade and commerce, on the one hand, hold out
their enticing and splendid rewards, and on the
other, manufactures fill the youthful mind, and often
the chastened and sobered imagination of manhood
with golden dreams, and excited expectations. But if
the youthful aspirant for riches or distinction find the
avenues in what are deemed the more lucrative pursuits
closed against him here, and feels that he is doomed
to be a farmer, his imagination kindles at the descrip-
tions of that fairy land, the west, and he determines
to seek his fortune in the teeming and fertile soil of
the great valley. Of all the mistakes, which an Es-
sex young man can commit, this is the greatest, and
oftentimes, the most fatal. In executing this deter-
mination, he sacrifices a fortune, in the outset. He
gives up his home with all its endearing and hallow-
ed associations, and his New England birthright,
which is itself the richest treasure to one who enter-
tains any just notions of the real ends and aims of
life. And is it nothing to make such a sacrifice ? Is
it nothing to surrender this rich inheritance of bless-
ings and enjoyments for the fancied good of a more
exuberant soil in the distant prairies of the west ?
What if we have a less fertile natural soil, have we
not also a far deeper and richer moral soil, laid down
and imbedded by the labors and sacrifices of succes-
sive generations of a good and glorious ancestry, and
producing fruits that gladden and rejoice the hearts
of their descendants, giving stability to their pur-
poses and strength to their character, and adorning

6 MR. iiuntingto.n's address.

and beautilying New England life, with a richness
and variety of coloring found in no other portion of
this wide earth ? All this harvest, garnered up
among our moral treasures, and justly esteemed by
her sons, as the precious stones — the real wealth,
and the chief attraction to a New England life, is
cast away in the outset by the rash and speculating
adventurer, who seeks for riches and repose in the
valleys of the west. If he would make one half the
real sacrifice here in old Essex, which he voluntarily
or involuntarily submits to in seeking a new home,
he might remain, and work out for himself a compe-
tence and independence far more satisfactory and
enduring, than any he will find away from the home
of his childhood, and the graves of his fathers. I
would not affirm that no young man should emigrate
to the west. There may be peculiar circumstances,
which would render such a step expedient, but I do
affirm that young men and others, who have been
induced to make this change, have been operated on
by inducements mainly or wholly delusive ; and if
we could have the real and honest opinions and ex-
perience of emigrants from this county for the last
ten years, I believe I should be fully sustained in
this remark. The truth is, we have not yet arrived
at that point, at which emigration becomes at all ne-
cessary or desirable. The resources of the county,
with a proper application of skill and industry, might
be made ample for sustaining four times our present
population. The agricultural productions alone
might be quadrupled with the greatest benefit and
advantage ; and I believe the younger members of
this society may live to see an increase of production
something in this proportion.

If, then, the young Essex farmer wisely determine
to build up his fortunes at home, shall he be allured
from the useful and honorable employment in which
he has been educated, by the gilded prospects of
other, and more gainful pursuits ? In other words,
shall he risk the certain prospects of a healthful

MR. HUNTINGTON S ADDKESS. 7

competence and independence, for the uncertain
prospects of large and extraordinary gains ? He may
be certain of reasonable success in the pursuits of
husbandry, to which he has been trained ; he cannot
be certain of an equal relative success in the more
hazardous pursuits of commerce or manufactures.
Why, then, should he change the mode of life to
which he has been accustomed? I am not inculcat-
ing the sentiment that a young man should never
seek other pursuits than those to which he may have
been devoted, but that the young Essex farmer has
every reason to be satisfied with his condition ; and
if he own the unincumbered fee of the acres, which he
cultivates, he may justly esteem himself a most for-
tunate man. Compare the present condition of our
farmers, in all those particulars which go to make up
the comfort and real independence of the man, with
that of any other class in the community, or make a
similar comparison for the last ten or twenty years,
and I am quite sure the farmer will find nothing in
such comparison to make him dissatisfied with him-
self, his employment, or his prospects. Agriculture,
then, as a pursuit, if followed with proper enterprise
and spirit, is as respectable and honorable in itself,
as any other — it is more certain in its returns, and
insures competence and independence.

But, however this may be ; whether I am strictly
correct in this comparative estimate of the different
pursuits, is matter of very little practical importance.
I believe the views I have expressed to be sound,
and such as will commend themselves to the judg-
ment of all practical and observing men. Still, right
or wrong, you have chosen your profession, and upon
reasons and grounds satisfactory, it is to be presum-
ed, to your own minds. The point is settled. You
are farmers, and have deliberately determined to
dedicate yourselves to this mode of life. If any of
you, however, are still doubting and hesitating on
this point, I would respectfully advise you to come
to an immediate determination, for such a state oi'

8 Mil. Huntington's address.

mind is disastrous to all good husbandry. The halt-
ing and hesitating farmer, who is perpetually doubt-
ing whether he is in his proper element, will be very
certain to find himself out of it, and in no other, or
certainly in no better one, in the end. But I have
presumed that this is no longer debateable ground,
and that your decision is fixed and irrevocable. To
such I would say, give to the profession of your
choice the best energies of your bodies and minds.
Husbandry is no light or easy service. It requires
diligent and intelligent labor — and for such it will
always return adequate rewards. Be active, indus-
trious, inquiring. Apply the mind with assiduity, as
well as the labor of the hands. Carry into your busi-
ness the same zeal and enterprise, which are the
harbingers of success in the other pursuits of life,
and they will accomplish as truly useful results for
you, as they do for others. It has often occurred to
me, that with many, the object of farming seemed to
be a sort of experiment, to determine with how little
labor, industry, and good management, the farm
could be made to clear itself from year to year. —
Some farmers seem to think, that if they can procure
the means of a tolerable subsistence, they have ac-
complished all that is desirable. Others extend their
views somewhat farther, and are satisfied if they can
obtain a merely comfortable support for themselves
and families, not having in either case any direct
reference to the capabilities or the permanent im-
provement of their estates.

The true problem to be worked out by every in-
telligent and enterprising farmer, I take it to be this,
to raise annually the greatest possible amount of the
most profitable crops, having a single eye to income
immediate or more remote, according to his means,
and especially to the gradual and permanent im-
provement of his farm. The practical farmer, whose
own personal labor is his principal active capital,
cannot afford to make doubtful experiments on any
considerable scale. He cannot afford to improve his

MR. Huntington's address. 9

farm any faster than he sees the way clear for a
certam and compensating profit in the end ; and this
end may be more or less remote, according to the
means at his convenient command. With these lim-
itations and restrictions, the point to be aimed at, is
the greatest possible production from year to year.

The earth is a kind, faithful, and generous mother,
and she will repay and reward any investment of
labor or capital, which is made in accordance with
these principles. Particular seasons, from drought,
or other causes, may disappoint the expectations, or
defeat the plans of the husbandman ; but I speak of
the cultivation of a course of years ; and affirm, that
the farmer should make from year to year the great-
est possible drafts from the earth, always having
reference to income or profit, immediate or eventual,
and the improvement and amelioration of his farm.
In this way, the productive power of a farm, by ju-
dicious and efficient husbandry, may be indefinitely
extended. Production, properly applied and ex-
pended, increases the power of production, so that
it would be difficult to prescribe the limit, beyond
which production might not be carried.

I am not now speaking in reference to modes of
husbandry or cultivation, unsuited to the circum-
stances, wants or condition of the county. I have
no reference to modern English agriculture, as dis-
tinguished from our own. We all know that the
agricultural productions of that country have been
amazingly increased within the last twenty or thirty
years, but by modes of cultivation in part, which
would not be suited to the circumstances existing
among ourselves. I refer to what has been done,
and is now doing by some of the practical farmers
among ourselves with eminent success — and with
great pecuniary advantage. The cry of the farmer
should be perpetual, give, give, GIVE, taking care
himself to return more strength and nutriment, in
the form of manures, than have been exhausted by
his crops, in this manner preparing the way for a
2

10 MR. Huntington's address.

more liberal draft, at the next season. Thus good
agriculture is in some sort a system of exchange of
kinds, but not oi values.

Experience, at all times, has taught the husband-
man that animal and vegetable substances, mixed
with the soil, afforded nourishment to the plants,
which it produced. Science has disclosed to us the
fact, that the living plants and the dead manure,
whether animal or vegetable, are resolvable into the
same elementary substances, though existing in dif-
ferent states of combination ; so that in supplying
animal and vegetable substances to the soil, in a
state more or less decomposed, wq in fact furnish the
same essence which enters into the composition of
the germinating and living plant. In supplying ma-
nures to the soil, we return to it the same elementary
substances, which are drawn from it by the nurture
and feeding of the living plant, and this is what I
intended by the remark, that good husbandry is a
system of exchange of kinds, but not of values. We
thus see, that to secure an increased and increasing
production, manure is the great and principal instru-
mentality. This is the beginning, the middle, and
the end of thriving husbandry.

To create from the resources of the farm the great-
est possible amount of this food for plants, should be
the constant aim of every good farmer. This is the
ultimate source of his gains, and he must guard all
the avenues to it with an ever vigilant watchfulness.
The farm must be washed and scoured for the pur-
pose of obtaining this treasure. In this county, we
have abundant sources of supplying it, and though
all farms are not equally privileged in this respect,
yet none are destitute of the means of doing very
much in this way. The sagacious farmer will watch
with an eagle eye every possible opportunity for in-
creasing the amount and improving the quality of his
manure — especially will he see that nothing is lost.
All his plans of improvement will have reference to
this main and engrossing object. He will not expose

MR. Huntington's address. 11

his stable manure heap at the end, or in rear of his
barn, to the impoverishing ravages and inroads of the
rains, the wind, and the snow, a scandal alike to
good taste and good husbandry. The liquids are of
no less value in his estimation than the solids, and
the most careful expedients are devised, as circum-
stances require, to see that nothing be lost, but that
everything be preserved, in the greatest order and
perfection. His stable, barn-yard, and piggery, are
regarded as so many manufactories of manures ; and
his cattle and swine are each made to contribute in
the best possible manner to this end. " Every hog
kept by a farmer," says Mr. Phinney, of Lexington,
(who is the highest authority on this subject, as well
as on all others pertaining to practical agriculture,)
"should be required to prepare ten loads of compost
manure in the course of a year, which he will cheer-
fully do if the owner will furnish him with the ma-
terials, such as loam, peat, or swamp mud," &c.—
The same distinguished cultivator assured me, as
the result of his experience, that thirty dollars worth
of manure judiciously applied to an acre of ground
planted with Indian corn, over and above the usual
quantity allowed for this purpose, would be compen-
sated the first year, in the increased production of
the crop, estimating the corn at one dollar the bush-
el ; and that the additional fertility thus imparted to
the soil, available in the greatly increased produc-
tions of future years, would be the net profit. He
further assured me, and in this I am certain he would
be confirmed by the most successful cultivators in
our county, that the great secret of good husbandry

is LIBERAL MANURING.*

In order, however, to secure the full effect of such
a course of husbandry, it is necessary that the ground
should be properly prepared, and that the nature of
the soil to which the manure is to be applied should
be fully understood. And here is ample opportuni-

* Appendix, A.

12 MR. Huntington's address.

ty for the exercise of all the skill and sagacity of the
most experienced cultivator. He must know the
constituent elements of the substances with which he
is called to deal, else he cannot apply the remedies
which the infirmity of the soil may require. It is
often the case, that the effect of manuring is in a
great measure lost from the shallowness or lightness
of the soil, or the nature of the subsoil. Such lands,
it is sometimes said, will not hear heavy manuring.
The only cure for this description of soils, is to make
them over, in other words, to create a soil. This
operation, however, in the old modes of husbandry,
Avas found to be too expensive, and not such as to
commend itself to any great extent to the judgment
of practical men. Deep ploughing, by bringing up
to the surface the infertile subsoil, and covering un-
der it the vegetable mould of the soil proper, made
long and expensive manuring necessary to create a
soil suitable to the early growth and nurture of
plants. With sufficient time and expense, soils were
reformed in this way. But the invention of the sub-
soil plough, the greatest achievement of modern art,
as applied to agriculture, will enable the Essex far-
mer to convert his sterile soils into fields of fertility
and abundance, with the greatest advantage and pro-
fit.

Many farmers among us complain much of their
light and barren soils. They allege that manuring
does but little good ; that it excites the land for a
short time, and that then the effect is entirely lost.
This is undoubtedly true to a very considerable ex-
tent, and in this way, those richest of the farmer's
treasures, the manures, are partially, and sometimes
almost wholly wasted. This is a sacrifice which the
interests of husbandry can by no means aff"ord. That
mode of husbandry, which leads to such sacrifices,
must be a false and defective one. To the farmer,
therefore, who makes the complaints above suggest-
ed, I would say, reform your husbandry, and use
the instruments which modern art has put in your

MR. Huntington's address. 13

hands for deepening and ameliorating the condition
of those grudging and scanty soils ; and thus lay the
foundation wherein your manures may exert all their
quickening influences. This is no matter of doubt-
ful and uncertain experiment. The subsoil plough,
invented in England, has been used there with the
greatest success. It has also been tried, in a modi-
fied form, in this country, by some of our most en-
terprising cultivators, and commended as one of the
greatest improvements of our times. I believe it
will work a great revolution in our agriculture ; and
that with the aid of subsoil ploughing, and liberal
manuring, many of our now almost barren wastes
will be converted into smiling and fruitful fields.

Deeming this a matter of great importance, and
one worthy of the especial attention of the members
of our society, and of the agricultural community at
large, and believing that many of the soils of this
county, are especially adapted to this mode of culti-
vation, I have taken the liberty of transcribing a note
on this subject, from the first report of our indefati-
gable agricultural commissioner.*

Having considered thus briefly two of the more
obvious modes of increasing the productive powers
of soils, viz: manuring, and altering its texture,
depth, and properties, by tillage and other means, I
shall now advert to another mode, which claims
especial consideration in this county ; I mean, chang-
ing the relation of the soil with respect to moisture.
In looking over the surface of the county, we find
vast tracts of land wholly unproductive. Much of
this land is not susceptible of being brought under
cultivation, except at an expense which would be
ruinous to the farmer, who is seeking the means of
support from working on the soil. But a much lar-
ger proportion of this unimproved land, estimated in
the gross in the reports of the valuation committee
in 1831, at thirty four thousand two hundred and

* Appendix, B.

14 MR. iiunttngton's address.

eighty one acres, is adapted to a most profitable cul-
tivation.

The amount of unimproved land in the county
somewhat exceeds that of English and upland mow-
ing, and is more than double that in tillage. A large
portion of this land, consisting of low, bog, mud, and
peat meadows, is capable of being drained. It is
now absolutely worthless, or nearly so. These
tracts are distributed through the whole county.
Scarcely a farm can be found, which does not contain
some land of this description. If susceptible of drain-
ing at a moderate expense, these lands, in their pre-
sent condition, though producing nothing except
what is offensive alike to the eye, and a just agricul-
tural taste, are intrinsically worth more than the
average of the first class of upland tillage bottoms.
They are virgin soils, and contain vast accumulations
of vegetable deposites, furnishing the best aliment
for most kinds of plants, and especially for grasses.
When drained of the exuberant moisture, and the
soil has been sufficiently exposed to the action of the
atmosphere, they become extremely productive, and
may be kept so at a very inconsiderable expense.
This is not matter of speculation, theory, or book
learning, but of actual and repeated experiments,
made by practical farmers, who have shown us the
results, the processes, and the expense of the ope-
ration. The transactions of our society, as published
from year to year, contain splendid and most en-
couraging examples of this kind of husbandry. Among
the most recent, I refer you to those of Mr. Osborn,
of Lynn, and Mr. Brown, of Saugus. If any farmer
doubt, as to the expediency of this mode of cultiva-
tion, I would ask him to visit these reformed mea-
dows, as I have done, and see them producing every
variety of crop, in the greatest richness and abun-
dance. For three successive years past, in the month
of June, I have seen one of these reclaimed mea-
dows, containing about twenty acres, under the cul-
tivation of Mr. Phinney, the gentleman before refer-

MR. Huntington's address. 15

red to, producing between two and three tons to the
acre of the best English grasses.

This subject cannot be pressed too strongly on
the attention of our Essex farmers. These sunken,
sterile, and unsightly meadows contain mines of
wealth, and require only the hand of the judicious
cultivator to work out the precious metals, in all
sufficient and reasonable abundance. I say, again,
let every farmer, who is blessed with this species of
soil, try the experiment for himself. He may do it
on a more limited scale, if he please. If he is un-
willing to grapple with one or two acres, let him try
one or two rods ; and if he should not be perfectly
satisfied with the experiment after a fair trial of two
or three years, as one of the trustees of the society,
I should not be unwilling to assume the whole ex-
pense of all the experiments that might be made,
and to become, with my colleagues, personally re-
sponsible for such an engagement. I have entire
confidence in the feasibility and profitableness of this
mode of culture ; and I hope I may live to see the
day, when these detached prairies shall become the
gardens of Essex, rejoicing the heart and eye of the
passing traveller, and returning their golden harvests
into the barns and granaries of the husbandman.

Before quitting this topic, I cannot forbear relating
an anecdote, which will illustrate the general views
here presented. Within the last year, an aged far-
mer, who has made himself rich by this mode of cul-
tivation, adopted extensively, many years ago, was
called as a witness before a sheriff's jury, to estimate
the value of a neighbor's land, which had been taken
for a highway. The land was a narrow strip of three
rods in width, running partly over upland tillage of
field, and partly over a meadow, producing coarse and
sour grass. Several witnesses were called in behalf
of the petitioner for damages to appraise these differ-
ent soils, and all of them, except the old farmer,
estimated the upland considerably higher than the
meadow. When he was called, he reversed the es-

16 MR. Huntington's address.

timate ; and the counsel for the county, apparently
surprised at this judgment of the old farmer, differing
from that of all the other witnesses, and thinking he
had caught him napping, exclaimed with a loud voice,
(the old farmer being quite deaf,) "do you presume
to say, sir, that this meadow land is worth $10 the
acre, and more than this valuable field ?" The old
farmer, raised a little by the apparent temper and
spirit of the question, replied substantially as follows.
I may not give the precise words, but I do not mis-
take the substance of the answer. ^' I do presume,
sir, to say so — and I know so, and there is no mistake.
I have worked over these meadows, and know all
about it. I have sold a good deal of English hay from
mine, and I know I get more and better English hay
from my old meadows, than I do from my uplands.
The fact is, there is a bottom and foundation in these
meadows, which we do not, and cannot find in the
uplands, and there is no mistake about it. I do
presume, sir, to say again what I have said before,
and I know it is true."

In this connexion, it may be proper merely to
advert to the improvements, which have been made
within a few years in the cultivation of salt marsh by
ditching, draining and dykeing. There is a large
quantity of this land in the county, fourteen thou-
sand one hundred and thirty nine acres, being just
about equal to the quantity in tillage. It is well
known that a large portion of this salt marsh is com-
paratively unproductive. The experiments, which
have been made, in several instances, at improved
modes of cultivation, in the ways referred to, augur
well for success. If it is found, on farther experi-
ment, that these lands are susceptible of improve-
ment in these or other ways, to the degree, which
the experiments actually made would seem to war-
rant us in expecting, it is obvious that a vastly in-
creased productive power may be obtained from this
source, and considering the amplitude of the source,
it would be difficult to estimate its value or impor-

MR. Huntington's address. 17

tance. I commend this subject to the special atten-
tion of the seaboard farmers, who are mainly inter-
ested in these lands.

Land that is worth cultivating at all, is worth
cultivating well. If, therefore, an individual find
himself in the possession of a farm which will not
reimburse the expense of good husbandry, he had
better abandon it at once, for all experience teaches,
that no man can afford to be a farmer under a system
of bad husbandry. The earth was not made for
thriftless, inefficient, or unskilful cultivators, nor will
it yield to such its full increase.

No farmer should feel that he discharges his whole
duty, unless the effect of his cultivation, is to make
his farm better every year. He may be sure that it
is capable of an indefinite improvement, and his con-
stant aim should be, to increase and multiply its
resources, and productive power. The question
should not be, whether fifty or an hundred dollars'
judiciously expended in labor or otherwise will add
so much to the saleable value of his estate, but
whether he can receive it back again with good in-
terest. His mode of cultivation should not be based
on any idea of the present or prospective value of
his farm in the market, but on that of a permanent
and continued possession from generation to genera-
tion ; and that if he do not reap all the benefits,
himself, he is laying up a certain treasure for his
descendants.

One principal reason, I apprehend, why more
attention is not paid by our farmers to the cultivation
of fruit trees, is that they do not promise an immediate
profit. The trees must be planted — they must be
nursed in their early growth, and some seven or ten
years must elapse, before they will yield any consid-
erable profit. Whereas, the wise and sagacious
cultivator calculates remote as well as immediate profit.
If he sees that fifty or an hundred apple-trees, for
instance, planted by the side of his fields, or in a
lot set apart for this purpose, will begin to yield a
3

18 MR. HUNTINGTON'S ADDRESS.

profit in a period of from seven to ten years ; that
the production will gradually and annually increase
for some ten, fifteen or twenty years; and that then he
may have a matured and full grown orchard, bearing
the choicest and richest fruits, and promising its an-
nual treasures for generations even to come, he is
not deterred from present expenditure from the re-
moteness of the return. What is a thrifty apple-
tree worth, of twenty years' growth, bearing choice
fruit ? (and it is just as easy to have such fruit as
that which is of inferior quality.) What will it then
annually produce in money ? It would not be an
extravagant estimate, to consider a fair average pro-
duction of such a tree, at from seven to ten bushels
of marketable fruit, worth from five to eight dollars,
on an average of prices for the last eight or ten years.
Some trees, in particular seasons, yield much more
than this. I was informed by one of the trustees of
our society, that two apple-trees, known to be over
a hundred years of age, produced, in one year a net
income of about forty dollars.

It is well known, that apple, as well as pear-trees,
with proper care, live to a very great age. Take
then a tree, in good bearing condition, producing
any of the choice varieties of fruit, of fifteen or twenty
years' growth, and what is it worth ? If such a tree
is taken by a railroad company, or by the public for
a highway, the owner then considers it of real and
substantial value, and can prove, that it is worth
from sixty to an hundred dollars. Suppose, how-
ever, the real value of such a tree to be but fifty
dollars, is it not obvious, that a farmer, who is will-
ing to forego present or immediate profit, may by a
small investment in the outset, lay the foundation for
very greatly enhancing the annual productive value
of his farm in the course of a few years ? He may,
in this way alone, double the real and intrinsic value
of his estate. There are, in this county, examples
of eminent success in this course of husbandry. It
IS true, there are risks from the elements, and other

MR. Huntington's address. 19

causes, but if one tree fails, another may grow in its
place ; and with proper skill and care, the actual
value of production, taking a series of years, may
remain without much variation.

It is believed, that the cultivation of all the choice
fruits, to which our climate and soil are adapted,
may be very greatly extended with a certain pros-
pect ;of abundant remunerating profits. A distin-
guished cultivator, in a neighboring county, informed
me that the net income, arising from the sale of his
Isabella grapes alone, three years ago, exceeded that
of his whole farm of one hundred and fifty acres.
Another farmer, who has paid particular attention to
the cultivation of peaches, informed me a few weeks
ago, that his sale of peaches in the Salem market,
the present season, amounted in one week to the sum
of one hundred and twenty dollars ; and that his
peach-trees, for a series of years, have yielded him
an annual income of between four and five hundred
dollars. It is to be considered, that the Essex farm-
er finds a great and constantly increasing demand for
all the choice productions of the earth. He is in the
midst of the most densely populated region in this
country. He has a cash market almost at his own
door for every contribution that he can bring to it ;
and as the facilities of intercommunication are con-
stantly increasing, by the operation of that great
power of modern times, steam, which is effecting a
revolution, in the condition and relations of the
whole civilized world, the only means by which an
Essex farmer especially can successfully withstand
the active competition and conflict which these dis-
coveries are adapted to produce, are improved modes
of cultivation, with particular reference always to the
production of the best article for the market, what-
ever it may be. Our husbandry must be a model
husbandry. We must make up in fertility of skill,
expedients and useful devices, what we lack in the
natural fertility of the soil. In this way, and by
these means, Essex husbandry, which has a cash

20 MH. iroNTINGTON's ADDRESS,

market on her own soil, constantly increasing and
craving all her rich and choice productions, may suc-
cessfully maintain her rightful superiority at home,
and by a gradual and certain extension and develop-
ment of her own inherent resources, preserve it in all
time to come.

One of the principal instrumentalities of effecting
this great and most desirable change and improve-
ment in the condition of our husbandry, is the socie-
ty, whose organ I have the honor to be on the
present occasion. That this society has already
accomplished much good, no one can doubt, who is
conversant with the comparative condition of the
agriculture of the county now, and at the time of its
establishment, twenty two years ago. But it is
quite as apparent that our society is yet in the
infancy of its usefulness. It may be made to wield a
vastly greater influence than it has hitherto done,
by more diligence, zeal and activity on the part of
its members. In the first place, every farmer, not
now a member, and all other citizens, who feel an
interest in promoting its objects, should enrol their
nam^es among its friends and supporters. This is
common ground, on which we may all meet, and
cultivate that mutual confidence and respect, which
the division and animosities of party and political
strife, are too much adapted to interrupt and impair.
•We can here cherish a common brotherhood of
interest^ as w^ell as of mutual regard and esteem.
In this way the social and moral influence of our
society may, continue to be, as it now is, highly
salutary. Important as this consideration may be,
it was not this sort of influence, as a direct object,
to which I referred in the remark just made. This
is one of the incidental benefits of our organization.

The direct and main object of our union, under the
form of a society, is to improve, and extend, as far
as may be, the agricultural resources and wealth of
the county. This object cannot be fully accom-
plished, until all its members, and especially the

MR. Huntington's addhess. 21

practical farmers, consider it a personal and imper-
ative duty to bring- out, and place upon record in our
annual publication, all the valuable I'esults of their
experience. In this way our " transactions" will
exhibit a transcript, as it were, of the agricultural
mind and heart of the county, and thus true know-
ledge, founded on experience, may be multiplied and
diffused.

The wisdom of the world is founded on the expe-
rience of the world. This is emphatically true of
the art, which it is our design to promote. Every
farmer, who pursues his calling with that zeal,
enterprize and intelligence, which all men should
endeavor to bring to the prosecution of their lawful
business, whatever it may be, will learn something
every year, which it is important that others should
know. That something should be communicated for
the common benefit. It should be found in our
records, so as to vbe known and read of all men.
The lights of experience and true knowledge should
not be suffered to expire in one's own breast, but
should shine forth on our published records in all
their richness and variety of coloring, for the illumi-
nation of the general mind.

To this end, let every farmer who has good reason
to believe that in any one thing he is wiser this
year than he was the last, bring up here a brief nar-
rative of the matter, to whatever branch of husban-
dry it may relate ; and if this duty should be fully
discharged by our intelligent yeomanry, abstracts
might be prepared for publication, from such narra-
tives, which would be of invaluable service in ad-
vancing the agricultural interests of the county.
Essays and treatises on the different branches of
husbandry may be made exceedingly useful, and
should occupy more or less space in our annual vol-
ume; but if our farmers, while they avail themselves
to the fullest extent of all the sources of information
at their command, will bring out to the public view,
from time to time, the results of their own expe-

22 MR. Huntington's address.

rience, the boundaries of knowledge will be enlarged,
and an actual progress will be made in the promotion
of this great and paramount interest of society.

I am not calling on you, my friends, to become
authors, but witnesses. I would put you severally on
the stand to testify, from year to year, what you do
know, or have learned about your own business, and
let the judges, to be constituted by yourselves, put
abstracts of that testimony into a suitable form for
publication. In this way true knowledge may be
increased, and the lesser lights of individual expe-
rience may be combined in one great central light,
which shall shine on every hill top, and in every
valley of the county. I cannot press this subject too
earnestly on your attention. I believe this to be the
great sphere of our usefulness, as a society. Not
looking to premiums or gratuities, as the objects of
our labors, but to a greater recompense of reward,
the consciousness of having discharged our whole
duty, let us press forward, in the anxious endeavor
to extend the boundaries of a just and true agricul-
tural knowledge, to be applied in making our own
ancient and honored county the garden and orna-
ment of the state — rich in its various and useful
productions, and the home of a contented, moral,
intelligent and thrifty yeomanry.

APPENDIX.

NOTE

Since the delivery of the foregoing Address, I have had the plea-
sure of receiving the following letter from Mr. Phinney, on one or
two highly important topics of practical agriculture ; and I am hap-
py in having his permission to insert it in our volume of transactions.

Lexington, December 1, 1840.
A. Huntington, Esq.

Dear, sir — The question is often asked, How can
farming be made profitable ? I answer, by liberal
manuring, deep and thorough ploughing, and clean
culture. I will venture to affirm, without fear of
contradiction, that no instance can be cited, where
a farmer who has manured his grounds highly, made
a judicious use of the plough, and cultivated with
care, has failed to receive an ample remuneration
for the amount invested, nay more, that has not re-
ceived a greater advance upon his outlay than the
average profit derived from any other business. One
great difficulty is, that most farmers seem not to be
aware of the fact, that the greater the outlay, to a
reasonable extent, when skilfully applied, the greater
will be the profit ; they therefore manure sparingly,
plough shallow, and the consequence is, get poorly
paid for their labor. This has raised a prejudice
and given a disrelish to the business of farming,
especially among those who are in the habit and

24 APPENDIX.

are desirous of realizing something more from their
occupation than a naked return of the amount ex-
pended.

The farmer who is so sparing of his manure that
he can get but thirty bushels of corn from an acre,
gets barely enough to pay him for the expense of
cultivation, and in addition to this, by the ordinary
method of ploughing, his field, at each successive
rotation, is deteriorating, his crops becoming less,
and in a few years he finds he must abandon his ex-
hausted and worn out fields to seek a subsistence for
himself and family in some other business, or in
some other region, where the hand of man has been
less wasteful of the bounties of nature.

Instead then of his scanty manuring of ten cart
loads to the acre, which will give him but thirty
bushels of corn, let him apply thirty loads. This
additional twenty loads, at the usual price of
manure in this part of the country, will cost him
thirty dollars. But he now, instead of thirty bushels
of corn, gets sixty bushels, and the increased
quantity of stover will more than pay for the excess
of labor required in cultivating and harvesting the
large crop over that of the small one. He has then
added thirty bushels of corn to his crop by means of
the tw^enty loads of manure, which at the usual price
of one dollar per bushel, pays him in the first crop
for his extra outlay. His acre of land, is laid to
grass after taking off the corn, and the effect of his
twenty loads of additional manuring, will be to give
him, at the lowest estimate, three additional tons of
hay in the first three years of mowing it, worth fif-
teen dollars a ton standing in the field. Now look
at the result. His thirty dollars expended for extra
manuring was paid for in the first year's crop, and
at the end of three years more, he will have receiv-
ed forty five dollars profit on his outlay of thirty dol-
lars ; and in addition to this, his land is improved,
and in much better condition for a second rotation.
There is no delusion in this. It is a practical result^

APPENDIX. 25

of the reality of which any farmer may satisfy him-
self, who will take the trouble to make the experi-
ment.

From no item of outlays can the farmer derive so
ample, or so certain a profit, as from his expendi-
tures for manure to a certain extent. This has been
most strikingly verified by some of our West Cam-
bridge farmers. It is not uncommon among some of
the farmers in that town to put on their grounds one
hundred dollars' worth of manure to the acre, and
in more instances than one, the gross sales of pro-
duce from ten acres under the plough have amounted
to five thousand dollars in one season. This is the
result of high manuring and judicious cultivation of
a soil too which is exceedingly poor and sandy.

The subject of subsoil ploughing is one upon which
there has been little said, and less done in this part
of the country. In all our grounds except those
which are very loose and sandy, there is no doubt
that great benefit would be derived from the use of
the subsoil plough. In England the effect of subsoil
ploughing in increasing their crops, as stated by
some agricultural writers, would seem almost incre-
dible. By this means, the crops in that country
have been doubled, and in many instances trebled.
The expense, however, is stated to be very great, so
great, as to be beyond the means of most of our far-
mers. In one case the expense of subsoil ploughing
on a farm of over five hundred acres, was estimated
by the owner, to cost the enormous sum of thirteen
hundred pounds sterling. This calculation took into
consideration the use of the heavy Deanston plougir
which always required four, and, in some stiff clays,
six horses to work it. I am aware that an implement
might be constructed, which though it might not do
the business quite so well, could, nevertheless, be
made highly beneficial in the hands of our farmers,
and obtained at a far less cost. I am informed that
Mr. Bosson, of the Yankee Farmer, has with a high-
ly praise-worthy zeal in the interest of agriculture,
4

26 APPENDIX.

imported from England, a subsoil plough, which may
be worked with a less powerful team than the one
commonly in use in that country.

In a climate like our own, which at that season of
the year when our crops, particularly our root crops,
most need the benefit of moisture that may be deriv-
ed from deep ploughing, and are most likely to suffer
from drought, the use of the subsoil plough would
be attended with unquestionable benefit. On a field
of my own, which had been set to an orchard, and
therefore kept under the plough for some years, in
attempting to under drain a part of it, that was usu-
ally flooded by water in the spring of the year, I
noticed what the English call the " upper crust.'"
This lay some inches below the surface, at the depth
to which the land had been usually ploughed, formed
by the treading of the oxen and the movement of
the plough over it. This I found to be so hard as to
be apparently as impenetrable by the roots of plants
as a piece of marble, and discovered to me at once
the cause of the failure, in a great measure, of my
crop of potatoes the year before. Having discovered
what I supposed to be the cause of the failure, I set
about devising measures to remedy it.

I had never seen a subsoil plough, there never
having been one seen or made in this part of the
country. I consulted my ingenious friends, Messrs.
Prouty and Mears, and, at my request, they made
an instrument of very cheap and simple construction,
consisting of a wooden beam, about three inches
square, and three feet long, with three tines or teeth
of the common cultivator, placed in a direct line in
the beam, extending about eight inches below the
beam; to this handles were attached similar to the
handles of a plough. On trying this by running after
the drill plough, I found, in my hard, stony subsoil,
it was quite inadequate to the business, being too
light and of insufficient strength. I then had one
constructed of similar plan, but much heavier and
stronger. The beam five feet long, six inches square.

APPENDIX. 27

of white oak, well ironed, with three tines in nearly
a right line, made of the best Swedes iron, one and
a half inches square, extending twelve inches below
the beam, with a spur at the foot, some less than that
of the tine of the cultivator, with strong handles and
an iron beam extending from each handle to the
centre of the beam, by which the balance is easily
preserved. This implement, drawn by two yoke of
oxen, followed the drill plough in getting in carrots,
and performed the work better than I had anticipated.
The '■'■upper crwsf gave way, the resistance made
by the hard gravelly bottom and smaller stones was
readily overcome. The earth was loosened in most
places twelve or fourteen inches from the surface,
and though not so thoroughly pulverized as it pro-
bably would have been by a perfect subsoil plough,
yet, in my very hard stony subsoil, I am inclined
to believe, that for simple drill husbandry, this will
be found to be a valuable substitute for the English
subsoil plough. And considering the small price of
the implement, and the greater ease with which it is
worked, the friction being much lessened by dispen-
sing with the sole, I shall continue to use this until
I can find a better. A part of my crop of carrots
was sowed upon the same land, appropriated to that
crop last year; no more manure was applied than in
the previous year, and notwithstanding the very se-
vere drought which greatly injured most of our root
crops, my crop on this piece of land was nearly
double to that of last year. There is no known
cause to which I can attribute this great increase of
the produce, but the use of my new constructed
substitute for a subsoil plough. The soil was stirred
to the depth of fourteen inches, by this means the
roots of the carrots were enabled to strike deep and
thereby not only to find more nourishment, but to
overcome, in a great measure, the effects of a very
pinching drought. With great respect, your ob't.
servant,

E. PHINNEY.

28 APPENDIX.

NOTE. B.

SMITH SUBSOIL PLOUGH.

" t HAVE prefixed to this report two engravings of
modern implements, which, in England are deemed
of immense value; and which bid fair, if adopted, to
be of great importance in om' husbandry; they are the
Smith Subsoil Plough, and the Rack Heath Plough;
both intended for the same object. The original
engravings are imperfect; but they will at least give
a clear idea to our ingenious mechanics of an imple-
ment that is much wanted among us, and I hope,
lead to its early invention. An implement is wanted
by which the cold gravelly subsoil, often found in
our lands, our wet lands especially, may be effectu-
ally stirred and loosened and rendered permeable to
air and water, without, at the same time bringing it
to the surface, where it must require a length of
time and a most copious supply of manure to render
it productive; and also without burying the loam
and richer parts of the soil under the subsoil as is
necessarily done in such cases bj deep ploughing
with a common plough. We want to keep the richer
parts of the soil, that is the mould, on the surface;
where the plants can derive all the advantages pos-
sible from it, and where too, the manure applied to
it will be most efficacious. At the same time it is
important to loosen the subsoil, so that the water
may pass off; and the roots of the plant, if so dis-
posed, may spread themselves into it; and likewise,
that w^e may be gradually but constantly deepening
the upper soil. I have myself seen so much the
importance of doing this that I am persuaded this
invention must be duly appreciated by the farmers.
Its great utility likewise in draining many kinds of
land will be at once apparent. In many instances it

APPENDIX. 29

will completely obviate the necessity of open or
covered ditches. Its utility too in clay soils, but
especially in many of our wet meadows, where the
upper surface is thin and resting upon a hard pan,
cannot admit of a question. It is of course designed
to follow in the furrow of a common plough. The
trenching of ground in considerable tracts in other
countries, and in gardens of our own, has been fol-
lowed with the best effects. Here the soil is dug
thoroughly to the depth of two or three feet; and at
the same time it is so managed, that the substratum
is completely loosened and turned over, and the
rich vegetable mould is returned again to the top,
where it was at the commencement of the operation.
These ploughs are adapted to operate in the same
way as this trenching by the spade. The increase
of crops in grounds thus managed has been always
an ample compensation for the labor. The loosen-
ing of the earth and the consequent removal of the
water and admission of the air, besides affording
room for the expansion of the roots, without doubt
by a chemical action, assists the nourishment and
growth of the plant. The great objection to deep
ploughing has always been, that the cold gravelly
pan was brought to the surface; the vegetable mould
buried beneath it ; and, that it required a great
length of time and an extravagant amount of manure,
to bring the land into a healthy and fruitful condition.
These models are copied from a late number of the
British Farmer's Magazine ; and I subjoin the ac-
counts which are therein given of them."

" The most astonishing effects appear to have been
produced by a new agricultural implement, the in-
vention of Mr. Smith, of Deanster, near Sterling in
Scotland, called the Subsoil Plough. This machine
is a necessary accompaniment to draining; but when
that is done effectively, it seems calculated to render
the most sterile and unproductive soil fertile and
profitable. There is no difficulty more fatal to the
practical farmer than that of cultivating a thin shal-

30 APPENDIX.

low soil with a stiff retentive subsoil. Whatever
pains may be taken with the tillage of the former,
however expensive the dressing which may be used
in its cultivation, the nature of the subsoil will
always counteract its beneficial effects. Many per-
sons have endeavored, by trenching, to obviate this
difficulty, but where the subsoil is of that sterile
nature, and requires exposure to the atmosphere for
so long a period to make it produce, few farmers
have been found bold enough to repeat the experi-
ment. Mr. Smith's ingenious invention by breaking
the subsoil without bringing it to the surface, renders
it pervious both to air and water. The same chem-
ical changes, which take place in a fallow, owing to
its exposure to the action of wind and rain, are thus
brought into operation in the subsoil ; whilst the
upper is in the ordinary course of cropping, and
when, after a few years by a greater depth of plough-
ing, the subsoil is mixed with the upper, it is found
to be so completely changed in its nature as to be
capable of producing every species of grain. The
experiment has been tried for twelve years, and with
uniform success."

THE RACK HEATH PLOUGH.

"The plate introduces to public "notice, what in
my humble estimation, promises to be one of the
most useful inventions ever exhibited to the farmer,
whether of sharp clays, or stiff gravels; and when I
say this, I do not mean in the slightest degree to
disparage the subsoil plough of Mr. Smith. I would
rather include his implement in my encomium; be-
cause the objects of each being the same, viz: loos-
ening not turning up the subsoil, I do not see why
each invention should not have occured simultane-
ously, without either of the authors being chargeable

APPENDIX. 31

with plagiarism. The one is a foot the other a wheel
plough. The public must decide which is best.

"Sir Edward Stracey says, he invented his plough
in the year 1833. He adds, I have broken up near-
ly five hundred acres of heath land with this plough;
my crops have been nearly doubled, the wheat pro-
duced on the land so broken up, has been fine plump
grain, weighing about sixty three and a half pounds
to the imperial bushel; and it has brought the best
price in the market, when before the deep plough-
ing, the land scarcely produced the seed; the wheat
was poor and shrivelled; and as I had no manure to
lay on the ground I can ascribe the goodness of the
crop to nothing but the deep ploughing."

" For planting trees this plough far exceeds dig-
ging, as, by proper management, the soil may be
broken two feet deep all around; instead of the
young trees being crammed into a little hole, where
they have no room to breathe; and the whole may
be done at a fourth, of the expense of trenching.
Some of my neighbors are getting these ploughs for
the express purpose of planting." — British Farmer's
Magazine, for Jidi/, 1837.

REPOHTS, &c.

OF COMMITTEE TO AWARD THE PREMI-
UMS OFFERED BY THE STATE SOCIETY.

The Committee on Animals offered for the State
Society's Premiums, Report :

By the liberality of the Massachusetts Society for
the promotion of agriculture, our society were ena-
bled to offer one hundred dollars to be awarded in
premiums for working oxen, bulls, milch cows, and
heifers, and the claimants were not confined to our
own county. But Essex being at the extremity of
the commonwealth, there was but little competition
from other counties. Mr. Horatio C. Merriam, of
Tewksbury, in the county of Middlesex, presented
some superior animals, which contributed greatly to
the interest of the show.

The committee were assisted in their examination
and award by Mr. Henry Codman, deputed by the
State Society. Eighteen pairs of working oxen were
entered, some of which, however, were not shown
by their owners, A fair trial of the strength and
docility of the oxen was made, and it is not strange
that the committee should have found it difficult to
give a preference among so many fine cattle; they,
however, determined to award.

For working Oxen,
To Dr. Joseph Kittredge, of Andover, the

first premium of ... $12 00

ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS. 33

To Mr. Perley Tapley, of Danvers, the se-
cond premium, of ... |6 00

To Mr. Horatio C. Merriam, of Tewksbury,

a gratuity of ... 5 00

For Bulls.

To Mr. William S. Marland, of Andover, for

his Ayreshire bull, the first premium, of 15 00

To Mr. Perley Tapley, of Danvers, for his

Durham bull, the second premium of 6 00

For Milch Cows.

To Mr. George Spofford, of Georgetown, for
his Durham cow. Flora, the first premium
of 15 00

To Mr. Horatio C. Merriam, of Tewksbury,
for his Durham cow. Spot, the second pre-
mium, of 6 00

For Heifers

To Mr. Horatio C. Merriam, of Tewksbury,

for his heifer, Juno, in milk, a premium of 5 00

To Mr. Horatio C. Merriam, of Tewksbury,

for his yearling heifer, a premium of . 5 00

For the best Cow of native Breed.

To Mr. Albert Johnson, of Lynn, the first

premium of . . . • • 15 00
To Mr. Josiah Crosbj^, of Andover, for his

cow and calf, a gratuity of . . 10 00

Respectfully submitted.

For the Committee,

DANIEL P. KING.

Georgetown J September 30, 1840.

5

34 ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS.

ALBERT Johnson's statement.
To the Committee on Milch Cows,

Gentlemen — 1 present you a milch cow which I
bought of Mr. Draper, of Danvers, April 22, 1839.
He said she was then five years old. She had a calf
with her which I sold when twenty one days old for
eight dollars. We used all we wanted in a family of
eight persons, and sold one hundred and twenty five
dollars' worth of milk, at five cents per quart, from
the 22d of April, 1839, to February 12, 1840.

The present season she calved the 27th day of
March. I then commenced keeping an account of
her milk, and the result is as follows: the calf was
taken from her when nineteen days old, and weighed
twenty five pounds per quarter, sold for six dollars.

From March 27, to May 1,33 days, 1102i lbs. or 441 qts. 430

May 1, to June 1,31 " 1397 " 559

June 1, to July 1,30 " 1337.^ " 535

July 1, to Aug, 1,31 " 1145 " 453

Aug. 1, to Sept. 1,31 " 998.;^ "<■ 399

Sept. 1, to "■ 23, 23 " 359^ " 344

545

522
447
389
335

Total . . 184 6,840 2,736 2,663

or 3 tons, 840 lbs. Averaging, within a fraction of
15 quarts per day, without any estimate of the quan-
tity that the calf took, which was all that he wanted.
The milk sold for five cents per quart, making an
income from the milk, for six months $136 80

From sale of calf, . *. . . 6 00

$142 80

The largest quantity any one day, fifty two pounds,

or twenty quarts one and a half pint. Her pasture,

until the drought came on, was good, after that I

gave her some hay and one bag of shorts. Her milk

ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS. 35

makes the very first rate of butter, as also a large
quantity, the milk is rich and good.

ALBERT JOHNSON.
September 30, 1840.

This may certify that I milked the above described
cow this whole season, and that the amount is cor-
rect and truly stated.

NEHEMIAH JOHNSON.

GEORGE SPOFFORDS STATE ]\IENT,

To the Committee on Milch Cows.

Gentlemen — My Durham cow calved the 4th day
of April last; the calf was kept on the cow five and
an half weeks, and was then sold for twenty five
dollars. The whole quantity of milk she gave from
the 15th day of May, to the 29th day of September
instant, weighed 3,900 pounds. The greatest quan-
tity in any one month, was 1,071 pounds, given in
June; the greatest in any one day, was 48^ pounds.

The quantity of butter made from the first day of
June, to the 26th day of September, instant, was 127
pounds ; 43^ pounds of which was made in the month
of June, when no milk was taken for other uses.
From the first day of July, to the twenty sixth day
of September, three quarts of her milk was used, or
sold daily, for other purposes.

Her keeping has been a common pasture, with six
quarts of shorts in two pails of water per day, to the
twenty sixth of August; since then she has had four
quarts of oat-meal in the same quantity of water per
day. Your ob't. servant, iifj^i v

GEOKGE STOFFORp.

Georgetown, September 30, 1840.

36 ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS.

CHARLES F. PUTNAM's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Milch Cows.

Gentlemen — The cow offered by me for premium
this day, was raised in Vermont, and is six years old.
She calved the twenty fifth of October, 1839, and
the calf was taken away November fourteenth. Her
feed, from the fifteenth November to May fifteenth,
has been English hay and one and an half peck of
sugar-beets per day. From May fifteenth to this
date, she has been in a very poor pasture, and has
had two quarts of Indian meal, or three quarts
ground oats, per day, with hay at night. I have
kept an exact account of the milk taken from her
at each milking since November fifteenth, and shall
furnish you with a copy; I shall also furnish the
expense of keeping, with the amount of sale of
milk. I should be pleased to continue the account
to complete the year, if it meets the views of the
committee.

The cow is remarkably gentle, and her milk is of
very superior quality. Mr. James Holt, of Danvers,
sold me the cow; she was considered superior for
butter, having made in one week 10 lbs. 3 oz., with
her second calf She has had three calves, and will
calve again in March,

I am very respectfully, yours,

CHS. F. PUTNAM.

Salem, Sept. 2Sth, 1840.

Gentlemen — Having kept an accurate account of
the milk obtained from my cow, for which a premi-

ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS.

37

um was awarded at Georgetown, I submit it to be
used as you may think proper.

Qts. Pts. Gills

•om

1839

Nov. 15, to Dec. 14,

433 0 1

a

Dec. 15, to Jan. 13, 1840, 425 1 2

1840

, Jan. 14, to Feb. 12, '

' 405 0 0

Feb. 13, to Mar. 13, '

' 375 1 0

Mar. 14, to Apr. 12, '

' 370 1 3

Apr. 13, to May 12, '

' 342 1 3

May 13, to June 11, '

' 368 1 1

June 12, to July 11, '

' 376 0 0

July 12, to Aug. 10, '

' 302 1 0

Aug. n, to Sept. 9, '

' 275 0 1

Sept. 10, to Oct. 9, '

' 205 1 0

Oct. 10, to Nov. 13, '

' 273 0 1

4214 0 1

being nearly an average of 12 quarts per day for the
year.

This milk I value as follows :

3333 quarts at 6 cents, 199 98

881 " at 5 " 44 05

Gross amount of produce, $244 03

Costs of keeping :

2^ tons of hay at |15, 37 50

68^ bushels sugar beets, 13 05

6 bushels ground oats, 2 88

8 bushels Indian meal, 5 20

Pasturage and driving, 11 00

Milking, estimated 6 cts per day, 21 90 — 91 53

Net produce for the year, $152 50

CHARLES F. PUTNAM,
Salem. December, 1840.

NOTE. — I have compared the foregoing with Mr.
Putnam's book of original entries, made daily, and

38 ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS.

find it to be correct. It forcibly illustrates the im-
portance of selecting animals of the best quality.
The difference between keeping good animals and
poor ones is, that one are profitable and the other
are not.

J. W. P.

JOSIAH CROSBYS STATE IMENT.

To the Committee on Milch Cows.

Gentlemen — I have entered for p:cemium the cow
Countess, and her calf. The cow is a native, has
been fed entirely upon hay and grass. Averages
about sixteen quarts of milk per day ; and her milk
contains an uncommon quantity of cream. Her calf
is five weeks and four days old, was sired by the
Durham hull. Wye Comet, from the celebrated stock
of Hon. John Welles, of Dorchester. The sire of
the bull Wye Comet was sold to Mr. Woodbridge
and others, by Hare Powell, for five hundred dollars.
The calf has fed entirely upon the milk of the cow.

Which facts are respectfully submitted by
Your obedient servant,

JOSIAH CROSBY.

Andover, Sept. 20, 1840.

MR. AV E L L E S S LETTER,

George Hood, Esq.

Dear Sir — It is now about forty years since I be-
gan the raising of cattle. The Hon. James Bow-
doin, my neighbor at Dorchester, purchased of Stew-
art, the painter, a cow, given Mr. S. by Bakewell or

ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS. 39

some of his friends. From this Bakewell cow I bred
for several years, in and in, and had a fine show of
animals, much admired.

The first imported animal was " Coelebs." I
crossed my Bakewell stock first by him. Second, I
then took a cross from " Holderness," a bull import-
ed by Mr. Gorham Parsons. Third, I availed next
of Denton, an animal imported at great expense, by
Mr. Williams, of Northboro'. Having sent much of
my stock up to Northboro' I had them kept there.
Fourth, I then purchased " Admiral," and kept
him several years. Fifth, I then took a cross from
a red bull with a brockled or speckled face, sent out
to the Agricultural Society, by Admiral Coffin.
Sixth, Having thought a new cross expedient, I
presented Admiral to the Worcester Agricultural
Society, and went to Hartford. Here was a fine
young bull, from a male animal, sold to Mr. Wood-
bridge and others, by Hare Powell, for five hundred
dollars. From this bull and an imported cow, I
got of Israel Munson, Esq. a fine young animal,
which I called Young Wye Comet, from his sire.

The cows I have reared from were the Bakewell
cows I have mentioned, and a fine cow, said to have
been imported by Capt. E. Davis.

I believe I have omitted one cross, from a full-
blood bull of Gov. Gore's.

The Bakewell cows gave me a premium from the
Agricultural Society of Massachusetts. The cow
said to have been imported by Capt. E. Davis, gave,
when tied up aside the Oakes cow, more milk than
that celebrated cow; though the Oakes cow's milk
made more butter. I think the Oakes cow's milk
made thirteen pounds of butter ; my cow, eleven
pounds per week, if I rightly recollect. The ac-
count was published by Hon. Josiah Quincy, to
whom I sold her at a high price, J presume mostly
for the experiment.

I am, &c. Yrs. JOHN WELLES.

Boston, October 12, 1839.

40 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILKS.

ON MULBERRY TREES, SILK, ETC.

The Committee on the cultivation of the mulberry
tree, silk, &c,, respectfully report, that after exam-
ining the several claims for premium, they have
voted the following: —

That the premium of $7, for the best specimen of
silk produced within the county be awarded to Mrs.
Harriet M. Tappan, of Newburyport. Not less than
one pound.

That the premium of $10, be given to Mr. Tem-
ple Cutler, for the best conducted experiment on
silks, reeled and manufactured.

That a gratuity of $1, be given to Mrs. D. Foster,
for specimens of silk exhibited in cocoons, reeled,
and a pair of stockings.

That a gratuity of $2, be given to Mrs,

Titcomb, for silk stockings, very fine.

That a gratuity of $1, be given to the Misses
Charlotte and Caroline Larkin, of Byfield, for spe-
ciments of cocoons.

That a gratuity of $1, be given to Mr. Moses P.
Atwood, of Bradford, for specimens of cocoons and
silk-worms at work.

That a gratuity of $2, be given to Mrs. Mehitible
Burbank, of Bradford, for a silk dress, manufactured
by her twenty five years since, when she was rising
seventy years of age. Mrs. Burbank is now at the
advanced age of ninety six, in the enjoyment of good
health and a cheerful mind; the result, no doubt in
a great degree, of the industrious habits which she
has cherished through life.

That the first premium of $10, be given to Mr.
Temple Cutler, of Hamilton, for the best nursery of
mulberry-trees, not exceeding two years' growth.

That the premium of $15, be awarded to Gardner

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 41

B. Perry, for his orchard of mulberry trees, number-
ing between five and six hundred, and being over
three years' growth.

That a gratuity of s^5, be awarded to Mr. Joseph
Foster, of Beverly ; of $3, to William C. Richard-
son, and $3, to Moses P. Atwood, for their nurseries
of mulberry trees, which the committee think have
been cultivated with good success.

With this report of their doings the committee
present to the society the statements made by the
several claimants, and it is only justice to say, that
the committee, as far as they have been able to
examine the articles presented, have found these
statements fully sustained.

The committee would have accompanied this
report with some more extended remarks, but for-
bear, so as to give place for the communication of Mr.
Cutler; observations, coming as they do, from one
whose opportunities for experiments of his own, and
of gaining information from the experiments of oth-
ers, are fully entitled to high consideration, and will
no doubt be justly appreciated by the Society and an;
enlightened community. It would not however be
just to themselves nor to the community at large, to
send out that communication, without observing that
there exists in the committee a diversity of opinion
in respect to the comparative value of the hardy
mulberry trees and those of the multicaulis, in a cli-
mate and soil like those of the county of Essex.
For the Committee,

December, 1840.

G. B. PERRY.

TEIMPLE cutler's STATE :M EN T,

To the Committee on Mulberry Trees, ^c.

Gentlemen — I offer for premium a Nursery of
Mulberry trees, raised from roots and cuttings of
6

42 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

the Perotted, or Morus Multicaulis, consisting of
about 8,000 plants. Most of the original trees were
raised by myself near Zanesville, Ohio, last year,
and taken up in October, while the leaf was still
green and flourishing, packed in boxes with a small
quantity of earth, and arrived here in December.
They were then placed in a cellar and the roots
covered with earth. The latter part of May last,
(not so early by a month as would have been best,)
the branches and stocks were cut into what are call-
ed " single bud cuttings," about an inch in length,
and planted separate from the roots. Every root,
and nearly every bud to the very extremity of the
green branches, vegetated and grew rapidly and
are now from three to over five feet high, with nu-
merous stalks and collateral branches covered with
foliage.

These 8,000 trees include a few that survived a
long passage from the south, in the extreme hot
weather of June. They were then cut up and plant-
ed ; few of these vegetated at all, and those that
did delayed to start till some time in July. These
are not now more than six inches to two feet high.
This disaster, together with the loss of about fifty
ounces of eggs by premature hatching, frustrated my
design of feeding a large nuniber of worms the past
season.

I fed about twenty thousand worms in the early
part of the season, which by accident had prema-
turely hatched, but owing to the misfortune that
happened to my southern trees, I was obliged to
have recourse to the white, and native mulberry, to
aid in bringing my worms to maturity. My Ohio
Perotted trees afforded foliage as early as the native
or white, were devoured more greedily by the
worms, and were procured from the trees with one
quarter part the trouble.

I also present for premium, three small specimens
of silk, from the worms above-mentioned ; reeled
and manufactured in my family. No. 1, is a speci-

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 43

men of raw silk, reeled on a silk-reel of my own
construction, on the principle of the Piedmontire
reel, differing in some measure from any I have seen
described, but it worked extremely well. No. 2, is
a few hanks of sewing silk, reeled as above and
twisted on a common high wheel. No. 3, is a spe-
cimen of stocking-yarn, spun direct from the perfo-
rated and coarse cocoons. The management of
these I conceive very important, as the perforated
cocoons, (such as the miller has been allowed to cut
through for the production of eggs,) have generally
been considered of little use, and even accounted as
waste. The cocoons, and floss with them, were put
into a bag and placed in a kettle with water, and
with one quart of soft soap to about six pounds of
cocoons, and boiled four hours, then taken out and
hung up until thoroughly drained, to eradicate the
water which becomes colored by the skins of the
chrysolite. They were then put again into the ket-
tle, with the same quantity of water and soap, and
boiled one hour, then well rinsed in clear water and
hung out to drain. After draining they were spread
to dry, but not wrung, as this would cause them to
mat together. They were then spun into yarn on a
common foot wheel, by holding the cocoon in the
right hand and spinning from the perforated end.
The yarn, or thread, was then wound into balls,
twisted on a high wheel, and boiled out.

The worms which produced the silk herewith
presented, were hatched on the twenty third,
twenty fourth, and twenty-fifth of June last. The
parent stock from whence these proceeded, were
hatched on the 9th, 10th, and 11th of May, last
year, 1839. They were of the variety called ' Mam-
moth Sulphur,' raised by myself, and the eggs pre-
served on papers where they were deposited by the
miller, were folded up, put in a tin box, not made
air tight, and kept in an upper room until March
last, when they were placed in an ice cellar, in a
temperature of 45 to 50 degrees, Fahrenheit. Three

44 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

days before they were exposed to hatch, they were
placed in a cellar, in a temperature of about 55,
where they began, the third day, to hatch, and the
next morning came out in great numbers on the ta-
ble, in a room where the temperature was 82, that
of the common atmosphere at the time.

I mention these particulars, as great disasters have
befallen the late broods of silkworms, in every por-
tion of the Union, the present season, owing un-
doubtedly to the erroneous management of the eggs,
particularly, in improperly retarding them for suc-
cessive hatchings. These disasters seemed for a
while to threaten to blast the prospects of the great
cause of silk growing in the United States. But a
remedy proposes itself in what is termed the " new
theory," which supposes that the eggs cannot be
retarded a length of time beyond the natural season
for hatching, or forced to premature hatching, with-
out doing violence to the nature of this insect. The
supposition is, that the silkworm, like many others,
is an annual insect, taking just one year to complete
the circle of all its changes and of its existence. All
my experiments tend to aid in demonstrating the
truth of this position. The parent worms from
which my present stock was produced, hatched
spontaneously in a common cellar, just about the
completion of a year from the production of their pa-
rent worms. These worms were unusually healthy,
only twenty out of ten thousand failing to produce
each a cocoon, only 226 of which were required to
make a pound. But their progeny, which I have fed
the present season, it will be perceived, were re-
tarded forty-five days from hatching, beyond the pro-
per time, according to our new theory. These
worms were apparently unhealthy, which could be
perceived on their first hatching. They appeared
dilatory, some died in infancy, and some survived to
the fifth age and then died. Many at that time
manifested a sluggishness, and although many good

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 45

cocoons were formed, yet I do not consider my ex-
periment as successful.

Another lot of worms, whose proper time for
hatching would have been on the 27th of July, but
were forced to premature hatching by being exposed
to the extreme hot weather, about the tenth of that
month, seventeen days before their annual period,
did somewhat better than the first brood, owing, as
I conceive, to being hatched nearer their proper
period.

From all I can collect on the subject, from the
more accurate experiments of others as well as my
own, I come to the conclusion that no difficulty ex-
ists as to keeping eggs for successive hatchings, as
all producers of eggs can easily produce them at the
different seasons required, marking on the papers
on which they are deposited the date of their produc-
tion. It has been found by all experiments promul-
gated, that a week or two variation from the proper
time will make little or no difference as to the health
of the worms. Common sense will suggest all oth-
er precautions necessary in preserving silk worms'
eggs, as every one knows that all kinds of eggs
would be ruined by improper exposure after the germ
has started.

The trees on which I contemplated raising my
worms this season were the Morus Multicaulis, or
" Perotted" Mulberry. They were planted the
last week in May. The leaves at the time I com-
menced feeding were somewhat larger than those of
the native red mulberry, but I was reluctant to rob
the tender branches of these young plants, having
been planted so late, (one month later than they
ought to have been.) I therefore fed from the na-
tive tree, (Morus Rubra) and from the white (Mo-
rus Alba.) I fed also occasionally from my nursery
of Multicaulis, taking only the lower leaves. T found
the worms to eat the latter much more greedily than
either of the other kinds, leaving not a vestige of
them, I conceive, however thus changing the food

46 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

of silkworms a great error, especially in the latter
part of their existence as a worm, it being prejudi-
cial to their health. All will perceive what gluttons
they become in the last ten days before they begin
to spin, and how ravenously they will devour any
different kind of mulberry-leaf given them; which
causes them, sometimes, even to burst.

My feeding shelves were constructed of strips of
lath nailed together at the ends, forming a frame
covered with paper pasted on them; the frames four
feet long and two feet wide, resting on elects so as
to shove in and out at pleasure; these shelves are
one foot apart, seven in a tier. My experience in-
duces me to believe that fifty worms may well be
accommodated to each square foot of shelf.

I have devised various methods to accommodate
the worms in spinning their cocoons, such as bunches
of straw tied In the middle and spread at the ends
and set upright between the shelves; paper cells,
crumpled paper, &c., but find nothing better, or so
convenient as green oak branches with the leaves on,
placed round the feeding shelves. The worms seem
fond of climbing among these, and the cocoons are
as easily gathered as from any I have seen. As to
this however, I do not pretend that my apparatus is
the best that could be contrived; nor am I about to
form a manual for the guidance of others, but felt
myself bound to give the committee my manner of
conducting the experiment in the production of the
silk I have exhibited. Let me here recommend to
all who may wish to commence or pursue the culti-
vation of silk, to procure the Journal of the Ameri-
can Silk Society, published at Baltimore monthly by
Gideon B. Smith, Esq., Editor, and Secretary of the
Society. Mr. Smith exhibits evidence of more actual
experience in the silk culture than any other indi-
vidual in the country. All back numbers for the
two past years may be obtained for $2, and any one
engaged in this business would, I think, find a single
number worth to him the amount paid for a whole

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 47

year's publication. There are many manuals extant,
but they cannot be depended upon for correctness.

My method of managing the silk after the cocoon
was formed, I have given the committee in the ap-
plication for a premium. The reeling and manufac-
turing was performed by my wife and the females of
my family, as handling silk can best be done by
female hands. Indeed, I consider nearly all the
labor of raising silk, after gathering the leaves from
the field, most appropriate for females. And here I
would state my views, that one great advantage in
the silk culture, is to be derived from the circum-
stance, that pursued as a collateral branch of agri-
culture, it will give profitable employment to the
female part of the farmer's family; since the music
of the spinning-wheel and the sound of the shuttle
is no longer heard in our dwellings; and almost every
farmer has more or less help that is inefficient at the
more laborious parts of his business, such as infirm
persons, females, and children; and who could cul-
tivate and reel silk as well as more efficient hands.
It would, moreover, form a delightful task for females
and youths, whose inquiring minds would be thereby
cultivated and enlarged by viewing the operations
of nature in the formation and various changes of the
silkworm. It may be out of place here for me to
speak of the moral tendency of the silk culture, but
I must assure those who have never viewed the
wonderful operations referred to, that if "an unde-
vout astronomer is mad," an undevout silk grower,
must be no less insane.

I am constrained to say, that I felt strong doubts
as to the practicabii ty of the silk culture here, be-
fore I attempted an} experiments, and was carried
along with the tide of opposition that seemed to set
so strongly against this enterprize. But being de-
termined to satisfy myself by actual experience, I
commenced experiments on the first introduction of
the improved varieties of the mulberry; and having
watched with deep interest the progress of this cul-

48 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

ture, and been engaged with some assiduity in ex-
perimenting on the subject, I have come decidedly
to the conclusion that it will become a great and
profitable branch of agriculture, a business of im-
mense importance to us as a nation, and as individu-
als. And should silk one day rival all our other
staple commodities, it would not excite my surprise.
But the business is yet in its infancy, although far
more has been done the present season than its most
sanguine friends contemplated. After encountering
all the opposition generally attendant on any new
enterprize, the silk growers have thus far succeeded
in establishing the fact, if nothing more, that the
business is practicable and profitable in this country.
The sound of " humbug," of " merino sheep mania,"
and of " multicaulis mania," which we have heard,
has been found to be a mere phantom, and has no-
thing to do with practical silk growing. The fact
is, we shall never succeed in raising silk, unless we
try.

Is it to be credited that a people so renowned for
enterprize and industry as those of New England,
would shrink back from even a trial of their skill to
raise silk? Inhabiting a climate, equalled by no
other in the world, except that of China, as to the
great desideratum, (dryness,) excelling all the humid
climates of Europe, where only one half the worms
hatched are calculated to come to maturity, and
where the execrable siroc winds often prevail to
the destruction of whole broods of silk- worms, and
where also, in many of the silk growing kingdoms
the heavy tax of thirty three cents is paid for every
pound of silk raised, and sixteen cents for every
mulberry tree. Favored, as we are, with a free
government, where industry is never taxed, shall we
fear to enter into competition with those foreign
vassals? Should we make the trial, and should we
succeed in introducing an employment that would
tend to keep our young men from wandering away,
leaving the tombs of their fathers, often to find an

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 49

early grave among the infested prairies of the west;
and our young women, from flying to the manufactur-
ing towns to be immured in loathsome prisons,
where all improvement in household concerns with
them must cease ; a great and philanthropic pm'pose
will be accomplished.

I will only add, in conclusion, that from all expe-
riments that have been promulgated, the Morus Mul-
ticaulis seems to be the only tree with which we may
expect to succeed in a profitable cultivation of silk.
Although this tree is classed among the tender vari-
eties of the mulberry, yet, so luxuriant is its growth,
that if taken up in the fall and placed in the cellai",
or buried in the field, and replanted in the spring, it
will produce a pound of leaves to a tree in the same
season of planting. Some may be startled at the
proposal of this extra work of taking up and replant-
ing yearly, yet I can assure any whose fears may be
thus excited, that an acre of these trees may be
taken up, secured, replanted, and cultivated through
the season, at less trouble and expense than an acre
of potatoes can be planted and cultivated ; and if
properly managed, not a tree will be lost. It has
also been found, that the foliage will put forth as
early a.^ if they could be left standing in the field.
As to the product of an acre thus planted the follow-
ing simple elements may be deduced from the prac-
tice of numerous individuals:

1. On an acre of ground maybe planted ten thou-
sand trees.

2. Each tree on land of fair quality, will produce,
on an average, one pound of leaves.

3. One pound of leaves will feed sixteen worms
until they spin.

4. Three thousand worms will produce one pound
of silk.

Thus an acre, containing ten thousand trees, will
produce fifty three pounds of raw reeled silk. I should
not rely on these premises, were they not sustained
7

50 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

by numerous experiments promulgated by men of
undoubted authority, and among them the Rev. D.
V. McLean, of Newhold, New Jersey, who raised
twelve pounds of reeled silk on one quarter of an
acre in 1839, planted with morus multicaulis trees.
Although all my own experiments on a smaller
scale seem to come to about the same result, yet
I much doubt if a proportionate result can be real-
ized on a larger scale. But this remains yet to be
proved.

With regard to the cost of production, Mr. Mc-
Lean observes, that from his experience, he is satis-
fied that silk can be produced at $2 25 per pound,
and is inclined to the belief that it may be produced
at f2. Now, as to this, if the farmer was to charge
each ordinary crop raised on his farm with every
item of expense, board of workmen, rent of land,
manure, &c., at the price usually paid, he would
find the cost more than the value of the produce.
But if silk now worth five dollars per pound can be
produced for two dollars and twenty five cents, here
is a net profit of two dollars and seventy five cents
per pound, or one hundred and thirty seven dollars
and fifty cents per acre, if fifty pound to the acre is
raised. But it was not my intention to go into any
minute estimate of the profits of the silk culture; my
own experience in the production and reeling the
silk exhibited to the committee warrants me in the
belief, that the estimates above referred to, are main-
ly correct, and within bounds. I would only state,
that in the production and manufacturing silk stock-
ing-yarn from floss and perforated cocoons, a sample
of which is exhibited, that I accord with the state-
ment of a quaker lady of York, Pennsylvania, lately
made, that the whole expense of raising and manu-
facturing a certain number of knots or cuts of such
yarn, would be, not more than one quarter the ex-
pense of raising and manufacturing an equal number
of cuts of flax-thread.

I hope, gentlemen, before the conclusion of anoth-

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 51

er year, some persons will be able to give the society
a more perfect account of the state and prospects in
our county of the silk culture, from experiments on
a more extended scale. Mr. Joshua Tappan and
lady, of Newbury, seem to have done the most of
any in the county, within my knowledge, in this cul-
ture; and should they persevere with the assiduity
they have manifested, they ought to be encouraged.
As for myself, if the unavoidable misfortunes which
have interrupted my experiments the present season,
should not again intervene, I shall pursue the enter-
prize in future on a larger scale, and hope to show
the society a better result.

I would only remark, that in my experiments I
have pursued exclusively the natural system, no
artificial heat was employed, and none is required
by this system. It is this, which farmers and all
those who may practise silk growing incidentally
will follow. It is well known that in the silk grow-
ing countries of Europe, it is necessary to create
artificial heat, even to hatch the eggs, that the pea-
sants often carry tliem in their bosoms several days
for this purpose; but in our climate, so congenial to
this culture, nothing of this is necessary, nor is arti-
ficial heat required to promote the progress and
growth of the worm. But when pursued as an ex-
clusive business, it may be well to adopt what is
called the artificial system, as more profit could un-
doubtedly be derived. By the former system, no
thermometers, no stoves for heating the apartments,
and, according to the new theory which has been
before mentioned, no ice-houses, or refrigerators for
retarding the hatching of eggs, will be required.
Any common out-building, or room of the house,
kept clean and well ventilated, will answer all the
purposes required.

I must apologize for making so many general re-
marks, aside from the duty required of me, that of a
simple statement of facts, giving the manner of con-
ducting the experiments for which I have asked a

52 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

premium. But in perusing the published transac-
tions of our society for the several years past, I have
been astonished that so little apparent interest seems
to have been taken in the silk culture in our county.
Less seems to have been done here than in any por-
tion of the United vStates, and, as I believe, few por-
tions are better adapted to the culture. Little has
been said in the transactions except in the general
remarks of a respected member of this committee, in
whose statements I perfectly accord ; and, although
I have decidedly recommended the introduction of
the improv-ed varieties of mulberry, yet we ought
not to lose sight of the just remarks referred to, as
to the management of the white mulberry; for I con-
sider it expedient to continue to plant and cultivate
the latter, especially in hedges to surround the fields
of the multicaulis. And although I should despair
of profitably raising silk with no other tree than the
white mulberry, yet, a considerable business has
been done in Connecticut with this tree alone ; and
it may be found to be valuable in producing early
foliage.

TEMPLE CUTLER.

Hamilton^ September 13, 1840.

Note. — We publish with pleasure, the detailed
experiments of Mr. Cutler, who appears to be zeal-
ously engaged in the culture of silk, because we think
it an interesting subject of inquiry; — but we would
not be understood as adopting the views, so confi-
dently entertained by Mr. Cutler; — on the contrary,
we have much doubt on the subject. But few of the
mulberry orchards, that we have seen in the county,
have been worth preserving.

J. W. P.

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 53

MOSES P. ATWOOD's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Mulberry Trees, SfC.

Gentlemen — I have a nursery of the Morus Mul-
ticaulis mulberry tree, which I should be pleased to
offer for your inspection. They stand on a spot of
land about two rods square, with a southerly aspect,
and number about six hundred. About three fourths
of these have grown from layers, the remainder from
slips, planted about the 8th of May. With respect
to the average height of the lot I. have made no
careful estimate, but in the opinion of E-ev. Mr. Per-
ry, one of your committee, who viewed them, they
would average five feet. They were picked during
the feeding season rather closely, but have since
regained their foliage, and without sustaining injury,
have on the contrary, shot out their branches and
thriven more luxuriantly since the feeding season.
A specimen of the silk raised from them will be
offered on the day of exhibition, for examination.
The feeding from these has been during the present
year a matter of experiment with me, and the' result
is that without considering it wise to place entire
dependence upon them, (for I have the white mul-
berry,) still I think, from the great amount of foliage
they produce, and the convenience and ease of col-
lecting it, that much advantage may be derived from
them.

I am, with respect,

Your obedient servant,

MOSES P. ATWOOD.

Bradford, September, 1840.

54 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

G. B. perry's statement.

To John W. Proctor, Esq.

Dear sir: — I wish through you, to present to the
Essex County Agricultural Society, an orchard of
white mulbery trees for their examination and award.

The trees in this plantation stand one rod apart
each way, vary from five to twelve years in age,
were all cultivated from the seed by myself. They
vary considerably in height, some of them being ten
or twelve feet, where others do not exceed three or
four; the probable average may be seven or eight.
The reason they are not generally taller, is, that they
have been kept headed down in the nursery for the
purpose of feeding the silk worms. They stand now
in a soil of mixed sand and loam, mostly upon a
slaty sub-soil. So far as I understand the subject,
I believe them favorably situated, both for encour-
aging growth, and rich and nourishing foliage. They
were transplanted from the nursery this spring, and
have done well, though the extreme dryness of the
season was unfavorable. A few have died; there
remain between five and six hundred, whch may be
considered as being flourishing and promising to do
well. My intention is to let them throw out lateral
branches, but not to suffer them to grow above ten or
twelve feet. Whether this will prove a well advised
course must await the result of actual experiment.
Respectfully yours,

G. B. PERRY.

Bradford, September 1, 1840

JOSEPH Foster's statement.
To the Committee on Mulberry Trees, ^c.
Gentlemen — I offer for premium an orchard of

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 55

mulberry trees, raised from seed, and now consisting
of about five thousand trees, of the white mulberry.
Five hundred are five years old ; two thousand are
three years, and two thousand are two years ; those
of five years, are from three to six feet high ; those
of three years, are from two to four feet ; and those
of two, are from two to three feet in height. About
five hundred of my trees I raised by heading of them
down. I have found that the best method of culti-
vating the trees, is by taking up the seedlings in the
fall and burying them in the earth about two feet
deep; the spring following, I set them in a nursery,
about nine inches apart in a row, the rows about
two feet apart ; in the fall, dig them up and bury
them again in the earth. The next spring I set them
out as standard trees, in the orchard, about four feet
square apart. The whole labor of cultivating the
trees, is by my own hands.

I offer, also for premium, a hedge fence on one
side of my field, sixty three yards in length, the
north side; and on the south side, forty one yards in
length. I found by Mr. J. H. Cobb's manual that
the white mulberry forms an excellent live fence,
and that once established, is probably the most
permanent of any. He recommends this as ac-
complishing three important objects: supplying food
for silkworms; keeping the trees low, that the leaves
may be gathered by children from the ground; and,
furnishing a good and almost never-ending fence.

The reason, gentlemen, that I send this statement
is, that Mr. Proctor requested me to write it, and he
would forward it immediately. I expect that state-
ment I sent to Georgetown, miscarried.

JOSEPH FOSTER.

Beverly, October 10, 1840.

56 ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

MRS. RURBA-NK's statement.

To the Committee on Mulberry TreeSy S^c,

Gentlemen — Agreeably to your request I send
you the particulars of Mrs. Mehitabel Burbank's
commencement in the raising and manufacture of
silk.

A Mr. Jacobs brought the eggs from India, and
she obtained them in 1815. Some mulberry trees
had been planted on her land some years before by
a Mr. David Burbank, who was a tenant in her
house. Where he obtained them I am not able to
inform you. Mrs. Burbank was seventy years old
when she commenced, and in the course of two years
raised the silk and made the gown that has been
lately exhibited at Georgetown; besides silk gloves,
and sewing-silk, a considerable of a quantity. Being
ignorant of the art of reeling silk, she was obliged
to pick the silk from the cocoon, and card it, and
then spun it on a linen wheel, and wove it in a com-
mon loom. The gown was colored and dressed at
Mr. Morse's mill in Bradford.

She is now living in Bradford, and was ninty five
years old last April. She is the widow of Samuel
Burbank, who was ensign in Baldwin's regiment, in
the revolution of 1776; came home on a furlough in
1777, and died of the small-pox. Mrs. Burbank,
likewise, had the small-pox, and has since been
pressed for a nurse in pest houses. She has been a
widow sixty three years, and followed the last of her
children to the grave thirty years ago; and has been
a member of a church forty years. She now enjoys
very good health, and enjoys a ride of several miles
as well as many young persons,
Yours in esteem,

J. W. REED.

Bradford, November 12, 1840.

ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 57

ON LIVE FENCES.

To John W. Proctor, Esq.

The committee acting at your suggestion on the
subject of live fences, after having examined the fence
offered by Mr. Joseph Foster of Beverly, the only
one presented, respectfully Report:.

That in their opinion the fence is not of sufficient
length nor is it so well " trimmed and filled " as to
entitle Mr. Foster to either of the premiums offered
by the society, yet as they thought it would in
" beauty and economy,'' prove of great service to the
county to have such fences extensively cultivated,
and supposing the society would wish to encourage
every well intended enterprise as a means of for-
warding this improvement, the committee recom-
mend that a gratuity of five dollars be given to Mr.
Foster for his pieces of live fence of eighty yards.
By the committee,

December, 1840. G. B. PERRY..

ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

The committe on Improved Agricultural Imple-
ments Report:

That the only improved implements exhibited for
their inspection, were three ploughs of Prouty &.
Mears' patent, one of the larger and two of the
smaller class. The reputation of these ploughs is

58 ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

exceeded by no others, wherever they have been
used. Their superiority consists in the length and
curvature of the mould board, by which the sod is
turned unbroken, and laid entirely flat, instead of
angular. The beam is also so constructed that the
draft is applied with the best possible advantage. —
The work done by these ploughs at the ploughing
match was very good, and your committee would
recommend a premium to be given to Mr Samuel J.
Barker, of Andover, who entered the ploughs, but
are restrained by the terms of one of the rules of the
society, which require that the improved implement
shall be the invention of the exhibitor, in order to
entitle him to the premium.

ALLEN W. DODGE,
September 30, 1840. DANIEL MOULTON.

To J. W. Proctor, Esq.

Dear sir — I accompanied the old gentleman from
the meeting-house, on cattle-show day, as you re-
quested, and examined the horse hand rake, an
invention of his son, who was with him and who was
prevented from exhibiting it at the usual time, by his
inability to find the committee. If you recollect, no
other member of the committee but myself was pre-
sent. Mr. Moulton acted with me, in examining the
ploughs, as will be seen by the former report. You
can add the following to that report, if it can con-
sistently be done.

Yours, respectfully,

ALLEN W. DODGE.

Hamilton, October 5, 1840.

To the Trustees of the Agricultural Society.

Gentlemen — At a late hour and after making the
above report, Moses Noyes Adams, of Newbury,

ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 59

exhibited to one of the committee for a premium, a
wheel hand rake, of which he claims to be the in-
ventor, and which appears, by the certificates annex-
ed, to have been used and approved by practical
farmers.

This rake is altogether different from the horse
rake, but like that, is a great labor-saving machine.
It is propelled by hand, by means of a pair of long
handles or shafts, by which it is pushed along. The
wheels are two feet in diameter, and support an
axle-tree from eight to ten feet in length. To this
axle-tree the teeth, thirty four in number and of
steel, are attached; they are about eighteen inches
long, slightly curved upwards where they meet the
ground, and at their junction with the axle-tree
have a slight play up and down, so as to pass stones
and other obstructions without injury or impediment.
A number of upright iron rods, say a foot long, are
also inserted in the axle-tree, to receive the hay as
it is taken up by the teeth. The only operation
necessary for dropping the hay after the rake is filled,
is to draw the rake towards you ; by depressing the
handles or shafts, the teeth, on the opposite side,
are elevated, and you pass on without any material
delay. In this particular, the wheels perform an
important part, facilitating the passage of the rake
over the hay thus deposited. Indeed, by means of
the wheels, the rake glides along easily and rapidly,
requiring not so much labor as the common hand
rake to use it, while the work it performs is three or
four times greater in amount.

It is, therefore, recommended that the premium
of ten dollars be awarded Moses N. Adams, of
Newbury, for his wheel hand rake. Whether or not
it shall accomplish, on longer trial, the objects it
designs and come into general use, it certainly evin-
ces so much ingenuity in its plan and construction,
as to merit the encouragement of this society.

It was with surprise, not to say regret, that no
other agricultural implements, the new fruits of do-

60 ON AGIUCULTURAL niPLEMEXTS.

mestic skill, were observed at the fair, At the an-
nual fair of the Royal Society of England, held in
July last, the show of implements embraced no less
than eighty six different ploughs, numerous thresh-
ing machines for horse and hand power, straw
cutters, harrows, scarifiers, mowing machines, drill
barrows, &c. It is true, that the premiums offered
by foreign societies are well adapted to call forth
invention and skill, and to excite competition. For
example, in the list of premiums offered by the
Scotch Agricultural Society for the present year,
(nearly three hundred in number,) is one of twenty
five hundred dollars for a steam machine for plough-
ing.

The agricultural societies of New England have
no such splendid rewards to offer; but they stand
ready to foster, as they are able, native talent, and
to usher before the public eye, the results of its la-
bors. Let, then, the mechanics, and the farmers of
Essex county set their wits at work in devising and
executing a larger number of improved implements
for farming. Yankee ingenuity is busy in all the
other departments of industry; that there is room
for improvement here cannot be denied; that other
countries are going ahead in agricultural mechanics
must also be acknowledged. Shall New England ;
shall Essex county fall in the rear in the rapid march
of agricultural improvement?

ALLEN W. DODGE.

Hamilton, October 5, 1840.

Copy of Certificates.

I have used Adams's Wheel Hand Rake and found
it to be of great utility. I believe I can rake six
acres in the same time that two acres can be raked
by a common hand rake.

WILLIAM C. LANGLEY.

Newbunj, October 1, 1840.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 61

I hereby certify that Moses N. Adams has raked,
with his wheel hand rake on two different lots of
marsh for me, (in all I should think to the amount of
two and a half acres,) and finished his work with
unusual dispatch and to my perfect satisfaction.

EBENEZER LITTLE.

Newbury, October 1, 1840.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

It is said by our modern astronomers, that there
has been a regular succession of warm and cold
seasons for the last century, and according to their
calculation, the warm summers commenced, in 1837.
Be this however as it may, we find fruits generally
to have ripened earlier this season, than in the two
previous years; cherries, which ripened in 1838 and
'9, from the 4th to the 10th of July, were gathered
the present year in June. Regarding the past sea-
son we have seldom, on the whole, known a more
prolific one. Notwithstanding the early drought and
the multiplicity of insects upon our trees, causing
fruits to fall prematurely, it is gratifying to your
committee to find so many exhibited, showing an
increased attention to this department of cultivation.
They believe that as a source of income, no pursuit
could be more safely relied upon, than the cultiva-
tion of the finest winter apples, peculiarly suited to
our region. We say peculiarly suited, for, while we
acknowledge that the Newtown Pippen of Long
Island, and Pennock's fine winter Apple, of Penn-
sylvania, with some other southern varieties, the
fruit of which we occasionally receive, are very su-
perior, yet, when grown with us, are inferior to our

62 ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

Baldwin, Rhode-Island Greening, Minister, Hub-
bardston Nonesuch, and some others. The -finest
table apple known in the warm climate of Italy,
(and which was exhibited here, this morning,) is
with us, an indifferent cooking fruit. Your com-
mittee have endeavored to ascertain the name of
each contributor, but in the hurry and bustle atten-
dant on such occasions, there may have been some
omissions.

Andrew Dodge, of Wenham, presented pears,
apples and quinces of twenty one varieties. Gard-
ner B. Berry, of Bradford, exhibited ten varieties of
apples and pears. Robert Manning, of Salem, sent
in fifty four kinds of pears and apples. Charles M.
Brown, of Byfield, one barrel of fine Baldwin apples,
marked " Blush Apple." They were, however, the
true Pecker or Baldwin.

Fine specimens of fruit were exhibited by E. Em-
merton, Salem ; Eben'r Smith, Beverly ; Peabody
Russell, Boxford ; Humphrey Nelson and James
Peabody, of Byfield ; Augustus Putnam, Danvers ;
Moses Pettingel, of Topsfield ; Abel Nichols, Dan-
vers ; I. B. Bateman, Georgetown ; Simon Ward-
well, Andover ; Miss Ellen B. Dodge, Salem ; Wm.
Oakes, Ipswich ; A. L. Peirson and John M. Ives,
Salem.

Fine Corn was shown by Daniel Putnam, John
Preston, and Abel Nichols, of Danvers ; William
Osborn, of Saugus ; Andrew Dodge, and John Col-
by, of Bradford ; and Jacob F. Davis, of Newbury.
Your committee could only notice particularly a few
specimens. The eight-rowed variety of Wm. Wil-
liams, of Rowley, and John Preston, of Danvers,
was good, particularly the former. The brindled
corn (or Gov. Hill's famous variety) of Daniel Put-
nam, and which had obtained a former premium of
this society, was fine ; the bundle numbered 2, har-
vested by cutting the stalks at root, was bright, and
we thought heavier than No. 1, which was harvest-
ed in the old way.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 63

There were as usual a number of mammoth
squashes, from the following contributors : Jona.
Buxton, Samuel Balch, Erastus Ware, Samuel C.
Hodgdon, J. Emerson, and Samuel Jenkins.

There was a larger collection of Flowers, particu-
larly the dahlia, than at any former exhibition.
They were from Wm. Oakes, of Ipswich, George
Spofford, of Georgetown, and Francis Putnam and
Henry Wheatland, of Salem. The two last mention-
ed numbered seventy five varieties. Your commit-
tee were highly gratified in witnessing this rare dis-
play of beauty ; it is surprising to see the endless
varieties which have taken place in this beautiful
flower since its introduction from Mexico. We
have now all the shades of red, yellow, purple,
and from pure white to almost black, but as yet no
blue, a color which will probably never be found,
because blue and yellow being the primitive colors
of flowers, and always exclusive of each other, no
blue flowers can change to yellow, nor yellow to
blue.

The following gratuities are recommended by your
committee: — To Francis Putnam, two dollars; J. M.
Ives, three dollars; Samuel Balch, Humphrey Nelson,
Andrew Dodge, G. B. Perry, Ephraim Emmerton,
A. L. Peirson, Ellen B. Dodge, Samuel Jenkins,
Josiah New hall, Erastus Ware, Jonathan Buxton,
Samuel Putnam, and Edward Lander, one dollar
each; Robert Manning, William Williams, and John
Preston, one dollar and fifty cents each; Moses Pet-
tingel, two dollars.

At no previous time were there such facilities for
the disposal of good winter apples and pears. There
is no danger of overstocking the market. Railroads
and steamboats have opened the way for the disposal
of large quantities in the cities of our own country,
and also in Europe. Our apples bring good prices
in England. The question is often asked, why do
not our farmers attend more to orcharding? We
apprehend one cause to be in the difliculty of raising

64 ON MILGII COWS AND HEIFERS.

Stocks from seed, as so many are often winter killed.
Now, although Coxe, Forsyth, and others have de-
precated the practice of raising stocks from suckers,
we prefer them particularly for pears; their roots,
running more horizontal, are not inclined, as are
seedlings, to penetrate deeply into a bad subsoil;
one of the most practical cultivators of pears in our
country is of this opinion, as by far the greatest pro-
portion of trees which have died with him have been
worked upon seedlings. If this theory is true, as
we presume it is, how readily could our farmers ob-
tain stocks; fine, straight shoots are frequently seen
growing from two to five feet from the body of their
trees, which could be taken up early in the spring,
and budded in August. They should, however, be
planted not in a retired and shady nook of their
fields, but in their best mellow and rich soil, placing
the rows from four and a half to five feet apart, and
keeping the ground free from weeds.

On a review of this abundant season which is now
about to close, we should be filled with gratitude to
Almighty God, who has crowned the year with his
mercy and loving-kindness.

Respectfully submitted.

For the committee.

JOHN M. IVES.

Decembe?', 1840,

ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS.

The Committee on Milch Cows and Heifers,
Report:

That they recommend that the society's first pre-
mium of ten dollars for the best cow, be awarded to
Charles F. Putnam, of Salem.

ON MILCH cows AND HEIFERS. 65

Second premium of six dollars, to Albert John-
son, of Lynn.

Third premium of four dollars, to Hobart Clark,
of Andover.

That the first premium of six dollars, for two
year old heifer in milk, be awarded to Daniel Putnam,
of Danvers.

Second premium of four dollars, to Parker M.
Dole, of Newburyport.

Also, the first premium of three dollars for the
best yearling heifer, to Edward Crowninshield, of
Danvers.

Second premium of two dollars, to William Thur-
low, of West Newbury.

Twelve cows were entered for premium ; three
heifers in milk, and twenty one other heifers. The
exhibition of cows was unusually large, and several
of these animals possessed remarkable excellence. —
Your committee were embarrassed in relation to the
best cows, by the fact that Mr. Putnam's calved in
October, and Mr. Johnson's in March; thus bring-
ing the best Milking time of Mr Putnam's cow in
winter — a season less favorable for a large yield of
milk than the summer. Mr. Johnson's cow gave
more milk per day during some months of the year,
than Mr. Putnam's; but in the seventh month of the
milking of Mr. Putnam's cow, she gave 24 quarts
more than Mr. Johnson's in the sixth month of her
milking — rendering it probable that Mr. Putnam's
cow would yield the larger quantity in a year. —
Another fact was embarrassing. The statements of
Messrs. Putnam and Johnson give us the yield in
milk, while Mr. Clark gives his in butter ; conse-
quently it was difficult, if not impossible, to make a
satisfactory comparison. Two other cows, one own-
ed by George Spofford, of Georgetown, the other by
Josiah Crosby, of Andover, were very good.

DANIEL PUTNAM,
CHAS. F. PUTNAM,

September 30, 1840 SILAS MOODY.

9

66 ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFEES.

MR. Clark's statement.
To the Committee on Milch Cows.

Gentlemen — The cow which I offer this day for
exhibition is ten years old. I purchased her from a
drove when a yearling. She calved the present
season on the 28th day of May, and her calf was
taken from her when three weeks old. The milk of
this cow, the first week, produced fourteen pounds
of butter; the second, twelve and three fourths. Her
first week's produce is present for your inspection.
She has had nothing during most of the season but
common grass feed. The average weight of her
milk now is twenty pounds. Her calf is present
with her. Her age is four months and three days.
I am, with respect,

Your obedient servant,

HOBART CLARK.

Andover, September 30, 1840.

DANIEL Putnam's statement.
To the Committee on Milch Cows.

Gentlemen — The heifer I offer you for exhibition
this day was two years old in March. She has given
milk since the 30th of June. She gave in nine
weeks, (from the 27th of July to the 28th of Septem-
ber,) 570 quarts, averaging 9 qts. per day; the ave-
rage quantity of butter is about 5 lbs. per week. —
She has been fed the same as the rest of my cows.
Yours with respect,

• DANIEL PUTNAM.

Da?ivers, September 30, 1840.

ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS. 67

R. H. chandler's state ]\i en r.

To the Committee on Milch Cows.

Gentlemen — The heifers that I offer to your
notice, are three years old. I purchased them from
a drove, April 15th, 1839, for twenty-one dollars
each; they were then low in flesh, and as they gave
milk till April, and calved the present season in
June, and have had no extra keeping, are not in so
good case as they ought to be. Speck calved June
5th; we began to milk her the last of the month; —
the weight of her milk in the best of the season was
seventeen to eighteen pounds a day; she gave a
good mess through autumn and winter; we milked
her till the 5th April; she calved the present season,
June 28th; we began to milk her, 10th of July;
she gave, in the best of the season, from twenty to
twenty-one pounds; she now gives sixteen to seven-
teen pounds per day. Rolla calved June 24th, and
gave eighteen to twent}' pounds, the best of the
season. She did not do as w^ell through autumn and
the first part of winter; the latter part of the time
she did well ; we milked her till 20th April; she
calved the present season 20th June; she gave in
the best of the season twenty one to twenty two
pounds per day; she now gives thirteen to fourteen
pounds per day. We have set the milk, part of
each, so we are satisfied that it is of good quality.
They suffered in the dry part of the season, both for
feed and water. They have had no new feed this
autumn.

Yours in esteem,

RALPH H. CHANDLER.

Andover, September 30, 1840.

68 ON THE DAIRY.

PA.RKER 1\I. dole's STATE ]\IENT.

To the Committee on Milch Cows

Gentlemen — This is to certify that I have kept a
daily account of milk taken from my cow, from third
May, 1840, to twenty eighth September, instant,
(inclusive;) that the quantity is ten hundred ninety
nine quarts, or two hundred seventy four and three
fourth gallons. That she calved on the first day of
May. Said calf was taken from her and killed at
three weeks old, and weighed nineteen pounds per
quarter. Said cow was two years old last April.

PARKER M. DOLE.

Newburyport, September 29, 1840.

The subscribers residing in the neighborhood of
Mr. P. M. Dole, certify that the above statement
signed by him, is in our opinion correct.

EBENEZER STONE,
STEPHEN S. HODGE,
DANIEL LAKEMAN,
W. B. BANISTER.
Newburyport, September 29, 1840.

ON THE DAIRY.

The Committee on the Dairy, are happy to
Report:

That the dairy women of the county have done
more to enrich our show the present season than on
former years. There were ten regular entries for
premiums on butter, and several parcels were found
not entered. The quality of the butter generally.

ON THE DAIRY. 69

was quite good; much of it was superior. The
committee have had not an unpleasant, but a diffi-
cult labor to decide who are best entitled to premi-
ums. Between the June butter offered by Dean
Robinson, of Newbury, and that by Daniel Putnam,
ofDanvers, there was little if any difference; but
the committee decided, after awarding the Septem-
ber premiums, to recommend that your first premi-
um, of eight dollars be awarded to Dean Robinson,
of West Newbury; the second, of six dollars, to
Daniel Putnam, of Danvers; the third, of four dollars,
to Jesse Putnam, ofDanvers. A firkin of June but-
ter offered by William R. Putnam, of Wenham, was
very good, and inferior by very little to that which
is recommended for the third premium. There
were also, specimens of very fair butter, by John
Preston, ofDanvers, Mrs. M. Wardwell, of Andover,
and others.

For September butter, your committee recommend
that the first premium of ten dollars be awarded
to Daniel Putnam, of Danvers. They would, if
guided solely by the quality of the butter, recommend
the second premium to Peabody Ilsley, of West
Newbury ; but as no statement of cows and process
of making accompanied this butter, the committee
recommend that the second premium of eight dollars
be given to Mrs. R. Buttrick, of Haverhill. Speci-
mens of good September butter were offered also by
Mrs. M. Wardwell, of Andover; Mr. John Preston,
of Danvers ; and very fair butter was offered by
many others.

On cheese, your committee were not so heavily
tasked. There were four entries. We recommend
the first premium often dollars, to Isaac Carruth, of
Andover. The second would be properly bestowed
upon James Peabody, of Georgetown, had he given
us the statements which the rules of the society re-
quire. This omission of Mr. Peabody causes us to
recommend the second premium, of eight dollars, to
Mrs. William Thurlow, of West Newbury. A sam-

70 ON THE DAIRY.

pie of good cheese was exhibited also by Mrs. R.

Buttrick, of Haverhill.

JOSEPH HOW,
ALLEN PUTNAM,
JOSHUA BALLARD,
BENJAMIN SCOTT.
Georgetown, September 30, 1840,

To J. W. Proctor, Esq.

Sir — Having been unable to attend the meeting
of the board of trustees in December, I submit the
following considerations relating to the management
of dairies.

The first and most essential point to be gained is to
procure good cows. It costs no more to feed a good
cow, than a poor one. And the comparative result
of their produce at the close of the year, makes
a most essential difference in the profits of the farm-
er. Suppose one cow to give one quart at a milking,
or two quarts per day, more than another, the milk
being of equal quality; and this milk to be estima-
ted worth two and a half cents per quart, and this
to continue 200 days — here would be a difference of
ten dollars in the produce of the two cows. This
rule applied to a dairy of fifteen cows, would equal
the sum of $150 — half as much as the net annual
income of a majority of the farmers in the county.

The quality of the milk is a consideration not less
important than the quantity. Those, who never
have tried the experiment of setting different cows'
milk separate, have very imperfect ideas of their
comparative value. I have known some cows that
five or six quarts of their milk would raise cream
sufficient to make a pound of butter. I believe this
was stated to be true of the Oakes cow, from the
milk of which was made twenty pounds of butter a
week for several successive weeks; and I have heard

ON THE DAIRY. 71

the same of others. But ordinarily, it takes ten
quarts of milk to yield a pound of butter. It there-
fore becomes a point of great importance, in select-
ing cows for the making of butter, to obtain those
whose milk is adapted to this purpose.

The manner of feeding coios is a point not to be
neglected, in the management of a dairy. Good feed
not only increases the quantity of the milk, but it
improves the quality; and of consequence the butter
and cheese produced therefrom are better also. The
kind of food used is also to be regarded. Every
dairy-woman knows that the milk will indicate the
kind of food used; therefore those kinds of food
which leave the best flavour in the milk should be
selected. When cows have been fed on cabbages or
on turnips, who has not tasted the peculiarities of
these vegetables? When they are fed on indian
meal, on carrots, or on beets, — it is fair to presume
that these articles become incorporated with the
milk also. I do not presume to say which of these
articles is the most valuable to be cultivated for the
feeding of cows ; though I hope in this age of ex-
periments, with so many inducements as are now
held out for the trial, it will not be long before some
of our farmers will give us satisfactory information
on this subject.

The manner of milking also demands attention.
Cows should be milked about the same time each
day; and they should be milked quick and clean. If
a portion of their milk is suffered to remain, this will
soon diminish the quantity, and the cows will dry up.
It is bad policy to trust milking to children, for they
usually do it moderately and imperfectly, and more
is lost thereby than would pay the best of laborers.

The place for the setting of the milk, is also worthy
of attention. This should be cool, well ventilated,
and exclusively appropriated to this purpose. For
if it is permitted to be occupied in part for other
purposes, some things will find their way there which
will be injurious to the milk. It should also be

72 ON THE DAIRY.

properly lighted. Cream will rise more favorably
in a light than in a dark room, and the quality of it
Avill be better. Therefore a dairy room above
ground is preferable to a cellar. The room should
be carefully guarded, by the use of wire gauze, or
some other substance at the windows, against the
approach of insects or intruders of every kind. The
milk should be set in pans uncovered; as the cream
will not rise so freely when there is a cover over the
pans. Care should be taken not to fill the pans full,
especially in warm weather, as the cream will rise
quicker and better when the milk is spread over a
larger surface. The sooner it rises and is removed
from the milk the better; and this should always be
done before the milk begins to turn sour. When
the cream is taken off, it should be kept in tight
covered vessels, in cool places, until the churning
process; and this should always be before any sour-
ness or mould is discoverable.

Much care should be taken to separate the butter-
milk thoroughly from the butter. More depends on
this than any other part of the process in making good
butter. Unless this is done, it will be impossible to
preserve it sweet and good. If our dairy-women
would apply double the labor to half the quantity
of their butter, and thereby thoroughly remove all
particles of butter-milk, this one half would be worth
more than the whole in the condition it is usually
sent to the market. As this is a matter that inter-
ests every farmer, and every lover of good butter,
(and who does not love it when it is fair and nice?)
I have presumed to forward these remarks. You
will use them as you think proper.

Respectfully Yours,

JOSEPH HOW.
Methuen, Jan. 6, 1841.

Note. — What I have said in relation to the work-
ing of butter, is to be understood, in relation to such

ON THE DAIRY. 73

butter as had the proper previous management.
For if the butter comes soft, it may be worked ever
so long, and not become hard and good ; al-
though it may be improved by working. Butter
that comes well will be fit for immediate use with
very little working. But if it is to be kept, care
should be taken that the buttermilk is thoroughly
removed.

It was my intention to have said something on
the feed of cows. But my remarks have already
extended so far, I will simply say, that there is
no feed on which cows can be kept, that will make
better butter, than a first rate pasture; such as a-
bounds with English grasses. When this supply fails,
let the deficiency by made up by green corn-stalks.
Farmers will do well to plant some corn extra, for
this purpose.

The present winter, I have boiled roots for my
cows, such as turnips and sugar beets, to which I
add a little Indian meal. This food when properly
prepared and seasoned with salt, is well received by
the cows, and improves the flavour, and increases,
the quantity of their milk. J. H.

DANIEL PUTNAM S STATEMENTS.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — I offer a firkin of June butter,
containing forty five pounds. Process of making.
The milk is strained into tin pans ; it stands
from thirty six to forty eight hours, according
to the weather, when the cream is taken off*, put
into tin pails and occasionally stirred. We churn
twice each week; when the butter is gathered, the
buttermilk is drawn off"; the butter is rinsed in two
waters; then is taken out, worked over in part,
salted, (1 ounce of salt to a pound of butter) and set
10

74 ON THE DAIRY.

aside for twenty four hours, when the working over
is completed. Put directly into the firkin, and a
little salt sprinkled over what was put down each
week. The firkin stood through the summer in the
cellar.

DANIEL PUTNAM.

North Danvers, September 29, 1840.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentleimen — I have brought for your examination
two boxes of September butter, containing twenty
six pounds. I know not that there is any thing
peculiar in the process of making this butter. The
milk is strained into tin pans; it stands from thirty
six to forty eight hours, according to the weather;
when the cream is taken off", put into tin pails and
occasionally stirred. We churn usually twice each
week; when the butter is gathered, the buttermilk
is drawn ofi*, the butter is rinsed in two waters; then
is taken out, worked over in part, salted, (one ounce
of salt to a pound of butter, and set aside for twenty
four hours, when the working over is completed.

From May 20 to June 10th, I milked six cows;
from the last date to August 1, the number was
'seven; through the month of August eight; and in
September nine — averaging perhaps seven. Three
of these were two year old heifers, and one three.
From these cows I have made, since the 20th of
May, six hundred and eight pounds of butter; have
sold seven hundred and sixty eight quarts of milk;
have used in the family probably eight quarts per
day, or nine hundred sixty quarts. The pasture in
which my cows feed is poor, but they have been fed
at the barn every day upon hay, green oats, or
green corn stalks, besides about two quarts of cob
meal per day to each cow.

DANIEL PUTNAM.

North Danvers, September 29, 1840.

ON THE DAIRY. 76

AMOS SHELDEN's STATEIVIENI'.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — The three boxes marked A. S.
contain forty two pounds of butter, it being the pro-
duce of eight cows and four heifers for ten days,
ending the 27th of the present month. The cows
have been kept upon common pasture only; all of
them had calves in the spring; there was nothing
peculiar in the management of the milk and cream,
or in making the butter, the milk being kept in tin
and earthen pans, and skimmed after standing
forty eight hours, and the cream kept in earthen
pots until churned, after which it is immediately
washed twice in pure water, and then salted; after
remaining twelve hours is worked over until all the
buttermilk is extracted.

Yours respectfully,

AMOS SHELDEN.

Beverly, September 30, 1840.

JOHN PRESTONS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — The butter which I offer for the
society's premium is in two stone pots, one parcel
of which was made in June, the other in September.
The quantity contained in each exceeding twenty
five pounds. The milk was kept in tin pans on the
bottom of a deep cellar, paved with smooth stone,
and permitted to stand as long before skimming as
possible, without becoming sour. The cream was
then taken off, put into stone jars, and placed in a
brick vault, two feet below the cellar bottom. This

76 ON THE DAIRY.

was the daily process, and at the end of a week, the
butter was churned, worked, and salted with one
and a quarter ounces of salt to the pound. It was
worked once on each of the two succeeding days,
when it was put into the pots. In addition to the
salt in the September butter, was put one quarter of
an ounce of loaf sugar to the pound.

Respectfully yours,

JOHN PRESTON.

North Danvers, Sept. 30, 1840.

W I L L I A I\I R . P U T N A ]M S S T A T E ]\I E N T .

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection a firkin
of butter containing sixty three pounds, made in the
month of June. It was made from the milk of eight
cows, which had no other feed than a common pas-
ture; the milk was strained into tin pans, and kept
in the cellar about sixty hours before the cream was
taken off, which was put into tin pails and a little
salt put in. It was churned once a week. When
the buttermilk was drawn from the butter, it was
thoroughly rinsed in cold water; then taken from
the churn, and the buttermilk extracted from it;
and one ounce of salt to one pound of butter put in;
then in twenty four hours it was worked over again;
then it was put in the firkin and kept in the cellar
until to-day.

From R. C. Winthrop's farm, by

WILLIAM R. PUTNAM.

WenhoMy September 29, 1840.

ON THE DAIRY. 77

MRS. R. BUTTRICK's STATE RIENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy

Gentlemen — In behalf of Mrs. R. Buttrick, I
present, for your inspection, two firkins of butter,
made by her on my farm in Haverhill. The dairy
consisted of five cows, one two year old, and two
three year old heifers, one of which came in the last
of July ; making eight in all ; and from the milk is
to be deducted what was used in a family of six
persons. The cows had common pasture feed only,
excepting that they were fed with stalks in Septem-
ber. The smaller firkin contains forty three pounds
of June butter, and is a part of two hundred and
fifty three pounds, made from the 20th May to the
first of July, when she commenced making cheese.
The larger firkin contains sixty five pounds of butter
made in September; being a part of one hundred and
seventeen pounds, made from September 8th, to
September 28th. Mrs. Buttrick's process is to let
the milk stand until the froth settles, then carry it
to the cellar; and after it has stood a proper time to
skim it, then to suspend the cream in the well to
render it cool, before churning; which is done three
times per week. When chm*ned, she washes the
butter in cold water, salts it, sets it in the cellar till
the next day; then works it until the buttermilk is
out, on three different days ; then lays it down in
the firkin, sprinkling a layer of salt between each
layer of butter.

Mrs. Buttrick, also, sends for your inspection
three cheeses, weighing eighty five pounds; being a
sample of thirty one cheeses, weighing seven hun-
dred and eighteen pounds, made from the above
cows in July and August. The process of making is
the same as that fully detailed in the Society's
Transactions for 1839; and is, therefore, not repeat-

78 ' ON THE DAIRY.

ed. The cows, I think, not quite so good as the
same number last year, and, owing to the drought,
the feed was unusually short.

Yours with respect,

J. H. DUNCAN.
September 30, 1840.

ISAAC CARRUTH'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — The cheese I offer for inspection,
was made from the milk of five cows. Three gave
milk the past winter, and one was dried in July;
which we consider but four cows through the sea-
son, and have used milk necessary for a family of
eight persons. Their feeding has been grass only.
Weight of butter one hundred and sixty pounds; —
weight of new milk cheese, two hundred and seven
pounds ; of four-meal, three hundred and forty
pounds. The process of making is the same as
stated heretofore.

Respectfully Yours,

ISAAC CARRUTH.

Andover, September 29, 1840.

MRS. H. B. SPOFFORD's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection, two
boxes of butter, containing twelve and fourteen
pounds; being a specimen of two hundred and forty
pounds, made from two cows and one heifer since

ON THE DAIRY. 79

the 15th June, all three of the calves being taken
off at that time. The milk used in the family has
been from one to two quarts daily. The cows as
yet have had no other feed but common pasturing.
After scalding the pans thoroughly, the milk is
strained into them, and set in a cool place having
the fresh air constantly upon it, where it stands from
twenty four to thirty six hours, as the weather
varies in temperature; the cream is then taken off
and kept in a cold place — churned once a week.
When taken out of the churn, get as much of the
buttermilk out as possible. Salted to the taste, with
salt pounded fine. In twenty four hours it is worked
over till freed entirely from buttermilk, with spat-
ters.

Yours with respect,

Mrs. H. B. SPOFFORD.
Georgetown, September 24, 1840,

JESSE PUTNAMS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — I was in hopes to have been with
you to-day, but my health will not permit. I send
you two parcels of butter, which I offer for the
society's premium, if found deserving a premium.
No. 1 firkin, made the first part of June, contains
forty one pounds of butter. No. 2, earthen pot,
made the latter part of June, and contains thirty six
pounds.

The manner of making and preserving the above,
was as follow^s : the milk, after taken from the cows,
was strained in tin pans, and remained a suflScient
time for the cream to rise, and then taken off before
the milk was sour, and put in earthen pots, and
remained in them until churned, which was twice a

80 ON THE DAIRY.

week; the butter was taken out and worked over
and salted with fine salt and four ounces of loaf su-
gar to every twenty pounds of butter, then put in
the well or ice-ceilar, and remained about twenty
four hours, and then worked over the second time,
and put in firkins. Our cellar being very dry and
warm, instead of putting the butter in the cellar, as
is usual, I put it in the well, in order to keep it cool.
I put it about twenty feet below the surface of the
ground, and there it has remained until yesterday,
when it was taken up.

The above is humbly submitted, by

JESSE PUTNAM.

Danvers, September 30, 1840.

DEAN ROBINSON'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — The tub of butter entered for pre-
mium, is a part of the quantity made from the milk
of two cows, between the first of June and the 9th
of July last. The cows were milked night and
morning; the milk strained into tin pans, kept in a
cool place above ground. The cream taken off
while the milk was sweet, kept in tin vessels in the
cellar ; churned once a week, well worked as taken
from the churn and salted. In twenty four hours
worked again with the hands, and put into the tub,
which was kept in the cellar until two weeks past,
when it was brought up. The tub contains fifty
eight pounds. About fifty four ounces of the' best
salt that could be obtained, and forty ounces of the
best refined sugar were used for the tub of butter.
I am, with respect,

Your obedient servant,

DEAN ROBINSON.

September 30, 1840.

ON PLOUGHING. 81

M A 11 G A 11 E T A\'A 11 1) \\^ E I. L' S S T A T E I\I K N 'I' .

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection, three
firkins of butter, one of June, of twenty five pounds,
two of September, of forty five pounds. I have
made, since Monday of last week, fifty five pounds
of butter, from six cows. I have now one gallon of
cream; have thirty two pans of milk on hand. Our
cows have had no feed but common pasturing till
since haying; they have had a few small lots of fresh
feed. I have managed with my butter much as for-
merly. I am very particular about working out all
the buttermilk from the butter when it is first
churned.

Yours with respect,

MARGARET WARDWELL..

Andover,. September 30, 1840...

ON PLOUGHING.

I. With Double Teams.

The Committee on Ploughing with Double Teams,,
respectfully Report: That ten teams were entered
for premium, eight only ploughed, namely: Joseph
Goodridge, of West Newbury, Jedediah H. Barker,
of Andover, Perley Tapley, of Danvers, Hobart
Clark, of Andover, Andrew Towne, of Andover,
Samuel F. Barker, of Andover, Alexander Davidson,
of Andover, and Jacob F. Davis, of Newbury.
11

82 ON PLOUGHING.

The lot selected for ploughing was a lot of pasture
land of Samuel Brocklebank's, a part of which was
very rooty, with some small bushes, and difficult to
plough; and the committee are of opinion, consider-
ing the quality of the land, that the ploughing will
not suffer by a comparison with the ploughing of any
former years.

The land was laid or marked oif in lots, and num-
bered from one to nine, beginning at the north side.

Lot No. 1, was not drawn by any one, but was
taken by Jedediah H. Barker, by consent, (he hav-
ing drawn No. 9, which he relinquished to accom-
modate a single team,) which he ploughed with
Prouty & Mears' plough, in fifty four minutes, with
twenty three furrows.

Lot No. 2, was drawn by Andrew Towne, which
he ploughed in fifty minutes, with Ruggles Sl
Nourse's plough, with twenty two furrows.

Lot No. 3, drawn by Alexander Davidson, which
he ploughed in sixty minutes, with a wooden plough,
with iron mould board, with twenty four furrows.

Lot No 4, drawn by Hobart Clark, was ploughed
in fifty minutes, with Ruggles &l Nourse's plough,
with twenty three furrows.

Lot No. 5, drawn by Samuel F. Barker, which he
ploughed in forty four minutes, with Prouty &, Mears'
plough, with twenty two furrows.

Lot No. 6, drawn by Joseph Goodridge, which
was ploughed in forty five minutes, with Howard's
plough, with twenty two furrows.

Lot No. 7, drawn by Jacob F. Davis, which he
ploughed in forty one minutes, with wooden plough,
with iron mould board, with nineteen furrows.

Lot No. 8, drawn by Perley Tapley, which was
ploughed in forty five minutes, with Moore &l Ma-
son's plough, with twenty four furrows.

After the best examination which the committee
were able to make while the teams were ploughing,
and a more particular examination of the several
lots after they were ploughed, and the teams had

ON PLOUGHING. 83

left the field, the committee were unanimous in
awarding the premiums to the following persons, viz:
First premium to Joseph Goodridge, of

West Newbury, of . . . $12 00
Second premium to Jedediah H. Barker,

of Andover, of ... 10 00

Third premium to Perley Tapley, of Dan-

vers, of 8 00

Fourth premium to Hobart Clark, of An-
dover, ..... 6 00
After determining to whom the several premiums
offered by the society should be awarded, the com-
mittee would state, that in their opinion, some of the
ploughs used were of superior construction and
workmanship, viz: the one used by Samuel F. Bar-
ker, and also the one used by Jedediah H. Barker,
of Prouty &L Mears' make, as also those used by
Hobart Clark and Andrew Towne, of Ruggles &l
Nourse's make, all which we believe, in common
ordinary ploughing would work well.
For the committee,

ANDREW DODGE.
Georgetown, September 30, 1840,

II. With Single Teams.

The Committee on Ploughing with Single Teams,
Report: That the following persons entered their
teams for premium, and ploughed, namely: —

William Foster, Jr. of Andover, Moses Pettingell,
of Topsfield, Nathan Tapley, of Danvers, Perley
Tapley, of Danvers, Joseph C. Putnam, of Danvers,
Simeon Dole, of Georgetown, Nathaniel Berry, of
Andover, Samuel F. Barker, of Andover.

The committee are of opinion that the ploughing
was quite equal to any former years, considering the
unevenness of the land ; part of it being stony. It

84 ON PLOUGHING.

was with difficulty that the committee determined to
whom to award the premiums, the ploughing was so
equal on a number of the lots.

The competitors for the premium, ploughed each
one, the quantity required.

Perley Tapley, ploughed twenty four furrows in
twenty eight and a half minutes. Joseph C. Putnam,
twenty five furrows, in twenty eight minutes. Wm.
Foster, Jr., twenty furrows, in forty three minutes.
Simeon Dole, twenty one furrows, in thirty one mi-
nutes. Nathan Tapley, twenty four furrows, in
thirty three minutes. Moses Pettingell, twenty two
furrows, in thirty six minutes. vSamuel F. Barker,
twenty furrows, in thirty one minutes. Nathaniel
Berry, twenty one furrows, in twenty nine minutes.

After a careful examination, the committee came
to the following result, viz: —
First premium to Perley Tapley, of Dan-

vers, of $10 00

Second premium to Joseph C. Putnam, of

Dan vers, of .... 8 00

Third premium to Moses Pettingell, of

Topsfield, of ... . G 00

Fourth premium to Samuel F. Barker, of

Andover, of .... 4 00

All which is respectfully submitted.
For the committee,

WILLIAM JOHNSON, Jr.

'September 30, 1840.

III. With Horse Teams.

Your committee appointed to award premiums to
the horse teams, would state, that of the three teams
entered, only two performed. Mr. William Jones,
having withdrawn, for want of land to plough.

ON FAT CATTLE. 85

Mr. Seth Kimball, ploughed with his own team,
used Prouty & Mears' centre draught plough, per-
formed his labor in a workmanlike manner ; com-
pleting his land, an eighth of an acre, in thirty six
minutes; and is entitled to the first premium of eight
dollars.

Mr. Alexander Becket, ploughman, with the team
entered by Mr. William S. Marland, and A. Drys-
dale, Scotch iron plough, had a more rough and
rocky division of land, plough not well fitted for
such land, yet showed himself to be a workman, and
had his team under good command, performed his
labor, satisfactorily, in forty six minutes, land two
feet narrower than his competitor. He is entitled
to the society's second premium of six dollars.

SAMUEL PRESTON,

September 30, 1840.

RUFUS vSLOCOMB,
RICHARD JAQUES.

ON FAT CATTLE.

Your committee on fat cattle have attended to
the duty assigned to them, and Avould make the
following Report:

Your committee find but two oxen which they
think deserving a premium. One exhibited by Jo-
seph Yeaton, from Colman's farm, in Newbury,
which is entitled to the first premium. The other,
exhibited by Peabody Russell, of Boxford, received
the second premium, last year, consequently cannot
this. One cow only offered. We see as good or
better, almost daily, and think her not entitled to a
premium. We would recommend to the farmers of

86 ON BULLS.

Essex county, to give more attention to beef cattle.
The premiums offered are liberal, and will warrant
extra attention to their stock.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

RICHARD ADAMS,
JOSEPH NEWELL,
JAMES CAREY.
September 30, 1840.

ON BULLS.

The committee on bulls, have attended to that
duty, and ask leave to Report:

That the whole number of bulls, and bull calves,
entered, was twenty, the quality of which, taken as
a whole, was good; many of them fine animals, and
show an improved attention to this class of stock.
Your committee have found it rather difficult where
there are so many competitors and so few premiums
offered on this class of stock, to do justice to their
own feelings. They would, therefore, say here that
if they have made many large mistakes in their con-
clusions, they may be considered errors of the head
and not of the heart.

Your committee recommend that the first premi-
um of eight dollars be paid to William S. Marland,
of Andover, for his full blood Ayrshire bull, and
that the second premium of six dollars be paid to
Francis Dodge, of Danvers, for his red, two years
old bulL

The committee would farther state that Mr. Hora-
tio C. Merriam, of Tewksbury, presented a fine bull

ON OXEN AND STEERS. 87

and bull calf, for exhibition, for which he is entitled
to the thanks of this society.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

AMOS SHELDEN,
JOHN PRESTON,
DAVID MIGHILL.
September 30, 1840.

ON OXEN AND STEERS.

The committee on working oxen and steers, hav-
ing attended to the duties assigned them, ask leave
to Report:

That twenty one pairs of oxen were entered for
premium; that the exhibition of their drawing, which
was over an ascent of about four degrees, and of
loads, in a good degree, proportionate to the size of
the teams, one wagon being loaded with about three
tons, and the other with about two tons, was very
good, and fully proved their superior training and
discipline.

Your committee recommend that the first premium
of ten dollars, be awarded to Dr. Joseph Kittredge,
of Andover, for his brindle oxen, seven years old.

The second, of seven dollars to Hobart Clark,
Esq., of Andover, for his red oxen, four years old.

And the third, of five dollars to Nathan Tapley
of Danvers, for his red oxen, six years old.

Your committee examined ten pair of steers from
one to three years old, and recommend that the first
premium of seven dollars, for steers three years old,
be awarded to Jedediah H. Barker, of Andover, and
the second of five dollars, to William Williams, of
Rowley.

88 ON SWINE.

The first premium of six dollars, for steers two
years old, to John F. Carlton, of Andover; and the
second, of four dollars, to Daniel Hoyt, of Haverhill.

The first premium of four dollars, for steers one
year old, to Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover.

The second, of two dollars, to Dr. Joseph Kit-
tredge, of Andover.

Per order of the committee,

ASA T. NEWHALL.

September 30, 1840.

ON SWINE.

The committee on swine, having attended to the
duty assigned to them, to the best of their ability,
Report :

That they award the first premium for the best
boar, to Thomas E. Payson, of Rowley. The sec-
ond premium for boar, to J. L. Noyes, of George-
town.

They award the first premium lor breeding sow,
to Thomas E. Payson, of Rowley. Second premium
to William Williams, of Rowley.

For the best litter of weaned pigs, they award the
first premium to Thomas E. Payson, of Rowley.

Second premium, to William Williams, of Rowley.

They also recommend to Nathan Tapley, of Dan-
vers, Perley Tapley, of Danvers, Colonel Newell,
of West Newbury, a gratuity of three dollars each
for litters of pigs; and to John Hall, for four shoats,
a gratuity of two dollars. They also recommend a
gratuity to Horatio C. Merriam, for a boar and sow,
of five dollars.

The committee were very much gratified with the
exhibition of swine, it being much superior to that

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 89

of any former year. The animals exhibited were
very numerous, and if the number of premiums
offered by the society had been greater, they
would have been happy to have awarded them to
other competitors, for many of the other pigs pos-
sessed great merit. They have not time to speak
of them all particularly, and therefore do not speci-
fy any. They think however, that the litter of pigs
offered by T. E. Payson deserve particular notice,
being in the opinion of the committee decidedly su-
perior to any of the other animals offered, and supe-
rior to any thing as a litter of pigs, all from the same
sow, that they have ever seen.

AJl which is respectfully submitted.
For the committee,

WILLIAM S. MARLAND,
September 30, 1840.

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

The committee on domestic manufactures, having
attended to their duty, beg leave to Report:

They have the pleasure of stating that the number
of entries in this department exceeded those of pre-
vious years, and that as large an amount of skill and
taste was manifested in their execution. The dis-
play of hearth rugs was numerous, and many of them
were of exceeding beauty. The specimens of
wrought lace and muslin were good, many of them
surpassing any of previous years in their execution.
The committee met with the same difficulty the pre-
sent, as at the last exhibition, in deciding on the
hearth rugs; where all were so handsome, they knew
12

90 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

not which should have the preference, they have,
therefore, given many gratuities on them.

They witness with pleasure the continued interest
the ladies take in adding to the exhibition speci-
mens of their skill and taste, and have unanimously
awarded the following premiums and gratuities: —
For the best piece of carpeting, to Miss
Sarah A. Stevens, of West Andover,
first premium, of ... $5 00

To Mrs. Dorcas French, of North Ando-
ver, for the second best, the second
premium, of .... 3 00

To Mrs. Charity C. Dummer, of Newbury,

for piece of carpeting, a gratuity of 1 00

For the best specimen of woollen cloth, to
Eunice Killam, of Boxford, first pre-
mium, of .... . 3 00
To Hannah Shattuck, of Andover, for one

pair blankets, a gratuity of . . 2 00

To Mrs. L. H. Killam, of Boxford, for a

piece of cloth, a gratuity of . . 1 00

For the best specimen of table linen, to
Mrs. Phebe Ballard, of Andover, first
premium, of .... 4 00

Hearth Rugs.

To Melinda D. and Mary B. Tewksbury,

of West Newbury, first premium, of 3 00

" Miss Nancy Woodbury, of Beverly,

second premium, of . . . 2 00

'' Miss Harriet S. Lunt, of Newbury-

port, a gratuity of ... 1 00

" Miss Elizabeth Hale, of Newbury, a

gratuity of .... 1 00

" Mrs. Dorcas Hale, of Newbury, a gra-
tuity of 1 00

" Miss Lydia N. Dole, of West New-
bury, a gratuity of . . . 1 00

" Mrs. Phebe Jewett, of Newburyport,

a gratuity of .... 1 00

ON DOMESTIC Manufactures. 91

To Mrs. Sarah Couch, of Newburyport,

a gratuity of ....

To Mrs. Martha Whitmarsh, of Beverly,
a gratuity of ....

" Miss Adeline How, of Ipswich, a gra-
tuity of
" " Eliza H. C. Huse, of Newbury-
port, a gratuity of
" " Anna B. Potter, of Beverly, a

gratuity of .
" " Nancy Woodbury, of Beverly, a

gratuity of .
" " Sarah Presby, of Beverly, a gra-
tuity of ....
" Hannah D. Woodbury, of Beverly, a

gratuity of ....

" Mrs. C. Ward, (three rugs) of Salem,

a gratuity of ....

" Rebecca Newman, of Newbury, a

gratuity of ....

" Hannah Hale, of Newbury, a gra-
tuity of .... .
*' Mrs. Lydia C. Dodge, of Wenham, a

gratuity of .
" " Lois Thurlow, of West Newbu-
ry, a gratuity of .
*' Nancy Sargent, of Salem, a gra-
tuity of ....
" Miss Hannah Moulton, of Beverly, a

gratuity of ....

" Anna Burnham, of Essex, a gratuity of
" Mrs. Albert Lackey, of Salem, "
For the best specimen of woollen hose, to
Nancy Cleves, of Beverly, first pre-
mium of .... .
To Mrs. Dorcas Hale, of Newbury, for
hose, a gratuity of
" " Susannah Goodrich, of W. New-
bury, for hose, a gratuity of
" " Paul Bishop, of Newburyport,
two pair hose, a gratuity of

11

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

3

00

1

00

0

50

0 50

92 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

To Mrs. Bailey, of West Newbury, aged

89 years, for five pair cotton hose,

a gratuity of ....

" Eunice Andrews, of Boxford, for two

pair hose, a gratuity of
For the best wrought counterpane, to Mrs.

Mehitable Ballard, of Andover, first

premium of ....

To Miss Syrena Putnam, of Dan vers,

second premium, of . . .
To Mrs. E. Morse, of Newburyport, for

counterpane, a gratuity of
To Mrs. Josiah Marden, of Newburyport,

for counterpane, a gratuity of
For the best specimen of wi'ought lace,

to Miss Rebecca E. Page, of Dan-

vers, first premium, of
To Mrs. E. B. Whittier, West Amesbury,

second premium, of . . .
To Hannah D. Woodbury, Beverly, for

knit cap, a gratuity of
To Lucy S. Adams, of Beverly, for

wrought cape, a gratuity of
To Mary E. Hildretii, of Beverly, for

bead bag, a gratuity of
To Mrs. Myra Abbot, of Bradford, for

wrought cape, a gratuity of
To Mrs. E. Cleveland, of topsfield, for

two pair of silk hose, a gratuity of
To Myra G. Parker, of Newburyport, for

wrought collar, a gratuity of
To Mrs. E. Smith, of Beverly, for wrought

work bag, a gratuity of
To Mrs. A. Kittredge, of Beverly, for

wrought work bag, a gratuity of .
To Abby C. Dow, Newbury, for speci-
mens of wrought work, a gratuity of
To Sarah L. Nelson, Georgetown, for

wrought shawls, a gratuity of
To Miss Eliza P. Fowler, of Danvers, for

wrought lace veil, a gratuity of

$

50

0

50

4

00

2

00

1

00

1

00

3

00

2 00

1

00

1

00

0

50

1

00

1

00

1

00

0

50

0

50

0

50

1

00

1

00

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 93

To Mary Ann Putnam, of Danvers, for

wrought lace veil, a gratuity of . ^1 00

To Mrs. David Hopkinson, Bradford, for

wrought lace veil, a gratuity of . 1 00

To Mrs. Judith Colby, aged 91 years, of
West Newbury, for two shirts, a gra-
tuity of 0 50

To Mrs. Emily P. Fowler, of Danvers, for
two wrought cricket covers, a gratu-
ity of 1 00

To Rebecca P. Eveleth, of Danvers, for
two wrought cricket covers, a gratu-
ity of . . . . . 0 50

To George Dawson, of Ipswich, for one

pair of boots, a gratuity of . 1 00

To Mrs. Myra Abbot, of Bradford, for va-
rious pieces of wrought work, a gra-
tuity of 1 00

To Mrs. Lucy Holt, of Andover, for

wrought dress, a gratuity of . 1 00

To Louisa S. Kimball, of Bradford, for
wrought collar and needle book, a
gratuity of .... 1 00

To Eunice Cleaves, of Wenham, for net

shawl, a gratuity of ... 1 00

To Mrs. James Tewksbury, of West New-
bury, for wrought quilt, a gratuity of 1 00

To Caroline E. Bradstreet, of Newbury-

port, for wrought lace, a gratuity of 1 00

To E. J. Bowditch, of Salem, for work

bag, a gratuity of ... 0 50

To Ira S. Tyler, of Georgetown, for dress-
ed leather, a gratuity of . . 1 00

To Col H. K. Oliver, of Salem, for bee

hives and box of honey, a gratuity of 4 00

To Messrs. D. &l J. Pulsifer, of Salem, for

painted carpets, a gratuity of . 2 00

All which is respectfully submitted.
For the committee,

I. P. PROCTOR.
Georgetown, September 30, 1840.

94 ON' CULTIVATION OP CROPS.

ON CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

The committee on the cultivation of crops to
whom were referred the three claims which are an-
nexed, after considering the same, have concluded
to Report:

That they award the premium of ten dollars, to
Mr. Stuart, and they recommend that a gratuity of
five dollars to each be paid to Messrs. Putnam and
Dodge.

It is understood that entries of other claims were
made which have not been prosecuted. The com-
mittee regret that such should be the case, especial-
ly as it may have been occasioned by a failure in the
anticipated abundance of the harvest. But even if
such have been the events, it might still be useful to
know to what causes the disappointments have been
owing. The point to be gained by the publication
of statements and reports, is to render cultivation
more intelligent, by communicating to the whole the
experience of each. So far as there has been any-
thing peculiar, or in the nature of an experiment in
the mode of rearing the crop which has failed, it is
perhaps equally important that the details of the
cultivation should be laid before the public, as
if the result had been one of complete success.
That course of culture would then cease to be an
experiment, and the intelligent farmer would be
careful to avoid a repetition of the same error.
All experience in human affairs must of necessity
consist of evil as well as of good, and the record
that contains only the good, and omits all history of
the evil, cannot but be imperfect. But if any im-
provement in the annals of Agriculture is desired in
this respect, it is perhaps only to be accomplished
by a change in the principles upon which premiums
are awarded.

ON CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 95

A great crop may be the result of merely fictitious
circumstances, and the skill or judgment of the cul-
tivator may have very little to do with it. An
abundant harvest from a fertile field in a favorable
season, proves little more than that the cultivator
did nothing to impede the operations of nature.
The largest possible production must require the
best soil; agricultural skill is independent of the soil
on which it is exercised, and displays itself in over-
coming the difficulties of the ground, and rendering
it, in spite of them, subservient to its interests and
purposes. Premiums should be awarded upon evi-
dence of merit in the conduct of the crop. It is
very easy to be perceived that as much pains may
have been taken, and as much ability displayed in a
field, which from some unforeseen cause, from the
soil, from the seed, the ploughing, the manure and
the season not being all adapted to each other, or
from any peculiar unfitness in any two or more of
them, which has limited the produce to a medium
yield, as in another which has afforded one of the
largest crops. Take for instance corn or maize,
of which there are reckoned about one hundred and
thirty kinds or varieties. Each of these has proba-
bly its choice of soil, and may also prefer a certain
depth of soil, a sort and quality of manure, a season
of planting, hoeing, &c., peculiar to itself, and which
may be requisite in order to its highest state of
perfection. It is well known that different aspects
of the same mountains, and the different soils of
adjoining fields have for centuries produced wines of
very great diversity of quality and value. The
established character of the wine is maintained by
the greatest nicety in the cultivation of the vine, and
a settled course of culture is carefully adhered to.
It is perhaps strange that science should have aided
luxury so long and so much, and should have so long
neglected those subjects on which the ease and
comfort of the community depend. We have every
reason to suppose that there is an adaptation between

96 ON CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

the variety of the soil, and some kinds of corn, which
if discovered would promote the value of the pro-
duce, and which in the perfection of agricultural
science would be readily discoverable. It is very
common to hear men expressing a preference for one
kind of corn over another, but it is not often that
anything is said which would show that it is thought
that the different nature of the soil on different farms
has any connexion with the success or failure of cer-
tain varieties of corn.

Indeed, rules of adaptation would be the necessa-
ry result of a knowledge of the chemical qualities of
the soil cultivated, of the manures applied, and of
the properties requisite to the best development of
the seed.

Much has been of late spoken and written upon
the wages of labor. It seems to have been assumed
on all hands, that labor is much better paid in this
country than in Europe, and that the elevated
condition of the American laborer is owing to this
fact. If these opinions are true, and of this there
is some doubt, they are neither true to the extent
that they are generally entertained. To say that so
much is paid per day for labor is an arbitrary meas-
ure of the value of labor. The true measure is to
see how much work is performed for a given sum.
The American laborer has ordinarily greater bodily
strength and much more physical endurance, united
with an energy or spirit almost wholly wanting to
the European. Besides these he is more ingenious
in the application of his strength, and commonly has
put into his hands an instrument far more convenient
and effective than is used for the same purpose in
Europe. The laborers upon the Prussian railroads
may be seen toiling with slow and spiritless motion,
turning up the earth with small spoon-shaped shov-
els fastened upon handles, made of four or five feet
in length, from poles or the limbs of trees, with no
means of steadying them except the grasp of the
hands. To balance such an instrument, so as to use

ON CULTIVATION OF CROPS.. 97

it at all, it will be seen requires a great expenditure
of strength over that which is necessary to a shovel
balanced and handled as those are which are used by
us. Then it will raise scarcely more than half as
much at a time, and is raised hardly more than half
as often. Let any man calculate the difference in
the work accomplished, and he will find that there
is not the difference in the actual price of labor that
there is in the daily pay. A day's labor in the one
case is a very different matter from what it is in the
other, and we shall make a great mistake, if we
suppose that in both countries they have reference
by the same expression to the same quantity of work
done.

The same principle applied to all the operations of
the culture of land, illustrate to the proprietor how
much he depends upon a judicious mode, to obtain
large wages or returns for his labor.

As to the cultivation of crops, it has been for
some years said of grains, that it has cost more to
raise them here than they could be obtained for
from the west and south ; and yet the means of
communication are constantly improving, and bring-
ing us more immediately into competition with those
states. But this scarcely diminishes the value,
and does not at all dispense with the necessity for
these crops upon the farms of New England, either
in a public or private point of view. Whatever
the farmer raises by his own labor, he is not com-
pelled to find the money for its purchase. And
the cultivation of corn and grain is a part of the
process by which he is enabled to furnish fresh
butter, beef, and pork for the market, the sale of
which, is, in a great measure, his resource for the
supply of those things which his farm will not
produce. Besides, it prevents the money being
sent away for their purchase in other places, by
which a tendency to its scarcity, and the consequent
depreciation of all prices, is avoided.

The committee deem it worthy of some future
13

98 ON CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

consideration, whether some improvement cannot
be made in the principle of awarding premiums.
At any rate they think it may be some evidence
of an advanced state of agricultural knowledge, when
the greatest amount of produce shall not be deemed
conculsive proof of the best cultivation.

The statement of Mr. Williams was not received
until after the committee had awarded upon the
claims previously submitted.

For the committee,

N. W. HAZEN.

September 30, 1840.

SABIUEL STUART's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Cultivation of Crops.

Gentlemen — I offer for premium, a crop of winter
rye, raised on the Town farm, in Haverhill. The
land is a part of the great plain, (so called) and lies
immediately on the northern side of the Merrimac
river. The soil is a sandy loam, usually called
intervale.

In the fall of 1838, the rye stubble, and weeds
were ploughed in. The first week in July, 1839, it
was again ploughed, and rather more than two acres
sowed with buckwheat. Weeds of various kinds
sprang up on the remainder of it, and during the first
and second weeks in September, the whole green
crop, which was quite large, was turned under, and
the land sowed with six bushels of rye. For sever-
al years no other manure has been applied to this
part of the farm, than stubble, weeds, &c., ploughed
in. At the usual time the crop was harvested, and
yielded one hundred and seventy seven and one
eighth bushels.

You will perceive by the accompanying certificate,

ON CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 99

that this piece of land is about eighty rods in length,
next the river, and, for rather more than two rods in
width, the soil is quite light, and also shaded with
trees and bushes, so that probably on an acre or
more it did not yield over ten bushels per acre. It
is supposed that two acres yielded but little if any
short of forty bushels per acre. But our arrange-
ments were such that we could not separate it.
Yours respectfully,

SAMUEL STUART,

Superintendent.
Haverhill, September 29, 1840.

DANIEL PUTNAMS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops.

Gentleinien — I offer for premium a crop of Indian
corn, obtained from one hundred and eighty seven
poles of land, and measuring ninety three bushels ;
making eighty bushels to an acre. It was an eight
rowed corn, large kernel ; and the most of it of a
redish color.

The soil on which it grew, was a dark loam, with
a gravelly subsoil. About one third of the land was
planted with corn last year, the remainder was grass
land; about half of this was ploughed in the autumn
of 1839; at the time of ploughing, manure from the
barn cellar, at the rate of about four cords to the acre,
was ploughed in, the rest was ploughed in the spring
and manured the same. The new ground was roll-
ed, and compost manure, at the rate of about four
cords per acre, spread on the whole and harrowed
in. No manure was put in the hill, it was all spread.
The corn was planted about three ^eei and four in-
ches apart. In cultivating it a small horse harrow
was used; the ground was kept as level as possible;

100 ON CIJLTIVATION OF CROPS.

at the last time of hoeing, hay-seed was sown, it
came up well, and promises well for a good crop.
Yours respectfully,

DANIEL PUTNAM.

Danvers, December 30, 1840.

W I L L I A 1\I W I L L I A M S S STATEMENT.

To the. Committee on the Cultivation of Crops.

Gentlemen — The field of corn which I cultivated
the present season, contained one acre, fifty four
rods, as measured by Mr. Northend. The produce
of the lot was one hundred and eight bushels of good
sound corn, not including the pig corn. It was
measured by Frederick Rogers. This field had
been laid dov/n to grass, for eight or nine years, and
no manure applied during that time. I ploughed it
in the early part of May, 1839, cutting the furrows
from six to seven inches deep, and planted it with
corn, applying about eight cords of barn yard ma-
nure, and raised thereon eighty five bushels of sound
corn. I again ploughed it the present season, with
one yoke of oxen, once, and harrowed it smooth,
and then furrowed it about three and a half feet each
way, and applied twenty cart loads, or about ten
cords, of barn yard manure in the hills. The kind
of corn planted was what we call the eight rowed
yellow corn, large kernel and small cob ; yielding
four or five quarts more than a bushel, from two
bushels of ears. It was hoed three times, very lit-
tle hill made to it, having learned by experience
that there is no benefit derived from making hills
about the corn. When ripe, I cut it up close to the
ground ; the fodder pays well for cutting it up.
Considering the quality of the soil, and the manner
in which it has been neglected in years past, it is

ON CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 101

the opinion of those who saw my corn, that my crop
was a good one. But whether it will compare with
the crops on more favored soils, under the manage-
ment of skilful cultivators, I must leave for others
to determine.

WILLIAM WILLIAMS.
Rowley, December 30, 1840.

FRANCIS dodge's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Cultivation of Crops.

Gentlemen — The following statement for claim
of premium for greatest quantity of corn raised on
the acre, accompanied with necessary certificates, is
respectfully submitted.

That the same was raised on the farm under my
direction, situated in Danvers, (by the Newburyport
turnpike,) on the southern declivity of a hill near the
same turnpike. The soil is loam, resting on a clay-
ey gravel, and was tilled as follows: (the previous
year the same was broken up and planted with corn,
yet as the farm was not under my occupancy, know
nothing of the mode of culture,) — In the month of
April the ground was ploughed clean, not splitting
the hills. On the last of April it was cross ploughed
and about four cords of cellar manure ploughed in.
Was furrowed at a distance of three feet six inches
one way, and three feet eight inches the other; after
which about four cords of old manure was placed in
the hills, the acre. Five to seven kernels were
dropped originally ; thinned to five the first hoeing.
At first hoeing, ploughed two furrows in the row,
only one way. Second hoeing, ploughed same way,
with only one shallow furrow in the centre, and the
last hoeing no ploughing was had.

The crop produced was under my direction and

102 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

management, and produced seventy nine and five
eighths bushels the acre, double that quantity the
two acres by admeasurement; or, by weight at fifty
six pounds the bushel, one hundred and sixty six
and four fifths bushels the two acres. The same ab-
solutely weighing fifty eight and two thirds pounds
the bushel; all which is corroborated by statement
of James Flanders, who was employed by me during
its growth, and also assisted in gathering it.

The two acres were admeasured and staked off by
J. P. Saunders, of Salem, whose certificate is here-
with submitted.

Yours respectfully,

FRANCIS DODGE.

Danvers, November 7, 1840.

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

To the Trustees of the Essex Agricultural Society.

Gentlemen- — The committee to whom was refer-
red the communication of Doctor Andrew Nichols,
on the subject of compost manures, have at several
times visited his farm in Middleton, where he has
made experiments. The soil is naturally light, and
for many years has been severely cropped without
receiving much manure. The number of live stock
kept upon the farm is small, and but little manure
has been purchased. The distance from any place
where animal manure can be purchased at a rea-
sonable rate, seems almost to preclude this means
of obtaining it. Under such difficulties Dr. Nichols
has been very successful in the manufacture and
application of a compost, the ingredients of which

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 103

are meadow mud, ashes, and a small proportion of
animal manure. His success has been extraordinary
as will be evident to any one who knows the ex-
hausted condition of the soil, and who has witnessed
the heavy crops it is made to yield.

In the application of liquid manure, made from
meadow mud and potash. Dr. Nichols has been less
successful this year than in his last year's experi-
ment. A farther trial may establish or overthrow
his theory on this subject. We hope he will con-
tinue his experiment, for it is of as much consequence
that farmers should know what applications are use-
less or hurtful, as what will produce abundant har-
vests.

The committee recommend that the communica-
tion of Dr. Nichols be published; they also desire
him to furnish for publication, the analysis of the
mud, and an essay on the subject of peat mud, muck,
sand, &LC., as promised in said communication, and
they recommend that the society pay Dr. Nichols
for his successful experiments, and valuable commu-
nications, a gratuity of ten dollars.
For the committee,

DANIEL P. KING.

Danvers, December, 1840.

ANDREW Nichols's statement.

To the Committee to ivhom was referred the communica-
tion of Andrew Nichols, on the subject of Compost
Ma7iures, Sj-c.

Gentlemen — Having invited the attention of the
Trustees of the Essex Agricultural Society to our
continued use of and experiments on fresh meadow,
or peat mud, as a manure, it is, of course, expected

104 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

that the result of these experiments should be laid
before them. The compost with which we planted
most of our corn and potatoes the present year, was
composed of the same materials, and managed in the
same manner as that which we used last year for the
same purpose. (See Essex Agricultural Transactions
for 1839, page 35.)

Four acres of corn, on the same kind of soil, was
manured in the hill with this compost, and one acre
of corn on a more meagre portion of the same field,
was manured in the same manner, with a compost
consisting of the same kind of mud, half a cord of
manure taken from the pigsty, and forty pounds of
potash, second quality, dissolved in water, sprinkled
over and worked into the heap, with the fork, in the
same manner that the dry ashes were into the other
compost. Of both kinds the same quantity, a com-
mon iron or steel shovel full to the hill, was used,
and no difference in the crop which could be ascrib-
ed to the different manures, could be perceived.
The hills were four by three feet apart on an ave-
rage. In the borders and adjoining this piece of
corn, one acre was planted with potatoes. The
compost used on some portions of this consisted of
rather a larger portion of coarse barn manure com-
posed of meadow hay, corn fodder waste, &c., wet
with the urine and mixed with the droppings of cat-
tle, and less meadow mud. The whole six acres was
hoed twice only after the use of the cultivator. The
whole amount of labor after the ground was furrow-
ed and the compost prepared in heaps on the field,
is stated by the tiller of the ground, H. L. Gould,
to have been forty nine days' work, of one man, pre-
vious to the cutting of the stalks. Pumpkins,
squashes, and some beans were planted among the
corn. The produce was four hundred and sixty
bushel baskets of sound ears of corn, eighty -bushels
of potatoes, three cords of pumpkins, one and a half
bushels of white beans. On one acre of the better
part of the soil, harvested separately, there were

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 105

one hundred and twenty baskets of corn ears, and a
full proportion of the pumpkins. On one eighth of
an acre of Thorburn's tree corn treated in the same
manner as the rest, the produce was nineteen bask-
ets. A basket of this- corn shells, out seventeen
quarts, one quart more than a basket of the ordinary
kinds of corn. The meal for bread and puddings is
of a superior quality. Could we depend upon its
ripening, for, Thorburn's assertions to the contrary
notwithstanding, it is a late variety of corn, (though
it ripened perfectly with us last season, a rather
unusually warm and long one,) farmers would do
well to cultivate it more extensively than any other
kind.

The use of dry ashes on our black soil grass
lands, showed an increased benefit from last year..
But our experiments with liquid manure disappointed
us. Either from its not being of the requisite
strength, or from the dryness of the season, or from
our mistaking the effects of it last year, or from all
these causes combined, the results confidently anti-
cipated, were not realized; and from our experiments
this year we have nothing to say in favor of its use,,
although we think it worthy of further experiments.
On the first view of the subject, a dry season or a
dry time might seem more favorable to the manifes-
tations of benefit from watering plants with liquid
manure, than wet seasons or times. But when we'
consider that when the surface of the earth is dry,
the small quantity of liquid used would be arrested
by the absorbing earth ere it reached the roots, and
perhaps its fertilizing qualities changed, evaporated,
or otherwise destroyed, by the greater heat to which
at such times it must be exposed — it is not, I think,,
improbable that the different effects noticed in our
experiments with this substance, the two past years,
might be owing to this cause. It is my intention,
should sufficient leisure permit, to analyse the soil
cultivated and the mud used, and prepare a short
essay on the subject of peat mud, muck, sand, &c.,
14

106 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

as manure, for publication in the next volume of
the trancactions of the society.
Yours respectfully,

ANDREW NICHOLS.
Danvers, December 26, 1840.

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE

BY DR. A. NICHOLS.

Agriculture will at some future time, we doubt
not, be reduced to an exact science. When the
quantity and proportion of each of the elementary
substances existing in any soil being known, the food
best suited to nourish the several vegetables culti-
vated ascertained, a given quantity of heat and mois-
ture, it may be presumed, will always produce re-
sults which may be calculated and predicted with
as much certainty as astronomical phenomena now
are. But how shall a work so desirable be accom-
plished? In the same manner, surely, that all other
sciences have been perfected, by scientific men, by
the head work of philosophers in their closets and
chemists in their laboratories, and not by practical
farmers in the field. These to be sure have an im-
portant part to act in this business. It is for them
to observe and collect facts for the scientific chemist
and naturalist to generalize and work into a system,
and it is for them also to try the system so formed,
and establish or overthrow it by actual experiments.
How was the art of navigation reduced to an exact
science. Not by the practical mariner, but by the

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 107

mathematician and astronomer. Had the sailor of
olden time, who was well acquainted with every
rope in his ship, and understood the management of
his craft to perfection, but who dared not go out of
sight of land lest he should fail to find his way back,
been told that men who never walked a deck would
one day be able to direct him how to lay his courses
so as to reach with certainty any known point on
the globe — so as to enable him to explore every
broad ocean and unknown sea, and return home
again without the least danger of losing his way;
with what feelings suppose ye, he would have looked
on his informant and how would he have treated
such information? Much my dear farmer as you
now perhaps feel toward me, and as you are perhaps
disposed to treat the subject now under considera-
tion. But before you suffer feelings of contempt to
gain utterance, before you ridicule my views and
assertions, I pray you to hear me and consider. The
laws of nature are unchangeable, and when discover-
ed, guide the operator unerringly to the accomplish-
ment of his object, in all cases where natural forces
are made to perform the work. Look at the steam
engine. The practical mechanic, however expert in
his trade, could never have built it until the man of
science had taught him to measure with the utmost
exactness the elasticity or expansive power of steam
at any given temperature. Without system, which
scientific men can alone contrive, the knov/ledge
which individuals obtain by personal experience is
nearly all lost to the community.

An old mariner whom I once knew, and who with-
out ever acquiring the science of navigation, rejoiced
in the title of captain, and guided his vessel as safely
as othej more scientific commanders, for a long series
of years to and from Salem and Baltimore, used to
say his old schooner knew the way to Baltimore.
But could this man have put on board his craft ano-
ther seaman as skilful in managing a vessel as himself,
and who, like him, had spent his life in the coasting

108 SCIENCE OP AGRICULTURE,

trade, between Salem and eastern ports, and have
instructed him how to steer that old schooner to
Baltimore with safety to himself and his freighters?
No. But a school-boy, who had never been aboard
a ship, but who had studied well the science of nav-
igation, could instruct that old seaman how he might
find his way not only to Baltimore, but to the remo-
test island in the China seas, or any other spot in
the known world.

So it is in agriculture. There are many old
farmers, who, from long experience have acquired a
valuable store of knowledge concerning the manage-
ment of their own farms, which must die with them,
for they cannot communicate this knowledge to oth-
ers, so as to qualify those others to manage equally
well other soils which may be differently constitu-
ted from their own. But whenever agriculture shall
become a science, then the school-boy, who has un-
derstandingly studied it, will be able to teach the
practical cultivator how he must manage his lands to
insure the largest crops. Until agriculture be made
a science, all experiments, those for which premiums
are offered and paid by our agricultural societies
among the rest, must be of uncertain value. Others
attempting to imitate those processes of tillage which
have proved most valuable in other hands, fail to
realize the same results, they know not why. The
language used in stating these experiments is not
definite. Take for example, one statement of the
management, &,c. of a crop of barley, in the Essex
Agricultural Society's Transactions, selected at ran-
dom, it being the first on which I cast my eye, on
.taking up the book to find something to illustrate the
position stated above.

" The land on which it grew is a clayey loam."

What are its constituents? does it contain the salts
of lime, potash, soda, magnesia ?

The year previous " the land was planted with corn
and potatoes, a shovel full of manure was put in the hill."

Of what elements did this manure consist?

SCIENCE OE AGRICULTURE. 109

" Last spring I spread two loads of compost manure
on the lot."

What were the constituents of this compost? I
need not go through the statement. This must be
sufficient to show that no other man can extract
from it any information of the best method of culti-
vating barley on his own farm, whose clayey loam, his
manure and compost m.anure may be altogether dif-
ferent articles from those mentioned by the same
names in the statement from which I quote. Other
statements in the same annual publication, my own
not excepted, are liable to the same objections.
And the principal reason why farmers derive so little
benefit from books, and consequently often decry
" book farming," is that farming books are deficient
in some of the most essential particulars — full of
imperfect certificates and rules, owing to the fact
that no analysis has been made of the soils and ma-
nures in question. " Hence," says Dr. Jackson, "we
account for the uncertainty of the results obtained
by those who make trial of new methods of farming.
If, however, all the conditions of the problem were
understood by both parties, farmers would readily
join hands with their scientific co-laborers, and the
art of agriculture would soon become as certain as
any other art, while, by the application of scientific
principles, the business would become of a more
exalted character, and assume its true rank in the
consideration of all men."

Towards reducing agriculture to a science, how-
ever, but little progress has, as yet, been made.
And even that little often stated in terms not gene-
rally understood, and recorded in books to which
but few have access, has hitherto been of little or
no benefit to practical farmers. Any attempt there-
fore, however imperfect, to slate some of the elemen-
tary principles of the science of agriculture in plain
language, so that any one may, by giving to it that
study and attention which is requisite to attain any
other branch of human knowledge, understand and

110 SCIENCE OF AGHICULTURE.

apply it, will, we trust, be favorably received by the
readers of these Transactions. AVithout study, no
man has attained so much knowledge of arithmetic,
as the every-day business of life requires. By as
much study as is required to gain so much knowledge
of arithmetic, a like competent knowledge of what is
known of the science of agriculture may be attained.
The elements of the science of agriculture are to be
sought in treatises on Geology, Mineralogy, Chemis-
try, Vegetable Physiology, and Galvanic Electricity.
Many, for whose information I write, are presum-
ed to know nothing of these sciences. Hence it
becomes necessary to dwell a little on elementary
principles, and endeavor to explain everything as we
proceed.

Matter.

Matter exists in three forms, viz: as solids, fluids,
and gases, or airs. The particles of matter are sup-
posed to be minute solid balls, that attract each other,
although surrounded by what chemists call caloric,
or the cause of heat, which keeps them at a greater
or less distance from each other, without adding to
or diminishing their w^eight. In solids these parti-
cles are surrounded by so little caloric that power of
attraction is so great as to prevent their being easily
moved over each other; hence their fixed solid form.
Add to this quantity of caloric by heating these sol-
ids until the particles are thereby farther separated
from each other, and their attraction for each other
lessened in the same proportion, until they assume
the form of fluids, and roll freely over one another.
Increase the caloric still more and they become gas-
es, or airs perfectly transparent and of course invisi-
ble, as the particles of matter are too small to be seen
by any aids to vision which we possess, and they are
now^ so far separated from each other that light fi-eely
passes between them. But these particles remain
unchanged, and by reducing the caloric, return to
the same form and assume the same qualities as be-

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. Ill

fore. The melting of metals and the conversion of
liquids into steam are familiar illustrations of this
theor}'. In the temperature of our atmosphere, dif-
ferent bodies exist naturally in the three forms. But
the solid particles which surrounded by caloric com-
pose, for example, the atmospheric air, may be indi-
vidually as heavy as the particles of lead, and capable
of uniting with the particles of lead, and by this union
produce a substance very unlike either air or metalic
lead — the well-known pigment red lead.

By such changes and combinations of the particles
of matter, although only forty nine different kinds of
matter are known, all the endless varieties of substan-
ces which exist around us are formed, and the parti-
cles of gases or fluids as readily unite with solids as
the particles of solids with each other. Hence, in
speaking of the constituents of soils, manures, and
vegetables, we shall have frequently to describe such
combinations. Component parts of fluids and gases
become solids, and component parts of solids again
become fluids and gases, both in the formation and
decay, or decomposition of vegetables. These pre-
liminary explanations, if carefully studied, will, it is
hoped, be sufficient to enable those who have read
nothing on Chemistry, to understand what we are
about to say on the subject of soils, manures, and
vegetables.

Soils.

All geologists and chemists agree in considering
soils the result of the pulverized and decomposed
portions of rocks, with the addition of salts and veg-
etable and animal substances. Nearly all the rocks
which exist in large quantities, are composed chiefly
of silica or flint, alumina, pure clay, lime and iron.
Magnesia exists in small quantities in many rocks
and in the serpentine and soapstone in large portions.
Manganese, another metal, in small quantities in the
rocks, and consequently in the soils of New England.
Potash and soda exist also in most of our rocks.

112 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

Most of the rocks in New England contain, on an
average, 66 per cent, of silica; 16 per cent, of alum-
ina; 6 or 7 per cent, of potash, and 5 per cent, of
iron; lime and magnesia in much less quantity. And
the composition of our soils will be found to corres-
pond very nearly with these numbers ; excepting
potash and lime in their free state, which are soon so
far exhausted by vegetation as not to be detected by
the ordinary methods of analysing soils. By potash
in a free state, 1 mean to distinguish it from its state
or condition when combined with silica, alumina, &c.
in rocks, pebbles, and grains of sand, consisting of
broken pulverized but not decomposed compound
minerals. The terms decompose, and decomposition
must be understood to mean to divorce, or to separate,
or the separation of the elements of a compound
substance. Felspar, a large component part of gra-
nite, greenstone, and other of our most common
rocks is, for example, composed of silica 63, alumi-
na 17, potash 13, lime 3, oxyd of iron 1 in 100 parts;
broken or pulverized, each particle is composed of
these elements in their natural state chemically
combined. Decompose felspar and we have the sili-
ca, alumina, potash, &c. still mixed perhaps, but
divorced or separated so far as these terms express,
the breaking of the bonds of adhesion which exist
in their combined state.

In their combined, confederated, compact state,
they aid each other in resisting the action of the
hungry roots of vegetables upon them; decomposed,
they readily become the prey of their vegetable de-
vourers. Hence the potash, for example, of the de-
composed felspar does not long remain in the soil,
but will be found in the plants and trees growing
thereon.

Among the elements which compose our cultivated
vegetables, are found silica, lime, magnesia, oxyd of
iron, potash, soda, sulphuric, and phosphoric acids.
Hence these will be found constituents of all soils
capable of producing them.

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 113

Sulphuric and Phosphoric Acids. — Sulphuric acid is
a combination of three parts of oxygen gas, two parts
of sulphur by weight. Phosphoric acid is composed
of about one and a half parts of phosphorus and one
of oxygen, by weight. Sulphur is a well known
substance. Phosphorus is contained in urine and
other animal matter, is easily set on fire by friction,
and is now in common use on friction matches.

Oxygen gas is one of the most important agents in-
the operations of nature. Mixed with azote, twenty
one parts of oxygen, and seventy nine of azote, it
forms atmospheric air.

Azote, or Nitrogen, — This gas, which is only mix-
ed, not combined with oxygen in the atmosphere,
combines also with oxygen in different proportions,
forming nitrous acid, or aquafortis, nitric acid, &c.
Substances, which, although composed of the same
constituents as atmospheric air, are extremely acrid,
corrosive, and destructive to both vegetable and ani-
mal matter, living or dead. Combined with chlorine,
another gas, which I shall not now describe, it forms
the most extraordinary and powerful explosive sub-
stance known.. A single grain of it, (Troy weight,)
is as much as any chemist dares to experiment upon.
It explodes with prodigious violence when heated to
212°, the heat of boiling water, or, when touched
by any oily or greasy substance. At present, we
know of no use to which it is applied in the arts.
But there can be but little doubt, it will at some fu-
ture time become a more powerful agent of man than
he has ever yet subdued to his despotic control.
By its aid perhaps, mountains of rock may be crum-
bled to dust for agricultural or other purposes.
Azote is a constituent part of animal matter. Its
agency in the process of vegetation is not well known.

Oxygen one part, and hydrogen two parts, by
measure, burned together produce water. Hydro-
gen is called inflammable air, is the lightest of all
gases ; with it balloons are inflated ; and combined
with carbon is extensively used for lighting cities.
15

114 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

Carbon is the combustible part of charcoal, enters
largely into mineral combinations, is a constituent
part of all vegetables; and the most rare and valua-
ble of all precious stones, the diamond, is pure
carbon. Oxygen combines with all metals, and
other inflammable or combustible substances, and
forms a great variety of bodies called oxyds, oxyd of
iron, oxyd of lead, &.c.

The next ingredient or constituent of soils to be
considered, is the salts. Salts are formed by the
combination of acids with alkalies, earths, and
metallic oxyds. The salts most frequent in soils are
the salts of lime, and iron, sulphate of lime, (plaster
of paris) and phosphate of lime are found in all soils.
The importance of all these constituents of soils may
be inferred from the analysis of vegetables stated
above.

The following table shews the quantity of earths
and metallic oxyds, in grains, (Troy weight) obtain-
ed by Schraider from thirty two ounces of the seeds
of the following kinds of corn:

Wheat. Rye.

Barley. Oats.

Rye Straw.

Silica 13.2 15.6

66.7 144.42

152,

*Carbonateof lime 12.6 13.4

24.8 33.75

46.2

" magnesia 13.4 14.2

25.3 33.9

28.2

Alumina 0.6 1.4

4.2 4.5

3.2

Oxyd of manganese 5. 3.2

6.7 6.95

6.8

Oxyd of iron 2.5 0.9

3.8 4.5

2.4

Here we have a clue to the

composition

of soils

best suited to the production of each of these kinds
of grain. Here you see oats must take from the soil
more than double the quantity of lime drawn from it
by wheat. Of course it will be likely to be bene-
fitted by a larger application of lime as a manure.
But it should be known and remembered that every
species of plant is endowed by nature with powers
precisely adapted to its wants. If oats need more
lime than wheat, 'he roots of oats have greater

' Probably pho-sphate of lime, and carbonate of lime. Otiier chemists have found
in the asiies ofoats, for instance, stalks and seed being burned together in 100 parts,
silica 55, phoephate of lime 15, carbonate 5, potash 20, some oxyd of iron, &c.

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 115

power to decompose the earths that contain it, than
those of wheat have. And as by reference to the an-
nexed table of soils analyzed by Professor Hitchcock,
it will be seen that all our soils contain a larger quan-
tity of the sulphate and phosphate of lime, than any
one crop of either of these kinds of grain contains,
it may follow, that oats from their greater power of
searching for, and more easily digesting it, will
flourish better in a soil poor in its percentage of
lime than wheat will in the same soil. And as the
nourishment of plants is probably decomposed, cook-
ed, or prepared, in some measure, by currents of
galvanic electricity exterior to the roots themselves,
a very important question is suggested for our con-
templation in regard to mixed crops. May not the
roots of one kind commingling with roots of another
of stronger powers appropriate to themselves, in
some measure, the food prepared for their neighbors?
If so, it will account philosophically for what is con-
sidered a fact in some parts of our commonwealth,
viz: that wheat does better sown mixed with oats,
than it does alone. It will be seen by reference to
the foregoing table, oats must have vastly greater
power to decompose not only the salts of lime, but
silica, alumina and oxyd of iron likewise. Here
another thought occurs worthy of attention. Will
not agricultural chemistry by and by enable us to
understand, by teaching us the analysis of vegetables,
precisely how much one crop exhausts a soil of cer-
tain constituents more than another, and what must
be restored to that soil to enable it to produce
another crop of the same vegetable equal to the
preceding. And also what other crops would be
likely to do well on the same soil without the resto-
ration of such constituents?

A still more important constituent of soils and
vegetables, of which we^have as yet only incidentally
spoken is carbon. Carbon enters largely into a
great variety of substances, mineral and vegetable,
assumes every mode or form in which matter exists.

116 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

Solid in the diamond, in charcoal, and in its combi-
nations with earths and metals; fluid in a great vari-
ety of liquids, and aeriform or gaseous in almost as
many more. In every thing which can with strict
propriety be named food for vegetables, it is the
most important part. And vegetables have the
power of decomposing most, if not all the compound
substances of which it forms a part, and of appropri-
ating the carbon to themselves. The most fertile
soils contain the largest portion of carbon in combi-
nation with other substances, which combinations are
usually either geine or the carbonate of earths and
metals. Carbon 72.73 parts combined with 27.27
parts of oxygen, forms carbonic acid gas. This acid
unites with earths and metals forming salts, called
carbonates, carbonate of lime or marble, &.c. Geine
is a substance found in all soils, and its per centage
may be considered as the best measure of their intrin-
sic value. It is decomposed vegetable matter, and
of course contains the most important constituents
of vegetables, the largest element being carbon. I
would here refer to the Essex Agricultural Socie-
ty's Transactions for 1838, page 92, and 1839, page
35, for some account of this substance.

Geine, as there stated, exists in our soils in three
states or conditions; soluble, insoluble, and combin-
ed w^ith earths and metals, forming a class of bodies
called geates. Soluble geine acts neither as acid nor
alkali, but is converted into a substance having acid
properties by the action of alkali, and in this state
combines with earths, alkalies, and oxyds of metals,
forming neutral salts, which may be called geates.
They are all more soluble in water than solid geine,
especially w^hen they are first formed. The geates
of the alkaline earths, lime, &c., are decomposed by
carbonated alkalies. The geates of alumina and of
metallic oxyds are soluble in caustic, or carbonated
alkalies without decomposition. The geates of the
alkaline earths by the action of the carbonic acid of
the air become super geates (that is containing an

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 117

excess or a larger quantity of the acid or of that
which possesses acid properties, than exists in neu-
tral salts where the acids and the lime or other sub-
stances with which they are combined exactly bal-
ance or neutralize each other.) Super geates are
always more soluble than neutral salts. Soluble
geine includes the watery solution; the solid extract
caused by the action of the air on the solution, and
the combinations of this with alkalies, earths and
oxyds. Insoluble includes all the other forms of
this substance.

Geine forms the basis of the nourishing part of all
vegetable manures. The relation of soils to heat
and moisture depends chiefly on geine. Of all the
problems to be solved by agricultural chemistry,
none is of so great practical importance, as the de-
termination of soluble and insoluble geine in soils.
It lies at the foundation of all successful cultivation.
Among the few facts best established in chemical
agriculture are these; that a soil whose earthy part
is composed wholly or chiefly of one earth, or any
soil with excess of salts, is always barren ; and that
plants will grow in all soils destitute of geine, up to
the period of fructification, failing of geine the fruit
fails, the plants die. Earth, salts, and geine consti-
tute then, all that is essential; and soils will be
fertile in proportion of the last is mixed with the
first. The salts can be varied but very little in their
proportion without injury. The earths admit of a
wide variety in their nature and proportions. The
earths in our New England soils are chiefly the de-
tritus of our primitive rocks, granite, gneiss, mica
slate, sienite, and argillite. These earths are in
fact all salts, formed by silica, which acts as an acid
combined with alkalies, lime, magnesia, alumina,
and metallic oxydes as bases.

In the analysis of soils for agricultural purposes it
is not necessary to be more particular than to con-
sider all these as one and the same thing, and call it
granitic sand or silicates. All our soils, except per-

118 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

haps, peat meadows, possess sufficient of these to
supply all the inorganic matter, which plants will
need, for centuries to come. Salts and geine may
vary and must be modified and supplied by cultiva-
tion. These views lead to Dr. Samuel L. Dana's
simple and accurate mode of analysing soils — a mode
that at once determines the value of a soil from its
quantity of soluble and insoluble geine and salts of
lime, magnesia, &c.

Rules of Analysis.

1. "Sift the soil through a fine sieve. Take the
fine part; hake it just up to browning paper.

2. " Boil one hundred grains of the baked soil,
with fifty grains of pearlashes, saleratus or carbonate
of soda, in four ounces of water, for half an hour; let
it settle ; decant the clear ; wash the ground with
four ounces boiling water ; throw all on a weighed
filter, previously dried at the same temperature as
was the soil; wash till colorless water returns. Mix
all these liquors. It is a brown colored solution of
all the soluble geine. All sulphats have been con-
verted into carbonates, and with any phosphats, are
on the filter. Dry therefore, that, with its contents,
at the same heat as before. Weigh — the loss is sol-
uble geine.

3. "If you wish to examine the geine, precipitate
the alkaline solution with excess of lime water. The
geaie of lime v/ill rapidly subside, and if lime water
enough has been added, the nitrous liquor will be
colorless. Collect the geate of lime on a filter; wash
with a little acetic or very dilute muriatic acid, and
you have geine quite pure. Dry and weigh.

4. " Replace on a funnel the filter and its
earthy contents; wash with two drams muriatic acid,
diluted with three times its bulk of cold water.
Wash till tasteless. The carbonate and phosphate
of lime will be dissolved with a little iron, which has
resulted from the decomposition of any salts of iron,

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 119

besides a little oxyd of iron. The alumina will be
scarcely touched. We may estimate all as salts of
lime. Evaporate the muriatic solution to dryness,
weigh and dissolve in boiling water. The insoluble
will be phosphat of lime. Weigh — the loss is the
sulphate of lime ; (I make no allowance here for the
difference in atomic weights of the acids, as the re-
sult is no consequence in this analysis.)

5. "The earthy residuum, if of a greyish white
color, contains no insoluble geine — test it by burn-
ing a weighed small quantity on a hot shovel — if
the odor of burning peat is given off, the presence of
insoluble geine is indicated. If so, calcine the earthy
residuum and its filter — the loss of weight will give
the insoluble geine: that part which air and mois-
ture, time and lime, will convert into soluble vegeta-
ble food. Any error here will be due to the loss
of water in a hydrate, if one be present, but these
exist in too small quantities in 'granite sand,' to af-
fect the result. The actual weight of the residuary
mass is 'granite sand.'

" The clay, mica, quartz, &.c. are easily distin-
guished. If your soil is calcareous, which may be
easily tested by acids; then boil one hundred grains
in a pint of water, filter and dry as before, the loss
of weight is due to the sulphate of lime, even the
sulphate of iron may be so considered; for the ulti-
mate result in cultivation is to convert this into sul-
phate of lime.

" Test the soil with muriatic acid, and having thus
removed the lime, proceed as before, to determine
the geine and insoluble vegetable matter."

Remarks.

On the first rule it may be remarked, that this
method does not give us all the information needed.
We want to know, how much geine, &c. is contain
ed, not in the finer parts which will pass through a

120 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

sieve, only, but the quantity or percentage in the
whole soil. How much in a given measure of land.
I would substitute for the first rule something like
the following. Take a measure of the soil, (and this
measure may be from a hall pint to a bushel, accord-
ing to the size of the stones, pebbles, &c. mixed
with the soil, throw it into a tub or other vessel of
cold water, stir it well and let it settle, skim off all
vegetable fibres, &c. that may swim, wash and take
out the larger stones; all that can be easily separat-
ed in this manner, and put them back into the mea-
sure. Stir the water and pour it through a sieve into
another vessel, wash the coarse sand and pebbles
remaining in the sieve until all the pulverized earth
adhering to it is added to that which before passed
through the sieve, let it settle, decant the clear wa-
ter, dry the sediment and proceed as directed in the
rule. Put all the contents of the sieve back with
the stones into the measure, and fill it up with water.
Pour off the water, measure it, and in this manner
ascertain what part of the measure is occupied by
stone, and make all subsequent calculation accord-
ingly. If the half bushel measure containing the
stones will hold exactly eight quarts of water, then
if your analysis of the fine parts give six per cent,
of geine, put it down in the table three per cent.,
and so on. It would seem to me, also, well to save
the undecomposed vegetable fibres, etc. dry, weigh
and let their weight occupy another column in the
table, as it must at least one year add to the value
of the soil. Managing in this manner, we should
no longer be misled by tables, that shew the best
alluvial soils, less geine than most other varieties.
Nearly the whole of these soils pass through the
sieve Hence a cubic foot of this soil in situ may
contain more geine than a cubic foot of a rocky soil
in situ, which in the table shews a much higher per-
centage of the same constituent*

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 121

Since writing the preceding remarks I have re-
ceived from Dr. Dana, the analysis of the soil on
which I have experimented the two last years, and
of the swamp muck used on the same in my compost
manure. These I have added to the extracts from
Professor Hitchcock's table annexed.

The muck is not so rich in geine as I had suppos-
ed, and the quantity of silicates much greater. It is
not peat, but a rich black soil, full of water and lying
on a bed of pure white, moderately coarse, quick-
sand— the same granitic sand that is mixed with the
geine. The geine is, doubtless, formed chiefly of
upland vegetables, and the leaves of trees, &,c.
growing on the adjacent hills, and washed down
therefrom with the sand, into the depot where it now
lies. The fertilizing qualities of this muck, proved
by my experiments, and the knowledge now obtain-
ed of its constituents, suggests several important
queries — viz : Does its whole value depend on its
geine and salts of lime? Is not the sand on which
it lies and with which it is mixed a "muck sand,"*
possessing fertilizing qualities? Does it not contain
a free alkali which Doctor Dana's mode of analysis
w^ould not detect? The last question I am able to
answer in the affirmative, having tested and proved
it alkaline.f

Three parcels of the soil on which my corn grew,
taken from between the rows, manured as described
in my statement, in the hills were mixed so as to
get, as near as possible, an average lot as to quality,
and from this lot the specimen analyzed by Doctor
Dana, was taken. The results are stated in the
table.

* Note, A.

t The purple juice of cabbage.blossonis of violets,. and other vegetables, obtained
by macerating them in pure water, is changed to a red color when mixed with a li-
quid in which any acid predominates, and to a green when it contains any pure alka-
li. Pour pure hot water on peat muck or other specimens of soil, let it settle, pour
off the clear liquor and mix with it some vegetable purple juice, and its acid or alka-
line condition will be soon determined by the change of color.

16

122

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

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124

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

We have then three great natural divisions of the
ingredients of soil : 1, geine, 2, salts, 3, granitic
sand, or silicates. Let us glance at these three di-
visions:

1. Geim, — Geine enters vegetables either as geine
or as an alkaline, earthy or metallic geate dissolved
in water or alkali. The acids and salts of the plant
decompose these varied forms. The elements of
geine, its oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon, play their
usual parts in vegetable economy. The earthy and
alkaline bases of the geates form the bases of the
various salts which plants afford.

2. Salts. — This class includes, first, compounds of
geine, second, alkaline, salts, potash, soda, ammonia,
and all their combinations known by the names of
carbonates, sulphates, phosphates, nitrates, muri-
ates, &-C.

3. Silicates., or granitic sand.

Table of the constituents of the elements of gra-
nitic sand.

100 parts of

Argillite,
Quartz,
Mica, Isinglass
Felspar,
Hornblend,

Potash

and
Soda.

5 to~7

48

'S

<
23

s

1

.s

SJD

1

Oxyd of
iron.

1.06

93

6

1

8 to 9

47

34

1 to 2

13 to 14

m

19

4

1

42

12

11

1

Oxyd of
Mansa-

1 to 2

0.5

0.25

Argillite, a soft rock of the consistence of common
slate, contains carbon. Sulphuret of iron abounds.
Its decomposition produces with the silicates, sul-
phates of alkalies, earths, and oxyds. These with
the muriates and phosphates, give the inorganic ele-
ments of plants. Burning reduces these to two
classes, ashes and soluble salts. The last are found
in soot. The ashes are formed of salts and silicates
as the following analysis shews:

Analysis of Wood Ashes.
Ashes are divided by the simple process of leech-

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

125

ing, into two parts, soluble and insoluble in water.
The average quantity of ashes from 100 parts of dry
oak, beech, birch, &c. is, 2.87.

100 parts of the insoluble

contain
Carbonic acid, 35.80

Phosphoric acid, 3.40
Silica, . . 4.25
Oxyd of iron, . .52

Oxyd of manganese, 2.15
Magnesia, . 3.55

Lime, . . 35.80
99.86

100 parts of the soluble

contain

Carbonic acid,

22.70

Sulphuric acid,

6.43

Muriatic acid.

1.82

Silica,

.95

Potash and soda,

67.96

85.47

The composition of the insoluble part of ashes
gives us nearly the constituents of leeched ashes.
The soap boiler's process, how^ever, always leaves a
portion of potash combined with silica, and he adds
more or less lime to render the lye caustic. These
add to the value of leeched ashes something more
than is indicated in the table. Exposure to air, and
the galvanic operations of the roots of plants decom-
pose this silicate of potash, (crude glass,) and ren-
der the potash soluble in water. This is one great
source of the active power of leeched ashes. The
course of this wonderful powder, not only in fresh and
in leeched ashes, but in some degree, in all salts, is
to be found in the action of the bases of these salts
on geine and on silicates or granitic sand.

Peat ashes abounds in carbonate, sulphate, and
especially in phosphate of lime. I have always trac-
ed free alkali in peat ashes. But alkali exists in it
rather as a silicate, as in leeched ashes. Anthracite
coal ashes contain carbonate of lime, alumina, oxyd
of iron, and, as more or less wood or charcoal is
used in kindling it, some potash also — it is good so
far as these abound.

"There is one great, simple principle running
through all the classes of soils. It is this, that in all

126 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

salts and silicates the action of the base is ever the same
in vegetation. The base of the silicates and salts acts
always in one uniform mode. Peculiarities of action
depend on the acid constituent of the salt. Lime,
for instance, acts ever the same, whether it is used
as carbonate, sulphate, or phosphate, marl, plaster,
or bone-dust. The salt is decomposed by the living
plant. The various acids combine with the alkalies,
as they are eliminated, from the decomposition of
the silicates, and the lime, liberated, acts ever as
lime. It acts in its caustic state, as a converter of
insoluble into soluble geine. If this does not exist
in the soil, all the lime in the world would not cause
plants to grow. The base of the lime-salts acts
primarily on geine, either solving the soluble or
converting the insoluble. The same is true of alu-
mina, iron and the bases of all salts. The same
general rule applies to all alkaline, earthy or metal-
lic salts and to silicates.

" The order in which the farmer may apply salts
is the following : Carbonate, phosphate, and sulphate
of lime, carbonates, nitrates, muriates, and sulphates
of alkalies. No salts, excepting carbonates, can be
used in large quantities. The reason is at once ex-
plained by the principle of unity of action of the
bases. The acid of the salts, eliminated, decompo-
ses the geates, rendering the soluble insoluble, the
acid combines with any free base, produced from the
decomposition of the silicates, and thus prevents that
forming soluble geine. Having saturated the bases,
any excess acts then as free acid, poisoning the
vegetable, as oil of vitriol, or muriatic acid would ani-
mals. In carbonates, the acid forms part of the food
of plants. The alkaline geates are so very soluble,
that when alkalies, as ashes for instance, are freely
used, w^e lose a part, by its draining away, or in wet
soils becoming too dilute. But a small dose produ-
ces all the beneficial effects of a large dose of lime.
We have in ashes, not only the alkali to solve geates,
but a very large portion of carbonate and phosphate

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 127

of lime. Experiments are wanting to prove the re-
lative value of lime and ashes. I should not deem
it extravagant to say, that a bushel of ashes is equal
to a cask of lime. The alkalies and their salts act
more powerfully than any other substance, in solving
and converting geine. Lime in all its forms ranks
next. These produce always decided beneficial ef-
fects. The alkalies never fail. Ashes show their
effects at once, due to the alkaline part, while their
carbonate of lime produces more permanent effect.
Lime, from peculiar states of the soil, may not show
any immediate good result, but ultimately, this result
is sure to follow. Permanent barrenness never is
produced by the free use of carbonates. It surely
follows the free use of all other salts, yet in small
doses, they all and ever act beneficially, whenever
their bases, combined with carbonic acid, would be
beneficial.

"But how do the elements of soil act? As I have
stated in the report of Professor Hitchcock, by form-
ing galvanic batteries with the roots of living plants.
The most active element in the pile is the root. The
soil, like the rocks from which it is derived, is slow-
ly acted on by atmospheric agents. The effect of
this action annually is imperceptible.

"A single plant in one season will effect a greater
amount of decomposition of a given portion of soil,
than that produced by all the atmospheric agents in
many years. The galvanic agency of plants is not
confined to the soil, in immediate contact with their
roots. It extends from these, in every direction, to
undetermined distances. Hence there is a transfer,
as is usual in galvanic decompositions, of substances
quite remote from the plant. The whole plant con-
tributes to this galvanic agency. It never exists in
full force, perhaps not at all, till the plant has push-
ed above ground — acted on by air and light.

"The soil, as we have explained, consists almost
wholly of silicates, though it has been proved, that
carbonic acid slowly decomposes these, and an argu-

128 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

ment, for the mutual action of the elements of sili-
cates, derived from their admitted electrical states,
yet the amount of this action is never measurable in
one season. Being silicates, they have no tendency
to act on each other. We can only excite this ac-
tion by introducing new elements, salts, which in
this sense only, can be said to be excitants or stimu-
lants. The silicates are the flour, the salts the
yeast. The galvanic agency is excited by the salts,
but above all, over all, and controlling all, this action
of soils is the living plant." — Dr. Samuel L. Dana.

Manure.

Manures are either substantive, that is, the food
of plants in a soluble state, or adjective, possessing
the power of rendering soluble the geine of the soil.
All animal substances, the droppings and urine of
cattle included, are, in part substantive, and in part
adjective manures. Undergoing decomposition, they
give out ammonia, an alkali in the form of gas, but
capable of uniting with water, and which, like pot-
ash and soda, is a solvent of geine. It is a compound
of one volume of azote, and three volumes of hydro-
gen. During the process, which converts fresh into
well rotted manure, ammonia escapes and is lost. If
the rotting manure be covered by soil, or what is
much better, peat muck, the ammonia unites with
the geine, and makes a valuable compost. Economy
requires that all barn manures, in their fresh state,,
should be mixed with such muck to form compost.

Geine, or substantive manure, is the product of
putrefaction. The art of causing vegetable matter to
putrefy without running into the vinous or acetic fer-
mentation, either in compost heaps, or when plough-
ed into the soil, is a desideratum in agriculture.
Vegetable juices which contain sugar, starch, gum,,
and glutin, if exposed to air, moisture, and a temper-
ature never below 50° F., nor above 86° F., ferment
and are converted into gases, alcohol and yeast.

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 129'

The first escape and are lost ; the second poisons
animals, and affords no nourishment to plants, and a
small part of the yeast only remains to form geine.
Sugar and gum exposed to air, moisture, and a tem-
perature of from 65*^ to 70° F., are susceptible of
acid fermentation. The products are vinegar, car-
bonic acid gas, and some other acids. Plere also is
almost a total loss of portions of the plant, which by
the putrefactive process, would have been converted
into geine. Green plants, especially those which
contain much starch, sugar, gum, &c., ploughed in,,
or placed in compost heaps, are liable to be lost in
this manner. This explains what had for years been
a puzzle to me. I once ploughed in as much green
cornstalks as could well be covered with soil, in the
month of September. And in subsequent years the
soil was not in the least benefitted by it. It was,,
doubtless, converted into alcohol, vinegar, and gases;
poor food for vegetables. Dried plants give more
geine than green — because they have parted with
most of their sap, and from the moment when their
living functions ceased, new combinations of their
elements began, and decay, putrefaction commenced..
Dry crops, and probably those killed by frost, will, I
am inclined to think, be found most readily and with
the least loss to putrefy and form geine. There must
be also a great difference in different plants as to
their tendency to putrefy or to run into vinous or
acid fermentation. Here chemistry can prove the
only sure guide to successful experiments. There
is one other mode in which plants are decomposed,
and that is by what is termed "-^ destmctive putrefac-
tion.'' It is rather a slow combustion ; it is seen
where green plants are heaped together, and become
heated, so that all except their inorganic constituents
are literally burnt up and lost. Manure and com-
post heaps should never be permitted to thus run to
destruction — but as soon as they begin to evolve
steam, be spread open and cooled with water or
otherwise.

17

130

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

Soot.

I have given above the constituents of ashes, but
in decomposing wood and other vegetables by fire,
other elements escape in the form of smoke, the
more ponderous parts of which, are condensed on
the sides of the flues that convey the smoke into the
open atmosphere. Soot is a valuable article for
compost manures. Dr. Dana gives the following
analysis of soot from Braconnot.

Geine, . 30.70 Acetate of potash,

Extractive matter } ^o 'Muriate of potash,

: Acetate of ammonia
lArr Acetate of magnesia,

and azote,
Carbonate of lime

and magnesia,
Acetate of lime,
Sulphate of lime
Phosphate of lime

and iron

5.65
5. I

1.50|

Silica,

Carbon,

Water,

4.16

0.36

, 0.20

.53

.95

3.85

12.50

100.

Clay.

I shall on this subject abridge the remarks of Hitch-
cock and Dana. There is abundant evidence that
our common clays are of great value when spread on
land. When spread on dry sandy and gravelly land
they render it a better reservoir of salts, geine, and
water. But they exert other than a mechanical in-
fluence; in fact, their effect is similar to that of lime.

An analysis of our common blue clay, gives

Water and organic }

matter, ^

Silica,

Alumina,

9

48
29

Protoxyde of iron.
Lime, magnesia, }
and sulphur, \

11.
3

100

It is, therefore, probable that most of the good
effects of clay, as a manure, are owing to the large
quantity of iron it contains. Iron in clay exists
either in combination with oxygen or sulphur. Iron
combines with two proportions of oxygen, and forms
two oxids, the protoxide and the peroxide. The

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 131

protoxide consists of iron 3^ parts, oxygen 1 part
by weight. The peroxide contains a larger portion
of oxygen. The protoxide is black, the peroxide is
red. By exposure to the oxygen of the atmosphere,
especially when heated, the protoxide imbibes the
larger dose of oxygen, and becomes a peroxide.
Sulphuret of iron is a compound of iron and sulphur.
It is of a golden metallic color, and where it exists
in massive rocks, often fills the imagination of the
discoverer with dreams of wealth, never to be real-
ized. By exposure to the oxygen of the atmosphere,
the sulphur undergoes a slow combustion and is
changed to sulphuric acid, which unites with the
iron and forms sulphate of iron, green vitriol, or
copperas. Understanding this, the following remarks
of Dr. Dana will be understood.

" If we attempt to account for the action of clay,
independent of its amending a sandy soil, we should
bear in mind that our common clays contain more or
less sulphuret of iron. The conversion of this into
the persulphate of iron is the natural consequence
of exposure ; free sulphuric acid results, which acts
on any lime in the soil, forming sulphate of lime —
plaster. So, by spreading clay we spread plaster of
Paris. The iron in clay also plays its part thus :
The protoxide of iron, unchanged, would not be
beneficial in agriculture. It does not act on geine.
By exposure, the protoxide becomes peroxide ; and
then begins an action similar to that of lime. If the
free sulphuric acid, produced as supposed, finds not
lime enough, it will decompose all earthy geates
and thus a fresh portion of nutriment be set at lib-
erty. Both the effects of clay, the production of
plaster and the formation of the peroxide of iron,
are speedily produced by burning the clay, as is of-
ten practised. Some facts have lately come under
my eye, and have recalled others to mind, which I
have followed up experimentally, all tending to show
that if iron peroxidates itself in contact with vegeta-
ble fibre, the texture of the fibre is weakened and

132 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

geine is produced, and that in a few hours. It is
during the passage from protoxide to peroxide that
this ' saponifying' action takes place. Geine is pro-
duced and then combines with peroxide." And
here Professor Hitchcock adds in a note, from Dr.
Dana, " How wide is the influence of geine ! It not
only enters by itself into the food of vegetables, but
becomes the very solvent which nature has prepared
to act on the alkaline earths and oxids, dissolving
them as they are liberated from decomposing gran-
itic sand. By fermenting dung, vast volumes of am-
monia are liberated. I do not think that it is the
action of gases, as such, which we want, or which
nature intends as food of plants to be derived from
;the soil. The air is always full of all which this
fermenting manure can supply in a gaseous form.
The true action of ammonia and carbonic acid re-
solve into their action on geine. The ammonia
combines as alkali with that and thus it becomes
very soluble. And the carbonic acid produces sur-
salts of the earthy geates of lime, and magnesia. It
is these, liberated the moment the plant demands
them, which cause all the geine of the manure to
become alkaline soluble geates."

MarsJi Mud.

This substance is so abundant and so accessible
to a large portion -of the farmers of the county of
Essex, that it would seem desirable that they should
know in what its value consists. It is generally, I
believe, esteemed a good ingredient in composts.
The marsh mud, however, of different localities,
varies much in value. And the opinions of different
practical farmers as to its worth differ accordingly.

A scientific analysis of specimens of marsh mud
taken from different places, shews how little depend"-
ence can be placed on a name of soils, &c. in agri-
culture.

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 133

Hitchcock's Analysis of Marsh mud by Dana's
method, from

Cambridge. Newburyport. Medford.

•Soluble geine, 13.0 1.5 7.5

Insoluble geine, 7.4 0.1 5.6

Sulphate of lime, 2.3 3.0 2.6

.Phosphate of lime, 0.4 0.5 0.3

Granitic sand, 76.9 94.9 84.0

100.0 100.0 100.0

Besides the above named constituents, it contains
more or less salts of soda, common salt, &.c. From
this analysis we may say, that if a soil be quite poor
those varieties should be chosen that contain the
most geine, and this can be judged of by their com-
parative lightness when dry, the lightest abounding
most in organic matter. But if the soil already
contain a good deal of inactive vegetable matter, the
varieties that abound most in salts, will probably be
most efficacious.

Cow Dung.

The analysis of the excrement of black cattle fed
on hay and turnips, given in Thomson's Chemistry,
from Thaer and Einhoff, gives, when evaporated to
dryness and burnt to an ash, (not reckoning sand,)
the following salts and earths in the proportion stated.
Lime 12, phosphate of lime 12.5, magnesia 2, iron
5, alumina with some manganese 14, silica 52,
murate and sulphate of potash 1.2, — 98.7.

These mineral constituents then, together with
the vegetable and animal matter, which undergoing
putrefaction, forms geine, and gives out carbonic
acid and ammonia, shew us in what consists the
value of cow dung as a manure.

Road Dust.

It has been suggested by Hitchcock and Dana that
felspathic and micaceous rocks, if ground in a plaster

134 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

mill, would form a good dressing for land. Now we
have in many places an abundance of this article
ready ground for use, and well mixed too, with ani-
mal manure, in road dust, the removal of which
would greatly benefit the public, as it only impedes
the motion of wheels, either in the form of mud or
loose sand, besides its annoyance to travellers when
lifted on the wings of the wind. Here is probably a
rich source of real "muck sand" hitherto neglected.

The foregoing brief sketch, very hastily compiled,
amidst constant interruptions and professional cares,
is designed to arouse the attention of practical farm-
ers to a subject full of interest and promise to them-
selves, their country, and the world. A flourishing
agriculture lies at the very foundation of national
prosperity. An enlightened and well educated yeo-
manry is one of the most important constituents of
national greatness and glory. Farmers should feel
that a higher trust than the cultivation of their fields
is committed to them; and that is the cultivation of
their own minds ; and that, therefore, independent
of the pecuniary advantages which the study of the
science of agriculture may confer upon them, its in-
fluence in strengthening and improving their intel-
lectual powers would prove of incalculable value.
Knowledge is power. And no knowledge confers so
much power on the individual man, as that which
makes him thoroughly acquainted with the philoso-
phy of the art he practices — of the avocation in the
labors of which he spends his life. Such knowledge
is not only power, it is happiness, it converts the
drudgery of labor into scientific recreation, and
where it is the laws, the forces of nature which guide
his hand and accomplish his work, it raises his ado-
ration to the Maker of those laws, the cause of those
forces, and religion becomes the crowning glory of
his existence.

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 135

In a communication to a late agricultural meeting
at the State House, I proposed for their consideration,
as I now do to the consideration of the farmers of
Essex county, the following plan of operations for
the elevation of the art of agriculture to a compara-
tively exact science. Let our first eflbrt be to obtain
the services of one or more of our best chemists who
shall devote all his powers and time to the analyzing
of soils, manures, &-c., to perfecting the science of
agriculture, and preparing for publication a popular
treatise on this subject. To defray the expenses let
a subscription be opened and papers sent into all
parts of the commonwealth, with the understanding
that all persons who will subscribe and pay in ad-
vance dollars, or more annually, till such sub-
scription be withdrawn, shall enjoy the privilege of
having his soils, &c. analyzed by said chemist, and
to have a statement of the constituents of said soils,
&-C. returned to him, with the opinion of said chem-
ist, as to what is needed to render such soils most
fertile; the value of specimens of peat muck, muck
sand, marls, &c., and the treatment they need to
make them valuable manures for certain soils, &c.
Agricultural societies to be admitted as subscribers,
with the privilege of having all the soils and manures
used by claimants for premium crops, &c. analyzed.

On the above-mentioned communication a commit-
tee, consisting of Dr. C, T. Jackson, Nathaniel P.
Denny, and Horace Collamore, made an able report
from which we have room only for the following ex-
tract:— "Your committee are of opinion that there
is no subject of human knov/ledge more recondite
than the science of agriculture. No other branch of
art requires a more thorough knowledge of the sister
sciences than this. — No branch of art has yet been
able to exist without technical terms. ' There is no
royal road to learning.' The student of agricultural
chemistry must labor like others, before he can ac-
quire a thorough knowledge of the science. In order
to comprehend the meaning of chemical terms, the

136 SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE.

farmer must pay some attention to the elements of
the science, and then, by the aid of such glossaries
as should be contained in a treatise on agricultural
chemistry, he will be enabled to hold intercourse
with the elements, and know them by name."

AGRICULTURAL SEMINARY,

AT ANDOVER.

We have been requested to present the following
notice of a course of study contemplated in the
Teachers' Seminary, at the South Parish in Andover.
It so fully harmonizes with the views expressed in
the foregoing essay, and is so well calculated to meet
what we consider the present wants of the commu-
nity, that we cheerfully recommend the institution
to those, who are desirous of educating their sons to
be intelligent and independent farmers. At a time
when the most distinguished men in our country feel
it their highest honor, that they are farmers ; and,
when all the learned professions, so called, are over-
stocked, it becomes us, farmers, to consider what is-
the best manner of educating our sons.

"Arrangements have been made to introduce sci-
entific agriculture as a regular branch of study; one of
the teachers has been engaged, during the past win-
ter, in investigating agricultural chemistry, with a
view to give instruction on the subject, and to pre-
pare a text book for the use of the students. In-
struction will be given on the subject the coming
term, which commences March 25th, in connection
with the lectures and experiments in chemistry.
The plan of adding scientific agriculture to the
branches already pursued, originated from the belief
that scientific agriculture must be made a regular

SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 137

branch of study in our literary institutions before we
can make farmers scientific men, and produce a per-
manent improvement in our system of rural economy.
It is our object to afford facilities to our young men
for obtaining a thorough English education, espe-
cially to obtain a knowledge of the various branches
of natural science, that they maybe able to under-
stand and apply the great principles of scientific
agriculture which lay at the foundation of all success-
ful practice. We propose to teach them botany and
physiology, mineralogy, geology, and chemistry with
its application to agriculture, and to afford them the
opportunity to witness the operations of tillage un-
der the direction of a teacher. No labor will be
requiredy but the opportunity will be given for those
who feel disposed, and a fair remuneration paid.
The instruction in scientific agriculture will be con-
nected with the processes of analyzing soils. Fully
believing that this plan will be of the highest prac-
tical advantage to the farming community, and the
only one which will ultimately elevate the employ-
ment, and raise up a generation of scientific farmers,
we confidently present it to the community for their
co-operation and patronage."

(note a. — page 121.)

From Professor Hitchcock we learn that sand or any other stratum of earth that
first arrests the water in its descent into the earth, if spread on the surface of the
ground, operates as a manure. It is that stratum out of which water continually
oozes — that stratum into which all wells are sunk — and which, in many places, is
found near the surface of the earth. It probably will be found to contain salts and in
some instances free alkalies, which have been washed down from the soil, and here
aiTCSted. Hard water which is found in most wells, contains such salts, and here a
question of some importance is suggested. Is well water for irrigation more fertiliz-
ing than rain or brook water? This subject of nmck, sand, &c. is one of the highest
interest to farmers, since it must afford many a cheap means of renovating their worn
out soils. All eyes should be directed to it and experiments tried with it wherever it
cau be easily obtained.

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A LIST OF

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

AWARDED IN 1840

Wm. S. Marland, Andover, For Ayrshire bull, Ist'prem. ^15
Perley Tapley, Danvers, " Durham bull,

George Spofford, Georgetown, " " cow,

H, C. Merriam, Tewksbury, '• " cow,

" " " heifer,

a yearling heifer,
working oxen,
native cow,
working oxen,
working oxen,
milch cow.

Albert Johnson, Lynn,

Joseph Kittredge, Andover,

Perley Tapley, Danvers,

Josiah Crosby, Andover,

Joseph Goodridge,W. Nevvb'y, ploughing, D. T

Jede'h H. Barker, Andover, " "

Perley Tapley, Danvers, '• "

Hobart Clark, Andover, " "

Perley Tapley, Danvers,

Joseph C. Putnam, '•'

Moses Pettingell, Topsfield,

Samuel F. Barker,Andover,

Seth Kimball, Andover,

Wm. S. Marland, Andover,

Joseph Kittredge, Andover,

Hobart Clark, Andover,

Nathan Tapley, Danvers,

Jed. H. Barker, Andover,

William WilliamSjRowley,

S. T.

H. T.

working oxen.

steers, 3 years old
steers, '•

2nd "
1st "
2nd "
gratuity,
1st prem.
gratuity,
1st prem,

(C ((

2nd "
gratuity,
1st prem.

2nd "

3rd "

4th "

1st "

2nd "

3rd "

4th "

1st "

2nd "

1st "

2nd "

3rd "

.1st "

2nd "

6
15

6

5

5

5
15
12

6
10-100
12
10

8

6
10

8

6

4

8

6—78
10

7

5

7

5

^212

140 PREMTUJM.S AND GRATUITIES AWARDED.

Amount broui^ht over $212

steers, 2 years old, 1st " 6

" " 2nd '= 4

steers, 1 year old, 1st prem. 4

« ct 2nd " 2 — 50

fat cattle, 1st " 16

bull, 1st " 8

" 2nd " 6—29

boar, sow and pigs, 1st " 16

" " 2nd " 6

Georgetownjboar, 2nd " 2

Tevvksbury, boar and sows, gratuity, 5

Dan vers, pigs, " 3

" pigs, '' 3

Boxiord, pigs, " 3

W. Newb-y. pigs, " 3—41

Dan'v^ers.

John F. Carlton, Andover,
Daniel Hoyt, Haverhill

R. H. Chandler, Andover,

Joseph Kittredge, "

Josei)h Yeaton, Newbury;

Win. S. Marland, Andover,

Francis Dodge, Dan vers,

Thos. E. Payson, Rowley,

William Williams, "

John L. Noyes,

H. C. Merriam,

Nathan Tapley,

Perley Tapley,

John Hale,

Joseph Newell,

Dean Robison,

Daniel Putnam,

Jesse Putnam, "

Daniel Putnam, "

Mrs. R. Buttrick, Haverhill,

Jsaac Carruth, Andover,

Mrs.W. Thurlow, W. Newb'y,

Temple Cutler, Hamilton,

Mrs. H. Tappan, Newbury,

Mrs. E. Titcomb, Newburyp't,

Mrs. M. Burbaiik, Bradford,

Three others,

Gardner B. Perry, Bradford,

Temple Cutler, Hamilton,

Joseph Foster, Beverly,

W. C. Richardson,

Moses P. Atwood, Bradford,

Samuel Stuart, Haverhill,

Daniel Putnam, Danvers,

Francis Dodge, " " "

Moses N. Adams, Newbury, hand rake,

Andrew Nichols. Danvers, cxp'ts on manures,

Joseph Foster, Beverly, hedge fence.
By the committee on manufactures, See pp. 90—3,
By the committee on fruits. See page 61,

June butter,

1st pr

em.

8

(( (<

2nd

cc

6

a (c

3rd

(C

4

September butter.

1st

(1

10

(( <<

2nd

<<

8

cheese.

1st

(<

10

K

2nd

(C

8-

-54

cultivation of silk.

, gratui

ity,

10

C C ((

<(

7

mulberry trees,
tiursery "

crop of rye,
" corn.

1st prem.

1st ^'

2nd "

gratuity,
((

1st prem.

gratuity.

15

10

5

8

3—60
10

5

5—20
10
10

6—25
92
25

Amount of premiums and gratuities awarded in 1840,

$574

PREMIUMS OFFERED

BY THE

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY

1841.

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees, December
30th, 1840, the secretary was directed to prepare a
list of premiums to be offered the ensuing year, and
to publish the same previous to the Annual Exhibi-
tion, which is to be at Georgetown, on Wednesday ^
September 29, 184L The following instructions
were given:- —

On farms, on the dairy ^ on crops as manure,
whether green or dry, on forest trees, on mulberry
trees and silk, on irrigation, on improvement of mea-
dows, on ploughing, on agricultural implements, on
comparative value of crops, on fattening cattle and
sivine, on cultivation of crops, on animals exhibited,
on manufactures, on fruits and flowers, S^'c. Sfc, simi-
lar to those of the last year.

Additional premiums will be offered on several
other subjects — instance —

The BEST CONSTRUCTED PLOUGH.

Experiments on manures of different kinds. All

142 NEW MEMBERS.

of which will be detailed in the Premium Sheet, that
will soon be published.

One hundred dollars, additional premiums, will
again be given hy the State Society, the present year,
to competitors from all parts of the commonwealth.
Attest,
JOHN W. PROCTOR, Seeretary,
March. 1841.

NAMES OF MEMBERS ADMITTED,
IN 1840.

THOMAS E. PAYSON, Esq. Rowley,
ALLEN W. DODGE, Esq. Hamilton.

ADOLPHUS DURANT, Methuen.

CHARLES F. PUTNAM, Esq. Salem.
WILLIAM S. MARLAND, Esq. Andover.
JOSIAH CROSBY, Esq. Andover,

The next exhibition will be at Georgetown, on
Wednesday, September 29th, 1841.

INDEX.

Mr. Huntington's Address,

Letter from Eli as Phinney, Esq.,

Smith's Subsoil Plough, &c.,
Report of premiums awarded by State Society,

A- Johnson's Statement of Milch Cow,

G. Spofford's do do

Charles F. Putnam's do do

Josiah Crosby's do do

Report on Mulberry Trees and Silk,

T. Cutler's Statement,

M. P. Atwood's do

G. B. Perry's do

Joseph Foster's do

Mrs. M. Burbank's do
Report on Cultivation of Live Fences,
Report on Agricultural Implements,
Report on Fruits and Flowers,
Report on Milch Cows and Heifers,

H. Clark's Statement,

D. Putnam's do

R. H. Chandler's do

P. M. Dole's do
Report on the Dairy,

Remarks on Managing Dairies, &c.

D. Putnam's Statements,

A. Sheldon's Statement,

J. Preston's do

Wm. R. Putnam's do

Mrs. R. Buttrick's do

T. Carruth's do

Mrs. H. B. Spofford's do

Jesse Putnam's do

Dean Robinson's do

M. Ward well's do

PAGJK.

g 22

23—27

28-31

32—33

34—35

35

36—37

38—39

40—41

41—52

53

54

55

56

57

57—60

61—64

65

66

66

67

68

68—70

70—73

73—74

75

75—76

76

77

78

79

79—80

80

81

144

INDEX.

Report on Ploughing, Double Teanns

Report on do Single Teams

Report on do Horse Teams

Report on Fat Cattle,

Report on Bulls,

Report on Oxen and Steers, .

Report on Swine,

Report on Domestic Manufactures,

Report on Cultivation of Crops,

Samuel Stuart's Statement,
Daniel Putnam's do

William Williams's do
Francis Dodge's do

Report on Dr. Nichols's Experiments

Dr. Nichols's Statement,
Science of Agriculture, Essay on
Agricultural Seminary at Andover,
Treasurer's Annual Statement, &c.
Premiums Awarded in 1840,
Premiums Offered in 1841,
Members Admitted in 1840, .
Index,

PAGE.

81—83

83—84

84—85

85—86

86—87

87—88

88—89

89—93

94—98

93—99

99—100

100—101

101—102

102—103

103—106

106—136

136—137

138

139—140
141—142
142
143—144

TRANSACTIONS

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

1841.

VOLUME III.-NUMBER II.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.

JANUARY, 1842.

SALEM

PRINTED AT THE SALEM GAZETTE OFFICE.

1842.

ADDRESS.

By ALONZO gray, A.M

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Society.

The statute of the Hebrew Commonwealth which
required all the people to assemble triennially at Jerusa-
lem, and present themselves before the Lord, was not
more a dictate of piety than of sound, practical wisdom.
It led them to cherish a friendly regard for each other,
and it kept alive a spirit of obedience to their divine
lawgiver. It furnished the best opportunities to pay
their tithes; to present the best of their flocks and fat-
lings, the first fruits of the field and of the vine, the
honey and the oil, with the sacred garments and orna-
ments for the divine service.

The feast of the harvest, especially, must have pre-
sented an imposing spectacle. The immense multitude
of people, the numerous flocks and caravans which
blocked up the ways and covered the hills around the
sacred city. The display of their merchandise, their
offerings for the service of the temple, towards which all
eyes were directed and at the sight of which all Israel
bov/ed to the earth, in silent adoration of Him who
made it the place of his peculiar presence. The pillar
of smoke which ascended to heaven from the altar of
burnt sacrifice completed the ])icture; and then it was
at Jerusalem, the city of the great King, the place where
he unveiled his awful majesty, while all around w^as
calculated to inspire the pious sentiment of the Psalmist,
"The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof," the

4 MR. gray's address.

*'fruits of the earth are his," "and the cattle upon a
thousand hills."

The herdsmen of Dan, we may naturally suppose,
would emulate those of Beersheba; the shepherds of
the mountains, those of the plains. The clusters of Es-
chol, would be compared with those of Libanus; the
wild honey of the rock, with that from the desert; the
oil from the hills and the spices of Jordan.

The Tyrian purple and tapestry, the fine linen and
embroidered-work, with all manner of needle-work and
carved-work and utensils of husbandry, according to the
skill and productions of each portion of the land, would
furnish an opportunity for inspection and profitable com-
parison. All this was not merely for display, it had its
appropriate effect. Every Jew would carry home a
higher sense of his duty to his country and his God.
He would also gain some new knowledge, or at least be
stimulated to greater exertions to increase the produc-
tions of his fields and of his fiocks. It was, doubtless,
one of the most important means in that age of securing
his attachment to the cultivation of the soil, as well as
of perfecting and perpetuating those modes by which
each one might reap the highest reward of his labors.

You have come up to this annual festival to-day,
bringing with you the choicest fruits of your industry, to
commune with each other, to be excited to new zeal
and to higher efforts in the profession which you have
chosen; to gather new encouragement and consolation;
to lighten the toils of the field, and it is hoped, to pre-
sent to that Great Being who has crowned your labors
with success, the tribute of grateful hearts, and the con-
secration of the substance with which he has blessed
you. You wish, I doubt not, to return to your homes
with the conviction that you have made some advances
in the art which you cultivate. With the hope that I
might contribute something, however small, to this end,
I have consented to address ^ou.

Under any circumstances I could not hope to do jus-
tice to this occasion. Under the present, I fear 1 snail
wholly disappoint you, as my hieath and professioir^l

MR. GRAY S ADDRESS. 5

engagements, for the last few weelis, have prevented me
from making what little preparation might otherwise
have been within my power.

But havinii: been bred a farmer and havins: from Ions;
observation and study become deeply impressed with
the wants and importance of the profession, I could not
forego the opportunity of presenting a few thoughts to .
so large and influential a body of my fellow citizens, as
are present on this occasion.

The topic which I have selectedfor your considera
tion, is, the means hy which constant progress and per-
manent improvement in Agriculture may be secured. The
subject is an extensive one; it includes a wide field;
embracing nearly e\evy topic which would be pertinent
to present on an occasion like the present.

The history of this society shows that it has been and
is an important means of progress and perfection in the
art; and were you to disband it to-day, you could not
destroy the influence which it would exert through all
coming time.

The Agricultural and Geological surveys, which tend
to develope our resources, Agricultural publications,
the experiments of practical farmers and the efforts of
scientific men, are all important means of progress in
the art*

But I must confine myself to a single view; to a view,
however, which I deem fu7idamental to the complete
success of all other means of further progress, and per-
fection in the art.

I am not ignorant of the fact, that our agriculture has
advanced rapidly within the last twenty years; perhaps
tripling the productions of the soil. I would not lightly
value the means by which its progress has been promot-
ed. I would be slow in adopting those which experience
has not proved to be successful. But yet, it must be

*It is evident that many influences are calculated to advance the art, which
when v/ithheld tend upon the whole to retard ratlier than to secure its progress
The olate may ofFer premiums in such a way, as to produce a temporary ad-
vanceiaent, vrhicli, when withheld, or when they become such that efforts for
successful coinpetition are not adequately rewarded, the progress will be ap-
pare?it but not permanent.

6 MR. gray's address.

evident to all, that Agriculture has not kept pace with
most other arts. It has not derived that aid from sci-
entific discovery and mechanical invention which has
been secured in almost every other department of human
industry. Why is agriculture, the oldest as well as the ,
foundation of all other arts, so slow in its progress ?
Why must each generation of farmers go through the
same experiments, without being able to profit by those
of their predecessors, or to make but slow advances upon
what their fathers have done before them? In other
words, why has not agriculture as an art, advanced as
rapidly as other arts? And why have not the efforts to
improve and perfect it, been as successful as those
which have been directed to the same end, in other
departments of human industry? Is not the true answer
to these inquiries to be found in the fact that those means
which have been deemed indispensable in other arts have
not been resorted to, to the same extent, in this? We
have employed means which never have produced and
never can produce the results at which we aim. They
do not strike deep enough to furnish a permanent basis
upon which the art may be built up and cemented to-
gether in one complete and symmetrical whole.

I remark then, in the first place, that in order to se-
cure constant progress and permanent improvement in Ag-
riculture^ it must be based 07i scientific principles. Agri-
culture must be cultivated not only as an art, but as a
science. I need not stop here to show that with a few
honorable exceptions, the art is practised merely as an
art. That the great majority of farmers are unable to
give an intelligible reason for the modes of culture
which they adopt. For the fact is notorious, that they
are not only ignorant of the changes which take place
in the process of vegetation and of those conditions
which are requisite for the highest development of the
vital power in the proJuction of their crops, but that
many of them do not know the nature of a single ingre-
dient of their soil. In fact, the idea of "Book Farming"
has been in many places a subject of ridicule. As if
the recorded experiments and generalizations of scien-

MR. GRAY S ADDRESS. 7

tific iren and practical farmers, conducted under every
variety of soil and climate, were not only useless, but
just subjects of contempt; or as if an accurate knowledge
of the laws of reproduction in the animal and vegetable
kingdoms could be of no possible use to those whose
whole success in their profession must be in proportion
to their strict conformity to those laws.

It must be confessed, however, that there is much
discrepancy among scientific men, on many of the theo-
ries which pertain to the subject. Many of the prin-
ciples do not seem to be well settled, and there is some
ground for the prejudice which I have noticed. But
this fact does not invalidate the position which we have
assumed. So far as Agriculture is not yet capable of
being based on scientific truth, so far its progress must
be retarded and we must direct our efforts to the estab-
lishment of those principles which are yet in doubt.

But there are many principles well settled. The
great majority of truths which are applicable to the
subject are well established. It is true that they are
not well collected and arranged; they are scattered
and need classification; but then enough is known to
give direction and permanency to the modes of culture
in all their prominent features, and if generally under-
stood and applied, to increase in a rapid ratio the pro-
ductions of the soil.

Mineralogy and Geology furnish us with many import-
ant principles relating to the origin and composition of
soils. Chemistry teaches us how to improve them, as
well as explains to us the changes which take place in
the processes of vegetation, and hence points out those
conditions which are requisite for the most perfect
growth and maturity of vegetables. It also instructs us
in the best modes of preserving the various vegetable
and animal productions, and enables us to understand
their properties and uses.

Botany makes us acquainted with the structure and
habits of various species of plants, and aids us in deter-
mining what soils to select and what mode of treatment
will be crowned with the most certain success.

8 MR. gray's address.

Zoology opens her vast storehouse of facts and princi-
ples, and developes those laws by which the reproduc-
tion of animals is regulated, and their highest perfection
attained.

Mechanical Philosophy may also afford essential aid,
and further, the great number of experiments which have
been tried by scientific men (and practical farmers) to
test the truth of the principles thus developed, render
it certain that we have a broad basis on which the art
may rest.

Let the principles derived from Natural Science be
applied to Agriculture as they have been to other arts,
and we shall soon see it moving forw^ard with the same
rapidity. We shall soon attain to similar perfection,
and secure a permanency in the acquisitions that are
made, which all other means combined can never effect.

The absolute necessity of basing the whole art of
Agriculture on the principles of science, may be shown
from the nature of the case, the analogy of other arts,
and the history of Agriculture itself.

From the nature of the employment, its permanent
success must depend upon a knowledge of those rational
laws by which it is governed. The conditions of suc-
cess are too many and too difficult of apprehension, to
be discovered anew by each generation of farmers. It
requires constant attention to a great variety of circum-
stances; and that attention must be given not only from
year to year and with regard to each kind of crop, but
observations must constantly be made to adapt the mode
of treatment to the exigencies of the case. No perma-
nent progress can be secured, unless its principles are
classified, its experiments recorded, and the accumulat-
ed experience of many observers so arranged, as to
become attainable by one. Strange as the assertion
may appear, it is doubtless true, that few arts can be
practised with more doubtful success by those who are
unacquainted with the scientific principles upon which
they are based, than Agriculture. Scientific farming
bears the same relation to that which is not, that history
does to tradition; that the recorded events of civilized

MR. GRAY S ADDRESS. \f

life, to the mythologies of the savage state; the clear
and steady light which shines from the printed page, to
the dim shadows which come to us from popular rumor.
Why should not Agriculture require the aid of science,
to secure its permanent progress, as well as the chemi-
cal and mechanical arts? I am aware that the arts pre-
cede the sciences, and that some arts have attained a
high degree of perfection, long before their principles
were reduced to system; but generally, there is a cer-
tain degree of perfection only attained; and although
the results may be equal in beauty and perfection to those
which art enlightened by science produces, still, there
is a vast difference in the economy and facility by which
the results are brought about.

The general fact is, that science is the offspring of
the arts in the first instance, but the child soon becomes
the parent of a numerous progeny. It is often the se-
cret, unseen agent which directs the artisan and leads to
eminence and perfection in the art. Mere art unen-
lightened by science, might construct edifices of the
most perfect symmetry, with sufficient time and labor; or
make the living form start out of rock, by a kind of in-
stinct; but it can never construct steamboats, cotton or
woollen factories. The beautiful fabrics which come from
our manufactories did not receive their various coloring
and finish by some fortunate but unscientific blunderer;
the modern arts of bleaching and dyeing are not the re-
sults of a few experiments carelessly conducted by some
successful compounder of logwood and alum. No, the
chemical arts have reached their present degree of per-
ection by oft-repeated and accurate experiments, and a
careful comparison of a great variety of phenomena, and
the application of principles derived from several of the
sciences. In fact, all our large manufactories employ a
professed chemist, whose whole energies are employed
in investigating and applying the principles of science to
the progress and perfection of these arts.

When you witness the almost miraculous effects of
steam in its various applications; when you stand for
example on some promontory of the sea and observe its
2

10 MR. gray's address.

power as exhibited in the propelling of the steamship,
you are filled with admiration, not so much because of
the majestic and rapid motion which it produces, as be-
cause you see in it the proudest monument of the triumphs
of science over the most formidable element in nature.
Steamboats and locomotives did not spring up in a
night without any attention to natural laws or the appli-
cation of scientific principles.

The whole circle of the mechanic and manufacturing
arts, from the building of a seventy-four gun ship to
the manufacturing of a pin, have attained their won-
derful perfection because they are based upon the prin-
ciples of science, and their history conclusively proves
that their progress has been constant and permanent on-
ly so far as these principles have been properly applied.
If a mechanic may not construct a log cabin without
some scientific knowledge of architecture, shall we ex-
pect to attain perfection in agriculture without any at-
tention to the peculiar prmciples upon which the art
should be founded? If the less difficult, the less import-
ant arts require the aid of science to secure progress
and success, is it possible to attain permanent advance-
ment in the more difficult as well as the most important
of all arts without any such guide to point out the way?

What a vast amount of labor has been saved by the
introduction of machinery in the mechanical arts. Is it
of no importance to the progress of agriculture that its
labors may be abridged by similar means? It would
seem that as this art is the most laborious of any other,
an art which the great majority of men in every age and
country must practice, it would seem I say that it should
be the first to which the principles of science would be
applied, the first to reap the benefits of scientific dis-
coveries and new inventions. The history of Agricul-
ture itself proves that permanent improvement has been
secured only so far as the art has been based on the
principles of science, and all that is valuable to be re-
tained may be traced either directly to scientific discov-
ery, or found to correspond to the principles which sci-
ence has disclosed.

MR. gray's address. 1!

The time has come, we believe, when something must
be done to place the business of farming on a better
foundation, and now is the time when it can be done
with effect; society is yet in the forming state; our
institutions are receiving their character, and now, be-
fore they become rigid by age, is emphatically the time
to lay the deep and broad foundation of future and per-
manent prosperity.

The spirit of the age demands that agriculture should
be raised from its fallen condition and placed on a simi-
lar basis with other professions. The sterility of our
New England soil, and our increasing population, re-
quire it especially of us. The interests of our widely
extended country, now receiving its character, call for
it. Morality and religion command it.

The responsibility devolves upon those who are the
instructors and guides of the rising generation ; those
who shape the character and direct the energies of the
coming age. It is for us to say whether the intellectual
and moral powers which are now developing around us
shall be directed to those permanent and useful pursuits
which lay at the foundation of civil and religious institu-
tions, that furnish the means of national wealth, and ex-
ert a favorable influence upon man in all the conditions
of his being here; or whether they shall be turned into
the chanels of vice and fiction, to be consumed by the
fires which should have quickened them into life and
strength.

This leads me to remark in the second place, that in
order to secure constant progress and permanent improve-
ment in Agriculture, its principles must be made a regular
branch of study in an extended course of an English educa-
tion."^ It must be introduced into our system of popu-
lar instruction. How else can it become di science, unless
it is made a special subject of study ? It must be stud-
ied as every other art is. It must be made a prominent
and indispensable part of an education. It will then

* See Farmer's Companion; p. 279; or the Address of Mr. Biiel before the
Agricultural and Horticultural Societies of New Haven County, Sept. 1839

12 MR. gray's address.

create a motive for scientific men to turn their attention
to it, and to produce in this as in all other professions, a
union of theory and practice; the theory must be taught
in the schools, the practice in the fields. Its princi-
ples will then be sought out, its experiments carefully
compared and classified ; its apparently discordant
facts reconciled and wrought into one perfect system of
light and truth.

It is only in this way that pej-fection^ can be attained.
Why is it that the mechanic arts have arrived to such
a high state of perfection, while agriculture is so mani-
festly imperfect ? It is simply because these arts have
been made the subjects of patient and persevering study.
The lights of science have shone upon them until we
ore astonished and almost confounded at the magnitude
af the results, no less than delighted with the beauty,
simplicity and cheapness which characterize their pro-
ductions. Every scientific man has his telescope out,
that nothing may pass in heaven or earth but that it may
be known; but alas for the farmer, very few but empy-
rics have consulted his interests. He could do well
enough without the aid of science ; so the farmer has
said, and so he believed, and settled down in his self com-
placency, repelling all attempts to arouse him from his
comfortable, and as he verily believes, consoling posi-
tion. But scientific men and practical farmers are turn-
ing their attention to this subject. New discoveries are
being made, new resources are being developed ; the
importance of the subject begins to be seen, and unless
I mistake the signs of the times, a necessity felt by many
of the best men that in order to secure perfection in
agriculture it must be made a branch of an English
education.

If agriculture is made a science how^ever, its princi-
ples cannot be understood, disseminated and applied
unless it is made a branch of study in our literary insti-

* Perfect Agriculture, says Professor Liebig, of Giossen, is the true founda-
tion of all trade and industry,— it is the foundation of the riches of States. But
a rational system of Agriculture cannot be formed withcut the application of
jicicittiftc principles

MR. gray's address. 13

tutions. It may be known as a science by the initiated,,
but there must be a power to receive and apply, as well
as to cojnmunicate, before permanent improvement can
be secured.

It is one of the most glaring defects in our system of
popular instruction, that no provision is made for the
study of those branches which are intimately connected
with agriculture, and a knowledge of which is necessary
in order that the science itself may be understood ; we
are therefore met with an obstacle which it is not easy
to surmount, whenever we attempt to instruct the com-
munity into the principles of the art. There is wanting
not light on agriculture, but o. recipient poiuer in the gen-
eral mind to collect the light which actually exists.
There is knowledge enough in the world to save it, if it
could be brought to bear upon the popular mind ; hence
what we need is such an elementary knowledge of
mineralogy, botany, chemistry and natural philosophy,
with their application to the arts, that the science of
agriculture may be understood, and such a discipline of
the popular intellect that this knowledge may be practi-
cally applied.

For want of this recipient poiver, the press, that great
engine of popular instruction, is deprived of the greater
part of its ethcacy. Popular lectures, the efforts, the
discoveries of scientific men exert but a feeble influence.
The fostering care of the Legislature, and the indefati-
gable labors of agricultural societies scarcely reach the
general mass of farmers. The consequence is that no
preparation is considered desirable to become a farmer,*
as if men were endowed for this employment with an in-
stinct like the bee or beaver, which is perfect in itself and
could not be improved by education.

While some degree of preparation is deemed neces-
sary to practice the rudest trade, that of a coblcr or com-
mon pedlar, the most difficult and important of all trades
may be carried on, it is stipposed, without any prepara-

* See Dr. C. T. Jackson's Ihird Annual Report of the Geology of Maine, p,
123, sequel.

14 MR. gray's address.

tory or professional knowledge. What should we think
of the wisdom or the sense of that community which
should encourage all its physicians, lawyers, ministers,
merchants and politicians to engage in their respective
professions without any professional knowledge what-
ever ? And yet there is as much propriety for a young
man to engage in the profession of law, medicine, or
theology, without professional knowledge, as in that of
forming without a knowledge of its fundamental princi-
ples. True, he might do more injury to society in the
former case, but he would have an equal title to the char-
acter of a quack in both; anl quackery in farming has
many striking analogies to quackery in medicine, and
were it not so common would meet with similar ridicule
and rsbuke by all intelligent men.

But how can this recipient poiver be supplied, and how-
can this professional knowledge be acquired, unless agri-
culture be made a subject of study '? As our common
school system excludes those kindred branches of natu-
ral science which are necessary to a professional knowl-
edge of agriculture, the commencement of improvement
must be made in our academies^ and higher seminaries.
Our colleges have a different object, their course of study
has become too rigidly fixed to be altered, and it is
doubtful whether any success could crown the effort if
tried. But this is not the case with our academies, and
scientific agriculture may be introduced into some of
them and taught successfully to those who are to be the
future cultivators of the soil. With an institution liber-
ally endowed, with proper aids, text books, lectures,
apparatus, and experiments conducted in the field, the
young farmer, after having received a thorough discipline

* After the subject has been introduced into a few of our higher seminaries,
for the purpose of preparing the teachers of our common schools to instruct in
the various departments of Natural History, the subject may then be introduced
into them ; but until we have teachers qualified for such instructions, we must
confine our eflForts to higher seminaries, where those facilities may be furnished
which are required for teaching the first principles of Chemistry and Natural
History. The great difficulty now is that we have neither qualified teachers,
nor books, nor cabinets, nor apparatus, which are requisite to prepare men in
our common schools for the theoretical and practical parts of agriculture and
the various other arts and trades.

MR. gray's address. 15

in a preparatory course, may finish his education by ob-
taining a scientific knov/ledge of agriculture previous to
entering up the great business of life.

We would not establish institutions for the mere study
of agriculture, but would connect it with an extended
course of English education. We are no advocates of a
superficial course of training. We would discounte-
nance the idea that a competent knowledge of this sub-
ject, sufficient to answer the ends designed, can be ob-
tained in a single term, or a single year; nor do we be-
lieve that every young man, whose duty it may be to
till the soil, is capable of gaining a scientific knowledge
of the subject; but we would propose the course to those
young men who are to become the leading minds in so-
ciety, (and there are many such in every county, in
every town throughout the state,) we would make them
scientific farmers, and, scattered as they would be among
the farming community, their example and influence
would soon give character and permanency to the pro-
fession, and bring all under the power of its beneficial
effects.

There is not, to my knowledge, a single institution in
the country where agriculture is actually taught in any
of its departments. There are institutions where men
may be instructed in almost every other art but this.
There should be at least one place where the subject may
receive that attention which its importance demands;
one ray of light to show, if nothing more, the darkness
which really exists. It is impossible for me to under-
stand the reason why farmers have not ere this estab-
lished schools* for the study of scientific agriculture.
They have given iheir money to educate ministers^

* •' Every American farmer," says Dr. C. T. Jackson, (whose opinion is enti-
tled to special consideration,) " who prides himself on his freedom and intelli-
gence,should exert himself to rescue agriculture from a mere routine of mechani-
cal drudgery, and should endeavor to instruct his children in the scientific princi-
ples of the art. Besides increasing the agricultural produce of the country,
such means will surely aid in the advancement of civilization, and will afford a
constant source of rational enjoyment to the intelligent, educated farmer. I do
not understand why the agricultural community have been so long willing to
forego the benefits of a scientific education, nor why they have not established
colleges or schools for instruction in the principlea of this, the first and most
important of the arts."

16 MR. gray's address.

lawyers, physicians, merchants, mechanics, and sailors.
They have, as it were, gone out of their appropriate
fields, to cultivate those of their neighbors ; they have
been ready to aid every other profession but their own;
they have sent their sons to learn to be gentlemen, and
to pass well in the world; but have not made provision
for teaching them that profession in which they are to
spend their life and gain their support.

Attempts have been made in several places to intro-
duce agriculture as a branch of study, but have gener-
ally failed, either because it was a plan to raise up a sink,
ing institution that had no foundation to it, or because
the institution was established for the mere study of agri-
culture, as if no preparatory course were required, no
discipline of mind requisite, to obtain a scientific knowl-
edge of the subject. Efforts are now in progress to
introduce the subject into the Teachers' Seminary*
at Andover ; lectures are given upon the subject the
present term, and it remains to be seen whether the
farming community will sustain the effort, and make it
a thorough and permanent means of advancing the
art, or whether they will permit it to add another un-
successful attempt to raise the employment to the
dignity of a profession, and rescue it from merited con-
tempt.

A better day, I trust is dawning upon us. The pub-
lic mind is awakening to the subject. Scientific men
are turning their attention to it. The friends of educa-
tion are anxiously inquiring for something to remedy the
defects which exist in this respect in our system of popu-
lar instruction; and it is now for the formers themselves
to put forth their efforts, and we shall soon have insti-
tutions of a high character, where young men may ob-
tain a thorough and practical English education; where
the) may study agriculture as a science, and become

* I am now able to state that arrangements have been completed for instruc-
tion in scientific agriculture, and that in addition an extensive garden will be
laid out in the spring, and all the branches of horticulture attended to by a prac-
tical and scientific horticulturist. One of the principal objects will be to culti-
vate fruit trees and fruit; of course all the processes of cultivating fruit and vege-
tables may be studied practically by those who may wish to patronize the effort.

MR. gray's address. 17

qualified to take their proper stand among tiic learned
of other professions. If the farmers, mechanics, and
merchants willed it, we should soon have seminaries sus-
taining the same relation to the various departments of
husiness, that our colleges and professional schools do
to the learned professions. It would he easy to quote
the opinions of many experienced farmers and men of
practical wisdom, in confirmation of the views here sug-
gested.* It would be interesting to point out examples
of the success of similar institutions in other countries. f
It would be profitable to sketch the plan of such an insti-
tution here,t but our limits forbid.

The establishment of such institutions will furnish the
best means of diffusing a correct knowledge of agriculture
through the farming community. The sons of farmers,
educated into the principles of the art, would carry them
home and teach them to their fiithers, who would thus be
induced to apply them to practical use, or as they left
these institutions, and engaged in the practice of their
profession, they would be the means of awakening an
interest in the communities where they may chance to
be placed, which would soon be manifestby a demand for
more general attention to the subject in all our literary
institutions. By thus multiplying examples, the utility of
the subject will be felt, and the most prejudiced farmdrs
among us will send their sons to the institutions to learn
the secret of that art whose magic touch converts their
barren wastes into fruitful fields ; to become possessed
with the knowledge of those natural powers which like

* See Buel's Cultivator, vol. 1, p. VZ.

t See an Account of the agricultural school at Howfyl, Switzerland, in the
Penny Magazine, October number, 1834.

t Such an institution, or college, should not be devoted wholly to the studv
and practice of agriculture, but should be equivalent in all the departments of
English literature, to our colleges, and superior to them in the natural sciences.
Hence it would require at least three years, (four would be better,) of close study.
It should be furnished with a farm, and the operations of horticulture and agri-
culture should be taught practically to some extent. At least, the pupils should
witness the processes under the direction of a teacher. It should also be fur-
nished with e.\tcnsive philosophical apparatus, a cabinet of minerals, a chemical
laboratory, for elementary instruction in chemistry and for the analysis of soils,
and a library of agricultural books, to which may be added, teachers of the high-
est qualifications in their respective departments.

3

18 MR. gray's address.

the rains and the dews of heaven, cause their paths to
drop with fatness, and their storehouses to overflow with
abundance.

Suppose an institution of the kind estabhshed in this
county, furnished with the best facihties which money
can procure, and suppose ten young men from each town
were to receive there a thorougli education in all the
common and higher branches of English literature and
the sciences, with a professional knowledge of agricul-
ture. How long would it be, after they had engaged in
their profession, before their influence would be felt in
the dchberations of these annual gatherings? how long
would it be before they would present so many living ex-
amples of the utility of the plan, as to revolutionize the
whole subject, and lead all to adopt more scientific and
profitable modes of culture.

Suppose one of your sons, having acquired the ele-
ments of an agricultural education, should go out into
the west, and settle on the fertile prairies of Illinois. The
application of his knowledge to tiiat almost inexhaustible
soil, would soon produce so great a diiierence between
liis own farm and that of his less scientific neighbors,
that an interest would be excited there, and efforts would
be made by all around to found their system of culture
on more })roductive princi[)les. And not only so, but he
would possess an immense advantage over others in the
selection of his farm. How many men, within the last
few years, have invested funds in western lands, without
any further knowledge of the location and character of
the soil, than what is obtained by the paper cities which
the ingenuity of speculators has created; and now, all
over that country are to be seen the remains of half-
built towns, on wliich thousands have been squandered,
deserted for more favorable locations. But especially,
if he settles dovv^n in New-England, and expects to
gain his bread from granite rocks, and sterile sand hills,
will he need the aids which such an education ^v ill afibrd,
that he may have something to lighten his labors ; some-
thing to reward his toils. Your sons will many of them
soon take the place which you now hold, soothing and

ADDRESS. 19

sustaining you in your passage to the tomb, as you have
sustained your parents, assuming your responsibihties,
tilhng the same soil on which you have spent the vigor
and manhood of life. This subject will then be to
them one of vital importance. The green forests are
gone, the soil has become exhausted, and something
must be done to bring it back to its ancient fertility.
They must compete with the western farmer by the su-
periority of their knowledge^ by the skill which they can
bring to their aid, or in a few years they must either
become miserably poor, or leave the home of their child-
hood to settle on more fertile lands in the far west.

Hence, the introduction of agriculture into our semi-
naries of learning, will render the business more profitable.
it is not expected that sudden affluence can be obtained
by cultivating the soil, whatever improvements, or system
of culture may be introduced ; but the history of agricul-
ture in England, Scotland, and on the continent of Eu-
rope, conclusively proves, that the productions of the
soil may be doubled, trebled and quadrupled by the ap-
plication of scientific principles and the adoption of cor-
rect modes of culture. Its iiistory in our own country
shows, that the resources already developed are but just
beginning to be understood and applied. The produc-
tions of our soil have been doubled within the last twenty
years, and yet, when we compare our own fields with
those of older countries,* we need not hesitate to believe
ihat by the application of science and proper skill the
productions of our rocky soil may be easily doubled, with
no greater amount of labor and capital than are now em-
ployed. From what little examination I have been
able to make, we have lands in this county and through-
out other parts of the state, which are now entirely un-
reclaimed, in the form of peat swamps and meadows,
capable, I verily believe, of yielding a greater amount of
productions than are now obtained from that which is

* The average quantity of wheat per acre in England, is twenty-six bushels ;
that of the United States not over twenty bushels per acre ; of Massachusetts,
only fifteen bushels per acre. In Flanders, the difference is still greater, v/ith
re<i'ard to all kinds of crops.

20 MR. gray's address.

cultivated. At least, we iiavc in these swamps and low-
Jands, invaluable sources of I'ertility, sources which are
inexhaustible because supplied with food lor the plants of
a thousand generations.

I asked a farmer in tliis county son)etime since, why
do you not inij)rove your waste lands, such as peat
swamps and meadows ? Why, says he, we cannot ob-
tain manure enough for our uplands ; live dollars a cord
is too high a price to pay and get a living by it. 'I'he
idea of a want of manure here, was to me, I must con-
fess, no less astonishing than ridiculous, when 1 called to
mind that these same " unimprovable lands," as they are
styled upon the records of the town, contained manure
enough in some sections to cover all your tilled lands a
foot deep; — manure enough to render every acre of soil
as fertile as the prairies of the west ; — manure enough to
cause two tons of hay to grow where now grows but
one, and an equal increase in all the other productions
of the farm. I'here are few portions of the state where
the sources of fertility are more abundant than they are
in this county. Let it be granted, if you please, that
these lands are unimprovable as soils, (which is by no
means true, many of them being tl.e most valuable for this
purpose,) still, they are vast repositories of vegetable
ibod, which, by the application of science and skill, may
easily be converted into manure, and placed upon the
neigliboring sand hills, thus changingthe whole county into
a fertile garden. Were strict justice done, the owner of
peat meadow* and swamp muck, instead of being as-
sessed for thirty or forty acres of " unimprovable land,"
considered valueless on the town records, should be taxed
ibr forty acres of manure, from one to fifteen feet in
depth, and worth five dollars per cord as soon as convert-
ed into the food of plants. f By making agriculture a

* Tlie vuluo of pc;it boffs may 1)0 stated in ^i'w words, says Mr. Mathews, in
Jiis fiuirlh riinuial report oC tli,. Goolo(ry of the State of i\e\v York. 1 . " Peat is
e(|ual to oak wood, bulk for bulk. 2. 'Peat lands are more productive by far
llian uplands. '.\. Peat manure is more valuable than stable manure."

t See letters of Elias Pliinney, Esq. of Le.xinjrton, and Dr. N. C. Rush. In
Dr. C. T. Jackson's Third Annual Report of the Geology of Maine, p. 12i1, and

MR. gray's address. 21

study, a profession, and diffusing its principles abroad,
those and other means of fertihty will necessarily be de-
veloped and applied. The labors of the farmer will be
more bountifully rewarded, and a motive furnished for
the investment of capital in farming operations.

The broad foundation of progress and success being
laid in the intelligence and skill of the farming com-
munity, we shall hear no more complaint of our hard
fortune in being placed on granite and barren rocks.
We shall have no occasion to envy the western farmer
with his rich bottom lands and ague fits ; no desire to
leave the hills, the vales, and crystal streams of our own
happy New England, which are associated in our earliest
and most sacred recollections ; no wish to be divorced
from the friends we love, the institutions in which we
have been educated, the altars of God where we have
often worshipped, to leave, in fine, our glorious heritage,
than which the sun doth not shine upon a better or fairer,
for the uncultivated wilds of the west, shut out from so-
ciety, religion, and law. And yet, such must be the case,
unless efforts are made to increase the fertility of our soil.
We never can sustain our increasing population, and your
sons must go west from necessity. Let it be remembered
gentlemen, that Yankee character is exceedingly flexible ;
your sons will not be a race like their fathers, but will be
liable to become contaminated by the influences which
surround them. It is a subject which appeals to every
interest, social, moral, political, and religious. Let us
then make agriculture a science, a profession. Let us
establish institutions where our sons may be qualified to
become scientific farmers, thus furnishing a motive, by
increasing the rewards of industry, which shall fix them
to their native soil, that when they assume our responsi-
bilities, they may be better prepared to discharge their
duties as citizens and as freemen.

" Then may our sons be as plants grown up in their

Mr. Finney's letter, in the Geological Survey of R.hodc Island, p. 246. See
also Professor Hitclicock's Final Report on the Geology of Massachusetts, vol.
1, p. 10!), seq.

22 MR. gray's address.

youth, our daiigliters as corner stones, po-ishcd after the
simihtude of a palace. Then may our garners be full,
aObrding all nnanner of store, and our sheep bring forth
thousands and ten thousands in our streets. Then may
our oxen be strong to labor; there shall be no breaking
in nor going out, and no complaining in our streets."

The introduction of agriculture into our literary insti-
tutions will tend to render the employment 7nore i^eputa-
ble. It vvill give it a professional character. A greater
nnmber of men will engage in it, and a necessity crea-
ted for a higher state of intellectual and moral culture in
the community, in order to practise the art successfully
in its advanced and perfected state. Hence, it will tend
to elevate and enlighten the popular mind.

It is the greatest objection to a farmer's life, that it
furnishes too little excitement for the mind ; his body
works ; there is little else but an exertion of muscle, there
is nothing for the brain to do. The reason is, he has no
scientific principles to apply ; but give him a knowledge
of these ; let him feel that he has observations to make
and principles to apply, nice and difficult questions to
settle, and you at once furnish him with something to
excite his intellect. You will thus create an interest in his
mind, and an exertion of its powers, which will soon
transform him from a condition but a little above the tar-
dy beasts which drag his plough, to that of one whose
powerful intellect shall correspond to the giant and sinewy
frame which his occupation usually produces.

The lawyer employs his mind about his profession. It
affords him matter for thought, and stimulates his facul-
ties to effort ; so it is with the physician, the minister,
the mechanic and the merchant \ these pursuits, being
based on scientific principles, require constant exercise
of the mind, the habit of patient observation and reflec-
tion is cherished, and the intellect made vigorous and
strong. iJence^ the interest which men of these profes-
sions feel in their employments. They have something
to task the mind. But the case is quite the reverse with
the flirmer. His thoughts arc rarely employed about his
profession ; other subjects excite his interest, and not

MR. gkay's address. 23

his own business ; or rather, his employment is not the
absorbing business of hfe, and he often submits to hibor
from necessity rather than IVom choice ; but only give a
soul to his efforts, by presenting him the subjects of
thought, and his employment rises at once in his own es-
timation ; he will respect himself, and respect his pro-
fession, and as a necessary consequence, be elevated in
the scale of iutelligence and respectability. There is a
feeling among our young men, that they must go into
some more reputable employment, some more royal road
to wealth and fame than their fathers trod. They must
leave the field, and rush to the mart of trade ; they must
dip into speculation ; they must make haste to be rich,
and raise themselves to a more honorable station by an
increase of their wealth rather than by means of intelli-
gence and virtuous principles. In the commercial dis-
asters of the last few years. Providence seems to have
rebuked this grasping spirit, and driven thousands from
our cities back to the soil, thus teaching them that " the
way of the transgressor is hard," and leading them to
respect an institution which he has established, as the
natural and most honorable means of gaining a support.

Let me assure our young men, that it is an entirely
erroneous view to regard agriculture as an ignoble em-
ployment, fit only for tho.:e who have not brains enough
to obtain a living in any other way. Some, 1 know, thus
regard it, and are disposed to look down from the eleva-
tion of a pedlar's wagon, a stage-coach box, or a tin cart,
upon those who are doomed to the toils of the field.

Such, of course, must be left to enjoy their self-com-
placency ; they are incapable of better sentiments ; we
may pity their weakness, but cannot respect their opin-
ions. f3ut there are others, who, from their peculiar po-
sition in society, are disposed to indulge the secret feel-
ing, at least, that they are above such menial employ-
ments. Nothing can be more absurd than such a feel-
ing; it can be indulged only by those whose minds are
narrow, or ill-informed, from prejudice or ignorance, or
if there is any ground for such an opinion, it does not
arise from the employment itself, but from the manner in

24 MR. gray's address.

whicii it is practised, and from the character of those
who engage in it.

It becomes the farming community to consider well
how mucli foundation there is for the light in which
many are disposed to regard their profession. Every in-
dividaal is bound to take care of his own character. If
he does not do it, who will ? The same rule applies to the
professions ;* those who practise them are responsible
ibr the character which they sustain. If there is any jus-
tice in considering agriculture as the lowest ot the em-
ployments of life, the responsibility rests upon the farm-
ing community, and not upon the j)rofession itself- Let
it be established on scientific principles, let it be made
an indispensable part of an education ; let the farmers
themselves guard it from reproach by their intelligence
and skill, and such a feeling will be banished from the
minds of all whose opinions are worthy of confidence or
respect.

Jt is a noble employment. It is best fitted for the
complete developement of all the powers of man. It is
an honorable employment. It was practised in Eden
ere man fell from a state of innocency. Noah and
Abraham, and all the patriarchs were farmers. The
sweet singer of Israel was a poor shepherd's boy. The
wisest king that ever sat on a throne was a most exten-
sive agricultural writer as well as cultivator of the soil.
Many of the Grecian and Roman princes had large es-
tates, (^incinnatus was called from the plough and
placed at the head of the government of Rome, when
a foreign invader threatened to subvert her liberties.
The Kings of Scotland set their people an example by
tilling the soil with their own hands. Burns, the senti-
mental Burns was the "Ayrshire ploughman;" VVashing-

'* It should be borne in inind, in this connection, that the character of any pro-
fession is formed before the practitioners are aware of it, and of course without
their intention. The profession is estimated by the character of the great mass,
and not by that of the few who may be in extremes, either very good or extreme-
ly bad. After th(> cliaracter of any professon is formed, and its position defined,
it is extremely difficult to alter it, especially to raise it above its established dig-
nity and mercantile value. Hence, great efforts are necessary to render agri-
culture any hut the lowest employment, ajthough we know it is capable of rank-
in,j among the highest.

MR. gray's address. 25

ton and Jefferson and Adams were farmers, Van Buren is
a farmer ; and last, not least, he who has been so lately
elevated to the highest station in the gift of a free people,
and whose sudden departure to the world of spirits has
clothed our nation with sackcloth, was styled by way of
eminence, the farmer of ISorth Bend.

There is not much danger, gentlemen, that agriculture
itself will ever become unfashionable, however unskil-
fully it may be conducted, and whatever grounds there
may be to despise it ; so long as it is fashionable to eat,
it will be foshionable to till the soil. Agriculture becom-
ing unfashionable! you might as well suppose that cloth-
ing amidst the storms of winter, would become unfash-
ionable. Fashion, however, has great power with young
men, and if the employment is not fashionable among
that class, the course which we have suggested will tend
to remove this prejudice from their minds. It will tend
to make the farming community, what their independent
position qualifies them to be, the true aristocracy of the
land. Why should they not be? There are iq\w of the so
called aristocracy of our cities, who can go back three gen-
erations without finding their fathers following the plough
in some obscure nook in the mountains. We have no
privileged class, unless it be the farmer. " He whom
nature at his birth endowed with noble qualities, tho' an
Ethiop and a slave, is nobly born."

Dismiss, then, from your minds the idea that agricul-
ture is an employment beneath your faculties, and exert
yourselves to elevate it in the estimation of the commu-
nity. By the best informed, the truly great minds, it has
never been so regarded. It is among those who are not
certain of the estimation in which they are held, and who
are striving to elevate themselves from the lowest plebeian
to the patrician ranks, that the feelings which are here
discountenanced are most commonly indulged. Let it
attain to such perfection and periiianency, that whoever
cherishes such feelings, shall afford the most convincing
evidence of a weak mind, a small brain, a retreating fore
head, an ignoble origin.

So far is agriculture from being an undesirable profes-
4

26 MR. gray's address.

sion, that there are many considerations, growing out of
the employment itself, which should influence men of all
classes and professions to carry out the plan which 1 have
so imperfectly sketched, and which I believe to be the
only eflectual means of constant progress and permanent
improvement in the art. There are many peculiarities in
this employment which render it upon the whole the
most desirable of any other.*

It is the most independerd of all professions. The pos-
session of a good farm enables the farmer to obtain near-
ly all that is absolutely essential to his existence and com-
fort. In professional life, there is a constant dependence
upon the caprice of others. We are obliged to consult
their prejudices, to bear with their indignities, submit to
self-denial, and be harrassed with cares and anxieties, of
which the farmer has not the most distant idea. He is
lord of the soil, his own master, and is under no tempta-
tion to descend to anything mean or unworthy of a man.
The fluctuations of business affect him far less than
most other classes, and the rewards of his toils, although
they come slow, are always sure, so long as the rains and
the sunshine are granted him his store-house is sure to be
filled.

Being, as it were, isolated and guarded from the vicis-
situdes of fortune and of favor, his situation is peculiarly
favorable for cultivating the virtues of patriotism. The
hills where he feeds his flocks, the fields where he sows
his seeds and gathers his harvests, attach him to his coun-
try. They are associated with all his trials and all his
joys, and hence, if these fields are invaded, his arm is the
first and the strongest to repel and punish the invader.

The situation and employment of a farmer are best
fitted to cherish and strengthen the social affections.
The sources of his pleasures are in his own family, and
by his own fire-side. His daily task accomplished, he
gathers around the blazing hearth, amid bright faces, and
buoyant spirits, to indulge in the sweets of domestic inter-

* See Addresses by the Rev. Henry Colman before the Agricultural and Hor
ticultural Societies of New Haven County, 1840.

MR. gray's address. 27

course, unalloyed by care or apprehensions of the future.
Ambition, and envy, and discontent, find no sympathy
there — the waves of anxious busy life, in crowded cities,
break not in upon his security. He lays himself down to
rest, contented and happy ; no distressing dreams disturb
his slumbers ; no visions of falling stocks and broken
banks, or disappointed hopes, prey upon his nerves, and
lead him to wish for the morning, but it is as true now
as it was in the days of the Wise Man, " the sleep of the
labouring man is sweet." His h'iends are few, and hence
he takes a deeper interest in the affairs of his neighbors
All meet on common ground ; artificial distinctions,
which give rise to so much alienation and selfishness
where different grades are mingled together, are un
known. Hence, there arises, that natural interchange
of kind offices and good wishes w^hich contribute power-
fully to strengthen the social relations, and to develope
the humane and benevolent affections.

Finally, the condition and employment of the farmer
are most favorable for cultivating the moral sentiments
and religious affections. He is removed in a great mea-
sure from the temptations which are incident to other
branches of industry ; away from crowded streets, and
artificial excitements, there is the best opportunity for
sober reflection. The motives for dishonesty, for fraud
and deception, are much less powerful, and fewer occa-
sions present themselves for vicious indulgences. The
hope oi sudden affluence, which stimulates the merchant,
the manufacturer, and the speculator, and which excites
the selfish, ambitious propensities, has little power to
weaken the moral sentiments of the farmer. There is,
moreover, in labor itself, a tendency to guard the mind
from the assaults of vice. An indolent people are al-
ways a vicious and an irreligious people.

" All is the gift of industry, whate'er

Exalts, embellishes, and renders life

Delightful. Pensive winter, cheered by him,

Sits at the social fire, and happy, hears

The excluded tempest idly rave along.

His hardened fingers deck the gaudy sprino-,

Without him Summer were an arid v/aste,

Nor to the Autumnal months could thus transmit

28 ME. gray's address.

Those full, maturo, immcasural)le stores,

That, waving- round, recall my wandering song,"

There is little time for idleness, the parent of many vi-
ces. But v/hen toil ceases, necessary rest must succeed.
Hence, there is much sound philosophy as well as prac-
tical wisdom in the practice of sending boys from our
cities to engage in manual labor, in consequence of the
influence it exerts upon their vicious propensities.

It has been thought, I know, that labor is a curse ;
but when man was doomed to gain his bread by the
sweat of his brow, fallen as he was, it became the great-
est blessing. Such a requisition did not arise from the
idea of retribution, but from that of mercy. It furnish-
es one of the brightest assurances, that the Deity, tho'
justly incensed, has not given up our race to the hope-
less consequences which disobedience might have incur-
red, for the effect of labor is to prepare the mind for the
reception of moral and religious truth. This is fully
conhrmed by experience. Who ever heard of riots and
mobs among farmers. Farming communities are uni-
formly more virtuous and more religious than those
whose occupation leads them into scenes of greater
temptation.

Setting aside, then, all other considerations of a pe-
cuniary and temporal nature, it is my settled conviction
that if any of your sons, after having acquired a thor-
ough agricultural education, were to settle down to the
tilling of the soil, they would be much more likely to
lead happy and honest lives, and go to heaven at last,
than it they were to engage in the strifes of political,
professional, or mercantile pursuits, and obtained all
the wealth which their ambition could desire.

The employment of the farmer seeir.s l)est fitted to
our present condition, and tends, more directly than
any other, to prepare men for that future condition
whither all of us, whether we will or no, are so rapidly
hastening.

There are but two objections to the plan here suggest-
ed ; the first is, the cost of such an education ; the
second, the time required to obtain it. We may pay too

MR. gray's address. 29

high a price for the article which we purchase. Will
the results, in all probability justify the undertaking ?
How much would such an education cost ? I have not
time here to go into particulars, but will pledge myself
to show, that on the supposition that our young men
spend four years of time, it shall not cost them over
six hundred dollars ; one half of which expense they
may defray by teaching school during the winter ; and
is there a young man in this county or in New England
who cannot obtain that amount ? If he cannot, he has
not the talent and industry which are needed to engage
in an enterprize like this. But if all cannot do it, there
are multitudes that can, and would, if the opportunity
were furnished, and the countenance and support of the
community were given. There is no necessity that any
young man should be deprived of such an education on
the ground of expense. But how can our young men
spend the time ? " Time is money," but in estimating
its value, we must take into account the loluile of life ;
is it certain that four years of time thus spent would be
lost ? is it not probable that at the age of forty the man
would be possessed of more wealth, more influence
and more character than if his time and money were
devoted to the cultivation of the soil without such an ed-
ucation. Three or four years spent in the cultivation
of the mind and the heart, may be of more value than
all the money which a life of toil would secure, without
such discipline. " Knowledge is power," and as we
cannot live our lives but once, if the seed time is neg-
lected, we cannot roll back the wheels of time, but
must reap a scanty harvest in old age. "He that sow-
eth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which
soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully," Let it
be remembered that a good education is an investment
for life, yielding a constantly increasing income, which
nothing can take away, which no fluctuations in human
society can change or destroy.*

Is it not desirable, then, that efforts should be made to

* See Buel's Cultivator, vol. iv. p. 70.

30 MR. gray's address.

place agriculture, the noblest as well as the foundation
of all other arts, upon a scientific basis — that the lights
of science may be brought to its aid — that it may be-
come more profitable and more reputable ? But how
can this be done, unless schools be established for the
study of it; how, unless the fai'ming community are wil-
ling to educate their sons into the profession ? Could
this be effected, could all our farmers be taught those el-
ementary principles, which would enable them to under-
stand the character of the soils, and the mode of increas-
ing their fertility, which should instruct them in the right
modes of culture, I have the fullest conviction that in a
few years the productions of their farms would be doub-
led with the same amount of labor, thus furnishing the
means of increasing individual and national wealth, and
a m^re liberal supply of all the necessaries and luxuries
of life. Thus furnishing time and facilities for a more
extended system of intellectual anJ. moral culture, and
for improvement in every art, in every branch of human
industry, in every department of human knowledge,
thus tending directly to elevate the popular mind, and
prepare men to sustain, to enjoy the institutions of a
free government, of liberty, of order, of law and of re-
ligion.

REPORTS, &c.

ON PLOUGHING.

WITH DOUBLE TEAMS.

Your Committee respectfully Report :

That the lots appropriated for ploughing with double
teams, were taken in the order and finished in the time
and number of furrows exhibited in the following table:

Lot. JVames.

1 Isaac W. Andrews, Boxford,

2 Joseph S}monds, Middleton,

3 Perley Tapley, Danvers,

4 Joseph F. Davis, Newbury,

5 Joseph Goodridge, W. Newbury, 45

6 Ralph H. Chandler, Andover,

7 Hobart Clark, Andover,
I lot. Sylvanus B. Swan, Danvers,
Do. Richard T. Jaquas, W. Newbury, 22

The Committee, after having carefully examined the
fields, have agreed to recommend the following awards;
That the

1st Premium, $12 be given Perley Tapley.

2d " 10 " Joseph Symonds.

3d " 8 " Ralph H. Chandler.

4th " 6 '•' Joseph Goodridge.

In reference to this Report, they further submit the
following remarks :

That the first award was given without any qualifying
circumstances.

The Committee were of opinion, that the work of the

Minutes.

Furrows.

45

28

45

28

45

31

42

26

, 45

27

51

28

50

27

22

14

, 22

14

32 ON PLOUGHING.

second and third lots was equally well done, and in fix-
ing upon the award, were brought to the result wholly
by the fact that the third was finished in less time than
the second.

In respect to the first lot, (Mr. Andrews') they ob-
serve, that its location was in some respects less favora-
ble, and the grass taller and thicker than on the others,
which, of course would render it more difficult to make
smooth and finished work, while it is supposed that the
length of the yoke used rendered it necessary to set the
fixtures and plough in such a manner that the actual line
of draft did not correspond with motion of the plough.
This, combined with the fact, that Mr. Andrews ran his
furrows deeper than was proposed by the Society, was
undoubtedly among the reasons why the field presented
slightly an unfinished appearance, and not that there was
wanting skill in the person who performed the work.

On the fourth and seventh lots, the furrows were lap-
ped over, which probably by many would be regarded
as no defect and perhaps a real excellency, for on this
subject, we are aware that there exists a diversity of
opinion among the most experienced cultivators. Your
Committee, however, while they are happy to state that
the work was well done, feel constrained to think, con-
sidering the nature of the soil and the depth of the fur-
row required by the Society, that they ought to recom-
mend the premiums offered, to those who laid the furrows
flat and smooth, rather than to those who caused them
to lap over.

It was an unhappiness, that there was not a sufficient
number of lots provided to supply all who had given in
their names as competitors, and owing to some misap-
prehension, or former usage, there had been a little ir-
regularity in the manner in which some had given no-
tice of their intention to take part in the match. All
this was entirely unknown to your committee, till they
had got upon the field — a place and a time very poorly
adapted to investigate and settle questions of a some-
what complicated character. While the committee are
conscious of having desired to do equal justice, they by

ON PLOUGHING. 33

no means feel confident, that had all the circumstances
been fully brought before them, but they might have
been led to a different result. They feel happy in say-
ing, that a very good and gentlemanly feeling was man-
ifested by the competitors on this subject, and are cer-
tain that they may expect from such men no other than
upright intentions accredited to them. Of those, who,
in consequence of this deficiency of lots, had no means
of taking a regular part in the contest, were Sylvanus
B. Sw^an, and Richard T. Jaques. These gentlemen,
finding, after the ploughing had commenced, that there
was a lot designed as we suppose for the single teams,
unoccupied, proposed to divide it between them. To
which proposal your Committee consented. This lot
was unfavorably situated, and the ploughing commenced
under unpromising circumstances ; but it is no more than
justice to say, that from the manner in which the w^ork
was done, the Committee were left under the thorough
impression, that had the gentlemen concerned enjoyed
equal opportunities with the others, they would have
found few equals, if they had any superior, in this most
important and interesting part of agricultural operations.
There was very little, if any difference in the skill man-
ifested in the work, and none in the time taken in per-
forming it. We hope they may have on a future occa-
sion an opportunity to work with advantages equal
to those who shall strive with them for the victory.

In regard to the whole trial, the Committee are glad
to say, there prevailed a good spirit and great propriety
of conduct, that the teams gave manifest evidence of
being well trained, that there w^as very little use made of
the whip or goad, and but a slight resort to forcing the
oxen along in any way. The ox seemed to know, and
feel willing to obey and serve his master, and the dri-
vers, to realize and act under the influence, that a right-
eous man is merciful also to his beast.

.Respectfully submitted.
For the committee,

G. B. PERRY.
Georgetown, Sept. 29, 1841.

5

34 ON PLOUGHING.

WITH SINGLE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Single Teams,
Report :

That nine teams were entered for premiums ; seven
only ploughed :

Namely, Allen Putnam, of Hamilton.
" William R. Putnam, of Wenham.

" Perley Tapley, of Danvers.

" Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield.
" John Preston, of Danvers.

" Joseph C. Putnam, of Danvers.

William R. Cole, of Boxford.

The land for ploughing was marked off in lots, and
numbered, and drawn by the following persons, viz :

Lot No. 1, was drawn by Allen Putnam, and was
ploughed in 39 minutes, with Howard's plough, with
28 furrows.

Lot No. 2, was drawn by Perley Tapley, which he
ploughed in 56 minutes, with Prouty and Mears' plough,
with 30 furrows.

Lot No. 3, was drawn by Moses Pettingill, which he
ploughed in 59 minutes, with Winslow's wooden plough,
with 29 furrows.

Lot No. 4, was drawn by John Preston, which was
ploughed in 62 minutes, with Ruggles and Nourse's
plough, with 32 furrows.

Lot No. 5, was drawn by William R. Putnam, which
he ploughed in 48 minutes, with Howard's plough, with
30 furrows.

Lot No. 6, was drawn by Joseph C. Putnam, which he
ploughed in 42 minutes, with Ruggles and Nourse's
plough, with 29 furrows.

Lot No. 7, was drawn by William R. Cole, which he
ploughed in 64 minutes, with 29 furrows.

After the best examination which the Committee were

ON PLOUGHING. 35

able to make while the teams were ploughing, and also
after they had left the ground, they were unanimous in
awarding the premiums as follows, viz :

1st Premium of $10, to Joseph C. Putnam, of Danvers.
2d " $8, to Allen Putnam, of Hamilton.

3d " $6, to William R. Putnam, of Wenham.

4th " $4, to Perley Tapley, of Danvers.

The Committee believe that the ploughing this year,
taken altogether, is superior to what they have ever wit-
nessed in any former year, and the ploughs, some of
them, were of superior finish and workmanship, and
they very much regret, that the comparative ease of
draft of some of them, could not have been fairly tested,
for want of time, and on account of the ill health of the
Chairman of the Committee for that purpose.
All .which is respectfully submitted.

For the Committee,

ANDREW DODGE.
Sept. 29, 1841.

WITH HORSE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Horse Teams,
Report:

That there were but two teams entered for premium,
both of which did their work in 51 minutes.

To Seth Kimball, of Andover, who did his work with
28 furrows, averaging 6 1-2 inches in depth, without a
driver, they award the first premium of eight dollars.

To Perley Tapley, of Danvers, who ploughed 30 fur-
rows, averaging five inches in depth, with a driver, they
.\ward the second premium of six dollars.

For the Committee,

THOMAS E. PAYSON.

^eorgetoivn, Sept. 29, 1841.

36 REPORT OF THE STATE COMMITTEE.

REPORT OF THE STATE COMMITTEE.

The Committee appointed to award the premiums
granted by the Trustees of the Massachusetts Society
lor Promoting Agriculture, respectfully submit the fol-
lowing REPoitr ;

They award premiums as follows :

To George Hood, of Lynn, for the best fulL
blooded bull, of an imported breed, not less than
one year old, on satisfactory assurance being giv-
en, tiiat he shall be kept for use in some county
of the State at least nine months from the day of
exhibition, - - - - $15 00

To Enoch Silsby, of West Bradford, for the
second best, - - - - 6 00

To H. C. Merriam, of Tewksbury, for cow
Columbine, for the best full-blooded milch cow, of
an imported breed, not less than three nor more
than ten years old, with satisfactory evidence as
to the quantity and (juality of her milk, and the
manner in which she has been fed, - 15 00

To H. C. Merriam, for cow Juno, for the sec-
ond best, - - - - G 00

To Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield, for the best
full-blooded yearling heifer, of imported breed, 5 00

To Hobart Clark, of Andover, for the best pair
of working oxen, taking into view their size,
power and training, - - - 12 00

To B. Cole, of Boxford, for the second best, 6 00

To Daniel Andrews, of Boxford, for the best
pair of three years old steers, taking into view
their size, power, kc. - - - 10 00

To Joshua Hale, of Rowley, for the best milch
cow, of native breed, not less than three nor
more than ten years old, with satisfactory evi-
dence of tiie quantity and quality of her milk,
and the mode of feeding. - - 10 00

For the Committee,

FRANCIS C. LOWELL.

ON BULLS. 37

ON BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls Report :

That there were twelve entries for premiums.

One by George Hood, of Lynn, 5 years old.

" Hazen Hazeltine, of Haverhill, 4 years old.
" George Spoffbrd, of Georgetown, 3 years old.
" Jesse Sheldon, of Beverly, 3 years old.
" Paul T. Winkley, of Newbury, 2 years and

9 months old.
" D. S. Caldwell, of Newbury, 2 years and

7 months old.
" Tappan Pearson, of Newbury, 19 months old.
" John Preston, of Danvers, 18 months old.
" Enoch Silsbee, of Bradford, 17 1-2 months old.
" Thomas E. Payson, of Rowley, 17 months old.
" Amos Kimball, of Boxford, 16 months old.
" Josiah Crosby, of Andover, 13 months old.
The bulls were superior to any seen by the committee
at any former Cattle Show in this County.

The bull of Mr. Hood, of Lynn, is unquestionably
of first rate stock as to pedigree, as will appear by the
statement handed to the Committee, and also by some
of his stock this day at the show — but considering his
age, and the very superior promise of some of the young
bulls, no premium has been awarded him. But consid-
ering the interest he has manifested for the Society, by
sending his bull to the show, we would recommend to
the Trustees to grant him a gratuity of three dollars.

For the bulls of Hazen Hazeltine, George Spofford, Jes-
se Sheldon, Paul T. Winkley, and D. S. Caldwell, the
Committee have awarded no premium, although they are
all considered good bulls, and might have obtained pre-
miums at former exhibitions.

The bulls of Thomas E. Payson, and Tappan Pearson
were considered very superior animals, both as to ap-
pearance and as to pedigree. That of Mr. Payson,
being from Mr. Hood's bull.

38 ON FAT CATTLE.

The bull of Mr. Silsbee, of Bradford, was considered
a fine formed animal, of superior imported stock, and
the Committee, with some division, awarded to him the
second premium of five dollars.

To the bull of Mr. Crosby, of Andover, the Commit-
tee have awarded the first premium often dollars, unan-
imously considering him as to size, form, color, and
pedigree, (being from Mr. Hood's bull,) one of the best
bulls ever exhibited in this county.

There were two bull calves noticed by the Commit-
tee ; no statement accompanied either, and the Society
offer no premium for stock of this description.

In behalf of the Committee,

MOSES NEWELL.

ON FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle have attended to that
duty, and respectfully Report :

That only three pair of oxen were entered for premi-
ums. One pair by Peabody Russell, of Boxford, for
which your Committee would recommend there be
awarded to him the first premium, for his off ox, $15.

One pair exhibited by Dr. Joseph Kittredge, of Ando-
ver, for which your Committee recommend that the sec-
ond premium be awarded to him for his right ox, .'^lO.

One pair of four years old oxen, by Samuel Jenkins,
jun. of Andover, for which your Committee would re-
commend there be awarded to him the third premium,
for the off ox, $5.

A fat cow was entered for a premium by Mehitabel
Stickney, of Bradford, which your Committee have duly
examined, and would say, that considering the length of
time the cow has been dry, and her present state, they
are of opinion that a premium cannot be awarded. All
of which your Committee respectfully submit.

For the Committee,

J. W. ALLEN.

Georgetown, Sept. 29, 1841.

ON MILCH COWS. 39

ON WORKING OXEN.

The Committee on Working Oxen and Steers, having
attended to that duty, would respectfully Report :

There were eighteen pairs of working oxen entered for
premium, and four pairs of three year old steers, and
three pair of two year old steers. There were fourteen
pair of working oxen appeared on the ground. Most of
the oxen were very good. Your Committee were unan-
imous in awarding the premiums as follows :

First premium of ten dollars, to Hobart Clark, of An-
dover.

Second premium of seven dollars to William B. Cole,
of B oxford.

Third premium of five dollars to Josiah Crosby, of
Andover.

The first premium of seven dollars to Daniel Andrews,
of Boxford, for his three year old steers.

Second premium of five dollars to John Preston, of
Danvers, for do.

The first premium of six dollars to Amos Berry, of
Andover, for his two year old steers.

The second premium of four dollars to R. H. Chand-
ler, of Andover, for do.

All which is respectfully submitted,

J. H. BARKER, ^

FRANCIS DODGE, ! ^ ...
DEAN ANDREWS, ^ ^^^^^^^<^^-
H. B. SPOFFORD.

ON MILCH COWS.

The Committee on Milch Cows and Heifers Report:
That the Society offers premiums for cows and heifers
giving milk, and requires that the owner shall produce
satisfactory evidence of the quantity and quality of the
milk, and of the manner of feeding. If accurate state-
ments were made by all competitors, they would be

40 ON MILCH COWS.

as interesting as any communications that can be submit-
ted to the Society; the Committee regret that the state-
ments are so often vague and imperfect. Few farmers
are aware of the great difference in the quantity and
quality of the milk yielded by different cows of the same
general appearance. By actual weight and measure, it
has been made certain, that some cows in Massachusetts
have given fifty or sixty pounds of milk per day. In S.
Adams, in Berkshire county, there was a few years ago
a cow which gave seventy pounds per day. Her extra
feed was four pails of cheese whey, and some rye
meal. A heifer in the same town is said to have given
sixty pounds per day. Our own county has furnished
many instances of extraordinary yield. It may be inter-
esting to mention some of them. The Oakes cow made
in the year 1813, 180 lbs of butter ; in 1814, 300 lbs ;
in 1815, more than 400 lbs, 1 quart per day being re-
served for family use, and a calf being suckled for four
weeks in each of the years. In one week, 19 1-4 lbs
of butter were made, and the average for three months
was 16 lbs. The Nourse cow, owned in Salem, produced
20 lbs, in one week, and the average for four months
was 14 lbs. The Barr cow gave in 268 days 7517 lbs
of milk. The sales, including the calf, amounted to
$151.15. The Putnam cow in 14 weeks, gave 3370 lbs
of milk, making 139 lbs. of butter. The Osborne cow,
in 77 days gave 3127 lbs of milk. A cow in Andover,
in 1836, besides suckling her calf till sold to the butcher
for $8, and supplying a family w^ith milk and cream,
made 166 lbs of butter.

The cow of Mr. Albert Johnson, of Lynn, which re-
ceived last year one of the Society's premiums, gave in
184 days, 6840 lbs of milk. The sales from this cow,
including her calf, amounted to $142.80, in six months.
The cow of Mr. Charles F. Putnam, of Salem, yielded
in one year, 4214 c[uarts, which at five and six cents per
quart, gave him $244.03; estimated expense of keeping
and milking $91.53, leaving a clear profit of $152.50;
more than some who call themselves farmers realize from
a dairy of six or eight animals, which are denominated

ON MiLcir cows. 41

cows, but which disgrace their family and their owners.

Mr. Colman, in his first report of the agriculture of
Massachusetts, makes the following statements : " The
difference in the butter properties of different cows is not
generally considered. In a yard of five cows, upon re-
peated trials, made at similar times, and as near as could
be, under the same circumstances, the difference in the
yield of cream upon nine inches of milk, was found to
be as 13 to 3," " The yield of a cow is stated generally
at 1400 quarts per year ; of butter 87 1-2, 116, and 140
lbs. These returns are very small, and indicate either
poor stock or poor pastures, or poor management."

The Committee recommend that the following pre-
miums and gratuities be paid :

To Joshua Hale, of Rowley, for his cow, seven
years old, - - - - ^10

To David S. Caldwell, of Newbury, for his young
cow, - - - . _ 3

To George SpofTord, of Georgetown, for his Ca-
nadian cow, - _ _ _ 3

To Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield, for his heifer
of the cream-pot breed, _ _ _ 5

To David S. Caldwell, of Newbury, for six very
promising heifers, not in milk, a gratuity of 3

To Parker Pillsbury, of Georgetown, - 1

To David Jewett, of Georgetown, - 1

for heifers of very good appearance.

John Marshall, of W. Newbury, exhibited a handsome
cow, with a very large calf Rev. Bailey Loring, of An-
dover, and Mr. John Hale, of Boxford, produced large
and promising heifers. Enoch Silsbee, of Bradford, and
]Mr. Pettingill also exhibited very handsome Durham
heifers.

The Committee hope that the farmers of Essex county
will be induced to give more attention to their dairy
stock, for they are satisfied that there is no stock which
more liberally remunerates for generous feeding and
careful management. For the Committee,

DANIEL P. KING.

Georgetoivn, Sept. 29, 1841.
6

42 ON MILCH COWS.

JOSHUA HALE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Milch Cows :

Gentlemen — The cow which I offer for exhibition is
seven years old. She calved the 22d of March last, and
gave milk up to the time of her calving. I sold her calf
at three weeks old. She made two pounds of butter per
week, on an average, while suckling her calf. The calf
weighed 17 pounds the quarter. During the month of
June, her milk averaged in weight forty pounds per day.
In the same month 1 sold and used 22 1-2 gallons of milk
from her, and she made in the same time forty pounds of
butter. Her keeping was a fair pasture, and no other
feed. Since the month of June the pasture has been
very much dried, and she has never had anything except
from the pasture. She has averaged 28 lbs. of milk per
day since. Her winter feeding was meadow hay and
stalk butts, and no grain or roots of any kind, and not
more than 3 cwt. of English hay.

All which is respectfully submitted,

JOSHUA HALE.

Rowhij, Sept. 28th, 1841.

GEORGE SPOFFORD'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Milch Cows :

Gentlemen — The cow which I offer for exhibition
was two years old last spring. She was brought from the
northerly part of the Canadas, and was purchased from
the Indians. She calved the 25th day of March last,
and her calf was taken off the fourteenth day of May.
Her milk contains an uncommon quantity of cream. I
have weighed it from week to week during the summer,
and she has given on an average about fourteen pounds
of milk daily, having never exceeded 19 pounds, and
never fallen short of 10 pounds per day— so that the

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 43

whole weight of her milk from May 14th to date is 1918
pounds. She has had no feed except what she has pick-
ed from a very dry and poor pasture. I have sold her
milk during the summer, and it has been pronounced by
those who used it to be the best milk they ever used.

Yours truly,

GEORGE SPOFFOED.
Georgetown, Sept. 28th, 1841.

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

The Committee on Experiments on Manures, Report:
That in the department assigned to them, two classes
of premiums were offered by the Society ; the first for
experiments to test the va'ue of the various fossil and
other modern manures, and the second, "for the largest
quantity of a valuable compost manure, collected and
brought into condition for use, on any farm within the
county." The latter class comprises three premiums,
viz., one of thirty, one of twenty, and one often dollars.
In proposing so liberal and so many premiums, the
trustees doubtless considered that this branch of agricul-
ture was eminently deserving the encouragement of the
Society, and that not a few competitors would be stimu-
lated to enter the lists. The Committee fully concur in
the opinion that the specific and relative value of the
many new substances recommended for manures, de-
serve, nay, require the test of experiment before it can
be expected that the farmers of Essex county, who al-
ways look before they leap, will enter very extensively
on the use of such substances. The use of these will
never supersede that of animal manure, where it can be
obtained. But as the amount of animal manure made
on most of our farms barely suffices to keep the land in
the sam.e heart from year to year, the enterprizing farmer
must necessarily look to some foreign source for the
means of increasing his crops, and improving the value
of his land. Hence, in the neighborhood of the sea,
kelp and muscle beds are seized upon with avidity, while

44 ON EXrERIMENTS ON MANURES.

from the stables and stercoraries of populous towns, large
drafts are made to increase the manure heaps in the vi-
cinity. But these supplies are limited in amount, and in
the locality of their application. The point is soon pass-
ed where the expense of transportation causes them to
be an unproiitable investment.

Now if poudrette, ground bones, barilla, or other sub-
stances, be found to possess great value as manures,
though the price paid for them in the first instance be
large, yet from the comparative small expense at which
they can be transported, and by rail-roads as well as oth-
er conveyances, they must at length find their way into
general use. But before this period, our farmers must
have facts spread before them — experiments, certain and
satisfactory, and not contradictory, as liave been many
of the experiments with lime aud other fossil manures.

It becomes those, therefore, wlio report trials of such
substances, to omit no circumstance which has a bearing
on the subject. Especially should the nature of the soil
upon which they are applied be stated, vv'hetlier wet and
tenacious, or dry, gravelly, and sandy. The character,
too, ot the season following the application should be
strictly noted- And here the remark of an English wri-
ter may not be amiss, that " salt-petre and nitrate ot
soda, [and other mineral manures,] will always be
considered as doubtful fertilizers, because they must be
used before it can be ascertained, except by conjecture,
what sort of season is to follow."

The Committee trust that the agricultural community
will not long be obliged to grope their way in the dark
with respect to these manures, but that the light of prac-
tical experiment will be poured upon their path, so that
they may see what is really beneficial, what uncertain,
and what of no value at all. The firmer will not rest
satisfied with theories of the chemist, or with experiments
in the laboratory ; for though these be ever so correct,
he sees no actual results in the production of crops, or
benefit to land, and until these be perceived, he will
prefer to go on in the old u'ay, rather than to attempt
something great, and after all to come out at the little
end of the horn, I'he Committee regret, therefore, that

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES, 45

there have been no applications for premiums under the
first class, from which something might be learned as to
the actual value of the substances used as manures.

Under the second class, however, a statement has
been submitted to them by Allen Putnam, Editor of the
New England Farmer, whose remarks in that Journal
and elsewhere have placed his name among the list of
those whose noble object has been to advance the cause
of agriculture. Mr. Putnam has probably ti)c present
year done more for that cause than in any former year.
Having purchased a small farm in Hamilton, of that light
kind of soil which prevails so extensively in that region,
he has set to work in good earnest, without the aid of a
large manure pile, to improve the quality of his land.
The method by which this has been attempted will be
seen by an examination of his statement. Such efforts
deserve success, and cannot fail to ensure it. That he
has already succeeded in accumulating and applying a
large quantity of valuable compost manure, cannot be
doubted. The exact value of the various composts pre-
pared by him, as no experiments have been submitted,
cannot be stated. While these would have been highly
gratifying the present year^ yet as the crops on Mr. Put-
nam's farm were severely injured by the hail storm on the
last of June, it would have been difficult to arrive at any
certain conclusions in the premises. Should the next
season prove favorable, it is to be hoped that he will lay
before the public the result of his experiments, particu-
larly those of the application of spent or salt ley, of
which he is making such copious use. This article be-
ing so much more bulky than other uncommon articles
of manure, the expense of transportation will enter mate-
rially into the estimate of its value to the farmer.

As there were no other statements but that of Mr. Put-
nam, the Committee have concluded to recommend,
as they cordially do, that the second premium of twenty
dollars, under the second class, be awarded him.

For the Committee,

ALLEN W. DODGE.

Hamilton, Dec. 30, 184L

46 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

ALLEN PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Compost Manures :

Gentlemen — I propose to give you a statement of the
amount of compost applied on my small farm of forty
acres, and of the quantity now prepared for use. As to
premium, I have no desire to have you feel the slightest
obligation to give any, unless the rules under which you
act shall require you to recommend one.

It is known to some of your number, that I purchased
my farm in the autumn of 1839, and that in the spring of
1840 I moved and repaired all the buildings on the place.
Operations on the farm were commenced April lst,1841,
with one hired man, and one yoke of oxen. In May, I
purchased g 10.50 worth of cow manure, 16 bushels of
ground bones for ^6, 5 bbls of poudrette ^10, and 1200
galls, spent or salt ley #4, making in all ,^30.50. These
articles, excepting the poudrette, mixed in very varied
proportions with rotting hay and muck found in the old
barn and hog yard, and with soil from under and around
the old buildings, furnished 58 loads of compost, which
were applied to the land in the spring and early summer.
Dung, with the articles around the old buildings, 20 loads.
Salt ley, with " " 27 "

Salt ley and bone, " " 4 "

Ashes and manure, *' " 2 "

Salt ley and dung, " " 5 "

Besides the above, I used thirty loads of the
materials from around the old buildings, un-
mixed. Also, 2 loads of ox manure, 5 barrels
of poudrette, about 120 lbs of nitrate of soda,
and one bushel of common salt, equal to 33
loads. In August, 1 spread unmixed 100 bush-
els of barilla ashes upon low grass lands, 3
loads. In September, 1 spread 100 bushels of
barilla, mixed with soil upon land that I was
then seeding to grass — compost, - 6 "

64 "

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 47

Amount brought up. - - 64 loads.

hi the same month put upon winter rye, 12
bushels of bone, unmixed. Also, 12 bushels
bone, mixed with soil and ley, - - 1 "

In October, spread upon grass lands, com-
post of loam, ox manure and hog manure, 11 "

Have applied of compost, - - 76 "

" *' not compounded, 36 "

besides the poudrette, nitrate of soda, and salt.

At the present time I have on hand fit for use, three
large heaps of soil, into which about 6000 gallons of ley
have been put, and the heaps have been hove over two
and one of them three times. My men think that these
heaps contain about 150 loads, but as it is matter of es-
timation, I propose to call the quantity 100 loads.

Also 100 bushels of barilla in 4 or 5 loads of
soil, - - - _ 7 u

Also, two casks of lime and nine bushels
of salt in two loads of soil and muck, 2 "

Now prepared, - - - 109 "

Also, there is at this time, in my barn cellar,
a compost of muck, ox manure, horse manure,
pig manure, and the emptyings of the sink
drains and privy, 8 or ten loads, say - 8 "

117 "
In addition to the above, I have about 90 loads of soil
in beds for the reception of ley the ensuing winter, into
which 1200 gallons has already been put. Probably, I
have 100 loads of meadow muck, dug at this time, which
is designed for use the ensuing spring and summer.
Should the weather permit, 1 shall probably add to my
heap of soil an hundred loads, in the course of a (ew
weeks, and to my muck heap a still larger quantity. My
loads are probably something above 35 bushels generally.
The stock on my farm was, from April to August, one
yoke of oxen only. In August, 1 purchased two pigs ;
in October, three more, and recently have procured four
heifers. A horse also is kept on the place at present, but

48 ON THE DAIRY.

it is not mine, and is not employed in the work on the
farm. From April 1st to the last of June, I hired but
one man ; since June 28, I have employed two.

Very respectfully yours,

ALLEN PUTNAM.
Hamilton, Nov, 26, 1841.

ON THE DAIRY.

The Committee on the Dairy, consisting of Dean
Robinson, Joseph How, Nathaniel Felton, Jesse Shel-
don, and William H. Putnam, report as fullows :

The number of entries were few, compared with some
former years ; but the quality was j^ood, equaling, if not
exceeding that of any preceding year. Entries of June
butter were made by Daniel Putnam, of Dan vers, a tub
of 41 lbs; Joshua Lovett, of Beverly, 33 lbs; 13enj.
Boynton, of Andover, 28 lbs and Wm. R. Putnam, of
Wenham, 45 lbs, the whole of which was of fine appear-
ance and high flavor.

They award the first premium of eight dollars to Josh-
ua Lovett ; the second of six dollars to Daniel Putnam,
and the third of four dollars to Wm. R. Putnam. And
of September butter, by Margaret Wardwell, of Andover,
Nathaniel Felton, of Danvers, Peabody Illsley, of West
Newbury, Joshua Lovett, of Beverly, and Phineas C.
Balch, of Newbury, — this was also very good, and but
little difference in the quality. The Committee were
some time in determining to whom the premiums should
be awarded, but after a careful examination, they award
the first premium of ten dollars to Margaret Wardwell,
the second ol eight dollars to Nathaniel Felton, and the
third of six dollars to Peabody Illsley.

Isaac Carruth, of Andover, entered six cheeses of
small size, but very good, and he is entitled to the first
premium of ten dollars. Four were entered by Miss
Mary T. Thurlow, of West Newbury, which would have

ON THE DAIUY. 49

entitled her to the second premium, had her statement
been sufficient to have brought her claim within the
rules of the society ; but as the cheeses were large, fair
and good, and managed by a young lady of only seven-
teen, the committee recommend to her a gratuity of
five dollars. Which is respectfully submitted.

For the Committee,

DEAN ROBINSON.
Georgeloum, Sept. 29, 1841.

JOSHUA LOVETT'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection a firkin of
butter, containing thirty-three pounds, made in the
month of June, it being a part of the butter from the
milk of four cows, which had no other feed than a com-
mon pasture. The milk was preserved in a dairy cellar,
well lighted and ventilated, and used exclusively for the
purpose of the dairy ; it was strained into tin pans, the
pans w^ell scalded each time they were used, and kept
tW'Cnty-four hours, when the cream was separated, while
the milk w^as perfectly sweet, and put in tin vessels, and
occasionally stirred. It was churned twice each week,
and w^hen the butter was gathered, it was separated
ii-om the buttermilk and washed in pure cold water, and
wrought with the hands ; the washings repeated until
the buttermilk was thoroughly extracted, so that the
water was clear. Then it was salted in part, and set ia
a cool place in the cellar, or suspended in the w^ell un-
til the next day, when it was worked again with the
hands, and salted to the taste with fine salt sifted through
a sieve, and set in the cellar twenty-four hours, then
packed down into the firkiti in layers, sprinkling a little
salt between each, and leaving a space around the sides
of the firkin of half an inch until full ; the space around
7

50 ON THE DAIRY.

was then filled with a strong brine, well prepared, and
kept in that state until this day.

Yours respectfully,

JOSHUA LOVETT.

Beverly, Sept. 22, 1841.

DANIEL PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection a firkin of
June butter, containing 41 pounds.

Process of making: — The milk is strained into tin
pans ; it stands from 36 to 48 hours, according to the
weather, when the cream is taken off, put into tin pails,
and occasionally stirred. We churn twice a week, when
the butter is gathered, the buttermilk is drawn off, the
butter is rinsed in two waters, then is taken out, worked
in part, salted, (one ounce of salt to a pound of butter,)
and set aside for twenty-four hours, when the working
is completed. It is then put into the firkin, and a
considerable quantity of salt placed between the butter
and the firkin. Kept in the cellar during the summer.

I have kept eight cows — made from the 1st of June to
the 9th of July, 263 lbs — sold and used in the family,
about 20 gallons per week during the time.

DANIEL PUTNAM.

North Daavers, Sept. 29, 1841.

WILLIAM R. PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy:

Gentt,e.men — I present for your inspection a firkin of
June butter, containing about 45 lbs.

I was not aware, until it was too late, that the Trus-
tees had made any alterations in the premiums for June

ON THE DAIRY. 51

butter, since last year ; therefore, I am unable to give
so minute an account of the produce of our dairy as
could be wished.

We milked ten cows, one of which was a heifer, with
her first calf, and one calved early in the winter. We
used what milk was needed for a family of eight persons,
which was probably equal to the milk of one cow.

The process of making and keeping the butter was
the same as given to the Committe last year, except that
the cream was not left on the milk so long by 12 hours.

The greatest quantity of butter made in one week was
55 lbs, the least, 28 lbs. The whole quantity made
from the 1st of June to the 9th of July is 249 lbs.

Yours respectfully,

WM. "r. PUTNAM.
From R. C. Winthrop's farm,

Wenham, Sept. 28, 1841.

[NoTK. A statement made to the Committee by
Margaret Wardwell, in regard to the parcel of butter
for which a premium was awarded to her, has been
accidentally mislaid.]

NATHANIEL FELTON'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy:

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection two boxes
of September butter, containing 25 lbs, being a speci-
men of 885 lbs. made since the 20th of May.

Process of making: — The milk is strained into tin
pans, it stands from 36 to 48 hours in a cool cellar, the
cream is taken oft", put into tin pails, and stirred every
day. We churn once a week, during the hottest weather;
the cream is placed in the well about twelve hours be-
fore churning. After it is churned, the buttermilk is
thoroughly worked out, and the butter is salted to the

52 ON THE DAIRY.

taste ; after standing about one hour, it is again worked
over, and weighed, each pound separately.

This butter was made from ten cows ; two of them
were heifers of the first caU^; the feed was common
pasturing, till the 20th of August ; since then they have
had green stalks once a day. Eight of the cows calved
in March, the other two in April. I have eleven in the
family that are supplied with milk, and have sold one
gallon a week.

NATHANIEL FELTON.

Soutli Danvers, Sept. 28, 1841.

ISAAC CARRUTirS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy:

Gentlemen — The cheese which I offer for your in-
spection was made in the months of June and July.
Having sold our milk a part of the season, we have not
made as much as usual, but during the above mentioned
months we made 135 lbs. new milk, and 173 lbs. four
meal cheese, from the milk of five cows, (excepting
what we used in our family, which took one cow's milk,)
three of them gave milk the past winter. Their keep-
ing has been grass only, and that dry and poor. The
process of making is, to set the milk in a cool place at
night, and in the morning warm it and add it to the new
milk ; then allow one gill of rennet to six pails full of
milk ; let it remain half an hour, then cut it with a thin
wooden knife that will reach the bottom of the tub ; let
it remain again until the whey begins to appear ; then
place a strainer in a basket and dip it out carefully; turn
it and cut it, but not too fast, and then place a follower
with a stone above it, on the curd, that the whey may be
all removed ; then put it in the cellar to remain until
the same process is performed again ; then cut the two
curds in small pieces, warm them in whey about ten
minutes, salt it to the taste, press it two days, turning

ON SWIXE. 53

it twice a day ; then put the cheeses in an airy room,
turn and butter them once a day.

Yours with respect,

ISAAC CARRUTH.
Andover, Sept. 29, 1841.

MARY T. THURLOWS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — The cheese I offer for inspection was
made from the milk of seven cows, two of which were
farrow. We have made use of milk in the family, con-
sisting of eight. They have been kept in a common pas-
ture, without any extra keep.

Weight of butter made, 182 lbs.

Weight of cheese, 862 lbs.

The process of making is the common method.

Respectfully,

MARY T. THURLOW.

ON SWINE.

The Committee on Swine Report :

That there has been a great falling off in the quality
and number of the swine presented, from last year,
which they are very sorry to see. No breeding sows
were offered for premium.

The Committee aw^ard the first premium of five dol-
lars, for the best boar, to Charles R. Julyn, of Rowley.
For the next best boar they award the second premium
of two dollars to Nathaniel Dorman, of Boxford.

For the best litter of weaned pigs, they award the first
premium of six dollars to Phineas C. Balch, of Newbury.
Second do. of $3, to Samuel Scott, of Rowley.
Respectfully submitted,

For the Committee,

T. E. PAYSON.

54 ON MULBERRY TREES.

ON MULBERRY TREES.

The Committee on Mulberry Trees, Report :

That for the grounds on which the Society's pre-
miums are asked they would respectfully refer its ex-
ecutive officers to the statements which the claimants
have severally made, and which the Committee believe
to be substantially correct. And in carrying out the
trust committed to them they respectfully recommend
that the

1st prem. of §T5 be awarded to Geo. Hood, of Lynn.

2d do. $10 do. to Ira Hardy, for his

orchard of white mulberry trees in Boxford.

That the first premium of $10 for the best nursery of
mulberry trees, of not more than two years growth, be
awarded to George Hood, of Lynn.

The second, of $5, to Temple Cutler, of Hamilton.

The Committee in submitting this report, would re-
spectfully suggest, as a subject worthy of reflection,
whether the object contemplated by the encouragement
held out by the Society, by its premiums on mulberry
trees, &c. would not be more fully realized, should
the premiums for the future be mostly or even exclu-
sively confined to awards on silk raised and reeled, and
articles manufactured from such silk. This appears to
your Committee to be the plan in which public patron-
age is most particularly needed. It is the point where
the enterprise labors ; while after the great number of
successful efforts in raising the trees, and the small
comparative expense at which it can be done, there real-
ly appears to your Committee, but little reason why fur-
ther public patronage should be extended to that branch
of the business. It is also a fact worthy of considera-
tion that under the patronage of the Society there are
now scattered over the County, a great number of trees
of different ages which are yielding no profit. While
not a few upon which premiums have been awarded
have been cut down, or suffered by neglect to decay
away, the foliage of which, if it could be brought into

ON MULBERRY TREES. 55

use, would add very considerably to individual benefit,
and of course to the public prosperity.
All which is respectfully submitted,

For the Committee,

G. B. PERRY.

GEORGE HOODS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Mulberry Trees :

Gentlemen — Among the premiums offered by the
Essex Agricultural Society, I find some for the cultiva-
tion of mulberry trees, silk, &c. I have a plantation
of several thousand mulberry trees, of different vari-
eties at my farm on Water Hill, in this town, to which I
invite the attention of your Committee. With a view
to render what little aid I can in calling public atten-
tion to the production of silk, I offer my plantation for
the premiums.

No. 1. For the best plantation of mulberry
trees, for which no premium has been awarded,
at least one hundred trees of three years growth
or more, the same being in a thriving con-
dition, ,^15 00

For the second best, 10 00

2. For the best nursery of mulberry trees, at
least 500 trees, not exceeding two years growth, 10 00

For the second best, 5 00

For the first two, Nos. 1 and 2, I have many more
than the required number of trees, of suitable age and
condition.

For Nos. 3 and 4, I shall, if successful in my experi-
ments, endeavor to lay before the Society "a statement
in writing of the facts relating thereto."

Yours, very respectfully,

GEORGE HOOD.

56 ON 3IULBERRY TREES.

TEiMPLE CUTLER'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Mulberry Trees:

Gentleaien — I offer for premium a nursery of one
sixth of an acre, containing about 2000 multicaulis mul-
berry trees, now of two seasons growth. These trees
were planted in June 1840, in single bud cuttings, on a
very poor soil, without manure. Being planted late,
very few of them attained to more than 6 or 8 inches
high. So small were they, that I did not offer them
for premium last year, being in a separate lot from those
I did offer. I left part of them standing in the field
through the winter without covering of any kind. My
object was to ascertain their ability to bear the rigor
of winter in this climate. Every tree, and every
branch, was as sound in the spring as those taken up in
the fall and put in the cellar, or, as our common fruit
trees.

Many of these trees, together with the remainder of
the same lot from the cellar, were transplanted last
May to a better piece of ground, but which had no ma-
nure last year, and half a cord only of compost manure
was strewed in furrows 3 feet apart into which the
trees were set, the roots covered 2 or 3 inches deep.
The whole labor on this nursery was one day plough-
ing, transplanting and manuring, and half a day plough-
ing between the rows and hoeing twice, including all
pulling out of weeds. Every tree is alive and flourish-
ing, averaging about 4 feet, none being less than
2i, nor more than 5 feet high. 1 herewith exhibit
several leaves from these trees, without having taken
pains to select the largest.

I wish those who condemn the mulberry orchards of
our County as not worth preserving, to examine for
themselves the one now presented, which, after having
been stripped of its foliage to feed two successive crops
of worms in the fore part of the season, of 10,000 at

ON SILK. 57

each crop, I think they would feel satisfied that at least
20,000 more might have been fed from the same, if
eggs could have been procured.

My main object, gentlemen, in making this experi-
ment, was to test the comparative hardiness of the mul-
ticaulis and the white mulberry. I had a large number
of seedlings of the latter kind in the same enclosure ;
these were mostly killed by the frosts of the winter.
Now the question remains, which of the two should
we call the hardy mulberry tree? In the remarks I
was kindly permitted to make to the Committee, the
last year, I expressed a decided preference in favor of
the multicaulis for making silk. I would now only
refer those who may have any remaining doubts, and
those, if any there be, who may have been led to be
cautious as to adopting the views I so confidently enter-
tained, or those who may have supposed these views
may have emanated from an over-heated zeal, to ex-
amine the history and progress of the silk culture the
past season throughout the United States, and see if
they can find any thing in the thousand instances of
complete success recorded, to create a doubt of the
superiority of the tree in question.

TEMPLE CUTLER.

We hereby certify that we have this day examined
the above mentioned nursery of Mr. Cutler, and resi-
ding near by, have seen his management of the trees,
both this year and last, and are satisfied the above state-
ment is correct. OLIVER WHIPPLE, Jr.

TRISTRAM APPLETON.

Hamilton, Sept. 28ih, 1841.

ON SILK MANUFACTURED.

The Committee report that there were but two speci-
mens of manufactured silk presented. One by Mrs.
M. P. S. Parker, of Bradford, consisting of a half pound

8

58 ON SILK.

of sewing silk and twist manufactured from cocoons
raised by herself, and a small specimen of thread made
of the lioss taken from the cocoons. The other by
Miss S. C. Hodges, of Newburyport, consisting of sew-
ing silk put up in skeins and dyed with difierent colors;
and also, a work bag made of silk of her manufacture.

The Committee regard these specimens as possessing
much merit, being in their opinion fully equal and they
think rather superior to any that they have been called
to examine. They feel sorry that the quantity is not
sufficient to justify them in recommending the high pre-
miums of the Society to be awarded, but do recommend
that a gratuity of $5 be given to Mrs. Parker, and $3
to Miss Hodges.

For specimens of sewing silk, some of which w^as
colored, they recommend to Miss Priscilla P. Atwood,
of Bradford, a gratuity of |2.

For the Committee,

G. B. PERRY.

MEHETABEL P. S. PARKERS STATEMENT.

To the Ccmmittee on Silk Manufactured :

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection a half
pound of sewing silk and twist, which I made from co-
coons raised this year. It was reeled on the common
clock reel and twisted on the high wheel. Also, a
specimen of thread made from the floss of the cocoons
carded, then spun from the end of the roll on the high
wheel. In cleansing it I put some in a thin bag, and
some loose in the kettle with white bar soap and water,
and boiled it about an hour. That which was left loose
is much the clearest. I cannot make a certain estimate
of the time it took me, as I had to devote part of the
time to my family. It would probably have taken tv/o
weeks if I had nothing to interrupt me.

MEHETABEL P. S. PARKER.

Bradford, Sej4. 29, 1841.

ON BEES AND HONEY. 59

ON BEES AND HONEY.

To this Committee were submitted two entries
made, one by Charles S. Tenne}^ and the other by
George Spofford, both of Georgetown, of bees and
honey raised by them in rooms in the roof of their
houses.

Your Committee visited both of these places, exam-
ined the rooms, the hives and the various fixtures, and
are gratified to report that the experiment of disposing
of bees in this manner seems to have been made with
skill and attended with good success, and they are of the
opinion if a few persons in the various towns and villa-
ges would adopt this plan it would be the means of
greatly increasing the amount of honey produced in the
county, and thus add something to the general pros-
perity and personal gratification of the community.
We say a few persons in each toivn, because we appre-
hend for various reasons that a large number of such
establishments could not be sustained, unless there be
a resort to some means of increasing the resources from
which these industrious and saving creatures gather
their nectar.

For the purpose of encouraging a commendable ef-
fort, and with the confidence that the gentlemen will,
with cheerfulness, exhibit their establishments, and give
all necessary information to those who wish to adopt
that way of raising honey, your Committee recommend
a gratuity of ^^4 to each.

And they would take liberty to suggest to the offi-
cers of the Society the expediency of appointing a Com-
mittee, who should be requested to procure information
respecting the amount of honey raised within the
county, and to what extent this amount might with
profit be increased, and whether any enactments of the
State Legislature could be made which would encourage
a general attention to the subject, who should be re-
quested to report at the next annual meeting.

For the Committee,

G. B. PERRY.

60 ON FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE.

ON FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE.

The Committee on the Fattening of Cattle and Swine
Keport :

That they have received no claims for premi-
ums on this subject ; but inasmuch as it is one that
should command more of the attention of our farmers,
they beg leave to make a few suggestions for their con-
sideration. Every well conducted farm will have a
surplus of produce for the market in some form or other.
If the grain, hay, and vegetables raised, are carried di-
rectly to the "market, this will necessarily impoverish
the farm, and diminish its power of production, unless
care shall be taken to return a corresponding propor-
tion of manure. By a judicious consumption of these
articles on the farm, there is a certainty that the supply
of manure will be well sustained. We believe it to be
a very common practice with our best farmers to fat
one or two pair of cattle, with several other animals,
every season. We have no doubt that they find a good
account in so doing. Since the practice of raising veg-
etables for fattening of cattle has come into use, those
who have raised them have brought them to a good
market in this manner. Particularly if their supply of
Indian corn is such as to admit of mixing a moderate
proportion of meal with such vegetables.

Although the former may not at first realize so much
cash when he feeds out his crops to his cattle and
swine, as when he deals them out by the bushel in the
market ; — still wdien he takes into view the time lost in
attending upon the market — the deficiency of nutritive
qualities on the farm, in consequence of these articles
not having been consumsd at home ; and the uncer-
taint}' at times of finding a ready and advantageous
sale ; — he will do well at all times, to make arrange-
ments for using a good proportion of his produce on his
own farm. We do not advance these views as mere
speculative theories, but as the result of our observa-
tion among good farmers ; and we challenge the inves-

ON SHEEP. 61

tigation of the fact in any town of the county, and have
no doubt that those who are generally reputed to be
the best farmers will be found to have practised in this
manner. In relation to swine, there is much room for.
the exercise of a sound judgment in the selection of
the animals to be fed. Far better is it to purchase
animals of the best breed, at a high price, than to take
those of an inferior class for nothing.

We hope that the liberal premiums offered on these
subjects, as well as others, will induce some of our
young farmers to make experiments, and let their expe-
rience be known, and in so doing they will bring honor
upon themselves and a lasting benefit upon the whole
community.

For the Committee,

J. W. ALLEN.

December^ 1841.

ON SHEEP.

The Committee on Sheep respectfully Report :
The Society has lately offered no premiums for sheep
at their annual exhibition, but a lot having been present-
ed by Mr John Hale, of Boxford, the Committee was
directed to notice them in such manner as they might
deserve. But few sheep, comparatively with the other
agricultural counties, are kept in Essex.* But it is
probable that sheep might be made very profitable on
many of our farms. The difficulty of restraining them
in common enclosures is the great objection, but the
South Down variety, it is said, has less propensity to
ramble. We were gratified with the appearance of Mr.
Hale's sheep, and submit to the Society whether it
would not be advisable to offer encouragement for the
exhibition of sheep at future exhibitions.

* By the statistical tables published in 1838, it appears that tlieic were in
Massachuactts, 374,610 sheep, of these only 5,827 belonged to Essex.

62 ON CROPS.

The wool is of superior quality, and the fleece is
heavier by nearly one fourth than the average weight
in Massachusetts. The Committee recommend that a
gratuity of three dollars be paid to Mr Hale.
For the Committee,

DANIEL P. KING.

JOHN HALE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Sheep :

Gentlemen: — The subscriber presents to you eleven
sheep and six lambs, for premium. The whole 3-4
native breed, and 1-4 merino ; they give 3 3-4 lbs,
wool each per year, and have done so for three years
past. I have about 15 lambs by 10 sheep per year.
The wool I think is far superior to full blooded merino,
for family use, and about double the quantity.

JOHN HALE.

Boxford, Sept. 29th, 1841.

ON CROPS.

The Committee on the Cultivation of Crops Report :
That claims have been entered and statements made
as follows : —

By Francis Dodge, of Danvers, for Corn.
" Enoch Dole, of W. Newbury, "
" John Noyes, of Newbury, " Rye.

" William Williams, of Rowley, " Oats.
" John Noyes, of Newbury, " Onions.

The Society the present year have offered premiums
for the best conducted experiment on crops of wheat,
rye, oats, barley and Indian corn, on not less than
one acre ; for the next year, in addition to the above,
premiums will be offeretl for the best conducted exper-
iments in raising crops of carrots, onions, sugar beets,
ruta baga, and mangel wurtzel, on one half acre, and

ON CROPS'. 63

it is hoped that there will be many claimants for all
these premiums. Farmers are desirous of ascertaining
by what process such crops can be most successfully
cultivated, and by no other means can this information
be so readily and satisfactorily obtained, or so easily
disseminated. They want to know what kind of soil,
manure and cultivation are best adapted to each of
these crops, and their own operations will in some
measure be directed by the successful operations of
competitors. It is therefore highly desirable that all
the statements submitted should be plain and accurate.
The soil, manure and variety of seed should be care-
fully stated, and all such observations and remarks as
may tend to enlighten not only old farmers but learners
of the art.

It is often interesting to have the means of knowing
how large crops have been raised in the county. For
the purpose of satisfying in part this curiosity, some ex-
tracts from Mr. Colman's first Report of the Agricul-
ture of Massachusetts are here inserted. There have
been raised in this county, to the acre,

" Of Wheat, 24, 25, and 32 bushels.

Of Indian Corn, 84, 90^, 90], 105, 110, 113, 115,
117| bushels.

Of Barley, 50, 5U, 52, 54 bushels.

Of Rye, 40, 56 bushels.

Of Oats, 1000 bushels on twenty acres, averaging 50
bushels to the acre.

Of Carrots, 849, 864, 878, 900 bushels.

Of Mangel Wurtzel, 924, 1340, at 56 lbs. per bushel.

Of Beets, 783 bushels.

Of English Turnips, 636, 687, 672, 751, 814 bushels.

Of Onions, 651." By Mr. Ware, of Salem, 900
bushels.

Some of these quantities appear large, but the amount
w^hich may be raised on a well manured and thoroughly
cultivated acre would astonish any one who has not
witnessed the experiment. A great cause of the want
of success of many farmers is their attempt to cultivate
too much land. To own or to cultivate an extensive

64 ox CROPS.

territory is a poor ambition. Our object should be to
show iiow well and not how much we can till. When
etern necessity, or good policy, or the dispensation of
Providence has divided farms, we have often noticed
that tlie several parts became more productive, and in
such cases it is almost always true, that the half is better
than the whole. Whenever a farmer becomes satisfied
that he is cultivating too much land, he should sell ofl' or
lease his supernumerary acres, or turn them into pasture.
The labor and expense of raising thirty bushels of corn is
three quarters as much as of raising sixty bushels to the
acre.

Many of our farmers have yet to learn the great ad-
vantage of cultivating extensively root crops, as a winter
feed for stock. A lar^re portion of our time and strength
is expended in procuring this feed ; it is now principal-
ly hay and corn fodder. The average quantity of hay
to the acre is less than a ton and a half: but fifteen or
even twenty tons of carrots and mangel wurtzel, are not
very extraordinary. The expense of raising these roots
is considerable, but commonly it does not exceed six dol-
lars per ton. There cannot be a doubt that as food for
cattle, two tons of them arc worth at least as much as
one ton of hay, and stock kept in part on roots, are in
better health and condition, and make more valuable
manure. It is satisfactorily ascertained that two bushels
of carrots, and one of oats, are worth more for a horse
than tvro bushels of oats; and next to Indian meal, boil-
ed carrots are admitted to be the best food for swine.
But with all these facts before us, but few farmers, com-
paratively, can be induced to cultivate beets, carrots, or
the different varieties of turnips. In agriculture, the
progress of improvement has always been less rapid than
in any other of the arts of life ; rnay it not always be so.
The field is ample, and all that is wanted is active, spir-
ited, and enterprizing laborers.

By the statements which follow this report, it appears
that some of our enlightened yeomen are ambitious of
leading off in this good undertaking of agricultural im-
provement, and the Committee tender them their thanks

ox CROPS. 65

for their readinoss to communicate so much information
to the common stock.

The Committee award —

To Mr. Francis Dodge, of Danvers, for his
crop of Indian corn, 105 bushels, the premium of $10 00

To Mr. John Noyes, of Newbury, for his crop
of winter rye, 40 bushels and 22 quarts, the pre-
mium of - - - - - 10 00

To Mr. William Williams, of Rowley, for his
crop of oats, 59 bushels, a gratuity of - 7 00

iMr. Williams's statement was not considered sufficiently
full and well authenticated to entitle him to the premium,
but his crop of fifty-nine bushels to the acre, is creditable
to his good management.

Mr. Dole's crop of corn was a very good one for this
season ; his statement is full and satisfactory, and the
Committee hope that next year he will receive a premi-
um ; but as a second premium is not offered by the So-
ciety, they cannot award it. The difierence in the weight
of Air. Dole's corn at the time of harvesting and one
month after, is remarkable, amounting to about one sev-
enth. In determining the comparative amount of corn
crops, the condition as to shrinkage and dryness should
not be forgotten. Mr. Xoyes' crop of onions, for the
amount of labor spent upon it, is very large, but the So-
ciety has not authorized the Committee to award a pre-
mium for this crop.

The Committee recommend that the statements of all
the claimants be published. They are creditable to their
authors, and honorable to the county. In a more favor-
able season, larger crops might be obtained, but the farm-
er, having done his part, must look to Providence lor
genial sunshine, and refreshing showers.

For the Committee,

DANIEL P. KING.
Dec. 30, 1841.

(56 ON CROPS.

FRANCIS DODGE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops :

Gentlemen — I offer for premium a crop of Indian
corn, obtained from one acre of land, and measuring one
hundred and five bushels. The land was a dark loam,
with a sub-soil of clayey gravel. 1 do not know the
name of this corn, but some of the same was exhibited
at the annual meeting in Georgetown. A crop of hay
was taken from the land last season, after which it was
ploughed and sown to turnips and corn. It had at that
time, a dressing of three cords of manure from the hog-
yard. In the spring, it was cross-ploughed, and harrow-
ed, and four cords of manure from the cellar, were spread
over, when it was again ploughed and furrowed at a dis-
tance of three feet four inches one way, and three feet
six inches the other. Four loads of old manure were put
in the hill; this manure was hove well for the purpose of
getting it fine. It was planted the 8th and llth of May,
seven kernels were dropped, and from five to six stood.
It received two hoeings ; at each time the Cultivator was
used. The 27th of September it was cut up, and shock-
ed and harvested the last of October.

Expenses of the Crop.
The land I value at ^100.
Interest of the land, _ _ _

Eight loads of manure, ^Q,
Heaving old manure, _ _ -

Ploughing twice and harrowing,
Furrowing, _ _ _ _

Putting out manure, _ . -

Dropping, covering and seed,
Cultivating and hoeing twice.
Cutting up and shocking, - - -

Harvesting and husking, _ - -

84 00

^6 00

48 00

1 00

6 00

0 75

2 00

2 25

7 00

2 00

9 00

ON CROPS. 67

Value of Crop, Sfc.

Half the manure, . - - - g24 00

105 bushels corn, a 80 c. - - 84 00

3 J tons fodder, a $\0, - - - 35 00

143 00
From which deduct expense of crop, - 84 00

Nett profit, ;^59 00

FRANCIS DODGE.

North Danvers, Nov. 1841.

I, James Flanders, measured the above corn, and tes-
tify that the number of bushels, as within stated, 105, was
raised from an acre of ground.

JAMES FLANDERS.

This may certify, that I measured and staked off the
above mentioned acre of ground.

ANSEL W. PUTNAM.

ENOCH DOLES STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Crops :

I submit the following statement in relation to the acre
of corn I have entered for premium.

The gruund is a sandy loam, upon the bank of Merri-
mack river, and occasionally flooded with water in hioh
freshets, perhaps as often as once in two or three years.
The ground was broken up in the spring of 1840 — ma-
nured in the hills only, with four cords of rotten manure
to the acre, and planted with corn ; crop about equal to
this year's.

In 1841, the hills were split and harrowed once, and
seven cords of new manure spread upon the acre — the
ground ploughed and harrowed. It was then furrowed

68 ON CHOPS. J

four feet by three and a half feet — four cords of rotten
manure per acre put in the hills^ and planted about the
15th of May — ploughed between the rows twice, and
hoed three times ; at the time of the last hoeing, the only
object was to destroy the weeds. The stalks were cut
about the middle of Septe[nber, and the crop harvested
about the 25th of October. Tliere were about three
and a half acres of land in the lot planted, one acre of
which was measured off, and the following quantity of
produce grew upon the lot measured and staked off by
the surveyor, viz., 128 bushels of ears when husked, two
bushels of which were shelled ; weight of corn, 68 1-2
lbs., measured 38 quarts, weight of cobs 18 lbs, weight
of whole in the ear Nov. 27, as per certificate of weigh-
er, 4700 lbs. There wore eighteen bushels of turnips
and 40 bushels of pumpkins grown upon the acre afore-
said, in addition to the corn. There were only five bush-
els of small ears on the acre.

ENOCH DOLE.
W. Newbury, Dec. 1841.

I hereby certify that I measured off and put up stakes
about one acre of corn on land of Enoch Dole. It was
all in one piece, and laid off on the western end of the
lot ; at his request, I measured off the acre where 1
thought the corn was the best. I consider the crop nearly
equal throughout, and think a half acre might have been
selected together better than the acre taken would ave-
rage. MOSES NEWELL.

JOHN NOYES'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Crops :

Newbury, Nov. 10th, 1841.

Gentlemen — I submit to you the following statements
with regard to my crops, which are as follows :—-onions

ON CROPS. 69

and winter and spring rye. The onions were grown on
a yellow loam, on a gravel bottom, — has grown onions
several years previous, — was replenished with twelve
cords of manure ploughed in in the fall of tlie year 1840;
the following spring it was harrowed, and drilled in rows
14 inches apart, and two and a half lbs. of seed sown
with a machine on the same. It was weeded but once
by hand, but hoed several times — harvested and sold in
September and October — the produce of which was six
hundred and sixty-four bushels.

The rye was grown on a black loam on a clay bottom ;
has grown potatoes three years previous — the manure
ploughed in ; is inclosed by itself, containing two acres
one hundred and six rods. The produce in 1840 was
two hundred bushels per acre. The manure apphed was
eight cords per acre. The 'ast of September, 1S40, 1
sowed one and a half bushels rye on one acre ; the re-
maining part I sowed with spring rye about the middle of
April. The winter grain was reaped the 20th of July,
and threshed widiin ten days after ; the product of which
was forty bushels and twenty-two quarts, independent of
eight quarts of small grain. The spring grain was reap-
ed and threshed the beginning of August ; the produce
was forty-two bushels and twenty-five quarts.

Yours respectfully,

JOHN NOYES.

This may certify that we assisted in cultivating, mar-
keting, and measuring the above crop of onions, and
that the above statement is correct.

GILES A. NOYES.

JUSTIN NOYES.

EsseXiSS. l\oi\ 16, 1841.

Personally appeared Giles A. Noyes and Justin Noyes,
and made oath to the truth of the foregoing statement,
before me, STUART CHASE,

Justice of the Peace.

70 Ox^f CROPS.

This may certify that I assisted in measuring the
above crop of winter grain, and that the above statement
is correct. JOHN J. ADAMS.

Essex, ss. Nov. 1 6th, 1841.

Personally appeared the above named John J. Adams,
and made oath to the truth of the above statement, be-
fore me. STUART CHASE,

Justice of the Peace.

This may certify that I assisted in measuring the above
crop of spring grain, and that the above statement is
correct. WM. W. PERKINS.

Essex, ss. Nov. 16th, 1841.

Personally appeared the above named William W.
Perkins, and made oath to the truth of the foregoing
statement before me. STUART CHASE,

Justice of the Peace.

This will certify, that upon the request of the subscri-
ber, I surveyed the land where he raised his crops of
grain and onions. The onion plat contained one acre
and six rods ; the rye field contained two acres and a
hundred and six rods ; one acre with winter grain, the
remainder with spring grain.

TRISTRAM LITTLE, Surveyor.

WILLIAM WILLIAMS'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Crops:

Gentlemen — The field of oats which I cultivated the
present season, contained one acre and fifty-lour rods.
The produce of the lot was seventy- eight and a half
bushels of oats; it was measured by Mr. Daniel Spiller

ON FRUITS AND FLOAVERS. 71

and Mr. Riifus Lothrop. The field was planted with
corn last season, applying about eight cords of barn-yard
manure ; this season I spread on about four cords of
barn-yard manure. I ploughed it the sixth of May and
sowed it the tenth of May. I sowed four bushels on the
lot ; when my oats were got in they were very dry, and
those that saw them thought there were as many shelled
out on the ground as were sowed, for they came up very
thick, and made good fall ked.

Yours respectfully,

WM. WILLIAMS.
Rowleij, Dec. 16, 1841.

ON FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND FLOWERS.

The exhibition of fruits and vegetables to-day was
highly gratifying to your Committee, as it evidently
showed an increasing interest in this department of culti-
vation. The agricultural and horticultural exhibitions of
the present day may be made as useful in our country as
they have been in Europe. Out in order to render them
of the greatest possible value, there should always ac-
company the specimens sent, (when it is known,) the
method of culture, soil, &c. &c. The articles, with the
names of the contributors, are placed in the order in
which they were sent.

A basket of Rose Chasselas, Sweet Water, and Black
Hamburgh grapes, green-house culture, and green
melons, open ground culture, from P. Dodge, Salem.

Four kinds of apples and two of pears, from Erastus
Ware, Salem.

Native Rareripes, from Joseph Savory, East Bradford.

St. Michael pears, and monstrous Bell-flower apples,
from Daniel Adams, 3d, Newbury.

Large native peaches, grapes, and apples, from Josiah
Newhall, Lynnfield.

72 ON FRUITS AXD FLOWERS.

Isabella grapes, prematurely ripe in consequence of
taking off the leaves, (vvhicli is a practice to be depreca-
ted, as leaves are to plants analogous to the lungs in the
human system, and are consequently necessary to the full
developement of the fruit ;) from John B. Bateman,
Georgetown.

President and Boxford Stump Apples, from Peabody
Piussell, Boxford.

Apples, 1 1 varieties, peaches and Isabella grapes, from
.James Peabody, Byfield.

Apples, 12 varieties, 5 kinds pears, quinces and peach-
es, Andrew Dodge, Wenham.

Apples, 10 varieties, Clingstone peaches, quinces and
pears, Moses Pettingill, Topsfield.

One basket of fine Clingstone peaches, from Daniel
N. Breed, Lynn.

Fine Sweetwater grapes and apples, from H. A. Breed,
Lynn.

Twenty varieties of pears, mostly new fruits, from J.
M, Ives, Salem.

Two bouquets of Dahlias from Mrs. George SpofTord,
and one from Mrs. Charles S.Tenney, both of Georgetown

Fourteen varieties of fine pears, from E, Emmerton, of
Salem.

Three varietiesof apples, from Ephraim Wood, Salem.

Fine large variety of the Blood peach, for preserving,
and also White grapes, J. B. Sargent, West Amesbury.

Native blue plums, for preserves, from B. Winter,
Georgetown.

Twelve varieties of apples, from S. P. Fowler, Danvers.

Orange tree in pot from seed, Mrs, Perry, Georgetown.

Bouquet of cut flowers, from Susan D. Breed, Lynn.

Fourteen varieties of pears, all fall eating fruit, R. S.
Ives, Salem.

Vegetables, Sfc.

Purple egg plant, an edible fruit grown from seed sown
in the open ground the last of May, the soil being high-
ly manured with ashes ; this is a popular vegetable in
the southern markets ; raised by A. G. Bradstreet, North
Danvers.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 73

Belgian White carrot, from P. Dodge, of Salem ; these
were the average of the crop in size ; with regard to
the quality of this new carrot, we are not yet satisfied
of their superiority over the long orange ; they are,
however, more easily harvested, growing as they do,
from two to four inches out of ground ; others of the
same kind, were sent in by Erastus Ware.

Yellow Globe mangel wurtzel ; nothing accompanied
these relative to their superiority, if they have any, over
the common variety ; sent by Allen Putnam, Wenham.

Two kinds of potatoes, raised from seed, and large
mammoth pumpkin, from J. Savory, Bradford.

The samples of corn exhibited were from Francis
Dodge, Danvers, Oliver Kilham, Boxford, John Preston,
Danvers, William Williams, Rowley, and Samuel Long-
fellow, Newbury.

Pure Autumnal Marrow squash, from southern seed,
Andrew Dodge, Wenham.

Mangel wurtzel and Sugar beet, from Moses Pettingill,
Topsfield.

Marrow and Lima squash, (mixed) weighing 70 lbs,
James L. Wales, Bradford.

Large yellow onions, Samuel P. Jewett.

Sugar beet, mangel wurtzel and solid celery, Charles
F. Putnam, Salem.

Cucumber and apple, grown in bottles, Elijah Kim-
ball, Georgetown.

Your Committee recommend the following gratuities :

To James Peabody, of Byfield, two dollars.

To Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield, H. A. Breed, and
D. N. Breed, of Lynn, P. Dodge, Salem, Mrs. George
Spofford, Georgetown, B. S. Ives and Erastus Ware, of
Salem, one dollar each.

To Mrs. Charles S. Tenny, and B. Winter of George-
town, E. Wood, of Salem, S. P. Fowler, Danvers, An-
drew Dodge, Wenham, E. Emmerton, Salem, John B.
Bateman, Georgetown, J. Savory, Bradford, A. G, Brad-
street, Danvers, J. B. Sargent, West Newbury, Stephen
C. Thurlow, do., and Miss Susan D. Breed, of Lynn,
fifty cents each.

10

74 ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

An individual at the exhibition expressed his surprise
that the same varieties of apples raised in West Cam-
bridge and around Boston, were so much larger than
those he was accustomed to see grown in Essex county.
The cause is obviously not in the natural quality of their
soil, but in their high manuring and more severe pruning.
There are farmers in West Cambridge who apply one
hundred dollars worth of manure annually to an acre of
land. The size, as well as the quality of apples depend
more upon the nature of the soil upon which they are
grown than is generally supposed ; for while the Bald-
win, Roxbury Russet and Yellow Bellflower apples, fruit
well upon soil of a light, loamy nature; the Hubbards-
ton Nonesuch, Pickman Pippin, Piper, and some other
varieties, require that of a deep clayey loam.

Mr. S. P. Fowler submitted the following resolve :
Voted, That the Committee on Fruits and Flowers be
requested to furnish for publication in the Society's next
annual Report, a list of fruits best adapted for culture in
our county, together Vv'ith a few flowering shrubs.
Respectfully submitted,

For the Committee,

JOHN M. IVES.

In forming a collection of fruits, it is better to be con-
tented with a few good kinds, that produce well in
most seasons, than to plant those, for the sake of va-
riety, of which perhaps a crop may be obtained once in
three or four years ; we should endeavor also to fix
upon those which are found to suit our latitude ; many
varieties of apples, which are first rate in our southern
cities, for example the Newton Pippin andPennock'sWin-
ter, are, when grown here, inferior to the Ly scorn. Fall
Harvey, and many others. Attention should also be paid
to selecting sorts suitable to their destined soils, as some
that would succeed well in a strong clay loam, would
languish in a poor, light, sandy soil, and others that
would ripen to perfection in the enclosed yards of our

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

75

populous cities, would not mature in our open fields.
There are also some situations where the apple and pear
thrive well, while the cherry and plum do not ; the cul-
tivation of the two former should therefore be encour-
aged, while that of the latter should be only so to a lim-
ited extent. The Baldwin, Bellflower, Swaar, and some
other varieties of apples, do well in a soil of a light,
loamy nature, while the Ribstone Pippin, Hubbardston
Nonesuch, Piper, and Pickman Pippin, require that of a
strong, clayey, and retentive loam.

The following list of apples which answer well in our
locality, comprises some of the best summer, autumn,
and winter varieties for New England culture.

APPLES.

Early Harvest, or July Flower,

ripens in July and August.

Early Bough, or Washington, of N. H.
ripens in July and August.

Summer Permaine, ripens in Sept.

Fall Harvey, (fine) " " and Oct.

Cloth of Gold, Cressy apple of Beverly,
ripens in Oct.

Williams's Favorite Red, " Aug.

Boxford Stump, ripens in Sept. & Oct.

Lyscom, (superior) " Oct.

Porter, (handsome fruit)

ripens in Sept. and Oct.

Ribstone Pippin, (English apple)

ripens in Dec. to Feb.

Rhode-Island Greening,

ripens from Nov. to Feb.
Baldwin, " Dec. to Feb.

Yellow Bellflower, " Dec. to Jan.
Swaar, (great bearer)

ripens from Jan. to March.
Danvers or Eppes Sweetinjr,

ripens from Jan. to March.
Roxbury Piusset,

ripens from Fob. to April.
Hubbardston Nonesucli, (fine fruit)

ripens from Oct. to Dec.
Minister, (very superior)

ripens from Nov. to Feb.

PEARS.

Madaleine, ripens in July and Aug.
Bloodgood, (fine) ripens in Aug.

" Sept.

Summer Franc Real,
Baitlett, (superior) "

Dearborn's Seedling, (fine) "
Gushing, "

Seckel, "

Belle Lucrative, (superior) "
Surpasse Virgalieu, ( " ) "
Buffum, (great bearer) "

Washington, (beautiful fruit)

ripens in Sept.

King of Wurtemberg, (large and fine)

ripens in Oct.

Iron or Black pear of Worcester

Catilac,

Doctor Hunts Winter,

Aug.
Sept.
Oct.

Sept.

Urbaniste, (melting fruit)

ripens in Nov.
Napoleon, (bears young and abundant-
ly) ripens in Oct.
Marie Louise, " Nov.
Bleker's Meadow, " "
Dix, " u
Duchesse of Angeulcme, (large & fine)

ripens in Nov.
Winter Nelis, ripens from Dec. to Feb.
Lewis, (great bearer) ripens in Dec.
Josephine, (very sugary and fine)

ripens in Dec.
Easter Beurre, ripens from Feb.to May.

FOR BAKING.

76 ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

PLUMS.

Green Gage, ripens in Aug, and Sept. Blue Imperatrice,

Boiniar's Washington, ripens in Sept. ripens in Oct. and Nov.

Italian Damask, " Aug. Crugcr's Seedling, " Sept. and Oct.

Coe's Golden Drop, Sharp's Emperor, ripens in Sept,

ripens in Oct. and Nov. Imperial Gage, " Aug.

PEACH

Early Royal George, Noblesse,

Early Red Rareripe, Vanguard,

Coolcdge's Favorite, Hastings's Rareripe.
Brattle's White or Snow peach.

CHERRIES.

Black Tartarian, Mottled Biggareau,

Early May Duke, Napoleon do.

Honey Heart, Black Heart,

Black Eagle, Hyde's Seedling.

CURRANTS.

White Dutch and Morgan's Large Red.

ORNAMENTAL TREES AND FLOWERING SHRUBS.
Large Trees. — Class 1.

Abele, or Silver Leaf. Lime, or Linden,

European Sycamore, Scarlet Maple,

Weeping Willow, Sugar do.

Butternut, Tulip Tree,

Elm, &C. &c.

Sjnaller Trees. — Class 2.

Siberian Crab Apple, Laburnum,

Curled Mountain Ash, Double Flowering Peach,

Double Flowering Cherry, Buffalo Berry,

Fringe Tree, Scotch Larch, &c.

Shrubs and Trees of Low Growt/i. — Class 3.

Rose Acacia, Persian Lilac,

Double Flowering Almond, Snow Ball, or Guelder Rose,

Althea, or Rose of Sharon, Tree Pfeonias, (of sorts)

Carolina Alls[)ice, Japan Globe Flower,

White Caucasian Honeysuckle, Hardy Roses, (of sorts.)
Cornelian Clhcrrj-,

THE JACKSON POTATO.

It was the intention of the Committee to have brought
forward to the exhibition in Georgetown, a new potato
which a member of vour Committee received from

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 77

Franklin county in this state, through Dr. J. E. Fisk, of
Salem, as the best in quality, and nearly if not quite
as prolific as the Long Red or River Plate, which is so
well known in our county ; but being a late potato,
they were not harvested in season. It is the opinion of
those who have raised them the past season, that they
are in quality and bearing superior to any other variety
cultivated in our vicinity. The following letter from a
farmer in Beverly, Avho planted two barrels of this kind
late in the spring, was addressed to the Chairman of the
Committee, is here inserted.

Beverly, Dec. 27, 1841.
Mr. John M. Ives :

Dear Sir — The potatoes which I had of you I planted
on a rich, loamy soil, which had been broken up a week
or two previous, with a good shovel full of barn-yard
manure in each hill, which was all that was used on the
land. In consequence of my thinking them to be early
potatoes, they were not planted till the first or second
week in June, but notwithstanding the lateness of the
season in which they were planted, and the remarkably
dry summer, they yielded as well as the Long Red, if not
better; although they did not attain to much more than
half their usual size. In quality, they are fully equal to
the best Eastern Chenangoes, if not even superior to
them. I am decidedly of the opinion, that, taking into
consideration their superiority, both in quality and in
iheir yield, they are the best and most profitable potato for
cultivation which have ever come under my observation.

Respectfully yours,

LUKE MORGAN.

This potato in form resembles the Chenango or
Mercer, and from the description of a new potato
which was cultivated the past season, in the county of
Worcester, and there called the Snow Ball, from its
whiteness after cooking, we apprehend it is one and the
same.

78 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

ON DOiMESTlC MANUFACTURES.

The Committee on Domestic Manufactures, having
attended to the duty assigned them, beg leave to Re-
port :

The number of articles entered in this department
was not so large as that of the past year ; but in the
taste and skill displayed in their execution, no falling oflf
was perceptible to your Committee. On the contrary,
some of the wrought pieces, — the fairy work of fairy
fingers, — seemed to your Committee more like the pro-
ductions of foreign countries than those of our own fire-
sides. By some it may be thought that these articles of
taste are hardly worthy of the time and pains bestowed
upon them ; but to your Committee it seems, that
whatever contributes to the pleasure of the eye, wheth-
er in works of art or nature, is highly deserving of en-
couragement. If the moral influence of flowers be, as
we all know it to be, so powerful and salutary, we see
no reason why the faithful imitation of flowers on car-
pets and rugs and quilts and other coverings, may not
also be beneficial. How many are the virtues called
forth too in their execution ! The good wife, or her fair
daughter, saves all the fragments of cloth for a carpet
or a rug — at the same time she is learning or at least
practising that most useful virtue, frugality. Like the
bee she devotes hours and hours to construct her curious
fabric, and like the winged honey-merchant, she is ex-
hibiting a pattern of patience and industry. Whether,
therefore, in the benefits or the pleasures they contribute
to domestic life, the description of wrought articles to
which v/e have alluded, are well entitled to the contin-
ued patronage of this Society, and we trust that the re-
wards which it bestows upon them will continue to ex-
cite competition among the fair fingers of Essex county,
till in every house will be seen a trophy of success.

The number of rugs this year exhibited was about equal
to the number of towns in the county — though many of

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 79

them were from the same town, and it was with difficulty
the committee could decide upon their priority of merits.
When they come to equal the number of families in the
county, the Committee will need a couple of weeks or
at least days, instead of a couple of hours, to examine
and estimate their proportionate excellence. The mus-
lins and laces were also of superior skill and elegance.
Many of the other productions evinced a laudable spirit
of emulation, proving that the ladies of Essex county
will at the annual cattle show, pull their part of the
yoke, and not be outdone by those of the hardier sex.

The Committee have therefore unanimously awarded
the following premiums and gratuities, viz :
For a piece of wrought carpeting, to Mrs. Abby

Welch, of Newbury port, a gratuity of .f 3 00

For a piece of carpeting, to Matilda Plummer, of

Newbury, a gratuity of . . 1 00
Hearth Rugs.

To Mrs. Ann C. Foster, of Beverly, 1st premium, 3 00

To Mrs. Theron Johnson, of Andover, 2d premium, 2 00

To Mrs. Eben Meacom, of Danvers, a gratuity of 1 00

To Sarah Ann Emery, of Newburyport, do. 1 00

To Mary Dorr, of Newburyport, do. 1 00

To Sarah L. Steele, of flaverhill, do. 1 00

To Mrs. Dr. Nichols, of Danvers, do. 1 00

To Miss Elizabeth Coffin, of Newbury, do. 1 00

To Miss AnnMariaGerrish,of Newbury, do. 1 00

To Miss Mary Jane Harun, of Beverly, do. 1 00

To Mrs. Dorcas Hale, of Newbury, do. 1 00

To Miss M. B. Chadburn, of Newburyport, do. 1 00

To Mrs. John M. Stocker, of Beverly, do. 1 00

To Mary Ann Choate, of Essex, do. 1 00

To Sarah D. Tenny, of Bradford, do. 1 00

To Nancy M. Richards, of Newburyport, do. 1 00

To Lucy Peck, of Hamilton, do. 1 00

To Louisa Fryes, of Andover, do. 1 00

To Caroline Coffin, of Newburyport, do. 1 00

To Mrs. Thomas Hills, of W. Newbury, do. 1 00

To Mrs. P. Newman, of Newbury, do. 1 00

80 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTUKES.

Mrs p. Sawyer, of Boxford, for the best piece of

woolen frocking, a premium of . 2 00

Mrs. Ann Cleaves, aged seventy years, of Wen-
ham, for six pair wrought woolen hose, a pre-
mium of . . . 2 00

Mrs. Mary Titcomb, of Newburyport, for 4 pair

silk half hose, a gratuity of . 1 00

Miss Mary Howe, of Methuen, for one pair silk

hose, a grat^uity of . . 1 00

Sally E. Griffin, of Beverly, for 2 pair of worsted

hose, a gratuity of . . 1 00

Mrs. Jacob Osgood, of Andover, for 24 yards of

linen cloth, the first premium of . 4 00

Miss Mehitable Ballard, of Andover, for 2 pair

linen sheets, a gratuity of . . 1 00

Elizabeth Adams, of Byfield, for linen table

cloths and napkins, a gratuity of . 1 00

Mrs. M. Ballard, of Andover, for a counterpane,

the 2d premium of . . 2 00

Mary Foster, of Beverly, for a counterpane, a

gratuity of . . . 1 00

Abigail M. Harding, of Haverhill, for a counter-
pane, a gratuity of . . 1 0^

Lydia N. Dole, of West Newbury, for a counter-
pane, a gratuity of . . 1 00

Lydia N. Dole, of Newbury, for a black lace

veil, the first premium of . . 3 00

Sarah 0. Bagley, of Amesbury, for four wrought

lace collars and edging, the 2d premium of 2 00

Mrs. E,. Worcester, of Danvers, for wrought lace

handkerchiefs, a gratuity of . 1 00

Hannah J. Putnam, of Danvers, for a black lace

veil, a gratuity of . . 1 00

Mrs. Myra Abbot, of Bradford, for a wrought

cape, a gratuity of . . 1 00

Mrs. John Pearson, of Newburyport, for an em-
broidered mantilla, a gratuity of . 1 00

Mary Ann Choate, of Essex, for a worked table

covering, a gratuity of . . 2 00

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 81

Susan R. H. Nelson, of Georgetown, for a work-
ed table cover, a gratuity of . 1 00

Mrs. L. L. Dearborn, for a rich centre-table cov-
ering, wrought in imitation of German crewel
work, a gratuity of . . 5 00

Miss Harriet Ayer, of Danvers, for wrought

cricket covers, a gratuity of . 1 00

Eliza M. Nelson, of Georgetown, for wrought

cricket covers, a gratuity of . 50

Mary Ann Caldwell, of Newbury, for wrought

cricket covers, a gratuity of . 50

Harriet M. Saunders, of Newburyport, aged 11
years, for a worked cricket cover, being the
best specimen of work by a child under 12
years of age, the 1st premium, . 3 00

Sarah Barker, of Andover, for a worked sampler,

she being but 9 years old, the 2d premium of 2 00

Eliza Kilham, for straw mats, a gratuity of 50

Mary A Renton, of Bradford, for a net shawl, a

gratuity of . . . 1 00

N. S. Vance, of Bradford, for calf-skin boots, a

gratuity of . . . 1 00

John Hale, of Boxford, for 1 pair cow-hide bro-

gans, a gratuity of - - 50

Greenleaf Cheney, of Rowley, for work-box,

spool stands and swifts, a gratuity of 1 00

J. B. Sargent, of Amesbury, for one pair steel

springs, agratuity of . . 1 00

E. Smith, of Beverly, for a syringe to destroy in-
sects, a gratuity of . . 1 00

John Harriman, of Haverhill, for a churn, a

gratuity of . . . 1 00

J. C. Page, of Danvers, for Daguerreotype mini-
atures, a gratuity of . . 1 00

Elizabeth Trask, of Beverly, for two shell card

racks, a grutuity of . . 1 00

Catharine S. Hardy, of Bradford, for a work bag,

a gratuity of . . . 50

Mrs. Worcester, of Danvers, for specimens of hair

work, a gratuity of . . 2 00

11

82 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

Angelina Kilham, of Boxford, for .samples of

farmers' mittens, . . 1 00

Lorintlia Curtis, of Boxford, for a bonnet made

from down of sea-fowl, a gratuity of 50

John Kimball, of Georgetown, for six pieces of

seal-skin leather, a gratuity of . 1 00

W. and M. Black, of Danvers, for specimens of

leather, a gratuity of . . 1 00

All which is respectfully submitted,
For the Committee,
ALLEN W. DODGE.
Georgetoivn, Sept. 29, 184L

LIST OF

PEEMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

AW A RDED 1N1841

Joshua Lovett, Beverly,

Daniel Putnam, Danvers,

William R. Putnam, Wenham,
Margaret Wardwell, Andover,
Nathaniel Felton, Danvers,
Peabody Illsley, W. Newbury,

Isaac Carruth, Andover,

Mary S. Thurlow, W. Newbury,
Perley Tapley, Danvers,

Joseph Symonds, Middleton,
Ralph H. Chandler, Andover,
Joseph Goodridge, W. Newbury,
Joseph C. Putnam, Danvers,
Allen Putnam, Hamilton,

William R. Putnam, Wenham,

For June butter

September butter,

li
Cheese,

Ploughing, double teams,

a Li

" single teams.

Perley Tapley,
Seth Kimball,
Perley Tapley,
Josiah Crosby,
Enoch Silsbee,
George Hood,
Hobart Clark,
William B. Cole,
Josiah Crosby,
Daniel Andrews,
John Preston,
Amos Berry,
Ralph H. Chandler,
Peabody Russel,

Danvers,

Andover,

Danvers,

Andover,

Bradford,

Lynn,

Andover,

Boxford,

Andover,

Boxford,

Danvers,

Andover,
a

Boxford,

horse teams.

Bull,

Working oxen.

Steers, 3 years old,
" 2 years old,

U li

Fat oxen.

6,
4,

10,
8,
6,

10,

5,
12,
10,
8,
6,
10,

?,

6,

4,

8,

6,
10,

5,

3,
10,

7,

5,

7,

5,

6,

4,
15,

1st prera.
2d »
3d "
1st "
2d «
3d "
1st "
gratuity.
1st prem.
2d »
3d "

4tli "
1st "
2d "
3d "

4lh "
1st "

2d "

1st "

2d '•

gratuity.

1st prem.

2d "

3d "

1st "

2d "

let "

2d "

1st "■

$212

84

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES.

Milch cow,

Heifer,
Heifers,

Sheep,
Boar,

Amount hrought over,
Joseph Kittredge, Andovcr, Fat oxen,

Samuel Jenkins, jr. "

Joshua Hale, Rowley,

David S. Caldwell, Newbury,
George Spoflord, Georgetown,
Moses Pcttingill, Topsfield,
David S. Caldwell, Newbury,
Parker Pillsbury, _|>« Georgetown, Heifer,
David Jewett, " "

John Hale, Boxford,

Charles R. Taylor, Rowley,
Nathaniel Dorman, Boxford,
Phineas C. Balch, Newbury,
Samuel Scott, Rowley, "

Charles T Tenney, Georgetown, Management of bees,
George SpofFord, " " "

Mrs. Nath'l Parker, Bradford, Silk,

S. C. Hodges, Newburyport, "

Priscilla Atwood, Bradford, "

Hamilton,

Lynn,

Hamilton,

Danvers,

Newbury,

Pigs,

$212,
10,
5,
10,
3,
3,
5,
3,
h
1,
3,

6,
3,
4,
4,
5,
3,

9

Experiments on manures, 20,

Mulberry nursery.

10,

10,
10,

Allen Putnam,

George Hood,

Temple Cutler,

Francis Dodge,

John Noyes,

William Williams, Rowley,

George Flood, Lynn,

Ira Hardy, Boxford,

By the Committee on Domestic Manufactures, See pp. 79-82, 85,

By the Committee on Fruits and Flowers, See i)p. 71-77, 20,

Crop of corn,

" rye,

" oals, 7,

Plantation of mulberry trees, l-J,

10,

$482

2d prem.
•M »

1st "
gratuity.

1st prem.
gratuity.

1st prem.
2d "
1st "
2d "
gratuity.

gratuity.

2d prem.
1st "
2d »
1st "
1st "
gratuity.
1st prem.
2d "

BY THE MASSACHUSETTS SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING
AGRICULTURE.

George Hood, Lynn,

Enoch Silsbec, Bradford,

Horatio C. Merriam, Tcwksbury,

Moses Pettingill,
Hobart Clark,
William B. Cole,
Daniel Andrews,
Joshua Hale,

Topsfield,
Andover,
Boxford,
(I

Rowlev,

Bull,

Milch cow,
(I

Heifer,

Working oxen,
(t

Steers,
Native cow,

M^

1st

prem

(J,

2d

15,

1st

(i,

2d

f>,

1st

12,

1st

6,

2d

10,

1st

10,

1st

PREMIUMS OFFERED

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

^ /i ti

1. MANAGEMENT OF FARMS.

For the best cultivated farm of not less than fifty acres,
exclusive of woodland, regard being had to particular
improvements within a few years past, the quantity of
produce, the manure, and expense of cultivation, with a
statement in writing of all facts in relation to the same.

1st premium, - - thirty dollars.

2d premium, - - fifteen dollars.

Id^Notice of intention to claim these premiums must
be given to the Secretary on or before the 30th of June,
the present year.

2. DAIRY.

1. For the best produce of butter on any farm within
the county of Essex, from the 1st of June to the 9th of
July inclusive, in the present year, a sample not less than
25 lbs. to be exhibited, with a particular statement of the
number of cows, quantity of butter, method of making
and preserving it, &,c. &c.

1st premium, - - ten dollars.

2d premium, - - eight dollars.

3d premium, - - six dollars.

86 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

2. For the best produce of butter on any farm within
the county of Essex, in the four months next following
the 20th of May, the present year, a sample of not less
than 25 lbs. to be exhibited, quantity as well as quality to
be taken into view ; with a full account of the manner
of feeding the cows, and the general management of the
milk and butter.

1st premium, - - ten dollars.

2d premium, - - eight dollars.

3d premium, - - six dollars.

3. For the best produce of new milk cheese, in pro-
portion to the number of cows producing it, on any farm
within the county of Essex, in the months of July, Au-
gust, and September, of the present year, a sample of
not less than 50 lbs. to be exhibited, with a statement of
the method of making and preserving the same

1st premium, - - ten dollars.

2d premium, - - eight dollars.

Note. It will be observed that these premiums are
offered for the best produce on the forms, and not simply
for the best specimen exhibited. Claimants will there-
fore be requireed to be particular in keeping an account
and preparing a statement of the entire produce within
the times mentioned.

3. TURNING IN CROPS AS A MANURE.

For the most satisfactory experiment of turning in
crops as a manure, either green or dry, on not less than
one acre of land, a detailed account of the whole pro-
cess to be given in writing.

1st premium, - - twenty dollars.

2d premium, - - ten dollars.

4. FOREST TREES.

1. For the best plantation of either of the following
species of forest trees, viz: — white oak, yellow oak,
locust, birch, white ash, maple or walnut, in the third

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 87

year of their growth, and not less than one thousand
trees, thirty dollars.

2. For the best do. do. do. not less than six hundred
trees, fifteen dollars.

3. For the best do. do. do. not less than four hundred
trees, ten dollars.

Note. For an explanation of these premiums, see
remarks in former years.

5. CULTIVATION OF MULBERRY TREES, SILK, &c.

1. For the best plantation of mulberry trees for which
no premium has been awarded, at least one hundred, of
three years growth or more, the same being in a thriving
condition, _ _ . fifteen dollars.

For the second best, - - ten dollars.

For the third best, - - five dollars.

2. For the best nursery of mulberry trees, at least
five hundred, not exceeding two years grow^th,

ten dollars.
For the second best, - - five dollars.

3. For the best conducted experiment in the produc-
tion of silk, the result to be shown in the exhibition of
the article, the same to be exhibited either in cocoons
reeled or manufactured, with a statement in writing of
the facts relating thereto, - ten dollars.

For the second best, - - five dollars.

6. IRRIGATION.

For the most satisfactory experiment for increasing
the crops upon not less than one acre of land, by irriga-
tion, with a detailed account of the manner, expense,
and benefits produced, - twelve dollars.

For the second best, - ten dollars.

7. IMPROVING WET MEADOW OR SWAMP LANDS.

For the best conducted experiment in reclaiming wet
meadow or swamp lands, on not less than one acre, the

88 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

course of management and the produce, &c. for a period
of two years at least, to be detailed,Hvith a statement of
all incidental expense, - twenty dollars.

For the second best, - ten dollars.

For the best conducted experiment on not less than
one half acre, with the same requisitions, ten dollars.

For the second best, - five dollars.

8. PLOUGHING.

1. Double Teams — For the best performance in
ploughing, at least one sixth of an acre, seve?i inches
deep, _ - - twelve dollars.

For the second best, - ten dollars.

For the third best, - eight dollars.

For the fourth best, - six dollars.

2. Single Teams — For the best performance in
ploughing, at least one eighth of an acre, five inches
deep, _ - - ten dollars.

For the second best, - eight dollars.

For the third best, - six dollars.

For the fourth best, - four dollars.

3. Horse Teams — For the best performance in
ploughing with horses, - eight dollars.

For the second best, - six dollars.

4. For the best plough, character of the work done by
it, easiness of draught, workmanship, and cost of imple-
ment being taken into consideration, ten dollars.

Note. Particular regard w^ill be had in awarding
these premiums to the character of the ploughs used.
The power necessary to be applied in their use will be
tested, and those which work best, with least power,
will be preferred. The competitors for these premiums
must be the owners of the team, and the same must be
entered in the name of the owner. Those who intend
to be competitors must give notice to the Secretary, or
his agent, on or before the Monday next previous to
the Exhibition. Teams that come more than ten miles,
will be fed the night previous to the Exhibition, at the
expense of the Society.

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 89

9. IMPROVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

To the person who shall exhibit at the show, any new
or improved agricultural implement, the invention being
his own, which shall, in the opinion of the Trustees,
merit a reward, a premium shall be given, not exceeding

ten dollars.

In all cases, proof must be given of the work done by
the implement before it is exhibited, and of its having
been used and approved by some practical farmer.

10. COMPARATIVE VALUE OF CROPS AS FOOD FOR CATTLE.

For the most satisfactory experiment upon a stock of
cattle, not less than four in number, in ascertaining the
relative value of the different kinds of fodder used, with
a statement in detail of the quantity and value of the
same as compared with English hay, the experiment to
be made in the three winter months,

1st premium, - - twenty dollars.

2d premium, - - fifteen dollars.

3d premium, - - ten dollars.

These premiums are offered to be paid whenever a
meritorious claim is presented ; and will be continued
until awarded.

11. EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

1. For an exact and satisfactory experiment in the
application of poudrette, urate, bone-manure, ashes,
soaper's waste, saltpetre, barilla, marl or gypsum, with
a view to test their specific or comparative advantages
with each other or any other manure,

1st premium, - - twenty dollars.

2d premium, - - ten dollars.

2. For the largest quantity of valuable compost ma-
nure, collected and brought into condition for use on
any farm within the county, the materials and ability of

12

90 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

the claimant being taken into consideration, a statement
in detail to be given,

1st premium, - - thirty dollars.

2d premium, - - twenty dollars.

3d premium, - - ten dollars.

12. FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE.

For the most satisfactory experiment in feeding cattle
or swine, with a statement in detail of the process and
the results,

1st premium, - - fifteen dollars.

2d premium, - - ten dollars.

13. CULTIVATION OF WHEAT, RYE, OATS, BARLEY, AND
INDIAN CORN.

1. For the best conducted experiment of Wheat, on
not less than one acre of land, ten dollars.

2. For the best conducted experiment of Rye, on not
less than one acre of land, ten dollars.

3. For the best conducted experiment o^ Oats, on not
less than one acre of land, ten dollars.

4. For the best conducted experiment of Barley, on
not less than one acre of land, ten dollars.

5. For the best conducted experiment of Indian Corn,
on not less than one acre of land, ten dollars.

ROOT CULTURE.

For the largest crop of Sugar beets, ten dollars.

For the largest crop of Carrots, ten dollars.

For the largest crop of Ruta Baga, ten dollars.

For the largest crop of Mangel Wurtzel, ten dollars.

For the largest crop of Onions, ten dollars,

raised on not less than one half acre of land, and the
quantity of the crops to be ascertained by weight.

ICT'Claimants for all the above premiums, will be re-
quired to give a statement of the previous condition of
the land, the comparative value of the land, the value

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 91

of labor and manure applied, the produce, the manner
of preparing the ground, the seed used, the harvesting,
&c., including all the details in relation to the crops, the
same to be forwarded to the Secretar}-, previous to the
1st of December.

14. ANIMALS TO BE PRODUCED AT THE EXHIBITION,
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, 1842.

TO BE ENTERKD IN THE NAMES OF THEIR PROPER OWNERS.

For the best ox, fatted within the county, regard beino-
had to the manner of feeding, and the expense thereof,

fifteen dollars.

For the second best, - ten dollars.

For the third best, - five dollars.

For the best bull, not less than one year old, on satis-
factory assurance being given that he shall be kept for
use in the county at least nine months from the day of
exhibition. _ _ . ten dollars.

For the second best, - eight dollars.

For the third best, - six dollars.

For the fourth best, - four dollars.

For the best milch cow, not less than three, nor more
than ten years old, with satisfactory evidence as to the
quantity and quality of her milk, and the manner in which
she has been fed, - - ten dollars.

For the second best, - seven dollars.

For the third best, - five dollars.

For the best heifer that has been in milk three months
or more, with satisfactory evidence as to the quantity
and quality of her milk, - seven dollars.

For the second best, - five dollars.

For the best pair of working oxen, taking into view
their size, power, and training, ten dollars.

For the second best, - seven dollars.

For the third best, - five dollars.

For the best pair of three year old steers, do.

seven dollars.

For the second best, - five dollars.

Q2 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

For the best pair of two year old steers, taking into
view their size, power, and training, six dollars.

For the second best, - four dollars.

For the best pair of yearling steers, do.

four dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best boar, - - five dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best breeding sow, five dollars.

For the second best, - three dollars.

For the best litter of weaned pigs, not less than four,
from two to six months old, - six dollars.

For the second best, - three dollars.

Note. In testing the power of working cattle, five
years old or more, the load is not to exceed hvo ions ;
under five years old, it is to be one ion.

15. DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

For the best piece of carpeting, a yard wide, and not
less than twenty yards to be exhibited, five dollars.

For the second best, - three dollars.

For the best piece of stair carpeting, not less than
twenty yards to be exhibited, - three dollars.

For the best straw or grass bonnet, five dollars.

For the second best, - three dollars.

For the best wrought hearth rug, having regard both
to the quality of the work and expense of the material,

three dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best piece of woolen cloth, 7-8ths of a yard
wide, and twenty yards in quantity, five dollars.

For the second best, - three dollars.

For the best piece of flannel, a yard wide and twenty
yards in quantity, - - four dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best wrought woolen hose, not less than four
pair, - - - two dollars.

For the second best, - one dollar.

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 93

For the best men's half-hose, not less than four pair,

one dollar.

For the best silk hose, not less than three pair,

two dollars.

For the best piece of linen cloth not less than twenty
yards, _ - _ four dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best piece of linen diaper, not less than twen-
ty yards, - _ _ three dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best wrought counterpane, having regard to
the quality and expense of the materials,

four dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best specimen of wrought lace,

three dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best specimen of work performed by a child
under twelve years of age, exhibiting industry and inge-
nuity, _ - _ three dollars.

For the second best, - two dollars.

For the best pair of thick boots, three dollars.

For the best pair calf-skin thin boots, four dollars.

For the best pair thick brogan shoes, two dollars.

For the best pair calf-skin shoes, two dollars.

For the best specimen of shell combs, not less than
one dozen, _ - _ five dollars.

For the best specimen of horn combs, not less than
one dozen. _ - - three dollars.

And should any other articles of domestic manufac-
ture be exhibited, worthy of attention, a proper notice
will be taken of them, and suitable premiums awarded ;
the whole amount not to exceed one hundred dollars.

16. FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

A convenient room will be provided for the exhibition
of fruits and flowers, and a committee will be appointed
to examine and report on such as may be presented.
Whoever may present is requested to furnish a minute

94 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

in writing of the name of the owner, and description of
the articie presented. The Committee will be instruct-
ed to recommend such gratuities as the articles may
seem to merit, not exceeding in amount the sum of thirty
dollars.

17. LIVE FENCES.

For the best cultivated hedge or live fence of any land,
of not less than five years growth from the seed, and at
least twenty rods in length, well trimmed and filled,
1st premium, - - twenty dollars.

2d premium, - - ten dollars.

18. FRUIT TREES.

For the best nursery of fruit trees, not less than five
hundred in number, raised from the seed, and one or
more years old, from the bud or graft,

1st premium, - - twenty dollars.

2d premium, - - ten dollars.

3d premium, - - five dollars.

GENERAL REMARKS.

All claims for premiums to be awarded on the day of
exhibition, must be entered with the Secretary of the
Society or his agent, on or before nine o'clock, A. M. of
that day.

All other claims for premiums must be handed or for-
warded to the Secretary in writing.

All premiums awarded, the payment of which is not
demanded of the Treasurer within one year from the day
of exhibition, will be considered as given to increase
the funds of the Society.

No animal for wdiich a premium has heretotbre been
awarded by the Society will be entitled to another pre-
mium, unless it be of a higher order, or for qualitiesdif-

ON MA.NURES. ' 95

ferent from those for v/hich the former premiums were
awarded.

No person will be entitled to receive a premium, un-
less he complies with the conditions on which the pre-
miums are offered, and gives notice as required of his in-
tention to claim the same.

In regard to all subjects for which premiums are offer-
ed, it is to be distinctly understood, that the trustees
reserve to themselves the right of judging of the qual-
ity of the animal or article offered ; and that no pre-
mium will be awarded unless the objects of them are of
a decidedly superior quality.

By order of the Trustees,

DANIEL P. KING, Secretary,

January, 1842.

COMMUNICATION FROM DR. A. NICHOLS.

To the Secretary of the Essex Agricultural Society:

Dear Sir — I have continued the use of a compost,
composed of the same swamp muck, ashes, and barn
manure, as stated in my former papers on this subject,
another year, on my farm in Middleton, as successfully
as heretofore, making proper allowance for the injury
done the crops by the hail of the 30th of June and the
drought in August. To the compost used on about two

acres, about twenty pounds of salpetre were added ;

wherever this went, worms did not injure the corn, while
other portions of the field were considerably injured by
them. We were not certain of other benefits. My pa-
per on the Science of Agriculture, No. 1, Vol. iii. of our
Transactions, is doubtless very imperfect in many par-
ticulars and incorrect in some. The assertion ventured
that the muck by us used as manure contains a free alka-
li, in its natural condition, is, I am now satisfied, erro-
neous. The test which I relied on, (owing to my anti-
quated chemistry,) is not a sure one, where alkaline

96 ON MANURES.

earths, lime, &c. are present. From the action of car-
bonic acid on silicates, both lime and magnesia may
change the purple to blue, and during the decomposition
which ensues between the sulphate ot" lime which the
muck contains and the test itself, lime in its passage from
one state to another may affect the test like a free alka-
li. Dr. Dana's analysis is doubtless correct. To de-
termine whether the muck we used differed essentially
from common peat in its fertilizing qualities, two cart
loads of what when dry is a light, fibrous peat, were ta-
ken directly from the meadow, mixed with ashes in the
same proportion as with the other muck, and four rows
through the piece of corn, manured therewith. These
rows were as good, we thought a little better than the
adjoining ones manured with the compost above men-
tioned. Since the publication of the paper above men-
tioned, two editions of Liebig's Organic Chemistry, in
its applications to Agriculture and Physiology, have been
published at Cambridge. This is a valuable work for
scientific farmers, although some of its theories, not be-
ing well established by experiments in the field, should
be received with caution. His theory of the operation
of plaster of paris is a plausible one, and if correct, of
great importance. He says, " the action of gypsum,
and chloride of lime really consists in their giving a fixed
condition to the nitrogen, or azote, or ammonia, (a com-
pound of nitrogen and hydrogen gases,) which is brought
into the soil, and which is indispensible for the nutrition
of plants." Ammonia is produced by the putrefaction
of animal and vegetable substances which contain nitro-
gen. Animal manures doubtless owe much of their effi-
cacy to this constituent, as those which contain it in the
largest proportion are most valuable. Much of the am-
monia formed by the process of putrefaction arises and
mixes with the atmospheric air. Every shower of rain
or snow brings it down again to the earth, and where-
ever it meets plaster of paris or chloride of lime, it takes
the acids from these salts, and forms with them fixed
salts. These, decomposed by the roots of vegetables,
famish the nitrogen necessary to their growth.

ON MANUKKS. 97

The superior value of human excrements and urine as
a manure is well known to farmers. Liebig says, " the
Chinese are the most admirable gardeners and trainers
of plants, tor each of which they understand how to ap^
ply the best adapted manure ; the agriculture of their
country is the most perfect in the world. In the case
of everything except rice, the Chinese seem to manure
rather the plant itself than the soil, supplying it copious-
ly with their liquid preparations. Human excrements,
especially urine, they consider invaluable. Laws of the
state forbid that any of them should be thrown away, and
reservoirs are placed in every house, in which they are
collected with the greatest care. No other kind of ma-
nure is used in their corn-fields. If we admit that the
liquid and solid excrements of man amount on an average
to 547 lbs in a year, which contain 16,41 lbs. of nitrogen,
this is much more than is necessary to add to an acre
of land, in order to obtain, with the assistance of the
nitrogen absorbed from the atmosphere, the richest pos-
sible crop every year." This, certainly, appears to us
very extravagant, but it should be remembered that this
is not the night soil used by our farmers, which has lost
most of its ammonia, but an article with which they
have not yet experimented — urine and excrement pre-
served. It would greatly promote the cleanliness of
our cities, towns, and habitations generally, if, instead
of the usual vaults, &c. of privies, casks or tubs, with
well fitted covers, were placed open beneath the seats,
and into these a handtul of ground plaster of paris, a
small keg of which might be kept standing by for this
purpose, were thrown every few days. When these
casks or tubs become nearly full, they can be removed,
the covers being put on, and carried in wagons, or
otherwise, wherever needed, without offending any one.
Two sets of these vessels would in most cases be need-
ed, that when one is removed another may be put in its
pl'.cc This method is now in use at my own domicil,
and I find it attended with very little trouble. If the
floors of stables, heaps and reservoirs of manure be
strewed from time to time with ground gvpsum, they
13 ^1 >

98 ON MANURES.

will lose all offensive smell, and none of the ammonia
which forms there can be lost ; for ammonia and sul-
phate of lime cannot be brought together without mutual
decomposition, forming carbonate of lime (chalk) and
sulphate of ammonia, which are destitute of all smell,
and according to Liebig, the greatest fertilizers of soils;
for they contain carbonic acid and ammonia, which, with
water, contain the elements necessary to the support of
ve2;etables or animals. The same substances are the
ultimate products of decay and putrefaction ; and thus
death, the complete dissolution of an existing generation,
becomes the source of life to a new one.

Contrary to all received notions among farmers, and
hitherto among scientific men also, Liebig asserts that
geine, humus or vegetable mould are not the food of
plants, and declares that so far from humus being ex-
tracted from the soil, it is in fact increased by cultiva-
tion ; as in the case of a forest, the more abundant the
growth of wood upon it, the greater the amount of hu-
mus upon the soil, where the debris (leaves annually
thrown off,) is suffered to remain upon the land ; and
contends that after the leaves are formed, plants derive
their nourishment chiefly from the atmosphere. On this,
Dr. Dana remarks, " as regards Liebig there are so
many points to be settled in vegetable physiology, that
his views can be considered at present only as highly
ingenious, bold, and counter to experience." Liebig
says, that " when vegetable mould is placed in a vessel
full of air, it extracts oxygen therefrom with greater ra-
pidity than decayed wood, and replaces it by an equal
volume of carbonic acid." But this is only a partial
view of the action of air upon geine ; it produces not
only carbonic acid but water also, by uniting with the
hydrogen of the geine. The amount of water proceed-
ing from this cause is truly astonishing. It has been
found by actual experiment,* equal per hour from an acre
of fresh ploughed sward to 950 lbs., while the undis-

* These interesting facts, for which Dr. Dana refers to Nicholson's Journal,
Vol. 2.i, pages 51 — 57, induced me to obtain and examine the paper which con-
tains thcnj. The experiments are so interesting and important that I have been

ON MANURES. 99

turbed ground gave not a drop. This is equal to the
evaporation per hour from an acre, after the most copi-
ous rains. Here let us pause and consider ; we can, it
seems, generate water in the soil in a dry time, by stir-
ring it with a plough or cultivator ! This proves the
correcteess of an observation made by Cobbet, I think,
on the cultivation of Indian corn, that the effects of a
drought upon it may be prevented by ploughing among
it every morning while the dew is on. He thus noticed
the fact without understanding the cause. Evening
ploughing must be preferable to morning, however, as
the roots would have a longer time to absorb the genera-

induced to make the following abridgement, to be inserted as a note to my com-
munication.

■* J. C. Curran, Esq. M. P., to cleanse his foul grounds without resorting to
fallows, planted them with cabbages, in a quincunx form, allowing 4 1-Si feet be-
tween each plant ; 2350 were set per acre. The manure, about fourteen tons,
was deposited as deep as the plongh could penetrate, drawn by four horses, and
the plants set directly above it. The plough and harrow, constructed to work
betwixt tlie rows, was constantly emplo3^ed during the summer, and tlie ground,
a poor cold clay soil, was as completely freed from weeds as it could have been
by a naked fallow. The crop in October was 35 1-2 tons per acre, many of the
cabbages weighing 55 pounds each. Astonished at his success, and unable to
account for it, he by mere accident met with the Bishop of Llandaff 's experi-
ments on evaporation from earth [newly ploughed I presume,] which had re-
mained for thirty years without any practical application of it to agriculture. It
appeared to him highly probable that the rapid growth after the hoeing of drilled
grain, was attributable to the absorption of the evaporation produced from the
earth, and was the cause of tlie growth of his cabbages. Accordingly, the fol-
lowing year he cultivated cabbages and potatoes in the same manner, with like
success. In the mean time, he made constant experiments with glasses con-
trived for the purpose, to ascertain the quantity of evaporation from the land,
which he found to amount on fresh ploughed land to U50 lbs. per hour on the
surface of a statute acre, while on the unbroken no moisture arose from the
earth. The evaporation from the ploughed land was found to decrease rapidly
after the first and second day, and ceased after five or six days, depending on the
wind and sun. These experiments were carried on many months ; after July
the evaporation decreased. The evaporation after the most abundant rains was
not advanced beyond what the eartli afforded on being fresh turned up. Evap-
oration from dung is five times as much as from earth, and is equal on the sur-
face of an acre to 5000 lbs. per hour. By making use of dung in its freshest
state, he says, the farmer may extend his cropping to one third more land, with
the same quantity of manure. He recommends covering it deep. Manure ex-
posed on the surface tends to no good. I have omitted liis philosophical infer-
ences from these experiments, for they are obviously incorrect. Dr. Dana's
theory is more satisfactory. Such facts are imperishable, and cannot fail, soon-
er or later to enlighten those for whose benefit they are recorded. More than
sixty years have now elapsed since the Bishop of Llandaff" sowed the seed of a
great improvement in agriculture, which is now just beginning to vegetate, and
attract the attention it deserves. Let then every newly discovered fact in science
and art be recorded. It will sooner or later benefit mankind.

100 ON MANURES.

ted water, before it would be in part lost by evaporation.
Liebig states that cold water dissolves only one ten
thousandth part of its own weight of vegetable mould.
Dr. Dana remarks, " Liebig takes it for granted that it
is rain only that is to dissolve geine and geates. He
says, it is not enough. We offer him an abundant source
in the fountain of water from geine. He says, it is not
enough. We add, if indeed we should not begin there,
the action of growing plants upon silicates, evolving ba-
ses whose action upon geine renders it easily soluble. I
think these causes of the solubility of geine enough, and
no small argument to prove that geine exercises other
functions in soil besides evolving carbonic acid. Geine
ceasing, barrenness follows. When Raspail and Liebig
prove the contrary, I'll believe ourselves wrong in our
views."

Amid these conflicting theories of the mode of its op-
eration, one thing is certain, the presence of a large per-
centage of geine in soils, provided it be by culture duly
exposed to the influence of air, alkalies, salts, &c., in-
sures the greatest fertility. And farmers will do well
not to let the theory that vegetables feed on air prevent
them from supplying them with more substantial food,
compost manures, in which, at least for light gravelly
soils, peat, muck, or other substances rich in geine,
forms a large proportion. It seems to me that Liebig's
theories, when divested of contradictory appearances,
shew conclusively that geine or its elements are the pri-
mary food of plants, — that the absorption of these by
the rootlets developes those organs, the leaves, &c.,
which become in turn capable of absorbing from the at-
mosphere the same elements in even a larger quantity
than is received by the roots, and appropriating them to
the growth of the plant, thereby, in the end, by one of
those beautiful laws of compensation everywhere met
with in natural science, it becomes enabled to repay to
the soil, with interest, the geine it takes from it. Deprive
the plant of a soil containing geine, or carbon otherwise
combined, and no organs can be developed to imbibe the
same elements from the atmosphere.

ON MANURES. 101

Dr. Samuel L. Dana has now in press a work on these
subjects, designed expressly for farmers. He has hith-
erto most generously given to the public his valuable
discoveries without fee or rew?.rd, and it is to be hoped
that every farmer will show himself both grateful and
wise, by purchasing and studying this work, v/hich, from
the well known ability of the author, cannot fail to be
worth its weight in gold to all who will avail themselves
of its instructions. It is to be, I am informed, a volume
of about 175 pages, small octavo, divided into eight or
nine chapters, and these chapters into numbered para-
graphs.

Chap. 1. On the Geology of Soil — showing that the
farmer need be neither a geologist nor mineralogist, as
agriculturally considered there is one rock and one soil.

Chap. 2. 0/^ the Chemistry of Soil — In which just
enough is taught to show the farmer the nature and con-
stitution of rocks.

Chap. 3. Properties and manner of action of the Ele-
ments of Soils — Very full on the action of salts.

■ Chap. 4. Organic Elements of Soil — Containing a de-
tailed account of their origin and properties.

Chap. 5. Geine — A full account of its properties.

Chap. 6. Manures — The whole subject discussed.

Ghap. 7, 8, 9. On the Artificial Preparation of Ma-
nures— the Principles of Irrigation — and the Physical Pro-
perties (f Soil — showing that these depend chiefly on
geine, &c.

ANDREW NICHOLS.

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OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

Chosen Sept. 2dth, 1841.

LEVERETT SALTONSTALL, of Salem, President,

DANIEL ADAMS, 3d, of Newbury,

NATHAN HAZEN, of Andover,

SOLOMON LOW, of Boxford, ^ ^^^^ Presidents.

ASA T. NEWHALL, of Lynnfield.

WILLIAM SUTTON, of Salem, Treasurer.

DANIEL P. KING, of Danvers, Secretary.

Trustees.

JEDEDIAH H. BARKER,
ANDREWS BREED,
WILLIAM D. S. CHASE,
JEREMIAH COLMAN, .
SAMUEL DAY,
ANDREW DODGE,
JAMES H. DUNCAN,
NATHANIEL FELTON, .
DANIEL FULLER, .
MOSES FP.,ENCH,
JOSEPH HOW,
FREDERICK HOWES, .
ASAHEL HUNTINGTON,
JOSIAH KIMBALL,
JOSEPH KITTREDGE,
WILLIAM S. MARLAND,
ROYAL A. MERRIAM,
MOSES NEWELL,
DANIEL PUTNAM, .
DEAN ROBINSON,
JAMES B. SAVARY,
JESSE SHELDON,
JEREMIAH SPOFFORD,
ERASTUS WARE,

Andover.

Lynn.

Haverhill.

Newburyport.

Ipswich.

Wenham.

Haverhill.

Danvers.

Middleton.

Salisbury.

Methuen.

Salem.

Boxford.
Andover.

Topsfield.
West Newbury.
Danvers.
West Newbury.
Georgetown.
Beverly.
Bradford.
Salem.

MEMBERS ADMITTED IN 1841.

CALEB FOOTE, . . . Salem.

FRANCIS DODGE, . . Danvers.

WILLIAM A. LANDON, : . "

JONATHAN KING, . . »

EBEN KING, . . . . «»

Any citizen of the County may become a member by paying to the Treasurer
three dollars. Members are not liable to any assessments.

INDEX.

PAGE.

Mr. Gray's Address, . . . . , 3 — 30

Report on Ploughing, Double Teams, . . . 31—33

u " Single Teams, .... 34 — 35

" " Horse Teams, ... 35
" on Animals, of the State Committee, . . .36

» on Bulls, ..... 37—38

" on Fat Cattle, . . ... 38

" on Working Oxen, .... 39

" on Milch Cows, ..... 39—41

Statement of Joshua Hale, . . . 42

" George SpofFord, . . . 42—43

Report on Experiments on Manures, . . . 43 — 45

Statement of Allen Putnam, .... 46—48

Report on the Dairy, ■ . . . . 48—49

Statement of Joshua Lovett, . . . 49 — 50

" Daniel Putnam, . - . 50

" William R. Putnam, . . . 50—51

" Nathaniel Felton, . . . 51 — .52

" Isaac Carruth, . . . 52 — 53

" Mary T. Thurlow, ... .53

Report on Swine, • • • • .53

" on Mulberry Trees, .... 54 — 55

Statement of George Hood, . . . .55

" Temple Cutler, . . . 56—57

Report on Silk Manufactured, = . . . 57 — 58

Statement of M. P. S. Parker, ... 58
Report on Bees and Htiney, . . . .59

" on Fattening Cattle arid Swine, . . . GO — 61

" Sheep, ...... 61—62

Statement of John Hale, ... 62

Report on Grain Crops, ..... 62 — 65

Statement of Francis Dodge, . . 66 — 67

" Enoch Dole, .... 67 — 63

" John Noyes, . . . 68 — 70

" William Williams, . . . 70—71

Report on Fruits, Flowers, and Vegetables, . . 71 — 77
Statement of Luke Morgan, . . . .77

Report on Domestic Manufactures, . . .. 78 — 82

Premiums awarded in 1841, .... 83 84

Premiums otfercd in 1S42, .... 85 95

Communication of Dr. Nichols on Manures, . . 95 IQI

Treasurer's Annual Statement, .... ]02
Officers of the Society, . . .103

Members Admitted in 1641, • . . . 103

TRANSACTIONS

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

1842.

VOLUME III. -NUMBER III.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY

JANUARY, 184 3.

SALEM:

PKINTJED AT THE SALEM GAZETTE OFFICE.

1843.

ADDRESS.

BY ALLEN W. DODGE, ESQ.

Gentlemen :

Once more we assemble on this joyous occasion —
once more we hold the farmer's festival. It is meet, as
the sheaves are yielding up their rich treasures into our
granaries and the corn is ripening for the harvest, that
we should gather in the fruits of our experience and
observation, and submit to the view of others those
things which may be deemed worthy of experiment in
the field of agriculture. Especially is it meet, at the
present time, when a season of almost unparalleled pro-
ductiveness is closing upon us, that we should unite our
hearts in grateful homage to that Heavenly Benefactor,
who has poured the rain and the sunshine upon our fields,
and has suffered neither tempest nor mildew to blast
our crops.

As one of your number, I come hither, bringing but
limited observation and still less practical knowledge of
agricultural pursuits ; but if a lively interest in those
pursuits, and a hearty sympathy vcith the members and
objects of this association, can compensate for a defi-
ciency of ripe experience and mature judgment, then
may I claim indulgence, whilst I endeavor not to in-
struct in any thing new, but to remind of wdiat is al-
ready known and to impress its importance.

Indeed, it has seemed to me that the farmers of f'ssex
have ample sources of information on the various bran-
ches of their vocation. They have access to the most
valuable standard works on those subjects, to the re-
ports of this and of kindred societies, and to the agricul-

t.ural journals with which they are so cheaply furnished —
they have, too, the examples of some of the best farm-
ers in the land. No farmer here can justly complain
that he is destitute of the means of knowledge — of that
knowledge, which, applied to agriculture, is power —
power to develope its resources — power to multiply and
improve the quality of its products — power to facilitate
the methods of its varied operations. Every farmer can
be a neat, and to some extent a thrifty farmer, if he
resolutely and perseveringly sets about it. "Where
there is a will, there is a way," saith the old proverb;
but here is not one way merely, but often many ways,
already provided to our hands, of accomplishing this re-
sult— each and all faithfully tried and approved by in-
dividuals acting independently of one another, so that
the greatest assurance of success is guarantied to those
who under similar circumstances, shall essay to accom-
plish a similar result.

How is it then that so few good farmers are to be
found among us? How is it that only here and there is
an individual conspicuous for good husbandry, whilst
the remaining portion go on from year to year in the
same unvarying course, without striving to correct er-
rors or to adopt improvements in their system of culti-
vation?

Various answers to this inquiry have been suggested.
By some it is alleged that our soil is, in general, poor,
and that the difference in the quality of the soil makes
the difference in the charatter and condition of those
who till it — that any one can be a good and a prosper-
ous farmer on land naturally productive, or with means
at hand, such as abound on the sea-shore, of perpetu-
ally renewing its fertility, whilst on light or rough land
its occupant must be doomed to eke out a scanty subsis-
tence, by dint even of the severest pains-taking.

Now it is not^to be denied, that, other things being
equal, he that cultivates a rich soil has decided advan-
tage over him who carries on such as is deficient in the
elements of fertility. But how many farms there are
where Nature has done every thing, and Art nothing —

where the capabilities for improvement are obvious to
every eye, but the disposition to iinprove is not to be
perceived. How many farms, too, there are, upon
which Nature has been chary in bestowing gifts, but
such as are yielded have been seized upon with avidity
and turned to the most profitable account. On one farm,
a bank of clay has furnished the means of enriching a
sandy soil — on another, a peat meadow has supplied
material, w^hich, by skillful preparation and admixture
with the contents of the hog and barn yards, has
doubled the amount of its manure. On a third, low,
swampy grounds, where cattle once mired to the breast,
have by thorough ditching and draining, been transform-
ed into the best of English mowing. The difference
then between good and bad husbandry does not consist
altogether in the difference of the land cultivated — the
poverty of much of our soil is not, as t conceive, the
principal cause of the impoverishing cultivation which it
receives.

Again, it is said, that want of capital prevents the
majority of our farmers from making progress in agri-
cultural improvements. Undoubtedly, this, to a consid-
erable extent, is the fact. It is often hard w^ork to get
from a farm, by the greatest industry and frugality, suf-
ficient income to meet its expenses and those of the
household. This unquestionably should be, as it is, the
first and main object; for it is not advisable, as a gen-
eral rule, for those who are in receipt of so little gain
as most of our flirmers are, and that too, in driblets, to
run in debt even for improvements. A mortgage is of-
tener an incubus than an incentive to exertion; six per
cent, annually, makes a large draft on the proceeds of
the season, and to meet the principal, the farm itself is
frequently sacrificed. The habits and circumstances of
our yeomanry, so diverse from those of the English
land-holders and tenants, will not warrant such an out-
lay of borrowed capital by the former, as is made by the
latter. Neither is the practice of our manufacturers
and merchants, in this respect, a safe guide to our agii-
culturalists.

But what constitutes the farmer's cliief capital — the
grand outlay by which and from which he is to derive
the largest returns? Is it not labor? Is capital of any
value to the agriculturalist, except mainly as it com-
mands labor? Money may, indeed, purchase all the
means of improving soil and multiplying products; but
labor, labor is the great and most expensive item by
which these ends are to be effected. How stands the
case then with the New England fiirmer? Owner of
the land he tills, the labor upon it is performed princi-
pally by himself and family. Blessed with strong con-
stitution and with limbs hardened to the severest work
of summer and winter, — blessed, too, with children,
trained to habits of steadiness and industry — he is al-
ready supplied with capital of the best kind; he is the
truly independent man, for he is not obliiied to hire
others to do that which he and his .household are them-
selves able and willing to perform. How, then, is it,
the question again rises, that their condition and that of
their farms are not more improved?

It is urged by some, that the Legislatures, both state
and national, have not rendered such efficient aid as
they might render to agriculture, and as it is entitled to
receive. As to our own state, who can justly lay to
the charge of her legislators, that they have been un-
mindful of the agricultural interests of the Common-
wealth? Look at her bounties, from time to time, be-
stowed on the productions of her soil. Look at her
agricultural, geological, and other scientific surveys,
instituted mainly to promote the practical benefit of the
larmer. Run along the bright roll of her statute-book,
and mark the wise and wholesome laws to encourage
her fiirming interests. See, standing in bold relief, her
annual grant of funds to this and similar associations, to
aid in stimulating ihe cultivators of her soil. True,
some of these bounties may be deemed injudicious; but
even these evince the willing mind and fostering hand.
True, some of these surveys may not as yet have yield-
ed their promised harvest; but are we not beginning to
]'eap it? Is the information'embodied in the treatise on

"Insects injurious to Vegetation," of no service to the
farmer in helping to extirpate them from his land and
his trees? And those elaborate surveys of the late ag-
ricultural commissioner, while they shed lustre on his
name, are of themselves sufficient to demonstrate, as
with a noon-day sun, the enlightened aid extended
by Massachusetts to agriculture.

The service which can be rendered to the same
cause by the National Government, must be incidental
through her revenue laws; and these, I believe, have
operated to the benefit of agricultural as well as manu-
facturing interests. There are exceptions, I know, but
the articles of foreign production which come in com-
petition with the products of our own soil are compara-
tively so few, that the necessity of tariff laws to protect
domestic agriculture, is hardly felt or demanded. By
protecting manufacturing interests, a home market is
provided for the produce of our farms — a protection
more effectual than it would be practicable to accom-
plish by duties upon foreign agricultural productions.
JCncourage manufactures, and the farmers in the vicini-
ty of our numerous manufacturing villages have no diffi-
culty in disposing at good prices of their produce; pro-
duce, which, if not thus disposed of, would find its way
from the interior to the seaboard, to the detriment of
the farming interests here. Although the price of some
articles — as wool for example — may have been depress-
ed by the want of sufficient protection, yet agriculture,
on the whole, has not, as I have been able to learn,
suffered in consequence of any neglect of the General
Government to interpose in its behalf.

Can we, then, point to any other cause which has op-
erated to prevent a more successful cultivation of our
soil? It has frequently been said, and I think justly,
that the majority of our farms are too large; that more
ground is cultivated, or attempted to be cultivated, than
there is ability to cultivate profitably or w^ell. The
time and labor expended in raising ten acres of corn,
would be diminished nearly one half, if bestowed only
on five acres; while, if the same quantity of manure as

is generally applied to the former, were used on the
latter, the crop would be equally as large, and the land
would be left in far better heart. The same is true,
also, with regard to grass-land. Ten tons of English
hay, on five acres of ground, can be cut and cured, with
as little delay and expense as five tons on ten acres.
The gain in this respect, to say nothing of other ad-
vantages, must be apparent to all. I know of a farm,
in this county, consisting of but forty acres of tillage and
mowing, full one quarter of which, when I lately saw
it, was under root cultivation, and a luxuriant growth of
rowen covered the remainder. From this had been
taken, the present season, forty-five tons of English
hay, all of which was cut, cured and stored by three
men; and it was but eleven days from the time the first,
till the last load went into the barn.

But suppose that your farm is a dairy-farm, consisting
of a large range of pasture. There are the fences and
the gates to be maintained, and the taxes to be paid,
double what they would be, on half the extent of ground.
And the larger the pasturage, the less likely w411 it be
to receive any efforts to renovate its fertility. Hence,
we see, throughout the county, large tracts of such land,
moss-grown and nearly barren, which needs only the
plow, and a moderate supply of manure and hay seed,
to bring it into good condition. But the extent of this
description of land discourages the attempt. I am al-
most inclined to the opinion, that, could many of our
farms be divided into halves, and one moiety lie fallow
for five or ten years, and the other moiety only be cul-
tivated and fed, we should, in the end, find our account
in the increased fertility of the latter, from the very fact,
that our resources were better husbanded, and our la-
bor and manure better applied.

There is another prominent error prevalent among
our farmers, which operates powerfully to their injury.
I mean the little pains which they take to improve the
manure-heap, and to preserve it in the best possible con-
dition for use. I say nothing as to the best method of
applying manures — whether by plowing-in, harrowing-

in, or using only in the hill — for this is a vexed ques-
tion, and the practice of good farmers variers in respect
of it. But how few the farmers who devote the care
they ought to enlarge the manure heap. How seldom
are barn-yards contrived in the manner best adapted to
save the strength of all that goes into it; and how rare-
ly are they supplied with the material at the proper
times and in sufficient amount, to produce the greatest
result. What waste, too, is committed by the summer's
sun, and the rain and winds of spring and autumn, in
dissipating the virtues of that which is to constitute the
food of the coming crops. We might borrow a useful
lesson from the English farmers, by making manure in-
to what they term "pies," instead of carting it in the fall
to the open field', to be strown over a large surface, ex-
posed to the ravages of the weather. This may be
done by placing it in alternate layers with meadow-mud
or with soil, and enveloping the whole with a side and
top crust of the same material.

Again, I would ask, if labor is as well directed, if
foresight and judgment are as often exercised, as they
should be, upon our farms in order to bring them into
the best condition? In many places there are yet mead-
ows to be reclaimed; wet lands to be drained; clayey
soils to be mellowed by the admixture of sand and
sandy soils, to be strengthened in texture by clay. Are
these and similar improvements made as often and as
effectually as they might be made, if undertaken in good
earnest? Do you say there is not time? There may
always be found intervals of time for such work, if reso-
lutely determined upon. But the magnitude of the
undertaking appals many a faint-hearted man, simply
because he looks at the execution of the whole, instead
of setting about it at once, and accomplishing it as he is
able. He will commend the improvement, wish it was
made, is persuaded of its benefit, and will freely intend
one of these years to undertake it, but he never does.

Such an one is a going-to-do farmer; and is it any won-
der that he makes little or no progress?

Look now at his neighbor, who is alwavs doing. He

9

10

spends no time in complaining of hard times, want of
means, or the extent of the job he has on hand. Not
he. If the times are hard, so much the more reason, he
thinks, why he should work the harder; if his means are
small, that does not lead him to envy his more wealthy
neighbors, but stimulates him according to his means, to
rival their husbandry; if the job is heavy, the sooner it
is be2;un the sooner it will be completed; so at it he
goes, boys and all, from early dawn till dusk — as he
finds opportunity — and when it is finished the whole
family of the going-to-do begin to wonder how he finds
time to do so much. Now here is one reason, almost of
itself sufficient to account for the disparity of con-
dition between a good farmer and a poor one. Is it
not so? And cannot you call to mind living examples
of the tVvO pictures here drawn?

But, do the best they can, the farmers of Essex have
many obstacles in the way of their prosperity to encoun-
ter. The means of communication from the interior to
the seaboard, are now so numerous, so cheap and expedi-
tious, that almost all kinds of agricultural produce are
brought from a distance in direct competition with our
own. The price of butter, one of the staples of this coun-
ty, has been depressed the present season, by the large
supplies introducd into our markets by rail-road. And
the farmers of Berkshire are already contemplating send-
ing their hay, in screwed bundles, to Boston, by the
same conveyance.

It were idle, if not unwise, to complain of that which
promotes the general good, though it operates at the
same time to our own injury. I ask any candid and
enlightened farmer, if he would have Massachusetts,
if he could, stripped of those iron avenues which con-
nect her not only with adjoining states, but with the far
West and the far East? If he would have lines of trav-
el when they reach our borders, by these avenues,
stopped, and the traveller told, that he must seek his
way as he can over our soil, for its agricultural interests
are too sacred to be invaded by Rail Roads? No ! I
am persuaded that your good sense revolts from such

11

a wish; that what the public convenience and neces-
sity demand, you would be the last to oppose or destroy.

If then, this competition must continue, it must be
met and sustained on our part by superior skill and ap-
plication, by more intelligent management, by resorting
to new articles of production, or restricting ourselves to
those which are less likely to be affected by such com-
petition. Our large market towns will aUvays require
large and early supplies of vegetables, and for these,
fair remunerating prices will continue to be obtained.
It is certain that far greater profits are derived from
market gardens, than from any large farm, on which the
same expenditures are made. But to these there is a
limit.

There is another source of profit opened to us, the
value of which we have not yet begun to appreciate or
realize. I mean our orchards; not orchards as they now
are, but as they may be made to be — large and thrifty
orchards of valuable summer and winter fruit. Time
was, when apples were cultivated principally for cider,
and this Society annually offered premiums for the best
sample of it. That time has gone by, but on most of
our farms, the trees still remain, yielding the same sour
fruit, which now hardly repays the labor of gathering.
When not too far gone, these trees should be furnished
with a new head, as manj- a farmer has been, who once
depended on their whole produce for his home con-
sumption of cider. New views and new habits, in this
particidar, have been engrafted on the minds of nearly
our entire agricultural community, and why should not
new fruit and better fruit be inserted into our old ap-
ple tree stocks? The apple tree is longer lived and
will continue in bearing a greater length of time than is
generally supposed. On a farm in this county, two ap-
ple trees lately existed — one of them yet remains — from
which forty dollars' worth of fruit was taken in one sea-
son, after they were one hundred years old. From the
same farm more than a thousand barrels of winter apples
have repeatedly been taken in a single year. This
however has been effected only by good care and culti-

12

vation. The trees are properly trimmed, decayed
wood removed, wounds healed up, and the grounds be-
neath kept almost constantly under the plow, for the
express benefit of the trees. So manifest are the advan-
tages of keeping under cultivation the belt of land occu-
pied by fruit trees, that I would urge upon all the adop-
tion of the practice, It requires labor and manure, but
upon what can they be more profitably bestowed? By
such a system, fresh vigor may be imparted to many an
orchard which is now conspicuous only for its unfruit-
fulness.

Our orchards, however, are sadly deficient in num-
ber and extent. They must be recruited, and to do
this we must either resort to the nursery men or we
must raise the trees ourselves. If we are anxious to
commence at once, they should be procured at the ear-
liest season of transplanting, and when that is properly
done, they should receive yearly as much care as is be-
stowed on our cornfields or gardens. If contented to
wait a few years, we should, the coming fall, put into the
ground the seed to supply ourselves with stocks. By
the second or third summer after, they will ba large
enough to bud, if this method of propagation be adopted.

The inducements to enter largely into the cultivation
of fruits, it appears to me, are great and obvious. As
to summer fruit, what a lamentable deficiency exists a-
mong us. I know of but few farms in the county where
it is raised in sufficient quantities to supply their own
wants. Is it not desirable to have such fruit always at
hand in its season, for the children, at least, if not for
the older members of the family. Why, it seems to me
that a direct temptation to theft is offered to the boys,
where summer fruit is so great a rarity. The longing
for it is too keen to be resisted, and the supply is to be
obtained only by committing trespass on some more fa-
vored individual. Multiply fruit trees, and robbery of
orchards will be unheard of. We have, to be sure,
here and there an apple tree growing in the pasture,
the fruit of which has the rare recommendation that it
does not set the teeth on edge quite so bad as that of

13

the orchard; or a phim tree, tVom which, perhaps, a cup-
full of preserves is manufactured in an abundant season;
or a peach tree, the fruit of which is somewhat softer
than its stones, after it has been hit a i^ew hard blows
by the frost. But beyond these, we have not generally
on our farms much to boast of, in the way of summer
fruit.

Besides the satisfaction and the nourishment and
health to be derived in our families from a plentiful sup-
ply of such fruit, it would furnish one of the most profit-
able articles for market. The demand for it is great;
greater, I am inclined to believe, since stimulating drinks
have been so generally abandoned. Its refreshing
qualities are an agreeable substitute for such drinks in
the warm season. If, as is justly said, the cocoa nut is
meat and drink to the natives of the torrid zone, is not a
pleasant apple, a melting pear, a luscious peach, entitled
to a similar reputation with us?

New varieties of fruit are constantly being propagat-
ed in the nurseries, and as soon as tested and approved
they should be introduced into general culture. Great
credit is due to our Manning and Ives for their indefati-
gable zeal and judicious skill in stocking their gardens
with such choice descriptions of cherries, plums, peach-
es and pears; thanks too should be awarded them and
other gentlemen in Salem and its vicinity, for the excel-
lent Borticultural Society, which they have so success-
fully established, and for the practical instruction which
they are imparting to the rest of the county in this col-
lateral branch of a2:riculiure.

As to winter fruit, we possess eminent facilities for
its successful culture. Our soil, where light, suits the
universal favorite, the Baldwin; where strong, it yields
abundant crops of that capital old variety, the Roxbury
Russet. Our proximity to the ocean seems to favor the
growth and health of the trees and the quality of
the fruit. I am informed by those residing in the west-
ern part of the state, that the apple does not flourish
there and that they are dependant on Boston and New
York for a supply for winter. There is always a good

14

demand for this fruit, not only for neighboring markets,
but for shipping abroad. Our winter apples have gen-
erally the property of long keeping; and if, as is said,
they are superior in flavor to those of the south and of
Europe, the day cannot be far distant, when steam navi-
gation will open sources for its exportation as yet unex-
plored. The apples of Essex may yet be as widely
celebrated as the oranges of Havana.

It is unnecessary, however, to urge this subject fur-
ther on your consideration, for in every quarter evidence
is seen of increased and increasing attention to it in
practice. Our farmers are beginning to wake up to the
value of good orchards, and are renovating old ones and
planting new. Let such efforts be continued and in a
few years we shall ourselves receive substantial re-
wards; and when the next generation take our places,
they will bless our memory for the rich legacy be-
queathed to them; every blossom in spring will revive
grateful recollections, and every cluster of fruit in au-
tumn will be a fresh memento of our deeds.

But there are other branches of agriculture which
should receive greater attention. One, especially, de-
serves consideration — the providing of succulent food
for cattle in winter and early spring. The general
practice among us is to send to market as much hay as
possible; probably in no part of the state is so much hay
sold from the same territory, as from our own county.
This course will doubtless be continued, so long as this
article commands the prices, which of late years have
been obtained for it. Our fresh meadows and salt
marshes, by furnishing supplies of fodder for home use,
enable us to do this; but our farm stock to a considera-
ble extent, suffer from the inferior fare they are obliged
to put up with. Now, would we increase the number
and improve the condition of our cattle, ample provision
must be made for their wintering. By so doing, we shall
multiply the means of fertilizing the soil, for improve-
ment in one branch of agricultural economy begets im-
provement in another.

It is little credit to a farmer to boast of the large

15

quantities of hay he sells, when his live stock in spring,
like so many walking skeletons, show how scanty the
food upon which life may be sustained. No; provision
should be made for the barn, as ample as that for the
house. This can be accomplished, and the great arti-
cle of hay still be left for sale, by the cultivation of
roots; the carrot, the ruta-baga and the beet. The cul-
tivation of these is extending, but if it proceeded far
more rapidly, we should all find our account in it. The
potato will undoubtedly continue to maintain ihe first
rank in root culture; yet the cost of seed and the crop
of weeds usually grown along with it, are serious draw-
backs to its value, in comparison with other roots.
With respect of the latter, a necessity exists for clean
cultivation and high manuring, which will assuredly
tell, not only on the superior amount of the crop raised,
but on the future condition of the land.

Extensive cultivation of root crops is the basis of good
husbandry in Great Britain, and I see no good reason
why it should not be with us. True, sheep cannot be
fed here in winter on turnips in the field, even if we
had the sheep to feed; but we can secure the roots in
trenches or cellars, for the use of our horned cattle and
horses, and swine, during the hard and long winters
through which we must carry them. Again I repeat,
that by such a course, w^e are increasing the capital of
that bank, upon which the farmer must draw in spring
— the bank of manure — of which the owner beins: sole
president and director, may extend its operations with-
out danger to the community.

The cultivation of roots too, would enable us to ex-
tend the business of the dairy into winter, in the same
way that it enables the milk farms to supply the markets
during that season with milk. The period of butter-
making is much shorter than it need be; much shorter,
I am satisfied, than the interest of our farmers should
suffer it to be. In connection with roots, the culture of
winter rye, to be grazed in early spring, deserves, as 1
trust it will receive, careful experiment. In fact, if
more forethought and attention were bestowed upon the

16

liberal treatment of cur cows from the beginning to the
close of the year, it would well repay our efforts. Look
at any lai'ge milk establishment, and mark the provi-
dent care with which succulent food of various descrip-
tions and in bountiful supplies, is furnished to its cows.
If the pasturing in summer is short, they are soiled from
the mowing lots, or are fed with green corn stalks rais-
ed expressly for that purpose. So we^ll convinced have
I been of the benefit of this latter species of feed, that
on a farm where a dozen of cows are usually kept for
the dairy, I have the past and the present season sowed
about a third of an acre with corn, in drills near to-
gether, and dressed with a compost of one half mead-
ow mud, hove by the frost, and one half green manure.
On the stalks raised last year on this ground, the stock
of cows with four oxen were liberally fed at each eve-
ning for five weeks, beginning about the middle of Au-
gust. This carried the cows through the dry season,
without pinching or drying. The kind of corn then
sowed, was our common Northern corn, of rather small-
er stalk than usually prevails, so that butts and all
were entirely consumed. This year I sowed the South-
ern yellow riat corn, but it has grown so rank, averag-
ing eight or ten feet in height, that a large part of the
stalk is left untouched by the cattle. The produce of
a square rod was weighed September fifth, and found to
yield about 30 tons to the acre. From the rankness of
its growth it is not so palatable to the cows, as stalks
from our own corn. The sweet corn stalk would doubt-
less be preferable to either, and though recommended
for trial by the first president of this Society, at its first
public meeting as long ago as 1818, I have not been a-
ble to learn of its culture, except in a recent instance,
for the object before named. It is eaten with the keen-
est relish by cows, and from the sweetness of its juices,
there can be little doubt that by the free use of it, their
milk would be of the richest quality.

While on the subject of the dairy, I w^ould suggest
whether a churn, superior to any in common use, one
which should require less time and labor in churning.

17

might not be invented. In the western part of the
state, this operation is performed by a dog or sheep
travelling on a horizontal wheel, by which the power is
communicated to the churn — but our dairies are so small
that manual labor must, probably, be retained here for
this purpose. A churn, the dashers of which are mov-
ed by a set of cog-wheels, has recently been devised by
one of our mechanics, but its advantages can be tested
only by repeated trials and experienced hands. The
plow has deservedly received a large share of mechan-
ical ingenuity, in bringing it to its present improved
condition ; but there are other important implements of
agricultural industry which still wear out strength and
patience for want of this aid. Let improvements in these
be brought under the actual inspection of our farmers
or their wives, and, if convinced of their reality, they
will not be slow to adopt them.

I would here allude to one general means of agricul-
tural improvement, which, I believe, has not been suffi-
ciently appreciated, — the personal visitation of farms
that are distiaguished for good managem.ent in general,
or for excellence in any specific department. True,
we have our annual Agricultural Exhibitions, and they
accomplish great good in stimulating to exertion and
imitation of worthy examples. But at these results are
exhibited, without an actual exhibition, except in the
case of the ploughing match, of the means and modes
by which they have been attained. This is well, as far
as it goes, and the publication of the transactions of our
societies is well — but it is an old saying and a true one,
that "seeing is believing." Now this ''seeing,'' this
actual inspection of excellence, is what we must have,
if we would successfully imitate it. It is not enough to
contemplate the face of a watch — to observe the motion
of its hands and listen to its tickings, to become a good
watchmaker — nor will any written account initiate you
into the hidden mysteries of its machinery; no, you must
see that machinery taken apart and again put together,
piece by piece, before you have a just knowledge of
its combination and attempt with success to form it.
3

18

Apply the illustration to some of the details of agri-
culture. If you see growing on a farm a number of
acres of carrots or ruta-bagas, you can take in with a
glance the greater amount of foi)d which they afford from
the same space of ground, over other usual articles of
cultivation. If you witness clean culture and high cul-
ture, you can comprehend and estimate their immense
advantages. If you observe fruit trees healthy, thrifty
and productive, the land under which is kept constantly
cultivated, you are impressed with their good manage-
ment more forcibly than you can be from any separate
exhibition of their fruit, or any statement of their man-
agement. Almost every good farmer has a superior way
of performing some operations — or a peculiar and de-
cidedly improved arrangement either in his farm build-
ings or yards or other premises, which might be a-
dopted with benefit by others. Farmers, I am aware,
are in general so much occupied at home that they
can find but little time for visits abroad. The road
to market and to mill is the principal road they travel.
But let them occasionally take a day for such explora-
tions as I have named, and the value of their discoveries
will often more than compensate for the time devoted to
them. Said one of the oldest and best farmers in my
neighborhood, I resolved when I commenced farming,
not to follow implicitly the footsteps of my ancestors,
but to give a fair trial to whatever I observed in others
worthy of experiment. Here I gained one idea and there
another, entirely new to me. These were submitted to
practice, and I am satisfied that I learned more in this
way than by any other course I ever adopted.

As a general fact, we are too much attached to the
old ways — the good old ways of our fathers. Very good,
no doubt, they were in their day ; but is there no bet-
ter way lor us, is the question we are to settle, each for
himself. And to help us to settle it, the course I have
mentioned, would be of most eflicient service. Oppor-
tunity would thus be afforded, not only of seeing with
our own eyes what we wish to see, but of making all in-
quiries relative thereto, and of having them answered at

19

the time and on the spot. It is for want ol this, thai
agricultural journals frequently fail of giving such satis-
factory information as we desire. They are essential
and valuable aids to agricultural improvement, and if
they accomplished no other object than to keep our
minds in active exercise on the various subjects in which
we are so deeply interested, they would be worth more
than the price at which they can be procured.

Every thing, indeed, which exercises the faculties —
which elicits the thought and enlarges the knowledge of
the farmer on his ow^n calling, should be brought into
requisition for his use. His is a pursuit whose daily
operations demand far more intense application of mind,
as well as of body, than was fondly imagined by the
poor old King of England, who, in the midst of trouble
and disasters of state, is represented by Shakspeare
to sigh —

Methinks it were a happy life
To be no better than a homely swain —
To sit upon a hill, as I do now ;
To carve out dials, quaintly, point by point,
Thereby to see the minutes how they run
How many make the hour full complete,
How many hours bring about the day —
How many years a mortal man may live.
When this is known, then to divide the times ,
So many hours must I tend my flock ;
So many hours must I take my rest ;
So many hours must I contemplate ;
So many hours must I sport myself;
So many days my ewes have been with young ;
So many days ere the poor fools will yean;
So many years ere 1 shall shear the fleece ; —
So minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and yeara,
Passed over to the end they were created.
Would bring white hairs unto a quiet grave.
Ah what a life were this ! how sweet ! how lovely !

Thus thought a crowned head, and thus think many
uncrowned heads, of the homely farmer's life — so sweet,
so lovely, because, forsooth, in their estimation, it is free
from all care and all anxiety of mind. When troubles
surround and threaten to engulph the merchant, he
sighs for the peaceful farm, where life shall flow on like

20

a summer stream. But when he resorts to those fields
which he fancied were Elysian, he wakes from his delu-
sion. However large his cajoital, it will require all his
care and all his skill to keep it from evaporating in fancy
farming. Or if, of humbler means, he labors himself,
he soon learns by hard experience that the poetry of
agriculture is one thing and the prose another and a
very different thing — that the constant care of his crops
and his stock and the management of farm matters gen-
erally, require quite as much judgment and care and
skill as mercantile traffic, whether in tapes or in ton-
nage— at the counter or on the wharf.

Yes, farmers of Essex, you know better than I can
prove or illustrate, that your occupation demands intelli-
gence, application, labor, skill — that immunity from care
is not the privilege of your lot. You know also that
your gains, though small, are sure — that your pursuits
invite not to habits of speculation — that your property
is not all upon paper to be blown to the winds by the
vicissitudes of trade. Let the reflection that the spot of
Earth you till, is your own, and that in tilling it to the
highest perfection, you have ample scope for the con-
stant exercise of the noblest powers of mind, animate
you to redoubled exertions to attain to that perfection.

REPORTS, &c.

ON PLOWING.

WITH DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on plowing with double teams, Re-
port:

That sixteen teams were entered — thirteen of which
were present — engaged in the work.

The field selected for the purpose was directly in
front of the building of the Theological Institution at
Andover. Lots Nos. 1 to 10 were 18 rods long and
24 1-2 feet wide — Nos. 11 to 13 were 17 rods long and
26 1-2 feet wide — each containing about one sixth of an
acre. The soil may be described as a heavy granite
soil, with a very hard gravelly or stony subsoil. Most
of the fast rocks near the surface had been removed.
The soil itself appears never to have been plowed more
than jiv2 inches deep, and the subsoil was so hard that
it was difficult to attain the requisite depth of seven
inches. Of consequence, the appearance of the furrows
was rougher and more broken, than it otherwise would
have been ; and the power required to move the plows
was necessarily much increased.

The lots were drawn, and the work was done, as
follows — viz :

No. 1. Jesse Curtis, of Marblehead, owner; George
W. Winslow, plowman; Andrew Curtis, driver. Plow
made by Ruggles&Co.; 2d size. Work done in 58
minutes, with 21 furrows; the furrows were well laid,
smooth, rather shallow.

22 ON PLOWING.

No. 2. Charles Foster, of Andover, owner; Charles
W. Foster, plowman; John P. Foster, driver. Plow
made by Ruggles & Co.; 2d size. Work done in 64
minutes, with 21 furrows; they were lapped a little,
not quite seven inches deep, well laid.

No. 3. Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover, owner;
himself plowman; Joseph Chandler, Jr., driver. Plow
made by Ruggles & Co.; Eagle size. Work done in
62 minutes, with nineteen furrows; quite deep, and ap-
peared more broken than most of the others; the work
was faithfully done.

No. 4. George P. Wilkins, of Middleton, owner;
James Wilkins, 2d, plowman; Andrew S. Curtis, driv-
er. Plow made by Ruggles Sf Co.; with a circular cut-
ter from one of Pike's plows. Work done in 44 min-
utes, with 19 furrows; in going the second round, the
point of the shave was broken by striking against a fast
rock, but this inconvenience was counterbalanced by the
extra skill and exertion of the plowman. For this work
the second premium was awarded.

No. 5. Joseph Kittredge, of Andover, owner; Na-
than Foster, 3d, plowman ; Israel Foster, driver.
Plow made by Prouty & Co.; size A. Work done in
45 minutes, with 19 furrows; of proper depth, not so
regularly laid as some of the others, probably through
inattention to this point, on the part of the plow-
man.

No. 6. Samuel Jenkins, of Boxford, owner; Joshua
Day, plowman; Samuel Jenkins, driver. Plow made
by Prouty §• Co.; size A. Work done in 41 minutes,
with 18 furrows; these furrows were wide, of full depth,
and well turned, somewhat broken, favorable for the
land. For this work the third premium was awarded.

No. 7. Jacob S. Phelps, of Andover, owner; him-
self plowman; Chandler Phelps driver; plow made by
Piuggles &L Co.; 3d size. Work done in 63 minutes,
with 20 fui-rows; not so even as some, and rather shal-
low; the plow w^as not large enough for the work.

No. 8. William Peters, of Andover, owner; himself
plowman; George Jewett, driver; plow made by Prou-

ON PLOWING, 23

ty & Co.; 2d size. Work done in 41 minutes, with 19
furrows, irregularly laid, as compared with others.

No. 9. James Stevens, 2d, of Andover, owner;
Franklin Kimball, plowman; John Martin, driver; plow
made by Prouty & Co.; size A. Work done in 40
minutes with 17 furrows. This team was a pair of oxen
and a horse; they worked remarkably well and quick,
and with little fatigue. Their work was done as well as
any on the field; but in the opinion of a majority of the
Committee, the team was not such a dcuble team as was
contemplated when the premiums were' offered — of
consequence not a regular competitor for the premium.*
A gratuity equal to half the 1st premium is recommen-
ded for this performance.

No. 10. Jedediah H. Barker, of Andover, owner;
Otis M. Clark, plowman; J. H. Barker, driver; plow
made by Prouty &. Co.; size B. Work done in 52
minutes, with 19 furrows; not cut so true as some, wide
and flat. This team was well trained, as Mr. Barker's
cattle always are.

No. 11. Samuel F. Barker, of Andover, owner;
Timothy Faulkner, plowman; Samuel M. Barker, dri-
ver; plow made by Prouty & Co.; sod C. Work done
in 58 minutes, with 20 furrows. This land was less
favorable for plowing than most of the others; it w^as
considered well plowed, and laid, but not the depth re-
quired.

No. 12. John F. Carlton, of Andover, owner; Sime-
on Foster, plov/man; J. F. Carlton, driver; plow made
by Prouty & Co.; size A. Work done in 60 minutes,
with 21 furrows. This was laid very smooth indeed,
and in all respects well done. To this work was awar-
ded the fourth premium.

No. 13. Samuel Jenkins, jr., of Andover, owner;
John F. Foster, plowman; Samuel Jenkins, jr., driver;
plow made by Prouty c^- Co.; size A. Work done in
51 minutes, with 20 furrows. Very perfectly done in-
deed, and quick, without hurry or fatigue, evincing skill

* Since this decision was made, the Board of Trustees have determined that
a team like this may properly be admitted as a competitor for these premiums.

PREMIUMS

1st,

112

2d,

10

3d,

8

4th,

6

:rratuitv,

6

24 ON PLOWING.

in plowman and driver, and perfect discipline in the
team. To this work was awarded the first premium.

RECAPITULATION OF

Samuel Jenkins, jr., Andover,
George P. Wilkins, Middleton,
Samuel Jenkins, Bradford,
John F. Carlton, Andover,
James Stevens, 2d., Andover, a

In attempting to discriminate among the performan-
ces of so manv so nearly equal, it would naturally fol-
low, that there would be differences of opinion, in the
minds of the committee; and probably their opinions
may in some instances differ from others who examined
the work. Several of the committee had much practical
experience, both in holding and drivhig, and their opin-
ions were particularly regarded in the decisions made.
Where all did so w^ell, it is not easy to say with certain-
ty, which did the best. Much credit is due to all con-
cerned, for their promptness in being ready for the
work; starting precisely at the time appointed; and for
the entire want of noise, and hurry and bustle, in their
movements, and for the general propriety of the per-
formance. Considering the hardness of the soil, and
the difficulties of the work, we think it was as well
done, as any match we have ever witnessed.

The plows used, were designed to lay the furrows
flat. In a light soil, this is unquestionably the prefera-
ble mode of laying them. But it was the opinion of
some of the committee, that on a heavy soil, like this,
on land naturally moist and cold, it is better to leave
the furrows somewhat broken, or a little on the edge, so
that the atmospherical agencies may aid in pulverizing
them. Especially if the plowing is in Autumn, when
the furrows will be exposed to the frosts of the ensuing
winter.

This Society has appropriated from ^60 to $80 a
year, for 20 years past, to encourage improvements in
plowing. Not less than $1500 has been paid for this
purpose. It is fair to inquire what benefits have result-

ON PLOWING. 25

ed from this expenditure? It is not sufficient that ic
affords an interesting and exciting spectacle for the time,
like any other game of hazard, but to justify the contin-
uance of such appropriations, there should result some
practical benefit. Having witnessed all the exhibitions
in this county, and many of those in other counties,
we may be permitted to testify as to their practical in-
fluence, and do say, without hesitation, that the premi-
ums offered for the improvement in the construction
and use of plows, next to those for the entire manage-
ment of farms, have been among the most beneficial ap-
propriations of the funds of the Society.

Who that remembers the structure of the plows in
common use, thirty years since, and compares them
with the best approved structures of the present time,
will doubt on this subject? It is perfectly easy to de-
monstrate, that a saving of nearly one half the labor
may be made, by proper attention to the forms and fin-
ish ofthe plow used. The prominent points to be con-
sidered in the structure of the plow, are, the power re-
quired to draw it; the ease or difficulty of directing it;
and the manner in which it turns the furrow. The
power of draft can be ascertained with great precision,
by means of an instrument constructed for the purpose,
placed between the end of the beam and the chain by
which the plow is drawn. Actual observation shows,
that some plows will do the same work with about half
the power required by others. Suppose this to be so,
then one pair of cattle on a plow of best construction,
will effect as much as two pair on a plow of bad con-
struction; and at the same time will probably leave the
ground in better condition for cultivation. Take into
view also, that the plowman himself can manage the
team of one pair of cattle, without a driver, and that a
driver will always be needed with two pair of cattle,
and it is not extravagant to say, that in the ordinary
plowing of our fields, one half the labour may be saved,
by a proper attention to the structure of the plow and
the discipline of the cattle. Let any of our farmers who
have not been attentive to these improvements hereto*
4

26 ON PLOWING.

fore, apply these principles on their own farms, and we
will guarantee that they will save more than the
whole amount of all their taxes (excepting the Grocer's
tax for that which is not bread) in the nrst year of their
application.

In the selection of plows, from the numerous approv-
ed patterns before the public, it will not do to rely en-
tirely upon artificates. If you do, like to the medicines
in use, perfection will be found in every shop. Some
plows may be admirably adapted to turn a proper fur-
row, where the land is level and free of stones and oth-
er obstructions, that would not answer at all in rough
and hard soils; others are specially designed to set the
furrows on edge, turning but half over. Which of these
is best, will depend upon the character of the soil, and
the use for v^^hich it is intended. The Scotch farmers,
who are not a whit behind even the shrewdest yankees
in their agricultural improvements, prefer the plow that
cuts a narrow furrow and sets it on edge. The cast iron
plows that were introduced a few years since, from the
upper part of the state of New York, broke the ground
in pieces and left the furrows in most irregular condi-
tion; performing the double operation of a plow and
harrow. The peculiarities of the plows now most pop-
ular are, that they cut wide furrows and lay them flat,
leaving the surface when passed over with a roller, al-
most as smooth as before it was turned.

Among the valuable plows that have been offered to
the public within a few years, those constructed by Mr.
Pike, of Danvers, are entitled to a respectful notice.
Rarely, if ever, have we seen better work than these
plows turned out, when directed by the skillful hand of
Mr. Tapley. If our recollection is right, the mould-
boards and the cutters upon these plows were particular-
ly well adapted to the purpose. We have the testimo-
ny of Mr. Colman, whose authority on matters connect-
ed with agriculture is second to that of no man among
us, that " the best working plow he ever saw was made
by Mr. Pike, of Danvers." It is to be hoped that a man
who succeeded so well in his first attempts in the con-

ON PLOWING. 27

struction of this useful implement, will persevere in this
application of his labour.

If we would realize the full benefits to be derived
from our plowin^^-matches, perhaps it would be well to
follow them with the offer of suitable premiums for the
cultivation of the field plowed. Let the distinguishing
characteristics of each land plowed, be distinctly stated
in the report of the committee; let the cultivation be
similar on all, and the quantities of produce be noted on
each; — then would the result show which work was best.
That plowing must be best, which has a tendency to pro-
duce the best crops, whatever the form of the furrow or
the beauty of its appearance.
Respectfully submitted, by

J. W. PROCTOR, 1
W. JOHNSON, Jr., |
A. GRAY, J> Committee.

N. FELTON, I

T. E. PAYSON, J
Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

WITH SINGLE TEAMS.

The Committee on plowing with single teams,
Report :

That thirteen teams were entered, eleven of which
were ready at the time appointed, and engaged in the
work required. The field on which the work was done
was situate in front of the Seminary buildings, adjoining
that occupied by the double teams, of similar soil, in like
condition. It was divided into lots, containing each one
eighth of an acre, being about 17 rods long, and about
18 feet wide. The lots were assigned, and the plowing
was required to be at least jive inches deep. The work
was done as follows — viz :

No. 1. Andrew F. Curtis, of Middleton ; himself
plowman ; plow made by Winslow, of Middleton ; 42^
minutes, 18 furrows. For this was awarded the 4th
premium.

28 ON PLOWING.

No. 2. Wm. R. Putnam, of Wenham ; himself plow-
man ; plow made by Ploward, of Hingham ; 37 minutes,

16 furrows.

No. 3. Town farm in Danvers ; Warren Jewett,
plowman ; plow made by Huggles & Co. ; 27 minutes,
15 furrows. This work was done with more energy and
dispatch than either of the others. But as the team was
not regularly entered at the proper time, the committee
did not feel at liberty to recommend a premium. The
cattle were at least equal to any on the field.

No. 4. Asa M. Bodwell, of Methuen ; himself plow-
man ; plow made by Ruggles & Co. ; 40 minutes, 17
furrows.

No. 5. Nathan Tapley, of Danvers ; Joseph C. Put-
nam, plowman ; plow made by Ruggles & Co. ; 46
minutes, 16 furrows.

No. 6. Timothy F. Wilkins, of Middleton ; his son
plowman ; plow made by Ruggles k, Co. ; 44 minutes,

17 furrows. For this was awarded the 2d premium.
No. 7. Isaac Osgood, of Andover ; his farmer plow-
man ; plow made by Prouty & Co. ; 44 minutes, 18
furrows. For this was awarded the 3d premium.

No. 8. Allen Putnam, of Wenham ; his farmer plow-
man ; plow made by Howard ; 37 minutes, 16 furrows.
For this was awarded the 1st premium.

No. 9. Periey Tapley, of Danvers ; himself plow-
man ; plow made by Ruggles & Co. ; 49^ minutes, 19
furrows. This work was well done — in the opinion of
the Committee equal to any on the field ; but as the
cattle used had heretofore obtained the Society's first
premium for similar work, the Committee understood that
a premium could not be awarded for this work, consist-
ent with the established regulations and usages of the
Society. If the Committee were mis^informed on this
point, Mr. Tapley will be entitled to a favorable notice
from the Trustees. They cheerfully bear testimony to
Mr. Tapley's superior skill in handling a plow.

No. 10. Edmund Bartlett, of Methuen ; himself
plowman ; plow made by Prouty & Co. ; 48 minutes,
19 furrows.

ON PLOWING, 29

No. 11. Silas H. Newton, of Bradford ; himself plow-
man ; plow made by Prouty & Co. ; 49 min., 16 furrows.

RECAPITULATION OF PRE M I U M S .

Allen Putnam, 1st, $10

Timothy P. Wilkins, 3d, 8

Isaac Osgood, 2d, 6

Andrew^F. Curtis, 4th, 4

Warren Jewett, a gratuity, 3

The Committee are unwilling to speak of the distin-
guishing characteristics of the work done by each team,
or each kind of plow used, as they did not make minutes
of the same on the ground, and they might not do exact
justice by trusting to their recollection. In general the
work was very well done. The plows were of good
construction — made at four different establishments.
The Committee forbear to speak of their comparative
merits, as this will be done with more propriety by the
Committee to whom this subject is specially assigned, if
they shall be brought to their notice. In work of this
kind, much, very much, depends upon the skill of the
plowman. To hold a plow to the best advantage, re-
quires much practical experience, and careful attention.
It is also necessary that the cattle should be well train-
ed to this kind of labour. With proper attention to
these requisites most of our plowing can be advanta-
geously performed with one pair of cattle, directed b}^
one man. The experiments of this day, averaging 42
minutes time, for the plowing of one eighth of an acre of
hard swarded, rocky grass land, show that an acre can
be ploughed w^th six hours labour; which can reasona-
bly be performed, day after day, by the same team ; so
that the breaking up of our common tillage land, when
managed with proper econom.y, need not cost more than
two dollars per acre.

Respectfully submitted, by

AARON C. PROCTOR, )
THERON JOHNSON, ) Committee.
WM. FOSTER, Jr. )

Note. Messrs. David Andrews and Richard S. Jaques, members of the
Committee, were not present.

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

30 ON PLOWS.

ON PLOWS OFFERED FOR PREMIUM.

The Committee to examine the plows entered for
premium, Report:

That in consequence of the numerous claims, and of
the interest manifested by the different manufacturers,
they found it impossible to complete their examination
in a manner satisfactory to themselves, on the day of
the Exhibition. It was therefore postponed until the
Tuesday following, when the Committee, with three
others associated with them, by order of the Trustees,
were occupied about five hours in the trial of the plows.
There were ten plows presented, six of them made by
Prouty & Co.; four of them made by Ruggles & Co.
None others were offered. The committee regretted
that they could not have had plows from other distin-
guished manufacturers, as they were desirous of making
the comparison of merit as complete as possible.

There were three sizes of the Prouty plows, and
three sizes of the Ruggles plows, nearly corresponding
with each other, if we may judge from their prices,
which did not vary more than one dollar in a plow;
these prices ranging from $10, to $13,50. These plows
appear to be designed to cut furrows, about as many
inches in width, as they cost dollars: the depth of the
furrows is easily regulated by the roller, on the front of
the plow. Each of the plows was furnished with a rol-
ler and an upright cutter. All the plows were nearly
new, and in as good condition as their owners could
put them.

A piece of land about twelve rods square, was se-
lected. It was rich, free of stones, and covered with
a thick coat of grass; apparently it had been mown for
six or eight years past. Two pair of oxen were used,
the same on all the plows, and driven moderately; not
so fast as is customary in common plowing, The com-
petitors selected their own plowmen. It was agreed,
before the work commenced, that the plows should be
adjusted to cut the furrov/s as near six inches deep as
practicable. The width of the furrow to be regulated

ON PLOWS.

31

by the skill of the plowman. A dynamometer, graduat-
ed from 1 to 9, was used to indicate the power applied
in the work. This was placed between the end of the
beam and the chain, and the index was watched by two
of the committee, in all its movements. At the end of
each furrow they compared their observations, and took
the average result of each plow. Two others of the
Committee observed the width and depth of the fur-
rows, and took the average result in the same manner.
During the experiments, each of the committee held the
plows, more or less, and examined with care the man-
ner in which the work was done. Attention was given
to the plows, as to the ease or difficulty of guiding; as
to their running true, or wavering to or from the land;
as to the manner in which the furrow slice was laid,
whether flat or lapping, smooth or broken; and gener-
ally as to all those incidents which are considered con-
stituents of good plowing. All these plows were de-
signed to lay the furrows flat; and when drawn by the
same team, but little difference was observed in their
work, in this particular.

No.

Description of Plow- |
1

Po-.ver
applied

Drpth of
farrow.

{ Width of
furrow.

Enrth
lurneil.

Result.

Earth turned

by 100 piiunds

of power.

1. PRUUTY&; Co'3, A.

35

6f

123

80

2.28

m

2. " B.

33

6

12

72

2.19

m

3. " c.

31

6

10

60

1.94

15i.

4. " c.

36

5^

10

58

1.61

13

5. '' A.

34

6

13

78

2.30

18i

6. " A.

37

6

13f

80

2.16

15

li a a

44

^

13

94

2.14

17

RUGGLES & Co's,

7. Sward c.

33

6

12

72

2.19

l^i

8. "

40

^T

13

94

2.35

18a

" " Eagle

33

6

11

66

2.00

16

9. " Sward d.

33i

6

lU

69

2.06

16i-

10. " Eagle

33

6

103

65

1.99

153

The work thus stated was done with oxen. The
numbers in the column of power applied, indicate

32

ON PLOWS.

eighths of one hundred pounds. The number of square
inches of earth turned, is ascertained by multiplying the
width and depth of the furrow together; and the pro-
portionate result is ascertained, by dividing the quanti-
ty of earth turned, by the pow'er applied. The last col-
umn shows the number of square inches of earth turned
by the application of one hundred pounds of power.

Work was done by plows Nos. G and 7, when drawn by
a powerful span of horses as follows:

No.

Uescripi ioi of Hlo(

Pownr j Depthof VViilh of Crrl,
applied. . fuirovv. furioiv. tuniecJ.

; Kan li turned
Result. I by 1(10 pounda
j ol" power.

6. PifOUTY & Cq'3, a. 40

7. RUGGLE?, fcCo's, C. 40

H

H

12 66
12 75

1.65

1.87

13J
15"

In experiments of this kind, the time in which the
work is performed, is an important item to be taken in-
to consideration. This will be apparent, when we
compare the work done by horses with that done by
oxen. Probably, the furrows turned by the horses were
done in two thirds of the time occupied by the oxen;
that is, the horses would plow three furrows, while the
oxen plow two. How long they would be able to con-
tinue to work in this manner, is proper to be inquired
into. For if they could continue through the day, and
the plowman could hold out to follow them, it is mani-
fest that the result produced would be much in their fa-
vor. Especially when trained as, in the present in-
stance, were Mr. Marland's horses, to use, without a
driver, the plowman taking the whole charge of the
team.

We have been thus particular in noticing all the in-
cidents connected with these experiments, because in
this way alone is it possible to approximate to a just
comparison of merits; — and when this is done, certainty
is not attainable. Very much depends on the skill and
adroitness of the plowman. A little additional atten-
tion would add one inch to the width of the furrow.
Care to keep the plow true without pressure upon the
handles, will lessen the power of the draft. So that the

ON PLOWS. 33

result produced may be essentially varied, by a skillful
handling ot the plow.

Plows Nos. 1 and 2 were entered by Joseph Kittredge,
of Andover.

No. 3 by Prouty & Mears, of Boston.

No. 4 by Seth Kimball, of Andover.

No. 5 by Samuel Jenkins, Jr., of Andover.

No. 6 by John F. Carlton, of Andover.

No. 7 by Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover.

Nos. 8 and 9 by Wm. S. Marland, of Andover.

No. 10 by Joseph C. Putnam, of Danvers.

While examining the work, your committee had some
doubt whether the dynamometer indicated truly the ac-
tual power in pounds weight applied by the team ; — but
a re-examination of the instrument, as to the manner in
which it is graduated, by the actual suspension of so ma-
ny pounds weight upon it, as well as the assurance of
the Editor of the N. E. Farmer, who has much practical
experience in these matters, has removed these doubts.
Our conclusion is, that the actual power applied to draw
a plow in common grass land, varies from three hundred
to six hundred pounds, — depending upon the structure of
the plow and the skill of the plowman ; and that by
proper attention to these considerations, and due care
in obtaining plows of the best construction, one half
of the labour and expense of plowing may be saved,
as compared with the manner in which it is usually
done.

Thus far your Committee found their duty a pleasant
one, because they felt they were eliciting valuable infor-
mation on a useful subject. But when they came to re-
view their minutes, and to attempt to discriminate,
where the shades of difference were so very slight, it
was no easy task to be assured, which of several should
have the preference.

From the plows made by D. Prouty & Co. we se-
lected No. 5, entered by Samuel Jenkins, Jr., and No.
6, entered by John F. Carlton.
5

34 ON PLOWS.

From the plows made by Ruggles, Nourse & Co. we
selected No. 7, entered by Ralph H. Chandler.

On a comparison of these, on the conditions for which
the premium was offered, viz : — " For the best plow,
character of the work done by ii, easiness of draught,
workmanship, and cost of implement, being taken into
consideration," your Committee unanimously agreed to
recommend that the premium of ten dollars be awarded
to Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover, for his plough, made
by Ruggles & Co., sward C, costing twelve dollars. This
was the largest size, from these manufacturers, on the
field. We understand that they have one size larger.
But we had no opportunity to compare the work of the
largest size of the Ruggles plows. In the experiments
we made we found, as a general result, that the larger
plows did the most work, in proportion to the power ap-
plied.

At the same time we give this preference, because
such is the conclusion to which we came, we do not
think that the manufacturers of the other plows should
be at all discouraged, in further attempting the perfec-
tion of this most important instrument of agriculture.
We hope that one or more premiums of this description
will be annually offered — that the attention of inge-
nious artists will be directed to the subject ; — and that
the contest for superiority will be continued, so long as
efficient laborers and patient committees can be found
ready and willing to devote their attention.

To Messrs. Clark, Chandler and Marland, for the free
use of their teams, and to Dr. Johnson, for the accom-
modation of his land, we desire to express the thanks of
the Society.

Respectfully submitted, by

MOSES NEWELL, )
W. SUTTON, I

HOBART CLARK, I ^ .,,
N. W. HAZEN, ( C'^^^^^^^^^-

J. W. PROCTOR, I
A. T. NEWHALL, J

Andover, October 4, 1842.

ON PLOUGHING. 35

WITH HORSE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Horse Teams, re-
•spectfuUy Report:

That 5 teams were entered for premium, and per-
formed their work as follows:

Time. Furrows.

Land No. 1, Seth Kimball, of Andover, 51 m. 17
*' " 2, Plummer Weeks, ot " 46" 15

" " 3, Wm. S. Marland, of " 54 " 16

" " 4, John A.Stevens, of Methuen, 45 " 17
" " 5, Joseph C. Putnam, of Danvers, quit the

ground after the second round.

To Seth Kimball, of Andover, they award the first
premium of eight dollars.

To John A. Stevens of Methuen, the second premium
of six dollars.

Your committee would remark, that the ground se-
lected was very rocky, and that there was considerable
inequality in the several lands.

In awarding the second premium, it was diffi-
cult to determine which of the two, numbers 2 or
4, was entitled to it; and their decision is, that a slight
preference should be given to number 4; to number 2 a
gratuity of four dollars is recommended, should it come
within your rules.

Soon after starting, number 3 unfortunately broke
the share of his plough, which, of course, injured his
work. The whole work was, in the opinion of your
committee, of a character highly creditable to the com-
petitors.

The ploughs used by Nos. 1, 2 and 4, were of the man-
ufacture of Prouty & Mears. That of No. 3, of Ruggles,
Nourse & Mason.

In behalf of Committee,

WM. P. ENDICOTT.

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

36 ON WORKING CATTLE,

ON WORKING OXEN AND STEERS.

The Committee on Working Oxen and Steers, hav-
ing attended to that duty, would respectfully Report:

There were twenty-three pair of working oxen en-
tered, and seventeen pair appeared on the ground.

Most of them appeared very well, and all drew
well, but some were very deficient in backing. Your
committee were unanimous in awarding the premiums
as follows:

First premium, of ten dollars, to Doct. Joseph Kit-
tredge, of Andover.

Second premium, of seven dollars, to Charles Foster,
of Andover.

Third premium, of five dollars, to Joseph Holt, Jr.,
of Andover.

First premium, of seven dollars, for steers, to Wm.
Peters, of Andover.

Second premium, of five dollars, to John F. Carlton,
of Andover.

All of which is respectfully submitted.
ERASTUS WARE, i

JOSIAH F. ABBOTT, } Committee.
FARNHAM wSPOFFORD, )

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842,

ON STEERS.

The Committee on Steers Report:
That there were four pair of three year old steers
entered for premium.

One pair bv Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover.
" " " Allen W.Dodge, of Hamilton.
" " '' Amos Berry of Andover.
Two pair of two year old steers:

One pair by Isaac Osgood, of Andover.
" " " Charles Foster, of 7\ndovcr,

ON WORKING CATTLE. 37

One pair of yearling steers, twins, by Jacob Farn-
ham, of Andover.

One pair of steer calves, 5 months old, by Thomas
E. Pay son, of Rowley; and two pair by Samuel F.
Barker, of Andover.

The committee consider the three year old steers of
a superior quality, as to size, training, and also as to
being well matched.

The two years old steers were not considered supe-
rior as to size or appearance.

The yearling steers were of common size, and so well
trained, that a small boy could drive them in the yoke,
in any direction, at pleasure, among the crowd of spec-
tators.

The steer calves of Mr. Payson, were from Dur-
ham stock ; one of them is considered a superior
calf.

The four calves of Mr. Barker, of Andover, were of
fair quality. It was not ascertained of what stock.

After a good deal of hesitation and repeated exami-
nation, the committee have agreed to award the first
premium, of seven dollars, to Allen W. Dodge, of Ham-
ilton, for his three year old steers.

To Joseph Kittredge, of Andover, the second premi-
um, of five dollars, for his three years old steers.

The second premium, of four dollars, to Charles Fos-
ter, of Andover, for his two years old steers.

The first premium, of four dollars, to Jacob Farnham,
of Andover, for his yearling steers.

They also recommend a gratuity of two 'dollars to
Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover, for his three years old
steers.

Also, to Thomas E. Payson, of Rowley, a gratuity of
two dollars for his calf.

Also, a gratuity of two dollars to Samuel F. Barker,
of Andover, for his four calves.

For the Committee,

MOSES NEWELL.
Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

38 ON FAT CATTLE AND BULLS.

ON FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle have attended to their
duty, and respectfully Report:

That only three pair of oxen were entered for pre-
mium.

One pair by Charles B. Lander, of Danvers.
a a a Alexander Davidson, of Andover.
" " " Joseph Kittredge, of Andover.
The Comittee have awarded to Joseph Kittredge, the
first premium, of fifteen dollars, for his near ox.

To Alexander Davidson, the second premium, of ten
dollars, for his near ox.

Your committee would remark, that, considering the
abundant crops of feed the present season, they were
surprised at not seeing more fat cattle. The pair offer-
ed by Mr. Lander, were good cattle, but as but two
premiums were offered, they were excluded.
AMOS KIMBALL, )
OLIVER EMERSON, \ Committee.
OTLS BAILEY, )

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

ON BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls Report:

That there were entered ten bulls; two for exhibi-
tion, and eight for premium.

The two first, one a full-blooded Ayreshire, belong-
ing to William S. Marland, the other a half-blooded
Durham, belonging to Josiah Crosby, having received
the Society's first premium, were entered for exhibition.
The committee, much pleased with the above animals,
were unanimous that they were equal to any ever ex-
hibited in the county, and for the interest which the a-
bove gentlemen took in the exhibition, they are entitled
to the thanks ofthe Societv.

ON COWS AND HEIFERS, 39

The committee award the first premium, of ten dollars^
to Enoch Silsby, of Bradford, for his full-blooded Dur-
ham short-horn, two years and five months old, from
imported stock, as appeared by statement.

They award tiie second premium, of eight dollars, to
Thomas E. Payson, of Rowley, for his full-blooded Dur-
ham, two years and five months.

They award the third premium, of six dollars, to Wil-
liam P. Endicott, of Salem, for a full-blooded Durham,
short-horn, four years.

They award the fourth premium, of four dollars, to
Benjamin Boynton, jr., of Andover, for a half-blooded
Durham, two years and two months.

There were several other bulls of promise, particular-
ly, the bull Napoleon, belonging to George Hood, of
Lynn.

There were also several bull calves; one from the In-
dian Hill farm, belonging to Benjamin Poor, which the
committee consider a superior animal, and for which
they recommend a gratuity of three dollars.

They farther recommend a gratuity of two dollars, to
Charles B. Lander, of Danvers, for a three-quarters
Durham bull calf.

They also recommend a gratuity of two dollars to
Daniel P. King, of Danvers, for a three quarters Dur-
ham bull calf.

All which is respectfully submitted,
For the Committee,

JOSEPH KITTREDGE.

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

ON COWS AND HEIFERS.

The committee on Cows and Heifers, having attended
to their duty, make Report as follows:

The number entered for premiums and exhibition was
larger than at some former years, although not equal to
what might have been expected from that part of the
county in which the exhibition was had, A number of

40 ON cows AND HEIFERS.

COWS and heifers were entered for exhibition only. An
imported cow from Bartlett farm, Methuen. A large,
fine cow, not in milch. A very beautiful, half-blood
heifer, twenty-eight months old, belonging to Daniel P.
King, of Danvers, with a bull calf, three months old.
The heifer was of fine size, form and colour, and gave
much promise for her milking qualities.

A number of cows and heifers were entered for pre-
mium, but were not accompanied with a statement suf-
ficiently exact to entitle them to the Society's premi-
um. The committee had much difficulty in determining
to whom the several premiums should be awarded, ow-
ing in part to the different manner in which the animals
.had been kept, some having had grain while others had
none; they, however, assume the position that the farm-
ers of the county of Essex do not consider it good poli-
cy to feed cows with grain during the summer season.
Therefore, other things being equal, they award to
those that have had no extra feed in preference to those
that have.

The first premium of ten dollars, they award to Jo-
seph Kittredge, of Andover, for his cow, nine years old.

The second of seven dollars, to Jeremiah Stickney, of
Rowley, for his cow, eight years old.

The third, of five dollars, to George Hood, of Lynn,
for his cow Countess, six years old.

On heifers, the first premium, of seven dollars, to Wil-
liam S. Annis, of Methuen.

The second, of five dollars, to William S. Marland, of
Andover.

Respectfully submitted, for the Committee,

DEAN ROBINSON.

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

JOSEPH KITTREDGE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Cows and Heifers:

I offer for premium, my cow Fairface. She calved
the last of April. Her calf was taken from her the 1st

ON COWS AND HEIFERS. 41

of June, between which time and the 24th ol Sept., she
has given 3740 pounds of milk, being an average of 32
pounds a day- From an experiment made to try the
quality of her milk, I found it took 26 pounds of her milk
to make a pound of butter. The above cow is 9 years
old, and has had nothing but pasture feed.

I also exhibit for premium, a heifer 2 years old, from
the above cow. She calved about the middle of May;
her calf was taken from her the 1st of June. Her milk
has been weighed regularly since that time, until the
24th of Sept. She has given 2409 pounds of milk, being
an average of 21 pounds a day. From an experiment
made with her milk, I find a pound of butter can be
made from 23| pounds of milk. She has been in the
same pasture with her mother during the summer, and
has had no extra feed.

Respectfully submitted,

JOSEPH KITTREDGE.

Andover, Sept. 28th, 1842.

JEREMIAH STICKNEY'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Cows and Heifers:

Gentlemen — The cow which I offer for premium is
eight years old. She calved in March, and has given
since 35 lbs. of milk daily on an average. We have
made from her on an average 35 lbs. of butter per month,
and have used milk sufficient for the other uses of a very
large family besides, and have kept no other cow. She
has been fed on hay and grass only. Her butter is of
the best quality, and she will milk up to her calving, on
common feed.

JEREMIAH STICKNEY.

Rowley, Sept. 27, 1842.

GEORGE HOOD'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Coivs and Heifers:

Gentlemen — The Cow Countess which I have enter-
6

42 ON cows AND HEIFERS.

ed this day for exhibition, is 6 years old. She was rais-
ed in this town. The sire, a native bull, a fine animal.
The dam, Dolly, an extraordinary milker, bred by Benj.
J. Phillips, Esq., of this town, and believed to be a full
blood Durham short horn. A particular description of
her may be found in Colman's 4th Report, No. 10, page
276. The quantity of milk which she has given at dif-
ferent periods is there stated. I have owned her three
years, and she has averaged 16 qts. per day for 6 months^
In January 1840, she gave 565 qts. milk measured out,
averaging over 18 qts. per day in the coldest winter
month. She is remarkable for transmitting her milking
qualities to her offspring. Several of her calves have
been raised here, and are nearly equal to her.

This Cow Countess bids fair to excel her dam. I
purchased her in Sept. 1839 — she had her second-calf
the Oct. following, and she gave for some months after-
wards 14 qts. milk per day, being then in the 4th year.
She has since had two calves, and has increased and
given a large quantity of milk, but being kept on the
farm with 20 other cows, no account has been kept of it,
until May last. She had a calf on the 3d of May, and
from the 12th a record was kept of the weight of her
milk, a statement of which is herewith submitted. Dur-
ing the time stated, 138 days, she has given 5956 lbs.
or 2382 qts. averaging 17^ qts. per day. I intend to con-
tinue the account, and ascertain how much she will give
in a year. She holds out w^ell, and will give milk up to
time of calving, but I prefer to dry my cows, and give
them 6 weeks rest. If they have this time to recruit I
think they do better.

The milk from this cow is rich and makes excellent
butter. She is kept on a milk farm, and the quantity of
butter she would make has not been fairly tested. From
the 12th to the 18th June last, she gave 335^ lbs. milk,
being 19| qts. per day for 7 days. This milk was set
and produced 15 lbs. of butter. The milk was carried
two miles in cans, and it was about two hours before it
was set, which probably lessened the quantity of cream.
I think she would produce 18 lbs. of butter per week on

ON SWINE. 43

a fair trial. She has had a good pasture, and been fed
with oats and corn, cut green at morning and evening.
During the past 4 months she has had 5 bags of wheat
bran or shorts. This cow has not before been offered
for exhibition.

If any further information in regard to her is desired
by the committee, I shall be happy to furnish it.
Respectfully, yours, &.C.,

GEORGE HOOD.

Lynn, Sept. 27, 1842.

[Note. By well authenticated statements it appears
that Mr. Hood's cow produced from May 12th to Sept.
26th, 138 days, 5956 pounds milk; greatest quantity in
one day, 53 pounds.]

WM. S. ANNIS'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Cows and Heifers:

Gentlemen — I offer for premium, a young cow, two
years and three months old. She has given thirteen
quarts of milk in one day. She gives now eight quarts.
In summer, when she gave most, she had nothing but
grass. She has now one quart meal and oats.

WM. S. ANNIS.

Methuen, Sept. 27th, 1842.

ON SWINE.

The Committee on Swine Report :

That the show in their department has been meagre,
compared with most parts of the day's exhibition. The
only entries were by

Levi Davis, of Andover — sow and pigs.

Josiah Crosby, of Andover — one boar, five pigs.

William S. Marland, Andover — sow and two pigs.

Master George Gould, Andover— one Berkshire sow.

Bailey Loring, Andover — four pigs, one boar.

44 ON HORSES.

After examination, and a hunt for Master Gould's
Berkshire sow, which was unsuccessful, the committee
unanimously agreed to recommend that the Society's
first premium, of five dollars, be awarded to William S.
Marland, of Andover, for the best breeding sow. Two
pigs, four months old, by her side, were of superior ex-
cellence, but were not enough in number to entitle them
to a premium. For the best litter of weaned pigs, they
recommend the first premium, of six dollars, to Bailey
Loring of Andover.

The second premium, of three dollars, to Josiah Cros-
by, of Andover.

Mr. Levi Davis's pigs were pretty for their age, but
being only four weeks old, are not entitled, by your
rules, to a premium.

Your committee were honored also with power

, to sit in judgment upon sheep. After all due search,

they were able to find only a solitary lamb, and when

found, it was thought enough to make mention of the

fact. For the Committe,

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

A. DURANT.

ON HORSES.

The Committe on Horses Report:

That there were two entries; one by James Abbot, of
Andover, a sorrel colt, three years old last July. The
colt was well formed, but of a small size, and not con-
sidered one that will make a horse commanding high
price, unless her speed will add much to her value; not
being thoroughly broke, the committee had no means ot
judging as to that property.

A mare and colt by Thomas Wellwork, of Andover.
The mare, of small size; the colt, four months old, over
middling size; said to be from the sorrel horse, Black
Hawk, which stands high as a horse of blood, speed and
bottom.

ON STOCK. 45

We should recommend for the improvement of our
stock of horses, that mares of a large size be put to this
celebrated horse.

The committee recommend a gratuity, of two dollars,
to James Abbott, for his three year old colt.

Also, a gratuity, of three dollars, to Thomas Well-
work, of Andover, for his colt, four months old.

The committee understand no premium is offered for
the exhibition of horses or colts; and that it was dis-
continued on the ground that premiums had been award-
ed to animals of inferior qualities.

They do not consider this a reason sufficient, and they
do consider that our stock of horses need improving,
and that the farming community have means at command
to do it, and would recommend to the trustees to re-
vise the decision they have come to in this particular-

EASTMAN SANBORN.

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

ON STOCK FROM OTHER COUNTIES.

The Committee for the examination of Stock, from
Dther counties, respectfully Report:

A communication from H. C. Merriam, Esq., of
Tewdisbury, was referred to the committee. He states,
that at the request of some members of the Society, he
had sent some of his stock for exhibition. Mr. Merriam
was kind enough to send a pair of five years old steers.
A bull fourteen months old, and two heifers; all of the
stock of Hon. John Wells.

He also sent a roan cow, four years old, and a heifer,
three years old, Durham stock, and two other heifers.

The attention paid by Mr. Merriam to his stock, and
their superior quality, is well known. In the opinion of
the committee, the Society is much indebted to him for
the interest he has taken in their exhibition; and they
deeply regret that they had not an opportunity to ex-
amine the stock above enumerated, as the animals all

46 ON THE DAIRY.

unfortunately escaped from the pens, and were not re-
covered in season for examination. They hope Mr.
Merriam will not be discouraged from sending a portion
of his stock on a future occasion.

The committee, however, have examined, and with
great pleasure, a pair of large, fat oxen, belonging to Mr.
Merriam. In their opinion, these oxen would be distin-
guished at any cattle show, in this or any other county.
They appear to he first rate, in every respect.
L. SALTONSTALL, )
E. SILSBY, V Committee.

J. KITTREDGE, )
Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

ON THE DAIRY.

The Committee on the Dairy would Report:

That there has not been so much interest manifested
among our good dairy women, the present year, as
would be desirable. There were but four entries of
June butter. Some of it was of very good quality.

We recommend the first premium of ten dollars to be
awarded to Wm. R. Putnam, of Wenham ; the second
premium of eight dollars to Daniel Putnam, of Danvers.

There were six lots of September butter entered for
premium (a part of it, however, was not entered with
the Secretary). Your committee were of opinion that
some of the claimants were not acquainted with good
butter, and were not aware how theirs would compare
with it.

We however recommend the first premium, of ten dol-
lars, to Nathaniel Felton, of Danvers, the second pre-
mium, of eight dollars, to Isaac Carruth, of Andover.

There were but four lots of cheese entered for pre-
mium ; but it was all of very good quality, and it was
with some difficulty your committee could decide which
deserved a premium the most. We however recom-
mend the first premium, often dollars, to be awarded to

ON THE DAIRY. 47

widow Lucy Osgood, of Andover; the second premium,
of eight dollars, to Isaac Carruth, of Andover.
Per order of the Committee.

JOSEPH HOW, Chairman.
Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

WILLIAM R. PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection a pot ol
June butter, containing 37 lbs.

Process of making : — The milk is strained into tin
pans ; it stands 48 hours, if the weather is cool ; the
cream is then taken off and put into tin pails and stirred
occasionally, and a little salt put in. We churn twice
a week. When the butter-milk is drawn from it we
rinse it thoroughly in cold water ; it is then taken from
the churn, worked in part, salted, and a quarter of an
ounce of sugar added. In about 24 hours it is again
worked and put into the pot. Jt has been kept in the
well, during the summer, about 15 feet from the top.

We have on the farm eleven cows, one of which was
farrow last winter, and three of them were heifers with
their first calves. The calves were not all sold until
the first of July, so that we cannot state precisely what
quantity we made per cow The whole quantity made,,
from the first of June to the ninth of July, was 262 lbs.
We used what milk was necessary for the family. The
feed of cows was a common pasture.

WM. R. PUTNAM.
From R. C. Winthrop's farm,

Wenham, Sept. 26, 1842.

DANIEL PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — The firkin of June butter presented
for your notice contains 50 pounds.

48 ON THE DAIRY.

Process of making : — The milk is strained into tin
pans ; stands 36 hours ; then the cream is taken off,
put into tin pails, and occasionally stirred. We churn
twice a week. When the butter is gathered, the butter-
milk is drawn off, the butter is rinsed in two waters,
then is taken out, worked in part, salted, (one ounce of
salt to a pound of butter, and a quarter of an ounce of
loaf sugar to the same quantity,) and set in the cellar
for 24 hours, after which the working is completed, and
it is placed in the firkin. It was kept in the cellar du-
ring the summer.

The number of pounds made from the first of June to
the 9th of July was 273, from seven cows the three first
weeks, afterwards from eight.

DANIEL PUTNAM.

North Danvers, Sept 28, 1842.

NATHANIEL FELTON'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy:

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection, two box-
es of September butter, containing 25 pounds, being a
specimen of 889 pounds, made since the 20th of May.

Process of making: — The milk is strained into tin pans;
it stands from thirty-six to forty-eight hours in a cool
cellar, when the cream is taken off, put into tin pails
and stirred every day. We churn once a week. Dur-
ing the warmest weather, the cream is placed in the
well about twelve hours before churning. After it is
churned, the butter-milk is thoroughly worked out, and
the butter is salted to the taste; after standing about an
hour, it is again worked, and weighed, each pound sep-
arately.

This butter was made from the milk of eight cows;
the feed was common pasturing till the middle of Au-
gust; since then, they have had green stalks once a day.
We have sold and used in the family about three gal-
Ions per week. NATHANIEL FELTON.

South Danvers, Sept. 27th, 1842.

ON THE DAIRY. 49

ISAAC CARRUTH'S STATEMEiNT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gextle:\iex — I offer for your inspectiqn, a lot of
butter, made in Sept. We have milked four cows this
season, one of them was milked the last winter. We
use one cow's milk in our family, which leaves but
three to make butter and cheese from. From the 15th
of May to the last of August, we made 174 pounds of
new milk and 281 pounds of four-meal cheese, and up
to this time 204 pounds of butter. The feeding of the
cows has been grass only. The general management of
my dairy is to make butter and four-meal cheese until
the hot weather commences, then we make new cheese
until about the last of August, then butter, &c.

The process of making is to strain the milk into tin
pans, set it in the coolest place, to remain thirty-six or
forty-eight hours, depending on the weather; the cream
is then taken off and churned twice a week. After the
butter is taken from the churn it is salted in part, set in
a cool place, to remain until the next day, when it is
wrouoht with the hands until all the butter- milk is out ;
then it is salted to the taste, which I should think took
about a tea-cup of salt to six pounds of butter, with the
addition of one ounce of the best refined sugar to two
pounds of butter.

Yours respectfully, ISAAC GARRUTH.

Andover, Sept. 27th, 1842.

LUCY OSGOOD'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy:

The following statement is respectfully submitted to
the Committee on the Dairy, by Lucy Osgood, widow
of the late Mr. Jacob Osgood, who continues to carry on
the farm owned by him, and is aged seventy-four years.
Butter and four-meal cheese made by her in May,
June, and Septembei : —

Butter made, 143 pounds.

Four-meal cheese made, 246 do=

7

50 ON THE DAIRY.

New milk cheese made by /?fr since the 22d of June,,
July and August, 601 pounds.

The above quantity of butter and cheese was made
from the milk of five cows and three two year old heif-
ers, (two of the cows gave milk through the wdnter,)
deducting that of two which was needed for family use.
The cows had only the common keeping, grass only.
The process of making the new milk cheese: — Strain
the milk into a brass kettle, set it in a tub df cold water.
In the morning it is warmed and mixed with the morn-
ing's milk; the rennet is put in and stirred well; let it
stand one hour, or till the whey appears; cut the curd
with a knife that goes to the bottom of tub and the curd
will gradually settle; lade off the whey, and cut the
curd; press the bowl or pan with one hand gently on
the curd, the other with a tin dish made in the form of
a clam shell; when the whey is mostly extracted from
the curd, one gallon or more of boiling whey is turned
upon it; then cut the curd as before, cover the tub, let
it stand fifteen or twenty minutes, dip the curd with a
flat dish into a pan, and lay it in the basket to drain;
cut it frequently with a knife, till there is no appearance
of slip curd; it is then put into a bowl or tray and chop-
ped fine; three gills of fine salt, one sixth of a tea-
spoon-full of saltpetre. It takes four or five hours with
diligent attention to mature the curd fit for the press.
The cheese is turned twice a day for three days; when
carried into the chamber, it is swathed six or eight days,
to prevent it from spreading; turned once a day till
cold w^eather; then carried into the cellar, laid on a ta-
ble, and rubbed and turned twice a week.
Respectfully yours,

LUCY OSGOOD.

Andover, Sept. 27th, 1842.

ISAAC CARRUTH'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — I present for your inspection, six chees-
es made in July. We have milked four cows through

ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS, 6l

the season, and one was milked through the last winter.
We use one cow's milk in our family, therefore we cal-
culate but three cows to make butter and cheese from.
From the 15th of May to the last ot August, we have
made 174 pounds of new milk and 281 pounds of four-
meal cheese, and up to this time 204 pounds of butter.
The feeding of the cows has been grass only. The
process of making you will find fully stated in the So-
ciety's Transactions of 1841.

Yours respectfully,

ISAAC CAR RUTH.
Andover, Sept, 27, 1842.

IMPROVING MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS.

The Committee on Improving Meadow and Swamp
Lands Report:

That the attention of your committee has been called
to one claim only for improving these lands — that of
Daniel P. King, of Danvers. Mr. King has made ex-
periments on several pieces of meadow lands, with good
success, the crops of hay, the first season after sowing,
with the pairings of the meadow for manure, having
more than paid the expense of reclaiming. His state-
ment, herewith submitted, w^ill explain his mode of re-
claiming and cultivating said land.

Your committee regret that more claims for premiums
have not been made the present year, so that by the
statements of claimants the process of draining and cul-
tivating, and of the different kinds of crops produced
w^ith the greatest success, might have been made more
generally know^n ; but notwithstanding there has been
but one claim presented, they have the pleasure to
know that there are many pieces of these lands now in
the process of reclamation within the County, that ma-
ny pieces that have been w'orked but a few years are
very productive in grain, grass and vegetables, and that
the result of the experiments already made has raised

52 ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS.

the value of these lands very much within two or three
years past. Our mefidow and swamp lands, where they
can be drained at a reasonable expense, are now worth
from fifty to one hundred dollars per acre, and all doubts
as to the utility of redeeming these lands from the mort-
gages of water, bushes, &c., under which they have so
long been lying, have passed away, as the whole ex-
pense of rendering them productive, exclusive of drain-
ing, according to statements made by several gentle-
men who have kept accurate accounts of the cost for la-
bour, manure, &c., has been reimbursed by the crops of
one or two years at most, and in some instances includ-
ing the cost of the land and draining. See Mr. Osborn's
statements in the Reports of the Society in 1838 and
1839. The time seems to have passed by when preju-
dice and want of confidence in the success of the under-
taking shall, as heretofore, prevent reclaiming and cul-
tivating these lands ; and hearing farmers speak upon
this subject at the present time, it will hardly be credit-
ed that some thirty or forty years ago, a man who should
have undertaken to drain a piece of meadow land, and
to have carried on sand, loam, or gravel, for the pur-
pose of rendering it productive in grain or the best of
grasses, would have been laughed and sneered at, as
was Noah of old when he built the ark.

The committee, having viewed Mr. King's meadow
and examined his statements, recommend the Society's
first premium of twenty dollars be awarded to him.

ASA T. NEWHALL.

ALLEN PUTNAM.

RICIL'\RD PHILLIPS, Jr.

DANIEL P. KINGS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Reclaming Meadow Lands :

Genti,emen — I have made several experiments in
improving wet meadow and peat lands which I will, as
briefly as possible, state to you.

ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS. 53

On land which admits of ploughing, I have planted
potatoes on coarse stable manure; after removing the
crop, I have sowed winter rj^e and herds and red top
seed, as late as November, and they have always grown
well and given good crops. After a few years the grass
will degenerate, and I have found unleached wood ashes
the best application to invigorate the soil.

i have spread gravel and the accumulations under an
old barn floor on a wet meadow, and sown grass seed,
and the crop has been very heavy.

In 1839, I ploughed forty poles of peat meadow, and
planted potatoes on coarse stable manure. I harvested
in the fall sixty bushels of excellent potatoes. The next
spring I again ploughed, and applied a compost of fif-
teen bushels of bone manure and three cart loads of
loam; on this I raised a large crop of sugar beets and
ruta baga; one of the former, weighing with the tops,
seventeen pounds, and one of the latter, twenty five
pounds. The ground appeared like a rich bed of com-
post, and I carted from it ten cords which I spread upon
upland grass. In the fall, one cord of horse manure
was ploughed in and winter rye and grass seed sown.
In July, 1841, 8 bushels of rye were reaped, and soon
after, a good crop of grass. In August, of the same
year, a second crop of grass was cut on this piece. This
year, the first crop of hay was fifty hundred to the acre,
and the second, twenty.

I have drained four other pieces which were so miry
that oxen could not travel over them. The peat for
fuel fully pays the expense of ditching. The annual
crop before my improvement was not worth a shilling
per acre: it was buck horn and low bushes. This
meadow has been pared with a topping knife to the
depth of three and four inches, according to the depth
of the wild grass and roots, then cut into squares of fif-
teen inches and inverted. Coarse stable manure has
been wheeled on, potatoes dropped and covered with
the loosest sods. Little labor is required in hoeing.
The crops of potatoes have been good in quantity, and
excellent in quality. Till this year, when a part of the

54 ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

meadow was flooded by the heavy rains in June, the
crop has been two hundred bushels to the acre. Cab-
bages and beets have also done well. After securing
the crop of potatoes, I have taken off* the loose toppings
and used them for compost. The quantity removed is
not far from sixty cords to the acre. The toughest and
most rooty sods I have burned on the meadow, and
spread the ashes, but the ashes so applied, have not
equalled my expectations. After removing the sods,
the surface was levelled with rakes, and winter rye and
grass seed sown, This was on the sixteenth of No-
vember. Early in the spring, I spread on the meadow
w^oolen waste from a carpet factory, and on a part of it,
a compost of hen manure and loam. The latter produ-
ced a most luxuriant growth. The rye w^as partly win-
ter killed, but what survived was rank and heavy.
After reaping the rye, more than thirty hundred to the-
acre of grass and stubble was mowed, and another crop
might have been made, but I preferred to feed it off*.

The present season I have treated two parcels in the
same manner except that 1 have sown foul meadow
with the herds grass and red top, and I have not
sown rye, for I find that ordinarily the grass will be
forward enough to mow the summer after sowing in the
fall. I had doubts of the expediency of sowing so late
as November, but my success has encouraged me to re-
peat the experiment. I have a compost of loam and
stable manure, which I intend to spread on my reclaim-
ed meadows. I consider them the most profitable land
for grass, and the toppings removed afford a rich con-
tribution to the barn yard, pig pen, and compost heap.

The quantity of land on which I have made experi-
ments, exceeds three acres.

Respectfully submitted, DANIEL P. KING.

Dan vers, Nov. 1, 1842.

ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMKNTS.
The Committee on Improved Agricultural Imple-

ON FATTENING CA.TTLE AND SWINE. 55

merits have attended to that service, and ask leave to
Report:

There were only three articles exhibited to your com-
mittee for premium, neither of which, in the opinion of
the committee, were within the rule for premium.

Mr. Charles B. Lander, of Dan vers, exhibited a Mar-
ket Wagon, the body placed upon eliptical springs, so
as to bring it very near the ground. This is a very
neat and convenient carriage, and of good workmanship.
A gratuity of three dollars is recommended to be paid
to Mr. Lander.

Mr. Sargeant A. Morse, of Topsfield, exhibited a
model of twelve Ploughs to run abreast of each other.
Your committee are of opinion that if it were practica-
ble to use a machine built after this model, it would be
better done in the western country and propelled by
steam.

Mr. Sylvester Stevens, of Stoneham, exhibited a re-
volving Straw Cutter, which was considered an improve-
ment upon similar machines of this description, and a
very fine article. A gratuity of six dollars is recom-
mended to be paid to him.

Respectfully submitted, per order,

HOBART CLARK.

Andover, Sept. 28th, 1842.

ON FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE.

The Committee on Fattening Cattle and Swine beg
leave to make the following Report:

But one claim for the premium was entered, viz: by
Mr. Joseph How, of Methuen, accompanied by an
exact and minute detail of the manner of feeding five
swine, for the space of ninety-six days, ending Nov..
28th, 1842. This statement is herewith transmitted,,
which, we think, will not fail of arresting the attention,
of the fatteners of swine.

The committee were unanimous in awarding him the
first premium of fifteen dollars.

56 ON FATTENING CATTLE AND SWIiNE.

No claims have been entered with the committee, for
fattening cattle, and as we have very little experi-
ence ourselves upon the subject, we will dismiss this
part of our duty.

With respect to the fattening of swine, we have a lit-
tle more experience; we usually fat one a year.

Considerable has been said, of late years, in this
county, respecting apples, as food for swine.

For the last three or four years, we have been in the
practice of giving all our refuse apples to our swine.
The last year, viz. 1841, we gave him nothing else,
except the common wash of two cows and a small fami-
ly, for the space of three months, and he had had but
three bushels of meal when he was slaughtered. He
was of the China breed, small boned, and weighed in
December, twenty months old, 289 pounds.

The swine that we are fattening this year, has had
the same food till the apples were exhausted, w^hen raw
potatoes were substituted, and has up to this time only
eaten four bushels of meal; he will probably weigh be-
tween 350 and 400 pounds, dressed, being of the com-
mon native breed.

We have not been able to discover any essential dif-
ference, in the progress of his fattening, on the various
kinds of food, either on the apples, raw potatoes, or
meal. A common sized hog will consume about half a
bushel of apples, or a peck of potatoes, or half a peck
of meal per day. The feeding with uncooked potatoes
was suggested by a good farmer of Topsfield, who has
been in the practice of feeding his swine with them for
many years, and is of opinion that they are quite as
good as when cooked. We have taken particular no-
tice of his swine for several years, both before and
after killing, and it always has been good. All his
stock is of the first order of thrift, and his whole farm
gives evidence of being managed by a good farmer.

There does not appear any difficulty in making swine
eat raw potatoes, if they are accustomed to them when
young. As to apples they are very fond of them, espe-
cially sweet ; and w^e think sweet better than sour,

ON FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE. 57

inasmuch as swine will eat more of them. If uncooked
potatoes are as good as cooked, of which I have no
doubt, at least one half of the expense of feeding on po-
tatoes is saved ; for the expense of cooking must, at
least, be as much as the cost of the potatoes before cook-
ing, in small families. And ^ve think from the few trials
we have made with cooked apples, that they are quite
as good without cooking.

It is perhaps unnecessary to say, that after the appe-
tites of swine have been pampered up with cooked food,
they will refuse that which is not cooked.

With respect to the quality of the pork, which I have
made, by apples or potatoes, it has been distinctly pro-
nounced good, by experienced raisers of pork, and I
have never discovered any deterioration myself

We have been told by a distinguished pomatist, in
the county, that he kept half a dozen shotes, all winter,
on the pomace of his cider-mill, without anything else,
and that they did well. He enclosed ten or twelve
square rods, where he deposited his pomace, with a
temporary shelter for them. He makes five hundred or
more barrels of cider in a year. Another gentleman
told me, that for several years, since cider was not in so
great demand, he had turned his swine into his orchard,
and let them pick the apples for themselves, without
any other attention, except watering, and that he was
satisfied with their growth; that the trees were as much
benefitted as the swine. For the apple trees, standing
somewhat thickly, the swine kept the grass from grow-
ing, and the surface of the ground in a loose and mellow
state, which increased the quantity of fruit.
Per order of the Committee,

R. A. MERRIAM.

Topsfield, Nov. 30, 1842.

JOSEPH HOW'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Fattenimg Cattle and Swine.

Gentlemen — I resolved the present season to try
8

58 ON FATTENING CA.TTLE AND SWINE.

several experiments to ascertain the comparative value
of different kinds of food for swine; also, scalded and
unscalded food. In consequence, how^ever, of change
of food, some of the swine did not eat well. I found
the experiment would not be satisfactory to myself, and
I in part discontinued it.

The following is the result of the experiment on
scalded and unscalded meal.

On the 24th of August, I weighed five pigs, and put
them into four pens, and fed them with the same quan-
tity of meal; each pig was fed with 229 pounds of meal,
in fifty-six days, to which was added about three pints
of skimmed milk per day.

August 25th their weight was as follows:
Pig in pen No. 1, 106 pounds; fed on scalded meal.
" " " " 2, 110 " " raw meal.

" " " " 4, 81 " " scalded meal.

October 19th, I again w^eighed them; the result was
as follows:
Pig in pen No. 1, 170 pounds; gain in 56 days, 64 lbs.

u c. c. u 2, 180 " '' " " 70 do.

" " " " 3, 167 " " " " 68 do,

" " " " 4, 134 " " " " 61 do.

" " ^' " " 148 " " " " 67 do.

I then changed their food; those that had been fed
with scalded meal, I gave raw meal; and those that had
been fed with raw meal, I fed with scalded meal. And in-
stead of feeding them three times per day, as I had pre-
viously done, I fed them but twice per day; but gave
them the same quantity of food — 166 pounds, in 40 days.
November 28th, T weighed them again, and the result
was as follows:
Pig in pen No. 1, 209 pounds; gain in 40 days, 39 lbs.

u u u cc 2, 213 " " " " " 33 do.

*' " " " 3, 207 " " " " " 40 do.

" " " " 4, 183 " " " " " 35 do.

" " " " *' 182 " " " " " 49 do.

Thus -it appears that two pigs, fed on raw meal, gain-

OxV THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 59

ed in fifty-six days, 69 pounds each; and three pigs fed
on scalded meal during the same time, gained on aver-
age 64 pounds each; also, two fed on scalded meal,
gained in forty days, 36^ pounds each; and three fed on
raw meal, during the same time, gained 41 pounds each.

After weighing the pig that weighed 183 pounds, I
dressed it, and it then weighed 154 pounds.

That there should be no mistake in regard to the
above experiments, I have fed them nearly all the time
myself, and weighed them myself.

JOSEPH HOW.

Methuen, Sept. 27th, 1842.

ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

The Committee on the Cultivation of Crops, Re-
port:

That claims were entered by Allen Putnam, of Ham-
ilton, for corn.

Enoch Bradley, of Haverhill, for corn.

James Stevens, of Andover, for corn.

Overseers of the Poor, of Danvers, for summer rye.

John P. Webber, of Beverly, for wheat.

Their statements have been considered by the com-
mittee. Claims were entered by other gentlemen, who
have not presented statements.

Mr. Stevens harvested seventy-two bushels of corn,
from one acre, selected from four acres in the same
field. About twenty-seven bushels of rye to the acre,
were grown upon two acres, thirty-two poles of land —
a part of the town farm, in Danvers. Mr. Webber
states his crop of wheat to have been thirty-three bush-
els, on one acre sixty-five poles of land, about twenty-
four bushels to the acre. All these are very good
crops, and the statements give proof of judicious and"
successful cultivation; but they are not remarkably
large, and do not seem to have been the result of any

60 ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

peculiar mode of husbandry, which may be adopted by
other farmers with the certainty of equally successful
results.

Mr. Stevens says, that in preparing the land, he had
no view to planting for a premium, and his statement
does not give the quantity or kind of manure applied on
this or previous years, or the kind of corn planted. A
part of the land described by Mr. Webber, had been
sown to onions, and dressed annually with manure and
marsh-mud; the residue had been planted with pota-
toes two years, and manured m 1840, with fifteen horse
loads of mud, and in 1841, with two cords of stable ma-
nure; four and a half cords of manure from the hog-yard,
were ploughed in, the present year.

The committee are pleased to see Town Farms enter-
ed as competitors for the Society's premiums. The
mode of supporting and employing the poor on farms,
now so generally adopted in Essex, is both economical
for the towns, and conducive to the health and comfort
of the unfortunate inmates. Many of these establishments
are honorably distinguished not only for order, neat-
ness and comfort, but also for good husbandry.

Mr. Bradley seems to have made the best and most
judicious use of the means and implements within the
control of every farmer; and the liberal crop of nearly
ninety-seven bushels to the acre, was the result of his
good and careful cultivation.

The committee agree in awarding to him the premi-
um often dollars

To Mr. Putnam, the Society is indebted for repeated
experiments on manures, and for the very full detail he
has given the committee of the mode of preparing his
compost, and applying it to his corn-crop.

His mode of ploughing between the rows of corn and
severing its roots, is contrary to the generally received
opinion of farmers, and the result of his experiments in
that most important particular, profit, is unfavorable for
the present year at least, although we hope the future
produce of the land may shift the balance in his favor.
But so important is it to farmers to increase their means

ON THE CI!LTIVATI0N OF CROPS. 61

of manuring, and that the vahie of new ingredients of
compost should be tested by careful experiments, all ef-
forts of this kind should be regarded with favor. Hav-
ing only one premium to bestow, the committee recom-
mend a gratuity of five dollars be presented to Mr.
Putnam. And they also recommend that his statement,
and that of Mr. Bradley, be published in connexion with
this report.

For the committee,

J. H. DUNCAN.
Haverhill, Dec. 12th, 1842.

ENOCH BRADLEY'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops:

Gentlemen — In appearing as an apphcant for the
premium offered by the Essex Agricultural Society, on
crops, I beg leave to submit the following statement of
the mode of cultivation pursued and the result of my
experiment. The piece of ground selected for the pur-
pose was intervale, producing a very small crop of grass,
not more than half a ton to the acre, and contained by
measurement one acre and eight rods, as appears, by the
certificate of the surveyor. The ground was not of uni-
form quality ; a ridge comprised in the piece, containing
about 20 rods, did not produce more than one half the
average product of the rest. In the spring of 1841, I
had it broke up and sowed with oats, and in the fall
ploughed in the stubble. In the spring of 1842, as ear-
ly as practicable, I had hauled upon this piece of ground
thirty cart-loads of barn manure, in its green state; there
were about three and a half feet to a load; this was spread
and ploughed in immediately, that nothing might be lost
by exposure. Towards the middle of May it was again
ploughed and prepared for planting ; I had it furrowed
about three feet apart, and in the furrows of one half
the ground, I scattered three bushels of a compost, of
lime, ashes and plaster, in equal quantities. The effects
of this were quite apparent, in the increased productive-

62 ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

ness of that part of the ground to which it was apphed.
The seed was put in, on the 16th of May, in drills, at the
distance above stated. I used the common eight-rowed
corn, selected the previous year, for the smallness of the
cob ; it was covered slightly with a hoe and then rolled
over with a common roller. At weeding time and mow-
ing time, so called, I used the cultivator, passing through
the rows with it once each time ; subsequently, I had it
hoed once, and went through it once, and pulled out the
weeds by hand.

On the 1st of September I cut the stalks, and on the
20th gathered and husked the corn, which from the cer-
tificate of the person who measured it, filed herewith,
proves to be one hundred and three bushels rf sound corn.

The ground I have since ploughed, and laid down in
grass, which appears well.

Your obedient serv't,

ENOCH BRADLEY.

Haverhill, Sept. 27th, 1842.

I hereby certify, that I assisted in measuring the corn
raised by Mr Enoch Bradley, on one acre and eight rods
of land in Haverhill, and found the produce to be one
hundred and three bushels of sound corn. The mode
adopted was, to shell one basket of ears and ascertain
the quantity of sl^ielled corn, and then to measure the
remainder in the ear in the same basket, and complete
the whole quantity.

CHRISrOPHER HOW.

Haverhill, Nov. 26, 1842.

I hereby certify, that I surveyed a piece of land for
Mr Enoch Bradley, of Haverhill, on which he raised a
crop of corn the present season, and it contained one
acre and eight rods, and no more.

JOSEPH HOW.

Methuen, Sept. 20, 1842.

ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS, 63

ALLEN PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops:

Gentlemen — One acre and 95-100 of a square rod
of ground was measured by Mr A. Brown, as the accom-
panying certificate shows, and has been in my possession
only about two years. What had been done to it in
years preceding, and what had been the crops from it, I
have no means of learning, except that of inquiring of
my neighbors. The information they furnish, renders it
probable, that about one half of it, having been planted
to corn two or three years, and not highly manured,
was in 1834 sowed to grain and grass seed, and that it
had given a crop of hay annually from that time up to
the present year. The other half was planted to corn
in 1834, '5 and '6, having applied to it each year about
10 cart loads per acre, of common farm manure. In
1837 it was sowed with grain and grass seed, and has
been in mowing since. Neither part is remembered to
have been top dressed since it was laid down. The
crop of hay, I am told, was light in 1840. I know it
was so the first year 1 mowed it — 1841. Then the yield
by estimation was not more than ten or twelve hun-
dred pounds of hay per acre.

The soil is not uniform. Some limited spots are quite
gravelly, and on them, my crop this year suffered much
from drought for a few days. Other spots, the lov^
ones, have a deep black and strong soil — these ma^
make one fifth or one sixth of the acre. One portion
or one quarter perhaps of the whole, may still be showing
the beneficial efiects of having been once, some sixty or
an hundred years ago, the foundation and yards of a
dwelling house. The remainder is a loamy soil, of ordi-
nary quality, neither poor nor rich.

About the 20th of September, 1841, I broke up the
whole held, about two acres. The depth of ploughing
then was not uniform ; the average was probably be-
tween six and seven inches. The land was left as the
plough laid it, until the spring.

On the 2d and 3d of May, the present year, 1 put
evenly upon the two acres, 64 ox cart loads, about 30

64 ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS,

bushels each, of compost. Sixty-two of these loads were
from heaps made by putting to them a clayey wash
from the road side, common loamy soil from the sides of
stone walls, and meadow mud, in about equal portions.
VVi;h these 1 mixed, mostly in December, but partly in
April, 21 loads of manure from my barn cellar. But
this manure was probably, more than two thirds of it,
meadow mud and the hay used for littering the stock.
For I obtained 60 loads from the cellar between the first
of November and the first of July, though my stock
consisted of only one horse, six horned cattle and five
swine. Into this compound, I put 12 bushels of crushed
bone; also, a sugar box full of bone-black, scum, and
sediment, obtained from the sugar refinery at East Bos-
ton. These were put in in December. Shortly after, I
run in three loads of soapers' waste or salt ley, in all,
from seventeen to eighteen hundred gallons. These
heaps were twice thrown over in the spring.

Also, 1 prepared, April 12, a compost which 1 then
designed to put in the hills. It was made as follows.
A layer of common soil and meadow mud mixed about
six inches deep. Then one load of ox dung ; then a
layer of soil; then 110 pounds of soap boilers' scraps-
meat; then soil ; then 7 bushels of crushed bone ; then
soil; then a cask of unslacked lime and two bushels of
salt; then soil; then 110 pounds of fish, tainted salt
halibut ; then half bushel of plaster ; then covered the
whole heap with meadow mud and soil two or three
inches thick, in about ten days this was well forked
over. Then I changed my purpose about the mode of
its application. Instead of putting it in the hill, I spread
it evenly upon the other compost heaps, and thus let it
mix with the other as the whole was thrown into the
cart and spread out upon the land. What I have now
described made 62 loads. For two more, that were need-
ed to finish out the field, I went to the barn yard, and
took the meadow mud, which the cattle had run over for
the winter.

After this dressing had been spread out upon the fur-
rows, I harrowed, both ways, loading the harrow heavily.

0\ THli CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 65

May 6th, furrowed or marked out the ground, making
the rows three and a half feet apart by two and a quar-
ter, or about five thousand five hundred hills per acre.
Planted the same day, putting five and six kernels in
each hill.

Part of the field, — more than half an acre, — was plant-
ed to Brown corn. In this variet}^ I have been exceed-
ingly disappointed. The stalk was small, and the corn
small; the crop very light. Nearly an acre was plant-
ed with a yellow eight-rowed corn, obtained from Lov-
ett Peters, Esq. of Westboro', which he procured a few
years since from Vermont. It is the same as a corn I
received from Lyme, N. H., under the name of High-
gate, because it was brought to Lyme a year or two since
from the town of Highgate, Vt. The two parcels from
these different sources were planted side by side, and
proved to be, as I thought them, of the. same variety.
I had several other kinds — one from Enoch Silsbee, Esq.
of Bradford — small, but sound and early; one from Ply-
mouth county, filling well, very well, and productive;
also the Hartwell. But the Highgate is the best. On
the piece measured by Mr, Brown I had the Highgate,
excepting about 20 square rods, where I had the Brown,
I was obliged to take this in to make up an acre.

Process of cultivation : — In furrowing or marking out
the ground I used a plough, but made with it a furrow
small as possible. The corn was covered about an inch
deep. June 1st, I ploughed among the corn, running the
land side of the plough as nearas possible to the corn,
within two or three inches, and sometimes within one.
I used a side hill plough, and turned the earth, that da.y,
from one side only of the row. But on the 4th I turned
it from the other side also. At this time ploughed as
deep as I could without disturbing the sod, and kept
close to the corn, being willing to sever the roots.
Three or four days after this, I put the cultivator be-
tween the rOws, and levelled down the ridges that the
ploughings had thrown up. June 11th, ploughed deep one
furrow in the centre between the rows. 13th and 14th,
run the cultivator again. June 17th. Took out from
9

()6 ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

the cultivator, all its teeth excepting the centre one^
and with that went through the rows the narrow^est way,
running that tooth deep, down through the sod. 21st
and 22d, again used the cultivator, and hoed. On the
30th, also, the ground being wet and cold, and the corn
small, put in the cultivator, and run it both wide and
deep as possible, making many of the hills shake as I
passed the teeth under them. July 6th, thinned to
three and four stalks in a hill, and used the cultivator.
Hoed 7th. 29th and 30th, sowed four bushels of rye,
and one of orchard grass-seed; harrowed between the
rows, and hoed, making the whole surface smooth and
flat. The field is intended for pasturage next sea-
son.

Sept. 20th, cut up the corn, bound it in bundles, (puf-
ting about four hills to the bundle, and using rye straw
for bands) and'stooked on the same day, putting ten or
twelve bundles to a stook. The stocking consists solely
in standing up together, as uprightly as possible, the
proper number of bundles, and then putting around their
top two bands of rye straw. Thus placed, the corn
stands firmly, and cures well. Oct. 7th, housed the
corn; it was so dry that 1 packed away in solid mass
the whole that grew on the acre, and left it thus until
a more convenient husking time. On the 17th, 18th,
19th and 20th, the husking was performed, and (he
measuring was done. The measured piece yielded one
hundred and seven baskets of larger ears, and 10 of
smrller ones. Six baskets of the larger were weighed,
and the average net weight was forty-three and seven
eighths lbs.; two of the smaller gave the net of each
forty-one and three quarter lbs. When corn is cured in
stook, I find the small and late ears much better dried
than when the crop is left standing until harvest time.
If my casting is correct, the yield was five thousand one
hundred twelve and one eighth lbs. This,^ divided by
seventy-five, gives sixty-eight and one sixth'bushels, on
160,^0 square rods, or very nearly sixty-seven and
three quarter bushels per acre.

This is no extraordinary crop, the amount alone be-

' ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 67

ing considered. But, I believe you, gentlemen of the
Committee, are to give your premium for " the best ex-
periment.'' The chief value of my trial, as an experi-
ment, if it has any value of that kind, may consist in the
light it gives in answer to a question like the following :
Can other substances, which have been little used or
valued as manures, be, without loss, made to supply the
place, in a great measure, of stable manure, in the culti-
vation of Indian corn ? I say, without loss, for I think it
a public benefit to discover other manures than those
commonly in use, that shall answer equally well as the
old ones. If one can do this, he shows how the quanti-
ty of manures in a given district may be increased —
how the soil of that district may be made to increase its
productions.

The expense of manuring, allowing $1 per day for a
man's labor, and the same for a yoke of oxen and cart, I
estimate as follows :

21 loads of compost from barn cellar, at $1,50, $'31 50
40 loads of soil, clay, and meadow mud, (these
were all taken from v/ithin, and immediately
around the field, and cost but little more than
the carting), -----
12 bushels of bone, - - - -

1 box sugar sediment, perhaps -
3 loads of salt ley, at |5,00, (2 for the ley,

and 3 for carting five miles), -

2 loads more of soil and mud, at 25, -
1 load dung, good, - - .

110 lbs. soapboilers' scraps, at 1^ ct.
7 bushels bone, . - - -

1 cask lime,

2 bushels salt, (fisherman's refuse) -
no lbs. fish,

i bushel plaster, - - - -

2 loads compost from barn-yard.
Mixing and forking over twice, -
Putting out and spreading 64 loads,

Whole for two acres, |84 85
Or for one acre,

- 10 00

4 80

- 1 00

15 00

50

2 00

- 1 65

2 80

- 1 50

50

- 1 10

50

- 2 00

3 00

- 7 00

184 85

42 42^

68 ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS.

No more of this was put on the measured acre than
on the other. At ihe time of putting out, the whole
field was marked off carefully into squares, containing a
square rod each, and one fifth of a load was put out at
the centre of each square. Were I to purchase stable
manure, five miles from home, at $i 50 per cord, (a com-
mon price in the vicinity of Salem), and allow, as in the
case of the ley |3,00 for carting, and then allow as
above about 16 cents per cart load, or 50 cents per cord
for twice forking over, and for putting out and spreading,
then stable manure would cost me, when applied to the
ground, about $8 per cord ; and my $42,42i would have
put on only four cords and one third, or about thirteen
loads. The question then is, whether with four and one
third cords of common stable manure I should have ob-
tained as much corn as my land has yielded me. Of
this I leave others to judge.

Other expenses of the crop on an acre I estimate as
follows :

Ploughing, - - - - - $2 50

Harrowing twice, - - - - 1 00

Marking out or furrowing, - - - 75

Planting, - - ^ - - - 1 50

Seed, 1 00

Nine times the horse passed over the field, follow-
ed by plough, cultivator or harrow, and the usu-
al time consumed was two hours for the two acres.
Expense on one acre, - - - 3 00

Three hoeings and the thinning, - - 4 00

There was little to do with the hoe except to de-
stroy weeds, as the corn was cultivated without
any hill.
Cutting up, binding and stooking, - - 2 00

Carting to the barn and stowing away, - - 1 50

Husking, - - - - - 6 00

123 25
Add for manure, 42 42

Whole expense, $65 67

ON THE CULTIVATION OF CROPS. 69

I am accustomed to allow the stalks or stover of a
field that gives fifty bushels of com, to be worth as much
as one ton of English hay. The ton of hay I value at
$12; my stover then is worth $16. My corn, allowing
liberally for shrinkage, (for most corn after it is put
away in bins will shrink near ten per cent), I put at six-
ty bushels, and call it worth to me 75 cts. The credit
side will stand thus:

60 bushels of corn, at 75 cts., $45 00. Dr. 65 76.

Stover, - - - 16 00.

$61 00.

Balance against the crop, ^4 76

In this estimate I have made no charge of interest for
the land. Neither have I given credit for the benefit
the manure may be to future crops, nor for any extra la-
bor in tillage for making the surface smooth, and laying
the land down.

Though my figures bring the crop in debt to me, this
is not the worst of my farming. Have others fared
much better this year ?

My manure has been peculiar; my mode of cultivation
different from what I have been accustomed to, (rending
the roots of the corn, and stirring as much of the ground
as possible, up to about the first of July, and after that
only scratching the surface), and my mode of curing dif-
ferent from what is usual. The corn is sound and good;
the stover is very good, and the crop, considering the con-
dition of the land in the spring, larger than I could rea-
sonably expect. Some of the neighbors had the kind-
ness to encourage me by saying that it was of no use to
plant corn there, for it would not come to anything. For
this, however, there was no sufficient reason. The land
naturally is of middling quality, but was badly bound out.

ALLEN PUTNAM.

Hamilton, Sept. 27, 1842.

I hereby certify that on the 9th of September T meas-

70 ON ROOT CROPS.

ured a piece of land for Allen Putnam, on which he had
growing a crop of corn, and found the same to contain
leOyVo rods. ARZA BROWN, Surveyor.

Hamilton, Nov. 3, 1842.

We hereby certify that we assisted Mr. Allen Put-
nam in harvesting, in measuring and in weighing his
corn that grew on the land measured by Mr. Brown,
and that we obtained 107 baskets of large ears, and 10
baskets of small ears. The corn when husked was near-
ly all of it quite dry, the small as well as the large. Six
baskets of the large were weighed, and the average net
weight per basket was 43| lbs. Two baskets of the
small averaged 41^ lbs.

GEORGE H. FOSS.

LEMUEL S. FOSS.
Hamilton, Nov. 3, 1842.

ON ROOT CROPS.

The Committee on Root Culture have met and at-
tended to the duty assigned them, and respectfully
Report:

The statement offered by Mr. Josiah Crosby, of An-
dover, on his carrot crop, was not so particular as the
regulations of the Society require, to entitle him to a
premium. As it regards the former condition and cul-
tivation of the land, we think the crop a fair one, but
not entitled to a premium. The crop offered was six
hundred and eighty bushels to the acre.

The statement of Mr. Moses A. Shackley, of Dan-
vers, gives thirty-six tons, five cwt., from two acres
thirty-four rods. The crop we think a very fine one;
but, as in the statement of Mr. Crosby, he has
neglected to state the previous condition of the land,
how it has been manured, or what the crops taken from
it previous to the carrot crop; also, the value of ma-
nure and labor.

ON ROOT CROPS. 71

The statement of Mr. Andrews Breed, of Lynn, of his
carrot crop, is full and explicit, showing a large yield
for the expense of cultivation; the amount raised from
one acre eighty-seven rods, was eight hundred two
bushels.

Mr. Allen Putnam's statement on his method of rais-
ing a rutabaga crop, is highly commendable. In his state-
ment he has been full and explicit — no mistake; only
one thing, he forgot to count the number of seed plant-
ed; his statement goes far to show the value of salt and
bone-dust as manure. You will find his compost gives a
better yield than his best barn manure. We do not think
Mr. Putnam's a remarkable yield, but we take into con-
sideration, the poverty of the land, and his excellent
management of the compost, and we think him entitled
to a premium.

By the statement of Mr. John Peaslee, of Danvers, in
reference to a crop of carrots raised by him, it appears
that the land from which the carrots were raised, was
planted to corn and potatoes in 1841, three cords of
barn manure only, taken from cellar, being used. In
1842, he put on twelve loads of muscle-bed manure,
that cost six dollars at the wharf in Salem. Two hands
ploughed, harrowed, and sowed it with long orange
carrot seed, in one day, using a machine. Land worth
one hundred twenty-five dollars per acre; dark loam,
Eastern descent. One and a half days' hoeing, with
machine, cost one dollar and fifty cents; weeding cost
six dollars; the expense of harvesting twelve dollars.

The committee think Mr. Peaslee's an extraordinary
crop, and at very little expense, and we therefore re-
commend to him the premium. The amount raised, as
appears by the weigher's certificate, on eighty-five rods,
was 313 cwt. and 82 pounds, nearly thirty tons per acre.

Expense of Cultivation, Manure, S^x.
12 loads of muscle-bed, - - _

Ploughing, harrowing and sowing, -
I lbs. seed, 75 cts.; Hoeing half day, $1 50, -
Weeding, .'jpG; Harvesting, $12, -

$29 25

$Q 00

3 00

2 25

18 00

72 ON ROOT CROPS.

The Committee respectliilly submit the Report; and
from their experience and the statements of others,
think roots the most profitable crops, and at the same
time the most healthful that can be raised for our stock.
ERASTUS WARE, )
WM. OSBORN, [ Committee.
JOSIAH CROSBY, )

ANDREWS BREADS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Root Culture :

Gentleaien — I offer for premium a crop of carrots,
raised from one acre eighty-seven rods of land, meas-
uring eight hundred and two bushels. The land was a
thin, dark loam, with a light gravel sub-soil. A crop of
corn and potatoes was taken from the land last season;
the crop was light, say about forty bushels corn and
sixty bushels potatoes. It had in the spring of 1841, a
dressing of manure, which was ploughed in, after the
crop was harvested. On the 10th day of November it
had five cords compost manure put on, spread and
ploughed in deep, say to the depth of the beam of the
plough. On the 1st and 4th day of May, of the present
year, it had five and a quarter cords of barn manure
and meadow mud spread and ploughed in as before. At
the time it was ploughed a man followed the team with
a rake and raked it. On the 6th day of May it was sowed
in rows running north and south, sixteen inches apart,
with one pound orange and one pound white carrot seed;
the white carrot seed was poor, and did not but very
little of it vegetate. I was obliged to sow that part
where the white seed was sown, again on the 1st day of
June, with one pound of orange carrot seed.

In July, the carrots were weeded and thinned out,
leaving them from four to six inches apart. The half of
the land sowed the second time did not yield so large a
crop as the part sowed in May.

They were harvested the last week in October; a

w.

ON ROOT CROPS. 73

part of them were weighed, and all were carefully meas-
ured in a bushel basket. Those that were weighed aver-
aged about thirty-nine bushels to the ton. Below you
have a statement of the expenses of the crop and dates
when the work was done.

Expenses of Crop.
1841.
Nov. 10th. 5 cords compost manure, at $1 50, ^ 7 50
1^ days' ploughing, a $5, 7 50

1842.
May 1st. 5j cords manure and meadow mud, 21 00
" 4th and 5th. 1^ days' ploughing, at $5, 7 50
U days' work, raking, at $1, 150
" 6th. 6 hours' time, sowing,
3 lbs. seed,
June 9th. 4 days' work by boys, weeding,
July 2d. 2 days' do. by men, at $1,
" 16th to 28th. 21| days' work, weeding,
thinning, at ^1,
Oct. 28th. 12^ days' work, harvesting.
Interest on cost of land, $100 per acre,

75

3 00

1 67

2 00

21 50

12 50

9 00

^95 42

Value of the crop.

One half cost of manure for next year, $ 14 25
802 bushels carrots, say 40 bushels to

the ton, making 20 tons, 1 cwt., at ^7, 140 35

154 60
Deduct expenses, 95 42

Profit, ;^59 18

ANDREWS BREED.
Lynn, November, 1842.

[This statement was accompanied by well authenti-
cated certificates of the measurement of the land and
crop.]

10

74 ON ROOT CROPS.

ALLEN PUTNAM'S STATExMENT.

To the Committee on the Cultivation of Root Crops :

Gentle:mkn — The land measured by Mr. Brown?
whose certificate accompanies this communication, was,
I am told, planted to corn in 1839. How it was then
manured I do not know; but the former occupants of
my place were generally far from being lavish in their
enriching applications. In 1840 it was sow^ed to grain
and grass-seed^ probably without manure. In the
spring of 1841, when I began my operations upon the
place, I found that the grass-seed had failed, and I was
obliged to plough up; and, having no manure, to sow
again to grain and grass-seed. The early growth of the
grain was far from vigorous, and a hail-storm that pass-
ed over us, or rather came down upon us, June 30th, so
completely demolished the crop, that at the time of cut-
ting I obtained only a single cart load, say half a ton,
from three acres. After cutting the grain, I ploughed a
small piece, probably three rods by five, on which I put,
in drills, strong ox manure and poudrette, and sowed to
flat or English turnips. The crop was very small —
scarcely worth the harvesting. Hoping to have my
grass survive and give me some hay, I top-dressed the
remainder of the three acres, in the course of the last
winter and spring, with soil into which salt ley, the
waste ley of soapboilers, had been run. This dressing
probably cost me, when spread out upon the /a/2^,. about
one dollar per load, and I spread at the rate of about
ten loads per acre. But this did not save or create
grass enough to give promise of a crop worth mowing.
I concluded to take up half an acre of it, (including the
small piece where I had turnips the preceding autumn,)
and put it to ruta bagas. This soil is a loam, hardly to
be called either sandy or clayey, either light or heavy.
It is of middling quality. I ploughed up this land,
which had a little clover growing upon it, June 6th. On
the following day I applied my manure, spreading it
upon the furrows.

Having found in 1841, that crushed bone, salt ley

ON ROOT CROPS. 75

and soil as a manure gave me good ruta bagas, I pre-
pared to use the same this year, excepting that I would
so far vary the compost as to see whether part muck, or
meadow-mud, and sand would not be as good as all soil,
for receiving the bone and ley. Having a heap of soil,
six or eight loads, already formed, 1 brought to it,
March 9th, seven loads of sand, a sand holding water,
taken from near the meadow. And on the 18th, I car-
ried also five loads of meadow mud. These three in-
gredients w^ere formed into a basin; then over the sur-
face of the basin I spread fifteen bushels of crushed
bone, and about the first of April run into it one load,
six hundred gallons of salt ley. In a day or two after,
this heap was thrown over. Again in May it was thrown
over. On the 7th of June it was spread out upon the
land. My directions were to spread at the rate of
twenty loads to the half acre. 1 had hauled to the heap,
as I thought, enough to make twenty loads; but the sand
seemed to have been feeding so greedily upon the mead-
ow mud, or to have been so busy in grinding it down to
powder, that the meadovv mud was hardly to be discov-
ered; it had shrunk. The heap furnished only fifteen
loads. To finish out the piece I went to a well ferment-
ed heap of barn-cellar compost, of as good quality as any
that I have made during the year, and took four loads,
applying it at the same rate as the other. Thus nine-
teen loads covered the piece. This dressing was im-
mediately harrowed in. The ground w^as then left for a
few days, when it was again well harrowed. June 20th,
I directed my men to turn the land into ridges, thirty
inches apart, and sow the seed on the ridges, and to be
particular as to the width. After they had gone over the
ground, they found that they had not ridges enough.
" That won't do," said they. " We must harrow it
down, and try again." They did so. I give this nar-
ration, because I think the mistake caused a very good
preparation of the ground. The seed — imported seed —
had been soaked in tanner's oil eighteen hours, and was
sowed one row on a ridge, June 20.

July 6th, went between the rows with the cultivator.

76 ON ROOT CROpS.

July 9th, removed the weeds. July 20th, used the cul-
tivator again. Jul}' 22d and 23d, hoed, thinned and
transplanted where necessary. This was the whole of
the cultivation. Another stirring of the soil by the cul-
tivator was intended, but the rains prevented until the
plants became so large that it was thought best not to
do anything more to them.

Oct. 29. Pulled the crop, topped it, and stowed into
heaps of fifteen or twenty bushels each. Nov. 1st and
2d, measured the crop, and stowed it away lor winter
use.

The items of cost, if labor is counted at $1 per day,
are nearly as follows :

Interest on land, _ - -

15 bushels of bone, - - -

600 gallons salt ley,

7 loads of soil, _ _ _

7 " of sand, - -

5 " of meadow mud twice handled, ~

Throwing over twice, _ - -

4 loads of barn-cellar compost,

Ploughing, - - - -

Harrowing three times,

Putting on manure, - - -

Ridging and sowing,

Seed, - - - - -

Cultivating and weeding first time, -

Do. 2d time, and thinning and transplanting.

Harvesting, - - - - 5 00

^39 50
No allowance beins; made for the unexhausted ma-
nure, and for the improvement of the ground; also, the
labor of a man and of a yoke of oxen, each being reck-
oned at one dollar per day, it will be seen that my crop
on the piece, (381 1^^ bushels), costs me a very small
fraction over ten cents per bushel.

Forty baskets of these roots icell cleaned; that is,
were pulled when the ground was dry, were thumped
together then — were afterwards topped and thrown into

poo

6 00

4 50

1 16f

1 16|

166A

50

6 00

1 00

1 00

3 00

1 00

50

2 00

2 00

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 77

heaps, were then thrown, after three days' drying, into
the cart, hauled to the barn and tipped up, and were
again thumped together as they were put into the bas-
kets, and all this in dry weather — forty baskets, thus
cleaned were weighed, and the average net weight was
66j^ lbs. Two of these baskets after having been
weighed were taken, and the roots were all well brush-
ed with a good shoe brush, and when put to the steel-
yards again, each weighed on the same notch as before.
The whole number of baskets on the piece, and all I
believe were as well filled as the forty that were weigh-
ed— the whole number was 322^. This, multiplied by
G6\^, gives 21,373y| lbs. or 381 bushels and three
pecks, allowing 56 lbs. to the bushel; this is a very
small fraction over 370 bushels upon an half acre.

These roots were unusually sound and fair. I was
personally present at the measuring and weighing of this
crop, and am fully satisfied that there has been no error
that tends to show a larger yield than v/as actually ob-
tained. The barn-cellar compost gave 15 baskets of
roots per load — the other compost 17^ baskets.

ALLEN PUTNAM.

Hamilton, Nov. 9, 1842.

EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

The Committee on Experiments on Manures, Report:
The subject of Manures, — the question how can farm-
ers most cheaply and most effectually fertilize their lands,
— is of the highest importance, not only to Agricultur-
ists themselves, but also to the whole community. The
object for which premiums are offered by Agricultural
Societies, is valuable and practical knowledge. The
experimenter, to entitle himself to them, must, by the
results obtained, and by faithful and true statements
thereof, give some information that will prove profitable
to others. An experiment which proves some article

78 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

that is extensively used as a manure much less valua-
ble than has been generally supposed, may be worth as
much to the public as another experiment which proves
that some other article which may be as easily and
cheaply obtained, has been as much undervalued.
Hence a failure, as it is termed, of obtaining the expect-
ed crop from experimental manuring, fairly and honest-
ly stated, may be as wortliy a premium as success in
another instance; for, to save farmers from loss of a giv-
en sum, which would have been expended in money or
labor had they not been thus advised, is worth as much
to them, as to inform them how, by the use of other
means, they can make the same sum. The premiums we
have to award were offered for " an exact and satis-
factory experiment in the application of poudrette,
urate, bone-manure, ashes, soaper's waste, saltpetre,
barilla, marl, or gypsum, with a view to test their spe-
cific and comparative advantages with each other, or
any other manure." The applicants for these premi-
ums were Allen Putnam, of Hamilton, and Joseph How,
ofMethuen. Mr. Putnam has furnished the committee
with a statement in detail of the management and results
of his experiments. This would occupy too much of
our annual pamphlet, and to many for whose benefit it
is published, it would probably appear too great a task
to sift out the really useful information it contains, from
much that is merely curious or specious. Mr. P. will
therefore, Ave trust, excuse us for abridging this docu-
ment, and referring those who may wish to see all the
particulars to the manuscript on file in the Secretary's
office, or to No. 20, of Vol. xxi. of the New England
Farmer, in which most of it is published.

Mr. Putnam, April 13th, 1842, ploughed up a little
more than ■y\ of an acre of sward land, which the year
previous did not give more than 1200 lbs. of bay per
acre, and which probably had received no manure for ten
years. It was ploughed seven or eight inches deep,
and sub-soiled with a cultivator tooth fitted into an oak
joist, harrowed and marked oflf into thirty beds, 17 feet
by 17 — a trench being opened around each bed to mark

ON EXPERBIENTS ON MANURES. 79

its boundaries, thereby reducing each to one square rod„
On the centre of each bed was placed the manure for
the same, a heap of compost, costing at the rate of |30
per acre, as nearly as practicable. They were number-
ed as per Diagram.

May 26th, harrowed the whole ground, spread with
care each heap upon its own bed, then back furrowed
into ridges, making five equal ridges on each bed, tak-
ing care not to carry the manure of one bed to another
with the plough.

On the same day one of the five rows, the western
side of each lot, considering the diagram a map, the up-
per part north, was planted with Indian corn, in a line,
kernels six inches apart; one row, the next, with five
fair and middling sized long red potatoes, seed whole;
one with long orange carrots; one with sugar beets;
and, June 24th, one with ruta baga.

The seed all came up well, excepting the sugar beet.
Every kernel of corn and every potato came, though
some of them on the salt, and more on the salt ley^
were very tardy about it. The beet seed was not good,
and where no manure was applied, none of it germi-
nated, but on the salt ley much of it came up, and several
of the manures seemed to call into action its vitality.

These several crops were ploughed, hoed, etc., about
as well as his other crops usually are, great care bein^
taken to treat all the rows alike. The principal cause
of difference in the crop is to be found in the manure.
Some allowance ought to be made for the difference in
the soil. After much consideration, Mr. Putnam came
to the conclusion, that from one to seven twentieths
ought to be deducted from the crop of each lot, except-
ing the most meagre, to come at the comparative benefit
of the manure on each lot. Mr. Putnam's calculations
to find the results of his experiment, are not perfectly
satisfactory to the committee, and it is extremely diffi-
cult to make others that are so. We shall give all his
data, and leave it to those who have the ability, leisure,
and inclination to cipher out much of the valuable in-
formation which his statement contains.

80

ON EXPEIUMENTS ON MANURES.

DIAGRAM.

XXX.

XXIV.

XVIII.

XII.

VI.

M 6 bushels.

M. 3 bushels.

9

'To
M. V^. Oil

1

2" IT
M. Ammo.

M. Salt.

6c. 9ni.

7c. Om.

Soap.
4c. Im.

2c. 8m.

2c. 2m.

XXIX.

XXIIl.

XVII.

XI.

V.

M. W. Raos.

2

M. Lime.

M. Scraps.

M. Salt and

M. Bone.

Lime.

3c. 9m.

3c. 3m.

Oc. 6m.

2c. Om.

7c. Im.

XXVIII.

XXII.

XVI.

X.

IV.

M. Gravel.

3
2(S

M. Ashes &
OxD.

4

No Manure.

3

M. Ashes.

/o
M. Fish.

2c. Im.

lie. 5.

2c. 7m.

14c. 3m.

2c. 7m.

XXVII.

XXI.

XV.

IX.

III.

_3

M. R Urine.

M. L. and

2-^lT
H. Dung.

M. Sugar sed.

3
M. Leather,

OxD.

bone b.

new.

4c. 3m.

5c. 3m.

6c. 8m.

5c 3m.

3c. 8m.

XXVI.

XX.

XIV.

VIII.

11.

2%

M. Ox Urine.

2^^
M. Ox D.

2%

Ox Dung.

M Gypsum.

M. Leather,
old.

4c. 3m.

5c. 5m.

6c. 8m.

3c. 7ra.

5c. Om.

XXV.

X[X.

XIII.

VII.

1

M. Salt Ley.

M. H. Dung.

Cell."Comp.

2%
M. Nitre.

M. Oil Meal.

7c. 8m.

6c. 6m.

12c. Om.

8c. 3m.

10c. Om.

The diagram shows the form, number and situation
of each and all the beds above described. Each, with
the exception of Nos. 13, 14, 15 and 16, received three
bushels of meadow mud, or muck, dug in the fall, well
frozen, but not much dried, valued at three cents a

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

81

bushel, and nine cents worth of some other
follows :

article, as

No.
1.
2.
3!
4.
5.
6.

10.
11.
12.
13.

14.
15.
16.

6 lbs. oil meal.

1 bushel old leather chips.

1 Do. new Do.

6 lbs. fish — tainted halibut.

6 qts. crushed bone.

5 qts. salt — fisherman's waste.

1^ lbs. nitrate of soda.

5 qts ground gypsum.
12 qts. sucrar sediment, which is

chiefly animal charcoal.
18 qts. ashes, wood and peat.

5 qts. salt and lime, long mixed.

1 lb. carbon-ammonia, not fresh.

3 bushels of barn-cellar compost,
without muck.

l.i bush, pure o.\' dung, "
h pure horse do. "

No manure. "

No.
17.

6 lbs soapboilers' scraps.

18.

2 lbs. of wliale oil soap.

19

0 pecks of pure horse dung.

20.

3 pecks pure ox dung.

21.

2 qts. air-slacked lime, and half

bushel ox dung.

22.

7 qts. ashes, poor, and half bush-

el ox dung.

23.

6 qts. air-slacked lime.

24.

Muck alone, thrive bushels.

2.5.

8 gallons salt ley, soapers' waste.

26.

8 Do. ox urine.

27.

8 Do. human urine.

28.

3 bushels gravel.

29.

2 lbs. woolen rags.

30.

6 bushels muck.

The following table shews the actual products, as ob-
tained by weight at the time of Harvesting, which was
in the latter part of October.

t^

1

ci

t/J

bjl

w

bJD

01

w

<A

a.'

m

C3

_;

0

0

en

cq

0

c

OS

PQ

ci

;h

d

ci

ti

u<

0

t.. ,

0

0

0

ri

0

"S

c

0

.rj

0)

3

0

e-(

0

ca

c:;

U

Ch

0

c:!

83

•

05

oi

m

m

y;

m

M

m

•

o3

J^

^

.£5

.n

^

.rj

6

J

.^

.j£

1

hJ

J

19f

-:i

J

16

3

J

-5

J

J

3f

14

5

15

J

8"

8.f

1

i

0

2

n

9

12

1
2

H

17

J.

4

Ol-

i

0

3^

3

1

10

^1

n

7

18

2 J

io

9^

J

H

4

1

10

7

0

10

19

;4

m

^3j

J-

N^

5

n

9

11

1

12

20

i)

12J-

^i

4

12

6

^

5J

U

0

9

21

3

'4

>4

0

12

7

^

124

17

4

21

22

^

'H

1^^

1

15

8

1

8

11

.2

^n

23

1

9

13

21-

6

9

1

y-H

10

1

17

24

01

11

13

i

17

10

3

22^

7^

7^

32

25

^

i-H

1

loi

32

11

1
4

H

2

0

6

20

I
1 0

1^^

1^

3

16

1-2

1

a

11

n

1

8

27

J,

9^

41

1

19

13

5

21

21|

25

51

28

J

8

4

0

6

14

n

17 J.

181

0

121

29

^

94

3

0

141,

15

2x

^^

14

1

2

11

30

1

ir

H

1

2"

161 1

Mr. Putnam based his calculation on the whole num-
ber of pounds obtained, without making any allowance
for difference of value. A pound of ruta baga, &c.,
11

82 ON EXPERLMENTS ON MANURES.

counts as much as a pound of corn. We have calcula-
ted the results by first finding the value of the crop pro-
duced by each lot, considering corn worth 12 mills per
lb.; potatoes 3 mills per lb.; carrots, ruta baga and
beets, 2 mills per lb.

From the value of the crop thus found, we deduct in
the first place, the number of twentieths necessary to
reduce the quality of the soil to the standard of the
poorest lot. In the second place, we deduct the value of
the crop reduced, on account of the quality of the soil, as
the others are, obtained from' lot No. 16, without manure.
This difference thus shown must be attributed to the ma-
nure, mistake in the estimated quality of the soil, differ-
ence of culture, or other accidental circumstances. As-
suming it wholly owing to the manure, the comparative
value of each kind used may be at once seen on the
diagram.

On the diagram is marked the number of each bed;
the number of twentieths to be deducted from the value
of its crop; and an abbreviated indication of the manure
used, and the amount in cents and mills to be attributed
to the manure.

The expense of manure on each bed, as estimated
above, was 18 cents. Our calculation shows a very
meagre return for this outlay. But Mr. Putnam says,
the object being to determine the comparative value of
the manures, he was not solicitous about the amount of
crop, and it proved small, as he knew it must be. On
some of the beds too large a quantity of salts were used.
Eight gallons salt ley from soda soap, the kind probably
used by Mr. P., according to Dana, contains about 7 lbs.
6 oz. of common salt and glauber salt. This, it would
seem, is too much for corn and carrots, but not so for
potatoes, beets, and ruta baga. Ox urine contains a
much larger, and human urine double the above named
quality of these salts — too much, it would seem, for either
kind of vegetable here cultivated. The benefit arising
from the use of these articles, will probably be more
obvious in future years.

The 11 lbs. of salt used on No. 6, operated still more

ON EXTERIMENTS ON MANURES. 83

unfavorably. But why tainted halibut on No. 4, and
soapboilers' scraps on No. 17, should have so nearly neu-
tralized all the good effect of the muck, is a mystery
which throws a doubt over the value of all the informa-
tion derived from the experiment. Where positive in-
formation is wanting, probabilities are worth something;
and the more we study the results of Mr. P.'s experi-
ment, the better satisfied we shall be, that following
some of the indications w^ill hereafter lead to some posi-
tive truths in regard to the value, as manures, of several
articles here tried. Some other experiments were made
by Mr. Putnam, where his object was to get a crop,
which are much more satisfactory. These we shall give
in his ov/n words.

A Trial of Crushed Bone as a Manure for Winter Rye.

In the month of August, last year, we broke up be-
tween two and three acres of plain pasture land ; the
soU rather light and the surface quite mossy. After it
was ploughed, the roller was passed over the whole.
vSept. 8, we marked out a portion of it into squares,
three rods by three, and on to 16 of these squares, we
put eight bushels of bone — a half bushel on each square.
This bone was applied dry and unmixed, just as it came
from the cask. The rate was a little less than nine
bushels per acre. Another and contiguous portion of
the land had applied to it at the same time four bushels
of bone at the rate of 16 bushels per acre. This is all
the application that was made to any part of the lot.
The ground not covered by this bone was left without
any manure.

On the 8th of Sept. the rye was sowed, 5 pecks of
seed per acre, and this with the bone were harrowed
in together. The harrow passed first lengthwise the
furrow, and then crosswise, and after this the ground
was again rolled.

The weather immediately after this was warm and the
ground was moist. In one week the grain was well up,
and in three weeks, that where the bone was applied,
was very perceptibly in advance of the other. It kept

84 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES,

in advance through the autumn, became more firmly
rooted, and much less of it was killed out by the winter.
Late in March, the field was again rolled. In April, a
considerable portion of the piece was harrowed ; the
teeth of the haiTOw used being so set that they run six
inches apart.

Also in April, we spread bone at the rate of 9 bushels
per acre upon a portion of the rye where none had been
applied the preceding autumn. This bone was left up-
on the surface, and was neither rolled nor harrowed in.

During the spring and early part of the summer, the
straw looked nearly as well where we applied 9 bushels
per acre as where the rate was 16 ; and this that was
boned had apparently four times as much bulk of straw
upon it in June as the other.

At one time this rye wore a strange appearance :
nearly every straw was as white as it is now, in places
an inch, an inch and a half, or two inches long, and ex-
tended entirely around the straw. On some straws
these white rings were near the head, on others as low
down as the middle. We never saw or heard of any
thing of the kind before ; we supposed that the crop was
ruined, and commenced cutting up and feeding out to
our stock. In two or three days, however, we found
that the sap continued to flow, and we left off cutting.
The affection was seen as well on the parts not boned
as on those that were.

On the 16th cf July, the rye was fit for the cradle,
and we then cut portions of it to be bound and threshed
separately, for the purpose of ascertaining the effect of
the different applications and different treatment.

To do this fairly as possible, we took in the centre of
the field, the half of one of the lands made by ploughing ;
and in measuring, w^ent from the centre of the hollow or
dead furrow, to the centre of the ridge or back furrow.
Our applications had been so made that each of them
crossed this strip at right angles. We cut July 16 ;
threshed and measured July 28 and 29. The lots were
as follows —

No. 1. Containing 10 f square rods. Had bone nine

ox EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 85

bushels per acre, applied in the spring, and was not har-
rowed. Gave 18 quarts of rye, or 9 bushels per acre,
by measure. The weight was 33^ pounds.

No. 2. Containing 10^ square rods. Was harrowed
in April, but had no manure at any time. Gave 15
quarts, or 7 bushels 8 quarts per acre, by measure.
Weight 29^ pounds.

No. 3. Containing 13| rods. Had bone in Septem-
ber ; 16 bushels per acre ; was harrowed in April ; gave
52 quarts, or 19 bushels 12 quarts per acre, by measure.
Weight 98 pounds.

No. 4. Containing 13| rods. Had bone in Septem-
ber, 9 bushels per acre, and was harrowed in April.
Gave 39 quarts, or 14 bushels 17 quarts per acre, by
measure. Weight 73-i- pounds.

No. 5. Containing 8^ rods. Boned in September, 9
bushels per acre. Not harrowed in April. Gave 27^
quarts, or 15 bushels 23 quarts per acre, by measure.
Weight 51^ pounds.

These several lots give an average weight of the
grain per bushel, of G0| pounds, nearly.

The results arrived at by this trial are—

1st. That harrowing in the spring reduced the crop
from 15 bushels and 23 quarts, to 14 bushels and 17
quarts ; i. e. caused a loss of 1 bushel and 6 quarts per
acre.

2d. 9 bushels of bone gave an increase of 7 bushels
and 9 quarts of rye per acre.

3d. 16 bushels of bone gave an increase of 12 bushels
and 4 quarts per acre.

4th. The application of bone (9 bushels) in the spring
seems to have given an increase of 1 bushel and 24
quarts per acre; but this ground was not harrowed in
the spring, and it may be but fair to ascribe one half the
gain to this cause.

The above trial was as fair as is often made. The
soil of lots 1 and 2 was a little lower and a little
stronger than that of the others. This caused it to suf-
fer more in the winter from the frosts, but gave it an ad-
vantage in the summer.

86 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

Should results generally be such as we have here ob-
tained, Mr. Ward's bone should find a ready sale; for
the cost to us at the rail! is 35 cents; truckage, 20
miles, 6 cents per bushel, and cost of sowing 1 cent —
whole cost, 42 cents per bushel. Now each bushel of
bone where we applied 9 bushels per acre, gave an in-
crease of grain of 25|- quarts, and where we used 16
bushels, each bushel gave as increase 24j quarts. The
increase of straw amply pays for the increased expense
of harvesting and threshing the larger crop, so that it is
proper to reckon the grain at the market price in mak-
ing up the account. If 3 pecks and more of rye can be
obtained at 42 cents, and the bone be left in the ground
to benefit the future crops, and we know it will work for
four or five years, then the farmer does well by such an
operation. We honestly think that those who intend to
sow winter rye this fall upon light lands, will find it a
good operation to apply to them from 12 to 20 bushels
of bone per acre. Our figures lead to this opinion.

Nitrate of Soda.

This article, which is now coming much into use in
England as a fertilizer of the soil there, we have tried on
a limited scale. In 1841 , we sow^ed a little of it upon va-
rious crops, and found that timothy, red top, couch grass
and June grass, i. e. the upland spear grasses, were all
benefited by its application. But upon clover, grain,
and the wet meadow grasses, it seemed to be inert.
The present season we applied it, and obtained, as far
as the eye could determine, the same results. Wherev-
er it was used upon the spear grasses, they very soon
put on a deeper green,, and shot up more vigorousl;y.
We sowed, about the first of June, 6 quarts upon about
30 square rods of land, or at the rate of one bushel per
acre. About the middle of July, we cut one swath of
timothy 43 feet long and 7J- feet wide, where the nitrate
had been applied. The hay from this, when well dried,
weighed 37^ lbs. or 3137 lbs. per acre. We cut an ad-
jacent swath of the same length and width, and the hay

ON EXFERl^IENTS ON MANURES. 87

weighed 29 lbs., or 3973 lbs. per acre. The increase
was 1164 lbs. per acre. On other spear grasses the ef-
fect was apparently quite as great as here; but upon
clover and barley it did no good.

This nitrate of soda, bought in 1841, cost about $4
per cwt. A bushel probably would weigh near 100 lbs.
At this rate it would be a cheap application, were re-
sults to be such as we obtained on the measured piece.
But w^e apparently lost so much by putting it where it
did no good, that the purchase was not on the whole a
very. profitable one. We have corn, carrots, beets, po-
tatoes and rutabagas upon it, and expect to be able to
give the results in a few weeks. These w^e think now
will be rather favorable than otherwise.

The present price of nitrate of soda is 6 or $7 per
cwt., if it can be had at any price. Report says it has
been bought up for the English market, where it is
much sought after for manure. Others in this vicinity
have used the nitrate of soda, and w^e hope by this ac-
count to induce them to give the results. More experi-
ments are needed before the article can be either re-
commended or discarded.

JOSEPH HOW'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Manures :

Gentlemen — Feeling desirous to ascertain the com-
parative value of different kinds of manure, I resolved ta
try several experiments. For this purpose I selected a
piece of warm pasture land; the soil a gravelly loam.
After it w^as ploughed, I measured off six lots five rods
long, and one rod w ide. On lot No. 1 , I carted one
cart-load of compost, made of meadow mud, with which
was mixed thirteen gallons of waste soap. No. 2, one
cart-load of green manure. No. 3, compost made as
follows : I hauled a quantity of loam and meadow mud
into my barn cellar, about the middle of June, 1841. I
kept on it from six to eight shotes. Added the manure
of two horses about three fourths of the time; also, the
manure of about twenty head of cattle about six weeks;

83

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

also, hauled in mud as seemed necessary. Hauled it
out the first of December, and covered the heaps with
mud. In the spring, put on about seventy-five bushels
of wood ashes, and pitched it over three times. Also,
with a portion of it, mixed a peck of salt to a load. On
moving it, I found there were about two loads.

Lot No. 4, one cart load of the above compost, with-
out salt. No. 5, two bushels of bone; No. 6, two bush-
els of poudrette. I then carefully spread all the ma-
nure, bone and poudrette, and -harrowed it in. On the
20th of May I furrowed it three feet and four inches
apart, making 125 hills on each lot. Planted it with
Hartwell corn. It came up well, as there was but one
hill missing on all the lots. That was on lot No. 1.

On the 27th of September I gathered it, and the re-
sult was as follows :

Lot No

RecJionad 70 -pounds to the bushel.
Ears. Pounds.

To. 1,

470

117

5314

- 2,

470

142

64|f

" 3,

455

128

58il

- 4,

447

122

55f|-

" 5,

465

116

53

" 6,

440

112

51

53i|- bushels per acre.

In the same field I tried another experiment on ruta
bagas — manure in the hill.

Compost, soap and mud, 20 loads to the acre.
Bone, 50 bushels to the acre.
Poudrette, 50 " " " "
Green manure, 20 loads. *'
Compost, as above, 20 "
The turnips on the green manure came up thinly, but
they were very large. Bone, poudrette, and compost,,
made of mud and manure, nearly the same. Those ma-
nured with soap and mud, about twenty-five per cent.
less. In another place in the same field I spread a cask
of lime (slacked dry) on to the grass on twelve square
rods, and ploughed it in; also, one bushel of salt on five
square rods, and ploughed it in. I then manured it
with compost, the same as the other parts of the field;
planted it, part with corn and part with potatoes.

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 89

There was no perceptible difference in the corn. But
the potato tops, where the salt was spread, were con-
siderably larger. The result of potatoes, however, was
as follows :

Per acre. Salt, 235 bushels.
Lime, 292 "

272, without salt or lime.
In an adjoining field, where I ploughed in manure, I
put into the hill as follows :

Pounds. Bushels.

Saltpetre, 150 to the acre. Corn raised, 64 per acre.

Bushels.

Salt, 3 " " " " " 54^ " "

In a

Poudrette, 5 " " " " " 60-^

Bone, 7i " " " " 69

Plaster, 3"" " " " " 70|

Ashes, 8 " " " " " 68

1 a

a

4

I 4C

Without any dressing in the hill, " 60 " "

The above corn was weighed, and reckoned 70
pounds to the bushel.

In the fall of 1841, I prepared compost as follows : —
with about eight loads of meadow mud I mixed fifteen
bushels of wood ashes; also, another heap of the same
size, I mixed two casks of lime. After a few weeks I
spread it on to the grass in the same field. The grass
the present season showed the good effect of the com-
post. But that dressed with compost of mud and ashes
was the best.

In the fall of 1839, I prepared a heap of compost as
follows : — one part stable manure, and two parts mead-
ow mud. In the spring of 1840, I used it in the hill
for potatoes. Also, part of the same field I manured
with the same quantity of barn manure. There was no
perceptible difference in the potatoes. In 1841 it was
manured, and planted with corn. In 1842 it was sow-
ed with oats. There was no perceptible difference in
either of the crops.

in regard to salt, I have used it in different ways,
and never have received any benefit from it, excepting
as above stated in potato tops and compost for corn,
12

90 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

I have also used saltpetre in various ways; and have
received very little, and in most cases no benefit from it.
I have used ashes, and generally with very great suc-
cess, although sometimes they do but very little or no
good. I believe, however, that if our lands ever are
enriched, it must be done principally by animal and
vegetable manure, although other manures may be used
to some extent to good advantage.

JOSEPH HOW.
Methuen, Nov. 30, 1842.

It will be seen that in several particulars Mr. Put-
nam's and Mr. How's experiments corroborate each oth-
er. Both seem to come to nearly the same opinion of
bone manure, ashes and poudrette. In regard to salt-
petre, for we believe nitrate of potash and nitrate of
soda may be agriculturally considered one and the same
thing, they differ. Mr. P.'s statement shows the reason,
perhaps, of the difference. Nitrates benefit some crops,
certain grasses for instance, and not others. They dif-
fer also in regard to the value of gypsum, or plaster.
This is also accounted for by the now well established
fact, that it operates in some places as a first rate ma-
nure, and in others it is nearly worthless. In the north-
western part of this county its effects are often obvious-
ly valuable. In the southeastern, as often inappreciable.
Whether the waste soap used by Mr. How be soap-
ers' waste, or salt ley, we had no means of ascertaining.

Mr. Putnam's experiments on salt ley are very in-
structive, and show it to be well worthy the attention of
farmers whose lands are near soapboileries. [See Note
A.] If, however, Dr. Dana be correct in his analysis and
estimated value of this article, it would be much cheap-
er to manufacture it according to the following recipe,
than to cart it six or eight miles from the manufactories.
" Fine snuffy peat, - - - 50 lbs.

Salt, - - _ _ I bushel.

Ashes, - - - - ] "

Water, - - - - 100 gallons.

ON EXPERUIENTS ON MAAUHF.S. 91

Mix the ashes and peat well together, sprinkling with
water to moisten it a little. Let the heap lie for a
week.

Dissolve the salt in a hogshead of water, and add to
the brine the mixture of peat and a.shes, stirring it well
for another week, and it will be fit for use." To make
the counterfeit more complete, we should think about
twenty-five or thirty pounds of sulphate of soda should
be added. This can be obtained at the Salem Labora-
tory for half a cent per pound, or less. We should re-
commend to future experimenters on manures, to study
Dana's Muck Manual. Let the worth of his scientific
teaching be tested by experiments.

As to poudrette, Mr. How's experiment corresponds
with Mr. Putnam's opinion, and with what we have heard
of its failure to produce a good crop of corn when used
more extensively in other parts of the county. This
article has been so puffed by the manufacturers a la
7node\\\e venders of patent medicines, that i'armers were
exceedingly liable to be induced to purchase it, at a price
far beyond its value.

Dana says, poudrette is night soil partly dried in pans,
and mixed up with variable quantities of ground peat
and plaster. Its value will depend on the circumstance
whether its Ammonia be saved or lost in the manufac-
ture. Well manufactured, every 100 pounds of it is
worth 200 pounds of the best human excrement, or 600
pounds of cow dung. The quantity necessary to ma-
nure well, land containing plenty of vegetable mould, or
geine, or necessary to convert a cord of muck into com-
post worth as much as barn manure, may be readily
calculated. While on this subject, we cannot forbear
to mention and lament, that so much of this most valua-
ble manure should be worse than wasted, — permitted
to vitiate the air and well water, and consequently the
comfort and health of our cities, towns, and villages.
A remedy for all these evils, cheap, and yet of incalcu-
lable value, is obvious. It needs only a systematic and
concerted management between the producers and the
should-be-consumers of this manure. Let all vaults be

92 O^ EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

dispensed with, and tubs, casks, &c., of a size which,
when nearly full, may be easily lifted into a farmer's
cart, or wagon, be substituted therefor. To these,
which should be the receptacles of all liquid and solid
excremental productions of the family, let tight covers
be fitted, and they may be removed to the field, the
compost heap, without offending the sense of smelling
more than so many casks of cider or spent ley would do
— especially if a little gypsum, or coal ashes should
have occasionally during the filling been thrown in as a
sweetener. A family of four adults, or their equivalent
in children, would produce at least 25 gallons per
month of this semi-liquid poudrette, which, if well mixed
with six or eight limes its bulk of meadow mud, forms a
most valuable compost; and could all be thus saved and
used which is produced in this county, it would be suf-
ficient, in addition to the other manures used by farm-
ers, to raise to a high state of fertility every acre of til-
lage lands W'ithin the same territory.

Mr. Putnam and Mr. How will, we trust, observe the
effect of their experimental manuring on future crops,
and communicate all they may hereafter learn from their
experiments on the length of time the several substances
used may operate beneficially on the soil to which they
were applied. To encourage them to do so, although
their experiments were not so satisfactory as could
have been wished, yet the public may derive some val-
uable information therefrom, and to induce others to
become competitors for the premiums offered, by the
consideration that they will be awarded to somebody,
the committee recommend that the first premium, of
twenty dollars, be awarded to Allen Putnam, of Hamil-
ton, and the second, of ten dollars, to Joseph How, of
Methuen.

Per order of the Committee,

ANDREW NICHOLS.

Georgetown, Dec. 20, 1842.

ON COMPOST MANURE. 93

ON COMPOST MANURE.

The Committee on Compost Manure Report :

There is no one subject more interesting to the prac-
tical farmer than that of compost or artificial manure.
How can I make or obtain the greatest quantity of the
best qualitylat the cheapest rate, is a question which
every one ^uld ask himself, as he surveys his farm,
and considers its situation, its soil, its wants, and its
capabilities. On this subject he should seek informa-
tion wherever it can be found and receive every new
truth which science or experience may proclaim or
demonstrate as a boon of great value. Considering the
great importance of the subject, the Trustees of the
Essex Agricultural Society oflered three liberal premi-
ums, of thirty, twenty, and ten dollars, " for the largest
quantity of valuable compost manure, collected and
brought into condition for use, on any farm within the
County, the materials and ability of the claimant being
taken into consideration, and a statement in detail to
be given."

The claimants for these premiums, were Joseph How,
of Methuen, Allen Putnam, of Hamilton, Justin Carter
and John Chase, of Andover, and Charles B. Lander, of
IJanvers. The committee, after visiting the farms of
these gentlemen, examining their statements, and ob-
taining all the information they could to enable them to
decide justly and according to the spirit ol their com-
mission, agreed that no one was entitled to the first
premium, of thirty dollars; that the second premium of
twenty dollars, be given to Joseph How, of Methuen;
the third do. of ten dollars to John, Chase, of Andover;
and a gratuity, of ten dollars, to Justin Carter, of An-
dover.

In examining the statements of these gentlemen, it
may be observed that the chief merit of Mr. How's meth-
od and management consists in saving all the urine and
the volatile parts of the droppings of his cattle and
swine, by mixing them with muck, an article which

94 ON COMPOST MANURE.

combines with what would be otherwise lost, and is there-
by rendered soluble and rich food for plants. His state-
ment is valuable, as it shows that every farmer may, by
mixing his barn manure, with a sufficient quantity of
muck, double or treble the quantity of his manure,
without much expenditure of cash, by a little labor
alone, ft shews, taken in connexion with his statement
on experiments with manure, that the old wasteful meth-
od of rotting down barn manure to a fit condition to
plant Indian corn with, should be abandoned, for three
times as much, equally good lor the same purpose, can
be made by mixing it fresh with muck in compost heaps.
A practical farmer speaks, will ye not hear and be in-
structed ?

Mr. Chase, according to his means, seems to have
done equally well. He, too, has saved what is tou often
allow^ed to fly away on wings of the wind, or to percolate
down to spring waters and flow into the sea.

Mr. Carter seemed to the committee to be entitled to
notice, on account of a like economical management,
in collecting materials and converting all his manure
into compost, the value of which he seems to under-
rate, unless his loam and wash from the road side is
much less valuable in compost than the same quantity
of miuck, and so it doubtless is. VVe should recommend
to Mr. Carter and all others, similarly situated, to use
muck in future ; double the quantity of the, loam used
by him would, we think, mixed with the same animal
manures, &c., be converted into a compost, worth as
much, not half as much per cord, for immediate use, as
green cow manure used alone. A cord of green cow
manure is, of course, worth more when used as an ingre-
dient of compost which is the only economical way of
using it, at least on Sry, gravelly lands. On lands full of
peat or gcine, it may be profitably spread and ploughed
or harrowed in alone, as this operates to convert into a
weak compost the soil itself. Mr. Putnam seemed in
the opinion of the committee to be precluded from a
premium this year, by the fact that he received a pre-
mium last year, for the same compost in part and the

ON COMrOST MANURE. 95

same in kind with few exceptions as that on which his
claim is this year founded. As a valuable appendix to
his last year's report, and his other papers in this pam-
phlet, we recommend that his statement on compost be
published.

Mr. Lander may have done well in purchasing, saving
and making compost for his own particular {'arm, but
his example cannot be economically followed by the
greater part of the farmers of the county. No state-
ment of the cost of the compost is given, but it seems
evident that more money was paid out for materials to
compose it, than most think they can afford. The
compost used by him on about fourteen acres of tillage
land in 1842, he states at 443 ox cart loads, with side
boards, and that he has on hand, prepared for use
another year, 118 loads more. Total 561 loads. He
says : —

" In the foregoing quantity of compost, there was 60
loads night soil, ten cords horse manure, three cords
muscle bed, 12 casks of air slacked lime, 300 bushels
leached ashes, (drawn from Salem,) 300 loads meadow
mud taken from a small piece of brook meadow upon
the farm, the quality of which is poor, sand and clay
entering largely into its composition.

" The stock kept during the winter was as follows ;
one yoke oxen, 8 cows, 4 yearlings, 3 horses and 6
breeding sows. In March, 1 pair of steers were pur-
chased. During the summer, the cows were increased
to ten in number, and were kept in the barn every
night. Pigs increased to 30,

"In July and August, one yoke cattle were stall fed,
and made a large quantity of valuable manure. For a
month previous to clearing out the barn cellar, it
received the manure of 6 additional cows."

In reviewing the whole subject referred to this com-
mittee on experiments on manures and compost, we
would direct the attention of agriculturists to a i'ew par-
ticulars worthy of their notice. Such as.

That peat or pond muck seems to be in most places
the cheapest and most eligible article for the base of all

96 ON COMPOST MANURE.

compost designed for use on light, dry, gravelly, or sandy
soils.

That to prepare it for use it should be well mixed
either by swine or by manual labor, with the excremen-
titious matter of animals, animal matter, ashes, or
other alkalies.

'I'hat lime operates injuriously rather than beneficial-
ly on compost and on crops the first year, unless by
long exposure to the atmosphere it has become satura-
ted with carbonic acid, that is like chalk or marl.

That the experiments tend to confirm Dr. Dana's
theory of manures, and thereby recommend the "Muck
Manual" to the study of all enterprising farmers.

That although in compost as m other matters, " the
more good things the better" provided the cost is not
too much enhanced, many of the good things, especially
salts, salt ley, &c., should be used with care, as too
large doses of these convert the food of plants to poison ;
and although they may benefit the soil in the end, the
crops for the first year or two, must be injured by such
applications.

For the Committee,

ANDREW NICHOLS.

Georgetown, Dec. 20, 1842.

JOSEPH HOW'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Compost Manure.

Gentlemen — Had 1 in the early part of the season
expected to have been called upon to make a public
statement in regard to making manure, [ might have
been more particular than I now can be. My stock the
past year has consisted of about 20 head of cattle, 2
horses and from 20 to 30 swine of different ages. I
have made from my hogs about 100 loads, and mostly
of mud, I made from my cow yard about 80 loads;
this also was principally of mud. It was filled up in
June, over hauled so as to make it fine, and spread on
to the grass for top dressing, in August. I made in my

ON COMPOST .MANURE. 97

barn collar irotii the first of December to the middle of
May, iVotn my cattle, horses, and a few shoats, about
100 loads. Also, from the middle of May to the last of
October, from the droppings of nine cows, which were
kept up in nights during the summer; and two horses
most of the time ; with six shoats to work over the mud,
about 80 loads. This has been hauled out into heaps
and covered with mud. I have now in the barn cellar,
about 25 loads, making in all, including the mud that
has been mixed with the manure in the field, i think,
something over 400 loads for manure. By load, I mean
a cart load of 36 bushels.

I use mostly mud for compost, and that I have to
haul from one to one and a halt miles ; to purchase
straw or meadow hay, is too expensive, excepting what
is necessary to litter hogs, horses, &c., with.

If common meadow mud is of little or no value, with-
out some preparation (and I think it is of but little value
on my land) then the question naturally arises (with cer-
tain means) how much manure can be profitably made,
taking into consideration the expense of labor. And
this can be done in no other way, than by carefully
trying experiments to ascertain its comparative value.

JOSEPH HOW.

Methuen, Nov. 1842.

JUSTIN CARTER'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Compost Manure.

Gentlemen — I submit to you the following statement,
with regard to the quantity of compost manure which I
have collected the past season, and the quality of the
same. The first heap is composed as follows : Last
fall I put four loads of loam at the end of my barn
where I throw out the green manure, and let it remain
there during the winter, and receive the liquid from the
manure heap. When I got out my manure in the spring,
I left two loads of the same which I spread over the
loam, and then added two loads of manure from the hog-
13

do ON COMPOST MANURE.

pen, and one from the sink drain. I then added four
loads of loam and one of wash from the road side, which
I spread over the manure, and then added two loads of
manure from a calf pen, three from the barn yard, and
tv/o loads that I took out from under the hovel floor
where my cattle stand, and then spread four loads of
loam smoothly over the w^hole, and let it remain until
the last of August; and then overhauled it, and found it
well rooted, and in good order for future use. I con-
sider it worth half as much per cord as green cow ma-
nure. Expense of collecting and overhauling, $4,00.
Amount, 25 loads; cart of common size, say 35 bush-
els.

The next heap is composed of nine loads of manure
from the barn yard, and six loads of meadow mud, and
three loads of loam. I drew the manure from the yard
last spring and laid it in a heap, and then spread the
mud over the manure, letting it remain in that state un-
til the last of August; I then overhauled it, spreading
the loam smoothly over the whole. This heap I consid-
er worth about one third as much as green manure.
Expense of collecting and overhauling, .^3,00. Amount,
18 loads.

The next heap is composed of six loads of barn yard
manure, mixed with the same quantity of fine chip dirt
drawn out last spring, mixed together, and overhauled
again the last of August; the cost of collecting and over-
hauling, $2,50. I consider it worth one third as much
as green manure. Amount, 12 loads.

In addition to this, I have got Avhat manure has been
made in a slaughter yard since about the middle of May
last There is the manure of two horses all the time, and
three a pai't of the time. This manure is thrown down
into the cellar, where the hogs root it over at pleasure.
I have also put in thirty loads of loam, mud and wash,
from the road, since I hired it. I have taken out three
loads of the horse manure, which 1 mixed with the same
quantity of wash from the road, making six loads, which
1 consider worth half as much as green manure cost,
$\,bO. There are probably five or six loads of horse

- ON CO:\IP0ST MANURK, 99

manure left — call it four, as I cannot tell the exact num-
ber. Total amount, 95 loads.

I hardly know how to value this manure. The horse
manure is good, and that ^vhich lies under the blood
hole is better; the rest is very good; and, taken to-
gether, I consider it worth at least two thirds as much
as the best quality of manure. I have to pay at the rate
of ^'30,00 per annum rent for the yard. It is about
three fourths of a mile from my farm, and I teamed the
stuff which I put in from it. Expense of teaming, ^10.
Whole cost, |{'22,50.

The stock kept on tlie place the past year, has been
one yoke of oxen, three cows, one yearling heifer, and
two hogs.

Very respectfully yours,

JUSTIN CARTER.

Andover, Sept. 17th, 1842.

ALLEN PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Compost Manure :

Gentlemen, — In making to you a statement as to the
quantity of valuable compost used on my place the past
year, I think I may be excused from going extensively
into detail, because all the important particulars in re-
gard to the materials used, the manner of compounding,
the crops to which applied, and the results, are given in
my statements concerning crops and experiments with
manures.

My farm is small, consisting in all of only about thirty-
seven acres. My stock is one horse, five horned cattle,
and four swine. I employ two men. My barn-cellar,
which is deep, with well pointed w^alls» and a tight plank
floor, is the common receptacle for all the dung and
urine of my stock, and for the waters from the kitchen.
Here I put in much meadow mud and soil, and here my
swine live and work.

Should you turn to my statement of last year, —
" Transactions of 1841, page 46, you will find that I

100 ON COMPOST 1\1ANURE.

was a year ago, prepaiing to make compost more exten-
sively than is usual. There it is estimated that my
quantity on hand prepared for use was 117 loads, and it
is stated that I had actually applied, that season, 112
loads, of 35 bushels each. My farmer's journal, (for he
puts down each night the day's work), his journal shows
that since the 1st of December last, I have applied

Salt ley (or soapers' waste) and soil, as a
top dressing on grass lands, - - 113 loads.

The same kind of compost with 15 bush-
els of bone, and one box of scum, or sedi-
ment from sugar refining, (mostly bone
black), used oh grain, - - - 40 "

iMeadow mud, 9 bushels bone, and 4 of
salt on rye for fesd, - - - 20 "

Compost for corn, (particulars in state-
ment on corn crop), - - - 64 "

Compost, my barn cellar compost, for
carrots, - ■'' - - ~ 19 "

Compost, do. for sugar beets, - - 3 "

Compost, that from the cellar, much di-
luted with meadow mud, and spiced with
200 lbs. of meat, and 100 bushels of barilla
ashes, - - - - 23 "

Compost, barn cellar, for garden, - 3 "

" " " for corn.

Sowed corn and potatoes, - - 17 "

Compost, barn cellar, with lime, plaster,
salt, and bone, (for squashes), - - 4 "

Compost, for ruta bagas — soil, meadow
mud and sand. Also, salt ley and bone,

(particulars in ruta baga crop),

Compost, barn cellar, for do.

Composts, for experimental lot, (see that
statement),

These were used in winter and spring.
In August, salt ley on land that 1 was
seeding down to grass. - - -

Actually applied since Dec. 1,

15

( (

4

I (

3

((

3^28

u

33

((

361 loads

ON COMPOST I\1ANURE 101

I have also now ready for spreading, by
estimation, of cellar compost, - - 50 loads,

and of salt ley, - - - 8 "

The quantity for the year, 419 loads.

Each load about 30 bushels this year.

I believe you are furnished in the other statement with
all the particulars that you will desire.

ALLEN PUTNAM.

Hamilton, Nov. 14, 1842.

P. S. The cost to me of the bone, barilla, salt ley
and salt for the two years, when delivered on the farm,
is probably s^l50 to ^160. A. P.

JOHN CHASE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Compost Manure :

Gentlemen — Encouraged by the conditions on which
the Society's premium is offered in this very important
department of agricultural improvement, viz., the abili-
ty of the claimant, I have thought proper to make a
statement of the manner and amount of compost I have
made the past year, and have now in a state of prepara-
tion. My means in a pecuniary point of view are very
limited, but I have easy access to meadow mud, w^hich
forms the basis of my compost, and which after testing
its efficacy for several years, can, without hesitation
pronounce it preferable to barn manure. I made the
last year 55 loads of 30 bushels in the following man-
ner. I kept one cow, two yearlings, one horse, one to
three pigs. From eight to twelve inches deep of muck
were placed under my cattle and swine, and tv/o feet
under my horse, all which w^ere kept constantly bedded
with coarse meadow hay, good for nothing else. Have
a reservoir that will hold two or three loads, that re-
ceive all the soap suds. Make from 100 to 120 bushels
of peat ashes; manufacture annually H cords domestic
poudrette; put 12 to 15 loads of said muck into my
barn yard, which is occasionally stirred with the plough,
or otherwise; I throw no manure out of the barn during

102 ON FARMS.

winter. If my cow cannot be kept comfortable by fork-
ing it about and dry bedding, a portion of it goes into
an apartment in the rear, where my pigs are kept in
winter. Early in spring all is thoroughly mixed and
turned once or twice before using it. I have witnessed
and tried various methods to make the most or best ma-
nure from one or two cows. One is, to have the loam
or muck at hand, and throw the droppings into a heap
in the middle of the yard. By this method you save the
dung, but lose the urine of the animals, which I consider
of equal value as the other excrements. In short, I
endeavor to save all the urine I can, both animal and
human. I keep no team; and to buy manure and hire
it teamed is more than I can do. If this desultory state-
ment should stimulate others to increase their manure
heaps, as some may three or four fold, it will not be in
vain.

All which is respectfully submitted.

JOHN CHASE.
Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

ON FARMS.

The Committee on Farms regret, that it is not in
their power to report so fully on the subject committed
to their care, as they wished to have done. But two
farms were entered for the premium offered; — and a
combination of circumstances, beyond the control of the
committee, prevented their united examination of these
farms, while the crops were growing. Statements of
the produce of these farms have been received, and care-
fully examined; — abstracts of which are hereunto an-
nexed, marked A. and B. Your committee understand
the main purpose of offering these premiums on farms to
be, to induce our good farmers to bring forward their
methods of cultivation, in a form that other farmers may
avail thems.elves of their experience. It is not enough,
therefore, to state the amount of their produce, but they

ON FARMS. 103

must show how it was produced. And if it shall appear
that valuable improvements have been made in the man-
ner of cultivation, such improvements are the objects for
which premiums are to be given. Another considera-
tion operated on the minds of the Committee, wiiich was,
that they did not feel at liberty, under the rules of the
Society, to award a premium for the same farm for which
a premium had heretofore been awarded, unless it were
of a higher order.

In view of these facts, your Committee forbear to ex-
press any opinion of the comparative merits of the claim-
ants for premiums, at the present time; and also think
it best for them and for the Society, not to award any
premiums the present year.

We understand that the Trustees have determined to
increase the number and amount of premiums on Farms
the ensuing year. And we shall be pleased to consider
these claimants as entered for these premiums. We
hope that there will be many other competitors, so that
wdien the premiums shall be awarded, it shall be in a
manner to give credit, as well as cash, to those who may
be successful.

We would not be understood as entertainino; unfavor-
able views, as to the farms offered for our consideration;
— all we mean to say is, that we think it best that fur-
ther opportunity should be given to develope their mer-
its.

Respectfully submitted.

In behalf of Committee,

N. W. HAZEN.

December, 1842.

Produce of Horace WARE's/«rm of forty acres in Marblehcad, in 1842.

Hay, 45 tons of 1st crop, 5 tons second crop.

Asparagus, |ths of an acre ; 1100 bunches.

Potatoes, 3 acres ; 600 bushel.s.

Squashes, 3 acres; 7 tons of marrow, 2 tons crook-neck.

Onions, 1 acre ; 274 bushels.

Beets, 1 acre ; 13 tons.

Carrots, 2^ acres ; 31 tons.

104 ON FUUITS AND FLOWERS.

Engl'sh turnips, 1.^ tons.

Blood and turnip beets, 1 ton.

Parsnips,

20 busliels.

Barley, ] { acres ;

30 bushels.

Corn,

40 bushels.

Cabbages,

2000 heads.

Apples,

80 barrels.

Pork,

1200 lbs.

Manure,

100 cords.

B.

Produce of the Tows Fae.m offoiiy acres in Dimvcrs, in 1842.

Ma}-, 2G tons of 1st crop ; 3 tons of second crop.

Fork, 10,843 lbs.

Corn, 300 bushels.

Winter Rye, 217 bushels.

Spring Rye, 58 bushels.

White Beans, 22 bushels.

Potatoes, 750 bushels.

Vecretables, 2 acres, for the use of tlie inmates of the house.

Oxen fatted, one pair.

Manure, 200 cords.

Meadow reclaimed, five acres.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

The Committee upon Fruits and Flowers would Re-
port :

That the accommodations here were better than here-
tofore, and that the committee of arrangements execu-
ted their duty with good taste. The fruits exhibited
were excellent, and in good variety. The fruit from
Andrew Dodge, of Wenham, and Moses Pettingel, of
Topsfield as usual, consisted of a number of kinds. Ths
beautiful seedling peach of Mr. Emerson, of this place,
as well as the fine seedling apples cf Joseph How, of
Methuen, attracted, and deservedly too, much attention,
as also the fine grapes of Nathaniel Swift. The bouquets
of ilowers and purple eg^ plants of John Marl and, of
Andovcr were fine, as were also 30 varieties of dahlias

ON FRUITS A.ND FLOWERS. 105

from Mr. Parker, of Billerica, and the pyramid of the
same flower of Doct. Sanborn, of Andover. Flowers
were from Mr. N. A. Prentiss, of Andover, and Re-
becca Tyler Wood, of Boxford. Fruits were also shown
from E. S. Parker, of Bradford, Doct. Clark, of Ando-
ver, Moses Abbot, of Andover, Capt. Stone, of Saxon-
ville, Wm. Allen, E. N. Easton, of Andover, Peabody
Russell, of Boxford, Clark & Millet, of Andover, and
J. M. Ives, Salem. Mr. C. W. Hartwell, of Andover,
sent in the largest variety in the rooms, consisting of 32
varieties pears, 30 of apples. Also, peaches, plums, and
grapes.

In the exhibition your Committee observed the same
fruit in some instances marked with different names.
Now, although there are those who consider cdrrectness
as to names of but little consequence, this should not be;
as for example, we received from a friend scions of a
celebrated fall apple from Worcester, called " Mathis
Stripe," and from another source, one called Nonpareil,
also, from Salem, grafts of the " Osgood Favorite."
These three when fruited, proved to be the " Lyscom
apple," of Southborough, in this State, a fruit which we
had already in our collection. In another instance we
received grafts of the celebrated early Washington ap-
ple of New Hampshire, which proved upon fruiting to
be the Early Bough. We also received trees from New
Jersey of their famous winter Imperial apple, which are
now well fruited with the Baldwin.

From these few examples it is obvious that great con-
fusion arises from this habit of giving names, as is often
done, not only in our country but in Europe. That de-
servedly favorite pear, called Bartlett, was originally
raised from seed by a schoolmaster in England, named
Wheeler. A Mr. Williams receiving grafts of this man,
affixed his own name to the fruit; some thirty years after
it was found growing in the garden of Mr. Bartlett, near
Boston; his name was then given to this fine pear. The
pear is known in Europe as " Williams's bon Chretien."

The glass globes of honey exhibited by George W.
Sawyer, of Boxford, and Rev. Sam'l C. Jackson, Ando-
14

106 ON FRUIT TREES.

ver, as also the bearing fig tree of Doct. Sanborn, were
fery handsome.

Your Committee have awarded the following gratui-
ties. Upon Fruits :

To Joseph How, Nath'l Swift, and C. W. Hartwell,
^2,00 each.

To Professor Emerson, George W. Sawyer, Rev.
Mr. Jackson, Moses Pettingel, Andrew Dodge, J. M.
Ives, K. N. Easton, Wm. Allen, Moses Abbot, Doct.
Clark, Peabody Russell, ^^1,00 each.

To J. S. Holt, and Clark and Millet, 30 cts. each.

Upon Flowers :

To John Marland and Doct. Sanborn, y^2,00 each;
N. A. Prentiss, Miss Phelps, and D Parker, $;1,00 each.
Respectfully submitted,

for the Committee,

J. M. IVES.

ON FRUIT TREES.

The Committee on Fruit Trees respectfully Report,
That there have been but two entries made for the
award of the Society, which, upon examination, were
found to come within the conditions upon which premi-
ums are offered.

These were made, the one by Allen W. Dodge, Esq.,
of Hamilton, the other by Mr. Moody Ordway, of West
Newbury. Mr. Dodge's nursery consists of more than
500 inoculated and grafted apple trees, of one or two
years from the bud. Mr. Ordway's, of a much larger
number, including his pear, plum, and peach trees, of
the same description. Both of these nurseries are in a
good, nourishing, and healthy condition; have been well
trimmed, and otherwise well cultivated. Comparing
the nursery of Mr. Dodge with that of Mr. Ordway, we
are not able to discover any such marked difference, ex-
cepting as to numbers, as would have made it easy to
determine which should have the preference. And we

ON LIVE FENCES. 107

are influenced therefore entirely by the fact, that the
nursery of Mr. Ordway is much the most numerous,
when we recommend that the first premium of $15 be
awarded to Mr. Ordway, and the second of $10 to Mr.
Dodge.

The Committee will here subjoin that, though these
gentlemen have no competitors, yet the Committee
would not have recommended these awards, did they
not think the condition of their nurseries justly entitles
them to the Society's patronage.

GARDNER B. BERRY, ^
ANDREW DODGE, |

ALLEN PUTNAM, { Committee.

JOHN W. HARTWELL, |
JOHN M. IVES. J

Andover, Sept. 28, 1842.

ON LIVE FENCES.

The Committee on Live Fences have the pleasure of
REPORTING the three very interesting statements of ex-
periments upon this subjcjct which are appended. They
do not conceive that any remarks are necessary to ex-
cite attention to these accounts, or to add to their in-
terest. After much deliberation they have awarded to
Mr. Derby the first premium, of ^20, and the second, of
,$10, to Mr. Dodge.

The statement of. Dr. Cogswell tends to prove what
has been much doubted, that the Hawthorn may be
successfully cultivated in our climate and soil.
For the Committee,

N. W. HAZEN.

E. HERSY DERBY'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Live Fences :

Gentlemen — In compliance with your request that I
should furnish you with a detailed account of my various

]08 ON T,TVE FKNCES.

experiments in the formaUon of " live fences," with
their results, I have the pleasure to send you the follow-
ing statement; only premising, that I gave to each plant
a fair and impartial trial, and that the information I of-
fer, has at least, the value of actual experience.

It is now more than forty years, since I became con-
vinced of the superiority, both as regards durability and
beauty, of live fences over any other mode of enclosure
in use among us, and made it my endeavor to ascertain
w^hat plant was best suited to the purpose. I first tried
the English Hawthorn, but I found it would not bear
our climate; the long droughts frequent in our warm
summers materially injure its beauty; it is often blight-
ed, and loses its foliage early in August, and even in
the more favorable seasons it assumes a wintry appear-
ance in September; it is disfigured by numerous dead
branches, which give it a ragged and unthrifty appear-
ance, even in its most verdant season; and is very sub-
ject to the attacks of the borer, by which I have known a
whole hedge to be destroyed. This first hedge, wdiich
measures about twenty rods, is still standing in my or-
chard, but I have long given it up as incorrigible, and it is
not included in the present measurement of my hedges;
and a second one wath which I had enclosed part of m}^
garden, was only kept from decay by subsequently in-
terposing yoimg Buckthorn plants alternately with the
Hawthorns; by this means it became a good hedge; but
had it been all of Buckthorns it would have been still
better. I am so convinced of the unsuitableness of the
English thorn for our climate, that I would not admit
another hedge of it into my grounds if it could be done
free of expense. My next experiment was with the
Triple thorned Acacia; this is a very beautiful plant
wdien growm as an individual tree, but it did not answer
my expectations for a hedge; the plants ran up without
interlacing, and the thorns being mostly upon the upper
branches, the hedge was too open at the bottom to be
any protection to the land it enclosed; and it was be-
sides, too feeble a plant to bear our more severe win-
ters. I made my next trial with the Crab Apple, and

ON LIVE FENCES. 109

liere I failed entirely; a hedge which I formed of this,
had nothing to recommend it in any way. In the year
1808, I happened to have some young plants which had
come up from the chance scattered seeds of the Ameri-
can buckthorn, or Rhamnus catharticus, and finding they
made a good growth in the nursery to which they had
been removed, I determined to try to form a hedge of
them, and I have been well pleased with the result.
They were set out in 1809, and very soon became a fine
hedge of about twenty rods in length, which has remain-
ed so until the present time; not a single plant having
failed from it, nor have I ever known it to be attacked
by any insect. This hedge being my first experiment
wdth the Buckthorn, I did not keep it headed down so
closely as I have since found it expedient to do, and
consequently it is not quite so impervious at the bottom,
as some of my younger hedges which have been more
severely pruned. Being fully satisfied that I had at last
found the plant 1 wanted, I have since that time set out
various hedges of it, at different periods, until I can now"
measure 160 rods of them, all, in my opinion, good
hedges, — and I do not hesitate to pronounce the Buck-
thorn the most suitable plant for the purpose that I have
ever met with. It vegetates early in the spring, and
retains its verdure late in the autumn; I have often seen
it green after the snows had fallen; being a native plant,
it is never injured by our most intense cold, and its vi-
tality is so great that the young plants may be kept out
of the ground for a long time, or transported any dis-
tance without injury. It never sends up any suckers,
nor is disfigured by any dead wood; it can be clipped
into any shape which the caprice or ingenuity of the gar-
dener may devise; and being pliable, it may be trained
into an arch, or over a passage way as easily as a vine;
it needs no plashing or interlacing, the natural growth
of the plants being sufficiently interwoven. It is never
cankered by unskillful clipping, but will bear the knife
to any degree; during the last winter I found one of my
hedges hud grown too high, casting too much shadow
over a portion of my garden, and wishing to try how

110 ON LIVE FENCES.

much it would endure, 1 directed my gardener to cut it
down within four feet of the ground; this was done at
mid winter, and not without some misgivings on my own
part, and much discouraging advice from others; but it
leaved out as early in the spring as the other hedges,
and is now a mass of verdure. I have been applied to
for young plants by persons who have seen and admired
my hedges, and have sent them to various states in the
Union, and I have never in any instance heard of their
failure.

I have also tried the experiment with the American
Hawthorn, or " Yankee thorn," as it is called in this
neighborhood; but this though a strong and durable
hedge, is very far inferior in beauty to the Buckthorn;
the leaves becoming spotted in August with yellow
spots, which give the whole plant a rusty appearance.

My method of forming a hedge, is to set the young
plants in a single row, about nine inches apart, either
in the spring or autumn; if the latter, I should clip it
the following spring within six inches of the ground;
this will cause the hedge to be thick at the bottom,
which I regard as a great point of excellence; after this,
all that remains to be done, is to keep it from weeds,
and clip it once a year. 1 consider June as the best
time to trim it, as it soonest recovers its beauty at that
season. The clipping may be done either with the gar-
den shears, a hedge knife, or even with a common
scythe.

I believe, gentlemen, I have now given you all the
information in my power upon hedges; and I must
trust to your interest in the subject to excuse me, if I
have complied too literally with your request, and made
a " twice told tale" too long.

I am, gentlemen, with great respect.

Yours, &c.,

E. HERSY DERBY.

Salem, Sept. 19, 1842.

ON LIVE FENCES. Ill

PICKERING DODGE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Live Fences :

Gentleimen — f hand you herewith as concise an ac-
count as possible, of the manner in whicli I have grown
and cultivated the buckthorn hedge, which I offer for
your examination.

On the 10th of October, 1834, I gathered a quantity
of buckthorn berries, at Waltham, and planted them on
my Woodside farm at Lynn, on the 16th of the same
month. The rows were properly guarded during the
winter with cedar brush, which my pastures furnished
me in any quantity, and remained covered until the
middle of April. The seeds vegetated the latter part
of May, in the following spring, 1835; the plants grew
to the height of three or four inches in the course of the
summer, and were protected with a slight covering of
coarse barn-yard litter late in November. I consider
this protection indispensably necessary, to guard against
their being thrown out by the frost, or washed out by
the winter rains.

Early in May of the following year, 1836, we pre-
pared a suitable portion of ground, richer and more fer-
tile than the seed-bed, and with a dibble pricked out the
plants into rows fourteen inches asunder, and at about
three inches distant from each other in the row.

The season was very propitious, and the plants be-
ing kept perfectly free from weeds, and frequently hoed,
they generally attained a height of twelve and eighteen
inches, and were proportionately strong and stocky. I
did not consider it necessary to protect them in the nur-
sery with litter, but early in November we drew the soil
from the centre of the rows towards the plants, then
earthing them up three or four inches.

In the autumn of this year I purchased my present es-
tate at North Salem, the soil of which is of a light, sandy
nature. We passed the greater part of the winter in
hauling clay and muscle-bed on to the land, leaving it in
heaps until the month of April, when, having become
decomposed by the action of the frost, it was equally
spread and ploughed in.

112 ON LIVE FENCES.

Having fixed upon the locality of my hedges, we next
opened a trench three feet wide, and threw out all the
soil, distributing it equally on each side. We then dug
out the sand and carted it away, until we had opened a
trench three feet wide and eighteen inches deep. Into
the bottom of this trench we put six inches of clay, tread-
ing it firmly down ; upon this clay we then put six inch-
es of barn yard manure, and lastly, returned the soil from
the side, and incorporated it with manure, mixing them
thoroughly together, with as much care, and very much
in the same manner as we would do for melons.

The soil having been thus prepared, we then opened
a trench eight inches wide, and of a suitable depth,
through the centre of which we stretched a garden cord,
and having provided ourselves with a hand trowel and a
stick eight inches in length, commenced on the 12th of
April, 1837, setting the plants at that distance from each
other, taking care to keep the roots well spread out on
the bottom of the trench.

The hedges were frequently hoed during the summer,
in order to keep the ground light and open around them,
but received no particular culture until the following
spring, 1838, when they were gently dug around, and
on the 8th and 9th oi May, I cut in each plant separate-
ly to four inches in height.

This operation, and the care with which they had been
planted, caused them to shoot forth most vigorously, and
the summer growth was truly surprising, forming before
autumn very respectable boundary lines.

The hed<2;es were not trimmed a^ain until the follow-
ing summer, when on the 21st of June, 1839, they
were cut in to 14 inches high, and 10 inches wide,
stretching a cord along the top as a guide. This trim-
ming was performed with the large garden shears, and
proved rather a slow, tedious process. The following
season I procured a suitable implement, the model of
which was furnished me by an Englishman, as the proper
hed<>e knife of Enoland. The knife is formed of the
best cast steel, measures 21 inches in length, and 2 inch-
es in width, considerably curved towards the poini, and

ON IJVE FENCES. 113

is secured to a heavy hard wood handle, by a socket and
strap. With this powerful instrument, the operator will
cut over a great extent of hedge in the course of a day.

On the 23d of June, 1840, the hedges were trimmed
with this knife 18 inches high and 14 inches wide, and
received no other culture during the season.

On the 29th and 30th June, 1841, they were trimmed
to two feet in height, and 18 inches in width, inclining
them slightly inwards towards the top.

The hedges were trimmed this season on the 2Sth of
June, 3|- feet in height, and 2^ feet wide, bringing the
centre to a point in the conical form, in which you now
see them.

I have been thus particular in detailing the method of
cultivation I have pursued, not so much from the expec-
tation of communicating anything new upon the subject^
as from the desire to induce every one who proposes
planting a hedge, 1st, to gather or purchase the seed,
and raise his own plants, thereby enabling him to select
from several hundred those of equal size and thrift, as
near as possible. 2dly, to induce him to spare no pains
in having the ground properly prepared and manured ;
and 3dly, to impress upon him the importance of close
and continued pruning, without which it is impossible to
form a compact, handsome hedge.

1 have never used any other plant than the buckthorn,
and therefore am not [)erhaps competent to judge of its
comparative merits; but from personal observation I
should not hesitate to pronounce it, decidedly, the most
suitable hedge plant for our section of the country. I
have now growing upon my faru} at North Salem, one
hundred and twelve rods of hedge, containing 2800
plants, and in no instance have I ever known one to fail,
or perish, from any cause whatever.

I am, gentlemen, very respectfully,
Your ob't serv't,

PICKERING DODGE,

September 14, 1842.

15

114 ON LIVE FENCES.

GEORGE COGSWELL'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Live Fences :

Gentlemen — A part of the hedge which I offer for
premium is hawthorn, the other part is buckthorn.
There is about seven rods of the hawthorn, which was
set by me in the spring of '34. The plants were then
two years old, taken from a nursery at Indian Hill Farm,
West Newbury, Mass. They were placed six inches
apart, without any previous preparation of the soil. They
were cut within six inches of the ground vvhen set out;
the Septenjber following trimmed nearly back to the^ir^^
cutting; spring following, in June, trimmed to within
eight inches of the last cutting; again in September
trimmed nearly back to the spring cutting ; and so on
from year to year, to its present growth ; which is five
feet three inches high, and three feet thick. It is now
eight years since the hedge was set ; for the last three it
has been used as a fence to my front yard, and has prov-
ed an impenetrable barrier to any annoyance which
might occur from numerous droves of cattle and swine.
It has been kept free from weeds, and manured twice.
No plant of the original number has died. During the
summer, this presents a beautiful and delicate foliage,
surpassing that of any other hedge-plant with which i
am acquainted. For some seasons, in September, its
beauty has been marred by the slug-worm ; beside this
it is perfect ; cattle do not browse or hook it.

The buckthorn hedge was set out in the spring of '39 ;
the plants were then two years old ; the mode of trim-
ming has been nearly ihe same as the other. A part of
the soil is moist — the rest somewhat dry. No plants
have died. It appears hardy, and holds green till late
in the season. As a hedge plant it requires a longer
time than the hawthorn, havinn- few thorns. The cat-
tie browse it m some measure, and also hook it. This
hedge is about 17 rods in length.

Yours, &c.,
GEORGE COGSWELL.

Bradford, Sept. 17, 1812.

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 115

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

The Committee on Mulberry Trees and Silk, having,
since the annual meeting of the Society, viewed the trees
entered by Mr. Joshua Toppan, of Newbury, the same
being the only lot this year entered for premium, Rk-

PORT :

That the number of trees raised by Mr. Toppan,
is only large enough to bring them within the terms pre-
scribed by the Society, but as they appear in a thrifty
and healthy condition, without any special pains having
been taken to stimulate an unnatural growth, they think
he is entitled to the first premium of ^10,00, and would
recommend that the same be awarded him.

Judging from the kw entries for premiums on silk
and on mulberry trees the present year, it would seem
that there is less interest manifested in these subjects,
than has existed in past years. The inquiry naturally
suggests itself whether the business of raising trees and
silk worms is declining among us ; and if so, to what
cause is it to be attributed ? We may safely infer that it
is not increasing, or there would be more competition
for the premiums offered by the Society. Indeed, unless
silk is raised in larger quantities than it has been in this
county, the rearing of mulberry trees must soon cease,
as the demand for them will cease to exist. It is an easy
matter to raise mulberry trees of three or four years
growth ; but if raised solely for the purpose of obtaining
premiums, and if afterwards the culture of them is aban-
doned and they are not used for the legitimate purpose
for which they should be raised, it is obvious that they
will soon cease to be raised at all. The day has gone
by for speculation in mulberry trees ; the demand for
them is limited; silk is hardly as yet a staple manufac-
ture, and there seems no sufficient inducenjent to enter
largely into their cultivation. Hence it is that, as we
believe, so little is now doing in this department among
us.

It is suggested whether it might not subserve the pub-

116 ON IMULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

lie interest to offer preniinins for mulberry trees of ten or
fifteen years growth that have never been used for feed-
ing worms. Young trees transplanted and fed, do not
thrive well, and soon become of little value. We are
aware that it is desirable for the purpose of convenience
in gathering the leaves to have trees of little height ; but
this object may be preserved by heading down the trees
as they advance in age, and training the branches later-
ally. The theory that worms may be fed by cutting up
small trees for that purpose, appears plausible, and is very
generally advocated; but if we consider the liberal en-
couragement which for a series of years has been held
out by the State, and the amount of premiums offered by
agricultural societies, and then inquire how much silk is
actually produced, we must come to the conclusion, ei-
ther that the business is unprofitable, or the theory a poor
one. At all events, we think it deserving of trial to of-
fer inducements for the raising of mulberry trees to the
age we have named ; and if they answered no other ob-
ject, they would make the most durable of timber, said
to last for posts as long as the locust.

For the Committee,

ALLEN W. DODGE.
Hamilton, Dec. 17, 1842.

JOSHUA TOPPAN'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Mulberry Trees :

The subscriber presents to you for premium five hun-
dred and twenty one mulberry trees, two years old; av-
erage height, from 5 to 5} feet, and at the present time
in a very thriving state, and belonging to the species
called Alpine. Last year the leaves were culled to feed
silk worms. This year the leaves have remained on the
trees. The labor spent upon them has been small, care
only being taken to free them from weeds.

JOSHUA TOPPAN.

Newbury, Sept. 27, 1842.

ON MANUFACTURED SILK. 117

ON MANUFACTURED SILK.

The Committee on Manufactured Silk Report :

That but one specimen of manufactured silk was sub-
mitted to their inspection. This consisted of one pound
and two ounces of sewing silk, dyed with different col-
ors. They have no hesitation in pronouncing this spec-
imen as unusually fine; and in this opinion they are
happy to have the support of numerous ladies, who of
course, are much more comipetent than the committee
to decide upon the merits of such articles.

It was matter of surprise to the committee to find no
competition in the subject entrusted to their care. They
had supposed that, what with the State bounties and
the premiums offered by this Society, sufficient induce-
ment was held out to engage in the silk business. The
principal claimants for the State bounties (amounting
last year to nearly $5000), have come from the central
counties of the Commonv^^ealth, and it may be that so
few in our own county have entered on this new branch
of industry because they prefer to wait awhile, and see
the results of the labors of others, before embarking
largely themselves in it. If the statements of those
most deeply interested in the culture of silk are to be re-
lied on, there can be little doubt of its being a profita-
ble pursuit. Some of the committee have made experi-
ments on this subject, and are fully satisfied of the cor-
rectness of those statements. At the present time,
when almost all kinds of agricultural produce are so low,
is it not for the interest of the Essex farmers to begin to
make experiments in order to test the question for them-
selves, whether here is not a new branch of industry
open to their pursuit.

In conclusion, the committee unanimously recom-
mend that the first premium of ^^10, CO be awarded to
Priscilla P. Atwood, of Bradford, for the specimen of
silk exhibited by her.

For the Committee,

ALLEN W. DODGE.

118 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

PRISCILLA P. ATVVOOD'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Manufactured Silk :

Gentlemen — The specimen of silk herewith present-
ed for your examination weighs one pound two ounces,
and is offered for premium, if thought worthy. The
worms were hatched about the 20th of May, were unu-
sually vigorous and thriving, and began to spin in twen-
ty days, which is at least ten days sooner than any pre-
vious crop has ever commenced. This was the result,
I think, of full and regular feeding, as they were rather
crowded on the shelves. I have fed with the common
white, and multicaulis variety of mulberry; prefer the
latter, for the ease of picking and feeding.

I have made use of the clock reel, and twisted on the
common high wheel. I am not able to state precisely
the time spent in manufacturing, but have employed
myself since the 11th of August, when not otherwise en-
gaged. To cleanse, I have put my silk in soap and
water, loose in the kettle, boiling about one hour. It
has since been stretched and glossed by rubbing with
flannel. I have nothing farther to communicate, unless
at your request.

Yours, with respect,

PRISCILLA P. ATWOOD.

Bradford, Sept. 28, 1842.

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

The Committee on Domestic Manufactures, having
attended to their duty, beg leave to offer the following
Report :

The number of articles in this was greater than that
of some previous years, being 137, and exceeded them
in variety, and skill, and taste. In execution, some of
the articles were so exquisitely wrought that the com-
mittee could hardly believe them to be executed other

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 119

than by machinery; with everything exhibited they
were peculiarly gratified. The habits of industry and
economy displayed in the execution of some of the arti-
cles exceed all praise; and while your committee ex-
press themselves highly pleased with the interest mani-
fested, and exertions made by the ladies to add pleasure
and variety to this anniversary, they must express their
regret at their own inability to do justice to the merits
of the works they exhibited. The number of articles,
the limited time, and impatience of the public, necessa-
rily caused them to perform their work in a hurried
manner; and if anything is omitted, or overlooked, the
candidate for premium will believe us, when we say it
was, if deemed worthy, unintentional on our part.
They have awarded the following premiums and gratui-
ties :
Mrs. John Jacobs, of Danvers, for best piece of

carpeting, 1st premium, - - - ^5 00

Mr. H. Shed, South Andover, 2d premium, 3 00

Miss N. Foster, Danvers, for Rag Carpet, gratuity, 2 00

Hearth Rugs.
Mrs. B. Oliver, Lynn, 1st premium, - 3 00

" Elizabeth P. Mudge, Danvers, 2d premium, 2 OQ
Mrs. Metcalf, of Salem,

" Lydia A. P^oster, Andover,

" A Lady of Salem, aged 70,
Miss Hannah Hale, Newbury, aged 14,

" S. E. Ingersoll, Salem,
Mrs. H. Hale, Newbury,
Mrs. C. B. Lunt, Danvers,
Mrs. E. S. Hunt,
Mrs. O. W. Putnam, "
Mrs. Stephen Adams, Byfield,

" M. W. Whitmarsh, Beverly,

" Mary C. Noyes, Newbury,

" Judith Noyes, "

" Anna D. Patch, Wenham,

" D. S. Caldwell, Newbury,

" Mary Kimball, Haverhill, for hearth rugs,
a gratuity each, of - - - - 1 00

120 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

Daniel Saunders, Andover, for woolen cloth, 1st

premium, - - - - $2 00

Handsome specimens of cloth and flannels, from
George Hodges, Esq., and Ballard Vale Com-
pany, were presented for exhibition.

Abigail Cole, Boxford, for woolen cloth, gratuity, 1 00

Miss S. E. Griffith, Beverly, for best woolen hose,

1st premium, - - - - 2 00

Mrs. Nancy Cleaves, " for hose, gratuity, 1 00

For best wrought counterpane, to Sarah Gleason,

Andover, 1st premium, - - - 2 00

Mrs. Mitchell, South Andover.

Miss Mary Ballard,
" Maria Phelps, "

Mrs. A. Barker, N. Andover, for countarpanes,

a gratuity each, of - - - - 1 00

Mrs. H. Harriman, Georgetown, aged 90 years,

for two pair cotton hose, gratuity of - 1 00

Miss E. S. Sewell, Danvers, for silk hose and bag, 1 00

Mrs. Dorcas Hale, Newbury, for hose, gratuity, 1 00

Mrs. West, Haverhill, do. do. 1 00

Miss A. Lovejoy, Andover, do. do. 1 00

For best specimen of linen cloth, to Mercy W.

Tyler, Boxford, 2d premium, - - 2 00

An elegant wrought cape, table cover, and
several articles, by a lady of Salem, gra-
tuity of - - - - ~ 2 00

Temperance Society, Danvers, New Mills, for

wrought shoes, a gratuity of - - 1 00

John Glimes, West Newbury, for combs, - 1 00

Miss Lydia W. Proctor, Danvers, for wrought

bucket cover, - - - - 1 00

Mrs. Worcester, Danvers, for wrought lace and

hair work, - - - - - 1 00

Miss Mary E. Morrison, Danvers, for work bag,

gratuity, - - - - 1 00

" N. C. Porter, do. lamp stand, 1 00

A fine specimen of shoe thread, from Smith,
Dove 8l Co., of Andover, was presented for
exhibition.

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 121

A. A. Sheldon, aged 9 yrs. for work bag, gratuity, 1 00

Helen N. Stone, Beverly, for do. do. - 1 00

Miss Mary A. Putnam, Danvers, for net work, 1 00

Mrs. Dorothy Howarth, Andover, for mat, ] 00
Ann H. Allen, Lynnfield, for various wrought

articles, she having but one hand, a gratuity, 2 00

Mrs. Mitchell, Andover, for shell work, - 1 00

£. S. Hood, Salem, for landscape drawing, - 1 00

Miss L. D. Blanchard, Andover, for wax ilowers, 50
Miss Sarah F. Clarke, Andover, for two elegant

wi'ought ottomans, - - - I 00

Lydia N. Dole, Nev/buryport, for painted table, 1 00
J. Griffith &c Co., Andover, for imitation French

boots, 1st premium, - - - - 4 00

Mrs. Mary Taylor, Danvers, for mittens, - 50
Charles A. Butterfield, Andover, for thick boots,

1st premium, - - - - 3 00

H. T. Jacobs, Danvers, for lace veil, 1st premium, 3 00
Mary B. Chandler, Andover, blind from birth,

specimens of work, gratuity of - - 2 00
Caroline A. Chickering, aged 6 years, for

wrought work, - - - - 1 00

Miss F. Abbot, Andover, for knit work, - 1 00

Elizabeth M. Valpy, Andover, for wax flowers, 50

Betsey Braddock, Andover, for lace edging, - 1 00
Catherine Gerrish, Newburyport, for wrought cape, 1 00

Mr. D. S. Caldwell, Newbury, for shawl, - 1 00

David Stiles, Middleton, for horse shoes, - 50

Harwell L. Dodge, Wenham, for counterpane, 1 00

16

LIST OF

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

AWARDED IN 1842.

Butter.
William R. Putnam, Hamilton, for June Butter, 1st Premium,
Daniel Putnam, Danvers, do. do. 2d do.,

Nathaniel Felton, do. do. September Butter, 1st Premium,

Isaac Carruth, Andover, do. do. 2d do.

Cheese.
Lucy Osgood, Andover, 1st Premium,
Isaac Carruth, do. 2d do.

Ploughing — Double Teams.
Samuel Jenkins, Andover, 1st Premium,
George P. Wilkins, Middleton, 2d Premium,
Samuel Jenkins, Bradford, 3d do.

John F. Carlton, Andover, 4th do.

James Stevens, 2d, do. gratuity.

Single Teams.
Allen Putnam, Hamilton, 1st Premium,
Timothy F. Wilkins, Middleton, 2d Premium,
Isaac Osgood, Andover, 3d do.

Andrew F. Curtis, Middleton, 4th do.
The Town's Farm, Danvers, gratuity,

Ploughing — Horse Teajms.
Seth Kimball, Andover, 1st Premium,
John A. Stevens, Methuen, 2d Premium,
Plummer Weeks, Andover, gratuity,

Working O.xen.
Joseph Kittredge, Andover, 1st Premium,
Charles Foster, do. 2d do.

Joseph Holt, jr., do. 3d do.

Working Steers.
William Peters, Andover, 1st Premium,
John F. Carlton, do. 2d do.

isio oo

8 00

10 00

8 00

10 00

8 00

12 00

10 00

8 00

6 00

6 00

10 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

3 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

10 00

7 00

5 00

7 00

5 00

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES. 123

Steers — 3 years old.

Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton, 1st Premium,
Joseph Kittredge, Andover, 2d do.

Steers — 2 years old.
Charles Foster, Andover, 2d Premium,
Jacob Farnham, do. yearling, 1st Premium,

Steers — 3 years old.
Ralph H. Chandler, Andover, gratuity,
Thomas E. Payson, Pvowley, for a calf, gratuity,
Samuel F. Barker, Andover, 4 calves, do.

Fat Cattle.
Joseph Kittredge, Andover, 1st Premium,
Alexander Davidson, do. 2d do.

Bulls.
Enoch Silsby, Bradford, 1st Premium,
Thomas E. Payson, Rowley, 2d Premium,
William P. Endicott, Salem, 3d do.
Benjamin Boynton, jr., Andover, 4th Premium,
Benjamin Poor, West Newbury, gratuity,
Daniel P. King, Danvers, do.

Charles B. Lander, Danvers, do.

Colts.
Thomas Wellwork, Andover, gratuity,
James Abbott, do. do.

Swine.
William S. Marland, Andover, 1st Premium,
Bailey Loring, Andover, weaned Pigs, 1st Premium,
Josiah Crosby, do. do. do. 2d do.

Milch Cows.
Joseph Kittredge, Andover, 1st Premium,
Jeremiah Stickney, Rowley, 2d do.
George Hood, Lynn, 3d do.

Heifers.

William S. Annis, Methuen, 1st Premium,
William S. Marland, Andover, 2d do.

Silk.
Priscilla P. Atwood, Bradford, 1st Premium, 10 00

Fruit.

Joseph How, Methuen, gratuity, 2 00

Nathaniel Swift, Andover, do. 2 00

C. W. Hartwell, do. do. 2 00

Professor Emerson, do. do. 1 00

George W. Sawyer, Boxford, gratuity, 1 00

Rev. Mr. Jackson, Andover, do. 1 00

Moses Pettingill, Topsfield, do. 1 00

$7 00

5 00

4 00

4 00

2 00

2 00

2 00

15 00

10 00

10 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

3 00

2 00

2 00

3 00

2 00

5 00

6 00

3 00

10 00

7 00

5 00

7 00

5 00

124 rREMlUMS AND GRATUITIES.

Andrew Dodge, Wenliam, gratuity. $1 00

John M. Ives, Salem, do.

E. N. Easton, Andover, do.

Wni. Allen, do.

Moses Abbott, Andover, do.

Dr. Clark, do. do.

Peabody Russell, Boxfbrd, do.

I. S. Holt, Andover, do.

Mr. Clark, do. do.

Mr. Millet, do. do.

Flow E!;s,
John Marland, Andover,
Dr. Eastman Sanborn, Andover,
D. Parker, Billerica,
N. A. Prentiss, Andover, gratuity,
Miss Phelps, do. do

C.\RPETJNIt.

Mrs. John Jacobs, Danvers, 1st premium,
Mrs. H. Shed, S. Andover, 2d do.
Miss Mercy Foster, Danvers, gratuity.

Hearth Rugs.
Mrs. B. Oliver, Lynn, 1st premium,
Elizabeth P. Mudge, Danvers, 2d premium,
Mrs. Metcalf, Salem, gratuity,
Lydia A. Foster, Andover, gratuity,
A Lady, A. E. W., Salem, do.
Hannah Hale, Newbury, do.

S. E. Ingersoll, Salern, do.

Mrs. H. Hale, Newbury, do.

Mrs. C. B. Lunt, Danvers, dn,
Mrs. E. S. Hunt, do. do.

Mrs. O. W. Putnam, do. do,

Mrs. Stephen Adams, Byfleld, do.
M. W. Whitmarsh, Beverly, do.
Mary C. Noyes, Newbur}^, do.
Judith Noyes, do. do.

Anna D. Patch, Wenham, do.
D. S. Caldwell, Newbury, do.
Mary Kimball, Haverhill, do.

WoOl.E.N Cl-OTIl,

Daniel Saunders, Andover, 1st premium,
Abigail Cole, Boxford, gratuity,

Woolen Hosk.
S. E. Griffith, Beverly, 1st premium.

Hose.
Mrs. Nancy Cleaves, Beverly, gratuity,

00

00

00

00

00

00

50

50

50

o

00

o

00

1

00

1

00

1

00

5 00

3

00

2 GO

3

00

2

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

2

00

1

00

2

00

1

no

Counterpane-

Sarah Gleason,

Andover,

1st premium,

Mrs. Mitchell,

do.

gratuity.

Mary Ballard,

do.

do.

Maria Phelps,

do.

do.

Mrs. A. Barker,

, do.

do.

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES. 125

$2 00
1 00
1 00
1 00
1 00
Cotton Hose.

Mrs. H. Harriman, Georgetown, gratuity, 1 00

Silk Hose and Bag.

Elizabeth S. Sewell, Danvers, gratuity, 1 00

Hose.

Mrs. Dorcas Hale, Nev.'bury, gratuity,

Mrs. West, Haverhill, do.

Miss A. Lovejoy, Andover, do.

Linen Cloth.

Mercy W. Tyler, Boxford, 2d premium.

Lady, Salem, table cover, cape, &c., gratuity.

Ladies' Temperance Society, Danvers, wrought shoes, gratuity,

John Giimes, West Newbury, combs,

Lydia W. Proctor, Danvers, cricket cover, gratuity,

Mary E. Morrison, do., work bag, gratuity,

N. C. Porter, Danvers, lamp stand, do.

Abigail A. Sheldon, Beverly, work bag, gratuity,

Helen N. Stone, Beverly, do. do.

Mary A. Putnam, Danvers, net work, do.

Mrs. Dorothy Howarth, Andover, mat, do.

Ann H. Allen, Lynnfield, hose and chain, do.

Mrs. Mitchell, Andover, shell work, do.

Elizabeth S. Hood, Salem, landscape drawing, gratuity,

L. D. Blanchard, Andover, wax flowers, gratuity,

Sarah F. Clarke, Andover, ottomans, gratuity,

Lydia N. Dole, Newburyport, painted table, gratuity,

J. Grifiin & Co. Andover, men's calf boots, Jst premium,

Mrs. Mary Taylor, Danvers, mittens,

Charles A. Butterfield, Andover, boots and shoes, 1st premium,

H. G. Jacobs, Danvers, lace veil, ist premium,

Mary B. Chandler, Andover, bags, &c., gratuity,

Caroline A. Chickering, do. lace work, and socks, gratuity,

F. Abbott, Andover, knit work, gratuity,

Elizabeth M. Valpey, do. wax flowers, gratuity,

Betsey Braddock, do. lace edging, do.

Catharine Gerrish, Newburyport, wrought cape, gratuity,

Mrs. D. S. Caldwell, Newbury, shawl, gratuity,

David Stiles, Middleton, horse shoes, do.

Harriet L. Dodge, Wenham, counterpane, gratuity,

E. Hersy Derby, Salem, live fence, 1st premium,

Pickering Dodge. do. do. 2d do.

$470 50

1

00

1

00

1

00

2 00

2 00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

50

00

00

00

50

3 00

3

00

2 00

1

00

1

00

50

1

00

1

00

1

00

50

1

00

20

00

10

00

126 PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES.

In addition to the premiums awarded at the Annual Exhibition, amounting to
four hundred sixty eight dollars and fifty cents, the following premiums have
been awarded by vote of the Trustees.

Joseph How, Methuen, for experiments in fattening swine, the first pre-
mium of $15 00

Daniel P. King, Danvers, for experiments in reclaiming meadow land,
1st premium of

Moody Ordway, West Newbury, Nursery, 1st premium,

Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton, do. 2d premium,

Ralph H. Ciiandler, Andover, best plough, 1st premium,

Charles B. Lander, Danvers, market wagon, gratuity,

Sylvester Stevens, Stoneham, straw cutter, do.

Joshua Topuan, Newbury, mulberry trees, 1st premium,

Enoch Bradley, Haverhill, Indian corn, 1st do.

Allen Putnam, Hamilton, do. do. a gratuity,

Joseph How, Methuen, quantity compost manure, 2d premium,

John Chase, Andover, do. do. do. 3d do.

Justin Carter, Andover, do. do. do. a gratuity,

Allen Putnam, Hamilton, experiment on manures, 1st premium,

Joseph How, Methuen, do. " " 2d do.

John Peasele}', Danvers, crop of carrots, 1st do.

Allen Putnam, Hamilton, " " ruta baga, do.

Amount brought over.

Attest, DANIEL P. KING, Sec'ry.

Danvers, Jan. 2d, 1843.

20

00

15

00

10

00

10 00

3

00

6 00

10

00

10 00

5

00

20

00

10 00

10

00

20

00

10

00

10

00

10

00

$194 00
470 50

$664

50

PREMIUMS OFFERED

BY THE

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

FOR

1843.

For the most extensive, valuable and economical im-
provements in the cultivation and management of an
entire farm, with all its appendages, within the last Jive
years.

First premium, . - . ^50 00

Second do. - - - 30 00

Third do. _ . . 20 00

%CF° The Trustees have enlarged and varied their
statement of premiums offered for entire farms, in the
hope of increasing the number of competitors. They
have also determined to admit as competitors, all farms
within the county, whether large or small, for which the
first premium has not been awarded, wkh'm seven years.
A detailed statement of the management and produce
will be expected, by the 15th of November. Notice of
intention to claim these premiums must be given to the
Secretary, on or before the 20th of June. The commit-
tee will visit such farms as may be entered, in July and
September.

The same premiums as last year for the products
of the Dairy; on Turning in Crops as Manure; on For-
est Trees, not less than three years old; on the Cultiva-
tion of Mulberry Trees; and on Silk, and on Irrigation
and Improving Meadow Lands. Also, on Improved

128 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

Agricultural Implements, except ploughs; on Compar-
ative Value of Crops as Food for Cattle; or Experiments
on Manures, and for the largest quantity; on Fattening
Cattle and Swine; on Grain Crops, with the addition of
f 10 premium, for the best conducted experiment in
raising a mixed crop of corn and potatoes, or mixed
grain, on not less than one acre; the same premium for
Root Crops. All statements must be made to the Sec-
retary previous to the loth November. The same pre-
miums are offered for animals which must have been
owned by the person exhibiting them at least six months.
The same on Domestic Manufactures, Fruits, Flowers
and Vegetables, and Fruit Trees; on Ploughing, the
same, except that one pair of oxen and a horse are to
be admitted as a double team; single teams must plough
at least six inches deep; no team or plough which has
taken a premium of this Society will be entitled to
another, except of a higher grade.

For the best plough, a premium of ^12 00
For the second do. " " 8 00

To be awarded to the manufacturer, if he resides
within the Commonwealth.

The whole amount offered in premiums by the Socie-
ty the present year is ^1,078. No animal or object for
which a premium has heretofore been awarded by this
Society will be entitled to another, except of a higher
grade or for difTerent qualities. For further particulars,
see the printed hand bills.

By order of the Trustees,

DANIEL P. KING, Sec'ry.

Dan vers, Jan, 1, 1843.

ON COMrOST MANURE. 129

[NOTE A.

Dr. Nichols has kindly sent me the proof sheets of
his version of my statement, and permitted me to sup-*
ply an omission, occasioned by a loss of a portion of my
manuscript.

My experiments with poudrette, in past years, have
led me to regard it as convenient and good for forcing
early vegetables, but not worth its cost for common
field culture.

The accounts of salt ley upon my corn and ruta baga
crops, will be seen in the appropriate statements.
Where used as a top-dressing on grass lands, the effect
was good, there having been apparently an increase,
above the last year's crop, of 70 or 80 per cent. Part
of the increase was perhaps owing to the better season.
The quantity applied was about 600 gallons of ley, in
three cords of soil per acre.

The version of my statement as given by the commit-
tee, is less satisfactory to me than my own account, but
I am not disposed to complain. I must, however say,
that the rule, page 82, for finding the exact action of
the several manures, leads to less favorable results than
were obtained. The fault may arise from the obscurity
of my own manuscript; but whether so or not, I do not
subscribe to the committee's deductions as correct.
There is so much difficulty in making qualifications, by
estimation, for the difference in soil, that I much prefer
the statement in the New England Farmer, No. 20, Vol.
XXI, to the account here given. I feel persuaded that
the unqualified results published in the Farmer, are
more correct guides than the qualified ones in these
pages.

Had the committee seen the quality of my corn, and
of the potatoes on many of the lots, they would have
made much less difference in the value per lb. than they
do.

Were I attempting to find the value of the action of
the manure on lot No, 1, I should look first to lot No.
17

130 ON COMPOST MANURE.

16, which had no manure. This I find worth 2 cents
and 7 mills, if I value the several kinds as the commit-
tee have done. Lot No. 1 is supposed to be better by
-g-L than No. 16, in soil. Therefore, I would add ~ of
2 cents and 7 mills to 2 cents and 7 mills, and get 2
cents and 8 or 9 mills. Subtract this from 16 cents and
2 mills, (the value of the crop on No. 1), and the re-
mainder is 13 cents 3 mills, instead of 10 cents, as given
by the committee. I wish it to be distinctly under-
stood that I make no complaint of the doings of the
committee; and that in this note I am only saying that
/ should get at results differing from those given in the
table. Perhaps the reason of the difference is the in-
distinctness or errors of the statement which I handed
in. That was prepared in much haste, when other la-
bors pressed heavily upon me.

ALLEN PUTNAM.
January 27, 1843.

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?

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

Chosen Sept. 2Sth, 1842.

LEVERETT SALTONSTALL, of Salem, President.

DANIEL ADAMS, 3d, of Newbury, 1

JOHN W. PROCTOR, ofDanvers,

SOLOMON LOW, of Boxford,

ASA T. NEWHALL, ofLynnfield. j

WILLIAM SUTTON, of Salem, Treasurer.

DANIEL P. KING, of Danvers, Secretarv.

^VicE Presidents.

Trustees.
JEDEDIAH H. BARKER,
ANDREW NICHOLS,
JEREMIAH COLEMAN,
GEORGE HOOD,
THOMAS E. PAYSON,
ANDREW DODGE,
JAMES 11. DUNCAN, .
NATHANIEL FELTON,
NATHAN W. HAZEN,
MOSES FRENCH,
JOSEPH HOW, .
FREDERIC HOWES,
ASAHEL HUNTINGTON,
JOSIAH KIMBALL,
JOSEPH KITTREDGE,
ROYAL A. MERRIAM,
MOSES NEWELL,
ALLEN PUTNAxM,
DEAN ROBINSON,
JOHN P. SAVARY,
JESSE SHELDON,
HOBART CLARK,
ERASTUS WARE,
ENOCH SILSBY,

Andover.

Danvers.

Newbiiryport.

Lynn.

Rowley.

Wenham.

Haverhill.

Danvers.

Andover.

Salisbury

Methuen.

Salem.

Boxford

Andover

Topsfield

Wcbt Newbury

Hamilton.

West Newbury.

Georgetown,

Beverly.

Andover

Salem.

Bradford.

MEMBERS ADMITTED IN 184 2.

EASTMAN SANBORN,

Andover.

CHARLES A. BUTTERFIELD, .

i(

GILBERT BARNARD, .

t(

WILLIAM PEIRCE,

(I

WILLIAM A. LANDER,

Danvei8.

CHARLES B. LANDER, .

u

BENJAMIN PORTER,

(t

CHARLES A. ANDREW, ,

Salem,

SAMUEL MOODY,

West Newbury.

GEORGE HOOD, .

Lynn.

HAZEN HASELTINE, .

Haverhill.

WILLIAM R. COLE,

Boxford.

%

Any citizen of the County may become a member by paying to the Treastirer
three dollars. Members are not liable to any assessments.

INDEX.

Mr. Dodge's Address, ....
Report on Ploughing, Double Teams,
" Recapitulation of Premiums,
" " Single Teams,

" on Ploughs offered for Premium,
" " with Horse Teams, .

" on Working Oxen and Steers,
" on Steers, ....
" on Fat Cattle, ....

" on Bulls, ....
" on Cows and Heifers,

Statement of Joseph Kittredge, .
" Jeremiah Stickney,

" George Hood,

" Wm. S. Annis,

Report on Swine, ....
" on Horses, ....

" on Stock from Other Counties,
Report on the Dairy, ....
Statement of William R. Putnam,
«' Daniel Putnam,

" Nathaniel Felton,

" Isaac Carruth, .

" L-ucy Osgood,

" Isaac Carruth, .

Report on Improving Meadow and Swamp Lands,

Statement of Daniel P. King,
Report on Agricultural Implements,
" on Fattening Cattle and Swine,
Statement of Joscpli How,
Report on the Cultivation of Crops,

Statement of Enoch Bradley,
" Christopher How,

" Josepii How, .

" Allen Putnam's Statement,

PAGE.

3—20
21—24

24—27

27—29

30—34

35

36

36—37

38

38—39

39—40

40—41

41

41—43

43

43—44

44—45

45—46

46—47

47

47—48

48

49

49—50

50—51

51—52

52—54

54—55

55—57

57—59

59—61

61-62

62

62

63—69

INDEX — CONTINUED.

135

Report on Root Crops,

Statement of Andrews Breed,
" Allen Putnam,

Report on Experiments on Manures, .
Statement of Joseph How,
Experiments continued,
Report on Compost Manure,

Statement of Joseph How,
" Justin Carter,

" Allen Putnam,

" John Chase,

Report on Farms,

" on Fruits and Flowers,
" on Fruit Trees,
Report on Live Fences,

Statement of E. Hersy Derby, .
" Pickering Dodge,

" George Cogswell,

Report on Mulberry Trees and Silk,

Statement of Joshua Toppan,
Report on Manufactured Silk,

Statement of Priscilla P. Atwood,
Report on Domestic Manufactures,
Premiums awarded in 1842, .
Premiums offered in 1843,
[Note A.] on Compost Manure,
Treasurer's Annual Statement,
Officers of the Society,
Members admitted,

PAGE.

70—72

72—73

74—77

77-87

87—90

90—92

93—96

96-97

97—99

99—101

101—102

102—104

104—106

106—107

107

107—110
lU— 113
114

115—116
116
117
118

118—121
122—126
127—128
129—130
131
132
133

TRANSACTIONS

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

) i fc":

VOLUME III. — NUMBER IV.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.
JANUARY, 1844.

SALEM :

PRINTED AT THE GAZETTE OFFICE
1844.

MR. SALTONSTALL'S ADDRESS.

Gentlemen :

An apology may seem to be necessary for my pre-
suming to address you on an anniversary, in which you
have been accustomed to listen to the instructive coun-
sels of practical agriculturalists, bringing to you the
results of their observation and experience. You
know, gentlemen, that my lot in life has been so cast,
that I can have no practical, and but little theoretical
knowledge of agriculture, and no pretensions to the
honor you have conferred upon me by your invitation to
address you, except those which arise from my connex-
ion with this Society from its commencement, and from
a deep sense of the importance of the agricultural inter-
est above all others, as a source of individual happiness,
and of national prosperity. Agriculture is indeed a
subject in which every man has, and should feel an in-
terest, for it is the basis of all other interests, and is
essential not only to the comfort, but to the very exis-
tence of society.

On this twenty-sixth anniversary of our Society,
permit me to congratulate you on its success and pros-
perity. The display of animals, of vegetable productions,
and of implements of husbandry, the trial of that great
and earliest instrument of agriculture, and indeed of
civilization, the plough, and the exhibition of articles of
domestic manufacture, have never been excelled on any
former occasion, and afford the most gratifying evidence
of the progress of agricultural improvement.

Our Society was one of the earliest in the Common-
wealth. At first it had to contend with great prejudices.

4 MR. SALTONSTALL S ADDRESS.

Many farmers in this ancient county were contentedly
going on in the old paths, in which their Fathers had
gone before them. From generation to generation they
had cultivated the earth in a certain mode, and little im-
provement, or indeed change had been made. Their
Fathers had prospered without the aid of agricultural
associations, and why should they meet together, to ex-
hibit the produce of their farms, and to communicate to
each other the results of their experience ? Their
fathers had learned to cultivate the soil without reading
agricultural journals, and why should they resort to
books for instruction on this practical subject ? Agricul-
ture was deemed a mere imitative art, not to be improved
by scientific researches. These prejudices have passed
away. No one now opposes or attempts to cast ridicule
on these associations, which are spreading over our
broad land, and whose good effects are seen in improved
cultivation, not only in our own blessed New England,
but in the States of the far West — and their light has
broken in upon those less favored regions, where labor
is not held in that honorable estimation which it must
enjoy, before a community can be truly prosperous.

We live emphatically in an age of Association. Men
had before formed joint-stock companies for the ac-
complishment of objects beyond the reach of individual
enterprize — they had gathered into societies for reli-
gious, benevolent, and literary purposes ; but it was
reserved for our day to discover that this great ele-
ment of man's power, combined effort, is the lever, which
is to move the world. We see it developed and applied
in every form, which ingenuity can suggest, and for the
promotion of every object beneath the sun. It may
well be doubted whether the inliuence of this combined
action on individual opinion and character is always
salutary. I know that no one is bound to join, or to
give a reason (or not joining an association on compul-
sion— but still, popular opinion, not always enlightened
or well regulated, may be brought to bear upon men
with such force, as to deprive them of their freedom of
choice, and they may fall into the ranks of a society

MR. SALTONSTALL S ADDRESS. 5

from a sort of moral duress. Whenever the inflamed
one-idea partizans of any cause, however good, deal in
denunciations of those who do not see eye to eye with
them, as to its importance, or the mode of effecting it —
it is a violation of their neighbors' rights.

" Who with another's eye can read ? "

It woidd be no greater assumption in a man to demand
of others, to read with his concave spectacles, when
their eyes require convex glasses, or none at all, than
pertinaciously to insist on their co-operation with him in
the promotion of any cause, according to his particular
views.

We have sometimes been reminded of the sufferings
of the harassed poet under vexatious importunities :

" Shut, shut the door, good John, fatigued, 1 said,
Tie up the knocker, say I'm sick, I'm dead. "

Much good and much evil have, no doubt, come of this
tendency to association. We believe our society to be
free from all objections. It is open to all — the terms
of admission are such that no one who desires to be-
come a member of this association of farmers, is ex-
cluded— but no one has been pressed into it. Its ob-
ject is one of the most important which can engage the
attention of man — improvement in the cultivation of
the earth — the increase of productions which are essen-
tial to human existence. Its mode of operating is, by
exciting a generous emulation among farmers, and by-
promoting habits of industry, temperance and economy of
labor, wdiich tend not only to improve the condition of
the agricultural class, but to the happiness of the whole
community.

The object of these associations is vastly comprehen-
sive. It embraces whatever can tend to the improve-
ment of agriculture and horticulture in all their branches,
and to the increase of the quantity and improvement of
the quality of the productions of the earth. These are
objects worthy the attention of the enlightened states-
man, and yet they are within the reach of every indus-
trious husbandman.

6 MR. SALTONSTALl.'s ADDRESS.

Much good has been done by this society. Perhaps
there has at no time been any striking change in farming
in this county. The improvement has not come with
observation — " Lo here, or lo there!" — but we see
the results. Its progress has been like that of vegetation
— you see it not, but it goes on — " first the blade, then
the ear, then the full corn in the ear," until it is ripen-
ed for the joyful harvest. Many are indebted to the
operations of this society for their own improvements,
who are not themselves sensible of it. It is not neces-
sary to be a practical farmer to notice the agricultural
improvements around us. It is seen in the richer cov-
ering of our fields, in the greater variety and abundance
of products, and in the improvement of stock. Many of
our farmers have learned that an inferior animal requires
as much care and expense as a good one, and " that
both are thrown away upon cattle which will neither
give milk nor meat." They have learned that corn
strengtheneth the heart of the patient and laborious ox, as
well as of man. They are learning the importance of pro-
curing improved implements of husbandry. In neatness
too — they are learning that clean cultivation is, like per-
sonal neatness, a great attraction. Although there is still
much room for improvement, the chosen receptacle of
carts, ploughs and clutter of all sorts, is not so commonly
as it once was, in front of the house, and across the door
path. These are removed to a more suitable place, while
before the house, you see a neat enclosure. I rejoice to
add, that that sex, whose taste and whose influence give
a finish and a charm to the rougher works of man, are
learning that the most beautiful house is never so beau-
tiful as when something is left to imagination, and it is
seen through trees and shrubs — our noble elms, our
beautiful mountain ashes and firs, our familiar lilacs,
which have always found favor in New England, roses,
and dahlias, those lovely flowers which may dispute
with the rose the lofty title of " Queen of Flowers. "

Still we often look in vain, and on some of our best
farms, for the neat grass plot ornamented with shrubs
and flowers and climbing vines. We should learn that

MR. SALToNSi'ALL S aDDRKSS. /

these things, which are within the reach of every one,
and which in themselves seem but trifles, make the most
simple farm-house attractive, and that while they improve
the taste, they contribute essentially to our enjoyment.
As has been beautifully said, " they are the innocent
occupation of the young members of the family, the ele-
gant luxury of them' all, and they impress even the
passing stranger with a sense of the taste and the ease
of the farmer. "

Farmers of Essex — you have then every inducement
and every encouragement to persevere. Little perma-
nent good of any kind can be effected, except by dili-
gence and perseverance, stimulated by the hope of
success. The cause of agriculture has recently received
a stimulus which it never before ^eh. Its improveiuent
in this country and in Eui'ope has been so rapid, and its
advance and estimation as a science so great, that it
would be an instructive labor to trace its pi'ogiess.
This would require a knowledge of its condition at
different periods, and of its principles, practice and
statistics, which would render the attempt in me vain,
even if it could be brought within the compass of a dis-
course.

Nowhere has this improvement been greater than in
our Father-land, as England may well be called by the
farmers of Essex, many of whom are now cultivating the
fields set off to their English ancestors in the "division
of lots, " two centuries ago. Agriculture was introduc-
ed into England by the Romans, and strange as it may
seem, very little improvement was made in the art for
many centuries afterwards. Greater progress has prob-
ably been made within the last half century than in the
sixteen hundred years succeeding the Homan conquest.
Is it not astonishing, that in a state of society so advanc-
ed as to produce the acknowledged master spirits of
England in literature, the arts, and in science, the parent
art — the art of arts — should have been passed by as
unworthy of their attention, and as wholly disconnected
with science?

The subject is so closely connected with political

O MR. SALTONSTALL S ADDRESS.

economy, and the condition and resources of nations,
that no well informed man can be wholly ignorant of the
astonishing progress of agriculture in England, as seen
in the improvement of stock, in the variety and rotation
of crops, in the introduction of new grains and vegeta-
bles, in the knowledge and composition of manures and
their more judicious application, and in their gath-
ering up the fragments, so that nothing shall be lost of
every animal and vegetable substance, which can give
additional fertility to the soil, and increase its pro-
duction.

The improvement in agricultural implements too, has
probably been greater within thirty years, than for cen-
turies before. Within a comparatively recent period,
the husbandman held the plough made by his own hand.
Indeed it was expected of the ploughman to be able to
make his own plough. And now — what a change —
nearly fifty varieties of ploughs have been exhibited at a
fair of the Royal Agricultural Society — And this is not
so wonderful as the fact just announced to this meeting,
that twenty-five ploughs have been offered this dav, for
premiums, at a trial of ploughs to be had. Our dis-
tinguished minister to England, Mr. Everett, at the late
great festival of that Society, remarked, that " ' Till
lately, all the great improvements in agi'iculture seem
to have been the product of the infancy of mankind. "
" The very plough described by Virgil, is to be found in
the south of Europe. " But he adds — "In going the
round of your implement and stock yard, I could not
fail to be struck with the fact, that how much cause so-
ever might have existed in former times, for complaining
of the deficiency and want of improvement in the con-
struction of agricultural implements, or in any other
part of agriculture, there was no room now for making
a similar complaint."

The result of the spii'it of improvement in live stock,
is wonderful. What would an English farmer ( or an
American one ) now think of the ox, the sheep, the
swine or the horse of the time of Queen Elizabeth ! He
would scarcely know the animals ; he certainly would

MR. SALTONSTALL S ADDRESS. »

not give them barn room, or permit them to mingle
with his flocks and herds.

Great permanent improvement has also b^en made in
the soils of England by draining, irrigation and other
processes, which have in effect enlarged the productive
lands of the kingdom. Millions of acres have been re-
claimed from comparative sterility, and are now luxuri-
ant fields.

This improvement and extension of agriculture has
enabled England to meet the wants of a rapidly in-
creasing population, by an equally increasing production
of the necessaries of life. There is high authority for
saying, that the crop of oats and beans is equal in value
to the commerce between Great Britain and the United
States, which exceeds that between any other two na-
tions, and that the grass crop is of more value than all
the foreign commerce of the kingdom.*

The spirit of agricultural improvement has been car-
ried to a great extent in Holland and Belgium, and an
impetus has been given to it in France, and in all the
northern nations of Europe. Governments and people
seem at length to perceive, and practically to acknowl-
edge, that agriculture is the paramount national interest,
as the producer of national wealth, and the means of
support, comfort and enjoyment.

But successful cultivation depends so much upon cir-
cumstances peculiar to each nation, that it may be asked
— What has an American farmer to learn from the ex-
perience of other countries ? We answer, much every
way. The great cause of agricultural improvement in
England has been the application of scientific principles
to the practice of husbandry ; and science is universal.
She overleaps all national boundaries. She confines not
her favors to the old or the new world, nor contracts
within the narrow limits of geographical lines, what was
meant for mankind.

But we need not go abroad for evidence of the juster
estimate of the importance of agriculture. — The spirit

" Mr. Everett's Speech.

10 MR. SALTONSTALL's ADDRESS.

of improvement is spreading over our broad land, it
has even penetrated into old Virginia — and you know
that the first article of a Virginian's creed has been, that
nothing Virginian is capable of improvement. That
eminent agriculturist, the late James M. Garnett, has
told us what the state of farming has been, in the old
dominion, and what are its present condition and pros-
pects.* " Formerly (he says) cattle were so much ne-
glected, that it was common for the multitudes starved
to death every winter, to supply hides enough for shoeing
the negroes on every farm — my grandfather was once
near dismissing a good overseer, because cattle enough
had not died on the farm, to furnish leather for that pur-
pose ! It is a favorite opinion with many, even now, that
all kinds of farming stock, except horses, are endued
with a sort of natural sagacity or instinct, which enables
them to choose for themselves, in bad weather, much
better shelter than their owners could provide for them.
In the spring you may behold a spectacle sad enough to
move the pity of any person who can feel for brute
beasts — hogs, half dead with the mange — sheep, which
have saved nearly all the trouble of shearing, by drop-
ping a large portion of their fleeces in the fields, and
have prevented an overstock of lambs by yeaning them
in situations convenient to the politic troop of buzzards,
which may be seen hovering over them, in greedy an-
ticipation of their customary feasts — and cattle, heaven
help them, for man will not, with their backs arched,
as much as their spines will admit, and all four feet
drawn under them, to balance themselves, as it were,
lest a stronger wind than common should place them in
a situation which we call being on the lift. I know not
whether you northern farmers understand the meaning
of this phrase — we apply it to cattle that have fallen
down from utter inability to stand, and of course, are
unable to rise without being lifted up again."

"And as to dairies in old Virginia, I doubt, whether
one in a hundred of our ordinary farmers, owns such a

* TranBactions of the New York Agricultural Society, 1841 — page 1~5.

MR. SALTONSTALL's ADDRESS. 11

thing as a dairy, or would know how to construct one
properly. Among all such farmers, butter is an article
quite as scarce in the spring, as if it were prohibited by
law."

What a picture of agriculture, in the land of heroes
and of saiifes — the mother of States ! And this in the
year eighteen hundred and forty-two ! Thank heaven,
these phrases do require explanation to a northern farm-
er, where cattle are 07i the lift only by the improvement
of their breed; and who do understand, (and their wives
too,) the meaning and the use of a dairy.

But let us rejoice with the distinguished agricultur-
ist, that these disgraceful proofs of bad husbandry in
Eastern Virginia are rapidly disappearing, and that an
impulse has been given by agricultural journals and so-
cieties, which has effected improvements, which will,
without doubt, be permanent.

The great improvements already made in agriculture
have increased the facilities and advantages of farming
in the United States, and encourage us to aim at still
further improvements. We have now in this country
implements of husbandry of the very best kind — said to
be much better than similar instruments in Europe — for
the free American mind takes the lead of all others, in
mechanical inventions. With respect to cattle, we have
every variety and the best of all varieties. We have,
too, all the varieties of sheep and of swine introduced
from abroad, or improved at home. And as to horses,
we are said to possess quite as good a race for draft, and
even for the turf, as there is in England.

The progress of agricultural improvement has been
accelerated, as the importance of this branch of industry
has been more and more appreciated. And it is indeed
an interest of the highest national importance. It fur-
nishes at least three fourths of all the exports of the
United States. The last annual report of the Commis-
sioner of patents — a very valuable document — con-
tains a tabular estimate and statement of the crops of
eighteen hundred and forty-two. Time will not allow
of details — The aggregate crop was immense ; the

12 MR. sai.tonstall's address.

amount of bread-stuffs, including potatoes, being 716,-
147,950 bushels. And the crops of this bountiful year
will probably be greatly increased. By a comparative
statement of the arrivals of flour at tide water, by the
Erie canal, from the opening of the canal in April to
the close of August last, it appears that the enormous
number of 926,813 barrels passed, being 143,032 more
than in any previous year*

The last census shows that the number of persons
employed in agriculture is more than one third of the
whole population, and nearly three times as many as
are employed in manufactures, trade, commerce and
navigation. Our Country is essentially a nation of
farmers — and when we consider the rapid increase of
population, the subject of agriculture swells into one of
immense magnitude. Applying the ratio of increase of
the last, to the next fifty years, a period which some
who hear me will reach, the population in eighteen
hundred and ninety will be seventy-four millions, and
at the end of a century, three hundred millions. What
but agriculture can sustain and furnish employment to
this mighty population ?

The mind is overwhelmed, as it contemplates, in con-
nexion with this subject, the future destinies of our
Country. Think of its vast extent, stretching along the
coast, through twenty degrees of latitude, and spread-
ing from the Atlantic to the great Western ocean —
imbosoming inland seas, and traversed by mighty rivers,
the sources of some of which have scarcely yet been ex-
plored. Think of its rich and various soils, heaving

*NoTE. This has been since greatly increased.
Flour and Wheat. — Account of flour and wheat arrived at tide water
daring

3d week in October. Total to 22d October.

Flour, barrels. Wheat, bushels. Flour, barrels. Wheat, bushels.

1839, 48,Gi3 39,466 568,797 362,588

1840, 91,080 100,445 1,240,404 1,059,617

1841, 62,691 47,529 1,206,591 525,507

1842, . 112,549 64,325 1,193,670 700,369

1843, 106,076 42,849 1,531,283 634,719
Reducing the wheat to flour, allowing five bushels to a barrel, we have an

ao-grcgate of 1,65{),227 barrels of flour arriving at tide-water since the opening
of navigation. — [.Albany Argus, October 24.

MR. SALTONSTALL's ADDRKS3. 13

with agricultural wealth — yielding plentifully every
variety of products. Above all, think of its free institu-
tions, its increasing means of universal education, its
accumulating population and their intelligence and en-
terprise, and then gratefully acknowledge that no coun-
try on the globe is, or ever was so richly favored of
Heaven. Since we have been engaged in the labors
and recreations of this day, thousands of mighty trees,
the lords of the forest, have fallen beneath the axe of
the hardy settler. Millions of acres are reduced to cul-
tivation, every year. And still the tide of population
flows on, and will flow on, wave after wave, westward,
until it shall meet the shores of the Pacific.

We are indeed " a world by ourselves," and would
American farmers, the real strength of the country,
feel and fulfil their responsibilities, and their call,
elevate their views above all low and sectional consider-
rations and go heart and hand for our country — our
whole country — we should in truth be independent of
all other nations. The facilities of communication, now
so great, are constantly increasing, and opening new
markets, in every part of the nation. New cities are
springing. up, which must be fed from the soil. Our do-
mestic commerce, now of vastly greater importance and
amount than our foreign, will be increased tenfold, as it
will find its materials in the exchange of our various
products. The mighty valley of the Mississippi, a wil-
derness within the recollection of some of us, already
contains a population of more than five millions. By
the statistical tables accompanying the last census, it
appears, that the value of certain leading articles of ag-
ricultural stock and of produce in eighteen hundred and
forty, in the Mississippi valley, was ^538,000,000.* —
What is to work all these wonders? Agriculture —
the plough is the magic instrument which is to work
these miracles — to make the wilderness blossom like
the rose.

No other country possesses so great advantages for

* National Intelligencer, September 9, 1643.

14 MR. saltonstai.l's address.

the pursuit of agriculture, as ours. Nowhere else is
such unrestricted locomotive power enjoyed. Here, no
laws exist, directly or indirectly, confining men to a
particular occupation or place. Industry is in every
respect free and unfettered. Agriculture is open to all,
and within the reach of all.

We of Massachusetts should take an especial interest
in the object of this society. The founders of New
England were from necessity, cultivators of the soil. —
" They left their pleasant and plentiful homes in Eng-
land, to plant their poor cottages in the wilderness. " —
They drew their support from the earth, the common
mother of us all — from the soil to which they fled for
the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty. She re-
quired toil, but gratefully yielded back with interest all
that was bestowed upon her. She has nourished and
brought us up'^as children The men who achieved our
independence — who were they ? Principally farmers.
The men, in commemoration of whose gallant exploits
their grateful country has erected that sublime monu-
ment on Bunker Hill, were farmers — the yeomen of
New England. They left the plough in the furrow, and
took the old muskets which had before accompanied
their fathers to their agricultural labors, and to the field
of battle, and marched to the post of duty and of danger.
The men who founded the institutions of Massachusetts,
who made her what she is — from whom indeed we in-
herit almost all that is worth preserving, were our ag-
ricultural forefathers.

There is not beneath the sun another class of men like
American farmers. Where else is the land cultivated by
those who own it ? Time was when such a class exist-
ed in England, but it is nearly extinct, and is known
only in story or in song. The agricultural classes there,
-now, are the few great landholders, and the laboring
peasantry, who have no interest in the soil they culti-
vate. Here — he who ploughs the land, turns out his
own furrow. He reaps in joy his own harvest. The
improvements he makes are his own. He owns the land
he cultivates. He knows that another will not reap,

MR. SA-LTONSTALL's ADDRESS. 15

where he has sown. He is a freeholder, that good old
English title.

We, in this blessed land, are indeed a chosen, a pecu-
liar people. Who need suffer from want here ? Do any
find themselves "straightened for room," in the quaint
language of our forefathers 1 Let them go and take pos-
session of their farms in some part of our vast public
domain — that provision which a bountiful Providence
has made for us, and for those who will follow us, for
ages to come. Let them go, and take the great New
England instruments of civilization with them, the axe,
the plough, and the Bible, and their New England habits,
and their love of New England institutions — Let them
go and make homes for themselves in the wilderness,
and future generations will rise up and call them blessed,
as we do our Fathers.

We think, however, that our good old County is not
yet full or worn out, but that it offers still, scope to
agricultural industry and enterprise. We do not urge
or encourage our young men to wander abroad in pur-
suit of happiness — but if they go, our loss will be the
gain of some other part of our common country. We
rejoice in the extension of agricultural improvements
every where, as it increases the comfort and well being
of the human family. — We should rejoice in the ameli-
oration of man, all the world over — but still

" To mend the world 's a vast design."

To improve the agriculture of Essex — to increase pro-
duction here, is the object of this Association. And
even here, much remains to be done. As we travel
through our beautiful towns we are delighted with the
evidence of improvement and prosperity. We see farms
in a high state of cultivation, furnished with improved
stock, and buildings and fences in good order. We ob-
serve fine grass fields, wdiere lately were unproductive
swamps, or other fields fertilized by their accumulated
vegetable riches. Improvements like these, are within
the reach of every industrious and economical farmer —
But are they universal ?

And will you permit one who is not a practical farmer

16 MR. saltonstall's address.

to hint at some deficiencies ? One of the greatest is,
the neglect of the cultivation of the fruits, to which our
soil and climate are propitious. Every farm should have
a succession of those delicious fruits, which are easily
cultivated, and which have in goodness been provided
for our enjoyment and our health, and for which the
natural taste is so strong. They may also be as profita-
bly cultivated as any other articles.

Another defect is — the neglect of gardens. A far-
mer is often satisfied with too small a gcw den patch.
Culinary vegetables ought to be raised, and used too, in
much greater variety and plenty than they are ; and it
would be no misfortune to the health or the purse, if they
should lessen the excessive use of animal food.

Let us glance at some of the causes of the modern im-
provements in agriculture. One of the principal is the
application of scientific principles to the practice. It
was formerly supposed, that there could be no connec-
tion betv^een science and the cultivation of the earth. —
This had a tendency to depress, if not to degrade the
occupation. Now, science has come forth into every day
life — She extent's her powerful aid to practical farmers.
Chemistry is analyzing the nature of soils and their ele-
ments, and of the supplies which they require, and is
thus elevating the employment of the farmer, and teach-
ing him how to cultivate his land to the best advantage.
I might also refer to the agricultural, geological, and
other surveys, in our Commonwealth, equally honora-
ble to the Government by whose authority they were
made, and to the learned commissioners, and which have
greatly advanced the science of husbandry.

Agricultural periodicals hold a high rank among the
learned and interesting journals of the day. — They have
done much to remove the prejudice against book-farming,
and are producing very beneficial effects. I have al-
ready adverted to agricultural associations — the most
eflicient cause of improvement, in Europe and in this
country. Permit me also to mention as one among the
chief causes of advance in agriculture, the improvement
in temperance, and of course in the effective industry

MR. SALTONfsTALL's ADDRESS. 17

of laborers. Formerly, wholesome food was not deemed
sufficient to support, nor sound sleep to restore man's
strength, without the habitual use of stimulating drinks
— as if the all-wise and beneficent creator had so imper-
fectly made man, and was so hard a task-master, that al-
though he had destined him to labor, he could not per-
form the work assigned him, without the aid of artificial
stimulants. The effect was too often seen in dilapidated
buildings, broken down walls, feeble and ill-treated ani-
mals, neglected and barren fields, the mortgage which
consumed the farmer's substance, and at last, the sher-
iff's levy or sale. Alas, the effect was often felt, too,
by broken hearted wives and neglected children. Bless-
ed are our eyes, for they see, and our ears, for they
hear, what marvellous things have been wrought in our
day by the Angel, Temperance. She comes with the
blessings of a new dispensation of peace and mercy from
heaven.

The consequence of this improvement in agriculture
is the elevation of the character of the profession, which
in its turn becomes the most efficient cause of still fur-
ther progress. Until the French revolutionary wars,
New-England, except a narrow strip along the coast,
was almost exclusively, an agricultural community — but
after the excitement, and the impetus given to our com-
merce by that event, which led to a rapid accumulation
of wealth, our young men were not satisfied with the
slow thrift of old fashioned industry. They were not
content to "speed the plough," and they rushed to the
cities and to the ocean, to make haste to be rich. But
the reverses and embarrassments of the last few years
have taught them, that time and chance, which happen
to all, do so emphatically to the mercantile class — that
there are many blanks to a prize in that lottery, and that
a high prize, suddenly won, is not seldom as quickly
lost. They find that practical agriculture diligently pur-
sued, yields a fair return, and many now wisely take
their lot in life in the cultivation of the soil, instead of
rushing into the hot pursuit of wealth by desperate
adventures, or plunging into speculations, or chasing in

]8 MR. SALTONSTALl/s ADDRESS.

mad pursuit of fame, so seldom acquired, and generally
so unsubstantial and fleeting.

The happiest effects may be anticipated from this
change in public sentiment. We no longer hear a farm-
er spoken of as necessarily a dull and plodding person,
to whom much education is useless, whose pursuits fur-
nish no scope for enterprize or improvement, and can
have no connexion with literature or science. The
sneering remark of Dr. Johnson, " he talks of beeves,"
will not be repeated by any one who regards his repu-
tation.

Let this improvement in public opinion go on, until it
shall no longer be asked, what good does a thorough and
libei-al education do a farmer '( It is time for farmers
to learn that time and money expended on the educa-
tion of their sons, are not lost, if they return to the oc-
cupation of their fathers. The notion that they must of
necessity enter one of the learned professions — so call-
ed — is a great mistake, and should be exploded. How
many young men, who might have been happy and use-
ful, as agriculturists, have been obliged to abandon a
crowded profession, after struggling along through some
of the best years of life, or have resorted to low petti-
fogging, or to the most miserable and contemptible of
all pursuits, office-seeking, for the pay ! Agriculture
invites our educated young men to fields which yield to
industry and to judicious cultivation, a sure reward, and
which furnish ample materials for the exercise of the
mind, and even for the cultivation of taste. By a judi-
cious arrangement of buildings and trees and shrubs —
by a proper regard to order and neatness in cultivation,
a farm may be made an object of great beauty. And it
has been as justly as beautifully observed, that "there
is not an operation of practical husbandry, however hum-
ble, that is not immortalized in Thompson's or Gray's
or Cowper's song. To such men, how melodious was
the reaper's song, how graceful the mower's movements,
how picturesque the loaded train, groaning beneath the
burden of the gathered harvests." Is it not strange
that a pursuit which in all ages has furnished subjects for

MR. SALTONSTALL's ADDRESS. 19

the most gifted minds, should ever have been thought
low or degraded ? " God made the country, man made
the town ;" and however the city may be ornamented
with beautiful and sublime works of art, there is still be-
tween them and natural scenery, the difference there is
between things human and divine.

" Hail therefore, patroness of health and ease,
And contemplation, heart-consoling joys,
And harmless pleasures, in the thronged abode
Of multitudes unknown; hail rural life."

Agricultural pursuits in the open air, in the pure
breath of heaven, and amidst the works which God has
made, have the most purifying and elevating influence on
the heart and mind. Who that has a heart in his bosom,
can look abroad on our hills, crowned with trees, our
pastures covered with flocks, on our valleys and plains,
laden with " food for man and beast," and not think and
feel, how good God is ? AVho can behold the meadows
ornamented with flowers, and reflect that the wide
spread prairies, the solitary wilderness, nay, that the
whole earth is strewn with an infinite variety of those
most lovely objects, arrayed with more beauty than was
Solomon in all his glory, and his heart not be softened
into a sense of that -boundless love, which has made
such provision for our enjoyment, and for the gratifica-
tion of a pure and refined taste ? Who can see the sun
rising in his glory, as all good farmers are wont to do,
or can behold him sinking in his gorgeous pavilion —
who can look upon the magnificent heavens, which can
only be seen in the country, and not feel awed into rev-
erence before him who made them all, and exclaim as
did the shepherd of Israel, — " When I consider thy
heavens, the work of thy hand, the moon and stars
which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou art
mindful of him, or the son of man that thou visitest
him !" Who can listen to the " charm of earliest birds"
as they dart from their nest and mount to the topmost
sprays at dawn, and not join their notes of grateful
praise to him who notices the sparrow's fall, and whose

20 MR. S ALTON stall's ADDRESS.

providential care extends to all his works ? And where
shall we learn our dependence on divine providence so
effectually, as in an occupation where his visible pres-
ence seems manifest, in his imparting the influences of
the sun and of showers in such succession as to crown
with success the labors of our hands — who withholds
the needful blessing only so long as is necessary to make
us feel, that " it is God who giveth the increase."

Farmers of Essex — You cannot render a greater ser-
vice to your country, than by disabusing the public mind
of any prejudices which still remain as to the true char-
acter and influence of your pursuits.

" Sucli themes as these the rural Maro sung

To wide, imperial Rome, in the full height

Of eloquence and taste, by Greece refined.

In ancient times the sacred plough employed

The Kings and awful fathers of mankind ;

And some, with whom compared, your insect tribes .

Are but the beings of a summer's day.

Have held the scale of empire, ruled the storm

Of mighty war ; then with unwearied hand.

Disdaining little delicacies, seized

The plough, and greatly independent, lived."

Man was made to labor. His physical constitution
shows it as plainly as if this law of his existence was im-
printed on his forehead. This beneficent decree has
united his duty and his happiness. And yet — how
strange ! — labor has, in almost all ages and nations,
been considered as dishonorable, and has been left to
serfs and slaves ! It is quite time to correct the preju-
dices as to the true dignity of labor, which have come
down us from remote and dark ages. We trust the
time is not far distant, when it will no longer be thought
in the old world, that the army, the navy and the
church — strange union — furnish the only suitable
emplovment for the sons of the rich and great. More
correct opinions are spreading. All civilized nations
are beginning to learn that war is the worst of evils.
The peace, which, blessed be God, has prevailed for

MR. SALTONSTALL's ADDRESS. 21'

a longer period than has been known for centuries,
has given men leisure to think of the miseries and
the wickedness of war, and to reflect on the count-
less blessings of peace. It has multiplied the honorable
pursuits of men. They see that agriculture and all the
arts which promote true civilization and ameliorate the
condition of man, have advanced more within the last
twenty-five years, than in the preceding century, and
that the condition of every nation has been improved.
We are no optimists — We know the infirmity of man,
and have no faith in his perfectibility, but the signs of
the times warrant us in hoping that the time will soon
come- — nay that it has come, when christian nations
will see to it, that wars shall be undertaken only in the
last resort, and from dire necessity — when the ambition
of man shall not be confined to military glory, falsely so
called, won at the expense of the lives of thousands of
our fellow beings, and the misery of more — when great
and wise men will aspire to have their names enrolled
among the benefactors of mankind ; those who have
led the way in benevolent enterprises, or who by use-
ful inventions or discoveries have contributed to the fa-
cility of labor and the comforts of life — when they shall
be ambitious of the fame of Watt and Arkwright, or of
our own Franklin, rather than the heartless and ruth-
less conquerors, ravagers of the earth, who have hith-
erto attracted the world's gaze and admiration. We
are no optimists, but we do hope — nay we believe —
that one scientific discovery, the application of steam
to transportation on the land and on the water, is
the master-power, which is destined to revolutionize
the civilized world. All experience shows, that mu-
tual intercourse between nations promotes, and indeed
is indispensable to, the progress of civilization and
true humanity. Let rail-roads run from nation to
nation, and the people of different countries associate
and hold intimate relations together, and it must
remove national prejudices and liberalize them all.
Let the passage between the capitals of England and
France be reduced to a few hours, and the generations

22 MR. SAI,T0NSTATJ/S ADDRESS.

to come will not think as their fathers did, that the}^ are
born hereditary enemies. Let us at least hope that the
time will come, when competition between nations will
be an honorable rivalry for distinction in the arts of
peace, not for superior skill and power in the work ot
destruction. The late visit of the Queen of England to
France, is significant of this blessed advance in true
civilization, and lights up visions of hope for the future.

But what has all this to do with agriculture ? Gen-
tlemen, it is closely connected with it. War is the
greatest enemy to agricultural improvement. I know
that for a time it stimulates the demand for its produc-
tions ; but it takes from agriculture the sinews of labor.
It spreads desolation over the fields which are the
seat of war. It excites a community into a state of
restlessness, and inflames passions inconsistent with ag-
ricultural industry, and worst of all, it demoralizes a
community. Well did Mr. Everett say, in his late
eloquent speech, " 0, my Lord, I firmly, believe, that
if one thousandth part of the skill, the energy and the
treasures, that have been expended by rival nations, in
the fierce and deadly strugijjles of what is called "the
field," had been employed in a generous emulation to
see which would excel the rest in the arts of peace —
had this been done, I believe that you farmers would
have driven us diplomatists from the field; at any rate,
you would have left us but Jittle to do, in carrying on
angry international discussions. " The prophetic word
has been spoken that agriculture shall flourish in the
reign of mild peace — that the time shall come — 0,
hasten on the day ! — when the sword shall be beaten in-
to ploughshares, and men shall learn war no more.

The importance of the agricultural interest and the
necessity of improvement in cultivation, were early ap-
preciated in this State. The Massachusetts Agricultur-
al Society was formed more than half a century ago, by
some of our most eminent and worthy citizens. A new
impulse was given to this great branch of industry, by
their exertions, and especially by their valuable publi-
cations. And if their transactions seem now to be less

MK. SALTONST.VLL's ADDRKS3. 23

important than formerly, it is because the county associ-
ations have rendered the labor of the parent Society less
necessary.

Gentlemen — Our association owes much of its early
success, if not its existence, to one, not less distinguish-
ed for the purity and elevation of his private character,
his public spii'it and patriotic services, than the brightest
names on a list which contains names as distinguished
as any which adorn the annals of Massachusetts* —
Samuel Adams, Christopher Gore, Benjamin Lincoln,
John (judge) Lowell, Thomas Russel, and not to be
forgotten in this place Samuel Phillips. The memory
of Timothy Pickering should be held in honored re-
membrance by this Society, by all farmers, and indeed
by the whole country. He who had served his country
bravely and faithfully during the revolutionary contest,
and with distinguished ability in the cabinet and the
councils of the nation, retired to his farm in the midst of
life, before his eye was dim or his natural strength abat-
ed, and devoted his time and the vigor of his mind, to
agriculture He was not ashamed to be called, and
to be, a farmer. He was the first, and for ten years,
President of this Society. As he never neglected any
duty, he attended all the meetings of the Society and of
its Trustees ; and it will excite no jealousy among the
associates of his honorable labors, to say, that it owed
its prosperity, mainly, to his example and his efforts.
He repeatedly addressed them on their anniversaries,
and he furnished many valuable communications, which
enrich their publications — for all the improvements
which adorned or benefitted his own farm, were recom-
mended to him, not only by the consideration of his
own interest, but by the higher motive of duty to his
country.

The pursuits of agriculture furnished abundant em-
ployment to the mind of Timothy Pickering — Let no
one then shun them as dull or degraded. He continued
his interest in agriculture and in this association, while

Named in the act incorporating tho iMassachusetls Agricultural Society.

24 i\iK. saltonstall's address.

life lasted, and it will be an interesting fact to you, gen-
tlemen, that his pen, which was never employed except
for worthy ends, was last used in behalf of this Society.*
He whose course through a long life exhibits so bright
an example of simplicity of manners, firmness of princi-
ple, unbending integrity, faithful and energetic discharge
of duty, and of true public and patriotic spirit, adorns
and dignifies his country.

How can I better close this address, gentlemen, than
by this tribute of grateful and afi"ectionate respect, so
justly due, and which I know you will cordially unite
with me in offering, to the memory of that distinguished
agriculturist, that most eminent and excellent man,
Tii^ioTiiY Pickering.

In drafting a petilion to the Legislature.

REPORTS, &c.

ON PLOWING.

WITH DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on plowing with double teams, con-
sisting of J. W. Proctor of Danvers, A. Putnam of Ham-
ilton, W. Johnson, jr. of Andover, J. Howe of Methuen,
and I. Carruth of Andover, Report :

That twenty four teams were entered, all of which
w^ere promptly ready at the time and })lace appointed
for the work. As but twenty three lands had been pre-
pared, one of the teams was necessarily excluded. The
lands were assigned by drawing for their numbers.
The ground was situated on the southerly part of the
farm of H. Clark, Esq. It was a cultivated field, and
had been mown for a half dozen years. The soil was
hard and stony, and in the sub-soil fast rocks were met
in almost every furrow. Heretofore it had not been
plowed more than six inches deep. It was divided into
lots, about 26 rods long, and 1 rod wide —

The work was done as follows, viz :

No. 1. William Peters, of Andover. Plow made by
Prouty & Co. ; size A. Wm. Peters, plowman, J.
Wilson, driver. 24 furrows, in 46 minutes. Broke a
point, and had to put on another, which hindered about
five minutes. This lot was only 18 rods long.

No. 2. Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover. Plow made
by Ruggles & Co. ; Eagle No. 3. R. H. Chandler,
plowman, E. Needham, driver. 14 furrows in 45 min-
utes. This work was very well done.

26 ON PLOWING.

No. 3. Andrew F. Curtis, of Micldleton. Plough
made by Proiity & Co. ; Eagle C. Darius Emerson,
plowman, A. F. Curtis, driver. 14 furrows, in 37 min-
utes. About 6 inches deep, laid smooth, a rolling cut-
ter on the plow, which operated favorably.

No. 4. Joshua Chandler, of Andover. Plough made
by Prouty & Co. ; Eagle C. Jos. Chandler, plowman,
Jon. F. Chandler, driver. 15 furrows, in 46 minutes.
This plough gave way during the work, but the land was
finished, and very well turned.

No. 5. Moody B. Abbott, of Andover. Plough made
by Ruggles & Co. ; Sward C. G. M. White, plow-
man, T. F. Downing, driver. 15 furrows, in 50 minutes,
fairly laid, and of good depth.

No 6. John F. Carlton, of Andover. Plough made
by Prouty & Co. ; A. Simon Foster, plowman, J. F.
Carlton driver. 14 furrows, in 36 minutes, fairly laid.

No. 7. Jonas Simonds, of Andover. Plow made by
Prouty & Co ; Sod A. Henry Simonds, plowman, F.
Simonds, driver. 14 furrows, in 38 minutes, well laid,
but less than 7 inches deep.

No. 8. Amos P. Swinnerton, of Danvers. Plow made
by Ruggles & Co. ; Sward B. A. P. Swinnerton, plow-
man, J. L. Hutchinson, driver. 13 furrows, in 51 min-
utes, of good depth, rather unevenly laid.

No. 9. Hiram Kimball, of Andover. Plow made by
.Ruggles & Co. ; Sward B. John Peabody, plowman,
H. Kimball, driver. 13 furrows, in 46 minutes.

No. 10. Dean Robinson, of West Newbury. Plow
made by Ruggles & Co. ; Sward B. Samuel Moody,
plowman, Wm. Preble, driver. 13 furrows in 42 min-
utes. Cattle were superior, well plowed, and of good
depth.

No. 11. Henry Cummings, of Andover. Plow made
by Ruggles & Co. ; Sward C. Herman Phelps, plow-
man, H. Cummings, driver. 13 furrows, in 43 minutes,
very well laid, full depth, soil rather more favorable
than some other lands.

No. 12. Ebenezer Jenkins, of Andover. Plow made
by Huggles & Co. ; Sward D. E. Jenkins, plowman,

ON PLOWING. 27

R. Z. Caldwell, driver. 12 furrows, in 48 minutes. —
This plow had a double cutter, which is thought to pro-
tect the point in stony land. Work fairly done.

No. 13. Samuel F. Barker, of Andover. Plow made
by Prouty & Co. ; A. Peter Freeman, plowman, A.
i. Barker, aged 12, driver. 12 furrows, in 55 minutes,
not so deep as required, tolerably laid.

No. 14. Enos Reynolds, of Boxford. Plow made by
Prouty & Co. ; Sod A. Eben Howe, plowman, H. A.
Bodwell, driver. 14 furrows, in 49 minutes, of good
depth, not so smoothly laid as some.

No. 15. Joseph Chandler, of Andover. Plow made
by Ruggles & Co. ; Sward C. Joseph Chandler, jr.
plowman, Jos. Chandler, driver. 14 furrows, in 42 min-
utes, well laid, of good depth.

No. 16. Perley Tapley, of Danvers. Plow made by
Ruggles & Co. ; Improved Eagle. G. W. Winslow,
plowman, S. S. Thomas, driver. 14 furrows, in 43 min-
utes. This plow had a steel plate on the share, design-
ed to be used in meadows, it turned the furrow^s well,
but not quite the depth required.

No. 17. Augustus A. Hayward, of Boxford. Plow
made by Ruggles &. Co. ; Sward B. Wm. R. Cole,
plowman, David West, driver. 14 furrows, in 46 min-
utes, well laid, turned even.

No. 18. James Stevens, 2d, of Andover. Plow made
by Prouty & Co. ; A. Benj. Kimball, plowman, George
Perry, driver. 13 furrows, in 35 minutes. This work
was quickly and roughly done. The same team that
was used in No. 9, the last year, which then succeeded
quite well.

No. 19. Samuel Jenkins, jr. of Andover. *' Plow
made by Prouty & Co. ; Sod A. John I. Foster, plow-
man, S. Jenkins, jr. driver. 12 furrows, in 35 minutes,
unevenly laid, furrow slice much broken, the land was
not quite as wide as the others.

No. 20. Joseph Simonds, of Middleton. Plow^made
by Prouty & Co. ; C. Geo. R. Wilkins, plowman, Geo.
W. White, driver. 15 furrows, in 33 minutes. This
plow had a rolling cutter — said by the plowman to run

28 ON PLOWING.

easier, and to be preferable among stones. The furrows
were scant seven inches, and roughly laid.

No. 21. William Foster of Andover. Plowmadeby
Prouty & Co. ; Sward B. Charles F. Johnson, plow-
man, William Foster, driver. 21 furrows, in 49 minutes.
This and the two followino; lands were shorter than the
others, and about the same length as the first — say 16
to 18 rods.

No. 22. Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield. Plow made
by Ruggies & Co.; Eagle, No. 3. Moses Pettingill, Jr.,
(aged Vd) plowman, M. Pettingill, driver. 22 furrows
in 52 minutes. This plow had a I'olling cutter. The
furrows were full seven inches deep, and were very
smoothly and neatly laid. The work was perfectly
done.

No. 23. Josiah F. Abbott, of Andover. Plow made
by Ruggles & Co. ; Sod C. Ballard Holt, plowman,
J. M. Abbott, driver. 21 furrows in 55 minutes These
furrows were 7^ inches deep, and lapped a little —
the land was more favorable than most of the other
lots.

Such were the minutes of the work, hastily taken by
the committee on the field. After the work was com-
pleted, the committee took a general view of the whole;
and a particular examination of each plow used. But
as the peculiar characteristics of the plows are to be ta-
ken into view by another committee on a more strict and
scientific comparison, the committee thought their duty
would be best discharged by applying the premiums, ac-
cording to the general appearance of the work when
completed. They would have been pleased to have
noticed the discipline and training of the cattle used
more particularly, if they could have found time. So
well was the work performed that the committee would
have cheerfully recommended premiums to one half of
the competitors, if so many had been at their fpower^ of
disposal. But as but four premiums were offered, no
more than this could with propriety be given — They
determined to assign the premiums by balloting, for 1st.,

ON PLOWING. 29

2d., 3d. and 4th., in their order ; and it so happened,
that each were assigned by a majority of votes, without
a second ballot. In this manner the premiums were a-
warded, as follows :

To Moses Pettingill, No. 22, 1st premium, $12 00

" Henry Cummings, No. 11, 2d " 10 00

" Joseph Chandler, No. 15, 3d " 8 00

" Dean Robinson, No. 10, 4th " 4 00

In settling questions of this character, with so much
haste as is necessarily required, on the days of our Cat-
tle Shows, it cannot be expected that all will be satisfied,
or that exact justice will be done to all. Most of your
committee have had many years experience in the use
of the plow, and they were desirious of determining
impartially, without being swerved by any collateral
considerations.

We congratulate the Society on the increasing inter-
est manifested in this part of their exhibitions. We can-
not doubt that much practical benefit has accrued from
them. Although the minutene^s of particulars detailed
in our report may seem tedious and trivial to some, still
those who would thoroughly understand the subject will
be convinced of their propriety. If time could have been
found, we should have been pleased to have tested the
power of each plow, by the application of the dynamo-
meter, in the soil in which it was used : — as also the
well-balanced character of the plow. When the plow
is so well adjusted, as to cut the furrow slice of pro-
per depth and ividth, and lay it in a proper manner,
without any extra care or exertion of the plowman,
then is the perfection of the art of plowing nearly at-
tained.

What more animatino; si2;ht to one fond of useful im-
provements, than forty teams, as to day witnessed, mov-
ing side by side without collision, in the struggle for vic-
tory ? — Although this victory may be achieved by the use
of glittering plowshares, instead of siuords and bayonets,
still it will be remembered to be commmded, when most

30 ON PLOWING.

of those obtained by their use, shall only be remembered
for the sufferings incident thereto.

Respectfully submitted, for the Committee, by

J. VV. PROCTOR.

Andover, Sept. 27, 1843.

WITH SINGLE TEAMS.

The Committee on plowing with single teams, pre-
sent the following Report :

The number of teams which competed for the premi-
ums, was 12. The quantity of land plowed by each
team, -^ of an acre.

Perley Tapley, of Danvers, plowed his land of 24 fur-
rows, in 45 minutes, 6^ inches in depth, and is entitled
to the first premium, ^10,00.

Alanson Flint's team, of Andover, plowed their land
in 38 minutes, 24 furrows, 6^ inches in depth, and is
entitled to the second premium. $8,00.

Moody B. Abbott's team, of Andover, plowed their
land in 45 minutes, 25 furrows, 6^ inches in depth, and
is entitled to the third premium, 6,00.

Charles Foster's team, of Andover, plowed their land
in 51 minutes, 6 inches, and 26 furrows, and is entitled
to the fourth premium, $4,00.

Respectfully submitted, by

A. GRAY,
LEWIS ALLEN,
ERASTUS WARE,
JOS. F. INCxALLS.
Andover, Sept. 27, 1843

WITH HORSE TEAMS.

The Committee on plowing with Horse Teams, re-
spectfully Report :

That they award to John Marland, of Andover, the
first premium of eight dollars.

To Samuel M. Barker, of Andover, second premium
of six dollars.

ON PLOWS. 31

To John A. Stevens, of Metlmen, a gratuity of five
dollars. For the Committee,

JEREMIAH COLMAN.

ON THE COxVIPARATIVE MERITS OF PLOWS.

The Committee on this subject, consisting of Moses
Newell, of W. Newbury, J. W. Proctor, of Danvers,
William Sutton, of Salem, A. T. Newhall, of Lynnfield,
and Andrew Dodge, of Wenham, have attended to that
duty, as far as other engagements would admit, and sub-
mit the following Report:

From the examinations of this kind that have hereto-
fore been made, we are aw-are of the interest felt by the
different manufacturers in the doings of this committee.
We have therefore felt it to be our duty to proceed with
caution, and not to adopt conclusive opinions upon im-
perfect evidence. — We shall endeavour to state such facts
as have come within our observation, with such remarks
explanatory of the same as may seem appropriate ; leav-
ing it to those curious on the subject, to compare and
form their own conclusions. And in so doing we hope
they will have the fairness to take all the facts into view,
and not a garbled selection, as has sometimes been done,
thereby entirely misrepresenting the impressions intend-
ed to be made by the Committee.

In testing the quality of a plow, the poiver by which
it is moved, the ease with which it is handled, and the
manner in which it completes the work, are prominent
points for consideration.

The dynamometer is the best instrument at present
at command to determine the power. This can be done
with a good degree of accuracy where the soil is free of
stones, and the team is well disciplined, and driven in a
uniform manner. But even then it is not easy to be
certain within a quarter of a hundred pounds, and of
course, much must depend upon the judgment of the ob-
server. Without doubt by the application of pullies a
nearer approximation to accuracy could be attained ; but

82

ON PLOWS.

these were not at the command of the committee. These
facts are mentioned that too much reliance may not be
placed on power alone ; — this being one only of the con-
siderations to be taken into view.

It should also be remembered, that the plows offered
for examination, were entered without reference to the
particular kind of soil in which they were to be tried.
They were of different sizes and different forms — some
adapted to the soil, and others not; — so that a plow
which did not work to advantage in this soil, might under
other circumstances have shown a more favorable result.

Seventeen plows were presented to the attention of
the Committee — seven made by Ruggles &f Co., seven
made by Prouty & Co., two made by Howard, and one
made by Winslow. The ground on which they were
tried was a grass sward, with a hard stony bottom, that
had heretofore been plowed not more than six inches
deep. Two pair of oxen were used, the same on al]
the plows, and moderately driven. The plows were
regulated and held principally by their owners or agents,
— without any special directions from the committee,
except as to the depth of the furrow, which was requir-
ed to be about seven inches. — Four furrows of twelve
rods in length were turned by each plow, and the aver-
age result noted by the Committee as appears in the
following tabular statement.

^*^

I'ouer

1 Ut-|,ili

VV idlli

Uuunlii)'

I'.opu.uun

No.

Maker.

Llpsciipiion.

in

1 '"

in

in

to lUO 1I)S.

pounds

1 inches.

Indies.

square in

of power.

1

G.W. Winslow.

MediiiHi size.

552

6.58

12.33

81.13

^4:70"

2

Ruffijles & Co.

Eagle, No. 1.

475

6 25

11.33

70.81

14.90

3

do.

Eaiile, No. 2.

4!)0

G.G2

12.00

79.44

16.21

4

Prouty cV Co.

Sod C.

575

6.62

13.33

88.24

15.35

5

Jo.

Eagl<^ C. 2.

571

6.30

12.00

75.60

13.24

(i

lliiogk-s & Co.

Swaid C.

580

G.63

12.66

86.46

14.90

7

Howard.

J^arire size.

594

7

13.33

93.31

15.70

s

do.

Mediuui size.

565

5.96

12.66

75.45

13.35

!)

Proiilv &. Co.

No. '-ih sclfsharp'iig.

r.GG

6.12

12 33

75.45

13.33

10

llugglcs i.'t Co.

Sward B.

577

7.12

13.33

94.90

16 36

11

Prouty cV- Co.

Eagle C

575

6.33

12.33

78.04

13.57

]'2

Ruggles & Co.

Sward D.

(i44

7.16

14.50

103.82

16.10

r.i

Prouty & Co.

No. 5.i.

520

6.G2

12.33

81.63

15.69

14

RuiTi^lcs A: Co.

Eaolc, No. :j.

G4G

7.46

14.66

109.36

16.92

ir,

Prouty & Co.

Sod A.

G15

7.54

15.00

113,10

17.90

IG

Rujfijles A; Co.

Eagle, No. 3.

G9G

7.41

16.00

1 18. '6

16.89

17

Prouty & C'o.

Lock Coulter.

G30

G.GG

14.00

93.24

14.80

ON PLOWS. 33

In the performance of this work the plows of Ruggles
^ Co. were held by Mr. P. Tapley, of Danvers. The
plows of Prouty & Co. were held by Mr. Wheeler, of
Concord — excepting Nos. 9 and 11, which were enter-
ed by their respective owners, and held by Mr. James
Wilkins, of Middleton. As so much depends upon the
skill of the person holding the plow, the committee were
at a loss to know what proportion of the merits of the
work was to be attributed to the plow and what to the
plowman; — and as there appeared in some instances an
effort to enlarge the work, beyond the natural powers of
the plow, the committee requested the competitors,
each of them, to produce two plows, one of large and one
of medium size, to be tried on a subsequent clay. The
examination of these plows took place on the 24th of
October, on land favorable for the experiment, a grass
sward that had been mown two years only, free of stones,
with a gravelly subsoil. By direction of the committee,
the plows were adjusted by their owners — the smaller
size to turn a furrow 12 inches wide and 7 inches deep
— the larger size to turn a furrow 14 inches wide and 7
inches deep. The furrows were turned of the width re-
quired, varying in depth from 6|- to 7J- inches. The
plows were held by members of the committee. The
power applied by three yoke of oxen, as indicated by the
dynamometer was nearly as follows, viz:

MEDIUM SIZE PLOWS.

1. Winslow of Danvers, 462 pounds.

2. Prouty & Co. of Boston, 425 "

3. Ruggles & Co. of Worcester, 412 "

4. Howard of Hingham, 412 "

LARGE SIZE PLOWS.

1. Winslow, 512 *'

2. Prouty & Co., Sod A. 487 "

3. Ruggles & Co., Eagle No. 3 425 "

4. Howard, 450

In the last experiment Prouty &. Co's. sod A. was the
same plow marked No. 15 on the first day, and which
then indicated a result more favorable than any other

34 ON PLOWS.

plow used; — and Riiggles ^ Co. Eagle No. 3, was the
same description of plow marked No. 14, on the first
day, which then indicated a highly favorable result; —
and which also had obtained the first premium at Ar.-
dover, as No. 22 among the plows used by double teams.
Both of these plows, as we were informed, came forward
in their every day garb, without any special brushing for
the occasion. The large size plows offered by Messrs.
Howard and Winslow were new, perfectly well con-
structed and finished. Upon the whole view of their
operations, the committee considered the results produ-
ced by the larger sized plows, indicated them as best
adapted to the breaking up land of this description; and
that the question as to superiority lay between Nos. 14
and 15 of the first day. On adverting to the manner in
which these plows were held, the ease with which they
worked, and the manner in which they left the furrow
slice, the committee were inclined to give the preference
to Eagle No. 3 of Ruggles Sf Co. As near as we can
ascertain, this plow combines all the good qualities mani-
fested in either of the others, with some peculiar to it-
self. It is called the improved Eagle, and has manifest-
ly been constructed with much care, by shrewd observ-
ers, ambitious to excel. We would not say that it is the
perfection of the instrument, because we are inclined to
think that yankee ingenuity will still bring forward many
other improvements; but we do think that this plow has
a combination of points, that deservedly place it in the
very first class of those that have come within our obser-
vation. On comparing the plows exhibited by these
manufacturers the present year with those constructed
by them half a dozen years since, they would hardly be
recognized or known, by their family resemblance. It
is apparent that each have availed themselves of the im-
provements of the others, and have endeavored to com-
bine the best points in their plows of last construction.
So far as the public is concerned this is for the benefit of
the public; and we hope they will still go on inventing
and combining until there shall be no further room for
advance. The fact that every succeeding year introdu-

ON PLOWS. 35

ces some new modification, that finds more or less ad-
mirers, affords abundant stimulus for further application
of skill. And the further fact that different qualities of
soil, and different kinds of teams used, will always de-
mand variations in their structure adapted to their pe-
culiarities, gives abundant scope for additional invention.

The committee, desirous of informing themselves as
well as to instruct others on the subject to which their
attention has been directed, requested of each of the
manufacturers a brief statement of the alterations and im-
provements introduced by them in the structure of the
plow. Believing that the facts thus learned from prac-
tical mechanics, who have an interest in adopting those
which are most valuable, will be of more utility than any
theoretical speculations of our own — we have conden-
sed from these communications the following:

As early as 1833 Ruggles t^- Co. came to the conclu-
sion that the cast-iron plows then in use were quite too
short; — they lengthened their patterns, which enabled
them to place the mould board or plate at a more acute
angle with the landside. This form was ascertained to
possess many advantages; and they have been gradually
lengthening their patterns to the present time. By so
doing they have diminished the power of draft required,
and obtained a facility of laying the furrows with much
greater eveness and precision. In their description they
have annexed a representation of the Eagle Plow, (the
plate of which they have kindly placed in the hands of
the committee for the use of the Society) in reference to
which they observe, " in adding length to Eagle No. 2,
we gave a greater length in proportion forward of the
standard bolt A. wdiich allowed us to form the share or
point on a more acute angle on the cut B. and by the
additional length forward, we were enabled to form the
mouldboard with so gradual a rise and regular curve
that it takes up the furrow slice with great ease, bearing
it lightly and equally over the whole surface, turning it
over with the least possible bending or twisting, placing
it smooth and unbroken entirely subverted by the side
of the preceding slice, covering most effectually all

36 ON PLOWS.

vegetable growth." "To balance the plow and insure
a steadiness of movement in the ground, and to resist the
pressure of the furrow slice upon the mouldboard, we
have added length to the heel of the landside C." "In
the construction of Eagle No. 3, designed particularly
for sward plowing, we have given it still greater length
forward of the standard, which enables us to form the
share with an angle still more acute, which form has an
advantage in going deep among the small stones, that
are usually found in the subsoil, below that which has
heretofore been moved by more shallow plowing, and
that it may go deep without liability to clog, we have
raised the beam two inches higher on the standard. We
have also increased the length of the mouldboard, to in-
sure the more effectual turning of the furrow; — always
taking care that the forward end of the beam shall be,
as nearly as possible, in a direct line with the heel of the
plow and the point to which the chain is fastened to the
yoke of the oxen. Several of these alterations have been
made in this plow in the course of the present season,
and the use of it encourages the belief that they will be
found decided improvements."

Our attention was particularly called to the quality of
the castings on the plows of Ruggles & Co, — their ^w-
ish and durability. Their appearance certainly is more
perfect than any thing of the kind we have elsewhere
seen. Their process of chilling the points, the entire
edge of the share, and the Jlcmge or base of the landside,
gives a permanence and durability to the work, that ren-
ders it of a decidedly superior character. This chilling
process has also been applied, to some extent by Proiity
& Co. to their points and shares. An examination of
several plows that have been used, where this process
had been partially applied, has completely demonstrated
its great utility. And we think there can be no hazard
in saying, that the value of the parts thus made is more
than doubled by this process. If due attention is given
to the quality of the metal used, and a proper applica-
tion made of the chilling process, we doubt not that irons
may be made that will last as long as other parts of the

ON PLOV^S. 37

plow. If this could be done, the necessity of frequent
changing of points would be avoided, which has been a
great objection to the use of cast iron plows. Our at-
tention was also called by Ruggles Sf Co. to another im-
provement introduced by them in putting the share to
the mould board, by leaving a cavity on the underside of
the share, to insure a perfect fit of the edges, and equali-
ty of bearing on all parts. As also to an improvement
in attaching the landside, so that the landside and point
constitute the entire base on the landside of the plow.
We also learn from Ruggles & Co. that they have by
means of machinery introduced such uniformity in the
structure of their plows, that all those of the same class,
being exactly of the same form and dimensions, may be
repaired, when any particular part gives way, with a fa-
cility that could not otherwise be attained.

The plows of Prouty & Co. have been extensively and
favorably known for a long time. If our recollection is
right, they received the premium of one hundred dol-
lars awarded by the State Society, a few years since, at
Worcester, after a careful and thorough examination by
an intelligent committee. With such a recommendation
they could not but be favorably received. Our attention
has been particularly called by these gentlemen to the
"centre draft" principle in the structure of their plows,
which they claim as their own invention. This improve-
ment was introduced by them in 1835. It is produced
"by inclining the landside and standard to the right or
towards the body of the plow, thereby making an acute
angle with the plane of the bottom. This inclination is
extended so far as to be directly, or nearly so, at or over
the centre of the resistance opposed to the instrument,
thereby producing a complete counterbalance, and al-
lowing the centre of the beam, and the line of the draft to
be in the line oi motion, and parallel with the landside."
Or in other words it is the inclination of the standard
and landside so as to form an acute angle with the plane
of the share; and the placing the beam on a line paral-
lel to the landside, within the body of the plow, and its
centre nearly in the perpendicular of the centre of resist-

38 ON PLOWS.

ance, instead of being perpendicular with the edge of
the landside, as formerly, and so adjusting the end of
the beam to which the power of draft is applied, that the
plow will move truly and steadily in the work, without
any extra pressure by the plowman upon the handles.

This modification, at first, was not favorably received;
but on trial, it proved so satisfactory and of such marked
utility, that it seems since to have been had in view by
other manufacturers, and to have been, in a good meas-
ure incorporated in their work. It is no part of the pre-
sent duty of this committee to decide upon conflicting
claims of this character. But from all that has come to
our knowledge, we see no sufficient reason to doubt the
propriety of their claim. We trust that the merits of
their work on trial, will command from a discriminating
public its adequate reward; even though their particu-
lar inventions may have failed to be secured for their ex-
clusive benefit, by a defective Patent.

The plow sod A. (No. 15 of the first day's experiment)
is stated by the makers "to be designed for the more
perfect turning of greensward or sod ground and cover-
ing all vegetable and other matter lying on the surface,
leaving the furrow slice in a fine lively friable state, by
crushing its hard lumps and disarranging its mass of par-
ticles, inducing fresh fermentation and further decom-
position, thereby elaborating its food for plafits." "The
point or share presents a long, gradual, easy rise of the
furrow to the mould board, which is of a gentle spiral
curve in its transverse and diagonal sections, of such
length as to insure a free and easy delivery of the fur-
row at its after end without fracture, and not requiring
the foot of the ploughman to preveut its falling back
from whence it came, and is of that peculiar structure,
which is so completely adapted to the form which the
underside of the furrow naturally assumes, that not a
square inch of its surface will be found, that is not pol-
ished by the passing furrow." As the results produced
by this plow stand in bold relief in comparison with the
others, we have felt that justice required that it should
have the description given it by those who made it. At

ON PLOWS. 39

the same time some of the committee were not entirely
satisfied with its operations. Perhaps this may have
arisen from the short chain used, or from the peculiarity
in holding, or from a want of a full knowledge of the
peculiarities of the plow at the lime, and a consequent
misapplication of the power of the plowman.

This view of the comparative qualities of the plows of
these rival manufacturers has led to a re-examination of
the observations made by ourselves the last and the pre-
sent year; and we find ihe average result of the several
plows offered by them to have been as follows — deter-
mining their quality by the number of square inches of
earth turned by the application of 100 pounds of power,
viz:

1842. 1843.

Ruggles & Co. 16,91 16,04

Prouty & Co. 16,35 15,40

This shows their ends of the yoke to have been so
nearly balanced, that it is very possible, the existing
difference may have been occasioned by superior skill in
holding, or some other collateral cause. In comparing
the work done in 1842 with that done in 1843, it should
be remembered that the land in 1842 was much the most
favorable for being turned; — so that notwithstanding a
less quantity is turned this than last year, by the appli-
cation of the same power, still the work of the plows,
the present year, all things considered, was decidely
preferable to the last.

Mr. Howard, who represents himself to have been
personally employed in the construction of plows for 30
years, states that "the amount of work which the plow
performs is usually ascertained by measurement of width
and depth of furrow, which the plow has cut and turned
over. A field cannot be said to be well plowed unless
^the whole ground is cut at an equal depth; and this can
be done only with the plow which runs level on the bot-
tom of the furrow. The best test 1 think which can be
applied in the comparison of plows in this particular, is
to take a given length of furrow and weigh the same in
addition to measurement, thus clearly showing the abso-

40 ON PLOWS.

lute quantity of soil raised and turned. This peculiarity
of a level run, I think belongs to my plows in a greater
degree than to others."

"In 1816, I received a premium at Brighton for an
improvement in the structure of my plows, which con-
sisted in placing the point of the share on a level with
the bottom of the plow; thus obtaining a smooth cut at
the bottom of the furrow, and consequently with less
friction than those made with the points depressed/'
"In 1820 I made my first pattern of a cast iron mould
board and landside, retaining the wrought share and
cutter." "Soon after, however, 1 made a sett of pat-
terns for castings embracing the share also. These I
believe were the first plow patterns made in Massachu-
setts. Since that period I have made such improvements
as experience suggested, and have I think arrived some-
what near the objects desired in the use of the plow, viz:
thorough work, easy draught, easy guidance, and dura-
bility of structure." "In order to obtain these requi-
sites I place the share so that it shall run level, which
gives an equal depth of cut, both on the land side and at
the righl angle point of the share. I thus give such a
turn or curve to the mould board as shall raise and turn
the furrow without pressing it forward."

*'The "centre draft" of a plow is proved by the pow-
er applied for its guidance; and the plow that has a
perfect "centre draft" would require no guidance at
the handles, in a soil of equal resistance, provided the
draft was applied in a strait line with the furrow."

Our personal acquaintance with Howard's plows has
been less than with those of either of the others — but
judging from the specimens exhibited, we think their
workmanship and their character for durability quite
equal to either of the others. We know that they are
preferred by some practical farmers, particularly in old
ground. Of this we are certain, both from Mr. Howard's
manner o{ luorking and loriting that he is a master of his
business.

Mr. Winslow's plows were made in the form of those
introduced a few years since by Mr. Pike of Danvers,

ON PLOWS. 41

These plows at that time combined many good points,
and were decidedly in advance of the age. Mr. Wins-
low has proved himself to be an ingenious mechanic,
with a clear conception of what is wanted in a plow.
Let him persevere in his labour and construct one quar-
ter part as many plows as have been made by his broth-
er competitors, and we doubt not he will hold his own
in the race of improvement.

Public attention, in this country, was first awakened
to the improvements in the construction of plows, by the
suggestions of Mr. Jefferson, who in 1798 published his
new theory of the construction of the mould board form-
ed upon scientific principles. Following up these sug-
gestions Mr. Smith, of Pennsylvania, in 1803 substituted
the cast iron for the wooden mould board. Since which
cast iron has been substituted for all parts of the plow,
except the beam and the handles. In 1823 cast iron
shares came into general use in this part of the country.
Since which Messrs. Wood, Tyce, Hitchcock, Hart,
Howard, Prouty, Nourse, Ruggles, and others, have so
varied and multiplied their structures, that they are found
in every part of our land. We have good reason to be-
lieve that more than two thousand of a single pattern of
one of these plows have been sold the present season by
one of the competitors on this occasion.

In addition to the common plows for turning the sur-
face, each of these manufacturers has brought forward
the present year specimens of the sub-soil plough, by
which our lands are stirred and pulverized six or eight
inches deeper than the common furrow. Such an ope-
ration must necessarily produce an essential change in
our modes of culture.^ Those who have tried it speak
in high terms of its good effects. In England, it has
been for a considerable time in use and with marked
approbation. In the opinion of your committee the time
has arrived, when the attention of our Agricultural So-
cieties should be directed to subsoil plcwing, as well as
to surf ace plovjing ; and their exertions should be contin-
ued in these fundamental branches of husbandry, while
'there remains any room for improvement.

42 ON PLOWS.

We have endeavored to give as candid and impartial
a statement of the operations and character of the differ-
ent plows presented to our notice, as our limited obser-
vations of their movements would admit. We are aware
that several of these plows were brought into the trial
under unfavourable circumstances, the land being hard
of operation, and requiring plows of larger size.

In awarding the premiums, we intend them as an ex-
pression of our opinion of the comparative merits of the
particular plows that have been examined by us, and not
of the general character of the plows of the different
manufacturers. We do not feel that our experience of
their use has been sufficient to justify an expression of
such general opinion.

We award the first prpmiwn, twelve dollars, to Rug-
gles &L Co. for their improved Eagle plow, No. 3.

We do not award the second premium, because the
committee were divided in opinion.
Kespectfully submitted by

J. W. PROCTOR, 1
MOSES NEWELL, |
ANDREW DODGE, ) Committee.
W. SUTTON, I

ASA T. NEWHALL.J
December 1st, 1843.

O

-^

44 ON WORKING CATTLE.

REPORT ON WORKING OXEN AND STEERS.

Committee, — Daniel Adams, Jr., Newbury, Nath'l.
Felton, Danvers, Stephen Barker, xlndover, [Ira Wor-
cester, Ipswich, Perley Tapley, Danvers.

The Committee appointed to award premiums for
working Oxen and Steers, have attended to that duty
and Report :

That the exhibition of working oxen was unusually
large. Thirty pair of oxen, four years old and upwards,
were entered for premium, twenty-six of which appear-
ed on the ground and were examined by your committee,
and their strength and training tested by drawing and
backing a loaded wagon weighing 6800 pounds. Most
of the cattle performed their task in drawing much to
the satisfaction of the committee, but several yoke were
very deficient in backing, a very important part, as the
committee believe, in the training of cattle. The com-
mittee, however, are fully of the opinion that, taking in-
to consideration the large number of cattle on the ground,
they performed as well, if not better, than at any
former exhibition. A number of pair, perhaps a majori-
ty, were well trained in every respect, and performed
their work with apparent ease; and your committee re-
gret that they w^ere limited to only three premiums, as
they would have been much gratified had it been in their
power to have awarded several others on this occasion,
but limited as they are to only three, after much con-
sideration they unanimously award the premiums as fol-
lows, viz:

The first premium of $10 to Ebenezer Jenkins, of
Andover, for his six years old red oxen.

The second premium of ^7 to Andrew F. Curtis, of
Middleton, for his four years old oxen.

The third premium of f 5 to Perley Tapley, of Dan-
vers, for his five years old oxen.

Your committee unanimously recommend that a gra-
tuity of $2 each be awarded to Ralph PI. Chandler, of
Andover, A. P. Swinerton, of Danvers, and Charles Fos-

ON WORKING CATTLE. 45

ter, of Andover, for their very fine and well trained four
years old oxen.

There were but one yoke of three years old steers of-
fered for premium, and those owned by Jedediah H.
Barker, of Andover ; they were very handsome, well
trained, and performed their work to the entire satisfac-
tion of the committee, and they accordingly av\'ard to
Mr. Barker the first premium of $7.

All which is respectfully submitted.

DANIEL ADAMS, Jr., Chairman.

ON STEERS.

The Committee appointed on Steers, having attended
to their duty, would respectfully Report:

That there were nine pair of three years old steers
entered for premium.

1 pair by Jedediah H. Barker, of Andover.

1 " Isaac Osgood, "

1 " John Carleton, "

I " Wm. Foster, "

1 " Charles Foster, "

3 " Jacob Farnham, "

1 pair of 2 years old steers, by Jacob Farnham, Andover.
1 " 2 Charles Foster,

Four pair of one year old steers offered for premium:

1 pair by Joseph Kittredge, Andover.

2 " Samuel F. Barker,

1 " Jacob Farnham. "

There was a larger number of three years old steers
than usual, though in quality perhaps not quite equal to
some of those exhibited the last year.

There was one pair of three years old steers from Dan-
vers, by Mr. Brown, which were not entered.

The Committee were unanimous in awarding the
premiums as follows:

First premium for three years old steers to Jedediah
H. Barker, Andover, .^7 00

Second premium to Isaac Osgood, Andover, 5 00

46 ON FAT CATTLE.

For two years old steers:

First premium to Jacob Farnham, Andover, $6 00
Second " Charles Foster, " 4 00

Yearling steers:

First premium to Joseph Kittredge, Andover, 4 00
Second " Samuel F. Barker, " 2 00

There were three calves exhibited by Dr. Joseph
Kittredge, of Andover, that the Committee considered
uncommonly fine. Also, one pair by Henry Osgood, of
Andover. Also, one pair in the yoke, belonging to
Ralph H. Chandler, of Andover, that were perfectly
handy.

All which is respectfully submitted, by

JEDEDIAH H. BARKER, Chairman.

ON FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle make the following
Report:

That there were entered at the Exhibition, for premi-
um, thirteen large, well fatted oxen.
One pair by Isaac Stevens, of Andover.
" " " Eben Burrill, of Lynn.
" " " Perley Tapley, of Danvers.
" " " Alexander Davidson, of Andover.
" " " John Marsh, of Danvers.
" " " Mcody Andrews, of Topsfield.
One ox by Jacob W. ^- John Barker, of Andover.
The Committee, after examination, awarded the pre-
miums as follows:

The first premium of fifteen dollars to Alexander
Davidson, for his near ox.

The second premium of ten dollars to Jacob VV. and
John Barker, for their large ox.

The third premium of five dollars to Eben Burrill, of
Lynn, for his ofl'ox.

A gratuity of three dollars to John Marsh, for his
large brown ox.

ON BULLy. 47

Also, a gi'iUuily of three dollars to Mood}' Andrews,
for his near ox.

All which is respectfully submitted,

JOSEPH'KITTREDGE, )
OLIVER EMERSON, } Committee.
JOSIAH NEVVHALL, )

ON BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls have awarded the first pre-
mium of SIO to Wm. S. Marland, of Andover, for his
Durham Bull of 15 months old.

The second of §8 to Josiah Crosby, of Andover, for
his native Bull of 3 years old.

The third premium of .§6 to Benj. Poor, of West
Newbury, for his Durham Bull of 4 years old.

The fourth premium of $4 to Sam'l F. Barker, of
Andover, for his native Bull of 16 months old.

A gratuity of .*^3 to Charles B, Lander, of Danvers,
for his 4 years old Bull.

A gratuity of $2 to James Stevens, of Andover, for
his two years old Bull, and

A gratuity of ,^1 to Hobart Clark, of Andover, for
his yearling Bull; and the thanks of the Society to
Messrs. Wm. Wood, H. C. Merriam, and J. R. Clark,
of Tewksbury, whose very superior animals added very
much to our exhibition, but did not come within the
rules of the society for premiums. And also to Messrs.
Johnson and Herrick for very promising calves.

Your committee found no little difficulty in deciding
on the comparative merits of the animals, and where
age only made a difference, have given a preference to
the younger animals.

Your committee w'ere also of the opinion that the ani-
mals exhibited this season would not suffer in compari-
son with those exhibited on any former occasion, either
for number or valuable properties.

In behalf of the Committee.

JOHN M. GROSVENOR.

48 ON COAVS AMD HEIFERS.

ON cows AND HEIFERS.

The Committee on Cows and Heifers have attended
to their duty, and report as follows :

The number of cows entered for premium was five.
The Committee, after careful examination, recommend
the first premium of §10 to be paid to Farnham Spofibrd
of Andover. The second premium of $7 to Abiel Rus-
sell, of Andover. The third premium of fj>S to N. A.
Prentiss, of Andover.

The cow of Amos Blanchard, of Andover, appeared
to be a very superior cow, but was supposed to be more
than ten years old, and therefore not entitled to the So-
ciety's premium.

The cow of George Maynard, (being one half Dur-
ham) was thought to be a good cow, but, considering all
the circumstances, hardly equal to those aforemen-
tioned.

There were four heifers oflfered for premium, and the
Committee unanimously recommend the first premium of
^7 to be paid to Charles B. Lander, of Danvers. The
second premium of $5 to Rev. Samuel C. Jackson, of
Ando\er.

William S. Marland, of Andover, offered two heifers,
partly of the Ayrshire stock, and they appeared to be
very fine animals. The committee regret that they were
not accompanied with such statements as to bring them
within the rules of the Society.

Benjamin Poor entered, for exhibition only, five
beautiful Durham Cows, from the Indian Hill larm in
West Newbury.

There were also exhibited some very fine heifers (not
in milk) by Josiah Crosby, John Flint, George Hodges,
and others ; — they were of the Durham and Ayrshire
breed, generally.

Jacob Farnham exhibited his young stock of native
cattle from his farm in Andover ; they were rather small
in size, but very pretty, deep red cattle.

Respectfullv submitted for the Committee,

HOBART CLARK.

Andover, Sept. 27, 1843.

ON COWS AND IIEIFEKS. 49

V A R N HAM S P O F 1' O R D ' S S I' A T E M E N T .

Account of Milk from one cow, commencing June 1st,
to Sept. 24th, inclusive.

Butter from said cow, made during the month of June,
59 lbs. 11 oz.

lbs. oz.

Weight of milk in June, 1273 1

" '' " July, 1028 2

" " " Aug. 708 11

" " " " Sept. 665 11

Total, 3675 9

The average number of lbs. of milk to a lb. of butter,
21 and 13-60.

Said cow has had no other feed than a common pas-
ture from the first of June to September, and no fall
feed until Sept. 17th. My pastures were very short
li-om the first week in July to the third week in August.
Very respectfully yours.

FARNHAM SPOFFORD.
N. Andover, Sept. 25, 1843.

ABIEL RUSSELL'S STATEMENT

To the Committee on. Cows and Heifers:

Gentlemen: — I offer for premium my cow ; she is of
the native breed, eight years old. She calved on the
9th of May last, and her calf was taken from her when
3 days old. She has been kept during the past season
on nothing but common pasture feed. 1 have kept a
daily account of her milk ever since her calf was taken
from her, which is here annexed.

Average quantity of milk per day that my cow has
given this season. She calved May 9th, and I began to
weigh the milk May 12th.

In the month of May, 3'5^3^ lbs per day.

" " June, 34i " ''

" " July, 30J^ '^ "

" -' August,, 27^-f '* "

" " September, 28 -,V " "

Average per day, through the season, 30 1|.

, ABIEL RUSSELL.

50 ON cows AND HEIFERS.

N. A. PRENTISS'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Coios and Heifers :

Gentlemen: — I o(fer for exhibition my cow and calf.
The cow is 3 years and five months old; she calved the
13th of April, from which time until the last of July, she
gave 9} quarts of milk per day. June and July we
made five pounds of butter per week, after using daily 2
quarts of milk and likewise cream for various purposes.
In August she gave 8 quarts, and we made 4 pounds of
butter; she now gives 7 quarts per day. She gave,
three weeks previous to calving, 3 quarts per day, when
it was judged expedient to dry her up. Her milk con-
tains an unusual quantity of cream, and her keeping has
been a fair pasture. The calf is 5 months and 7 days
old, and feeds upon hay and grass.

N. A. PRENTISS.

Andover, Sept. 27, 1843.

P. S. The cow is a mixture of the native and Durham
breed, and has had no feed except what the pasture af-
forded.

CHARLES B. LANDER'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Cows and Heifers :

Gentlemen: — I off'er for exhibition and premium my
two years old heifer, native breed; she was raised by
myself, and has always been fed well, but never forced.
She calved upon the 23d June, and the calf was taken
from her at a week old. Her milk was measured and
she gave 10 quarts (large) of strained milk per day, for
a week or more ; at the end of a fortnight was measured
again, gave a pint more than at the first measuring; and
at different times since then she has given 5 and 6 quarts
at a milking; once we got 12 qts from her, but as I do
not wish to make her appear more than what she is re-
ally entitled to, should say 10 qts. per day is a correct
average; the quality remarkably good; as her milk is
sold, I had no opportunity of testing her value as a but-
ter cow. Her feed has been pasture, and as much green

ON COWS AND HEIFERS. 51

cut fodder as was necessary to make her feed equal to a
good pasture. For 1 month she was allowed 1 pint of
oil cake per day, and for that time only.

All of which is respectfully submitted.

CHAS. B. LANDER.

Danvers, Sept. 26, 1843.

SAMUEL C. JACKSON'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Coivs and Heifers:

Gentlemen: — I have this day entered for a premium
a heifer two years old, of native breed. She calved on
the 16th of May, and her calf was taken from her on the
6th of June. From that period to the 25th of Septem-
ber she has given over 2000 lbs. of milk, making an
average of about 18 lbs. per day.

She excels rather by the richness of her milk than by
its quantity. On the last week in June an experiment
w^as carefully tried to ascertain the amount of butter she
would make in a single week. It proved an unfavorable
time, as it was a w^eek of intense hot weather, and dur-
ing the period she was injured by cattle in company, yet
her milk for the week yielded 6 lbs. and 10 oz. of good
butter, less than 1 oz. short of a pound per day. Her
milk during the week varied from 19 to 22 lbs. Had
circumstances been ordinarily favorable, I am confident
she would have gone over a pound per day, and would
have yielded a pound of butter to 20 lbs. of milk. Her
mother was remarkable for the excellence of her milk,
and actually made an average of a pound of butter a day
for a period of six months, with common keeping.

The heifer, with the exception of a fortnight, has,
from necessity, run on the high-ivay in a herd of 6 cows.
On this account she has been fed night and morning with
one quart of meal, which has not made her keeping equal
in expense or quality to grass merely in a good pasture.

SA.MUEL C. JACKSON.

Andover, Sept. 23, 1343.

P. S. On the 14th of September she gave 21 lbs. and
10 oz. milk. On last Sabbath, 24th inst. she was in-

52 ON SWINE.

jured by eating too freely of corn, to which she acciden-
tally got access, which has caused her since to shrink
very much in her milk. S. C. J.

OxN SWINE.

The Committee on Swine Report:

That they regret to find that so little interest has been
taken in their department, and that the show of animals
is so small. The only entries were by

William S. Marland, of Andover, 1 breeding sow and
2 boars.

Sylvester Goodwin, of " a sow and pigs.

Samuel F. Barker, " 1 breeding sow, 2

boars, and a litter of pigs.

William Williams, of Rowley, 1 sow and 4 pigs.

The Committee award to William Williams, of Row-
ley, for his breeding sow, the first premium of ,$5 00

And for the best litter of weaned pigs, the first pre-
mium of 6 00

They award to William S. Marland, for his boar, the
first premium of 5 00

To Samuel F. Barker, for his second best boar, 2 00

To Sylvester Goodwin, for the second best breeding
sow, 3 00

To William S. Marland, for the second best litter of
weaned pigs, 3 00

The Committee cannot close their report without ex-
pressing their thanks for the honor conferred on them.
To be selected as judges to decide the comparative mer-
its of individuals of the interesting class of quadrupeds
committed to their care, is a distinction to which they
had not the ambition to aspire. The committee have
been fully aware that this interesting race has not here-
tofore held that exalted rank in the estimation of the
community which their merits deserve. The Agricul-
tural Society of the County of Worcester has the high
honor of rescuing from undeserved obscurity the much
abused pig; and it was reserved to the Heart of the

ON SWIXE. 53

Cojiimonwealtli to ruriiish a Champion for all living pork.
It would be a singular instance of ingratitude on the
part of the swinish race, if his valuable services in their
behalf, should not be commemorated by some token of
public approbation. The swine of Essex Co. would cor-
dially join their brethren in other parts of the world, in
some testimonial of gratitude to their distinguished bene-
factor. We would respectfully suggest to the sovereign
porkers within our own jurisdiction that a meeting be
held either at Byfield or that part of Ipswich called Hog-
town, to choose delegates to a World's Convention. In
that great constellation of swinish statesmen and wor-
thies, we doubt not the luminaries of Essex would vie
with the Bacon lights of Worcester, in doing honor to
their own great patron.

It has not escaped the attention of the Committee, in
their reflections on the dignity of the swinish race, that a
new era in their history has just commenced. They are
henceforth to be the lights of the world ! It is to be
from their liquid substance, after having "shuffled off*
this mortal coil," that the human race is to derive that
light for which adventurous seamen have sought the
huge Leviathan in the remote parts of the globe. Chem-
ists have discovered that a substance may be derived
from pork, having all the economical properties of oil.
Thus the student at his midnight lamp, will be indebted
to the light furnished from the swine, for the varied lore
that will in its turn, enlighten the world ! We submit
then, whether the hog ought not to have a part at least,
of the credit of the quirks and the quibbles, the doubts
and decisions, the pleadings and replies and rejoinders
of the limbs of the law? and whether we are not also in-
debted to him for a portion of the hair-splitting argu-
ments, the nice distinctions, the disputes and the dust
and the fog and the casuistical smoke of the polemic
Divine?

The Hog has much reason to complain of his treat-
ment from the hands of man. Not only is he deprived
of his liberty, but he is exposed to violence and assassi-
nation, and seldom lives to old age, or dies a natural

54 ON SWINE.

death. No sooner does the youthful porker arrive at
adult swinehood and exhibit the fine proportions of his
sleek and portly form, than his brutal master begins to
show a most unaccountable disposition to get him into
"hot water," and he is cut off "in the midst of his useful-
ness" by the hand of the executioner. In his dealings
with the hog he reverses the simplest rules of justice, as
he hangs him first and tries him afterward.

The Committee lament to see that other animals of
inferior worth have usurped a place in the affections of
the people, to which the swine is a stranger. Instances
of this may be seen in the preference for the dog and the
cat. The Committee do not mean to be dog-matical,
and they have no intention of delving into the mysteries
of Pusey-ism, biit they cannot be blind to the fact that
the canine and feline races, inferior as they are in use-
fulness to our swinish friends, are treated with far great-
er deference and respect. The former are made the
companions of man in his wanderings and at his domes-
tic fireside, while to the latter, virtue is emphatically its
own reward. The former are pampered and indulged
by man, and fondled and caressed by woman. But what
lady is ever seen fondling an unweaned pig? Alas ! no-
body caresses a pig, nobody loves a pig — unless he is
roasted.

In common with some of the greatest names in the
annals of the world, the hog is not appreciated until
death has made him insensible to all human or swinish
applause. History affords many instances of great bene-
factors of mankind, who in their lifetime were treated
with scorn and neglect, but after death were reward-
ed, perhaps, by a monument or a statue. So it is with
the swine. However he may be neglected and despised
while he lives, he has the consolatory reflection that at
his departure, he will have a place in the stomachs if
not in the hearts of the people.

There is something in the name of the animal we are
considering, which is associated with literature and sci-
ence in their highest walks. The Ettrick Shepherd,
whose simple poetry has beguiled many an hour on this

Ox\ SAVINE. 55

side of the water, as well as in his native Scotland, re-
joices in the name of Hogg; and the mental food of
many an urchin in the long winter evenings is deiived
from Hogg's Tales. In science and philosophy, how
miicli would have been lost to the world if no light had
been shed upon it by Bacon! and what streams of foren-
sic eloquence at the Senate and the Bar, have proceeded
from a Choaie!

In the physiognomy of the hog there is something
that engages the attention of the most casual observer.
There is an expression of cunning in his eye that be-
tokens shrewdness, and with the length of the nose we
are accustomed to associate wisdom. Humility is stamp-
ed on all his features, and he is a most profound thinker.
There is also an expression of gravity in his counte-
nance, not inconsistent with that contentment and free-
dom from care, which often manifests itself in a jolly
grunt or a merry squeal.

He cannot properly be called a non-resistant, although
he holds some of the opinions of the new sect of Come-
outers. He is a firm believer in the absolute equality
of the sexes, favors amalgamation and is opposed to all
government. Here we ought perhaps to beg the pig's
pardon for the degrading comparison; — since he is
never so ultra hoggish as to take pleasure in disturbing
religious worship.

In his domestic habits the hog is not abstemious or
over-nice in the choice of his food, and consults no trea-
tise on cookery in its preparation. He claims no kin-
dred with striped pigs, but is temperate in drinking and
may justly be called a cold water hog. He never sign-
ed the total abstinence pledge, yet never violates its
letter or its spirit. He is often in the gutter but he
always goes in and comes out a sober hog — and never
boasts of it afterwards.

The hog is a gentleman. This discovery was made
as long ago as the time of Franklin, and that eminent
philosopher was the first to make this important fact
extensively known to the world. The-aristocratic hog
eats, drinks and walks about, like any other gentleman

56 ON 8W1NE.

dandy of leisure. He turns up his nose at labor and
despises that vulgar portion of the community who from
choice or necessity have any thing to do. He sports no
whiskers but chooses to wear his bristles on his back
rather than on his chin. He neither smokes cigars nor
chews tobacco, but is content with his own pigtail. He
is celebrated for a certain kind of independence in his
movements and will go any way but the right one. —
Like some of the biped race he is always in the opposi-
tion, and the surest way to get him to a desired point is
to induce him to take the contrary direction. Should
he suspect your intention he refusss to go any way —
even the wrong one.

The gentleman hog is no Count D'Orsay in costume,
and his dress, if it cannot be called graceful, yet consid-
ering that it consists of nothing at all, has no positive de-
merits— which is more than can be said of the dandy's.

The lady pig is also less solicitous about the "putting
on of apparel" than those of her sex of another race.
The form that nature gave her is never deformed by
compression or by unseemly excrescences at her shoul-
ders or elsewhere, and we hope she will not be accused
of disrespect to the higher orders of the clergy if she has
no superstitious reverence for Cardinals and Bishops.
She is remarkable for her " good breeding," and in this
respect fears not comparison with any Queen, of any
realm. It is in the domestic circle where her virtues
shine with the greatest lustre. In the bosom of her in-
teresting family, her warmer affections are called forth,
and it is there, the tenderness and solicitude of the
mother, for the welfare of her offspring, are most con-
spicuous.

The whole business of the education of her infant
family, in the various branches of swinish literatui'e and
science, devolves upon her. She has the aid of no Ma-
ternal x\ssociation, or School, or College, but she is
competent to instruct them in all the duties and accom-
plishments useful in after life.

She first learns them the Geography of the sty, and so
much of the adjacent territory as she is permitted to

ON SWINE. 57

explore. In the Languages, they are easily made fa-
miliar with their native tongue, which is hog-latin. In
Geology they go deep into the different strata of the
dung-heap, but they prefer cold batter pudding to pud-
ding stone, and quarts of sour milk or even swill to any
other Quartz. By dint of sundry whacks from their
teacher they learn to distinguish Grej'-wacke but rub very
hard against Porphyry and Granite. In Arithmetic it is
doubtftd whether they ever go farther than the Extrac-
tion of Roots, and they close their education by obtain-
ing a knowledge of Music. In the practice of this di-
vine art they depend entirely on their own sweet voices
and discard all instrumental accompaniments, believing
that the best pitch-pipe is the wind pipe, and that
Church Organs are a poor substitute for the vocal or-
gans. They also believe that "when music heavenly
maid was young" she had none of these artificial helps
at her concerts, and that now she has grown old she can
do very well without them.

In speaking of the literary attainments of the swinish
pupils, the Committee would not be understood to fa-
vor that class of "learned pigs" which have sometimes
been exhibited about the country, and they hope the
Society will offer no premiums for their encouragement.
The "learned pig," however, is not always confined to the
swinish race. He sometimes walks on two leas. looks
extremely wise, and at the same time appears very foolish.
He is not remarkable for his modesty, but is known by
his brazen face, and his brains are said to be made of
pig-lead. Sometimes he is an inventor of pills and nos-
trums that will cure everything — but his own impu-
dence, which is incurable. He issues inflated advertise-
ments and flaming handbills, and forgets to pay the prin-
ter. He is sometimes an itinerant preacher and calls
himself an Evangelist. In this character he is boister-
ous and denunciatory. He is a travelling pig and serves
to shew

" How much a dunce that has been sent to roam
E.xcels a dunce tliat has been kept at home."

He is often a vagabond Lecturer and delivers com-

58 ON SWINE.

mon-piace knowledge in a pompous manner, frequently
taking the downward step from the sublime. He is
addicted to quoting bad Latin, Avhich he sometimes con-
descendingly renders into worse English. He also
makes loud boasts of his Academic degree, if he has
one, and whether he has one or not all sensible people
willingly write him down an A. SS.

If the Committee have gone the whole hog in behalf
of the i-ace of animals committed to their charge, it is
because they have reason to believe that the public
have very inadequate notions of their importance to the
welfare of our own species. Perhaps the best way to
appreciate the blessings we possess, is, to suppose our-
selves to be at once deprived of them. Let us apply
this test to our connection with the swinish race. Let
us suppose that some Miller prophet, of their number,
should arise and predict a sudden and total destruction
of his kind, and that unlike that of his human proto-
type, his prediction should be fulfilled. We will sup-
pose the day of doom to have arrived, and that every
swine, male and female, is swept from the face of the
earth!

What darkness would then come over the world ! We
should be, like the foolish virgins, without oil in cur
lamps ; Jews and Mahomedans would rejoice over the
destruction of what they regard as the unclean race,
and Grahamites would exult at their downfall. There
wouhl at once be a famine of pork, in all its solid and
liquid foi'ms. Never more could we expect to live on
the fat of the land. Our dinners would lose their rel-
ish, and fish, which epicures say should swim three
times, once in the water, once in the fat, and once in
the stomach, would have to remain in their native ele-
ment. The population of the earth would be percep-
tibly thinned; — we do not assert that the number would
be less, but the people themselves would be thinner.
Lantern jaws and cadaverous countenances would be
contemptibly common. Aldermen would lose their
rotundity and there would be no scarcity of living skel-
etons. There would be a short supply of short cakes,

ON SHEEP. 59

and of spare-ribs there would be none to spare. Rash
indeed would be the man, who should attempt to cater
for his friends at a pic-nic, — they would look in vain for
a rasher. Doughnuts would be banished from our
tea tables, and baked beans from our huskings, while
sensibility shudders in contemplation of the vile substi-
tutes for sausages!

But we congratulate the Society that these dire ca-
lamities are not likely to spread their desolation over
the land, and that our four-footed friends still live in all
the dignity and glory of exalted swineship. Among all
the boars of their race not one has been found thus to
cast the gloom of his melancholy predictions over the
face of swinish society. Such an individual would be
deemed an unworthy son of Ham, and every shoulder
would be raised against him. In a word he would be
regarded as a most intolerable bore.

Your Committee in their endeavors to exhibit some
of the high qualities of the race of animals under their
special guardianship, have occupied more time than
they intended ; but not more than, in their opinion, its
great importance demands. They have felt so deeply
the solemnity of their position, that they have deemed
levity wholly out of place, and they would regard any
attempt at wit as quite unjustifiable. Having in this
plain and solemn manner performed their duty to the
Society — and the swine — they will feel amply rewarded,
if others are led to admire and appreciate the social and
domestic virtues of living Pork.

For the Committee,

F. POOLE, Chairman.

ON SHEEP.

The Committee on Sheep respectfully Report :
The Society not having of late offered premiums on
Sheep, at their annual exhibitions, a special committee
was appointed to examine such lots as were entered,

60 ON SHEEP.

and to recommend such gratuities as may seem proper.
Several lots of sheep were entered.

Joseph Marshall, of Ipswich, entered a lot, his whole
flock, consisting of twenty-one. They are quarter
blood Merino. Mr. Marshall's main object seems to be
the raising of lambs for early market. His sheep, (a fair
sample having been exhibited ) appear no way extraor-
dinary beyond what farmers generally in the county
might raise by making the same exertions that he has
made, but the Committee having carefully examined his
very detailed statement of the whole manner of keeping
his sheep, but more particukirly his scrupulous regard
to the preservation of their health, and on the whole
his success in raising early lambs and good fleeces at a
cheap rate of keeping, recommend that a gratuity be
granted him of ten dollars.

Elijah Pope, of Danvers, exhibited a lamb five months
and two weeks old, of extraordinary fatness, kept in a
common pasture, and we recommend that a gratuity of
three dollars be granted him.

George T. Clark, of Andover, entered eight Dishley
sheep, but the committee saw no statement of his man-
ner of keeping them.

Josiah Crosby, of Andover, exhibited one Dishley
lamb ; but no statement.

Joel Russell, of Andover, exhibited six otter breed
sheep, which we presume have claim to merit, on ac-
count of their having little disposition or ability to climb
fences and to wander from their pastures, but no state-
ment was presented.

George Spoffbrd, of Georgetown, exhibited three
sheep and two lambs, from one of them, with a state-
ment that 24 lbs. of wool were dipt from the three sheep
in June last. The two lambs are four months and
twenty days old. The others had one lamb each which
were sold at two and a half months old, at three dollars
each. We recommend Mr. Spoffbrd have a gratuity of
five dollars.

For the Committee,

TEMPLE CUTLER.

ON SHEEP. 61

JOSEPH MARSHALL'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Sheep :

Gentle^ien. — The flock of sheep which I present
for your consideration, contains twenty ewes, and one
buck. I have paid particular attention to the improve-
ment on both the quantity and quality of the wool of my
sheep, but more particularly to raising early lambs for
the market. I keep ray sheep always in good plight,
and have found that they will not be otherwise profita-
ble. My method of feeding is to keep them in winter
on clover, and particularly on second crop hay, also
bean and pea vines, top stalks, &c. Fine high marsh
hay, is the best kind of salt hay for them ; but am more
scrupulously attentive to the preservation of their
health, by keeping them in dry places the whole year
round. In the winter they are kept under an open
shed nights, and never allowed to be out in wet storms,
day or night, nor do I ever allow their skins to be wet,
winter or summer, not even washing them before shear-
ing, but w^ash the fleece after shearing, which I find lit-
tle or no additional trouble. This treatment I have
followed for several years, and my sheep have always
been in fine health, no running noses among them, and
have never found a tick or louse on them, since 1 com-
menced this mode of treatment. The most severe cold
weather will be no damage to them, if they are kept
dry, and indeed, their being kept so, I conceive to be
indispensable to the preservation of health ; it will
surely preserve them from the foot-rot. All this is little
or no trouble, for sheep will seek shelter under an open
shed in w^et vveather, if left to govern themselves.

About the time of their yeaning, I give a gill of corn
to each, every morning, and feed them freely on turnips
and carrots. They commenced yeaning last winter, on
the 20th of February. The last lamb came about the
last of March ; some were dropped on the severest cold
nights, and were perfectly bright and lively, and not a
lamb was lost.

If sheep are kept well, yearlings may be allowed to
bring lambs ; otherwise, by no means, until they are

62 ON SHEEP.

two years old. I think they do not come to their great-
est maturity till still older. I attribute the strength and
activity of my lambs more than any thing else, to the
age of the male, which was with the sheep, which I
think, ought never to be less than four years, and still
older, I think is better. I think, at eight years of age
they are best.

My pasture is high ground, not very rich, not better
adapted to sheep than most farms in the county. Sheep
pastures should be fenced with a rail or board fence ;
mine is mostly wall, with a pole, or rider on the top. —
Fetters are injurious, as is well known.

My lambs were sold, most of them, on the 10th of
June last, at two dollars. By taking them away thus
early, the dams soon became in better plight, and apart
of them, on and after the 10th of August, yeaned the
second time ; these lambs also came strong and lively,
one of which with its dam, as a sample of my flock of
sheep, is exhibited here for your examination.

The part of my flock only that yeaned a second time,
were with the male in the months of March and April,
and I have no reason to doubt, had the others been in
company, they would also have produced a second crop
of lambs. Thence to February and March next, will
give about the same length of time for gestation as at first.

My sheep are about one quarter blood Merino with
the native. The product of wool this season, was from
four to five pounds per fleece.

I have found my sheep to be by far the most profita-
ble stock I keep ; and intend another season to increase
my stock to 40 or 50, which I consider a suflicient num-
ber to be kept in one flock.

JOSEPH MARSHALL.

Ipswich, Sept. 26th, 1843.
Then the above named Joseph Marshall personally
appeared and made oath, that the foregoing statement, by
him subscribed, is true, before me.

TEMPLE CUTLER, Just. Peace.

ON HORSES — ON THE DAIRY. 63

ON HORSES.

Your Committee on horses, would report, that sever-
al mares and colts were offered for exhibition, among
which was one very fine 2 years old iron grey filly, by
Elijah Pope, of Danvers. This was a superior and very
promising animal. A 3 years old slate colored filly, by
James A. Dodge, of Danvers — this filly possessed many
excellent points for service and hard work. A 1 year
and 5 months old filly, by Alexander Davidson, of An-
dover — this was remarkable for its unusual size for so
young an animal, his weight being 870 pounds. There
was also exhibited by David Stiles, jr., ofMiddleton, a
likely 3 years old brown filly, thoroughly broken to har-
ness, and under perfect control — besides these there
were two mares with colts by their sides. Your Com-
mittee regret that the Society's premium for this class
of animals has been discontinued, and would recommend
the following gratuities :

To Elijah Pope, jr., of Danvers, for his iron grey
filly, $5 00.

To James A. Dodge, of Danvers, for his slate color-
ed filly, .^'4 00.

To Alexander Davidson, of Andover, for his brown
filly, $3 00.

Respectfully submitted, for the Committee,

WM. P. ENDICOTT.

ON THE DAIRY.

The Committee on the Dairy Report :

That claims were made for the premiums offered for
butter made in June, by Nathaniel Felton, of Danvers,
William R. Putnam, of Wenham, David S. Caldwell of
Byfield.

For the premiums offered for butter made in Septem-
ber, by Allen W. Dodge, of Hamilton, Nathaniel Felton,
of Danvers, William R. Putnam, of Wenham, Gardner B.
Perry, of Bradford, David Hiddon, of Andover.

64 ON THE DAIRY.

For the premiums offered for Cheese, by Daniel P.
Stevens, of Andover, Benjamin Bojnton, of Andover,
Mrs. Lucy Osgood, of Andover.

Having examined with care the several specimens ex-
hibited, and the statements accompanying them, the
Committee unanimously agreed in recommending that
the premiums be awarded as follows :

To Wm R. Putnam, for June butter, 1st prem. $'10 00

David S. Caldwell, " " 2d do 8 00

Nathaniel Felton, " " 3d do 6 00

To Nathaniel Felton, for Sept. butter, 1st prem. 10 00

David Hiddon, " " 2d do 8 00

Wm. R. Putnam, " " 3d do 6 00

Gardner B. Perry, " "a gratuity 2 00

To Daniel P. Stevens, for Cheese, 1st prem. 10 00

Benjamin Boynton, " " 2d do 8 00

Mrs. Lucy Osgood, " " a gratuity, 2 00

Amounting to $10 00

When we take into view the liberal appropriations an-
nually made by the Society, to encourage improvement
in the management of Dairies, it is to be regretted that
the competition at our exhibition is so limited. True it
is, that there is usually a sufficient number of claimants
to take the premiums offered, and the articles exhibited
are of a quality worthy of the premiums awarded, but still
there is manifested a failure to meet the desi2;n for which
the premiums are offered. Every body is more or less in-
terested in the making of good butter and cheese. To
the farmer they are among the best sources of his income,
to all others the habitual use has made these articles al-
most essential as necessaries of life. Who in this com-
munity, when in health, passes a day of his life without
the use of butter in some of its forms of culinary prepar-
ations ? Is it not then of great importance that the best
method of making an article so generally used, should be
known and observed ? And should not the premiums of-
fered by our Agricultural Societies be the means of elic-
iting this information ? In the hopes of acquiring infor-

ON THE DAIRY. 65

mation useful to ourselves and others, we have examin-
ed the statements of the several claimants and selected
the following particulars :

Mr. Putnam, on Mr. Winthrop's farm, in Wenham,
made from the milk of nine cows 714 pounds, since the
20th of May, being about 5 lbs. per week from each
cow. He churns twice a week, the butter is rinsed
thoroughly in cold water, salted with three quarters of
an ounce of salt to a pound of butter. Mr. Putnam ap-
pears to have derived useful lessons of instruction from
the management of his mother's dairy in Danvers, for
which many of our premiums have been awarded.

Mr. Felton, on his farm in Danvers, made from the
milk of 9 cows 909 lbs. from the 20th of May to the 20th
of September, being about 6 lbs. per week from each
cow. He churns once a week; takes particular care to
keep the milk, the cream, and the butter, cool and clean;
uses three quarters of an ounce of salt to a pound of but-
ter. His September butter was of superior quality, and
would well compare with that of any other dairy.

Mr. Caldwell, of Byfield, presented 32 lbs. of fair
butter made from the milk of one cow in 30 days. He
rinses his butter in two waters and salts with 1 1 ounce
of salt to a pound.

Mr. Hiddon, of Andover, made from the milk of three
cows, since the 20th of May, 200 lbs., being about 4 lbs.
per week from each cow. He puts salt into the cream
betbre churning, and having separated the butter-milk
thoroughly rinses the butter in cold water.

Mr. Perry, of Bradford, presented a specimen of 150
lbs. of butter made from the milk of two cows since the
20th of May, being about 5 lbs. per week to each cow.
His good lady also furnished a specimen of family bread
to try it with; judging from the specimen provided, the
committee could not but regret that the quantity was
not equal to the requirements of the Society. It would
have afforded them particular pleasure to have been
able to have bestowed the Society's premium on a man
who does every thing so well as Mr. Perry. We wish
more of our professional friends would condescend to

66 ON THE DAIRY.

exercise their powers in improving the common con-
cerns of life; we think such exercise would not in any
manner impair their usefulness in other stations.

Mr. Dodge, of Hamilton, presented a specimen of
September butter, having made 872 lbs. from the milk
of 12 cows since the 20th of May, which is about 4|- lbs.
to a cow each week. He churns once a week, and nev-
er rinses the butter in water after the butter-milk is
drawn off, unless it comes very soft. His butter was of
good quality.

Mr. Martin, of Andover, presented a specimen of 42
lbs. of butter, accompnied by no statement; of course it
was not in the power of the committee to form any opin-
ion respecting it.

On examining the statements accompanying the speci-
mens of cheese exhibited, the Committee do not per-
ceive any thing essentially varying the process of mak-
ing heretofore practised. Our opinion of the compara-
tive merits of the specimens is indicated by the award
of premiums. The cheese exhibited by Mrs. Foster
would have more favour with the committee if it had not
been artificially coloured. The committee have a par-
ticular fondness for the form and color which nature
gives, and do not admire artificial modification.

The Committee desire to express their thanks to
those who have favored them with specimens to exam-
ine, and they wish that more of their fellow citizens had
public spirit enough to do likewise. Instead of half a
dozen boxes of butter, and a few cheeses, at our Essex
Exhibition, there should be at least one hundred speci-
mens, and this being so, there would undoubtedly be one
hundred purchasers, who would cheerfully pay a liberal
price for a good article.

Respectfully submitted, for the Committee,

WM. SUTTON, Chairman.

Sept. 27th, 1843.

WILLIAM R. PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :
Gentlemen: — I present for your inspection two box-

ON THE DAIRY. 67

es of September butter, containing 31 lbs., being a speci-
men of 714 lbs. made since the 20th of May. Also a
pot of June butter containing 34 lbs.

Process of making : — The milk is strained into tin
pans ; it stands from 36 to 48 hours ; the cream is then
taken off, and put into tin pails. We churn twice a
week. When the butter-milk is drawn from it we rinse
it thoroughly in cold water ; it is then taken from the
churn, worked in part, and salted, three quarters of an
ounce of salt to a pound of butter. In about 24 hours
it is worked again.

The quantity made from the first of June to the ninth
of July, was 246 lbs. from nine cows. The feed of the
cows was a common pasture.

WM. R. PUTNAM.
From R. C. Winthrop's farm,

Wenham, Sept. 26, 1843.

NATHANIEL FELTON'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy:

Gentlemen : — I present for your inspection two box-
es of September butter containing 27 pounds, being a
specimen of 909 lbs. made between the 20th of May and
the 20th of September. This butter was made from the
milk of 9 cows till the 9th of July, after that until the
20th of September, 10 cows. The feed was common
pasturing till the middle of August, since then they have
had grain stalks once a day. We have used milk for 10
in the family.

Process of making: — The milk is strained into tin
pans : it stands from thirty-six to forty-eight hours in a
cool cellar, when the cream is taken off, put into tin
pails, and stirred every day. We churn once a week.
During the warmest weather the cream is placed in the
well about twelve hours before churning. After it is
churned the butter-milk is thoroughly worked out, and
the butter is salted with three quarters of an ounce to
the pound; after standing about an hour it is again work-
ed and weighed, each pound separately.

68 ON TTIF. DAIRY.

I also present for your inspection a pot of June butter,
containing 25 pounds, being a specimen of 319 pounds
made from the first of June to the 9th of July. The
process of making the same as above. It was kept in
the cellar, covered closely with fine salt.

* NATHANIEL FELTON.

South Danvers, Sept. 26, 1843.

P. S. Two of the cows were heifers with the first calf,
and eight of them came in in March.

DAVID S. CALDWELL'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the I) airy:

Gentlemen, — I offer for your inspection a firkin of
butter containing 82 pounds, made from one cow, from
the fifth of June to the fifth of July.

Process of making : — The milk is strained into tin
pans, and set in a cool place prepared in an out build-
ing for that purpose. It stands from thirty-six to forty-
eight hours, the cream is then taken off" and churned
once a week. When the butter is gathered the butter
milk is drawn off", and the butter rinsed in two waters ;
it is then worked in part and salted ; one quarter of an
ounce of salt and half an ounce of loaf sugar, to a pound
of butter ; it is then set in the cellar 24 hours, after
which the working is completed.

DAVID S. CALDWELL.

Byfield, Sept. 27th, 1843.

DAVID IlIDDON'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee, on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — I present a specimen of butter, (30 lbs.)
produced from four cows, and prepared much in the us-
ual way.

The milk is set in tin pans, generally standing thirty-
six hours, when the cream is removed and placed in an
earthen pot, which stands on the cellar bottom.

A handful of salt is thrown into the pot, before enter-

ON THE DAIRY. 69

ing the cream, which is frequently stirred at the times
of addition. Butter made twice a week. When the
butter comes, it is separated from the butter-milk and
thoroughly rinsed in cold water, salted and placed in
a cool cellar, where it remains perhaps 24 or 36 hours,
when it is again worked and weighed.

With an average of three cows, since May, I have
made 200 weight of butter, having taken of the milk all
the time very liberally for family use.

DAVID PIIDDON.

Andover, Sept. 26, 1843.

DANIEL P. STEVENS'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen : — The cheese which I present for your
inspection was made in the months of June and July.
We made from (he 28th of May to the 25th of Septem-
ber 121 lbs. new-milk, and 460 lbs. four-meal and six-
meal cheese; and the quantity of butter made from the
milk of three cows and a heifer to the 26th of Septem-
ber was 220 lbs. Their feeding was grass only. Two
calved last of April, and two last of May. I have three
in the family that are supplied with milk.

The process of making the cheese is, to set the milk
in a cool place at night, and in the morning warm it and
add it to the new milk; then allow two gills of rennet
to ten pails full of milk; let it remain one hour, then
cut it with a wooden knife that will reach the bottom of
the tub; let it remain again until the whey begins to
appear; then dip it into a basket to drain; turn it and
cut it, and then place a follower with a stone above it,
on the curd, that the whey may all be removed; then
put it in a cool place to remain until the same process
is performed again. Then cut the two curds in small
pieces, warm them in whey eight minutes, salt it whol-
ly in the curd, about a table spoonful of salt to a pail
full of milk; press it two days, turn it twice a day, then

70 ON THE DAIRY.

put the cheeses into a cheese -room, and turn them and
butter them once a day.

Respectfully yours,

DANIEL P. STEVENS.
Andover, Sept. 26, 1843.

BENJAMIN BOYNTON'S STATEMENT

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — The cheese I offer for your inspection
was made in June. As to the process of making, I
strain my milk at night, in a kettle ; in the morning
take off the cream, warm them separately, then put
them together and add the morning's milk — half a pint
of rennet to eight pails of milk. As the whey begins to
appear, cross it with a stick, and after it settles dip it
in the basket. When drained dry, a tablespoonfull of
salt to a pail of milk is added, and broken up fine, and
put into the hoop and pressed 48 hours. The dairy
consists of two cows and a heifer, which produced 115
lbs. new milk cheese, 250 lbs. four meal cheese, 150
lbs. butter. I also used the milk necessary for six
persons. Yours,

BENJAMIN BOYNTON.

Andover, Sept. 26, 1843.

LUCY OSGOOD'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen — 1 present for your inspection, four
cheeses. Three of them were made the last week in
June. From the 26th of June to the 12th of August, I
made 620 pounds of new milk cheese. May and June
the calves took a great part of the milk : therefore, I
made before and after making the new milk cheese, only
130 pounds of butter, and 200 pounds of four meal
cheese. The above quantity of butter and cheese was
made from the milk of seven cows. We calculated two

ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS. 71

of the cows' milk for family use. The feeding of the
cows has been common pastm'ing only.

The process of making and preserving my cheese, is
the same as is stated in the Society's Transactions of
the year 1842. Respectfially yours,

LUCY OSGOOD.

Andover, Sept. 27, 1843,

IMPROVING iVIEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS.

The Committee on improving Meadow and Swamp
Lands Report :

That there have been but two entries for premiums
the past year for reclaiming such lands, viz: One by Jo-
siah Newhall, of Lynnfield, the other by Richard Phil-
lips, Jr., of Topsfield.

Mr. Newhall has reclaimed several pieces of Swamp
and Meadow lands with good success. A full and de-
tailed account of his mode of operation has been handed
to your committee by him, which is herewith submitted,
which, in the opinion of the committee, will give a much
better idea of his mode of reclaiming such lands than
any account of it your committee might give.

Mr. Phillips has reclaimed a piece of swamp of about
3^ acres, which he has brought into good English grass
land with much labour, and has obtained a large crop of
hay from it. Your committee regret that Mr. Phillips
has not given them a more full and detailed account of
the expense attending the reclamation of his land, so as
to authorize them to award him a premium.

The Trustees of the Society require that every claim-
ant for premium should give a full and detailed state-
ment of his mode of operation, and the expense attend-
ing the same, that they may be able to judge of the best
method of reclaiming such lands at the least expense.

The following is an extract from the regulations of
the Trustees of the Society, Art. 7th — Improving wet
Meadow and Swamp lands : —

" For the best conducted experiment in reclaiming

72 ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS.

wet meadows or swamp lands, on not less than one
acre, the course of management, and the produce, &lc.,
for a period of two years, at least, to be detailed, with
a statement of all incidental expenses, &c.

" For the second best.

" For the best conducted experiment on not less than
one half an acre, with the same requisitions.

" For the second best."

Thus it will be seen that every claimant for premium
that does not conform to the requisitions of the Society
is not entitled to a premium.

Your committee viewed the several pieces of land of-
fered by Mr. Newhall while the grass was standing ; —
that belonging to Mr. Phillips was not viewed by the
committee until the hay was in the barn.

Your committee will finish their report by awarding
to Josiah Newhall, of Lynnfielu, the first premium, of
twenty dollars.

Respectfully submitted for the committee,

LEWIS ALLEN.

Danvers, Dec. 18, 1843.

JOSIAH N E W H A L 1. • S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on reclaiming Meadoiv Lands :

Gentlemen : — Since 1839 I have made several ex-
periments on wet meadow and swamp lands, the result
of which I now give you. 1 commenced on a lot of peat
meadow containing about 3|^ acres, low and very wet,
so much so that in wet seasons the grass which grew
upon it could not be dried till removed to the adjoining
upland, and was then worth little more than the expense
of getting.

After having examined the meadow, and finding that
it could be drained, I took up a bridge on a high-way
passing the stream below the outlet, and sunk the bed
of the stream two feet, continuing it through the middle
to the upper part, then cut marginal ditches, taking the

ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS. 73

water from the high grounds and conducting it to the
main ditch. These have laid the meadow sufficiently
dry.

in March, 1840, while the meadow was frozen, I haul-
ed upon three quarters of an acre, sand and gravel from
a hill near by, sufhcient to give the surface a thin coating,
and keep down the grass ; this was spread in June, and
herds-grass and red-top seed sown upon it the Septem-
ber following, after having spread upon the gravel about
ninety bushels of leached ashes. The crop of hay in
1841 was at the rate of two tons to the acre — in 1842,
two and a half tons at the first cutting.

The present season, no top dressing having been ap-
plied since the ashes, except a light dressing of rock-
weed in May last, which the dryness of the season pre-
vented from having the desired effect, the crop of hay
was at the rate of two tons. The second growth was
large. This has been fed lightly, and the remainder
now covers the ground.

Other portions of the meadow have been treated in
the same way, with a similar result. In October, 1842, I
plowed about half an acre, by attaching a plow- to a pair
of wheels, the oxen driven on the turf, the meadow too
soft for the off oxen to walk in the furrow. This was
planted in May with potatoes, — chenango and long
blues. The chenangoes were dug for market before at-
taining their growth, producing fifty bushels. The blue
potatoes growing on twenty-seven rods, produced sixty
bushels of very large and fine potatoes.

I have also made an experiment upon a piece of
swamp land chiefly covered with banks of bushes, water
standing between them through the year, rendering the
land nearly worthless, being too wet for trees to grow.
I opened the outlet sufficiently to drain off the water ;
with two yoke of oxen hauled up the banks and bushes,
which, when dry, were burnt ; — run ditches parallel to
the main ditch and emptying into it, and turned the fur-
rows towards the centre of each bed from the ditches.
The black mud, from eight to twelve inches in depth,
resting on a subsoil inclining to a sandy clay. On a

10

74 ON .MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS.

part of this land I planted potatoes in 1841 — 2. The
crops were large and the quality fine.

After the potatoes were harvested, I laid the land to
grass about the middle of October, and although sowed
so late, the grass scarcely making its appearance before
winter, yet late in July following 1 cut one and a half tons
to the acre, and three quarters of a ton in September.

4'he other part of the swamp was seeded down to
grass in August, 1840, without having been previously
planted, and the first crop was over two tons to the acre.
This portion of the swamp having received a top dress-
ing of rock weed in March, 1842, produced 6057 lbs. of
first rate market hay to the acre. The herds-grass
standing at the time of harvest over four feet high, the
tallest heads being four feet eleven inches. The second
crop was estimated at one ton. The crop the last sea-
son was considered by good judges to be two and a half
tons at the first cutting.

After draining the peat meadow, my first inquiry was,
how I could cultivate it to the best advantage. Plowing
was out of the question, as a team could not walk upon
it. I offered to hire two men to invert the sod with bog
hoes, or a topping knife : they made a trial, and refused
to do it for less than twenty cents a rod ; this I declined
paying, it amounting to thirty-two dollars an acre, about
four times as much as the meadow was valued at a i'ew
years before. I then pared off the hassocks, and hauled
on gravel when the meadow was frozen, (as before stat-
ed) at an expense of about twelve dollars per acre.

Having other lots of peat meadow susceptible of simi-
lar improvement, and considering the very large amount
of such lands in the State, said to be 70 or 80,000 acres,
a large portion of which may be made the most valuable
lands we have, for potatoes and hay, it becomes a sub-
ject of much moment to ascertain the best method of re-
claiming them. So far as my experience goes, all things
considered, I have arrived at the conclusion that the
most economical and profitable course to be pursued,
after ditching and draming, is to cover with gravel in
the winter, spread it on the grass in June, and after put-

ON :\IF,VDOW AND SWAMP LANDS. 75

ting on some ashes or compost manure, sow in August
or September herds-grass and red-top seed, one bushel
of the latter, and sixteen quarts of the former, to the
acre. After cutting the gi'ass the second year, I found
that the crravel and o;rass roots had so hardened the sur-
face that I could haul a ton of hay without scarcely in-
denting the surface. An acre of this meadow could now
be plowed in a day with four oxen without difficulty, by
using a pair of wheels and letting the off oxen walk out
of the furrow, thus saving a very large amount of the
expense required to turn it by hand.

Other advantages are to be derived from this method
of spreading on gravel, besides the facility it gives of
readily plowing deep at little expense, and exposing to
atmospheric influence the inert peat below. Coarse
gravel, to the amount of one hundred or one hundred
and fifty ox-cart loads to the acre, I consider worth more
to the land than the same amount of stable manure
would be without it, inasmuch as the gravel has a ten-
dency to warm and give firmness to the meadow, caus-
ing the roots of plants to take stronger hold than they
ever can in mere peat ; and what is, perhaps, of still
greater consequence, the stones impart an alkali which
neutralizes the acid of the peat, and renders the meadow
highly productive.

Peat meadows treated in this manner, after the coat
of gravel shall have been plowed down ten or twelve
inches and the peat become exposed to the ameliorating
influences of the atmosphere, will, I have no doubt, pro-
duce as large crops of potatoes, oats, hay, and I may add,
Indian corn, as any lands in New England. Th3 quan-
tity which I have reclaimed is about five acres. The
depth of peat in the meadow is from two to ten feet.
The peat mud obtained from the ditches, for compost
manure, more than paid the expense of draining, and
the first crop of hay or potatoes paid all other expenses.
The first two crops paid the expense of reclaiming the
swamp. Respectfully yours,

JOSlAIi NEW HALL.

Lynnfield, Nov. 10, 1813.

76 ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEJIENTS.

RICHARD PPIILLIPS, Jr's., STATEMENT.

To the Committee on reclaiming Meadov) Lands :

Gentlemen : — The piece of land which I offer for a
premium is for what labor I did previous to 1841. The
piece contains about 3^ acres, and when I commenced
on it, which was in the month of June, 1839, the water
on a large part of it was 2^r or 3 feet deep. My first ef-
fort was to drain it, and by fall we succeeded in being
able to cut a ditch through it. When we commenced,
this land was covered very thickly with dog-wood, bil-
berry bushes, small maples, black alders, and other bush-
es. We cut these down in June and burnt them on the
land. A part of this land is composed of vegetable mat-
ter from 1 to 3 and 8 feet deep. The first year we got
a crop on this land, we had 1| tons per acre; last year,
on the 31 acres, there were 8 tons of the first crop, and
3 tons of the second crop, being 11 tons of good prime
English hay on the 3|- acres.

This land is now of the first rate quality, and very
valuable ; before we commenced working it, it was a
nuisance, a pit of unhealthy stench.

Yours respectfully, K. PHILLIPS, Jr.

Topsfield, Nov. 1, 1843.

ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

The Committee on Improved Agricultural Imple-
ments Report :

That to their inspection was submitted a fox-trap,
which was a beautiful and highly finished specimen of
w^orkmanship, and, as such, it would doubtless have re-
ceived due consideration from the Committee on Manu-
factures. It did not, however, appear to possess any
novelty in the contrivance, by which the operations of
Messrs. Reynard &, Co., were to be curtailed.

Mr. Clapp, of Dorchester, exhibited in actual opera-
tion, an entirely new implement called a Scarifier and
Roller, by which the two operations of rolling and har-

ON THE CULTIVATION OF MIXED AND GRAIN CROPS. 77

rowing are united in one. The land upon which tlie
work was performed, was a fresh inverted sward. It
was soon reduced by it to a very fine and mellow condi-
tion, suitable for sowing the smallest seeds with success.
The Committee are of opinion that it will be found a la-
bor-saving machine, but to what extent, further trial
must determine. They concur in the opinion that the
effort of Mr. Clapp is a most deserving one, being an ef-
fort to effect improvement in one of the most important
departments of agricultural operations. They recom-
mend that a gratuity often dollars be paid to him.

A revolving saw, for trimming trees, evidently a very
useful instrument, was presented for exhibition only, by
Erastus Ware, of Salem, who deserves the thanks of the
Society for showing them how this laborious operation
may be facilitated.

For the Committee,

ALLEN W. DODGE.

ON THE CULTIVATION OF MIXED AND GRAIN

CROPS.

The Committee on the cultivation of mixed and grain
Crops Report :

That the subject of mixed crops, for experiments, on
which premiums were for the first time offered by the
Essex Agricultural Society the present year, has not re-
ceived hitherto that attention from farmers which its im-
portance seems to demand. In the memoirs of the
Philadelphia Society for promoting Agriculture, vol. 2,
page 200, in a communication by John Lorain, dated
Tackony, 21st May 1810, there is stated an experiment
on planting Indian corn and potatoes in alternate rows,
*'the corn eight feet and three inches distant ; hills, or
rather clusters at eighteen inches on the rows, but three
plants suffered to grow in each. Between the corn, two
rows of potatoes planted, two feet three inches apart."
In a note appended, he further says, "I have frequently
planted Indian corn in single row.s eight feet asunder, and

78 ON THR CVI/nVAT10\ OF .MIXKD AND Gl^MN CHOPS.

dropt single coi'ns two feet distant from each other in the
rows, so as to stand in single plants. This mode was
suggested to me by General Washington, who told me
he had great success in it. When the corn was ridged,
potatoes were planted in the cleaning-out furrows,
which were filled with rotted dung and closed by two
fun-ows backed over the potatoes by the plough. I have
had repeatedly 40 to 50 bushels of shelled corn, and 100
to 150 bushels of potatoes to the acre. The roots of
the corn ran into the dung and received every benefit.
I have never had a nubbin, as the stalks had each no
less than three, and the most four, perfect and large
ears. In weight the crop always exceeded the best corn
cultivated in the common way, whatever number of bush-
els there might be."

This agrees with the statement of Mr. Newhall, by
which it appears that the corn of the mixed crop weigh-
ed from 4 to 6 lbs. more per bushel than the corn from
the unmixed lot. It is to be regretted that no statement
in regard to the difference in the quality of the potatoes,
if any there be, is not also given.* It is not improbable
that potatoes grown in the shade, or partly so, will be
founcl superior to those grown in the full blaze of the
sun. And although it may seem out of place in this re-
port, we venture to remark that the quality of potatoes
is much more iniluenced by culture than has been gener-
ally supposed — that on this subject there is much to be
learned — and that in the absence of information deriv-
ed from truth -telling experiments, we venture to sug-
gest that those produced under a deep cover of mould
will be better than those that grow near the surface, —
that those produced in a soil containing much decaying
vegetable fibre will prove more mealy than those manur-
ed with strong animal matter, which will be, if we mis-
take not, of a more soapy consistence. We strongly
recommend the subject to the observation and experi-
ments of farmers generally.

* Since this report wont to tlie press, I have received froiu Mr. N. tlie Idler
wl)icli is aj)i)endc(l to liis statoiiifiit

ON THE CULTIVATION OF i\Il.\ED AND GRAIN CROPS. 79

For the premium of §10 for the best conducted ex-
periment in raising a mixed crop of corn and potatoes,
or mixed grain, on not less than one acre, there were
two claimants, viz : Asa T. Newhall, of Lynnfield, and
Daniel Putnam, of Danvers. The committee award the
premium of ^10 to A. T. Newhall.

Their statements follow, and from them we trust the
readers of these Transactions will derive some valuable
knowledge. The two pieces of land on which the ex-
periments were made were very different in quality and
condition, and the amount of the crops obtained differed
perhaps accordingly.

But the amount obtained was not taken into consider-
ation by the committee. Two questions, arising from
the consideration of the subject, required of them an
answer. The first, Do the experiments stated furnish
information to farmers of sufficient value to justify the
awarding of the premiums offered ? Which, being ans-
wered in the affirmative, the second question. Which of
the claimants has furnished the more valuable part of
this information? is answered by the award above stated.

There was also presented for the consideration of the
Committee, a claim by Francis Dodge, of Danvers, for
the premium offered for Indian corn, and another claim,
by Asa Nelson, of Georgetown, for a crop of wheat.
In the opinion of the Committee, there was nothing suf-
ficiently novel or extraordinary, either in the mode of
culture or in the amount of the crops obtained, to war-
rant the awarding of the premium offered, to either of
these applicants. But as farmers, as well as others,
often require line upon line and precept upon precept
to induce them to do as well as they might if they would
only imitate the example set by the more successful cul-
tivators among them, the committee consider the state-
ments of these gentlemen well worthy a place in the
Society's Transactions, and recommend that they be
published accordingly.
Per order,

ANDREW NICHOLS, Chairman.

Topsfield, Dec. 1, 1843.

80 ON THE CULTIVATION OF MIXED AND GRAIN CROPS.
ASA T . N E \V n A L Lr S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on mixed Crops :

Gentlei\ien: — I have made experiments on mixed
crops the present year, and will briefly state the result.
The experiments were made on a piece of plain gravel
loam containing about six acres, a part of which is coarse
and full of small stones, on which there had been no
manure for the last 9 or 10 years. In 1841 it was sown
with rye; in 1842 the stubble was ploughed in and Indi-
an wheat sown, but a small part of which, either from
age (it being 6 or 7 years old) or from some other cause,
vegetated, which was ploughed in in the fall of 1842.
In the spring of 1843 a compost manure consisting of 12
cords of manure from the barn and pig yard, and 12
cords of meadow mud and 3 leaches of ashes, was
spread and ploughed in, and afterwards harrowed and
rolled. The planting was on the 23d, 24th, and 25th of
May.

Lot No. 1, containing 194| rods, w4iich was planted
in alternate rows of corn (called Highgate,) and pota-
toes, a part the orange and a part the blue-noses, which
produced 34 bushels 27 quarts of corn, 145f bushels of
potatoes, which is equal to 28 bushels 4^ quarts of corn,
weighing 60 lbs. per bushel, and 120 bushels and 6
quarts of potatoes to the acre.

Lot No. 2. All potatoes, 82| poles, seeded with
long reds and blues, which are considered to be the
most productive kinds, yielded 109 bushels, which is
106 bushels and ten quarts per acre.

Lot No. 3, containing 172 poles, planted with fifteen
different kinds of corn mixed, twenty-nine kinds of po-
tatoes in alternate rows; some of the kinds of corn and
of the potatoes on this lot were of the most unproductive
kinds ; yielded 31a bushels of corn and 105^ bushels of
potatoes, being 29 bushels and 10 quarts of corn weigh-
ing 62 lbs per bushel and 99i- bushels of potatoes to the
acre.

Lot No. 4. All Corn, contains 87 poles, yielding 28
bushels and 20 quarts of corn, which is 26 bushels and

ON THE CULTIVATION OF IMIXED AND GRAIN CROPS. 81

14 quarts per acre, weighing 54 lbs. per bushel. The
Committee who viewed the premises undoubtedly notic-
ed that the mixed crops were planted on that end of the
lot which is the poorest soil.

Your ob't servant,

ASA T. NEWHALL.
Lynnfield, Nov. 27, 1843.

I hereby certify that I measured the foregoing lots of
land, and the measure of each lot as above described is
correct. JOSIAPI NEWHALL.

ASA T. NEW HALL'S LETTER.

When I first planted potatoes with corn in alternate
rows, three years ago, it was not with the expectation
of increasing the crops of either, but to make the exper-
iment whether potatoes of a better quality would be pro-
duced by growing among and being partially shaded by
the corn than by being fully exposed to the rays of the
sun ; the year previous the only potatoes I raised that
w^ere eatable grew on the margin and under the trees
in the corn field. A patch on bog land which appeared
very promising until nearly grown, by a few days of
great heat in the month of August, were blighted so that
the vines became slimy, and when harvested were unfit
for use ; the potatoes grown among the corn for three
years past have been of a good quality, much better than
those of the same kinds grown in the usual w'ay ; sam-
ples of those raised with the corn the present year have
been tried by several of m}' neighbors, and bv persons
in Lynn and Salem, who pronounce them to be very
good, and some of them say the best they ever had.
The rohans and pink eyes which have been considered
the most ordinary kinds for eating, sell readily in the
market to those who have tried them.

Yours truly, ASA T. NEWHALL.

Dr. Andrew Nichols.

82 ON THE CULTIVATION OF MIXED AND GRAIN CROPS.
DANIEL PUTNAM'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops :

Gentlp:men: — My experiment upon mixed crop of corn
and potatoes was conducted in the following manner :
The land had been in grass three years. It was broken
up about the 6th of May, about 9 inches deep, and then
rolled with a heavy roller. Then 21 loads of manure
from the barn cellar and hog yard, mixed together, were
put upon the piece, it was then ploughed with a small
plough across the furrows, taking care not to disturb the
sod, and then harrowed and laid out in rows four feet
apart. The potatoes were dropped about one foot apart
in the rows. The corn was planted about two feet apart
in the rows, and three stalks left to grow in each hill. It
was planted on the 13th of May, one half of it alternate
rows of corn and potatoes, the other half corn on one
side and potatoes on the other. It was hoed three times.
The produce was, on the part which w^as not mixed,
36 bushels of corn, weighing 75 lbs. per bushel,* and
60 bushels of potatoes.

On the mixed part, 42 bushels of corn and 48 bushels
of potatoes.

Not mixed, corn 36, potatoes 60.

Mixed, " 42, " 43.

Corn, not mixed, 72 bushels to the acre.

Corn, mixed, 84 " " "

Potatoes, not mixed, 240 bushels to the acre.

Potatoes, mixed, 192 '^ " "
Danvers, Nov. 24, 1843. DANIEL PUTNAM.

This may certify that we the undersigned, assisted in
planting and harvesting and measuring the above crop,
and testify that the above is a true statement.

BENJAMIN W. PUTNAM.
LEMUEL S. FOSS.
This may certify that I measured the above piece of
ground, and it contains one acre and no more.
J. A. PRESTON.

* Js'ulc by tlic Committee. — Probably tlio weight of the corn and tlie cobs from
which it was sJielJed.

ON THE CULTIVATION OF MIXED AND GRAIN CROPS. 83

FRANCIS DODGE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops :

Gentlemen: — I offer for premium one acre of corn,
as measured by Mr. Woodbury, from which was obtain-
ed 91i bushels.

This ground was broke up in the summer of 1842, and
planted with turnips and corn ; at that time it was
manured with twelve loads of hog manure. The soil is
a loam, and the land has a southern aspect. The last of
April we hauled 4i loads of manure from the cellar and
put it in small heaps on the ground ; this was spread
and ploughed in on the 9th of May, spreading no faster
than we could plough it in ; it was well harrowed, and
furrowed at the distance of 3i feet each way. Four
cords of manure, consisting of night soil and meadow
mud, at the rate of four loads of mud to one of night soil,
were put in the hills the 13th May, and from five to eight
kernels of corn were dropped and covered. It was hoed
the first time, June 8th and 10th — the second time, June
20th, and the last time, the 28th of the same month ; at
each time of hoeing the cultivator was used. The corn
was topped the 27th of September, and harvested the
last of October, and was measured the 2d of November.
The kind is a long eight-rowed variety with small cob.

The expenses on the above corn were as follows, viz :

To Interest on land, -
Ploucrhing, ...
Manure on land.

- - $ 6 on

2 00

- . 50 00
Harrowing- and planting, 2 50
Seed, ,75. Furrowing-, ,75, 1 50
Expense on Manure, - - 1 50
Cultivatino- & hoeing 3 limes, 7 00
Curing- Fodder, Harvesting

andliusking, - - - . 10 00

Balance in favor of crop,

80 50

28 55

$109 05

By Oli bushels Corn, at 70(^, $64 05

Fodder, 20 00

One half value of manure

on land, ..... 25 00

$100 05

FRANCIS DODGE.

This may certify that I measured a quantity of corn
said to have been taken from the above mentioned acre
of land, and the same measured 914- bushels.

SYLVANUS B. SWAN.

84 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

ASA NELSON'S STATEMENT,

To the Committee on the Cultivation of Crops :

Gentlemen: — I offer for premium a crop of wheat.
The land is gravelly loam; it had been laid down seven
years. The two past years it had been planted with
corn, applying about eight coi'ds of barn yard manure a
year. 1 ploughed it the first ofMay, and spread on about
eight cords of manure, sowed one and a half bushels of
wheat on one acre and a quarter and sixteen rods of
ground. The crop when harvested measured 31| bush-
els of good wheat. My manner of formerly prepai'ing
my wheat for sowing has been by applying much lime,
but this season I was not situated so as to come to it ea-
sily, and losing my belief of the utility of it in a measure,
in the preparation thereof I used nothing but ashes.
The great secret of raising wheat in this vicinity, is, in
my opinion, to have the weeds well subdued the pre-
vious years, and the land well manured ; the profit
arising from it will be greater than from the cultivation
of oats or barley. The seed which was sowed on this
land, was Black Sea Wheat.

ASA NELSON.

Georgetown, Nov. 7, 1843.

EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

The Committee, consisting of Moses Newell, of West
Newbury, Wm. S. Mariand, of Andover, and myself, to
whom, at the meeting of the Trustees in December was
referred the statement of Joseph How, Esq., of Methu-
en, of the continuation of his experiments on manures,
have carefully examined the same, and are of opinion
that Mr How is entitled to credit for the care and atten-
tion with which his experiments have been conducted.
In this, as in several other communications heretofore
made by Mr How, he has shown himself to be a farmer
of the right stamp, willing to try to do something more
than his fathers have done before hi.j. We do not dis-

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 85

cover in this statement, any thing particularly import-
ant that was not communicated the last year ; and as
the regulations of the Society provide that " no object
for which a premium has heretofore been awarded by
the Society, will be entitled to another premium, unless
it be of a higher order, or for qualities different from
those for which the former premium was awarded,"
we do not feel at liberty to award any premium. It is
to be regretted that the Committee, whose duty it was
to have looked to this matter, had not found it conven-
ient to have viewed the premises while the crops were
in the field ] such a view would have given a much
more intelligent idea of the subject, than is possible to
be obtained from any description. We are not distinct-
ly informed by Mr. How as to the quantity and descrip-
tion of manure applied by him to his lands the present
season. In his statement of the last year, page 88, 6th
line from the top, for tioo loads, read one hundred loads.
His experiment as to the use of liquid manure was of
too limited a character to authorise any definite conclu-
sion. We hope he will take occasion to give this
branch of the subject a more thorough and extensive
trial.

For the Committee,

Dan vers, Dec, 30, 1843.

J. W. PROCTOR.

JOSEPH HOW'S s t a t e xM e n t .

To the Committee on Experiments on Manures :

Gentlemen: — Having tried several experiments the
last year to ascertain the comparative value of different
kinds of manure, I have the present year continued those
experiments and tried several more. First, I would refer
you to my experiments of last year published in the
doings of the Essex Agricultural Society. The ground
there described, where I tried several experiments, I this
year sowed with oats. In consequence of the drought

86 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

and mildew the crop was very light, but not an entire
failure. The result was as follows : Lot
No. 1, Compost, waste soap and mud, 22 bush, per acre.
" 2, Green manure, 22 " "

" 3, Compost, with salt, 241 " "

" 4, Compost, without salt, 21 " "

" 5, Bone, 21 "

" 6, Poudrette, 20 " "

The land where I last year used salt and lime, I this
year sowed with barley and there was no perceptible
difference in the crop.

In the same field I sowed one acre and 75 rods with
winter rye, and spread on the same 14 bushels of
crushed bone which is about 10 bushels per acre. Also
at the same time, sowed 117 square rods without bone.
The land where I sowed bone produced 22 bushels of
rye, about 16i bushels per acre. The other part pro-
duced 8^ bushels, about 11^ bushels per acre. Ex-
pense of bone, with freight, about 40 cents per bushel.

Last spring I mixed a heap of compost manure, three
parts peat mud, and one part manure from the cellar,
with which was mixed one cask of lime to 7 cart loads
of compost; when it began to ferment, I pitched it over,
let it remain a few days, and pitched it over again and
covered the heap with mud. I then (on a piece of land
that was broke up last September,) measured off 3 lots
4 rods long, and one rod wide, and manured them as
follows :

Lot No. 1 , one cart load of the above named compost.
" 2, one cart load green manure from barn cellar.
" 3, two cart loads peat mud.
Then spread and plowed in the manure, harrowed it
and planted it with 3 rows of potatoes, and 2 rows of
corn to each lot.

On harvesting the crop the result was as follows per
acre.

Lot No. 1, Corn, 81 bushels — Potatoes 333 bushels.
" 2, " 681 " " 353 "

3, " 50" " " 203 "

Also on one square rod I sowed half bushel of crush-

ON FRUITS AND FLOAVERS. 87

ed bone broadcast, planted as the other lots with corn
and potatoes. Crop per acre, 68^ bushels corn; 366
bushels of potatoes.

Also, planted 2 square rods without manure — crop
per acre 195 bushels of potatoes, 40 bushels corn.
The corn was weighed and reckoned 70 pounds to the
bushel.

In the same field I tried another experiment to ascer-
tain the comparative value of solid and liquid manure.
The solid manure that one cow made in one week was
mixed with eight bushels of peat mud ; also, the liquid
made in the same time was mixed with the same quan-
tity of mud. It remained in the barn between 2 and 3
weeks ; during that time it was pitched over twice.
Each lot of manure was then put on to one square rod
of land, carefully spread and plowed in ; planted it as
I planted the other lots with corn and potatoes. There
was but little difference in the appearance of the crop
excepting the potato tops where the liquid manure was
used remained green longer than that manured with
solid. The result w^as as follows :

Where manured with solid, 70 bushels corn, 325
bushels potatoes.

Where manured with liquid, 67^ bushels corn, 333
bushels potatoes.

The land where the above experiments were tried,
was rather warm and dry, the soil, a gravelly loam.

That there should be no mistake about the above
experiment, I have carefully attended to it myself.

JOSEPH HOW.

Methuen, Nov. 29th, 1843.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

The Committee Report: — That the number of en-
tries of fruits and flowers was between thirty and forty.

The Committee award to
Andrew Dodge, of Wenham, for 33 varieties of

apples and pears, - - - $2 GO

2 00

2

00

2

00

1

00

1

00

1

00

88 ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. '

Joseph How, of Methuen, for 13 varieties of

apples, pears and grapes,
John M. Ives, of Salem, for 32 varieties of pears,

plums, peaches, &c.,
George Boutwell, of Andover, for 2 baskets of 3
kinds of fine seedling peaches, and a basket of
4 sorts of apples, _ _ _

Erastus Ware, of Salem, plates of 6 sorts fine
apples, - - - - _

Professor Emerson, of Andover, dish of fine seed-
ling peaches, _ _ _ -
Addison Flint, a basket of Isabella grapes, re-
markably fine specimens,
Jos. Ober, of Beverly, a basket of sweetwater

grapes, of unusual size and beauty, - 1 00

Moses French, of Salisbury, 3 Bartlett pears of

large size, from grafts set 5 months since, 50

James PL Duncan, sent for the use of the Society

a basket of beautiful chasselas grapes.
A. Moor, of Tewksbury, seedling grapes and
peaches; among the grapes are named mam-
moth blue grape, being of great size and un-
common beauty, they were however rather
sour, but might not have been fully ripe, 1 00

Miss Ives sent a handsome basket of fruit. E. N.
Eaton, of Andover, sent fine quinces and apples. Ap-
ples were also exhibited by Peabody Russell and Joseph
Marston; fine apples from Felch Tufts, of Billerica, and
very handsome specimens from Samuel Gleason, of An-
dover. Mr. Gallop sent 8 plates of apples; and plates of
apples and quinces were received from Moses Abbott, of
Andover.
Messrs Clark and Mullet sent a plate of Bartlett pears.
Dishes of grapes were exhibited by Isaac H. Andrews,
of Boxford, Jacob Farnham, of Andover. Mr. Swift, of
Andover, and Mr. Andrews Breed, of Lynn, placed on
the table some fine specimens of pears, peaches, and ap-
ples. There was a handsome plate of egg plums from
Daniel Abbott, of Andover, and 4 plates of apples, pears,
peaches, and grapes from Samuel Gray, of Andover.

ON VEGETABLES. 89

Some of the fruit was placed on the table so late that it
may probably inadvertently have escaped the notice of
the Committee. The Committee regret that the limited
amount placed at their disposal has prevented them from
awarding gratuities in all cases where they were deserv-
ed. Some remarkable quinces, and a plate of cherry
tomatoes, they thought especially worthy of notice.

The exhibition of Flowers was not as large as the
Committee could have desired, but among them were
some very fine specimens, especially of dahlias, from D.
Parker, of Boxford, W. E. Carter, of Cambridge, and
George Spofford, of Georgetown. Some very beautiful
bouquets, arranged with great taste, and consisting of
fine flowers, were placed on the table, by Messrs. Dela-
no, of Andover, Carter, of Cambridge, Sanborn, of An-
dover, and Marland of Andover.
The Committee award to

Dr. D. Parker, of Billerica, a gratuity of |1,00

Dr. Sanborn, of Andover, 1,00

Wm. E. Carter, of Cambridge, 1,00

Wm. Delano, of Andover, 1,00

George Spoftbrd, of Georgetown, 1,00

For the Committee,

JOSEPH S. CABOT, Chairman.

ON VEGETABLES.

The Committee on Vegetables, respectfully Report :
That the exhibition was deficient in variety — the
whole tribe of tap roots being represented by a solitary
turnip, and that seemed to belong to no particular own-
er, though from its dimensions it gave evidence of good
cultivation ; of beets and carrots there were no speci-
mens. The squash tribe was fully and ably represented,
giving ample proof that the coming thanksgiving will be
kept in the good old fashion, in spite of the inroads of
modern innovation. Six crook-necks by J. B. Barker,
Methuen, bore the palm, and a gratuity of §1,00 is

90 OM VEGETABLES.

recommended to be paid him. Gratuities of twenty-five
cents are also recommended respectively, to Heman
Phelps, of Andover, Matthew Putnam, Danvers, Rufus
Slocomb, Haverhill, Charles B. Lander, Danvers, Arte-
mas Brown, Andover, John Marland, Andover, Joseph
How, Osgood Barnard, Melhuen, Jacob Shed, Andover,
John M. Ives, Salem, and E. G. Kelly, Newbury port,
for their specimens of squashes, comprising the Marrow,
the Crook-neck, the Valparaiso, three squashes of an
unknown variety, and a pair of united squashes which
may be called the Siamese twins of vegetables. The
Committee think it not good husbandry to raise squash-
es of so great size as were those exhibited, that by
E. G. Kelly, weighing nearly 90 lbs. The number and
quality of squashes from a particular vine, should be ob-
jects of greater attention, than their size.

The show of potatoes was very good — and a gratuity
of ;^1,00 is recommended to George Peasle, Boxford,
for H bushels ot large chenangoes, the product of only
two potatoes, planted on reclaimed meadow land, well
exemplifying what such soils are capable of yielding.
They also recommend a gratuity of $1, to Andrew
Dodge, of Wenham, tor specimens of three kinds of
seedling potatoes — to Josiah Lovett, of Beverly, 50
cents, for seedling potatoes, and the same sum to Peter
French, of Andover, for half bushel of long blue potatoes,
the product of a single potatoe — also 50 cents to J. G.
Wolcott, Danvers, lor a string of very large and hand-
some onions, 25 cents to John M. Ives, Levi Davis, and
John Marland, each, for melons, water-melons, cucum-
bers, tomatoes, and the same sum to N. B. Abbot, for
20 citron-melons, the product of a single vine. Also to
Benjamin Boynton, for a specimen of white beans in the
pod.

The Committee have only to say in conclusion, that
they did not feel justified in recommending larger gra-
tuities, as their limits were apparently set by the Socie-
ty, to the amount they have reached.
For the Committee,

ALLEN VV. DODGE.

ON FRUIT TRERS. ^1

ON FRUIT TREES.

The Committee on Fruit Trees respectfully Report :
That there were five entries made ; three of them
were found to come within the conditions upon which
premiums are offered, these were from Allen VV. Dodge,
of Hamilton, Joshua PI. Ordway, of West Newbury, and
Moses Pettingel, of Topstield. Mr. Dodge's Nursery,
consisting of Apple and Pear Trees, were thrifty, par-
ticularly the latter, these having been raised from the
seed two years previous to their budding, having had
no covering in the winter. Mr. Dodge's paper, giving
a particular account of his method of culture, is append-
ed below. Mr. Ordway 's Nursery of Apples and
Peaches were of good growth, as also his Plums worked
upon the Peach root. Mr. Pettingel's Peach Trees
were remarkably thrifty and fine.

Your Committee would recommend that the first pre-
mium of twenty dollars be awarded to Mr. Dodge, the
second of ten dollars, to Mr. Ordway, and the third of
five dollars to Mr. Pettingel.

JOHN M. IVES, ^

ANDllFW DODGF., |

MOODY ORDWAY, ^Committee.

RICHARD PHILLIPS, |

WILLIAM PEIRCE, J

ALLEN W. DODGE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Fruit Trees :

Gentlemen: — At your request, I send a statement
respecting the pear trees, which compi'ise a part of my
nursery entered for the Society's premium. In the fall
of 1840 I procured a lot of pumice of the small choke
pears, which I sowed in drills on a dry sandy spot of
ground. The seed came up well the following spring,
and the trees made the first season an average growth of
one foot. Being warned by others of the danger to
which they would be exposed during winter, I was in-
clined to use some method to protect thein. One ad-

92 ON FRUIT TREES.

vised to take them up and keep them during the cold
weather in the cellar, another proposed to cover them
with sea weed or tan — and a third suggested still an-
other course of treatment. As I knew not which method
to ado|)t, 1 determined to let them take their chance and
winter it out just as they stood. The result was, that
no injury whatever befel them — not one tree was des-
troyed by the co'd or frost or by any other cause.

The following spring I removed the trees into rows
in the nursery, first taking off a part of the tap root.
This I found to be of great length, nearly one third
longer than the tree itself. This length of root may
have kept the trees from being thrown out of the ground
by the Irost, which, as I am informed, is one principal
cause of the destruction in winter of young pear trees.
As they make but few lateral roots, they are of course
more exposed to such an injury than other kinds of
young trees. Now if the tap root strikes deep, it has
the stronger hold upon the soil, and if it reaches below
the frost, it would seem to be entirely removed beyond
its action. My soil being very light, the roots of the
trees had no difficulty in extending to the length I have
mentioned.

Another benefit, as it seems to me, of a light sandy
soil tor young pear trees is this — that being so porous
it is less retentive of moisture than stilf and strong soils,
which is the kind of soils upon which pear trees are us-
ually attempted to be raised. The wetter the soil, the
greater would seem to be the action upon it of the frost.
It would freeze and thaw, in early spring, with greater
violence to the young roots — such soil would heave
more than a dry one, and in heaving would at length
throw the tree up by the roots and exposed to the winds
and weather.

The season after being transplanted, the trees made a
vigorous growth. The principal dressing which they
received was ashes applied occasionally in small quan-
tities and in its unspent state. In August of that season,
the second of their growth, 1 budded about 600 of the
trees — the rest not being of suilicient size for that pur-

ON FOREST TREES. 93

pose, were left imbudded. The ground upon which
they then and have since stood, is similar to that in
which the seed was originally sown — light and sandy —
the trees have received no injury whatever from the win-
ter or early spring. I am not aware that a single tree
of the lot has ever been thrown up or killed by the frost,
and they have never received any protection but from
the hand of Nature herself.

My budded trees have made a fine growth the past
season — averaging perhaps four feet — some reaching
to nearly six feet in height. The trees are healthy and
vigorous, and prove most plainly that it is not necessa-
ry for us to import pear stocks from France, when they
can be raised, as mine have been, at home.

ALLEN W. DODGE.

Hamilton, Nov. 2, 1843.

ON FOREST TREES.
The Committee on Forest Trees, respectfully E,e-

PORT :

That the only Plantation of Forest Trees which has
been offered for premium the present year is one offered
by Mr. Benjamin Poore, of West Newbury. Mr Poore
commenced planting forest trees some twenty four years
since, but with little success for a number of years.
Mr. Poore's Forest is on the southerly side of a steep
hill, containing some two or three acres, on which there
had been formerly a growth of hickory — he has planted
acorns and transplanted trees of two years' growth, from
time to time since 1832, from the nursery to this piece
of land, on which there is now growing more than two
thousand trees of different age and size, some of which
are twenty feet in height. Mr. Poore has also a great
number of Locust Trees, growing on the margin of his
field, where as an experiment he has trenched the land
from one to two feet in depth before planting the trees,
with good success.

Your Committee are satisfied that Mr. Poore, by the

94 ON rOEEST TREKS.

experiments lie lias made, and their successful result, is
entitled to tlie highest premium offered on Forest
Trees; but as the premiums lor forest of oak are con-
fined to white oak and yellow oak, and as the forest
of Mr. Poore is principally of the species called black
oak, and gray oak, they do not feel authorized to
award a premium, but recommend a gratuity of thirty
dollars to Mr. Poore.

llespectfully submitted,

ASA T. NEWHALL.
Dec. 1st, 1843.

B E x\ J A M I N P O O R E ' S STATEMENT.

To the Commiitee on Forest Trees :

Gentlemen: — From 1819 to 1831, I made a number
of unsuccessful attempts to raise Forest Trees. But in
1832 after witnessing the success that attended planting
of Forest Trees in England, 1 commenced planting
acorns on a steep hill side, on pasture land, from which
some old hickory trees had lately been removed.

In the same year, I planted acorns in the nursery for
the purpose of transplanting to the forest.

I have continued the planting in the forest and nurs-
ery and when the trees were two years old, transplant-
ed them to the forest from the nursery.

The spot selected was not favorable, as the snow
drifted in large quantities on the trees and has from
time to time broken hundreds. Also, at the commence-
ment there was no shelter for them, which is indispen-
sable in raising oaks.

I did not make much show till 1836, and my success
that year and since, I attributed mainly to the shelter
afforded the oaks by bushes that had sprung from the
roots of the old walnut trees.

The trees offered for premium partially cover be-
tween two and three acres of land too steep for cultiva-
tion, and beside hundreds of walnut and other trees,
exceed twenty seven hundred, some of which are more

ON 3IULBERRY TREES. 95

than twenty feet liigh. We have also, several thousand
locust and other forest trees, under a series of experi-
ments to ascertain, if possible, the advantage of trench-
ing and deep ploughing, and also, whether a forest
tree is injured by transplanting as for many years it
was supposed by writers to be, but so far as my exper-
iments have already gone, it is not injured but rather
benefitted. Some years, however, will be required to
ascertain these resLdts satisfactorily. I however, annex
such directions as I would practise in planting forest
trees.

1st. Select such soil as the tree which I intended
to propagate grew in, when in forests, to greatest per-
fection.

2d. Trench or plow the land according to the depth
of soil — if two feet deep, trench the land two feet, but if
only eight inches of soil, trench not exceeding twelve
inches deep, and in same proportion.

3d. Keep the acorns, nuts or seeds in dry sand
through the winter, and plant early in spring.

4th. If you transplant from nurseries do it in au-
tumn, soon as the leaf falls. The oak should be trans-
planted the second autumn after sowing the seed.

5th. For shelter, I would prefer the Scotch larch
which I would plant freely. When the oaks are five
years old the larch can be removed, and for fuel will
amply pay the expense.

6th. Avoid, (a common error) the putting of seed
or ti'ees too deep in the earth.
Respectfully,

Your ob't servant,

BENJ. POORE.

Indian Hill Farm, 1843.

ON MULBERRY TREES.

The Committee on Mulberry Trees, having attended
to the duty assigned them, by examining the plantation

9Q ON MULBERRY TREES.

of Joshua H. Ordway, of West Newbury, the only
claimant on that subject, respectfully Report :

That Mr. Ordvvay's plantation of 1500 white mulber-
ry trees, of five to six years' growth, has been well
managed, the foliage is luxuriant, and the trees of a
large size at the root ; w^e notice particularly his meth-
od of keeping them headed down. His practice is to
cut them off near the ground early in the spring ; by
this treatment, as he says, he obtains four times the
amount of foliage as when permitted to grow high, as
we can readily conceive, and greatly facilitates the work
of gathering it, his object being actual silk-growing. He
has fed, the past season, 4000 w^orms, but his trees
would undoubtedly have fed 20,000 at twice cropping,
of which he is confident, had he been prepared with the
proper fixtures. His worms were perfectly healthy, as
evidently appeared by the cocoons and the texture of
the reeled silk. The silk was principally made into
sewings by his sister, Miss Sophia Ordway, and were of
superior character. A part of it was twisted directly
from the cocoons, without having been first reeled, as is
the common mode ; all the work was done on a com-
mon high wheel. This sewing silk appeared very even,
and equally as good as. that which was first reeled and
then twisted ; and the work is thereby greatly expedi-
ted. Although Mr. Ordway has fine nurseries, and ex-
cellent orchards of various fruits which produce a large
income, yet, he is confident his mulberry tree planta-
tion would produce him more profit in raising silk than
any of his grounds of equal extent, and he intends ex-
tending his silk raising next season. Taking into view
the good management of Mr. Ordway's plantation, and
the practical use to which he has applied its produce,
in raising and making sewing silk, which would proba-
bly itself deserve the Society's premium on manufactur-
ed silk, (had a claim been entered according to its rules,)
we are of opinion he is well entitled to the Society's
first premium of fifteen dollars.

Your Committee, in making this report, beg to sub-
mit for the consideration of the Society the expediency

ON niULBERUY TREES. 97

of confining the premiums in future to those competitors
who make the most silk according to their number of
trees, or according to the space of ground they occupy
as a mulberry plantation, taking into account the actual
expense. Thus the object of the Society, which we
presume to be the encouragement of actual silk growing
in our county, would be likely to be promoted. Many
trees may have been raised merely to obtain the Socie-
ty's premium, and no practical advantages derived for
the benefit of the community at large : the trees after-
wards destroyed or converted to uses foreign from the
object of the Society.

The committee are aware of the small progress that
has been made in our county in the silk culture. Still
they would not despair of its successful prosecution in our
country at large, and that the farmers of Essex may do
their part when the subject shall be better understood,
and emerge from its present infancy.

The great violence that was done to this enterprise by
the late famous " muUicaulis speculation," which came
nigh destroying it when only in its embryo, has delayed
its progress ; trees were then raised with very little ex-
pense and chaffered about for sale merely on specula-
tion, holding up to view extravagant prospects of profits
which no man of sense could expect to realize; the tree
itself was brought into disrepute, and an odium cast up-
on the silk culture by which it became a subject of
even ridicule. Many abandoned the project for fear of
encountering the obloquy cast upon it, and it became
dangerous to the reputation of a person to say a word in
its favor.

The committee, in proposing a discontinuance of the
premiums on merely raising mulberry trees, would not
recommend imitating the narrow policy of some of our
sister States as well as that of our own honored Com-
monwealth, by neglecting to continue the bounty on
silk, thus endangering the bantling hitherto led by the
hand, by quitting our hold before it shall have acquired
suflficient strength to bear its own weight. Feeling con-
fident that by still assisting and patronising it, (in our

13

98 ON SILK.

climate which is so congenial to its culture,) it will one
clay arrive to that state of manhood which will enable us
to countervail the immense sums now expended for for-
eign silks. All which is respectfully submitted.
For the Committee,

TExMPLE CUTLER.
Hamilton, Oct. 2, 1843.

ON SILK.

The Committee on Silk having examined such speci-
mens of Silk, manufactured and raw, as were exhibited,
Keport :

That Amos P. George, of West Newbury, has exhibit-
ed specimens of well manufactured sewing silk, and
one pound of raw reeled silk, with several very good
cocoons of the pea nut kind. Mr. George's sewing silk
appeared rather fine for most uses, but was even and
good ; his raw silk in the gum was well reeled. His
statement, though not so full as we should wish, may
be useful for the aid of other silk growers.

As Mr. George's statement was not so much in detail
in describing his whole mode of manufacturing as the
Committee would have wished, they recommend that a
gratuity of eight dollars be paid him.

Priscilla P. Atwood, of East Bradford, exhibited a
small quantity of fine specimens of sewing silk.

We recommend a gratuity of two dollars be paid her.

Mr. A. More, of Tewksbury, Middlesex County, ex-
hibited two kinds of cocoons of very good quality, the
white and the sulphur, but no statement presented.
For the Committee,

TEMPLE CUTLER.

AMOS P. GEORGE'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Silk :

Gentlemen : — I present for your inspection a quan-
tity of silk raised and manufactured by myself this year.

ON D03IF.STIC MANUFACTURES. 99

The eggs were placed on a table in a warm room;
they began to hatch the 9th of June, and finished in four
or five days. The worms finished feeding in twenty-
eight days. There were but few unhealthy worms, and
they were taken away immediately. During the first
stages they were fed from three to four times a day;
during the last, from four to five times. The food on
which they were fed was principally the white mul-
berry leaf; the number fed was about 15,000. They
spun partly on oak branches with leaves en, and partly
on frames placed over them for the purpose. The worm
was killed by steaming. The raw silk presented con-
tains from seven to fourteen threads from the cocoon; the
manufactured contains forty-three threads from the co-
coon. The twenty-five skeins presented were made
from one hundred and twenty cocoons; the quantity of
raw silk presented contains 16 oz. avoirdupois.
Yours with respect,

AMOS P. GEORGE.

West Newbury, September, 1843.

ON MANUFACTURES.

The Committee on Domestic Manufactures have at-
tended to the duty assigned them, and offer the follow-
ing Report :

The exhibition of this year may be considered supe-
rior to the last, both in the quality and number of arti-
cles exhibited.

The Committee have awarded the following premiums
and gratuities — viz :

PREMIUMS.

Carpetings.

Moses True, jr., East Salisbury, 1st premium, ^ 5 00

Phffibe Ballard, Andover, 2d premium, 3 00

Hearth Bugs.

Mrs. George C. Varney, of Salem, 1st premium, 3 00

Lucretia Hildreth, Beverly, 2d premium, 2 00

100 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

Flannels.

Sarah Swan, Andover, 2d premium, - 2 00

Hose.

Mrs. Ebenezer King, Danvers, 1st premium, 2 00

Hannah Jacobs, Danvers, 2d premium, - 1 00

Mary Taylor, Danvers, for half hose, - 1 00

Linen Cloth.

Mrs. Samuel Newman, Newbury, 2d premium, 2 00

Counterpanes.

L. Maria Phelps, Andover, 1st premium, - 4 00

Mrs. Mary G. Abbott, Andover, 2d premium, 2 00

Wi' ought Lace.

Elizabeth Blanchard, Andover, 1st premium, 3 00

Mary H. Smith, Andover, 2d premium, - 2 00

Wrought Work, by Children under twelve years of age.

Henrietta Carroll, Beverly, - - 3 00

Adeline Sheldon, Beverly, - - 2 00

Boots.

L. i''arnhara, Andover, thick boots, - - 3 00

Oilman Barnard, Andover, calf boo(s, - 4 00

GRATUITIES.

Hearth Rugs.
Hannah Harding, Andover,
Mrs. A. S. Mansfield, Lynnfield,
Mehitable Ballard, Andover,
M. D. Hodges, Newburyport,
Elizabeth S. Coatney, Ipswich,
Hannah W. Ober, Beverly,
Elizabeth Abbot, do
S. C. New, Andover,
Abigail Lunt, Newbury,
S. B. Moulton, do
Catherine S. Couch, Newburyport,
Mary S. Gordon, Amesbury,
Mary Poor, Newbury,
Sarah VV. Berry, Middleton,
Mrs. Wm. Kendall, Georgetown, and
Mary A. Winning, Andover, — each - - 1 00

ON DOiMESTIC IMANUFACTURES. 101

Various Articles.
Sarah Lunt, Newbury, carpet,
Mary T. Gordon, Amesbury, wrought do
Sarah Loring, Andover, rag carpet,
Moses True, Jr., E. Salisbury, hearth rug,
Caleb Peirce, Salem, sheep skin mats, very

superior, _ _ - _

Althea Dole, Methuen, wool hose,
Nancy Cleaves, Beverly, worsted do,
Lucretia D. Cheever, Danvers, 2 knit bags,
Caroline M. Abbott, Andover, wrought travel-
ing bag, - - - -
Caroline R. Jackson, do do do
Miss E. Saunders, do, wrought stool cover,
Mrs. Worcester, Danvers, hair work,
E. L. Hodges, Andover, several articles of

wrought work, _ _ _

Elizabeth M. Dodge, Newburyport, wrought

work, _ - _ -

Hannah Whittredge, Beverly, cricket cover,

very fine, - - - _

Abigail Carter, Andover, (blind fi'om birth,)

wrought work, _ - -

Ballard Vale Company, very superior white

and colored crewel, ent'rd for exhibition.
Caroline M. Abbott, Andover, music stool.
Miss E. A. Hills, Newburyport, wrought shawl,
David Styles, Middleton, horse shoes,
Aaron Sawyer, Andover, elliptic springs & haimes,
Wm. P. Endicott, Salem, fire screen,
Mrs. E. G. Kelly, Newburyport, tabouret,
Elizabeth W. Abbott, several beautiful specimens
of painting in oil and water colors, some of
them miniature portraits, and said to be
very correct likenesses. These speci-
mens are regarded by the committee as
evidence of great promise to the artist, of
future eminence in this pleasing depart-
ment of art, - - - 2 00
Jacob Shed, Andover, dressed sheep skins, 1 00

2

00

2

00

00

00

2

00

00

00

00

2

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

2

00

00

00

00

50

00

00

102 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

Mary L. Peabod}-, Topsfield, specimens of crewel

work, - - - - 1 00
Mary Ann Saunders, Andover, rug work and bed

spread, - - - - 2 00

A. S. Mansfield, beautiful shell work, - 1 00

Mary L. Peabody, Topsfield, lamp stand, 50

S. L. Hildreth, Beverly, knit handkerchief, 50
Elizabeth H. Whitney, 9 years old, Danvers,

wrought shawl, - - - 50

Mrs. Otis Mudge, Danvers, counterpane, 1 00

Isaac M. Hardy, Andover, ladies' walking shoes, 50

Daniel Saunders, do. 2 pieces frocking, 1 00

For the Committee,

F. POOLE, Chairman.

LIST OF

PREMiaMS AND GRATUITIES,

AWARDED IN 1S43.

BuTTEK.

William R. Putnam, VVenham, for June Butter, 1st premium, $10 00

David S. Caldwell, Newbury, do do 2d do 8 00

Nathaniel Felton, Danvers, do do 3d do. 6 00

Nathaniel Felton, do. September Butter, Ist premium, 10 00

David Hidden, Andover, do do ^d do. 8 OC

William R. Putnam, Wenham, do do 3d do. 6 00

Gardner B. Perry, Bradford, do do gratuity, 2 00

Cheese.
D. P. Stevens, Andover, 1st premium, 10 00

Benjamin Boynton, do. 2d do. 8 00

Lucy Osgood, do. gratuity, 2 00

Ploughing — Double Teams,
Moses Pettingill, Topsfield, 1st premium, 12 00

Henry Cummings, Andover, 2d do 10 00

Jos. Chandler, do 3d do 8 00

Dean Robinson, West Newbury, 4th do 6 00

Single Teams.
Perley Tapley, Danvers, 1st premium, 10 00

Alan.-on Flint, Andover, 2d do 8 00

Moody B. Abbott, do. 3d do 6 00

Charles Foster, do. 4lh do 4 QO

Ploughing— Horse Teams,
John Marland, Andover, 1st premium, g QO

Sam\iel M. Barker, do 2d do 6 00

John A. Stevens, Methuen, gratuity, 5 OO

Working Oxen.
Eben'r Jenkins, Methuen, Its premium, 10 oO

Andrew F. Curtis, Middleton, 2d do
Perley Tapley, Danvers, 3d do

Working Steeks.
Jedediah H. Barker, Andover, 1st premium,
Ralph H. Chandler, do gratuity,
Ainoa P. Swinnerton, Danvers, do
Charles Foster, Andover, do

7 00

5 00

7 00

2 00

2 00

2 00

104 PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES.

Steers — 3 years old.
Jedediali H. Barker, Andover, 1st premium,
Isaac Osgood, do 2d do

Steers — 2 years old.
Jacob Farnbam, Andover, 1st premium,
Charles Foster, do 2d do

Steers — 1 year old.
Joseph Kittredge, Andover, 1st premium,
Samuel F. Barker, do 2d do

Fat Cattle.
Alexander Davidson, Andover, 1st premium,
Joiin Barker, do 2d do

Eben BurrlU, Lynn, 3d do

John Marsh, Danvers, gratuity,
Moody Andrews, Topsfield, do

Bulls

William S. Marland, Andover, 1st premium,
Josiah Crosby, do 2d do

Benjamin Poore, West Newbury, 3d premium,
Samuel F. Barker, Andover, 4th premium,

Charles B. Lander, Danvers, gratuity,
James Stevens, Andover, do

Hobart Clark, do do

MiLcu Cows.
Farnliam Spofford, Andover, 1st premium,
Abiel Russell, do 2d do

N. A. Prentiss, do 3d do

Heifers.
Charles B. Lander, Danvers, 1st premium,
Samuel C. Jackson, Andover, 2d do

Colts.
Elijah Pope, Junior, Danvers, gratuity,
James A. Dodge, do. do.

Alexander Davidson, Andover, do.

S \V INK.

William Williams, Rowley, sow, 1st premium,
Sylvester Goodwin, Andover do. 2d do.
William Williams, Rowley, weaned pigs, 1st premium,
William S. Marland, Andover, do. do. 2d do.
William S. Marland, do. boar, 1st do.

Samuel F. Barker, do. do. 2d do.

Sheep.
Joseph Marshall, Ipswich, gratuity,
George Spofford, Georgetown, do.
Elijah Pope, Junior, Danvers, do.

7 00

5 00

6 00

4 00

4 00

2 00

15 00

10 00

5 00

3 00

3 00

10 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

3 00

2 00

1 00

10 00

7 00

5 00

7 00

5 00

5 00

4 00

3 00

5 00

3 00

6 00

3 00

5 00

2 00

10 00

5 00

3 00

PREMIUMS AND GRATL1T1E3. 105

Fork ST Tkeks.
lienjamiii Poorf , \V'esl .Newbur}', Isl premium, 30 00

ilMPKOVED Ac.RlCULTUItAL IMPLEMENTS.

Isaac Clapp, Dorchester, gratuity, 10 00

Veoetaele*.
J. D. Barker, JNletbuen, gratuity,
George Pearle, Hoxford, do.
Andrew Dodge, Wenham, do.
Josiah Lovett, Beverly, do
Peter French, Andover, do
John G. Wolcotl, Danvtrs, do
John JM. Ives, Salein, <!o

John Marland, Andover, do
Lewis Daviri, do do

N. B. Abbott, do do

Benjamin Boyntou, do do

Heman Phelps, do do

Artemaa Brown, do do

Jacob Shed, do do

Osgood Barnard, do do

Matthew Patterson, Danvers, gratuity,
Charles B. Lamb, do do

Joseph How, Methuen, do

E. G. Kelly, Newburyport, do

Rufus Slocumb, Haverhill, do

Fnun .

Andrew Dodge, Wenham, gratuity,
Joseph Howe, JVIethuen, do

John M. Ives, Salein, do

George Boutwell, Andover, do
Erastus Ware, Salem, do

Professor Etnerson, Andover, do
Addison Flint, Reading, do

Jos. Obear, Beverly, do

A. Moore, Tewksbury, do

Moses French, Salisbury, do

Flowers.
Doctoi Sanborn, Andover, gratuity,
Doctor D. Parker, Billerica, do
William E. Carter, Cambridge, gratuity,
William Delano, Andover, ilo

George Spofford, Georgetown, do

Carpeting.
Moses True, jr., Salisbury, 1st premium,
Phebe Ballard, Andover, 2d do
Sarah Lunt, Newbury, gratuity,

14

1 00

1 00

I 00

50

50

50

50

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

25

2 00

2 00

2 00

2 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

I 00

50

1 00

1 00

1 00

] 00

1 00

5 00

3 00

2 00

2

00

1

00

3

00

2

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

00

106 PREMIUMS AMJ URATUITIES.

Mary T. Gordon, Aiiii^sbury, Kiatiiily,
SSarah Loiiiiir, Andover, do

Hkakth Rlgs.
Mrii. George C. Vainey, Sa]eni, 1st pieiniuin,
Lucietia Hlldrctl), Beverly, 2d do

Moses True, jr., Salisbury, gratuity, 1 00

Hannah Harding, do 1 00

Mrs. A. S. Mansfield, Lynnfield, gratuity, 1 00

Meliitable Ballard, Andover, do

M. D. Hodge, Newburyport, do

Elizabeth S. Coatney, Ipswich, do

Hannah VV. Ober, Beverly, do

Elizabeth Abbott, do do

S. C. New, Andover, gratuity,
Abigail Lunt, Newbury, do.
S. B. Moult(jn do. do.
Catharine S. Couch, Newburyport, gratuity, 1 00

Mary S. Gordon, Amesbury do. 1 00

Mary Poor, Newbury, do. 1 00

Sarah W. Berry, Middleton, do. 1 00

Mrs. William Kendall, Georgetown, do. 1 00

Mary A. Winning, Andover, do. 1 00

Woolen Cloth,
Sarah Swan, Andover, 2d premium, 2 00

WooLKN Hose.
Althea Dole, Methuen, gratuity, 1 00

Nancy Cleaves, Beverly, do. 1 00

Hose.
Mrs. Eben'r King, Danvers, Jst premium, 2 00

Mrs. Hannah Jacobs, do. 2d do. 1 00

Mrs. Mary Taylor, do. gratuity, 1 00

CoUNTKHPANES.

L. Maria Phelps, Andover, 1st premium,
Mrs. Mary G. Abbott, do 2d do
Mrs. Otis Mudge, Danvers, gratuity,

Bacj)*.
Lucretia D. Chever, Danvers, gratuity,
Caroline M. Abbott, Andover, do
Caroline R. Jackson, do do

Wrought Lace.
Elizabeth Blanchard, Andover, Ist premium,
Mary H. Smith, do 2d do

Work bv Chilore."i.
Henrietta Carroll, Beverly, 1st premium,
Adeline Slielden do 2d do.

4

00

2

00

1

00

]

00

2

00

1

00

3

00

2

00

3

00

2

00

PREMIUMS AND GRATT'ITIES. 107

M I S C E 1. 1. A N E I) l; S M A N u r A C T U R F. s .

Mrs Samuel Newman, Newbiuv, linen cloth, 2d premium,

L. Farnliam, Andover, tliick boots, l.st do

Oilman Barnard do calf boots, Isl do
Caleb Peirce, Salem, sheep-skin mats, gratuity,
Jacob Siied, Andover, dressed sheep-skins, do

Miss E. Saunders, Andover, wrought stool cover, gratuity,

Mrs. Worcester, Danvers, hair work, do

E. L. Hodges, Andover, wrought work, do

Elizabeth M. Dodge, Nevvburyport, wrought work, do

Plannah Whittredge, Beverly, cricket cover, do

Abistail Carter, Andover, wrought work, do

Caroline M. Abbott, do music" stool, do

E. A. Hills, Newburyport, wrought sli:\wl, do

David Styles, Middleton, horse shoes, do
Aaron Sawyer, Andover, elliptic springs and haimes, do

Wm P. Endicott, Salem, fire s^creen, do

Mrs. E. G. Kelly, Newliuryport, tabouret, do

Elizabeth W. Abbott, Andover, beautiful painticig.s, do

Mary L. Peabody, Topsfield, crewel work, do
Mary Ann Sauriders, Andover, rug work and spread, do

A. S. Mansfield, do shell work, do

Mary L. Peabody, Topsfield, lamp stand, do

S. L. Hildreth, Beverly, knit handkerchief, do

Elizabeth H. Whitney, Danvers, wrouoht shawl, do

Isaac M. H.irdy, Andover, ladies' walkin g shoes, do

Daniel Saunders, do two pieces froekin?, do

Amos P. George, W NiVvvbury, lie.-st fiianofactured silk, do

Priscllla P. Alvood, Bradford, sewing silk, do

$549 25 '
In addition to the premiums awarded at the Annual Exliibition, amounting to
five hundred and fortp-nine dollars and twenty-five cents, the following preini-
U US have bf-en awarded by a vote of the Trustees :
Joshua H. Ordway, West Newbury, mulberry trees, 1st premium,
Allea W. Dodge, Hamilton, nursery of fruit trees,
Joshua H. Ordway, West Newbury, do do
Moses Pfttinoel, Topsfield, do do

Ruggles &. Co., Boston, best plough,
Josiah Newliall, Lynnfield, reclaimed meadow,
Asa T. Newhall, do mixed crops,

Amount brought down.

Attest, ALLKN W. DODGE, ^icrclanj.

Hamilton, Jan. 4, 1844.

2

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00

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1

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8

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2

00

1st premium,

15 00

1st do

20 00

2d do

lU 00

8d do

5 00

1st do

12 00

1st do

20 00

1st do

$

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92 00

549 25

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OFFICERS OF TEE SOCIETY,

CHOSEN SEPTEMBER 27, 1843.

LEVERETT SALTONSTALL, of Salem, President.

DANIEL ADAMS, 3d., of Newbury, "^

JOHN V/. PROCTOR, of Danvers, 1

SOLOMON LOW, of Eoxford, \ ^ '" Prcsnle^U.

ASA T. NEWHALL, of Lynnfield. j

WILL[AM SUTTON, of Salem, Treasurer.

ALLEx^ VV. DODGE, of Hamilton, Secrelarij.

TRUSTEES

Jedediah H. Barker,
jindrcw Sichols,
Jeremiah Colman,
George Hood,
Moses French,
Andreio Dodge,
James H. Duncm,
JVathaniel Fellon,
JVathan W. Hazcn,
Joseph Moid,
Frederick Howes,
Asahel Huntington,

Aadover.
Danvers.
JVewln/rijport.
Lynn.
E. Salishurij.

IVcnham.
Haverhill.
Danvers.

jindover.
Mcthuen.
Salem.

Salem.

Josiah Kimball,
Joseph Kittredge,
Royal A. Merriam,
Moses JVcwell,
Dean Robijisnn,
Asa jXelson,
Ira Worcester,
Hobart Clark,
Horace Ware,
Daniel P. King,
Josiah JVewhall,
William S. Maria nd,

Boxford.
Andover.
Topsfield.
West Xewbury.

it ((

Georgct.oicn.

Ipswich.

Andover.

Marblehead.

Danvers.

Lynnfield.

Andover

MEMBERS ADMITTED IN 1843.

Joshua. II. Ordway, West jXew'.ury.

Moody Ordway, " "

Horace Ware, Marblehead.

Ira Worcester, Ipswich.

Asa Xelson, Georgetown.

Alfred Kittredge, Haverhill.

John C. Lr.e,

Salem.

Henry A. Bo'hcel.l,

Andover.

Paul P. Pillsbury,

"

Elijah Popr, Jr.,

Danvers.

Luther Wait,

Ipsicich.

Joseph F. Ingalls,

Mtthven.

Any citizen of the County may become a niemlier of the Society by iiayinjj
to the Treasurer three dollars. Membors are not liable to iiny assessment.

INDEX.

Page.

Mr. Salionslall's Address, ...... 3—24

Rpporl on Plowing, Double Teams, .... 25 — 30

" " " Sinirle Teams, ..... r$()

" » Horse Teams, .... 30—31

" " the comparative merits of Plows, .... 31 — 43

" " Working Oxen and Steers, .... 44—45

" Steers, ....... 45—46

" " Fat Cattle, ...... 4G— 47

" " Bulls, ....... 47

" " Cows and Heifers, ..... 48

Statement of Farnham Spofford, ... 49

" " Abiel Russell, ... 49

" " N. A. Prentiss, .... .50

«' " Charles B. Lander, . . . .50—51

" " Samuel C. .Jackson, . . . 51 — 52

Report on Swine, ...... .52 — 59

" " Sheep, ...... 59—60

Statement of .loseph Marshall, . . . 61—63

Report on Horses, ....... 63

" " the Dairy, ...... 63 — 66

Statement of William R. Putnam, . . . 66 — 67

" " Nathaniel Felton, . . . 67— 6ci

" " David S. Caldwell, ... 68

" " David HidrJon, ' . . . 68—69

" " Daniel P. Stevens, . . . 69—70

" " Benjamin Bnynton, ... 7(>

" " LiUcy Osgood, .... 7U — 71

Report on improving Meadow and Swamp Lands, . . 71 — 72

Statement of Josiah Newhall, . . . 72 — 75

" " Rifjiaid Phillips, jr., ... 76

Report on Agricultural Imjilemeuls, .... 76 — 77

" " tlie cultivation of iMixed and Grain Crops, . 77 — 79

Statement of A.sa T. Newhall, .... 80—81

Letler of Asa T. Newhall, ■ . . . 81

Statement of Daniel Putnrun, .... 82

" of Francis Dodge, ... 8.3

" of Asa Nelson, .... 84

Report on E.xjx'rimeuls on Manures, .... 84

Statement of .Joseph How. .... 65 — 87

Report on Fruits anr) Flcwei.-j, ..... 87 — 89

INDEX CONTIN UED. 1 1 1

Report on Veijetables, ...... 80—90

Report on Fruit Trees, ..... 'Jl

Statement of Allen W. Dodoe, . . . 'Jl— 1)3

Report on Forest Trees, . . .... 93—94

Statement of Benjamin Poore, .... 94 — 95

Report on Mulberry Trees, ..... 95 — 98

Report on Silk, ....... 98

Statenient of Amos P. George, . . . 98 — 99

Report on Manufactuies, ...... 99 — 102

List of Premiums and Gratuities, .... 103 — 107

Treasurer's Annual Statement, ..... 108

Officers of the Society, ..... 109

Members Admitted, ...... 109

TRANSACTIONS

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

,0'

VOLUME III. -NUMBER V.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OP THE SOCIETY,
JANUARY, 1845.

SALEM :

PRINTED AT THE GAZETTE OPFICE,
1845.

im. PROCTOH'S ADDRESS.

Gentlemen :

The invitation to address you, on this the Farmer's
holyday, has been accepted by me, with much hesitation.
Not because I doubt the propriety of the occasion, or the
importance of the objects for which you have assem-
bled ; but because I feel my inability to present anything
of value or of interest, to experienced men like your-
selves, on a subject which *has been exhausted by the
varied illustrations of the most gifted minds, ai-d which
more than all others demands personal knowledge of
facts.

1 have seen just enough of farming, to learn, that no
man can fully understand the profession of a farmer,
without serving an apprenticeship for more than one
term of seven years in the actual use of the farmer's
implements. I know that much may be learned from
books, and the various publications that are daily issuing
from the press ; that many of these contain the best ex-
perience of those most competent to instruct; the es-
sence of agricultural science; — but to determine when
and hoio this essence is to be administered, here is the
difficulty.

This knowledge can only be attained by actual labor ;
by putting the hand to the plough — the shoulder to the
wheel — and the hoe to the surface. As soon should I
expect a man to be skillful in the management of a ship,
who had never been upon the water; or expert in
chemical experiments, who had never been in a labora-
tory; as to understand the necessary processes of
farming, without actual personal experience in them.

To this experience I make no pretensions. What I

4 MR. rROCTOR S ADDRESS.

learnt, when a boy, under the direction of a father who
was then considered a good farmer, is now so far obso-
lete, that it may not be used. I therefore hope you
will pardon my presumption in })resenting such views,
as I have been able to cull from the experience of oth-
ers. If I can be so fortunate as to make any sugges-
tions that may not before have occurred to you; — or to
present any reasons for a reconsideration of the opinions
heretofore entertained, I shall feel myself amply re-
warded. Having been somewhat intimately connected
with the concerns of this Society from its commence-
ment, I did not feel at liberty to withhold any effort in
my power to advance its interests.

We have come together as farmers, on this anniver-
sary, to compare the results of our experience, and if
possible to mutually aid and instruct each other. I
trust the audience will bear in miiid the remark of the
learned President Quincy, " that in the every day la-
bors of agriculture, there is something too rough for a
pOiished discourse, — too common for one that is elevat-
ed,— and too inseparable from soil and its composts, to
be treated to the general ear, without danger of ofience
to that fastidiousness of fancy, which is miscalled refuie-
ment."

It will be my endeavor to present such ideas as have
occurred to me as pertinent, in the plainest possible
manner, without any attempt at rhetorical flourish or
ima2;inative ornament. Such ornaments would be as
misplaced, at a business meeting of farmers, as would a
ruffle shirt or a gold ring, on the person actually em-
ployed in digging a ditch — or any other labor of the
field.

It is about one quarter of a century since this Society
was organized. By the generous contributions of its
members ; the fostering bounty of the State ; and the
fidelity of those who have managed its concerns, it has
continued strengthening with its years, making liberal
appropriations annually, always limiting its expenses
within its income. In so doing, it has set an example
to farmers generally, worthy of imitation.

MR. proctor's address. 5

Most of those who were active at its commencement,
have either ceased from tlieir hibors entirely, or are
now reminded by their whitening locks and tremulous
limbs, that their places are soon to be filled by younger
and more efficient laborers ; — enough of whom we hope
will always be found ready to enlist in so reasonable a
service. Here let me remind the young men of the
County, that the honor of worthily wearing a certificate
of membership in this Society is quite as creditable as
the most glittering tinsel or splendid ^;/w??J^e that ever was
mounted.

It has seemed to me that a retrospective view of the
Agriculture of the County during this period might be
an appropriate theme for this occasion. By comparing
the condition of our farms as they then were, with what
they now are ; by contrasting the modes of culture then
pursued with those now most aj)proved; by setting side
by side the implements of husbandry used by our fath-
ers with those now in use; — we may see whether or
not encouragement is ofl'ered for perseverance in our
exertions. We want the history of the past, because
" it is pleasant to call to recollection efforts originating
in good intentions and directed with generous regard
to the common good." We want it, because the history
of the past is " the only sure guide" for the future.

In whatever we engage, it is well occasionally to ex-
amine the grounds on which we stand, and to state the
account of profit and loss. In this way alone, can any
business be safely and understandingly- pursued.

This Society received its first and best impulses from
its first President, the venerable Timothy Picicering.
Retired from the agitating scenes of public life, and
the harassing excitements of political controversy, he
applied the energies of his powerful mind to his favorite
pursuit, agricultural improvement. For this he had
ever entertained a strong inclination, — and from his
early years, by observations and experiments, had been
storing up facts for future application.

Notwithstanding others may have done much to ad-
vance its interests, it is not too much to say of him, that

6 MR. proctor's address.

he did more than all others. Having had the privilege
of his intimate acquaintance for ten years or more, as
secretary, and as his associate on the committee for
viewing farms, I speak with confidence of what he did: —
and I take pleasure in acknowledging that my admira-
tion of his example in this pursuit, has ever had a strong
influence on my own mind in its favour.

The first movements towards the establishment of the
Society, as I am informed, were made in 1818, by about
twenty practical farmers assembled at Topsfield,* who
unanimously invited Col. Pickering to be their Presi-
dent. He may be said to have prepared the soil, — fur-
nished and planted the seed, which others have only
cultivated. He was a careful observer of nature, and
drew wise lessons from his own untaught experience.
He was never satisfied with superficial inquiry, but
carefully looked into the connection between cause and
effect. Because a practice had been continued for a
series of years, was not a suflicient reason for his adopt-
ing it. Always ready to receive suggestions from
others, he would cheerfully yield his assent, when con-
vinced of their utility. He was a man who thought for
himself, and bowed to no man as his master. A refer-
ence to many of the maxims that he uttered, and plans
that he advocated, will show that he was in advance of
the age in which he lived. I have ever esteemed the
hints and observations that fell from him at our meet-

* The names of the gentlemen who constituted this meeting, were,

John Adams of Andover. Aaron Perley of Boxford.

Hobart Clark " John Peabody of Tops field.

Robert Dodge of Newhunj. Ichabod Tucker of Scilrm.

Temple Cutler of HarmUon. Enoch Tappan of Newhury.

David Cummins o/'Sc/fr/rt. Stephen Tappan "

Paul Kent of Ncwhury. Jacob Townc, Jr. of Topsfield.

James Kimball of Bradford. Eleazer Putnam of Danvers.

Elisha Mack o/* Srt/fim. Andrew Nichols "

Orlando B. March o/'iVettjZiMry. Daniel Putnam "

Stephen Migh ill fj/iJoii^/ey. George Osgood "

Amos Perley of Boxford.

Incorporated June 12, 1818. The first Exhibition was at Topsfield, in Oc-
tober, 1820.

MR. PROCTOR S ADDRESS. 7

iiigs, and in our journeys to visit the farms of the
County, as among the most valuable lessons ever taught
to the farmers of Essex. 1 know of no man in Massa-
chusetts, unless I may except Mr. Lowell, of Roxbury,
who did more to elevate the character of the farmer,
and instruct him in his vocation. Fortunate were our
farmers, in having devoted teachers, like these, with
souls above all sinister purposes, and a readiness to
communicate that knew no bounds. At an age when
most men think their labors should be ended, he
was in his prime in handling the plough, and instituting
new experiments. He was not ashamed to soil his
hands or his clothes with the labors of the field. He
felt it no disgrace to work with those who work. In
whatever he engaged, he always took the part of the
working man. On the farm he was on a level with the
farmer, — in the Senate there was none his superior.

Many who hear me, cannot but remember the sim-
plicity, energy and propriety, with which he spoke on
every subject that was introduced ; and no one who
listened to him with attention could fail to have been
instructed by his remarks. He did not speak to display
his own acquirements, but to instruct his hearers. And
while all others were admiring his superior wisdom, he
himself was the only one not conscious of it. Like
Franklin he always had some story to the point, some
illustration so apposite, that it would make an impres-
sion that would be remembered. To these lessons,
thus artlessly and informally given, among the think-
ing, practical men in all parts of the County, do I
attribute the germs of improvement, that have since
been developed.

In taking a general view of the present state of culti-
vation within the County, it must be admitted, that
much, very much remains to be done. That there Is
no one town, and scarcely any one farm, that has been
made to yield more than half it is capable of yielding.
But it cannot be denied, I think, that important improve-
ments have been introduced within a few years ; — that
much more enlightened views of culture are becoming

G I\n^. PKOC'IOU S ADD'^.ESS.

prevalent ; — that a spirit of inquiry is awakened that
will be productive of good results ; — and that the origin
of many of these benefits may be traced to the influence
of Agricultural Associations.

Look for example to the improved implements that
have been brought into use, and particularly the
ploughs, since the first trials at our Exhibitions ; — and
if you remember those then in use, bring to recollection
their forms, for I presume none such can now be found,
(certainly not in the use of any one who has any claim
to be considered a respectable farmer) and compare
them with those now seen and used. Will any one for
a n)oment hesitate to acknow^ledge the great superiority
of the patterns of ploughs presented at our Exhibitions
for two years last past. Superior in every point of view,
both as to the manner in which the work is finished, and
the ease with which it is done by man and beast, I
cannot doubt at all, that one third part of the labor ne-
cessary in this department of farming may be saved by
these improvements.

I am not unmindful of the variety of opinions that ex-
ists as to the best model for a plough ; that what will be
highly esteemed by one, will be thought worthless by
another. So great is the variety of work to be done by
the plough, and so various are the modes of performing
it, that it is necessary to settle in the first place, how
the furrow is to be cut and laid, and then select the im-
plement that will do it in the best manner. This hav-
ing been done, notwithstanding the sneers of foreigners
upon our yankee implements,* I say with confidence, it
will be difficult to construct ploughs better adapted to
the purpose, than some we now have.

Possibly there may be those who will admit the fact
of the superiority of the implements, but still deny that

* This remark alludes to the account of a trial of ploughs lately in England,
at Mhich the American Ploughs are spoken of as altogether inferior to the
English Plouglis. The American ploughs are designed to cut a icide furroAV
ami lay \ijint; the English ploughs are designed to cut a ?iarrotv furrow, and
set it on ciJi^e, at an angle of 45" ; — each good for the ohject in view, but not
calculated for a different ol)ject. The Englisii ploughs and the Scotch ploughs,
that I have seen, for our work, are far inferior to our own.

MR. PROCTOR S ADDRESS. \)

this superiority is the consequence of these Exhibitions.
To my mind it is a direct consequence. The premiums
offered operated as a stimulus for improvement, and
elicited ingenuity in the introduction of such improve-
ments. One improvement paved the way for others ;
— different artists endeavored to excel each other, —
and thus by compounding and combining the better
points of each, have the present perfect implements
been perfected. Our farmers seeing the superiority of
these implements at these Exhibitions, have promptly
seconded the movements of the makers, and brought
them into use in the community. If no other benefit
had accrued from the Exhibitions, than the introduction
to general use, of the improved ploughs, it might well
be contended that the balance would be in their favor.

It is now well understood that one of the most valua-
ble improvements in the structure of the plough that has
been mad /, consists in forming the mould board so that
it will pass through the furrow with least resistance,
laying it smooth without being liable to clog. Col.
Pickeiing states that forty years ago, while in Pennsyl-
vania, he observed this characteristic in the plough.
Afterwards, in a conversation with Mr. Jefferson, he
found that he had noticed the same thing, and made a
communication on the subject to the Philosophical Soci-
ety. Col. P. describes the rule of construction as fol-
lows : —

" Having fixed a straight line, by one cut of a saw
" from the upper corner of the mould board behind to
" its point forward, — cut away the wood above and be-
" low that line in such manner, that when finished if
*' you carry a straight rule from the fore to the hind
" part, keeping it all the way at right angles with the
" straight line, it shall touch the face of the mould
"board, in its whole breadth, in straight lines, through
" its entire winding, so that its upper corner behind shall
" overhang the lower sufficiently to effect a complete
*' turning of the furrow slice."

Thus you see the best minds have condescended to
notice small things ; and by so doing, have done a more
2

10 MR. proctor's address.

valuable service to the country at large, than has been
realized from the expenditure of millions in preparation
for the destruction of our fellow beings.

In connection with the structure of ploughs best
adapted to our use, allow me for a moment to ask your
attention to the sub-soil plough, with which I presume
you are but little, if any acquainted. Although known
for years in Kurope, and in some parts of our own coun-
try, I am not aware that it has been much used in this
County. It is made to follow in the furrow directly
after the common surface plough, loosening and moving
the earth to the depth of six or eight inches below the
first furrow, without bringing any part of it to the sur-
face. The advantage to be derived from such loosen-
ing is, that the superabundant moisture settles down to
the bottom of the furrow, and there is a constant opera-
tion of the atmosphere which gradually converts it into
productive soil. It thus produces all the benefits of
deep ploughing, without the disadvantage of the admix-
ture of an undue proportion of unproductive ingredients
in the soil. The soil thus moved will afford space for
the extension of the roots or fibres of the plants, so that
in seasons of drought, they will be less likely to fail.
And the ultimate consequence will be, if the land is
properly manured, an additional depth to the soil, —
say instead of 6 or 7 inches, there will be found 10 or
12 inches. For root crops, and many others, such an
alteration must be of great value. Where this process
of sub-soil ploughing has been tried for a number of
years successively, and the sub-soil has been gradually
mixing with the upper soil, the whole has been found
so completely changed, as to be capable of producing
crops that could not before have been cultivated to any
advantage.

Mr. Phinney of Lexington, to whom the agricultural
community are under great obligations for his numerous
and well conducted experiments, particularly those
in the management of grass lands, first brought the sub-
soil ploughs into use in this vicinity, about three or four
years since. The pattern then used has been much im-

MR. proctor's address. 11

proved by different manufacturers — some specimens of
vvhicli have this day been exhibited and tried. I learn
that several farmers in the county have been trying
these ploughs, on their farms the present season. Mr.
Phinney, who has used this plough on many acres of his
own farm, informed me that the productive quality of his
soil, for many crops, had been increased fifty per cent by
its use.* On a question of practical cultivation there is
no man's opinion more worthy of regard. Are there not
many acres of the fiat lands in Ipswich, Newbury, Ando-
ver, and other towns in the County, that might be greatly
improved by this process? Are there not many acres
that for wantof it have heretofore been considered of very
little value ? Certain it is, that the most casual obser-
ver, as he passes along through the County, sees four

* 111 a recent letter received from Mr. Phinney, he says, " I have used the
sub-soil plough some three or four years, and such is the estimate in which I
hold this important implement, that I should consider it a great piece of improv-
idence to put in a crop, without first subsoiling the ground. The character of
our soil and climate are both such, being subject to the extremes of wet and dry,
as to render the use of the sub soil plough of more essential benefit here than in
England, and if oMe half the effects from its use, said to be produced in that
country, are realized here, no farmer should be without a sub-soil plough. —
The substratum with us is either a hard gravel or clay. Both are greatly
benefitted by the use of this plough. In case of too much wet, the redundancy
of water is absorbed by loosening the sub-soil — when too dry the plants can
find support by being enabled to extend their roots deeper in search of moisture.
Our crops, particularly our potatoes and other root crops as they are called, often
suffer from droughts that almost invariably occur in our climate in August or
Septeinlier. A failure of these crops is oftener owing to this than any other
cause. Without resorting to the test of experiment, can any rational farmer
doubt that this obstacle to the productiveness of our soil may be, in a great
measure overcome by loosening the subsoil. In our old fields, which have
been cultivated for many years, with the use of no other than the common
plough, an under crust has been formed by the travelling of the oxen and move-
ment of the plough for a long time, at a few inches below the surfiice. This
is generally so hard as to be impenetrable by the roots of plants, and hence the
necessity of breaking this crust by the subsoil plough. A soil having close,
hard gravel, or a stiff clay bottom, may perhaps derive equal benefit from the
use of the subsoil plough. Most of my observations, with regard to its bene-
ficial effects have been upon the former, having but little land with a clay bot-
tom. The objections to deep ploughing, that exist in tlie minds of some farm-
ers, cannot apply to sub-soil ploughing, inasmuch as the poorer part of the soil
is loosened but not brought to the surface."

Mr. P. states that he has used a sub-soil plough constructed by Prouty &
Mears, and is pleased with it. The best specimen of sub-soil plough that I
have seen, was made by Mr. C. Howard, of Hingham. This obtained the first
premium of the State Society the present year. It is of medium size, and can
be procured for about $ 10. Ruggles &i Co. have also made a variety of pat-
terns of these ploughs.

12 MR. proctor's address.

acres unproductive, to one that appears to be rewarding
the husbandman for his labor. And may it not be that
the cause of this barrenness is the want of the applica-
tion of this labor in a proper manner ? We do not pre-
sume to say that every soil can be regenerated, by the
use of the sub-soil plough, any more than that every dis-
ease can be relieved by a single medicine ; but we have
great confidence that it will be found an effectual reme-
dy, where all others have failed. Were our farmers half
as ready to experiment upon their lands, as they are upon
themselves or their families, with the nostrums that are
advertised at every corner, they would find the hazard
much less, and the benefits much greater.

In this County, I believe, the example was first set,
of offering premiums for the entire management of
farms, including lands, stocky buildings, and all the
incidentals appurtenant. For a number of years this
class of premiums were received with much favor and
attended with the most encouraging success. They at-
tracted the attention of our best farmers, and most
public spirited fellow-citizens, who promptly invited
examination, and fi-eely communicated the results of
their experience. In this w^ay was elicited much valu-
able information. The modes of managing by the most
successful cultivators were opened to all. And even
these cultivators themselves were enabled to improve
upon themselves, when called upon to state with pre-
cision their own processes of cultivation. What if
these communications have not all the skill of arrange-
ment, and the abstract niceties of distinction, that may
be found in scientific treatises ; still they manifest good
practical sense, in a form too that is readily understood
and received with favor. They leave impressions on
the mind, in which more confidence is placed, than in
any speculative conclusions. They are like the direct
testimony of a witness of high character.

It is much to be regretted that the interest of our
farmers in (his class of premiums has fallen off" so en-
tirely, that for three years past, there have been no
satisfactory claims to justify their award. Perhaps this

MR. proctor's address. 13

may be explained, in part, by the fact that many of our
most enterprising farmers have already been competi-
tors, and therefore do not feel at liberty again to pre-
sent their farms ; and by the apprehension of others,
that their farms will not bear a comparison with those
that have been exhibited. Such apprehensions should
not be indulged. He that ha,th one talent, and proper-
ly uses it, is entitled to as much credit as he that hath
ten. Certain am I, that it has ever been the desire of
those who distributed these premiums to regard with
favor the smaller competitors.

This plan of offering premiums was for several years
adopted by the State Society ; — and more than once
have their first premiums been awarded to farms in
Essex, and to those too, which had not been brought
forward in their own county. Within a few years an
intelligent agent* has been in the employ of the State
Society, to personally inspect such farms as may be pre-
sented to his notice, and to report such things as may
be found of value. If our fiirmers are still to be so dif-
fident as to be unwilling to come forward with their
statements and their claims, is it not worthy the consid-
eration of the Trustees, wdiether some plan of this kind,
of condensing information, could not be advantageously
adopted? Beyond all question, there are within the
knowledge of many of our flirmers facts and processes of
tillage, of great value and importance to be known. And
so they will remain from generation to generation, until
their diffidence is removed, or their enclosures are entered

Who that has ever read the valuable documents given
to the public by the late commissioner on agriculture in
Massachusetts, but has regretted that mistaken economy.,
that compelled him to cut short his labors in the midst,
before the work was half completed ? True economy
takes into view the object as well as the amount expen-
ded ; — and it oftentimes is the wisest economy to appro-
priate liberally, w^hen the object is of unquestionable
utility. If our legislators are to be so much more anx-
ious to retain their own seats, than to benefit the public

* Hon. Morrill Allen, of Pembroke.

14 MR. proctor's address.

by reasonable appropriations for useful purposes, how
could our county societies better apply a part of the
means they may command if they wiil, than by perfect-
ing a plan so well conceived ? If nothing else could be
done, might they not require of each of the Trustees,
annually, an intelligent well digested statement of the
progress and produce of agriculture in their respective
towns. Taking care in the choice of these officers to
select those competent to the performance of this duty.
By so doing a mass of information would be accumulated,
that would richly repay the labor of obtaining it. Spe-
cimens of this kind of information may be seen in the an-
nual publication of the Commissioner of patents. But
it is impossible for one man, to survey the whole country
with that accuracy, to give entire confidence in his esti-
mates. Every town at least, should have its own agent,
well instructed in accumulating statistical information.
This is done in other branches of labor — why should it
not be done by the farmer ? Ask any farmer in this
house, how many tons of hay, or how many bushels of
corn, or what quantity of any other kind of produce, is
raised in his town, or in the county, and I doubt wheth-
er he will be able to answer you half right. There is
no want of ability among our farmers ; but there is a
degree of careless inattention to their own interests; a
disposition to go on as others have gone before them,
heedless of inquiry — that needs correction. Suppose
the merchant should conduct his business in this loose
way, where would he find himself, at the close of the
year ? Precision and accuracy are as necessary in farm-
ing as any other employment.

The improvement of the animals with which our farms
are stocked, is a primary object of attention at our cattle
shows. To this a large proportion of the bounties of the
society are appropriated. From the farmer's stock, di-
rectly or indirectly, is derived a large portion of his in-
come. It theretbre is to him a matter of first importance,
that he have correct ideas on this subject. Much has
been wi'itten in relation to it, and, without doubt, opin-
ions have often been modified by interested considera-

MR. proctor's address. 15

tions; but still we do not find any essential improvement
among the animals on our farms generally. Now and
then we see a few that have been reared with care and
attention, but the great mass of our animals may be said
to come forward in the natural way.

Public spirited citizens, with abundant means at com-
mand, have introduced choice specimens of the improved
breeds from Europe. In so doing they have done a com-
mendable service, by showing what may be accomplished
by perseverance in the application of scientific princi-
ples. For these efforts to diffuse information, they mer-
it the thanks of those who are less favored with the
means of making such experiments. Of the superiority
of these animals in many respects, and particularly in
their size, and early maturity of growth, there can be no
doubt. '1 he testimony on these points is too full to be
questioned. And of their having been made such by
care in the selections and crossings, there can be as lit-
tle doubt. Nature does not refuse to be assisted in the
perfection of her works. By the' application of the in-
dustry and skill of man, may all the productions of na-
ture, whether animal or vegetable, be essentially modified
and improved.

The point to which I particularly ask your attention
is, whether it is better for our farmei's to endeavor to
stock their farms with what are commonly known as the
improved breed of animals from England, such as the
Durham short horn, and others ; or whether their at-
tention had better be directed mainly to improving what
are called, our native breed of animals ? True it is, that
these came originally from that country which is the
mother of us all, (and w'ere there known as the Devon
breed, I believe,) but they have been so long settled and
have become so acclimated, that their peculiarities are
as distinct, as are those of the people.

In instituting this inquiry I have no particular theory
to support, or party to serve. My only object is to elicit
the truth; and this I must do by comparing the facts
stated by those who have observed with discrimination
and impartiality.

16 Mil. rKOCTOll's ADDRESS.

First, as to loorking oxen; is there any reason to be-
lieve that better animals for these purposes can be found,
than are those of our native beed ? I have never seen
any oxen superior for hibor to the best specimens of those
raised in the county of Worcester. I speak of this coun-
ty with emphasis, because much more attention is there
paid to the rearing and training of these animals, than
in Essex. Their steers (particularly in the town of Sut-
ton,) are made to know and take their places with as
much regularity as boys at school. Many fine spe-
cimens of animals well trained have been exhibited from
Andover, Haverhill, and other towns; and without doubt,
such can be found in almost every town in this and other
counties ; but in none in such perfection and abundance
as in some of the towns about Worcester.

In proof of the opinion expressed of the superiority of
our cattle for labor, may I not refer to the numerous teams
that have competed in our ploughing-matches in years
past, varying h'om thirty to jiftij in a year ? When has
it happened that one of our first premiums — I may almost
say any of our premiums — have been obtained by oxen,
other than our own native breed ? Or when has it been
known in this county or elsewhere, that premiums for
best working oxen have been awarded to others, when
our own were admitted as competitors? I am not aware
that this point has ever been considered in making these
awards. This does not in any manner weaken the force
of the argument. The inference I think is, that had they
been actually superior, some of those shrewd practical
men who have contended for premiums, and who know
how to manage these things to the best advantage, would
have been likely to have discovered it. I think also,
they would ere this have bee*n more generally used. I
therefore, think, that their superiority is not proved by
their ivorks. On the contrary, that our native breed are
decidedly preferable for labor to any others that I have
seen.

How is it in regard to milch cows, for dairy purposes ?
An animal which when viewed in all her relations is not
second in importance to any other. In regard to these,

MR. proctor's address. 17

the county of Essex may speak with some confidence.
Here have been raised and exhibited numerous cows
that will bear a fair comparison with those of any other
county. Instance the Oakes Cow and the Nourse Cow,
and tlie present year the Pond Cow, (all of which were
from Dan vers, I believe,) they have not been excelled
by any others. Two of these yielded from 16 to 20
pounds of butter a week, for many weeks together, of
superior quality, and this without extraordinary feed
or pampering ; and the other, 14 quarts of milk per
day, for ten months together. Statements of similar
produce have I noticed within a year, of cows of native
breed at Springfield and Northampton.*

If such animals can be found in this manner, without
any extra care in rearing, what might they be made, by
the application of the skill that has been used in perfect-
ing the foreign breeds ? I am not unmindful that single
instances may be found of the short-horn cows that have
yielded from thirty to thirty-six quarts of milk per day;
and of fiocks that have produced larger quantities of
milk, in iveight and measure, than have been obtained from
the same number of native cows. In the notices of
these cows that I have seen, the quantity of their milk is
usually spoken of, and not the quantity of butter it will
yield. Now every intelligent observer knows that 20
quarts of milk from some cows will yield more butter
than 30 quarts of milk from other cows ; so that the
quantity only gives but an imperfect idea of the value of
their pi-oduce. Take into view also the expense of feed
required, and their comparative capacity to endure the
severities of our climate, and the peculiarities of their
habits ; and it may well be questioned whether the for-
eign breeds are of so much value upon our farms, as
those that might be raised from the best of our own
stock. All that is wanted is the same care in selection
and vigilance in rearing that have been applied to the
others, and there will be no deficiency in an adequate
supply of milk tor our dairies.

* In the Massachusetts Ploughman, a paper worthy to be read by every
. Farmer.

3

18 MR. proctor's address.

Why is it that so little care is given to the selection
of milch cows, when there is so much choice in them ;
— both in regard to the feed required, and the milk pro-
duced ? It costs no more to support a cow that will
yield from 16 to 20 quarts of milk per day, than one that
will yield 10 quarts. The one merely earns her living,
the other not only supports herself, but him who feeds
her ;— and if care is taken to rear her progeny, will en-
sure a perpetuity of her good qualities.

In connection with this idea, it will be remembered
by some of the Trustees, that as early as 1823, premi-
ums were offered for ifnproving our native breed of neat
cattle, to be paid in 1823. And it was then remarked,*
"that it would avail little to bestow premiums merely
for the best that shall be produced, unless something is
done to preserve the breed ; for such premiums might
be given for a century, without effecting any real im-
provements; and thus as to live stock, defeat the object
for which the society was formed." I now appeal to the
Trustees to consider- the principles then stated, and to
inquire how far they have been applied. Have we not
gone on from year to year, almost exactly in the way
then stated to be of no use ? How can it be expected
that our stock will be improved, unless care is taken to
raise from those of best qualities, their offspring of best
promise ? Every farmer recognizes the principle that a
good cow is most likely to have a good calf. They act
upon this principle in selecting their calves to be raised.
This then is the ground upon which your premiums
should be offered; not only for the best animals, but for the
best efforts manifested in improving the breed of the animals,
tvith a statement that shall enable others to imitate these
efforts.

So distrustful am I of my own competency to express
an opinion on this subject, that I beg leave to corrobo-
rate my own views by citing the opinion of Mr. J. Low-
ell, as expressed by him in a report made at Brighton,
October, 1822. Says he : " Although the milch cows

* By Col. Pickering — then President of the Society.

MR. proctor's address. 19

"of Great Britain and the Netherlands are in general far
"superior to our own ; I have never seen an imported
"cow of equal merit with some of our own that have been
"here offered. So fully am I convinced of this truth, as
"well as that our country possesses a very considerable
"number of these fine cows, that I am persuaded if Great
"Britain or the Netherlnnds were to send us ten cows,
"each of the best quality, New England alone could
"furnish twenty which would equal them in the quanti-
"ties of milk, butter, and cheese, which they would re-
"spectively produce."

To this he adds, "If every owner of a good and very
"superior cow, would consider her in a proper light, not
"merely as a valuable animal during her life, but as ca-
"pable of improving his whole stock, if he will spare no
"moderate expense in procuring calves from her of bulls
"of an improved breed, we shall soon see our whole
"stock gradually improve."

It will be remembered by many who hear me, that in
1825, a very full discussion of this question was had be-
tween Col. Pickering and Col. Powell, of Philadelphia,
in the course of which Mr. Powell admits that the short-
horns, so called are too large for the ordinary purposes
of our farms, and then adds, "by an immutable law of
nature, which never ceases to affect the animal not less
than the vegetable creation, in a few generations, their
size will be accommodated to the food given for their
support." Mr. Pickering replies, "we now have a breed
exactly accommodated to the food given for its support,
and inquires whether it is more eligible to propagate a
gigantic breed which "in a few generations" may be
sufficiently reduced in size, and thus accommodated to
our service and means of keeping them, or with spirit
and resolution, to engage at once, in the laudable and
profitable enterprise of improving our native cattle by
a careful selection of the best males and females, and
thus "in a few generations" raise them not to gigantic
sizes, but to a high pitch of perfection, for the primary
objects of New England farmers, labor, beef, and rich
milk for butter and cheese,'' In expressing this opinion

20 MR. proctor's address.

of the equality not to say superiority of our own milch
cows, and their peculiar fitness for our farmers' dairies,
I know that I am treading upon the toes of high author-
ity, and exposing myself to criticism and remark. 1
know there are those, who will give you the pedigree of
their stock, with as much precision, as ever did a Jew of
his fi^mily, and that their notions of value are much mod-
ified, by the number of degrees they have taken, or the
high sounding epithets applied to their names. This
practice of tracing their history is commendable. But a
high sounding title will never alter the character of a
coJf^ of whatever description he may be.

I know that at our cattle shows we admire and give a
preference to those sleek and beautiful animals, that are
as it were polished for the exhibition; and that we should
feel grateful to those who thus show us what can be ef-
fected by care; — but still we do not iind in them the real
stamina tor our dairies. As soon should I think of select-
ing from the brilliants of a ball room, the best manager
of a dairy.

The prices at which these animals are holden, consti-
tute a serious obstacle in the way of their being procured
by common farmers. I cannot see any good reason why
such extravagant prices as §1000, or more, for a single
animal should be countenanced. Our farmers cannot af-
ford to appropriate the entire income of the year, to the
purchase of a single animal. " I have found," says Gov.
Hill, (a very intelligent and safe guide on agricultural
subjects,) "it to be the invariable safe course, for all
who have no property they can afford to throw away, to
purchase no article or commodit}' not absolutely neces-
sary, when that article or commodity bears an unusual
price." *

* In 1827, at the sug-gestion of Col. Pickering, and by the liberality of
Goiham Parsons, Esq., of Byfield, an attempt was made to introduce the Al-
derney breed of cattle at West Newbury. I have received from my friend,
Col. Newell, some interesting facts in relation to these animals, many of which
are now there. He thinks tbem superior for their inilliing prcpcr/ics ; but in
consequence of their inferiority of size and ap])carance, tliey have not readily
come into favor. He thinks favorably of crossing the Alderney and the Ayr-
shire breeds with our native stock, with a view to produce good cows for the
Dairy. It seems to be the better opinion of those among us who have had

MR. proctor's address. 21

The use and improvement of wet meadow and swamp
lands, early occupied the attention of this society, and
has afforded some of the best examples of successful ex-
periments. A brief reference to these may be useful,
not only in showing how similar improvements may be
made, for this is one of the most extensive fields for im-
provements ; but in guarding against the misapplication
of labor in mistaken modes of operation. In regard to
these grounds, it should be borne in mind, that they vary
quite as much in their texture and component parts, as
do the upland soils ; and that it is necessary to vary the
process of redemption accordingly. The foundation of all
improvements in this kind of land, is first to free them
of the superabundant water with which they are burden-
ed. This must be thoroughly done, and in a manner
that shall continue them free. Much labor has been lost,
by temporary drains, that soon become impeded by grass,
leaves, or other obstructions ; leaving the ground in as
bad condition as at first. The same necessity that re-
quired the drains to be made, demands that they should
be continued open. When the water is removed, then
the coarse grasses or meadow plants are to be destroyed,
and the texture of the soil is to be brought into a condi-
tion to support the growth of the upland grasses. In its
meadow state it is too porous, too much like a honey-
comb, for this purpose. It needs either to be wrought
over or to have some other substances mixed with it to
make its texture more compact. There is no want of
vegetable matter or nutritive substances, the only thing
necessary is to bring these into a position that they can
be successfully used. Various modes of doing this, have
been attempted, with more or less success ; probably
from a want of proper attention to the qualities of the
land sought to be reclaimed. Some meadows are com-
posed mostly of decayed vegetable and animal substances

most experience, so far as I have been able to learn their opinions, that by a
judicious crossing of the best of the English animals with our own, a race may-
be produced of more value, and better adapted to the climate, than any now to
be found. A very large proportion of the Durham cattle now to be found are
of that coarse, elephantine character, that would not be admired or even endur-
ed, by the best judges in England.

22 MR. PROCTOIl's ADDRESS.

that have passed through a state of putrid fermentation,
and as soon as the water is removed, and the particles
of the soil are brought in close contact, are susceptible
of being made very productive. Especially when a
dressing of some appropriate manure is applied, adapted
to stimulate the other parts to successful action.

Others of a peaty texture, contain substances that have
not been through the putrid fermentation, necessary be-
fore it can be used as the food of plants, or the compo-
nent parts of manure. These need to be exposed to the
action of the atmosphere, and to have other substances
mingled with them.

The first attempts at improvement on these lands, to
which our attention was called, were by Messrs. Osgood,
of Andover, Putnam and Ingersoll,of Danvers, and others.
These were made principally by draining, and by the ap-
plication of sand and gravel to the surface. The expense
of covering the sod with a sufficient depth of these ma-
terials, to completely check the growth of the meadow
grasses, operated a serious check upon improvements of
the kind, and the care and attention necessary to conti-
nue the water courses open, and the frequent repetition
of a dressing of manure required, prevented an extensive
application of this kind of improvement. Fine crops
were in some instances produced ; but it is not expedi-
ent for the farmer to spend his efforts in raising fine
crops, when they cost more than they are worth. Such
instances of culture, in the vicinity of his residence, may
sometimes be justified by collateral considerations; but
in general, it should be the aim of the farmer, that the
produce should repay the expense of producing it. Oth-
ers attempted improvements by paring and burning the
surface ; and this was done in repeated instances with
good success. Among the best experiments of this kind
were those of Messrs. Osborn and Brown, of Saugus, and
Mr. Newhall, of Lynnfield. I witnessed the crops on
their lands, on the first and second year after they com-
menced,and found them most luxuriant. What have been
the subsequent crops, I am not informed.

More recent experiments in reclaiming these lands,

MR. proctor's yVDDRESS. 23

have been made by turning over the sod, and mingling
with it a sufficient quantity of loam, or other substance,
to give it a consistency to support vegetation, and then
cultivating it in a manner to preserve the remains ofthe
decaying vegetable matter in the soil. Unquestionably,
where the process of draining can be so complete as to
admit of this, — this process of culture will be most eli-
gible. For so much of the vegetable material as has been
destroyed by fire, or otherwise removed, will in the course
of time, need to be replaced for the renovation of the soil.
Successful experiments in this way have been made by
Messrs. D. P. King, of Danvers, J. Marland, of Andover,
and J. Newhall, of Lynnfield. Similar experiments with
the best success, without the application of gravel, were
made a number of years since on the farm of Mr. J.
Nichols, in the south-westerly part of Salem. Here spe-
cial care was taken to keep the ditches clear, and free
of grass or leaves, so that no obstruction should remain
to the perfect draining ofthe land. I refer to these in-
stances of culture, as specimens ofthe practical applica-
tion ofthe principles, but not as descriptive of all that
has been done. The mode of mana«;ement proper to be
adopted, must depend upon the particular chai'acter of
the meadow or soil, — upon the depth and component
parts ofthe vegetable material ; — upon the nature of the
sub-soil beneath; — upon the character ofthe springs that
flow in fromthe adjoining hills; — and upon numerous other
varying circumstances observable in particular cases, that
cannot be anticipated or specified in any generalrules. In
this as in all other farming processes, there is constant oc-
casion for the application of good judgment and good sense.
The application of theoretic rules without these will often
end in disappointed hopes. By good sense, I mean the
right application of well established scientific principles.
A most important use can be made of these bogs and
reservoirs of vegetable matter, by taking therefrom at
convenient times, supplies for the barn-vard, for the
swine-pen, and the compost heap, all of which are indis-
pensably necessary on every well managed farm. The
experience ofthe last twenty-five years has taught much

24 MR. proctor's address.

in relation to the making of manures. The farmer who
then made fifty loads of manure in a year would not now
feel that he had done his duty, with less than two hun-
dred loads. And no farmer does his duty who does not
produce this quantity, or more. If you expect bountiful
crops, you must feed the soil as bountifully with the
necessary food of such crops. The primary vigor of our
soil has been used up. Our success in cultivation de-
pends mainly upon skill in preparation and application
of manure. As well may you expect your beef or your
mutton to be fatted by the air, as your land to be pro-
ductive of good crops, without an ample supply of ma-
nure. It was forcibly remarked by Mr. Gray, in his ad-
dress to this society, in 1841, " These "unimproveable
*' lands," as they are styled, contain manure eno^/gh in
" some sections to cover all our tilled lands a foot deep ;
" manure enough to render every acre of the soil as fertile
" as the prairies of the west ; manure enough to cause
*' two tons of hay to grow, where now grows but one, and
*' an equal increase in all other productions of the fiirm."
From the chemical analyses that have been made within
a few years, of different ingredients that may be found
in our swamps^ meadoivs, and marshes, capable of being
converted into manures, there is reason to think that we
have scarcely begun to find out the means of improving
our soils within our reach. Further inquiries are proper
to be made on this subject ; and it behooves our agri-
cultural societies or the State, to see that it is done. If
we could be assured that by proper application of labor
and skill, the productive power of our soils might be
doubled ; there w^ould be no occasion to roam after more
fertile fields, in other regions, to the hazard of the loss
of those distinguishing traits of character, which consti-
tute the charm of New England society.

Much discretion is to be used in the adaptation of ma-
nures to the different kinds of soil, and to the peculiarity
of condition in which the soil is at the time of application.
What will be life to one, will be death to another. Many
of our farmers learn this, more or less, from their own
personal experience, without knowing the reasons why

MR. proctor's address. 25

it is so. If they would talce pains to look into and un-
derstand these reasons, which can be done just as readi-
ly, as they understand it is better to plant their corn in
May, rather than in November, they might save much
labor. Without doubt, many a farmer loses more than
half his labor applied on manures for the want of this
know led o^e.

Public attention has lately been much called to the
application of manures in a more condensed and con-
centi'ated form, such as poudrette, guano, bone dust, §"c.,
divested of the coarser and unproductive ingredients.
For gardening and city culture such manures may be
highly valuable. But whether it will be in the power
of our farmers generally, who rarely have spare funds
for the purchase, to dress their lands in this way, has
seemed to me questionable. The fai'raer should endeav-
or to find within his own precinct the means of replen-
ishing his soil. His main relian^^.e, after having taken
proper care of his barn-cellar, his barn-yard, and his
pig-pen, should be on his collection of compost. It is
believed that almost every farmer will find within his
own limits, or in his immediate vicinity, abundant mate-
rials for this purpose. When not necessarily employed
in other things, his attention should always be given to
the collecting or saving something that will increase his
supply of manure. The careful cultivator will find many
opportunities in the course of the year to add to this
main-spring of good husbandry. " Let no man," says
Mr. Quincy, who is equally at home on the fai'm, as in
the College, " consider his barn-yard properly arrang-
" ed, until he has a receptacle for his manure, water
" tight at the bottom, and covered at the top ; — so that
" below nothing shall be lost by drainage, and above
" nothing shall be carried away by evaporation."

What would be said of that fai-mer who when he
had raised his field of grain should suffer it to remain
exposed until one half of it was scattered by the winds,
or otherwise lost ? Do W3 not often see a destruction
equal to this, in their collections of manure ? Is it ex-
travagant to say that one half of the manure ordinarily
4

26 MR. proctor's address.

made by the cattle on a farm is wasted ? Look to the
common structure of barns, where the manure is thrown
out to the sides, exposed to the sun and rain for half
the year ; — or to the yards where the cows pass their
nights in summer ; and compare the products of these
barns, or these yards, at the end of the year, with re-
ceptacles for the manure properly regulated, and I doubt
whether there will remain half the quantity. Take into
view further the increase that may be made by placing
the cattle iri position to preserve the liquids that are
about every stall, by the aid of which mingled with earth
may be made the best of manure, and it will not be too
much to say that our farmers generally lose two thirds
of the materials they have at command for enriching
their lands. How many of them not satisfied with the
losses thus accruing take special care to draw their ma-
nure to the fields when made, and to lay it in a position
that will etrectually scatter a large proportion of the vir-
tue that remains ? Or when they come to use it, spread
it upon the surface and thus lose its fertilizing powers ?
Again and again has it been demonstrated, when ma-
nure is applied to land, its tendency is to ascend and not
to descend. An examination of the sub-soils on lands
that have long been under a state of high cultivation
proves this. It is therefore indispensable in the appli-
cation of manure to the best advantage, that it should
be mingled with and covered by the earth. Care also
should be taken that it be properly pulverized or sub-
divided, so that when mingled with the soil, the union
be as perfect as possible. Recent experiments of Pro-
fessor Liebeg, show that ammonia, or the power to
produce this, is the principal fertilizing ingredient in
manure. As much care, therefore, should be taken of
this in the field, as in the smelling bottle at church.

Clay, sand, and lime, are the principal ingredients in
most of our soils. A due admixture and propoition of
these is essential to successful cultivation. It was the
remark of Mr. Fessenden, that " clay without sand, or
" sand without clay, and both of these without lime, are
*' like a stool intended for a tripod, with but one or two

MR. PROCTOR^S ADDRESS. 27

*' legs, worth little or nothing, till the missing part or
" parts are supplied." Such modifications of the soil,
with the application of such manures as are specially
adapted to the crop sought to be raised, is the business
of the intelligent farmer. No man can make pretensions
to this distinction, without the requisite qualifications.
If a man offers his services to make your shoes, or to
build you a cart, or to teach your children at school,
you inquii-e into his qualifications to discharge these du-
ties. AV^hy should not the same inquiry be instituted,
when he offers to cultivate your lands ? To constitute a
gootl farmer requires a due admixture of scientific theory,
practical ski'l, and common sense. The one without
the others often misleads to visionary speculations, and
thereby brings into contempt all scientific operations.
I cannot better illustrate the benefits that may be
derived from the proper preparation and application of
manures, as compared with the heedless use ordinari-
ly made, than by reference to the extraordinary crops
obtained by gardeners and others from the careful culti-
vation of small parcels. In every village may be found
instances of such culture, where the profits accruing
over and above the extra labor, are ten times as much
as farmers usually realize from the same quantity of land.
Possibly it may be said that the demand for such garden
vegetables, as asparagus, lettuce^ strawberries, §-c., from
which the greatest profits have accrued, is of so limited
a character, that 'lqw can find their account in this kind
of cultivation. I will, therefore, refer to the cultivation
of the onion, which is distinctly the business of the far-
mers in my neighborhood, many of whom have more acres
of onions than most farmers in the county have of Indian
corn. The average yield of this crop is 300 bushels to
the acre ; sometimes as high as 500, or 600 bushels.
The ordinary expense of manure and labor to an acre
may be estimated double that required for Indian corn ; —
this estimate is believed to be ample to cover all that
will be requisite, for a series of years, especially when
it is taken into view that much of the labor of weeding
and gathering may be done by children. For ten years

28 MR. proctor's address.

past from 30,000 to 60,000 bushels in a year have been
raised in the single town ofDanvers. The average val-
ue of the crop when brought to the market is fifty cents
per bushel, or $150 per acre. In what way can so fair
a profit be realized from the land ? Take into view al-
so the condition in which this crop leaves the land for
other crops, actually benefitted, and it will be found one
of the most advantageous crops that can be put upon the
land. How ha{)pens it that these cultivators are thus
successful. Is it not because they are careful in the
preparation of their grounds, and in the selection and
application of appropriate manures in a proper manner?
Within my own remembrance, those same cultivators
scarcely knew how to raise a bushel of onions, and
thought their soil would not produce them. Would not
the same kind of care find its reward in the cultivation
of other crops ? Indian corn for example, this most lux-
urious and valuable Yankee crop, thirty years since was
estimated at an average of thirty bushels to the acre.
Will our farmers be content with such an estimate, when
double the quantity can readily he obtained by the same
labor, with the application of proper skill and manure in
the preparation and cultivation of the land ? The lesson
to be drawn from these facts and considerations, is, cul-
tivate so much land as can be well done arid no more ; and
leave no pari of the process of cultivation slightly performed.
Neglect of this salutar}' rule is unquestionably the
common error of our farmers. In the first place, they
spend their means in procuring additional acres, thereby
depriving themselves of the power of profitably cultivat-
ing the {qw they had. This disposition to engross many
acres, and to own, as is the desire of some, all that join
them, is not only a private bu't a public evil. It checks
enterprise and prevents the natural increase of popula-
tion. Where lands are thus possessed, what chance is
there for the enterprising young man to become a pro-
prietor 1 Can you not bring to recollection hundreds of
acres that have thus for years, been excluded as it were
from all useful purposes ? Within my own observation,
I have known farms that remained for years in the hands

MR. proctor's address. 29

of one proprietor, when they came to be divided into
the hands of five or six, to yield more on each part, than
the whole did when held by one. By a proper division
of our lands, allowing no one lo engross more than he
can judiciously manage, not only would our territory
support a larger population, but the population itself,-
would be more independent.

The pi-oper appropr."afion of capital and labor on a
farm may be illustrated by a comparison with the every
day occurrence of the building of a house. Suppose a
person of moderate means is about to erect a house, for
the accommodation of his family, is it wnse to put up the
frame and covpring of a building, so large that he cannot
finish but a small part of it, leaving the front and cham-
bers, a sort of dreary and desolate w^aste for swallows
and vermin ; — or is it best to put up a tenement such
as he has the means of furnishing and finish in g in a de-
cent and comfortable manner? No one who has ever
noticed the contrast in such tenements, and many such
can be found in almost every village, will hesitate to say
that the wiser course will be to erect such an one as
can be comfortably finished. Let the farmer apply this
principle. Let him procure so much land as he can
thoroughly cultivate, and apply himself to this. And as
his means increase, so may his cultivation extend. Cap-
ital and labor are the true sources of income. If con-
centrated they produce more than when diffused. It is
not the extent of lands that determines the farmer's pro-
fits, but the State of culture to which he brings them.
What w'ere formerly sound rules of conduct, have now
in many cases become almost obsolete. So many and
so great have been the changes in the facilities of com-
munication from place to place ; — in the transportation
of commodities from one part of the country to another;
in the introduction of new varieties, and in the altera-
tion of habits of living, that the course wdiich was then
judicious now needs much modification. Now when the
farmer goes to the market with his beef, his pork, or his
butter, — articles from which he used to expect to raise
cash to meet his taxes and other necessary payments, —

30 MR. proctor's address.

he there finds it forestalled by the products of the valleys
beyond the mountains, — where the fields are waiting to
be sown, and the forests of hundreds of years, have en-
riched them to overflowing. How can the farmer here
compete with the farmer there, in raising pork, with corn
at one dollar per bushel ; — when there it can be obtain-
ed at one quarter part of this sum, and when raised it
can be transported to our market at one quarter of a cent
per pound ? And so with wheat, with corn, and many
other articles on which the farmer used to rely for his
income, and for raising the means tor paying for his lands.
For so it is that most of those at the age of fifty, who
are found to be in the possession of their own acres, in
the most thriving condition, have purchased these acres
with their own earnings. In the agricultural, as in the
trading community, property will not adhere that is not
cemented by labor. The young man, therefore, who
sets out to be a farmer, must look about him and see
how farming can be supported. What kind of crops
there are that will pay for themselves, and something
more. He must so manage as to make both ends meet.
I cannot too strongly urge upon him the necessity of
keeping accurate minutes of what he does ; — and of
making exact estimates of the result of his labors and
experiments. Nothing is more detrimental to good hus-
bandry than uncertain conjectures. Though the result
of our operations may not correspond with our wishes
or expectations, we should not close our eyes upon the
facts. Truth, exact truth, will ever support itself and
him who cherishes it. I would not by any means dis-
courage the farmer in his labors by these suggestions ;
but would exhort him to vary his culture ; look about
him for a market ; select such articles for cultivation as
the demand requires ; so that when driven from one po-
sition, he may have another of more security in reserve.
Those are said to be the wisest commanders in war who
make certain a safe retreat.

The implements and tools to be used by the farmer
demand much more attention than is usually given to
them. The difference between the application of labor

i\iR. proctor's address. 31

with tools of good construction, adapted to the purpose,
and with tools of bad construction, may be the (^ntire
difference between a successful and a ruinous husbandry.
This has been before remarked in regard to the plough.
In many other branches of labor have there been almost
equal improvements. Instance the gathering of hay, by
the use of the horse rake. If I am rightly informed three
fourths of the labor of raking may be saved by it. This
is a matter of great consequence, when time is so valuable
as in the haying season. The cultivator too does much,
when properly applied, in a short time, far better than
it can be otherwise done. The roller, how few of our
farmers rightly understand the advantages to be derived
from this ! In the most approved processes of managing-
lands, a roller is as indispensable as a plough. Still I
doubt whether half our farmers have ever had one on
their farms. Many other less prominent implements
have been equally improved, and demand of the farmer
who would labor to best advantage to be brought into
use. The grand difference between a thriving farmer,
and one that does not thrive, is — the one looks out for
the fractions, the other does not. In farming, nothing
should be lost ; nothing should be neglected ; every-
thing should be done at the proper time ; every thing
should be put in its proper place ; every thing should
be performed by its proper implement. When these
rules are observed, the farmer will surely prosper —
though his gains may be slow, they will be certain and
sure. His dividends are under his own control, and are
not liable to embezzlement.

Among the improvements of a few years past, there are
none that promise more, than those in the cultivation of
grass; — a crop of greater value and extent than any
other to the Essex farmer. A crop that demands a par-
ticular notice at an Exhibition in Ipswich, distinguished
before all other places in the County for its hay prod-
ucts. The peculiarity of this culture, first brought to
the notice of the public by Mr. Phinney, is, that the land
is continued in grass, year after year, without the inter-
vention of any other crop, except occasionally Indian

32 MR. proctor's address.

coj'n. How long this can be done remains to be proved.
Thus far it has succeeded well. It is done by turning
the furrows flat, rolling them smooth, harrowing or cross-
ploughing, or both, without disturbing the sod, ajiplying
compost manures and the seed upon the surface and har-
rowing it in. This process is repeated as often as the
land demands a coating of manure. The land is kept
in a light and favorable condition for supporting the crops,
by the decaying vegetable matter that was upon the sur-
face. This mode of culture is somewhat at variance
with the system of rotation of crops, which has been so
generally recommended as essential to good husbandry.
The best specimens of this culture that I have seen,
have been on the farms of Mr. W. Sutton, of Salem, and
Mr. D. P. King, of Danvers, to which I refer the curious
to examine, as affording a better illustration of the ben-
efits, than in my power to give.

Another modification in the cultivation of grass which
has been successfully practised by Mr. D. Putnam, of
Danvers, and others, and which is now coming into gen-
eral favor, is by sowing the seed among the corn at
the last hoeing — taking care to have the ground left in
a level and smooth condition. Repeated experiments
have shown that the old practice of raising a hill about
the corn is not attended with any benefit. If then, the
smooth culture of the corn will aid in bringing the lands
into good condition for grass, which is the primary ob-
ject in view, — our ciops of barley, oats and rye being
raised merely as secondai'v objects of attention, — does
it not behove our fai-mers to inquire whether their grass
seed cannot be advantageously sown in the Summer or
Autumn, without any intermediate crop of English
grain ? When thus sown it is much more certain of
taking root, and in much less danger of being cut off, by
the burning sun, which usually follows the removal of
crops of grain. I have adverted to these modes of grass
culture more for the })urpose of inviting attention to
them, than to express any decided opinion of my own ;
because [ am sensible it is never safe to draw general
conclusions, from a limited number of experiments.

MR. PKOCTOll's ADDRESS. 33

The comparative value of crops raised for the feedini^
of cattle, &c., has been a prominent object for which
premiums have been offered by this society, but without
producing any satisf\\ctory expeiiments. I'his would
seem to be an object deserving attention, as without
this knowledge the farmer is playing a game of chance,
without knowing the value of what he raises.*

In bes owing the bounty of the State upon the Agri-
cultural societies, it was done on condition " that such
encouragement should be annually offered as seemed
best adapted to increase and perpetuate an adequate
supply of ship timber within the Commonwealth." The
letter of the condition has been complied with ; — but
what has been the result ? Where is the tree now grow-
ing that started into being in consequence of this boun-
ty ? Where is the cultivated plantation of oaks, even
to the extent of a single acre within the County ? Our
records show hundreds of dollars offered for their en-
couragement, and occasional awards for hopeful promi-
ses ; but I fear that the time is far distant, when it will
be in our power to use the fruits of these bounties in de-
fence of our shores.

* In the report of the Commissioner of Patents, for 1843, p. 120, is the fol-
lowing tabular statement, whicii will afford some lio-ht, until we ascertain

for ourselves with

more

certainty.

One hundred pounds of g

equal to

275

lbs

of

green Indian corn,

412

((

rye straw,

164

((

oat straw,

153

((

pea stalk,

201

"

raw potatoes,

175

((

boiled potatoes,

339

((

mangel wurtzel,

504

t(

turnips,

54

((

rye,

4(J

i(

wheat,

59

a

oats.

45

"

peas or beans,

64

a

buck wheat.

57

n

Indian corn,

08

i(

acorns.

105

a

wheat bran,

109

i(

rye bian,

167

((

wheat, pea, and oat chaff,

179

a

rye and barley chaff,

16 lbs. of hay is equal to 32 lbs. of potatoes ; and 14 lbs of boiled potatoes
will allow of the diminution of 8 lbs. of hay.

5 .

34 i\iR. proctor's address.

Curiosity led me a ^ew weeks since to inquire for the
plantation in Hamilton, for which the Slate bounty of
one hundred dollars was awarded about forty-five years
since. By the aid of a friend I found the place, but the
trees were few and far between.

Were our Legislators entirely in the wrong in sup-
posing the cultivation of such trees to be a desirable ob-
ject r Or does the mistake lie with the proprietor cf
the soil ? That timber trees are indispensably neces-
sary for the convenience, prosperity and safety of the
nation, will be admitted by all. That they can be suc-
cessfully cultivated, with proper attention applied, is
equally clear. Why then is it not done? Why has it
happened that all the attempts have proved abortive?
In what manner could Essex farmers better consult the
permanent interests of their children, than by planting
trees? Grounds so rough and rocky as to be unfit for
tillage, and we have many acres such, can in no way be
so profitably improved. In Kngland and Scotland are
hundreds of acres of forests now growing, in most thrifty
condition, that were planted by the hand of man. Shall
not the independent veomanry of New England, the
tenants of their own soil, have equal confidence in the
stability of their institutions, and the propriety of provid-
ing for the benefit of those who may come after them,
as do those who toil to plant where they never can
own? Perhaps the uncertainty of the tenure of our es-
tates, and the still greater uncertainty of the disposition
of the rising generation to be willing to follow the hum-
ble but honorable occupation of their fathers, has deter-
red many from venturing upon experiments, the benefits
of which could not be realized while they lived. Such
a policy is short sighted, and unworthy enlightened
citizens. What consequence is it whether our acres
are inherited by our sons or others, if they are but
rightly used? Does not this jealousy of feeling operate
in a manner to alienate the affections from the paternal
estate? Are not the ever changing movements of the age
unfavorable to permanent valuable improvements?

The cultivation of trees generally, whether for orna-

MPv. proctor's address. 35

ment, for fi'uit, or for timber, is an object that demands
much more attention than has been given to it. I have
not time to speak as I would like, ol" the cuhivation ot"
fruit trees, — of the increasing attention hitely ijiven to
the subject. — of the many and valuable varieties of
apples, pears, &c. cultivated by our horticultural friends
in Salem, Lynn, Haverhill, and other towns; — but can
simply say, that there is no branch of husbandry that
yields a more certain and ample reward, and that the
demand for good fruits of every description seems to be
in advance of the supply.

Very early in the history of the Society were facts
stated by D\\ Nichols, in relation to the cultivation of
the locust tree, highly worthy of regard. Having myself
witnessed similar facts, I am fully persuaded that in no
way can our barren and gravelly pastures be so advan-
tageously used, as by covering them with the locust,
which may readily be done, either by planting the seed,
or by here and thei"e transplanting a tree, and allowing
them to spread, as they are much inclined to do. Lands
thus managed I have known to yield posts and rail road
sleepers, that sold for more than one hundred dollars
per acre, for ten acres together, within forty years from
the first planting, — which during this period had been
of more value for pasturing in consequence of the trees
growing thereon. For it is a fact, that the feed both in
quantity and quality, under and about the locust tree, is
better than where there are no trees. Take into view
also the increasing demand for this kind of timber, for
rail roads, fencing, trunnels for ships, and other purpos-
es, and the rapidity of its growth, advancing so rapidly
that those wdio plant may gather, and it will not be easy
to find an object more worthy the attention of the own-
ers of such unproductive lands.

Suppose our farmers should set out rows of the locust,
the sugar maple, the ash, the elm, or the larch, by the
borders of their fields, by their pasture fences, or by the
road side, — and in this way start a growing from fifty to
one hundred trees to each of their acies, — would their
other crops in any manner be prejudiced thereby ? —

.35 MR. PROCTOR S ADDRESS.

Would not the verdure and beauty of the scenery more
than balance all inconveniencies ? Let these trees con-
tinue to grow, tor one generation only, and the trees
themselves would be of more value, than the land on
which they were planted. Let them be planted in the
streets ot^ villages, and about dwellings, as seems to be
the growing taste of the public, and they will have a
value almost beyond estimate.*

The cultivation of the mulbury tree, for the making
of silk, demands a passing notice in the history of the
efforts of this society. Much pains has been taken to
bring this subject before the public, and many efforts
have been made to diffuse information, and to encourage
the culture. I regret to say that the present condition
of this culture, in this County, so far as I have been able
to learn it, does not warrant sanguine hopes of much
benefit accruing therefrom. Numerous premiums have
been offered and awarded for nurseries and trees in va-
rious stages of their growth, and numerous experiments
have been made, notices of which have been given to the
public ; but I am not able to refer to any cultivator who
has a plantation in successful growth, or to any individ-
ual who has realized a fair remuneration for his labor.
Visionary theories have taken the place of established
facts. Fanciful estimates, of well balanced accounts.
It should be remembered that plants attain to highest
perfection for all useful purposes, in the climate and soil
where they are found indigenous ; and that the further
they are removed from these, the greatei" is the uncer-
tainty of their success. The application of this princi-
ple will lead to the selection of those species and varie-
ties that are best adapted to our climate and soil. If
any such can be found that will endure and flourish, from
year to year, without special nursing or hot-bed forcing,

* In three instances within my observation hnxe I known the ravages of fire
stopped by the shady elms. This was distinctly so in the destructive fire of
Sept, 22, '43, at Danvers, which was prevented passing from the Church to
the easterly side of tlie w ay, by several thrifty elms that had been set only about
twenty years, ilad it not been stayed in this manner, the whole village must
have been consumed. A similar event happened at Gloucester but a few years
since. Surely such facts should prompt to the cultivation of such trees.

MR. proctor's address. 37

then may the fingers of the young and the feeble be ad-
vantageously applied to picking the leaves of the mul-
berry, and to aiding the labors of the most perfect of all
manufacturers, the silk worm. Until some such variety
can be naturalized in our soil (and of this I will not des-
pair,) I shall have little hope of this culture.*

Repeatedly has the propriety and expediency of the
establishment of schools for the instruction of young
men in the science and practice of agriculture been agi-
tated. So oftcFi has this been adverted to in public ad-
dresses, were it not for its intrinsic importance, I should
hardly fee! justified in again introducing it. The Acad-
emies at Byfield and at Andover, have been presented
to your notice, wdth all the plausibility that the eloquence
of a late President, j or the ingenuity of a learned Pro-
fessorj could suggest ; but still we have none of their
graduates at our festivals ; — we grope on still without
the illumination of their rays. Why is this ? Is the idea
of instructing young men in a business that is to occupy
their time for life a fanciful one, that cannot be carried
into practical operation ? Such is not true of other em-
ployments. Who that has a son destined to be a car-
penter, a blacksmith, or even a manufacturer of cloths,
or of shoes, hesitates to appropriate years of his time to
qualify him in his art ? And does the farmer's art de-
mand less instruction ? The mistake lies in a misappre-
hension of the qualifications requisite in a farmer, and
in the manner these qualifications are to be acquired.
If farmers heretofore have been deterred from placing
their sons at school as proposed, by their want of confi-
dence in those who conducted such schools, because
they did not exhibit the hartlened hands and sinewy
limbs requisite for the handling of stone, or holding the

* From the abundant reservoir of facts annually furnished by the Commis-
sioner of Patents, we learn that 315.905 pounds of cocoons were raised within
the United States the past year. This would seem to justify the belief that
some parts of our country are favorable to the growing of silk ; and that all
that is wanted is more care in the selection and adaptation of the varieties to
the diiTerent parts.

f Hon. E. Moseley, of Newburyport.

J Rev. A, Gray, of Andover.

38 y]n. rRocTOR's address.

breaking-iip plough, — ^or were arrayed in black coals
and kid gloves, instead of woollen irocks and leathern
aprons ; — let the farmers themselves take the direction
into their own hands, and govern them in a manner that
shall be practically wise.

Here may 1 be permitted to make a suggestion, which
seems to me capable of being advantageously applied.
It is to make it a part of the course of instruction in our
common schools to learn the elements of agricultural
science, the constituents of soils and manures, the
geological formation of the earth, the physiology of
plants, and the philosophy of vegetation. I do not sup-
pose that all boys at school can fully comprehend these
subjects, in which the wisest can ever find some-
thing new ; but they can acquire the original elerrients,
and when once impressed on the youthful mind with
proper illustrations, they will never be entirely effaced.
Like nursery tales they will constantly be recurring to
recollection, for instruction and delight. The modern
system of teaching useful ideas at the same time that
boys are taught to read and to parse, is worthy the at-
tention of those who direct these matters; — and what
more useful ideas can be selected than those which are
essential to be known by a large majority of the people?
We have our grammars and text books simplified to the
lowest degree on every other subject; — why should there
not be such on a2:riculture ? Would there be any difR-
culty in collecting a cabinet of specimens in each of these
schools for the illustration of all these subjects ? Let
it be known that these things were to be taught, and
then teachers would take care to be prepared to teach.
In what manner could a Dana, a Jackson, or a Gkay,
who have by their publications, manifested so much abil-
ity to instruct the farmers themselves, better add to their
well earned reputation of public benefactors, than by
preparing an agricultural catechism for common schools?
One adapted to the instruction of the pupil, rather than
a display of the knowledge of the auihor. And how
could our learned Board of Education, whose peculiar
duty it is to cherish these institutions, which are the pride

MR. proctor's adduess. 39

and glory of New Fngland, better tKlvance the interests
of the Commonwealth, than by making such a work a
part of the requisite studies in all our schools ? He that
contributes to elevate the condition of the farmer, im-
proves the main pillar of the State.

While penning these remai'ks, a notice came to hand
of a liberal appropriation by the State of New York, a
glorious State, always ready to go ahead in every good
work, for the establishment of a State Agricultural
School. Shall Massachusetts be out-done in a work so
essential to her best interests? We admire that liberal-
ity which has founded and cherished the many noble
Institutions of learning and benevolence with which she
is blessed, and blessing the afflicted and unfortunate. —
To her immortal glory will her charities to the drof, the
blind, and the insane, be ever held in remembrance.
But is there not a necessity for something more directly
to be done for that class which constitutes the major
part of her population? Without a common centre,
without a fountain from which teachers are to be drawn,
we shall look in vain for those qualified to teach. We
want practical instruction. We want that kind of in-
struction which is calculated to quality young men in
the best manner for the real business of life. We want
Institutions that shall combine theory with practice, so
regulated that when our sons graduate, they shall not
then be under the necessity o\' be graving to learn. Whence
have originated, and how have been educated, those
practically useful men, of which our Country has most
reason to be proud? Let the history of a Franklin, a
Rumford, or a Bowditch, all sons of Massachusetts, an-
swer the inquiry.

I cannot otherwise so forcibly express my views of the
importance of establishing agricultural schools, as by
quoting the langua;^^e of that most eminent friend of the
farmer, and of man, in his last address, delivered at
New Haven in 1839 — the late Judge Buel of Albany.
*' I pretend not," says he, " to the spirit of prophecy,
yet I venture to predict, that many who now hear me,
will live to see professional schools of agriculture estab-

40 MR. PROCTOIl*S ADDRESS.

lished in our land; to see their utility extolled; and to
be induced to consider them the best nurseries for re-
publican virtue, and the surest guarantee for the perpe-
tuity of our liberties."

Accurate observers have estimated that more than
half the young men from the country who have left the
rural pursuits of their fathers, for the more fascinating
and promising employments of the city, have either been
ensnared in the nets of vice there spread at every cor-
ner, or been made frantic with the visionary dreams of
speculation, so that before the meridian of life, ruin has
been their destiny. Have we any reason to expect bet-
ter things in future ? Is there such an improvement in
the moral condition of our cities as to allay our fears ?
If heretofore, one half have been lost, what is now the
prospect ? Let the wise parent say which is the better,
so to educate his sons that they may settle down around
him, substantial, useful citizens, or send them to the
cities to seek their fortune with the equal chance of ter-
minating their career in infamy.

I cannot forbear quoting a sentence on this subject
from an address delivered before the Berkshire Agricul-
tural Society, in Oct. 1829, by an authority as high as
any other in the Commonwealth — and as well entitled
to respect. Says the orator,* "It should thus be one
of the first and most important objects of the farmer,
after having familiarized his son to habits of industry,
and instructed him in those branches of labor fitted to
boyhood and early youth, to provide for him the means
of a regular and systematic education, and when he shall
have finished his course of education, instead of indulging
the delusive hope of deriving honor or success by entering
into those learned professions which are already crowded
to overflowing, and dividing the profits of a dunning let-
ter with some hungry brother of the bar, or mounting the
same steed with some half starved disciple of /E.sculapi-
us, let him return to the pursuits of early life and become
the industrious, intelligent, and independent farmer."'

* George N. Briggs, Esq., — the present Governor of the Commonwealth.

MR. proctor's address. 41

In glancing at prominent incidents in the history of
this Society, the aid it has received from the Clergy of
the County, should not be passed unnoticed. At its
commencement they were all freely admitted honorary
members. From many of them have we received much
useful instruction, both in their learned discussions of
agricultural topics, and their practical application of the
principles taught. From none more than our venerable
friend at Bradford,* who is always at his post ready to
serve in the cabinet or the field. The pages of our
journals will fully sustain this remark. Such examples
of practical and elaborate usefulness are an honor to the
profession. Not less are we indebted to our friend now
in Europe,! who having drained our own Commonwealth,
and drawn deeply upon the inexhaustible fountains of the
Empire State, is now laboring with his characteristic
ardor to amuse and enlighten the world. Gladly would
I have adverted to some of the interesting hints and facts
with which he has lately favored us, in his view of the
present stale of agriculture in England. But they must
not be marred by abridgment.

With the Clergy it mainly rests, whether agriculture
shall continue to iiourish and advance. Diffused as they
are in every village and corner of the land, and holding
the controling influence which should ever be conceded
to men who fill this station, as it ought to be filled ; if
they would but lend their counsel for the introduction of
new improvements, and apply their hours of leisure in
practical illustrations of them, they would add much to
their benign influence upon those under their charge ; —
and indirectly increase the fleeces on the f.ocks from which
they are to be clothed. Was it not a good custom of our
fathers, when they settled their minister (for life, as all
such settlements should be,) to provide him with a man-
sion and a few acres for tillage, upon which, by his own
industry, he could raise a portion of those little comforts so
convenient to all? By thus dividing their labors between

» Rev. G. B. Perry.
t R(3v. H. Colman.

6

42 MR. proctor's address.

the garden and the study, they found themselves greatly .
benefitted in the products of the one, and in the superior
ability to discharge the duties of the other.

Farmers of Essex, — Notwithstanding the many ob-
stacles with which you have to contend, in the compar-
atively hard and unfertile character of your soil, — in the
tedious and protracted labors of the winter, — in the oc-
casional interruptions of your crops by drought or by
frosts, — and in the competition from the overflowing
superabundance of other climes more favored ; — still
you have much reason to rejoice and be content with
your condition. First of all — that you are freemen —
and all around you are so. The curse of slavery does
not, and cannot exist on your soil. That spirit of liber-
ty which animated the breasts of our pilgrim fathers,
when they abandoned their homes and friends, most dear
for conscience' sake, by the patriotic efforts of their most
distinguished son* in our courts of justice, secured tons
this boon forever. No one circumstance has contributed
more than this to elevate the character of the people of
Massachusetts. Happy are we even now, in the vigor-
ous protection of this palladium of our liberties, by the
manly efforts of his descendants, not less distinguished.
When services like these shall be forgotten, then will
freedom cease to be worthy of remembrance.

Congratulate yourselves on the general prevalence of
the sound conservative principles of liberty, integrity
and law, that pervade this community. Where on the
face of the globe can there be found a people, in the sta-
bility of whose institutions more confidence can be placed
than in those of the good old County of Essex ? When
has it been known that popular phrenzy or misguided
fanaticism were here to any considerable extent trium-
phant ? When did the people of Essex ever presume
to be wiser than the law ? Who ever for a moment
questioned the entire security of life, liberty, and prop-
erty within our borders ? Of what avail is it that there
are other lands, watered with crystal streams, warmed

* Hon. John Adams, in 1765, at Boston.

MR. proctor's address. 43

with a milder sun, and regaled with ambrosial breezes,
if these rights are insecure ? Have we not still ringing
in our ears, from the favored paradise of the atlantic
shores, the city of brotherly love, and from the fertile
prairies of the west, rumors that make our nerves rigid
with horror, and chill the blood within us ? Who for
a moment would exchange the peaceful security of the
New England farmer's cottage, for the splendor of a
palace thus surrounded ? Be content then, with the lot
assigned you, and avail yourselves of all the means at
your command for its improvement. Who but the far-
mer did the poet contemplate, when he wrote

" Reason's whole pleasure, all the joys of sense,
Lie in three words, health peace, and competence."

Contrast for one moment, the condition of the Massa-
chusetts farmer with the farmer in England, as given
by Mr. Colman in his report just published. There,
rarely if ever, does he own a rod of the soil that he cul-
tivates ; — burdened with an annual rent that would al-
most purchase the acres here, — subject to the whim
and caprice of an aristocratic landlord, whom he dare
not approach, except by gracious permission, — the won-
der is, that he has a heart to labor at all, — or even to
superintend the labor of others. I now speak of the
higher class of farmers, who rent the lands of the lords
above them. If you look at those who actually do the
labor, you there find the ditcher^ ditcher for life ; — the
ploughman, incapacitated for any other employment, —
with a mind as void of intelligence as the horses he
drives ; — and all with such limited means of sustenance
and support, as never for a moment to indulge the hope
of a shelter from the storm, that they may call their own.
Such things maybe endured where better are not known.
But such things will not be endured by those who have
inhaled the breezes that wave, over our rock-bound
shores.

England, who boasts of her abhorrence of enslaving the
Africans, to her honor be it ever remembered, at the same
time degrades her own sons with a more servile slavery.

44 MR. proctor's address.

Wonder not that reform is contemplated ; — humanity
demands it ; — the spirit of liberty demands it ; — Christi-
anity demands it. Let it come — come it must.

Have we not cause of congratulation in the improved
moral and social condition around us ? Is it not true
among farmers as with others, that their customs and hab-
its have materially changed for the better within a few
years ? Twenty-five years since, and nine-tenths of our
farmers were more or less in bondage to alcohol. I do
not mean that so many of them were intemperate, in the
ordinary sense of the term, but that they were in the
habit of using that which was not necessary to be used —
to the great detriment of themselves and their estates.
Where will the farmer now be found, who will unblush-
ingly say, before he commences his haying, that he must
lay in as many gallons, or even quarts of spirit, as he ex-
pects to cure tons of hay ? Or that his men cannot com-
mence mowing in the morning, without their bitters; —
proceed at eleven o'clock without their grog; — or load
in the afternoon, without their bumper; — not to mention
the grosser indulgences of the evening. Time was,
when these customs, by whatever name they were call-
ed, were as familiar as household gods. When even the
sober man thought that some was necessary in haying —
especially in going to the meadows, or the marsh. But
manners have changed with times ; — what was once al-
most a universal custom, is now only to be countenanced
for m.edicinal purposes, and then with sound discretion.
May the change be perpetual.

May I not congratulate you on the auspicious circum-
stances to our country, under which you have this day
assembled ? All classes of our fellow citizens actively
and successfully employed. The necessaries and com-
forts of life at command in abundance. The prices of
labor, such that no man in health need to be in want.
Each of the various branches of industry in the commu-
nity, receiving its due encouragement, under the foster-
ing protection of our government : and in a multitude
of ways, mutually aiding each other. The farmer feeds
the manufacturer : the raanuliicturer clothes the farm-

MVx. proctor's address. 45

er ; the merchant transports their commodities from
one to the other ; and the surplus, if any, where it is
most needed. In the body politic, as in the natural
body, — no one part can say to the other, I have no need
of thee ; but the united and harmonious co-operation
of all is essential to entire success. If one is sick,
the others will faint ; if one languishes, the others will
decay.

Whatever may have heretofore been thought, it is
now admitted by all, whose opinions are of any value,
that the vocation of the farmer is as honorable and re-
spectable, as any other in the community.

" Worth makes the man."

Our most distinguished and valued citizens have been
farmers, and esteemed it their highest honor to be con-
sidered such. Instance the farmer of Mount Vernon;
the farmer of North Bend; and may I not add, the far-
mer o{ Ashland; to complete a trio, of which any nation
might be proud.

To be an honest, worthy, and intelligent farmer, is
the highest grade of nobility ever to be desired in this
land of equal rights. When other titles shall tower
above this, then will our liberties be in danger. In the
"times that tried men's souls," to whom did we look
but to the substantial yeomanry of the country for suc-
cor and support. Our main reliance for the protection
of our rights, under the Providence of God, will ever
be on the independent tenants of the soil. The home
of the farmer is on the soil he tills ; — there he desires
to live ; — there he expects to die ; — there he hopes will
abide his descendants for many generations. How
direct then his interest in the welfare of his coun-
try ! — How ardent his hope that she may continue to
prosper !

Remember that our rational enjoyments do not de-
pend so much upon the bounties of nature, as upon our
personal exertions to procure those enjoyments.

Our necessity for labor is the surest protection against
the allurements of vice.

46 MR. proctor's address.

When man was originally placed in the garden of Eden,
in a condition the most favorable for happiness, in the
power of Omnipotence to create, he was directed " to
dress it and to keep it,"*' by the application of his own
labor ; and such has ever been his duty and his privilege,
and ever will be, while the laws of nature shall endure.

REPORTS, &c.

ON SWINE.

The entries this year have been as follows: — "Mr.
Joseph Andrews, of Essex, presented his Boar, part
Berkshire, 5 1-2 months old, weighing 190 lbs. This
young porker is a very fine animal, very corpulent and
very round shouldered, — qualities which would be con-
sidered deformities in other young gentlemen, but which
are essential to a pig's perfection. He appeared in
thriving condition, and had the advantage of the animal
offered by Mr. Williams in being one month his senior.
The Committee award Mr. Andrews the first premium
of $5 00

Mr. Paul D. Hatch, of Hamilton, introduced the Com-
mittee to a matronly sow, only a year old last May, who
had with her eleven of her children. The Committee
did not inquire after the rest of the family, but those
present were a thriving company of young grunters,
and gave much credit to their mother for the excellent
manner in which she has performed her maternal duties,
she having reared this large family from the cradle to
the present time without the assistance of nurse or 'help'
of any kind. The Committee had some difficulty in de-
ciding between this matron and one of the sows offered
by Mr. Williams, but they felt bound to consider in
their award the best breeding qualities, and as our
Hamilton friend beat her Byfield competitor by a clear
constitutional majority of four pigs, they have awarded
to her the second premium of $3 00

48 ON SWINE.

Mr. Moses French, of East Salisbury, offered a litter
of four Pigs not quite six months old, weighing 769 lbs.
This was a very interesting group of young porkers, of
that indefinable size between pig and pork which ren-
dered it very difficult to decide to which class they be-
longed, but the Committee, although they believe the
hog predominated, yet in the absence of any standard to
decide the precise time when a pig ceases to be a pig
and becomes a hog, have admitted their pighood, and
awarded Mr. French the second premium of ^3 00

Mr. William Willams, of Byfield parish, Newbury, of-
fered one breeding Sow with nine pigs, to which was
awarded first premium of §5 00

One breeding Sow with seven pigs.

One litter of four Pigs 4^ months old, average weight
212 lbs., first premium " $6 00

One Boar 4i months old, to which was awarded the
second premium of $2 00

This is a very superior breed of swine, and the Com-
mittee wish it might receive the attention of the farmers
of Essex County, and be extended in its present purity
over the country. It is the result of a careful crossing
of some of the native breeds with a couple of English
emi-grunts who came to this country a few years ago,
and this improved breed is half English, quarter Mac-
key, and quarter Byfield, and appears to possess the best
qualities of all three. We verily believe that no pen
can adequately describe their many admirable proper-
ties ; our own shrinks instinctively from the effort and
we can only refer the connoisseur in swine's flesh to the
Pens of the Society.

At the show last year the Committee were so well
satisfied by a mere external examination of this breed of
Swine, that they awarded Mr. Williams the two first
premiums. He was however aware of the truth of the
proverb that " the proof of the pudding is in the eating,'*
and he accordingly tendered to the chairman of this
Committee a delicate portion of the premium pork, for a
more perfect test of its quality. In acknowledging the
superiority of the pork the Committee take occasion to

ON SWINE. 49

recommend the example of Mr. Williams for the gener-
al imitation of the fai-mers of Kssex. In making this re-
commendation we hope no one will be disposed to raise
the stale cry of' bribery and corruption.' The commit-
tee would resent such an imputation with the scorn it
merits. Sooner than be influenced by such considera-
tions they would consent to he burned at the steak !

Byfield has become as celebrated for its breeds of swine
as for her Dummer School, and the many pupils of that
ancient Seminary may look back on its delightful shades
and associate in pleasant remembrance its science and
swine, its litters as well as its letters, its pork and its
philosophy.

Other places in the County arc destined to immortality
from associations connected with the swinish race. Ips-
wich has done herself honor by giving the name of Hog-
town to one of her pleasant localities, and thus has at-
tained a high place in swinish annals. The town of
Essex has also her Hog Island, on which have been rais-
ed some of the finest Choates in the country, and one of
the most beautiful eminences in the town of Danvers, is
known by the name of Hoghill.

Beverly has the enviable distinction of having the
largest swinish population in the County. By the last
census she had 900 swine, which is several hundred
more than any other town or city, and she is emphati-
cally the banner town of the County for living pork.
And why should it not be so ? Beverly has long been
celebrated for the excellence of its beans, and there
seems to be a kind of natural and harmonious union sub-
sisting between these two admirable esculents. What
would be the vegetable without the oily unctuousness of
the animal substance ? and what viand comparable
with both united ! With these two great staple com-
modities and clad in her bristling armor, she may defy
the world — but if ever she suffers her vines to languish
and her poles to be driven into exile, it is to be feared
that her glory will also de|)art.

Lynn, too, has her share of swinish honors, derived
from the extraordinary merits of a single individual of
7

50 ON SWINE.

the race, of whom the committee have it in their power
to present a biographical sketch. We are indebted to
Mr. John Alley, 3d, under whose patronage this individ-
ual was reared and educated, for some particulars of his
life.

We shall omit his name, for the simple reason that he
never had one, his parents probably thinking that with-
out a name he would " smell as sweet." Of his origin
we know but little, except that he was the son of his
mother, who died suddenly when he was a few months
old and left him an early orphan. He became remark-
able for his rapid growth and the excellence of his ap-
petite, and soon arrived at that middle age of swine-
hood when his porkship appeared a living epitome of
good nature and good living. He continued to expand
in size until he became a Daniel Lambert of the race
and possessed great weight in swinish society. He was
a solid character, and his specific gravity was only
equalled by his gravity of demeanor, — indeed there was
nothing waggish about him — but his tail. He now be-
came a worthy member of the I. O. of Fat Fellows and
attained to their highest degree. His corpulency pre-
vented him from travelling, and although he had never
been to roam he was familiar with the rich stores of
ancient and modern grease. He possessed neither title
or trust deeds, but was nevertheless entitled to be trust-
ed for his good deeds. The state of the money market
gave him no concern, and he cared little for the rise and
fall of stocks — except corn stalks, which he always ap-
peared anxious to get down. He early acquired a ilis-
gust at party politics by observing the greediness with
which some partizans have thrust their snouts into the
public swill-pail. He often thought that some aspiring
individuals had much better have a sty in their eye than
the White House at Washington. In his political views
there seemed to be something like inconsistency, as is
frequently the case, with those who proiess neutrality.
He was ii. favor of protection, and was a ravenous advo-
cate of home consumjnion. He also favored large Cor-
porations and at the same time was a strong advocate of

ON SWINE. 51

retrenchment and delighted in cutting down celeries.
He never was a candidate for any public station, and it
is believed that his modesty would prevent him from
accepting the offer of any office, from that of Committee
on Swine down to the President of the United Stales.

Notwithstanding he was ten feet long from extremity
to extremity, the event proved that he was not long for
this world, and in his last extremity no friend was found
to save him from the hand of the assassin. He was rap-
idly increasing in size until the time of his departure,
which was in November last, at the age of two years
and six months. At the post mortem examination of
his remains it was found that his enormous bulk had
reached the weight of more than twelve hundred pounds!
What prodigality of fatness was here ! what a mass-
meeting of pork, concentrated in a single individual !
The County of Essex challenges the world to produce
his equal.

His usefulness ceased not with his life. By the fol-
lowing estimate from Mr. Alley, we are made acquaint-
ed with the value of his remains, considered merely as
an article of domestic economy.

They would have furnished a public dinner for His
Excellency, the Governor ; His Honor, the Lieut. Gov-
ernor ; the Executive Council, and all the Mayors and
Aldermen of the three cities of the Commonwealth, and
have supplied a second table for the School Committee
and Common Council of the city of Salem; — besides en-
abling this latter body to give a " cold shoulder" to the
clergy.

They would also have provided fat and rashers for the
chowder of the city government of Salem, on their an-
nual visit to the harbor to contemplate the two Miseries
and Cat Island.

Solid fat for one hundred and twenty-seven pots of
beans.

Liquid ditto to fry seven hundred and fifty-five pounds
of fresh fish.

Ditto to saturate six hundred and seventy-four pounds
of salt ditto.

52 ON SWINI^.

Shortening for ninety-two suj)erficial feet ofsliort-cake,
end —

Ditto, for two thousand three hundred and seventy-
eight very corpulent doughnuts.

It only remains in closing this memoir to give some
account of his manner of living ; and here candor com-
pels us to the admission that he lived and died a bache-
lor, but in extenuation we have the best of reasons for
believing that like many others of that unhappy class this
was his misfortune and not his ftiult. He was careless
of his personal appearance and gave no employment to
the tailor, dentist or barber. He was equally uncon-
cerned about the furniture of his ha})itation, and his car-
pet, although ofhome production, had all the softness if
not the variety of colors of the Brussels. He was irreg-
ular in hisrhabits, eating when hungry, drinking when
thirsty, and sleeping when inclined by nature to rest.
Mr. Alley informed us with apparent sincei'ity that he
subsisted mainlj' on raw Indian meal and potatoes. The
Committee know Mr. Alley to be a gentleman of strict
veracity and they do not like to question his statements —
but they had supposed it more likely that he lived on
green turtle soup and pound cake with an occasional
meal of boiled sahnon and canvass back ducks. Indeed
they have the evidence of some of the neighbors that
fragments of these and other delicacies were frequently
seen about his dining-trough, which, if true, would go
far to account for the extraordinary bulk to which he
attained.

It is a source of much gratification to your Committee
that the knights of the snout and bristle have had their
advocates among the wise and learned of all ages. Per-
haps the race is as much indebted for the consideration
in which they r.re at present held to that pleasing wri-
ter, the late Charles Lamb, as to any other author. It
is highly gratifying to see this prince of modern Essay-
ists, essaying to speak the praises of pork. We cannot
forbear quoting a few sentences from his Dissertation on
Roast Pig, as published in the Essays of Elia : —

u pia_let me speak his praise — is no less provocative

ON SWTNf-,. 53

of the appetite than lie is satisfactory to the criticalness
of the censorious palate. The strong man may fatten
on him and the weakling refuseth not his mild juices.

There is no flavor comparable, I will contend, to that
of the cri«:p, tawny, well-watched, not over-roasted,
crackling as it is well called ; the very teeth are invited
to their share of the pleasure at this banquet in over-
coming the coy, brittle resistance — with the adhesive,
oleaginous — oh call it not fat — but an undefinable sweet-
ness growing up to it. The tender blossoming of fat —
fat cropped in the bud — taken in the first innocence —
tjie cream and quintessence of the child pig's pure food —
the lean — no lean, but a kind of animal manna — or rath-
er, fat and lean (if it must be so,) so blending and run-
ning into each other, that both together make one am-
brosial result, one common substance.

Behold him while he is doing — it seemeth rather a
refreshing warmth than a scorching heat he is so passive
to. How equably he turneth round the sti'ing. Now
he is just done. To see the extreme sensibility at that
tender age, he hath wept out his pretty eyes — radiant
jellies — shooting stars.

See him in the dish, his second cradle, how meek he
lieth ! wouldst thou have had this innocent grow up to
the grossness and indocility which so often accompany
maturer swinehood ? Ten to one he would have proved
a glutton, a sloven, an obstinate, disagreeable animal,
wallowing in all manner of filthy conversation ; from
these sins he is happily snatched away —

Ere sin could blight or sorrow fade,
Death came with kindly care."

So much for Charles Lamb. After reading this eu-
logy, from the pen of so distinguished a writer, we are
at a loss which most to admire — Lamb or pig — the au-
thor or his subject — the hero or the historian. One is
transcendentally good — the other transcends transcen-
dentalism itself in description. Lamb derives inspi-
ration from pig, and pig in his turn is indebted for im-
mortality to Lamb. After mature reflection and con-

54 ON SWINE — ON THE DA FRY.

.sidering that we are a Committee on Swine, we have
felt bound to take our stand upon pig — not that we love
Lamb less, but pig more.

The late eminent writer, and celebrated Poet, Robert
Southey, although he held the high station of Poet Lau-
reate of England, and whose special duty it was to com-
pose Sonnets and birth-day Odes in honor of Royalty,
has wielded the same powerful pen in defence of his
Royal Highness the Hog. We think we cannot more
appropriately close this report than by citing a few lines
from his apology for the Pig.

-"I do not love to see thy nose

Turned up in scornful curve at yonder pig.

It would 1)0 well my friend, if we, like him,

Were perfect in our kind. And why despise

The sow-horn (jrunter? Thou sayst he lives

A dirty life. Here I could shelter him

With precedents right reverend and noble.

And show by sanction of authority

That 'tis a very honorable thing

To thrive by dirty ways. But let me rest

On better ground, the unanswerable defence.

The Pig is a Philosopher, who knows

No prejudice. Dirt! Wliat is dirt.?

If matter, why the delicate dish that tempts

The o'er gorged epicure is nothing more.

And there — that breeze

Pleads with me, and has won thee to the smile

That speaks conviction. O'er yon blossomed field

Of beans it came, and thoughts of bacon rise."

For the Committee,

F. POOLF

ON THE DAIRY.

The Committee on the Dairy, in presenting their Re-
port, would remark, that the first prerequisite in making
good butter is to have good cows. And to be sure in
this respect, every farmer should test the value of each
cow by milking and preserving her milk separately, and
noting carefully the quantity required to make a pound
of butter. By a very little attention in this way, it may

ON THE DAIRY. 55

be readily ascertained whether a cow is worth keeping
for Dairy pnposes. Cases have occurred where a cow
has been kept for years with several others and their
milk put together, on using it separately, it was found
that butter could not be made from it. Thus for the
want of attention in this respect, much loss may be sus-
tained. There are, undoubtedly, many cows kept which
add little or nothing to the value of the daii'y.

The kind and quantity of salt used, is of much con-
sequence. The Liverpool bag salt should be rejected ;
it contains impurities, and will not preserve butter.
Rock salt, perfectly pulverized, and three-fourths of an
ounce used ro a pound of butter, will preserve it well.

There were eight entries of butter, three of cheese,
and two parcels of butter for exhibition, only, by Joseph
Andrews, of Essex, and William Johnson, of Andover,
which appeared to be good.

The Committee after a careful inspection of the sam-
ples exhibited, award for June butter to

George W. Uodge, of Wenham, the first premium, of
ten dollars.

To Mrs. Abi Worcester, of Byfield, the second, of
eight dollars.

To Paul P. Pillsbury, of Andover, the third, of six
dollars.

For butter, made between the 20th of June and 20th
of September,

To Allen W. Dodge, of Hamilton, the first premium,
often dollars.

To Nathaniel Felton, of Danvers, the second, of eight
dollars.

To Benjamin Boynton, of Andover, the third, of six
dollars.

Three parcels of cheese were presented, which were
fine in appearance, viz. by Isaac Carruth, Daniel P.
Stevens, and Benjamin Boynton, of Andover ; but, inas-
much as no premiums were oflered by the Society, for
cheese, none could be awarded.

The Committee did not find the butter of Thomas
McMaliun, of Ipswich ; and the statement of Dean Rob-

56 ON THE DAIRY.

iuson, of West Newbury, tlid not describe the feeding
ot" his cows, as retjuired.

A nnexed are the statements of the successful claimants.

i'Vy the CoDimittee,

JOSIAH NEWHALl,.
Sept. 25, 1844.

GEORfiE W. DODGE'S STATEMENT.
To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentleaien, — I present for your inspection two box-
es of September butter, containing 29 lbs., being a spe-
cimen of 416 lbs. made between the 20th of May, and
20th of September, from the milk of five cows; also, a
pot of June butter, conta'ning 25 lbs. Besides makhig
the above named quantity of butter, we have sold seventy
gallons of milk, and used at least half a gallon per day in
the family. The feed of the cows was a common pas-
tui-e, until August ; since then, they have had a small
foddering of corti stalks at night.

Process of making. The milk is strained into tin pans,
where it stands from thirty-six to forty-eight hours, when
it is skimmed and the cream put into tin pails, standing
on the bottom of a cool cellar. A little salt is added to
the cream which is frequently stirred. We churn twice
a w^eek. When the butter comes, the butter-milk is
thoroughly worked out, and the butter salted with an
ounce to the pound. After twenty-four hours it is again
woi'ked and weighed.

GKORGE W. DODUE.

Wenham, Sept. 24, 1844.

MRS. A B 1 WORCESTER'S STATE M E N T .

To the CommUiec. on the I )iiiry :

Gi:nt[,emen, — I offer for your inspection the following
lot of butter :

Twenty-one lbs. seven ounces of butter, made from
one cow, from May 12th to May 31st.

Forty-one lbs. two ounces, made in the month of June
from two cows.

ON THE DAIRY. 57

Seventy-nine lbs. eight ounces, made from July 1st to
Sept. 22d, from two cows.

The cows were young, one three and the other four
years old. Their keeping was ordinary pasturing, no
extra keeping at all.

Manner of making and preserving the butter : — The
cream was churned twice a week, then the butter was
washed in cold water. One ounce of fine butter salt was
used to one pound of butter, and well worked in. After
it had remained twenty-four hours, it was worked over
and packed down solid in a stone pot and covered with
strong brine.

ABI WORCESTER.

Byfield, Sept. 25, 1844.

PAUL P. PILLSBURY'S STATEMENT.
To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen, — I present for your inspection one pot
of June butter, containing 35 lbs. being a specimen of 164
lbs. made between the 1st of June and the 9th of July,
from four cows.

Process of making — The milk is strained into tin pans
and stands thirty-six hours. The cream is then taken
off and put into a tin firkin, and kept until it is ready to
be churned, which is twice a week. The butter is well
rinsed in cold water and then salted with one ounce of
salt to a pound of butter. In about twenty-four hours it
is worked again and packed down and kept on the bot-
tom of the cellar, covered w^ith fine salt. The feed of
the cows was a common pasture.

PAUL P. PILLSBURY.

Andover, Sept. 24, 1844.

ALLEN W.DODGE'S STATEMENT.

7o the Commitlee on tJie Dairy :

Gentlemen, — I present as a specimen of September
butter, the three boxes containing 31 lbs. churned the
last week, the whole quantity made the present season.

58 ON THE DAIRY.

up to that time, being 1157 lbs. The following state-
ment I send in compliance with the rules of the Society :

1. The number of cows kept is twelve, besides one
two-year-old heifer — all of native breed, and a portion
of them, of my own raising.

2. Their feed in the winter was hay, of good quality,
so that they came from the barn in the spring, in good
iiesh. Their pasture has been of fair quality, though it
has suffered much from the dryness of the season. Since
the first of August, they have had the run of a part of
my mowing lots, and from the 20th of that month, have
been fed at night with green corn fodder, raised for this
purpose.

3. Treatment of milk and cream before churning : —
Strain the milk in tin pans ; place them in a cool cellar
for the cream to rise; when sufficiently risen, which will
be according to the weather, separate the cream from
the milk, and the day previous to churning lower the
cream in tin pails or cans, into a well, in order to become
cool. By this means, the butter will come of a hard
consistency, and no difficulty is experienced in working
it thoroughly.

5. Mode of churning: — Rinse the churn with cold
water over night. The churn used is Gait's — various
other kinds have been tried, such as the barrel churn,
and the rocking churn, but with less favorable results.
The time occupied in churning, when the cream is quite
cold, is greater than if it was not subjected to the pro-
cess of cooling, but the quality and condition of the but-
ter amply repay for the time and labor expended upon it.
Churn once a week.

5. The method of freeing the butter from the milk, is
by thoroughly working the Ijutter with the hands. Rins-
ing it with cold water in the churn, we have seldom
practised, from a conviction that the butter is injured
by this process. The day after being worked over, it
is put into lumps of one pound each, for market.

6. Salting of the butter. Use the ground rock salt,
and salt to suit the taste. Add no saltpetre, sugar, nor
other substances.

ON THE DAIRY. 59

Besides making the above quantity of butter, we have
used milk for two families, about two gallons per day,
during the season.

Yours respectfully,

ALLEN W. DODGE.
Hamilton, Sept. 23, 1844.

NATHANIEL F E L T O N ' S STATEMENT.
To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen, — I present for your inspection two boxes
of September butter, containing 25 lbs, being a specimen
of 861 lbs. made since the 20th of May. This butter was
made from the milk of eight cows. The feed was com-
mon pasturing till the first of August, since then they
have had corn stalks once a day. We have used milk
for ten in the family.

Process of making: — The milk is strained into tin pans;
it stands from thirty-six to forty-eight hours, in a cool
cellar, when the cream is taken off, put into tin pails,
and stirred every day. We churn once a week ; during
the warmest weather the cream is placed in the well
about twelve hours before churning. After it is churned
the butter-milk is thoroughly worked out and the butter
is salted with three quarters of an ounce to the pound.
After standing about an hour it is again worked and
weighed, each pound separately.

One of the cows has been in milk seventeen months.

NATHANIEL FELTOxV.
South Danvers, Sept. 24, 1844.

BENJAMIN B O Y N T O N ' S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairi/ :

Gentleinien, — The butter I offer for inspection, was
made the present month. I offer 25 lbs., being a sam-
ple of 190 lbs. This butter was made from the milk of
three (small) native cows. Their feed was pasturing

GO ON THE DAIRY — ON COWS AND HEIFEKS.

only ; we have also made cheese, four meal, 277 lbs.,
and new milk 125 lbs., and used the milk necessary lor
seven persons.

Process of making : — The milk is strained into tin
pans. It stands forty-eight hours in a cool cellar, when
the cream is taken off, put in a pot and stirred once a
day. We churn once a week. After the butter is chui'n-
ed the butter- milk is turned from it, and water is added
twice, and churned to separate the butter- milk from it.
One ounce of salt is used to a pound of butter, which is
worked twice after.

BEN.TAMIN BOYNTON.

Andovor, Sept. 24, 1844.

ON COWS AND HEIFERS.

Ti[E Committee upon milch cows and heifers have at-
tended tiie duty assigned them, and make the following
report upon all the animals presented, and coming with-
in the rules and regulations of the Society :

They award to Joseph P. Pond, of Salem, for his milch
cow, the fiist premium of $10,00

To Wm. Chase, of Salem, for his milch cow,
the second premium, 7,00

To Joseph Horton, of Ipswich, for his milch
cow, the third premium, 5,00

They also award to Josiah Crosby, of Ando-
ver, for his heifer, the first premium, 7,00

All which is respectfully submitted.
By your Committee,

x^ATHANIEE HARRIS,
JOHN WHITTREDGE,
HEZEKIAH F. STEVENS.

.T (> s E r II r . r o N D > s statement.

The cow oHbred for a premium, by the subscriber, is
nine years old, and is of native breed. vShe calved Nov.
l()lh, 1843 ; call (aken from her at nine days old. Tiie
milk of course could not be weighed while the calf was

ON COWS AND IIETFF.RS. 61

with her, but in this statement has been put down to
average the same as the next succeeding nine days and
this statement embraces ten months, or three hundred
and five days, and during that time she has given ten thou-
sand six hundred and sixty-five and three quarter pounds
of milk, making a daily average of 34|-|f pounds, ending
this day, and the milk is of a very uncommon rich qual-
ity, but has never been tried for butter, because no op-
portunity has offered, and her milk has been sold among
my neighbors daily. Her keeping has been from time
of calving, during the winter, half a bushel of carrots
each night and morning, with four pounds of shorts at
noon, with what second crop hay she would eat, and
since, during the summer, her feed has been very short,
and I have been obliged to feed her night and morning,
say about eight pounds of shorts per day, or its equiva-
lent.

JOSEPH P. POND.
Salem, Sept. 16, 1844.

WILLIAM CHASE'S STATEMENT.

Milch cow, owned by William Chase, of Salem. Her
calf was taken from her, June 8th, 1844. For the re-
maining twenty-one days in June, she gave eight hun-
dred and ninety-nine lbs. of strained milk, being a small
fraction short of forty-three lbs. or a fraction more than
seventeen quarts per day. For three months commenc-
ing June 9th, she gave three thousand one hundred and
eighty-eight lbs., being an average of about thirty-five
lbs. or fourteen quarts per day. Her feed has been an
average of two quarts of meal and two of shorts per day'
with a poor pasture.

Her former owner states that the quantity of milk
given by her last year in a good pasture, with no oth-
er feed, was considerably larger ; thereby showing the
advantage of a good pasture, for the want of which,
allowance should be made. Her milk is of the first
quality.

62 ON cows AND HEIFERS.

In the above estimate, the quart is reckoned at two
and one half pounds. Her age is eight or nine vears.

WILLIAM CHASE.

er,

JOSEPH IIORTON'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Cows and Heifers :

Gentle:\ien, — I enter for premium my brindle cow,
four years old. She lost her calf the 3d of May las
From the 12th to the 15th of May, she made 3^ lbs. bu
The week ending May 21st, she made 7^ "
" " " " 28th, " " 8^ "

June 11th, " " 19i- "
'* 18th, " " 8i "
" 25th, " " 84- ''
July 2d, " " 7^ "
u 9th, u u 7 c;

" 23d, » " 13 "

Aug 6th, " " 13 "

" 20th, " " 13 "

Sept 3d, " " 15 "

" 17th, " " 14 "

138J pounds in
eighteen weeks and three days, and averaging seven
and a half lbs. per week.

JOSEPH HORTON.
Ipswich, Sept. 18, 1844.

Two weeks

One week

u u

<( ((

(( ((

Two weeks

it (I

a ((

(( ((

C( u

Makinof

JOSIAH CROSBY'S STATEMENT.

To the Com,mittee on Coifs and Heifers :

Gentlemen, — The heifer which I have entered this
day for a premium, was rsised on my farm. She is two
years and eleven months old. She was sired by a full
blood Durham bull, from stock imported by Mr. Silsbee,
of Bradford. She calved about the last of June, and has
had no extra keeping. She has given from twelve to
fourteen quarts of milk per day, and in a few instances

ON COWS AND HEIFERS ON BULLS. 63

has given sixteen quarts per day. She has averaged
seven lbs of butter per week from the time she calved,
to the present date.

If any farther information in regard to her is desired
by the Committee, I shall be on the ground, and shall
be happy to furnish it.

Yours, respectfully,

JOSIAH CROSBY.
North Andover, Sept. 24, 1844.

ON BULLS.

The Committee on bulls, consisting of Jedediah W.
Barker, Andover, Samuel Perley, Jr., Boxford, and The-
odore Andrews, Ipswich, — having attended to that du-
ty would respectfully report :

The whole number of animals present was thirteen.
They were mostly of a good quality, and the Committee
were of a unanimous opinion to award the premiums as
follows :

1st. Premium to Isaiah Rogers, of Ipswich, for his
Durham bull, three years old, ^8,00

2d. To the town of Ipswich, native bull,
three years old, $6,00

3d. To James D. Herrick, Methuen, for his
bull, half Ayrshire, half native, $4,00

There were three tine bull calves presented, but as
there was no premium offered, the Committe would re-
commend, if consistent wMth the rules of the Society, a
gratuity of two dollars to John Dole, of Rowley, for his
calf, one hundred and sixty-two days old.

Also, one dollar to Daniel Adams, Jr., of Newbury,
for his calf three months and five days old, native
breed.

Also, one dollar to Adam Nesmith, of Beverly, for
his calf four months old.

All of which is respectfully submitted.
Per order,

J. W. BARKER, Chairman.

64 ON STEERS OiN WORKING OXEN.

ON STEERS.

The Committee on Steers report : — That but two pairs
of" yearlings, one pair of two years old, and one pair of
three years old steers were entered for premium. They
consider the exhibition of cattle of this class rather inferi-
or to that of former years.

They award the first premium, of four dollars, to The-
odoi-e Dodge, of Wenham, for his yearling twin steers.

To Martha Chaplin, of Georgetown, for her three year
old steers, the first premium, of seven dollars.

The Committee would remark, that Mr. Dodge was
the only owner or agent, that could be found by them,
to give any information respecting their steers.
Per order of the Committee,

JESSE SHELDEN, Chairman.

ON WORKING OXEN AND STEERS.

Committee — Daniel Adams, Jr., Newbury ; Robert
Kimball, Ipswich ; Josiah Low, Essex ; George Dane,
Hamilton ; Albert Coggswell, Essex.

The Committee on Working Oxen and Steers, have
attended to the duties assigned them, and report :

That the number of working oxen exhibited at the
show, was unusually small, nine pair only were entered
for premium ; seven of which appeared on the ground,
and their strength and training were tested by drawing a
loaded wagon, containing two tons of stones ; weight of
wagon 1960, total 5960 lbs. from near the bridge, up the
hill to the flat in front of the Court House. The cattle as a
whole, performed their task quite well. Some, however^
were not very well trained to backing ; a qualification
([uite necessary for a perfect pair of working oxen. The
Committee, after much consideration, unanimously award

To Ebenezer Jenkins, of Andover, the first premium
of .f;iO 00

To Jacob Brown, of Ipswich, the second
premium of 7 00

To William Williams, of Rowley, the third
premium of 5 00

ON FAT CATTLE. 65

There was but one pair of steers, less than four years
old, entered for premium, and these were owned by Mr.
William Brown, of Danvers. The Committee were of
opinion, that in consequence of his steers being much
smaller than the oxen, the load should be lightened
some six or eight hundred pounds; but Mr. Brown
chose to try them with the same load that was drawn
by the oxen, and the Committee are happy to say, that
they performed the task, both up and down the hill, to
their perfect satisfaction, and also to the admiration and
satisfaction, as they believe, of every spectator; and
with much pleasure they award to Mr. Brown the first
premium of seven dollars^ for his beautiful steers, three
years and ten months old.

DANIEL ADAMS, Jr. Chairman.

ON FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle report, that there were
but three entries by two claimants for premiums.

'I'he Committee have decided to award the first pre-
mium, of ten dollars, to the fat off ox of Messrs. John
and Josiah Lamson, of Topsfield.

And the second premium, of eight dollars, to the off
ox of D. S= Caldwell of Byfield.

N. W. HAZEN,
ASA NELSON,
BENJAMIN SCOTT,
JOSEPH YEATON.
Ipswich, Sept. 25, 1844.

JOHN AND JOSIAH LAMSON 'S STATEMENT.
To the Committee on Fat Cattle :

Gentlemen, — We enter for premium, two fat oxen,
seven years old. They were kept during the last win-
ter and spring, upon common meadow and salt hay, till
late in April, after which, they were partly fed upon
English hay while the spring work continued, and no
9

66 ON FAT CATTLE ON PLMUGIlIiNG.

meal or other grain was given them till after the middle
of May, and from that time to the present they have
had about three quarts each, of Indian meal per day —
with a very small increase for the last two or three
weeks. They have been kept in one ordinary pasture,
without change, to this time, and were put to pasture
about the first of June. Nearly all the work upon the
farm was performed by this yoke during the winter, as
we had no others shod — they also performed a large
share of the spring work, and have occasionally been
used to the yoke during the summer. All of which is
respectfully submitted, by

Your obedient servants,

JOHN LAMSON,
JOSIAH LAMSON,
Topsfield, Sept. 25, 1844.

D. S. CALDWELL'S STATEMENT,
7^0 the Committee on Fat Cattle:

Gentlemen, — I present for a premium, one fat Ox,
seven years old, which, with his mate, has performed
most of the work on a farm of two hundred acres for
two years past, on ordinary keeping. They have been
fed with salt hay in winter, English hay in spring, and
common pasture in summer. They have not to my
knowledge had the amount of one bushel of corn, meal,
or roots. Besides the work on the farm, they have
worked four days last week for neighbors.

D. S. CALDWELL.

Byfield, Sept. 23, 1844.

ON PLOUGHING WITH DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on ploughing with double teams, re-
port that there were eleven entries, as follows:
By Stephen Emerson, of Middleton.
" George P. Wilkins, " "

ON PLOUGHING. 67

By Joshua Chandler, of Andover.

*' Joseph Chandler, jr., '

*' Jacob S. Phelps,

*' Ebenezer Jenkins,

*' Dean Robinson,

" Benjamin Poore,

" Jacob Brown,

" Micajah Treadwell,

" Allen W. Dodge,

West Newbury.

(C

Ipswich.

Hamilton.

The lots for double teams were all staked out and
numbered from 1 to 11.

The Committee consider this an improvement upon
the former practice of having the lots run out by a
plough, as the skill of the ploughman and teamster, and
the tiaining of the teams, are by this course tested in
drawing straight furrows, an item in good ploughing
which should not be lost sight of, where work is brought
to that perfection it should be in a county which has
been so long under cultivation.

The team entered by Allen W. Dodge of Hamilton,
(a team of likely young oxen,) near the commencement
of the work, broke their plough — and after one or two
unsuccessful attempts to repair it, Mr. Dodge signified
to the Committee his wish to withdraw, and not be con-
sidered as a competitor.

The land selected for the ploughing match by the
Committee of Arrangements wa? level and of uniform
quality. It was light loam with a tender sward, and
owing to the drought did not turn as well, and show as
smooth a surface after ploughing, as land more moist or
with tougher sward. Still the Committee are of opin-
ion, making due allowance for those circumstances, the
ploughing was better than on former years. The teams
considered as competitors all did work worthy of a premi-
um ; and as the Committee had but four to award they
had some difficulty in coming to a conclusion how to
award them. But after repeated examination of the
work, as to depth, width, and straightness of the fur-
row, the manner of turning, and also some slight re-
ference as to the time consumed in accomplishing the

68 ON PLOUGHING.

work, they unanimously agreed to award the premiums
offered by the Society, as follows :

To Micajah Treadwell, of Ipswich, first premium
of $10 00

To Benjamin Poore, of Indian Hill, West
Newbury, second premium of 8 00

To Ebenezer Jenkins, of Andover, third
premium of 6 00

To George P. Wilkins, of Middleton, fourth
premium of 4 00

Micajah Treadwell used Ruggles, Nourse & Mason's
Plough, Eagle No. 3 — ploughed thirty-six furrows in
thirty-five minutes.

Benjamin Poore, used Ruggles &. Co.'s Sward C —
ploughed thirty-five furrows in forty-one minutes.

Ebenezer Jenkins used Ruggles & Co.'s Improved
Eagle No. 4 — ploughed thirty-two furrows in thirty-
seven minutes.

George P. Wilkins used Prouty's No. 26 — ploughed
thirty-four furrows in forty-four minutes.

Jacob Brown used Ruggles & Co.'s Improved Kagle
No. 4 — ploughed thirty-four furrows in forty minutes.

Dean Robinson used Ruggles &. Co.'s Improved Eagle
No. 4 — ploughed thirty-three furrows in forty minutes.

Joseph Chandler, Jr, used Ruggles & Co.'s Improved
Eagle No. 4 — ploughed thirty-two furrows in thirty-six
minutes.

Jabob S. Phillips used Ruggles & Co.'s Improved liagle
No. 4 — ploughed thirty-two furrows in thirty-nine min-
utes.

Joshua Chandler used Prouty's No. 26 — ploughed
thirty-four furrows in forty minutes.

Stephen Emerson used Prouty's No. 26 — ploughed
thirty-one furrows in thirty-two minutes.

The Prouty Ploughs Centre Draught No. 26, were fur-
nished with an iron rod secured by a shackle to the
coulter of the plough. The rod extended to the end of
the plough beam, and was there attached to a slide, so
that the plough could be varied more from or to the land,
than by the ordinary way of fastening the chain to Prouty's

ON PLOUOHING. 69

or Ruggles' plough. The Committee saw no benefit
from this alteration, other than turning the plough more
or less to the land not ploughed, than could be done by
the previous fixture. With a plough properly construc-
ted they are not aware but the chance for varying its
direction was sufficient before ; and therefore, they are
not prepared to approve of the alteration. Still, as no
one on the ploughing-field attempted an explanation
why this fixture was attached to the plough, the Com-
mittee in the hurry of examination, might overlook the
object in adding it. And it may possess advantages
which they did not discover.

By a rule of the Society, the ploughing was required
to be seven inches deep. Some of the ploughs were
gaged to rather below that depth, and as the land plough-
ed had not previously been stirred so deep, those ploughs
which went the shoalest turned the furrow the best, and
showed the smoothest work.

The Committee will notice one defect in the plough-
ing, which was pretty general. An attempt to take
more width of furrow than the plough was designed to
turn. What is a proper width for the furrow-slice to be
turned at once, may be a very nice point to decide ; but
whatever width that may be, the plough should be suf-
fered to go fair and even upon its irons, and altered at
the draught to regulate the width.

The Improved Eagle No. 4, and Centre Draught No.
26, will turn well, properly guided, twelve to fourteen
inches. And perhaps it is a good rule that the width of
the furrow should be double to its depth.
For the Commitlee,

MOSES NEWELL.

WITH SINGLE TEAMS.

The Committee on ploughing with single teams report:
That for some reason, which the Committee do not un-
derstand, but two teams were entered for premium.
The ploughs used by both, were manufactured by Rug-
gles, Nourse & Co., and were in some respects different.

70 ON PLOUGHING.

The plough used by Moses Pettingill, as the Committee
are informed, was, in some of its parts constructed upon
a different plan from the ploughs heretofore manufac-
tured by that company. That plough appeared to re-
quire less strength of team and less exertion on the part
of the holder, than the other plough, — which was not
constructed on the same plan.

Moses Pettingill ploughed thirty-four furrows in fifty-
seven mmutes. And the Committee unanimously award
him the first premium of $8 00

Ralph H. Chandler ploughed thirty-two furrows in
sixty-two minutes, — and to him is awarded the second
premium of $Q 00

Respectfully submitted,

Por the Commitice^

T. E. PAYSON.

WITH HORh^E TEAMS.

The Committee on ploughing with horses, have at-
tended to the duty assigned them, and make the follow-
ing report, viz : — There were five teams entered for pre-
miums, but four appeared on the ground, viz :

The team of Josiah Crosby, of North Andover,
" *' " Moody B. Abbott, of "

" cc u Moses Pettingill, " Topsfield,
" " " Joseph V. Woodman, of Haverhill.
The lots were drawn by ticket as follows :

Moses Pettingill, No. 1, ploughed thirty-five square
rods in forty- four minutes — thirty-five furrows.

Joseph V. Woodman, No. 2, ploughed thirty-five
square rods in forty-four minutes — thirty-four furrows.

Josiah Crosby, No. 3, ploughed thirty-five square rods
in forty minutes — thirty-five furrows.

Moody B. Abbot, No. 4, ploughed thirty-five square
rods in forty minutes — thirty-five furrows.

The work was so well done by all the competitors that
your Committee were at a stand to which to award the
premiums ; but finally came to the conclusion and award-
ed the premiums as follows, viz :

ON PLOUGHING. 71

To Moses Pettingill, of Topsfield, the first premium
of $6 00

To Joseph V. Woodman, of Haverhill, sec-
ond premium of 4 00

Your Committee regret that there are not more pre-
miums offered for ploughing with horse teams, and of a
liigher order, as the facilities are so much greater for
ploughing with them, than with ox teams. All which
is submitted,

For the Committee^

SOLOMON LOWE.

ON SUB -SOIL PLOUGHING.

The Committee on " sub-soil ploughing," report : —
That only one sub-soil plough was submitted to their
examination. This was of the medium size, and when
drawn by two yoke of oxen stirred the earth to the depth
of about twelve inches. It well accomplished the object
of breaking the sub-soil without bringing it to the sur-
face. This plough was not entered for a premium, but
exhibited by Mr. Benjamin Poore, of West Newbury, to
whom the Society has been so often and largely indebted
for augmenting the interest of its shows. Your Com-
mittee are led by the concurring testimony of those who,
in Great Britain, and in our own country, have made
trials of the sub-soil plough, to recommend it to the at-
tention and trial of the farmers of Essex. It is only
about twenty years since it was invented, in Scotland,
and its introduction into this country is of a compara-
tively recent date. Yet, several of our enterprising
plough manufacturers have already succeeded in produc-
ing an article much cheaper than the English one, and
which performs the work equally well. The object of
the sub-soil plough is to follow in the surface furrow,
and to break up the sub-soil to the depth of from eight
to sixteen inches, according to the size of the plough,
without bringing it to the surface. It thus deepens and
fertilizes the soil by exposing it to the action of lighl

72 ON PLOUGHING — ON SHEEP AND COLTS.

and air, without bringing the lower stratum to the sur-
face and thereby causing sterility. To the successful
cultivation of a flat wet soil resting on a hard clay pan,
the use of the sub-soil plough is almost indispensable.
It is only by breaking up and opening this pan, that the
superfluous water can be drained off so as to prevent the
crop from being injured by heavy rains. And by deep-
ening and loosening this sub-soil, the roots of plants are
enabled to strike deeper, and the plant is protected from
the drought which causes such soils in mid-summer to
bake and crack. One of your Committee has made a
partial trial of a sub-soil plough the past season on land
of this description, with manifest advantage. And it
has been found to be equally beneficial to deepen dry
and gravelly soils with the sub-soil plough, as thereby
the plants will take deeper root and bear drought much
better. Instances aie given where the crops on such
soils have been doubled simply by sub-soil ploughing.
Several interestins: notices of the advanta2;es and sue-
cessful results of the use of the sub-soil plough may be
found in the reports of the late able Agricultural Com-
missioner of the Commonwealth, who very early brought
it to the notice of our farmers. And your Committee
hazard the opinion that before many years shall have
elapsed, the use of the sub-soil plough will be consider-
ed by the good farmers of this County an essential part
of good husbandry.

Ill heltaJf of the Committee^

JAMES H. DUNCAN.

ON SHEEP AND COLTS.

The Committee on sheep and colts have in some mea-
sure attended to the duties assigned them, and report :
That there were ten sheep entered for premium, but
none were found in the pens. Your Committee under-
stood that the owner, who resides in Ipswich, made
several attempts to drive them to the place of exhibition,
but without success.

ON AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS. 73

There were two colts entered, one by Josiah Crosby,
of Andover, and one by Samuel VVilkins, of Middleton,
but as there was no premium offered by the Society for
animals of this description, though in previous years gra-
tuities have been awarded for them, and as your Com-
mittee found nothing remarkable in their outward ap-
pearance, they make no award respecting them.
For the CommiUee^

MOSES FRENCH.

ON IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

The Committee on Improved Agricultural Implements
report, — That the following articles were exhibited:

By Mr. Hovey, of Worcester, a Patent Spiral Revolv-
ing Cutter.

By Ruggles, Nourse, & Mason, a Fanning-mill, and
several fine specimens of Partridge's Manure Forks.

By Benjamin Poore, of Indian Hill Farm, near New-
buryport, a Hassock Cutter.

The Committee regretted that they could not see the
Straw Cutter and Fanning-mill in operation ; they know,
however, that they are valuable implements and great
improvements on those which have been long in common
use. The Manure Forks were very neat tools, and it
seems hardly possible to make them more perfect. The
Society are much indebted to the gentlemen who sent
these articles, but as they do not come within the pre-
scribed rules, the Committee do not feel authorized to
recommend any premium. The Hassock Cutter ap-
peared to be well adapted to the purpose it is designed
for, and in reclaiming meadow lands, which are infested
with hassocks, it would prove a great saving of labor.
The Committee recommend that Mr. Poore's letter be
published and that a gratuity of three dollars be award-
ed to him.

Respectfully submitted,

DANIEL P. KING, } ^
HORACE WARE. Committee.

Nov. 1, 1844.
lU

74 Oi\ IRRIGATION.

BEiXJAMIiV POORE'S STATEMENT.

Hon. D. p. King, Chairman Committee on Agricultural Im-
plements.

Sir — I present for your inspection and for premium, if
you think it deserving, one Hassock Cutter. The shape
is the letter V, if I may so describe it, made from two
pieces of cast steel, three feet long, three and a half in-
ches wide, one half inch thick, ground to an edge on the
inside of the V. A substantial bar of iron is raised over
it and secured to it, as also handles like those of a plough.
The V, as I term it, is drawn by a chain from this bar
of iron and the top passes each side of the hassock, and
of course cuts it off smoothly, roots and all. It is no
labor to hold it — one yoke of oxen and two boys will
cut more per day, with ease to the cattle and boys, than
twenty men, and perform the work better than any one
could do it in the usual way. It was originally invented
by a Mr. I. Hill, of Billerica, who did not connect the
cutters or shears, so that a strip in consequence, was
left uncut. By connecting them, the ground is now cut
entirely smooth.

Respectfully your obedient servant,

BENJ. POORE.

Indian Hill Farm, near Newburyport, Sept. 1844.

ON IRRKiATION.

The Committee on Irrigation would submit the follow-
ing remarks on the subject of their commission, not hav-
ing received any invitations to view. In the absence of
all claims, the Committee on irrigation are obliged to
work without stock — to make bricks without straw.*

Although a premium has been offered by the Society
for some dozen of years, of twenty or thirty dollars for
the best experiments in improving lands by means of ir-
rigation, yet but few persons have come forward to claim
it, unless the reclaiming wet meadows should come with-

* A rule, of the Society requires a report, whether claims are entered or not,
and having heen on the Committee three or four years, we see no other way of
getting off, than by offering a report.

0\ lRRir:ATTO\. 75

in this branch of husbandry. The reclaiming wet mead-
ows and swamp lands has been somewhat extensively
and verv successfully attended to, and premiums award-
ed. Of the fourteen thousand acres in the County, of
these waste lands, probably one thousand have been
fully reclaimed and made very productive lands.

But irrigation includes improvement by adiling to, as
well as taking water from lands. By the judicious ap-
plication of water to lands, the product may be increas-
ed from one to three or four hundred per cent., without
the addition of any other material. Running water in-
creases vegetation, especiallj^ the grasses, while stag-
nant water destroys almost all kinds. It would not be
supposed, at first view, that the pure clear water from a
living fountain would have much fertilizing matter in it;
but it will be found that when exposed to the sun, it will
become impure and change to a green color sooner than
water taken from a stagnant pool. It w^ould therefore
seem that running waters contain principles which they
would not from their appearance be supposed to have.
These principles are fertilizing when suitably applied to
lands.

All our interval lands bordering on streams, owe their
richness and value to their being frequently overflowed
by the freshets which swell the streams beyond their
common boundaries. Their fertility undoubtedly de-
pends, likewise, upon the deposits which these troubled
waters leave on the surface. But who has not observed
the runs and wet parts of pasture lands become green
the earliest in the spring, and hold so, the longest, and
actually afford the most feed through the year 1 There
does not seem to be much turbidness for deposits in those
rills, there must then be some fertilizing properties in
the water itself. Plants generally, and grasses particu-
larly, are composed mostly of water, the whole of which
is not lost in drying.

Will it not be worth the experiment then, for those
who have streams and sloping land to accommodate, to
make the trial of diverting the water, as experience shall
warrant, over the adjacent lands, supplying more or less,

76 ON GRAIN AND MIXED CROPS.

constantly or periodically, as shall prove to be most ad-
vantageous. This may be done sometimes by the plough
alone. But this is not the great business of irrigation.
The great and extended business of irrigation belongs
to flat lands, where the land can be raised in ridges, by
the plough or otherwise, and the water let on or off at
pleasure, by conducting it over the lands on the ridges,
when necessary for the supply of moisture ; and like-
wise by diking and ditching, so that for certain portions
of the year, the lands may be flowed, and other parts
drained. This can be done by flood-gates when the
tides will serve, on the borders of the sea, and by dams
and sluice-ways, at a distance from the sea, the details
of which will be found in works upon the subject.

Large quantities of barren land, have, by these means
been made very productive, in the old countries, whose
rivers accommodated ; in one instance, between four
and five hundred acres in one operation, were success-
iiilly reclaimed and made productive, by diverting the
waters of a turbid stream over them.
For the Committee^

R. A. MERRIAM.

ON THE CULTIVATION OF GRAIN AND MIXED CROPS.

The Committee on mixed and grain crops respectfully
report :

That three entries for premiums have been made,
and as the several crops of grain, by the statements
hereto annexed, were very large, the claimants are, in
the opinion of your Committee, respectively entitled
to the first premiums. They accordingly recommend
that there be awarded :

To William Bartlett, of Newburyport, for a crop of
Indian corn, the first premium, $8 00

To J. Hammond Coggeshall, of Lynn, for a crop
of barley, the fitst premium, 8 00

To Paul P. l^illsbury, of Andover, for a crop of
oats, the first premium, 8 00

ON GRAIN AND MIXED CROPS. 77

The Committee also recommend that the statement of
Joshua Tappan be published with the reports of the So-
ciety, for further consideration.

ASA T. NEWHALL,
MOSES FRENCH,
ANDREW DODGE.
Ipswich, Nov. 29, 1844.

WILLIAM BARTLETT'S STATEMENT.

To Asa T. Newhall^ Esq., Lynnjield:

Sir, — Enclosed is a certificate ofMr Tristram Little, of
Newbury, of the measurement of a piece of ground plant-
ed by me, to corn, the past season. Likewise the cer-
tificate of the young man who did my work. The land
is a fine loam, in some places where it has been filled
up two feet depth of soil, in another not more than ten
inches, as some yellow dirt was brought up when it was
ploughed. It has been under the plough and cropped
with corn and potatoes, for the last seven years, and not
very highly manured. The manure that was put on the
past season was various in its kind, and consisted of five
and one one half cart loads of leeched sumac, obtained
from the wool fullers ; six loads of horse stable manure,
six loads cattle and hog manure, three loads dry rye
straw cut up, five loads of butts of corn, old potato vines,
leaves, and, partly in a decomposed state, two loads cobs
and two loads dry husks, with two loads of pickled fish,
which was put into a pit in August 1843, and taken out
in May 1844. The above manure was spread on one
acre and one hundred and fifty rods, of which what was
planted to corn was a part. The manure was spread
on, and put under the soil by being raked into the fur-
row after the plough, and it was very nearly all covered.

The ground was ploughed fourteen or fifteen inches
deep, by one of D. Prouty's rod A Ploughs, and what
was stirred by the plou^^h, was nearly all turned over,
as 1 have had an addition put to the mould board nearly
as high as the beam. After the rod A plough passed,
which was drawn by four yoke of oxen, it was followed

78 ON GRAIN AND MIXED CROPS,

by the sub-soil ploiigli, drawn l)y one yoke of oxen and
one horse, which stirred the ground from five to eight
inches deep, so that I concluded that the land was loos-
ened twenty inches deep, after it was ploughed. It was
harrowed four times, for the purpose of breaking the
sods; then planted ; the rows four feet apart lengthwise,
and three and one half feet apart breadthwise, and
there were planted five thousand one hundred and fifty
hills. The lumps were broken by the hoe as soon as
the corn came up, and subsequently hoed three times.
The corn was topped between the 25th of Sept. and the
1st of October, and was harvested between the 18th and
25th of Oct. The quantity was two hundred and fifty-
three bushels of ninety ears each, forty-one traces of fifty
ears selected as the best, two hundred and six double ears,
and five baskets mouldy and imperfect corn. One hundred
and ninety ears of the average quality of corn make a
bushel of shelled corn, and one hundred and seventy to
one hundred and eighty of the selected ears make a
bushel of shelled corn. I have put them down at one
hundred and eighty, but it does not take so much, as I
have shelled a half bushel from eighty ears of the best.

The certificate of Mr. Little does not state the accu-
rate quantity of land, as he made a mistake, in casting
the measurement, of five rods too little, the true quantity
being two hundred and thirty-four rods, instead of two
hundred and twenty-nine. The quantity of corn grown
on two hundred and thirty-four rods of land, estimating
one hundred and ninety ears of the average to produce
a bushel, one hundred and eighty ears of the traces,
the five baskets of unripe corn at two bushels, and two
hundred and six double ears one bushel, gives one hun-
dred and thirty-four bushels for the whole, or ninety-
one and a half bushels per acre. The number of kernels
put in a hill was five.

The above crop of corn I offer for premium, — ninety-
one and a half bushels.

I am respectfully, your obedient servant,

w M. bartlt:t.

Newburyport, Nov. 20, 1844.

ON GRAliN AND 311Xt:i) CRorS. 79

This may certify that I have husked and measured the
foregoing quantities of corn, taken from the said ground,
and that the statement is true.

WILLIAM L. FARNHAM.

Newburyportj Nov. 21, 1844..

This may certify that at the request of Mr. William
Bartlet, I have surveyed a piece of land which was plant-
ed with corn the past season, and there was one acre
and sixty-nine rods.

TRISTRAM LITTLE, Surveyor.

Newbury, Nov. 6, 1844.

J . HAMMOND C O G G E S H A L L ' 8 S T A T E M li N T .

To the Committee on Grain Crops:

Gentlemen, — I offer for premium a crop of barley,
one hundred and ninety-one and a half bushels of clean
grain, the product of three acres and eighty-five rods, as
per certificate annexed. The soil in which it grew is a
dark loam, ten or twelve inches deep, fine clay sub-soil.
In 1842 a good crop of barley was raised on the same
field — then about forty bbls. of fish were spread on the
stubble and ploughed in and a very heavy crop of tur-
nips grown in the fall. In 1843 a good crop of corn was
grown, manured in the hill with barn manure made un-
der the barn, a small shovel full to a hill, and in June
or July, two fish, (Menhaden,) were put by each hill and
covered with a hoe. For this crop which I offer, no ad-
ditional manure was applied. On the 15th of last April
the hills were split by one horse running a large plough
on each side of the corn stubble. The ground was
somewhat wet, but dried fast after breaking and without
clodding. It remained till the 18th, when it was fully
dry and was then harrowed across the furrow, tearing
up the corn stalks and levelling the furrows. Some parts
of the field were harrowed two or three times, and all
so much as to effectually pulverize the soil. The seed
was soaked from twelve to eighteen hours in a solution
of poudrette, (two qts. of poudrette to five gallons rain

80 ON GRAIN AND MIXED CROPS.

water,) and all the seed that did not sink, after standing
an hour or two, was carefully skimmed off. About one
eighth of an aci'e was sowed with unsoaked seed, and the
difference when the barley came up could easily be dis-
tinguished, that from the soaked seed being at least a
week earlier, and the straw much longer, but there was
no perceptible difference in the grain when threshed,
though the whole crop is far superior to the seed sown.
The quantity sown was something more than a bushel
and a half per acre, harrowed in with a light harrow ;
two bushels Timothy, three pecks of Red-top, and six
lbs. of Southern clover being brushed in both ways, and
the whole rolled with a heavy roller. It was then laid
off in lands with a plough and the drain furrow clean-
ed out with a spade, and grass seed scattered over them,
and the whole of the grass now looks remarkably well.
On the 23d of July we attempted to cradle it, but the
straw was of unequal lengths, the heads very heavy, and
even where it stood up well the fingers of the cradle
did not separate sufficiently to prevent breaking off the
heads and scattering out much of the grain ; it was
therefore mowed and left in the swath. On the 24th it
rained most of the day, and for some days the weather
was anything but suitable to dry the straw. It remain-
ed till the 29th in the sw^ath, when it was put into loose
cocks, having before lifted it up as it lay in the swath, to
permit the air to circulate through it, but did not turn
it as it scattered off very much. In consequence of the
rain and the necessity of handling the grain three or
four times, the waste was very great, so much so, that
we did not expect to save more than a common crop.
If the weather had been good, so as to have permitted
the threshing of the grain without so much hindering,
the average would, we think, have exceeded fifty-eight
bushels, and a single acre could probably have been se-
lected, that would have yielded sixty bushels. The seed
was bought for two and four rowed, a small part of the
yield is two, but the most is six rowed, little or none being
four. Yours, with respect,

J. HAMMOND COGGESHALL.
Lynn, Sept. 24, 1844.

ON GRAIN AND MIXED CROPS. 81

This may certify that the undersigned assisted in
harvesting and measuring the above crop of barley, and
testifies that the above statement, as to quantity, is cor-
rect ; and I am of opinion that if the grain could have
been harvested and threshed under more favorable cir-
cumstances, the crop would have been much greater.

EATON LOTHROP.

This may certify to whom it may concern, that I have
this day surveyed a field in Lynn, belonging to Mr. J. H.
Coggeshall, and find the contents three acres and one
hundred and forty-eight rods, — of which, three acres,
eighty-five rods are barley stubble, and sixty-three rods
grass stubble — recently mowed.

Lynn, August 3, 1844.

ALONZO LEWIS.

PAUL P. PILLSBURY'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops :

Gentlemen, — My experiment on a crop of oats, which
I offer for premium, was conducted in the following
manner :

The land was a worn-out wet meadow, which did not
produce gi'ass enough last year to pay for cutting. I took
advantage of a dry time and burnt it over, and where it
did not burn the sod off I dug it up and burnt it on the
ground. After the ground froze I hauled on about
eighty cart loads of loam to the acre, and spread it im-
mediately. The whole cost of the above was sixteen
days labor per acre. About the last of April last, 1
sowed two and a half bushels of oats per acre and raked it
in ; cost, one and a half days labor per acre. One acre
measured off from a flat of about five acres, produced
seventy-two and a half bushels. The above flat of ground
had been previously ditched.
Yours, &c.,

PAUL P. PILLSBl^RA\

Andover, Nov. 5, 1844.
11

82 ON GRAIN AND MIXED CROPS.

I hereby certify that I measured the foregoing lot of
land, and the measure as above described is correct.

JACOB DASCOMB.

JOSHUA TOPPAN'S STATEMENT.

7^0 the Cojnmittee on Grain Crops:

Gentlemen, — At your request I make my statement
respecting my mode of cultivating or making corn pro-
duce from two to four Ibid. My method is by four years
experience, viz : — In the latter part of June and the first
of July I go among my corn and commence with those
stalks that are not silked out, and take off the pollen or
blowings, at the top. I take them with my thumb and
finger lightly, and open the ear and put in the pollen,
in the ear, opening with one hand and putting it in with
the other. By so doing the crop of corn will yield more
and there will not be any false ears. It takes time to
do this work and it requires a careful person to do it.
A leaf of the stalk will often cover over the ear so that
the pollen cannot drop in naturally. The first year that
I tried it was on ten hills of corn ; they yielded fifteen
ears of corn to the hill. The second year forty hills ;
average number of ears two hundred and twenty ears of
corn good length. The third year, ten hills, eighty ears
of sound corn. The fourth year eleven hills, with no
false ears ; it yielded each hill four stalks, twelve ears
to a hill. My method of manuring is to put the manure
in the hill, one good shovel full of fine manure and put
the corn on the top and cover two inches.

I make a practice of putting on my corn, or around
each stalk, ashes ; say, three spoonfuls to each stalk.
I think it helps the corn — it grows faster and does bet-
ter with the ashes, than without. I should like to have
my method of increasing the crop of corn tested by all
the farmers in Essex. Would they not like to have the
yield of corn increased, if it can be done by a little ex-
tra labor and pains ? Certainly they would.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 83

I have made experiments on the potato crop, of which
I should be glad to inform you more fully another year.
I planted six hills of potatoes; each hill produced one
bushel, heaping measure, and the potatoes were all as
large as a goose egg.

Three persons witnessed my digging them — but I will
say no more at present.

Your humble servant,

JOSHUA TOPPAN.
Newbury, Nov. 16, 1844.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

The Committee appointed to distribute the premiums
and gratuities offered by the Society for fruits and flow-
ers, before announcing their awards beg leave to con-
gratulate it on the improvements in their cultivation,
both as it respects quality and variety, which the speci-
mens exhibited from year to year indicate, and although
in regard to the quality of the fruit, its superiority in
this over preceding years, may in part be attributed to
the peculiar propitious season withwhich by the blessing
of Divine Providence we have been favored, yet much
of it must also be attributed to the increased attention
given to this branch of agricultural pursuits and to the
improved methods of culture adopted by the members of
the Society. But whilst much has been done it is also
to be remembered that very much more remains to do ;
much remains to be done in ascertaining by experiment
what mode of culture, what soils and situations, are best
adapted to the different varieties of fruits, before this
branch of agriculture will have attained a due degree of
perfection when compared with other branches of the
same science. Much also remains to be done in produc-
ing the different varieties of each, in order to ascertain
which from their peculiar qualities are most valuable,
and best adapted to our soil and climate. It is a well
established fact that varieties which flourish and produce

84 ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

fruits highly to be esteemed, in particular soils and cli-
mal<'s, will not answer in others, but become compara-
tiveiy worthless — and hence, doubtless, often arises the
disappointment experienced at finding after years of
patieiit waiting, that highly recommended varieties im-
ported from Europe or obtained from other sections of
our own country are of very indifferent quality and no
value, hut which in the places whence obtained, maybe
of surpassing excellence. One great, if not the princi-
pal benefit of Agricultural and Horticultural Societies,
and their annual exhibitions, consists in the facilities
which they afford for making known the results of ex-
periments both in the mode of culture and selections of
vaiieties in the products of the different branches of the
science to which their members have especially directed
their attention. And it is equally to be desired that
these results by the exhibition of specimens of their pro-
ducts at our annual shows should be spread before the
public, in order that those who are commencing the
same pursuit may be enabled to avail themselves of the
accumulated knowledge and experience of their prede-
cessors, and by judicious selections and proper culture
avoid the disappointment and losses to which they have
been subjected.

The culture of fruit, if not a new branch of agriculture,
has been almost immeasurably extended within the few
past years. Until v.iihin about a quarter of a century the
number of varieties of the finer kinds, especially, was very
limited : but few additions were made by importations
from abroad or raising of seedlings at home to our estab-
lished stock, and thus the qualities of the sorts we possess
were generally well known. But now by constant im-
portations fiom Europe and the attention which has been
paid and is now given, l)oth here and there to raising new
varieties for seed, the names of the different varieties have
literally become Legion, and these names daily increas-
ing, are now numbered on the catalogues by thousands.
It is only by testing them that the qualities, good or bad,
of these various kinds of fruit, and their adaptation or
unfitness for particular soils or climates, can be known,

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS. 85

and however much younger cultivators may avail them-
selves of the labors of their seniors, they will find ample
room for their efforts and need have no fears that the
field has been ploughed and tilled until it has become
exhausted. The general cullivat on of fine fruit (and let
us remember that it costs no more to raise the finest
than the poorest,) tends to place an healthful and inno-
cent luxury within reach of all, and also to add, with
but little additional labor, much to the profits of the
farm.

The cultivation of beautiful flowers serves to adorn
our homes with the gayest and richest ornaments, and
by making them more pleasant and attractive, renders
those homes still dearer and more sacred to us, and the
Committee cannot help feeling and expressing a regret
that the cultivators of flowers have not presented more
specimens upon the tables at our piescnt exhibition.

The pursuits of Agriculture and Horticulture seem
natural to man, and for most possess an almost irresist-
ible attraction. The professional man and the merchant,
after the first excitements of business and of the crowd-
ed mart have passed away, looks forward with longing
to the time when he can retire to his farm — the warrior
with joy beats his spear into a pruning-hook, and the
statesman seeks in his fields and garden a relief from the
toils and cares of empire. To show us that these pur-
suits are honorable and praiseworthy we have the exam-
ples in all times of the wisest and greatest. We read
in Holy writ of the greatest of kings and wisest of men,
to whose wisdom the Queen of the South bore testimony,
and of whom " all the kings of the earth sought his pres-
ence to hear his wisdom, and he spake of trees from the
cedar tree that is in Lebanon, even unto the hyssop that
springeth out of the wall." And in our days, also, of him
to whose genius the world is indebted for so much of
amusement and instruction, — but alas ! whose mighty
intellect at last yielded to too severe and too long
protracted mental efforts, — it is said that he delighted
to exchange the pen for the spade and the pruning-
hatchet ; and for himself, the delight and ornament of

86 ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

society, that he sought and found his greatest plea-
sure by laboring with his own hands amid the groves
and orchards planted and reared by himself, of his own
Abbotsford.

The amount of money placed in the hands of the Com-
mittee being but fifteen dollars, they have been unable
to award as large quantities as they would have desir-
ed, and from this cause have been compelled to omit
the names of many of the exhibitors who would have
been considered worthy of notice. They have awarded
to
Mary P. and Laura A. Annable, of Hamilton, for

2 'fig trees, $1 00

Mrs. George SpofFord, ofGeorgetown, dahlias, &c, 50
Charles S. Tenny, ofGeorgetown, bouquets, 50

E. Cleaves, Beverly, for pears, apples, and plums, 1 00
Andrew Dodge, Wenham, for pears, and apples, 1 00

E. Manning, Salem, for pears and apples, 1 00
J. M. Ives,^ do do do 1 00
Benj. Porter, Danvers, do do 1 00
Moody Ordway, West Newbury, 1 00
Moses French, 1 00
Josiah Lovett, Beverly, 50
Charles Lawrence, fine peaches, 50
Joseph S. Ober, sweetwater grapes, 50
Charles Perry, apples, 50
Eben King, do 50
Silas Noyes, do 50
Jos. H. Ordway, do 50

F. H. Wade, apples and pears, 50
George Thurlow, apples, 50

A. J. Dodge, for specimens of native grapes, 50
Francis Dodge, apples, 50

B. Preston, quinces, 25
Wm. Heard, do 25

$[d 00

For the Committee,

J. S. CABOT,

Chairntan.

ON FRUIT TREES. 87

ON FRUIT TREES.

Thr CorniTiittee on fruit trees ask leave to present the
following report :

That the number of Nurseries entered for premium
was but three, viz :

George Thurlovv, West Newbury,
Joshua H. Ordvvay, do do

Moses Pettingill, Topsfield,

After examininjj the different Nurseries the Committee
determined to recommend George Thurlow, as deserving
of the first premium. They had no difficulty in deter-
mining in his case. Joshua H. Ordway received the
second premium last year, and by the rules of the Soci-
ety could compete only for the first premium. It is no
dis2:race to him to fall short of Mr. Thurlow. The
Committee thought that the cultivation of his Nursery
was creditable, and in particular the absence of weeds —
a remark which will apply to each of the Nurseries vis-
ited at West Newbury. If there was any deficiency, it
was in what seemed to be a want of system — a very im-
portant quality in the opinion of the Committee. In
justice to Mr. Ordway we ought to say, that he was not
present at the time of the visit, and might have made
plain what seemed to be obscure.

The Committee regretted that they could not, con-
sistently with their ideas of the object of premiums, re-
commend Mr. Pettingill for a premium. They take
great pleasure in admitting the thrift and vigor of growth
of his peach trees, but as they considered it the effect
of a good soil rather than high and careful culture, they
could not on that account recommend a premium. We
hope this decision will not be considered a reproach up-
on Mr. Pettingill, for want of skill. The only wonder
is, that, conducting the operations upon so large a farm
as the one he occupies, with such a variety of products
to care for, he should find time to do any thing in the Nur-
sery. The Committee were glad to find, in conversing
with various individuals engaged in the growing of trees,
that the necessity of high cultivation both in the Nursery

88 ON FRUIT TREES.

and orchard was admitted. They believe that labor
and manure expended in the cultivation of fruit trees
will be repaid many fold in the improved quantity and
quality of the crops. It has occurred to the Committee
that it might not be out of place for them to suggest,
that it would be well hereafter to include orchards in
the objects for premiums. It is very clear that the num-
ber of Nurseries must be limited and will soon be ex-
hausted as subjects for premium.

We annex the statement of Mr. Thurlow, the only
one we have received, with only this remark, that the
insect which he speaks of as known to nursery-men by
the name of the Ant Grub, is probably the Aphis, or
green fly — some variety of which attacks the new growth
of almost all plants ; and that a very interesting account
of this insect is to be found in "Harris' Insects injuri-
ous to Vegetation." A work which should be in the
possession of every one who is much engaged in the
cultivation of trees or plants.

JOHN C. LEE, ]

CHAS. LAWRENCE, I ^

ABEL NICHOLS, CommitUe.

PICKERING DODGE. J

GEORGE THURLOW'S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Fruit Trees :

Gentlemen, — As you requested me to give you a
more particular statement of the cultivation of my Nur-
sery than I could on the day you visited me, I therefore
embrace the first opportunity. The whole Nursery con-
tains I should think about one acre of land, situated on
the southerly side of a large hill, unfortunately rather
steep, as it is liable to be washed by every heavy rain.
The soil is of easy cultivation, being a gravelly loam,
some portions of it very dry with a hard sub-soil, con-
taining about twenty thousand trees of all kinds ; con-
sisting of apples, peach, plum, cherry, quince, grape-
vines and mountain ash ; it being my chief object to raise

ON FRUIT TREES. 89

fruit trees. But the part more particularly for your
consiJeration is about five thousand inoculated apple
trees standing on about eighty rods of land, the same be-
ing one vear old from the bud. My mode of cultivation
is as follows: — In 1841 the land was broken up and
planted with potatoes, one shovel lull of barn-yard ma-
nui'e put to a hill ; in the Autumn of the same year, it
was again ploughed and about ten cords of swamp muck
and twenty bushels of wood ashes spread on the same,
which makes all the manure to the present time. I
think the growth of trees does not depend so much upon
hi.nh manuring as careful cultivation ; the ground must
be kept perfectly free from weeds. For that purpose I
use a cultivator between the rows, and a one hand hoe
between the trees, care being taken not to injure roots
or the bark. In the Spring of 1842, I took the trees
from the seed bed, they being one year old, and set
them in rows, four feet apart and eight inches from each
other. They were well pruned during the Summer, to
give t'lem a smooth surface for budding.

In August, 1843, they were inoculated as follows: —
About two thousand five hundred Baldwi s, one thou-
sand Hubbardston Nonsuch, five hundred Russets, one
hundreil Spitzenburg, two hundred Porter, one hundred
Gravenslein, two hundred I'anvers Winter Sweet, and
ten other varieties, making in all apwards of five thou-
sand. In the Spring of 1844, 1 cut the tops off about
one inch above the land ; they took very well, having
lost not more than five per cent. I have rejected near-
ly all the old varieties of winter fruit, preferring the Bald-
wins to any, for its growth in the Nursery, if it is after-
wards grafted as a standard. I perform all the budding
myself, being careful to select all buds from fruit-hearing
trees, the names and situation being entered on a book
kept for that purpose ; and also, a plan of the Nursery.

About the middle of July the Ant Grub, an insect
well known to nursery-men, made its appearance, cov-
ering the leaves and young wood of the apple trees and
also of the mountain ash. I treated them to a warm
bath of strong soap suds, which was more than their
12

90 ON MUf.BERKY TREES AND SILK.

constitutions could bear, and had the desired effect of
eradicating them entirely, ants and all. I have also
about fifteen hundred peach, plum and cherry, all in-
oculated with the most approved varieties ; those of
the peach and plum having borne fruit this season, being
but two years from the bud. My trees suffered but lit-
tle from the winter — the dryness of soil causing them
to ripen their wood more perfectly than they otherwise
would.

GEORGE THURLOW.
West Newbury, Oct. 1 5, 1844*.

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK.

The Committee on mulberry trees and silk report, —
That there were no nurseries of mulberry trees, of the
description prescribed by the regulations of the Society,
entered for premium. Two specimens of silk, however,
were entered, as will be seen by the statements annex-
ed, which also give the methods of feeding the worms
and reeling the silk. The silk is of a beautiful quality,
and evinces the skill and ingenuity of the manufacturers.
The Committee would cordially recommend that a
gratuity often dollars each, be awarded
To D. M. Dummer, for samples of silk and co-
coons, s^lO 00
To Sophia Ordway, for specimen of manufac-
tured silk, 10 00
All of which is respectfully submitted,

GARDNER B. PERRY,

Chairman.

D. M. DUMMER'S ST .4 TE M E N T .

Gentlemen, — The samples of silk and cocoons which
I send you for examination, were raised by me the past
year. I intended to have finished some sewing silk,
but was prevented for want of time. I began to reel
last Friday without any practical knowledge, having

ON MULBERRY TREES AND SILK. 91

never seen a reel run until I used one myself, with the
assistance of my mother, who is seventy-four years old
this month. I began to feed July 19, and wound up in
about seven weeks. The worms have done very well —
very few dead worms. I fed with white mulberry, with
branches — my trees were cut close to the ground last
spring — some of the shoots have grown over seven feet
the past season. I fed in an out-house well ventilated,
and in addition I use large fans. The silk worm is a
robust little animal, all he wants is pure air and plenty
of good fodder.

Yours, &c.,

D. M. DUMMER.

P. S. I think I shall have six pounds raw silk. The
silk is from eight to eighty fibre.

Georgetown, Sept. 24, 1844.

SOPHIA ORD WAY'S STATEMENT.

7^0 the Committee on Manufactured Silk:

Gentlemen, — I present for your inspection two spe-
cimens of silk, manufactured from the sulphur worm, fed
on the white Italian mulberry. Method of manufactur-
ing the smaller parcel :

The cocoons are put into a basin and boiling water
poured on them. They are then set over a furnace of
coal and the fibres collected by dipping a small corn
broom among them. The cocoons are reeled on a clock
reel, then placed on a swift and spun on a common wool
wheel ; spooled from the spindle and twisted from the
spool, one spool being set back of another. The co-
coons of the larger parcel were put in water over a fur-
nace, in the same manner as the smaller. The thread
passed through a ring in a wood fixture, standing at the
side of the basin and spun directly, without reeling.
When desirous to keep the thread of an uniform size
place a ball of silk (wound from cocoons too far spent
to be spun alone,) with the cocoons in the basin. —
Spooled and twisted as the first, only kept wet while
twisting.

92 ON VEGETABLES.

The time spent in completing the specimens I am not
able to decide, but with the assistance of a little girl at
the furnaco, after the coc()ons are well prepared, I can
spin nine knots of forty threaJs each, on the long reel,
in an hour.

Cleansed by boiling in soap suds one hour.
Yours, with respect,

SOPHIA ORDWAY.
West Newbury, Sept. 25, 1844.

ON VEGETABLES.

Your Committee upon veorptables having attended to
their duty would respectfully report, — That the follow-
ing articles were sent in for exhibition :

Large squashes, weighing ninety lbs. from Samuel
Jenkins, Bradford ; seedling (early) potatoes, from Aaron
Wallis, Ipswich ; veto potato, resembling the long red,
from Isaac Dempsey, North Danvers ; blue potato, The-
odore Coggeshall, Ipswich ; Hat turnip, wei'jhing ten
lbs. Moody Ordway, West Newbury ; handsome kidney
potato, long prickly cucumber and turnip blood beet,
J. Hammond, Heverly ; tine eight rowed yellow corn,
Humphrey H. Kimball, Rowley ; long [ rickly cucumber,
Reuben Jones, Andover ; white Belgian carrots, (large)
long orange do., mangel wurtzel, and yellow onions,
large and fine, Adam iNesmith, Beverly ; white Belgian
carrot from seed sown thj 14th of June, Benj. Boynton,
Andover; yellow corn measuring fifteen inches in the
ear, Samuel Putnam, Danvers ; mammoth sun-ilower,
measuring sixteen inches diameter, Leonard Cross, Dan-
vers ; early Jefferson corn, mountain sprout water mel-
on, Skilman's netted melon, John M. Ives, Salem ; four
large hybrid acorn squashes, Sylvester Goodwin, Ando-
ver; one large hybrid mairow do., weighing seventy-
two lbs., Robert Jewett, Georgetown ; laige ribbed
pumpkin, John EUery, Gloucester ; crook neck squash,
weighing forty-five and a half lbs., John Brewer, Ipswich;

ON VEGETABLES — ON MANUFACTURES. 93

hybrid pumpkin, sixty-eight lbs. in wei,2;1it, James Lang,
Ipswich ; twenty-one lar^e squashes, Lima or Valparai-
so, mixed with the autunnial marrow, Robert Kimball,
Ipswich.

Vour Committee would recommend the following gra-
tuities :

To Adam Nesmith, of Beverly,
To Robert Kimball, of Ipswich,
To John Ham;r.ond, of Cherry Hill,
To Samuel Putnam, of Danvers,
To Sylvester Goodwin, of Andover,
To James Lang, of Ipswich,
To Aaron Wallis, of Ipswich,
To Samuel Jenkins, of Bradford,
Respectfully submitted,

JOHN M. IVES,
EBEN KING,
ADONIRAM DODGE.

$2 00

1 50

1 00

1 00

1 00

50

50

50

I

Committee.

\

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

The Committee on domestic manufactures having at-
tended to the duly assigned them now submit their re})ort:

The number of entiies in this department is one hun-
dred an 1 eighty-one, from towns in the County, being
about thirty more than at the exhibition of the last year.
The hearth rugs, as in fornier years are very numerous.
The various specimens of work presented are, as the
Committee believe, wrought with a.s much taste and el-
egance as those exhibited on any former occasion. The
Committee congratulate the Society on the continued in-
terest manifested by the ladies in this exhibition, in which
we have seen such an admirable display of the inge-
nuity and skill of the fair daughters of Essex. The cor-
dial thanks of the Society are due to them for their rich
contributions to-day to the pleasure of the eye in such
a variety of finely wrought articles, some of which, it is
believed, exceed in beauty any that have heretofore
been exhibited.

94 ON MANUFACTURES.

Instead of an hour or two, allowed the Committe to
examine so many beautifully wrought articles and de-
termine to which to award the premiums offered, a whole
day at least is necessary to enable them to discharge
this duty with perfect satisfaction to themselves.

The Committee have unanimously awarded the follow-
ing premiums and gratuities :

PREMIUMS.

Carpet'ings.

Mrs. John Pearson, Newbury, 1st premium, $5 00
Mary A. B. Smith, Ipswich, 2d " 3 00
Mrs. D. C. Houghton, Newburyport, stair car-
peting, a premium, 3 00

Hearth Rugs.

Nancy Burrill,
Mrs. Springer,

Beverly, 1st premium,
Ipswich, 2d "

3 00
2 00

Hose.

Mrs. J. Perkins, Newbury, (knit with left hand,

being unable to use 2he right,) first premium, 2 00

Counterpanes.

Mrs. R. A. Gerrish, Newbury, 1st premium, 4 00
Harriet T. Preston, Salem, 2d " 2 00

Wrought Lace.

Hannah Ross, Ipswich, (in her 74th year,) 1st
premium.

3 00

Wrought Work by Children under twelve years old.

Martha E. Stickney, Beverly, 1st premium, 3 00

Sarah E. Kimball, Andover, 2d " 2 00

Brogan Shoes.

Daniel Richards, Newbury, 1st premium, 2 00

Calf SIcin Shoes.

John Varell, Ipswich, 1st premium, 2 00

ON WAiNUFACTURES. 95

GRATUITIES.

Hearth Rugs.

Sarah P. Page, Danvers,

Elizabeth D. Burke, Beverly,
Mary Hildreth, Ipswich,

Anna Cole, do

Anna C. Foster, do

Martha Porter, do

Edith Woodberry, do

Hannah R. Low, Ipswich,

Mrs. Daniel L. Hodgkins, do
Mrs. John Pearson, Newbury,
Aimira Mason, Salisbury,

Mary Ann Dodge, Wenham,

Miss Cook, Newburyport,

Elizabeth P. Pettingill, do

Mrs. D. C. Houghton, do

Elizabeth A. Stimpson, Danvers,

Wrought Work bij Children.

Frances Smith, Salem,
Mary E. Smith, do

Georgianna Leech, Beverly,
Susan Lord, do

Charlotte Woodberry, do
Ellen M. VVallis, do

Martha Bray, Essex,

Sarah L. Kimball, Ipswich,
Susan M. Shatswell, do

Various A?'ticles.

Mrs. P. Pillsbury, Andover, table cover, 2 00
Hannah Jacobs, Danvers, frocking, and cotton and

wool cloth, 2 00
Frances C. F. Dodge, Ipswich, wTought screen

and travelling bag, 1 00

Samuel Hunt, do., knit woolen articles, 1 00

J. &L S. Peatfield, do, knit shawls & other articles, 2 00

John Kimball, Georgetown, specimens of leather, 2 00

$1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

] 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

50

50

50

50

1 00

50

50

50

50

96 ON MANUFACTURES.

Daniel Rnss, Ipswich, (:iged 87,) work table, made since

June last,
Mrs. A. H. Wildes, Ipswich, chair covers,
Sarah E. Felt, Salem, chair bottom,
Mary A. Caldwell, Ipswich, specimen of painting,
Laura S. Atwood, silk gloves,
Sophia Ordway, West Newbury, sewing silk,
Mrs. W. Lovett, Beverly, card vase,
Elizabeth P. Woodberry, Beverly, basket of wax

fruit, and (lowers,
Sophia B. Carter, Andover, (blind from birth,)

knit bag,
Abby B. Carter, Andover, (blind from birth,)

card basket,
Mrs. Springer, Ipswich, fur made of milk-weed,
Jerome Brown, do, swift made at sea of whalebone
Lucy Smith, do, wrought bag and ottomans,
Margaret Parsons, do, traveling bag,
Mrs. Israel K. Jewett, do, silk bag,
Abigail C. Giddings, do, cape and collar,
Abia! Lovejoy, Andover, (blind from birth,) two

pair hose, 1 00

Edward Carter, do, (blind from birth,) pair shoe

brushes, 1 00

Eunice L. l\itnam, Danvcrs, a quilt, 1 00

Abigail Staniford, Ipswich, do 1 00

Susan Russell, do do 1 00

Lydia N. Doyle, W. Newbury, do 1 00

Elizabeth P. Paine, Ipswich, wrought flowers, 50

Sarah Farley, do, traveling bag, 50

Hannah Todd, Rowley, (82 yrs old,) braided mats, 50
For the Committee^

CHARLES KIMBALL,

Chairman.
Ipswich, Sept. 25, 184 i.

|1 00

1 00

50

50

1 (JO

2 00

50

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

50

50

1 00

LIST OF

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES,

AWARDED IN 1844.

Butter.

George W. Dodge, Wcnhani, for June butter 1st premium,
Mrs. Abi Worcester, Byfield, do do 2d do

Paul P. Pillsbury, Andover, do do 3d do

Allen W Dodge, Hamilton, for September, butter, 1st do
Nathaniel Felton, Danvers, do do 2d do

Benjamin Boynton, Andover, do do 3d do

Ploughing — Double Teams.
Micajah Treadwell, Ipswich, 1st premium,

Benjamin Poore, West Newbury, 2d do

Ebenezcr Jenkins, Andover, 3d do

George P. Wilkins, Middleton, 4th do

Moses Pettingill, Topsfield,
Ralph H. Chandler, Andover,

Single Teams.

1st

premium

2d

do

tHiNG — Horse

Teams.

1st

premium.

11, 2d

do

Working Oxen.

1st

premium.

2d

do

3d

do

Moses Pettingill, Topsfield,
Joseph K. Woodman, Haverhill

Ebenezer Jenkins, Andover,
Jacob Brown, Ipswich,
William Williams, Rowley,

Working Steers.
William Browm, Danvers, 1st premium, - 7 00

Steers — Three Years Old.
Martha Chaplin, Georgetown, 1st premium, - 7 00

13

^10 00

8 00

6 00

10 00

8 00

6 00

10 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

8 00

6 fO

6 00

4 00

10 00

7 00

5 00

98

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES.

Steer
Theodore Dodge, Weuham,

Fat Cattle.
Jolin and Josiah Lamson, Topsfield, 1st

David S. Caldwell, Byfield, 2d

One Year Old.

1st premium,

4 00

Bulls.
Isaiah Rogers, Ipswich, 1st

The Town of Ipswich, 2d

James D. Herrick,Methiieii, 3d

John Dole, Rowley, bull calf,

Daniel Adams, Jr., Newbm-y, do do
Adam Nesmith, Beverly, do do

premium,
do

prernuim,
do

do
gratuity,

do

do

Joseph P. Pond, Salem,
William Chase, do
Joseph Horton, Ipswich,

Milch Cows.

1st premium,
2d do
3d do

Swine.

Joseph Andrews, Essex, boar, 1st premium,

William Williams, Newbury, 2d do

William Williams, do sow, 1st premium,

Paul D. Patch, Hamilton, do 2d do
William Williams, Newbury, w^eaned pig, 1st do

Moses French, E. Salisbury, do do 2d do

Fruit and Flowers.

Mary P. and Laura Annable, Hamilton, gratuity,

Mrs. George Spofford, Georgetown, do

Charles S. Tenney, do do

E. Cleaves, Beverly, do
Andrew Dodge, Wenham, do
R. Manning, Salem, do
J. M. Ives, do do
Benjamin Porter, Danvers. do
Moody Ordway, West Newbury, do
Moses French, E. Salisbury, do
Josiah Lovett, Beverly, do
Charles Lawrence, Danvers, do
Joseph S. Ober, Beverly, do
Charles Perry, do do
Eben'r King, Danvers, do
Silas Noyes, do do
Joshua H. OrdM'ay, West Newbury, do

F. H- Wade, Ipswich, do

10 00

8 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

2 00

1 00

1 00

10 00

7 00

5 00

5 00

2 00

5 00

3 00

6 00

3 00

1 00

60

50

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

50

50

50

50

50

50

50

50

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES.

99

George Thurlow, West Newbury,
Adoniram J. Dodge, Wenham,
Francis Dodge, Danvers,
B. Preston, Beverly,
Wm. Heard, Ipswich,

gratuity,
do
do
do
do

Vegetables.

Adam Nesmith, Beverly,
Robert Kimball, Ipswich,
John Hammond, Beverly,
Samuel Putnam, Danvers,
Sylvester Goodwin, Andover,
James Lang, Ipswich,
Aaron Wallis, do
Samuel Jenkins, Bradford,

Silk.

D. M. Dummer, Georgetown,
Sophia Ordway, West Newbury,

Carpeting.
Mrs. John Pearson, Newbury, 1st

Mary A. B. Smith, Ipswich 2d

Mrs. D. C. Houghton, Newburyport,

gratuity,
do
do
do
do
do
do
do

gratuity,
do

premium,
do
do

Nancy Barrill, Beverly,
Mrs. Springer, Ipswich,
Sarah P. Page, Danvers,
Elizabeth D. Burke, Beverly,

Hearth Rugs.
1st
2d

Mary Hildreth,

do

Anna Cole,

do

Anna C. Foster,

do

Martha Porter,

do

Edeth Woodbury,

do

Hannah R. Lord,

Ipswich,

Mrs. D. L. Hodgkins, do
Mrs. John Pearson, Newbury,
Almira Mason, Salisbury,
Mary Ann Dodge, Wenham,
Miss Cook, Newburyport,

Elizabeth P. Pettingill, do
Mrs. D. C. Houghton, do
Elizabeth A. Stimpson, Danvers,

Hose.
Mrs. Joseph Perkins, Newburyport, Ist

premium,

do
gratuity,

do

do

do

do

do

do

do

do

do

do

da

do

do

do

do

premium,

50

50

50

25

2S

2 00

1 50

1 00

1 00

1 00

59

50

60

10 00

10 00

5 00

3 00

3 00

3 00

2 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

100

100

100

1 00

1 00

1 00

100

1 00

1 00

soo

100

PREMIUMS AND GRAIUITIES.

Counterpanes.
Mrs. R. A. Gerrish, Newbury, 1st premium,

Harriet T. Preston, Salem,

do

2d

Wrought Lace.
Hannah Ross, Ipswich, 1st premium.

Wrought Work by Children.

Martha E. Sticlcney, Rowley,
Sarah E. Kimball, Andover,
Frances Smith, Salem,
Mary E. Smith, do
Georgianna Leech, Beverly,
Susan Lord, do

Charlotte Woodbury, do
Ellen M. Wallis, do
Martha Bray, Essex,
Sarah L. Kimball, Ipswich,
Susan M. Shatswell, do

1st
2d

premium,

do
gratuity,
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do

Shoes.
Daniel Richards, Newbury, brogans, 1st premium,

John Varell, Ipswich, calf skin do 1st do

Miscellaneous

Articles.

Mrs. P. Pillsbury, Andover,

gratuity.

Hannah Jacobs, Danvers,

do

Frances C. F. Dodge, Ipswich,

do

Samuel Hunt, do

do

James and S. Peatfield, do

do

John Kimball, Georgetown,

do

Daniel Ross, Ipswich,

do

Mrs. A.H. Wilds, do

do

Sarah E. Felt, Salem,

do

Mary A. Caldwell, Ipswich,

do

Laura S. Atwood, do

do

Sophia Ordway, West New-bury,

do

Mrs. W. Lovett, Beverly,

do

Elizabeth P. Woodbury, do

do

Sophia B. Carter, Andover,

do

Abby B. Carter, do

do

Mrs. Springer, Ipswich,

do

Jerome Brown, do

do

Lucy Smith, do

do

Margaret Parsons, do

do

Mrs Israel K. Jewett, do

do

Abijrail C Giddinya, do

do

4 00

2 00

3 00

3 00

2 00

50

50

50

50

1 00

50

50

50

50

2 00

2 00

2 00

2 00

1 00

1 00

2 00

2 00

1 00

I 00

50

50

1 00

2 00

50

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

I 00

50

50

1 00

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES.

101

Abiah Lovejoy, Andover,
Edward Carter, do
Eunice L. Putnam, Danvers,
Abigail Staniford, Ipswich,
Susan Russell, do

Lydia N. Dole, West Newbury,
Elizabeth P. Paine, Ipswich,
Sarah Farley, do

Hannah Todd, Rowley,

gratuity,
do
do
do
do
do
do
do
do

100

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

1 00

50

50

50

$358 00

In addition to the premiums and gratuities awarded at the Annual Exhibition,
amounting to three hundred and fifty-eight dollars — the following premiums
have since been awarded by a vote of the Trustees :

Benjamin Poore, do

Josiah Crosby, Andover,

William Bartlett, Newburyport,
J. H. Coggeshall, Lynn,
Paul P. Pillsbury, Andover,

Amount brought down,

Attest,
Hamilton, Dec. 15, 1844.

fruit trees,

1st

premium,

$15 00

hassock cutter,

gratuity,

3 00

heifer.

1st

premium,

7 00

Indian corn

,1st

do

8 00

barley.

1st

do

8 00

oats,

1st

do

8 00

49 00

-

-

-

358 00

$407 00
ALLEN W. DODGE, Secretary.

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PREMIUMS OFFERED

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

FOR

1845.

1 MANAGEMENT OF FARMS.

For the most extensive, valuable and economical improve-
ments in the cultivation and management of an entire farm with
all its appendages, within the l^ist Jive years.

1st premium _ _ _ _ twenty-five dollars.

2d premium _ _ _ _ twenty dollars,

3d premium _ _ _ _ ten dollars.

^I^^^ The Trustees have varied their statement of premiums
offered for entire farms, in the hope of increasing the number
of competitors. They have also determined to admit as com-
petitors, all farms within the county, whether large or small,
for which the first premimnhdiS not been awarded, witliin seveti
years. A detailed statement of the management and produce
will be expected, by the 15th of November.

Notice of intention to claim these premiums must be given to
the Secretary on or before the 20th of June.

The Committee will visit such farms as may be entered, in
July and September.

2 DAIRY.

1. For the best produce of butter on any farm within the
County of Essex, from the 1st of June to the 9th of July, inclu-
sive, in the present year, a sample, not less than twenty-five
pounds, to be exhibited, with a particular statement of the

104 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

number of cows, quantity of butter, method of making and pre-
serving it, &c., &c.

1st premium ----- ten dollars and
Coleman's European Agriculture.

2d premium ----- eight dollars.

3d premium ----- - six dollars.

2. For the best produce of butter on any farm within the
County of Essex, in the four months next following the 20th
of May, the present year, a sample of not less than twenty-five
pounds to be exhibited — quantity as well as quality to be taken
into view ; with a full account of the manner of feeding the
cows, and the general management of the milk and butter.

1st premium ----- ten dollars, and
Coleman's European Agriculture.

2d premium ----- eight dollars.

3d premium -..--- six dollars.
Note. It will be observed that these premiums are offered
for the best 2iroduce oh the farms, and not simply for the best
specimen exhibited. Claimants will therefore be required to be
particular in keeping an account, and preparing a statement of
the entire produce, within the times mentioned.

3 TURNING IN CROPS AS A MANURE.

For the most satisfactory experiment of turning in crops as a
manure, either green or dry, on not less than one acre of land,
a detailed account of the whole process to be given in writing.
1st premium - - - - twenty dollars.

2d premium - - - - ten dollars.

4 FOREST TREES.

1. For the best plantation of either of the following species
of forest trees, viz: — white oak, yellow oak, locust, birch, white
ash, maple or walnut, not less than three years old, and not less
than one thousand trees, - - twenty dollars.

2. For the best do. do. do. not less than six hundred
trees, - _ _ - _ ten dollars.

Note. For an explanation of these premiums, see remarks
in former years.

PREiNllllMS OFFEKKD. 105

5 CULTIVATION OF MULBERRY TREES, SILK, &c.

For the best plantation of Mulberry trees, for which no pre-
mium has been awarded, containing at least one hundred trees,
of three years growth or more, from which the greatest quanti-
ty of silk has been manufactured, taking into view the number
of trees, _ _ _ - - fifteen dollars.

For the second best, - - - ten dollars.

6 IRRIGATION.

For the most satisfactory experiment for increasing the
crops, upon not less than one acre of land, by irrigation, with a
detailed account of the manner, expense, and benefits pro-
duced, _ _ _ _ - twelve dollars.

For the second best _ _ _ ten dollars.

7 I31PROVING WET MEADOW OR SWAMP LANDS.

For the best conducted experiment in reclaiming wet meadow
or swamp lands, on not less than one acre, the course of man-
agement and the produce, &c., for a period of two years, at
least, to be detailed, with a statement of all incidental ex-
pense, _ . _ - _ fifteen dollars,
and Coleman's European Agriculture.

For the second best _ _ _ ten dollars.

8 PLOUGHING.

1. Double Teams. For the best performance in ploughing,
at least one sixth of an acre, sevoi inches deep, ten dollars.

For the second best _ _ - eight dollars.

For the third best _ _ - six dollars.

For the fourth best _ - _ four dollars.

2. Single Teams. For the best performance in ploughing, at
least one eighth of an acre, six inches deep, eight dollars.

For the second best - - _ six dollars.

For the third best - - _ four dollars.

For the fourth best _ - _ two dollars.

3. Horse Teams. For the best performance in ploughing,
with horses - - . _ eight dollars.

For the second best - - - six dollars.

For the third best - - - four dollars.

14

106 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

4. Sub-soil Ploughing. For the best performance in Sub-soil
ploughing, _ . . . ten dollars.

For the second best - - - eight dollars.

Note. A team consisting of a horse and one pair of oxen
will be considered a double team. No team or plough which
has taken a premium of this Society will be entitled to another,
except of a higher grade. The competitors for these premiums,
must be the owners of the team, and the same must be entered
in the name of the owner. Those who intend to be competi-
tors, must give notice to the Secretary, or his agent, on or before
the Monday next previous to the Exhibition. Teams that come
more than ten miles, will be fed the night previous to the exhi-
bition, at the expense of the Society.

9 IMPROVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

To the person who shall exhibit at the show any new or
improved agricultural implement except ploughs, the inven-
tion being his own, which shall, in the opinion of the trustees,
merit a reward, a premium shall be given, not exceeding ten
dollars.

In all cases, proof must be given of the work done by the im-
plement before it is exhibited, and of its having been used and
approved by some practical farmer.

10 COMPARATIVE VALUE OF CROPS AS FOOD FOR CATTLE.

1. For the most satisfactory experiment upon a stock of cat-
tle, not less than four in number, in ascertaining the relative
value of the different kinds of fodder used, with a statement in
detail of the quantity and value of the same, as compared with
English hay, the experiment to be made in the three winter
months,

1st premium _ - - lifteeii dollars.

2d premium _ - - ten dollars.

2. For the most satisfactory experiment proving the compar-
ative value of the crop of cultivated grasses, cut at different
periods of their growth, whether they be worth more or less for
feeding or fattening cattle, cut in the blossom, or when the seed
is fully formed, or when fully ripe, taking into view the effect
of cutting these grasses at the different periods above mentioned,
on the land itself and on subsequent crops, fifteen dollars.

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 107

These premiums are offered to be paid, whenever a merito-
rious claim is presented; and will be continued until awarded

II EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

1. For an exact and satisfactory experiment in the prepara-
tion and application of manures, either animal, vegetable or
mineral,

1st premium - - - fifteen dollars, and

Coleman's European Agriculture.
2d premium - - - ten dollars.

12 FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE.

For the most satisfactory experiment in feeding cattle or
swine, with a statement in detail, of the process and the result.
1st premium . - - ten dollars.

2d premium - _ - five dollars.

13 CULTIVATION OF WHEAT, RYE, OATS, BARLEY, AND INDIAN CORN.

1. For the best conducted experiment of Wheat, not less than
twenty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre, eight dollars.

2. For the best conducted experiment of Rye, not less than
thirty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre of land, eight
dollars.

3. For the best conducted experiment of Oats, not less than
fifty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre of land, eight
dollars.

4. For the best conducted experiment of Barley, not less than
forty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre of land, eight
dollars.

5. For the best conducted experiment of Indian Corn, not
less than eighty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre
of land, eight dollars.

6. For the best conducted experiment in raising a mixed
crop of Corn and Potatoes, or mixed grain, and not less in val-
ue than eighty bushels of corn, on not less than one acre of
land, eight dollars.

14 ROOT CULTURE.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Sugar Beets,
six dollars.

108 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Carrots, six
dollars.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Rnta Baga, six
dollars.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Mangel Wurt-
zel, six dollars.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Onions, six
dollars.

Raised on not less than one half acre of land, and the quan-
tity of the crops to be ascertained by weight.

^jj^" Claimants for all the above premiums, will be required
to give a statement of the previous condition of the land, the
comparative value of the land, the value of labor and manure
applied, the produce, the manner of preparing the ground, the
seed used, the harvesting, &c., including all the details in rela-
tion to the crops ; the same to be forwarded to the Secretary,
prevous to the 15th of November.

15 ANIMALS TO BE PRODUCED AT THE EXHIBITION, ON WEDNES-
DAY, SEPT. 24, 18J5.

TO BE ENTERED IN THE NAME OF THEIR PROPER OWNERS — WHO MUST HAVE
HAD THEM SIX MONTHS BEFORE EXHIBITION.

For the best ox, fatted within the County, regard being had
to the manner of feeding, and the expense thereof, ten dollars,
and Coleman's European Agriculture.

For the second best, _ _ _ eight dollars.

For the third best, _ _ _ five dollars.

For the best bull, not less than one year old, on satisfactory
assurance being given that he shall be kept for use in tlie Coun-
ty, at least nine months from the day of exhibition, eight dollars.

For the second best, - - - six dollars.

For the third best, - - - four dollars.

For the best milch cow, not less than three, nor more than
ten years old, with satisfactory evidence as to the quantity and
(juality of her milk and the manner in which she has been fed,
ten dollars and Coleman's European Agriculture.

For the second best, _ _ - seven dollars.

For the third best, - - - five dollars.

For the best heifer that has been in milk three months or

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 109

more, with satisfactory evidence as to the quantity and quality
of her milk, _ - - - seven dollars.

For the second best, - - - five dollars.

For the best pair of working oxen, not over seven years old,
taking into view their size, power, and training, ten dollars.

For the second best, - - - seven dollars.

For the third best, - - - five dollars.

For the best pair of three year old steers, do seven dollars.

For the second best, - - - five dollars.

For the best pair of two year old steers, six dollars.

For the second best, - - - four dollars.

For the best pair of yearling steers, do - four dollars.

For the second best, - - - two dollars.

For the best boar, - - - five dollars.

For the second best, - - - two dollars.

For the best breeding sow - -- five dollars.

For the second best, _ - - three dollars.

For the best litter of weaned pigs, not less than four, from
two to six months old, - _ - six dollars.

For the second best, _ _ _ three dollars.

Note. In testing the power of working cattle, four years
old, or more, the load is not to exceed two tons ; under four
years old, it is to be one ton.

16 FRUIT TREES.

For the best nursery of fruit trees, not less than five hundred
in number, raised from the seed, and one or more years old from
the bud or graft,

1st premium, _ _ - ten dollars, and

Coleman's European Agriculture.
2d premium, _ . _ ten dollars.

17 LIVE FENCES.

For the best cultivated hedge or live fence of any kind, of
not less than five years growth from the seed, and at least twen-
ty rods in length, well trimmed and filled,

1st premium, - - - twenty dollars.

2d premium, _ _ _ ten dollars.

110 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

18 DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

For the best piece of carpeting, a yard wide, and not less than
twenty yards to be exhibited, - - five dollars.

For the second best, do - - three dollars.

For the best piece of stair carpeting, not less than twenty
yards to be exhibited, _ - - three dollars.

For the best straw or grass bonnet, - five dollars.

Nor the second best, do - - three dollars.

For the best wrought hearth rug, having regard both to the
quality of the work and expense of the material,

three dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best piece of woolen cloth, 7-8ths of a yard wide,
and twenty yards in quantity, - five dollars.

For the second best do. - - three dollars.

For the best piece of flannel, a yard wide, and twenty yards
in quantity, . _ . four dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best wrought woolen hose, not less than four pair,

two dollars.

For the second best do. - - one dollar.

For men's best half hose, not less than four pair,

one dollar.

For the best silk hose, not less than three pair,

two dollars.

For the best piece of linen cloth, not less than twenty yards,

four dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best piece of linen diaper, not less than twenty
yards, _ - . _ three dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best wrought counterpane, having regard to the
quality and expense of the materials, four dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best specimen of wrought lace, three dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best specimen of work performed by a child under
twelve years of age, exhibiting industry and ingenuity,

three dollars.

PREMIUMS OFFERED 111

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best pair of thick boots, - three dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best pair of calf-skin thin boots, four dollars.

For the second best do. - - two dollars.

For the best pair thick brogan shoes, two dollars.

For the best pair calf-skin shoes, - two dollars.

For the best specimen of shell combs, not less than one
dozen, _ _ _ five dollars:

For the best specimen of horn combs, not less than one
dozen. . _ - three dollars.

And should any other article of domestic manufacture be
exhibited, worthy of attention, a proper notice will be taken of
them, and suitable premiums awarded. The whole amount
not to exceed one hundred dollars.

^19 FRUITS, FLOWERS, AND VEGETABLES.

Convenient rooms will be provided for the exhibition of
fruits, flowers and vegetables, and committees will be appoint-
ed to examine and report on such as may be presented. W ho-
ever may present, is requested to furnish a minute in writing,
of the name of the owner, and description of the article pre-
sented. The committees will be instructed to recommend
such gratuities as the articles may seem to merit, not exceed-
ing in amount the sum of thirty dollars by the committee on
fruits and flowers, and ten dollars by the committee on vege-
tables ; — the fruits and flowers to be used at the annual dinner
of the society.

GENERAL REMARKS.

All claims for premiums, to be awarded on the day of exhi-
bition, must be entered with the Secretary of the Society, or
his agent, on or before 9 o'clock, A.M. of that day.

All other claims for premiums, must be handed or forwarded
to the Secretary, in writing.

All premiums awarded, the payment of which is not demand-
ed of the Treasurer within one year from the day of the exhi-
bition, will be considered as given to increase the funds of the
Society.

112 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

No animal or object for which a premium has heretofore
been awarded by the Society, Avill be entitled to another pre-
mium, unless it be of a higher order, or for qualities different
from those for which the former premiums were awarded.

No person will be entitled to receive a premium, unless he
complies with the conditions on which the premiums are offer-
ed ; and gives notice as required, of his intention to claim the
same.

No gratuities will be awarded except for Domestic Manu-
factures, and for Fruits, Flowers and Vegetables.

In regard to all subjects for which premiums are offered, it
is to be distinctly understood, that the Trustees reserve to
themselves the right of judging of the quality of the animal or
article offered ; and that no premiums will be awarded, unless
the objects of them are of a decidedly superior quality.

By order of the Trustees,

ALLEN W. DODGE, Secretary.
January, 1.845.

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

CHOSEN SEPTEMBER 25, 1844.

LEVERETT SALTONSTALL, of Salem, President.

DANIEL ADAMS, 3d, of Newbnry, "l
JOHN W. PROCTOR, " Danvers,
SOLOMON LOW, " Boxford,

ASA T. NEWHALL, " Lynnfield.

Vice Presidents.

WILLIAM SUTTON, of Salem, Treasurer.
ALLEN W. DODGE, " Hamilton, Secretary.

TRUSTEES

Jedediah H. Barker,

Andover.

Josiah Kimball,

Boxford.

Andrew Nichols,

Danvers.

Joseph Kittredge,

Andover .

Jeremiah Colman,

Newburyport.

Royal A. Merriam,

Topsfield.

George Hood,

Lynn.

Moses Newhall,

W.Newbury

Moses French,

E. Salisbury.

Dean Robinson,

U Li

Andrew Dodge,

Wenham.

Asa Nelson,

Georgetown.

James H. Duncan,

Haverhill.

Ira Worcester,

Ipswich,

Nathaniel Felton,

Danvers.

Hobart Clark,

Andover.

Nathan W. Hazen,

Andover.

Horace Ware,

Marblehead.

Joseph How,

Methuen.

Daniel P. King,

Danvers.

Frederick Howes,

Salem.

Josiah Newhall,

Lynnfield.

Asahel Huntington,

Salem.

John Marland,

Andover.

MEMBERS ADMITTED IN 1844.

Perley King,

Danvers.

George Thurlow,

W Newbury

Otis King,

Lynn.

Josiah Little,

a u

John Newell,

(t

Caleb Peirce,

Salem.

Frederick Mitchell,

Ipswich.

James D. Her rick,

Methuen.

Jacob Brown,

u

Paul D. Patch,

Hamilton.

Any citizen of the County may become a member of the Society by paying
to the Treasurer three dollars. Members are not liable to any assessment.

15

INDEX.

Mr. Proctor's Address,

Notice of Col. Pickering, as a farmer, .

Persons present at the first meeting of the Society,

Improvements in structure of the Plough,

Introduction of Sub-soil Ploughs to the County,

Mr. Phinney's opinion of their utility, .

Premiums on Farms, importance of

Improvement of native breed of animals.

Improvement of meadow and swamp lands.

Preparation and application of manures, .

Suggestions to young farmers as to applying labor.

Cultivation of grasses, new method,

A table of comparative value of products.

Cultivation of timber and fruit trees.

The mulberry tree, cultivation of, in Essex,

Agricultural Schools, necessity of

Influence of the Clergy on Agriculture, .

Condition and prospects of the New England far

Report on Swine, by Mr. Poole,

Report on the Dairy, by Mr. J. Newhall,

Statement by George W. Dodge,

" " Mrs. Abi Worcester,

" " Paul P. Pillsbury,

" «' Allen W. Dodge,

" " Nathaniel Felton,

" " Benjamin Boynton,

Report on Cows and Heifers,

Statement by Joseph P. Pond,
" " William Chase,

" " Joseph liorton,

" " Josiah Crosby,

Report on Bulls, by J. II. Barker,
Report on Oxen and Steers, by D. Adams, Jr, .
Report on Pat Cattle, by N. W. Ilazcu,

Statemcut by John and Josiah Lamson, .
" D. S. Caldwell,
Report on Ploughing with Double Teams, by M. Newell,
Report " " " Single Teams, by T. E. Payson,

Report " " " Horse Teams, by Solomon Low,

Report" Sub-soil Ploughing, by J. H. Duncan,
Report" Sheep and Colts, by M. French,

INDEX.

Report " Improved Agiicultural Implements, by D. P. King,
Report " Irrigation, by R. A. Merriam,
HKPORr " Grain and Mixed Crops, by A T. Nowhal),
Statement by William Bartlett,
« " J. H. Coggeshall,

" P. P. PiUsbury,
" "J. Toppan,

Report on Fruits and Flowers, by J. C Lee,

Statement by George Thurlow,
Report on Mulberry Trees and Silk, by G. B. Perry,
Statement by D. M. Dunimer,
" " Sopliia Ordway,

Report on Vegetables, by J. M. Ives,
Report on Domestic Manufactures, by Charles Kimball,
List of Premiums and Gratuities awarded in 1844,
Treasurer's Annual Statement,
Premiums Offered for 1845,
Officers of the Society,
Members Admitted,

73 to 74

74 to 76

76 to 77

77 to 79
79 to 81

81 to 82

82 to 83

83 to 88
88 to 90
90

90 to 91

91 to 92

92 to 93

93 to 96
97 to 101

102

103 to 112

113

113

TRANSACTIONS

OF THE

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

1845

VOLUME III. -NUMBER VI.

PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY.
JANUARY, 1 846.

SALEM:

PRINTED AT THE GAZETTE OFFICE.
1846.

MR. STONE'S ADDRESS,

Gentlemen :

You are met, on this 28th anniversary of the Essex Agricul-
tural Society, to exhibit the results of your toil and skill, and
to lay before each other, for mutual benefit, your individual ex-
perience. This " Farmer's Jubilee " is a proud and beautiful
spectacle — a day of extended and extending interest in this
county. Prompted by a laudable desire to advance the pros-
perity of your calling, you are thus come together. In these
becoming exercises, — and as the friends of order, virtue and re-
ligion,— you gratefully acknowledge the benignant Providence,
and implore the continued smiles of him, " who crowneth the
year with his goodness," and without Avhose blessing all pros-
perity is a curse ; while, by fraternal intercourse, you impart
and receive influences that perpetuate good will, strengthen the
ties of the civil and social compact, and make "a fair day in
the affections, from the storm and tempest." Nor is it the
least gratifying circumstance of the occasion, that we greet so
numerous a representation of the gentler sex, without whose
presence Paradise itself had been a cheerless home for man, and
the rich harvest fields of Boaz had failed to satisfy their own-
er. It were time well spent in celebrating this anniversary,
were it but to weave this garland of Essex's fairest flowers, —
to chasten and dignify our festive enjoyments by the charms
and restraints of woman, — and to find, as we do to-day, in
the specimens of feminine industry, invention and taste, incen-
tives to our own.

Honored with an invitation to address you, I stand here, not.

STONES ADDRESS.

indeed, claiming to be a " practical farmer," but as one whose
years of minority were familiar with the occupations of a farm
with a love of rural pursuits increased by many years resi-
dence in the midst of a rural population, and with a heart that
yields to none other in its respect for the cultivators of the soil,
or in its sympathy for the cause of agriculture. I congratulate
you, gentlemen, on the success that has annually crowned the
operations of your association, and the impetus it has imparted
lo agricultural improvements in this county. The exhibitions
of this day are the best witnesses to its utility, as they are to
the patriotism and wise forecast of its founders.*

*Thc following persons have addressed the Essex Agricultural Society.

1819. lion. Timothy Pickering, Salem.

1820. " " " " Feb.

1820. Andrew Nichols, M. D. Danvers.

1821. Rev . Abiel Abljott, D. D. Beverly.

1822. Rev. Peter Eaton, D. D. Boxford.

1823. Frederic Howes, Esq., Salem.

In 1824, 5, 6, 7, and 9, it does not appear that any addresses were delivered.

1828. Hon. Timothy l'i(;kering, Salem.

1829. " Brief notice of Hon. T. Pickering." read by F. Howes, Esq

1830. Hon. James H. Duncan, Haverhill.

1831. Rev. Henry Colman, Salem.

1832. Rev. Gardner B. Perry, Bradford.

1833. Hon. Jeremiah Spofford, Bradford.

1834. Ebenezcr Moseley, Esq., Newburyport.

1835. Hon. Daniel P. King, Danvers.

1836. Nathan W. Hazen, Esq., Andovcr.

1837. Rev. Nathaniel Gage, Haverhill.

1838. Rev. Leonard Withington, Newbury.
1 1839. Rev. Allen Putnam, Danvers.

1840. Asahel Huntington, Esq. Salem.

1841. Alonzo Gray, A. M., Andover.

1842. Hon. Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton.

1843. Hon. Levcrett Saltonstall, Salem.

1844. John W. Proctor, Esq., Danvers.

1845. Edwin M. Stone, Beverly.

For the vear.s 1821, '5 and '7, the publications of this Society were made in tlie N. E
Farmer.

For the years 1826 and '9, |)amphlt'ls were published that do not contain addrcs.ses.

The folloAiiig persons have been President's of the Society, viz:

Timothy Pickering, 10 years. James II. Duncan, 3 years.

Frederic Howes, 3 " Josc()h Kittrcdgc, 2 "

Ebenezcr Moselev. 4 " Lcverett Saltonstall, 3 "

MR. stone's address. &

Agriculture is the offspring of God. It was the first em-
ployment of man. On the authority of these two facts, as
well as from the illustrious names it has in every age enrolled
as its votaries, 1 may, without disparagement to other pursuits,
pronounce it the most important, as it certainly is among the
most honorable descriptions of labor.

Agriculture is the basis of National prosperity. Revolution
or change, though they may affect, and for a time depress, can-
not destroy it. Napoleon spoke as a profound statesman, and
uttered a merited compliment, when he said, " Finances found-
ed upon a skillful agriculture, can never be destroyed." —
Though Manufactures and Commerce add to the wealth of a
nation, and from the employ they give to capital and labor,
are blessings to the world, — neither could flourish without the
aid of agriculture. They are, in fact, her legitimate offspring.
She establishes them in business. She supplies them with
subsistence for their operatives and seamen, and with materi-
als for their industry and enterprize. They, in return, stimu-
'lated by generous and necessary protection, to healthy activity,
impart to agriculture a vital nourishment. Every factory put
in operation, increases the consumption of farm products, and
contributes to absorb the surplus in its vicinity. The farmer
sells his pork, butter, cheese, milk, eggs, etc. at home, at better
prices than he can be certain of realizing in the principal cities,
and saves the expense of transportation. In this country, the
interests of Agriculture, Manufactures and Commerce, are now
so blended, that a blow cannot be struck at the prosperity of the
two former, that will not be felt by the latter. It is a favora-
ble augury for our country, that this relation is becoming bet-
ter miderstood and more widely recognized, tending, as it does,
to unite the friends of these several interests in the policy of
protection, as well as to settle the policy of our government on
the same point.

The advantages of Agricultural Associations were warmly

Tlie following persons have been Secretaries of the Society, viz.

David Cunirains, 1 year. Daniel P, King, 2 years.

Frederic Howes, 1 " Allen W. Dodge, 2 "

John W. Proctor, 20 "

6 IM II. STONES ADDRESS.

appreciated by the Father of his Country, who amidst the fa-
tigues and excitements of the Camp, and the cares of State,
cherished an ardent interest in this branch of industry. It was
his desire to see estabhshed, a National Board of Agriculture,
" composed of proper characters, charged with collecting and
diffusing information, and enabled by premiums, and small pe-
cuniary aid, to encourage and assist a spirit of discovery and
improvement." Among the last acts of his public life, was the
recommendation of such an Institution to the notice of Con-
gress, as calculated "doubly to the increase of improvement,
by stimulating to enterprize and experiment, and by drawing
to a common centre the results every where of individual skill
and observation, and spreading them thence over the whole na-
tion."* The subject, though favorably regarded, was not defi-
nitely acted upon, owing to limited time and the pressure of
important business.f

The Patent Office is, I believe, the only department of our
National organization that bears any direct relation to Agricul-
ture, and this, under the efficient management of Hon. H. L."
Ellsworth, (lately retired,) has rendered valuable service to the
farming interest. Mr. E. was indefatigable in collecting
information concerning the agriculture of this country, and his
Reports are among the most useful documents printed and dis-
tributed by Congress. State and County Associations are now
doing the work of a National Institution, and by the concen-
tration of local interests, are probably quite as advantageous.
They have stimulated mechanical ingenuity, under the influ-
ence of which, the cultivator, horse rake, roller, and many oth-
er useful implements have been invented, while important im-
provements have been made in those previously in use. The
scythe, rake, fork, spade and hoe, have all received the magic
touch of genius, and appear to us in more graceful forms. But
in nothing is change for the better more visible, than in that
vital agent of agriculture — the plough. History furnishes no
description of that used by Elisha, when, as the Messenger and
Prophet of God, he left the field to discharge those high and

♦Speech on opening of Congress, Dec. 5, 1796. fLetters to Sir John Sinclair, p. 42.

I

JM n . STONES A P P R E S S . 7

lioly functions, — nor can we form any tolerable idea of the
ploughs used in Ireland, when it became necessary, by act of
parliament to prohibit "ploughing by the tayle," — but the
heavy, uncouth instru\jients, shod with broken cart tire and
cast-off ox shoes, seen on every farm thirty years ago, are fa-
miliar to our juvenile recollections, and point a contrast most
favorable to the beautiful and scientifically constructed ploughs
now manufactured, which execute better work with fifty per
cent less team. The sub-soil plough, invented in Scotland
about twenty years ago, and now considered an essential im-
plement of good husbandry in Great Britain, has been, by Yan-
kee skill, brought within the means of every farmer.*

This Society was the first in the Commonwealth, to publish
in detail its transactions, and thus led the way to an excellent
system of diffusing useful knowledge, now generally adopted.
In recently examining these publications, I was struck with
the sterling value of their contents. The addresses, delivered
in every instance by members of the society, are characterized
by profoundness of thought and depth of research ; and the nu-
merous communications, detailing experiments and their re-
sults, hi the various departments of Husbandry, evince uncom-
mon practical skill, and a laudable ambition to advance agri-
cultural science. Indeed, I hazard nothing in pronouncing
them among the most important agricultural documents that
have ever been presented to the American Public.

A wide diffusion of the valuable information annually accu-

*There is a beautiful connection betv/een the progress of the mechanic arts and the devel-
opment of the natural productions of the soil. The genius which puts into the hands of
the agriculturists the machine by which he may plough, mow, reap, thrash or shell out ten
times the usual amount performed by the same number of individuals, — of course gives him
increased power of turning his labor to advantage, provided the market keeps pace with
such advance of product. The farmer should recollect, that for his plough, his harrow,
rake, spade, and scythe. Ids reaping, thrashing and winnowing machines, &c., he is in-
debted to the mechanic;— and just in the degree in which these instruments of his toil are
improved, may he find additional ease and comfort in his method of conducting his busi-
ness. By the use of these various tools, which are such interesting exhibitions of inven-
tive talent, too, his own mind may be expanded as he learns to observe tlieir operation,
and so obtains knowledge of the practical laws of the forces in action, and tlius quickened
to invent for himself, may he able, by suggestions of his own, to derive increased advan-
tage from what he reads or hears." — Ellsworth's Report, 1845, />. 14.

8 MR. STONES ADDRESS,

mulated by each Agricultural Society in the State, has long
been a desideratum, for which the legislature of last winter
generously provided. By an act of March 7th, 1845, it is made
the duty of every Agricultural Society pntitled to receive mon-
ey from the Commonwealth, under penalty of forfeiting the
same, to make full returns of their doings into the office of the
Secretary of State, " embracing all reports of committees, and
all statements of experiments and cultivation, deemed by the
officers of the several societies worthy of publication." From
these returns, the Secretary is required to cause as full an ab-
stract "to be made and published each year, for distribution,
as in his judgment will prove useful." This act promises to be
very serviceable, as by its provisions the most important exper-
iments and best methods of husbandry within the bounds of
each Society, will be made accessible to thousands in every
part of the Commonwealth, to whom they are now sealed
books.

From the first settlement of this country, agriculture engag-
ed a large share of attention, and the products of the soil sup-
plied, at an early day a portion, of the domestic exports. For
ten years preceeding 1709, twenty-eight millions 858,666 lbs.
of tobacco were exported from the North American Colonies in-
to Great Britain. In 1724, 18,000 bbls. rice were exported, and
in the year ending Sept. 1761, 100,000 bbls. Among the ex-
ports of 1770, were 751,250 bushels wheat, valued at £131,-
467; 48,868 tons of flour and bread, valued at £504,553, 6s.
Id; 578,349 bushels Indian meal, valued at about $194,000;
167,613 lbs, butter, and 55,997 lbs. cheese.

Th«; exports from the peace of 1783 to the organization of
the Federal government, cannot be accurately ascertained, but
from 1791 to 1802, inclusive, there were among the exports,
9,391,557 bbls. flour, 4,778,795 bush, wheat, 4,321,114 bush.
Indian meal, 17,826,373 bush. corn. The average export of
oats for 20 years preceding 1816, was about 70,000 bush, per
ami., peas 90,000, beans between 30 and 40,000. The export of
rye was trifling, it being mostly used for food and distillation.*

*In 1801, the quantity of spirits, distilled from grain and fruit, in the U. States, was
estimated at ten millions of gallons. In 1810, it exceeded twenty millions. Probably

MR. STONE S A n D R E S S . »

From 1803 to 1814, inclusive, the agricultural exports of the
U. S. amounted to |315,729,000, or about three-fourths of all
the domestic exports. In 1812, of ,$30,032,109 domestic ex-
ports, !|24,555,000, were the products of agriculture. The
gross products of agriculture in the U. S. last year, were 828,-
448,000 bushels vegetable food, with proportionate crops of
hay, cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, silk, flax and hemp — employ-
ing the labor of about four millions of persons.*

The entire domestic exports of the U. S. for the year ending
June 30th, 1844, were $99,715,179. Of these, $3,350,501 were
products of the sea; of the forest, $5,808,712; of manufactures,
$10,617,556; of agriculture, $79,938,410, leaving but $19,777,-
169 for all other descriptions of labor ^ and exceeding the export
of manufactures nearly seven fold. Of these agricultural ex-
ports, $11,239,437 were vegetable food. Massachusetts, though
extensively engaged in manufactures, employs not less than
90,000 persons in the cultivation of the soil, and last year pro-
duced 9,678,000bushels vegetable food, 706,000 tons hay, 103,-
000 lbs. tobacco, 425,000 lbs. sugar, and 37,000 lbs. silk.f

The agriculture of Essex County gives employ to about
8,000 persons, and in 1840 yielded 658,555 bushels vegetable

more than three quarters of this was from grain. In 1810, therefore, between five and six
millions of bushels of rye and corn must have been made into spirits. In Pennsylvania
alone, in that year, there were three thousand three hundred and thirty four distilleries,
producing no less than six millions five hundred fifty two thousand two hundred and eighty
four gallons of spirits, principally from grain. Add to this, the quantity distilled from
molasses and that imported and consumed here, and we find that the annual consumption
of spirits in tlie United States amounted to thirty one millions seven hundred and twenty-
five thousand foiu" hundred and seventeen gallons, or about four and a half gallons for each
person. Pitkin's View, p. 101.

*Wheat,

95,607,000.

Hay, 17,715,000 tons,

Barley,

3,627,000.

Flax and Hemp, 22,000 lbs.

Oats,

172,247,000.

Tobacco, 166,705,000 "

Rye,

26,450,000.

Cotton, 872,107,000 «

Buckwheat,

9,071,000.

Rice, 111,759,000 «

Indian Corn,

421,953,000.

Sugar, 201,107,000 «

Potatoes,

99,493,000.

Silk, 796,000 «

fThe difterent items, are, wheat, 210,000 bushels; barley 141,060 do; oats 1,687,-
000 do; rye 660,000 do; buckwheat 114,000 do ; indian corn 2,816,000 do; potatoes
4,050,000 do; hay 706,000 tons; tobacco 103,000 lbs; sugar 425,000 do; silk 37,-
000 do.

2

10 MR. stone's address.

food, 48,503 tons hay, and dairy, orchard, nursery, and garden
products to the vahie of $289,457.* These statistics give
you a bird's eye view of the extent of the agricultural operations
of our country, though its resources are not a twentieth part
developed, — and justify the exalted position I have claimed
for rural pursuits.

It will be impossible, on an occasion like the present, to con-
sider all the topics connected with the great subject of agricul-
ture, and in which every enlightened farmer is presumed to be
interested. From the mass, I shall select only a few, and these
I must necessarily treat with brevity. I begin with Manure.
This is a vital element of good farming. Our soils in these
Northern regions, are too sterile to return a fair remuneration
for labor without it ; and yet it is too costly, to warrant, un-
der ordinary circumstances, extensive purchase. The farmer's
policy, then, is, to manufacture it. This may be done in two
ways — by the aid of stock, and by the compost heap. One er-
ror of many farmers in this county is, that they do not keep
stock enough, and unwilling or unable to buy manure, they
sell more matter off their farms than they bring on — a process
that in a few years impoverishes the land, and diminishes the
crops. Another is, that they neglect, very extensively,
(though there has been of late years a decided improvement in
this regard) to use the materials easily accessible, to increase
their store. I venture to affirm, that with properly construct-
ed barns, such as may be found on many excellent farms in
this county, a just proportion of stock, and due care to keep
the barn-yard and piggery well supplied with materials, that
the sink, out-houses, bog-meadow, forest, sea shore, clay bank,
corners of the field, and the roadside afford, every farmer may
double the quantity of his manure without materially increas-
ing the cash expenses of his farm. Where it is practicable, the
wash of the road shoidd be turned into the field, to enrich the
soil. I have been shown a piece of mowing, laid down fifty

*The census of 1840 gives the follpwing returns:— 3,281 bush, wheal; 28,044 bailey;
19,309 rye; 3,268 buckwheat; 166,861 corn; 437,790 potatoes; 61,882 oats; 48,503
tons hay; 12 tons Hax and hemp; 17,726 lbs. wool; 12 lbs. silk; Dairy products
$193,808; orchards ^63,642; market gardens $10,216; nurseries 5:21,791

MR. stone's address. H

years ago, that has never received any other dressing, and now
yields a heavy burden of grass.

Ashes, leached or unleached, are a valuable manure, especi-
ally on light soils. They also make an excellent dressing for
fruit trees. Fish, where they can be readily obtained, and in
sufficient quantities, are highly serviceable, either as a top-
dressing for mowing fields, or for ploughing in. Hon. Daniel
Webster, who nses fish freely on his farm in Marshfield, consid-
ers one load equal in value, to three loads of stable manure. —
Salt is another useful article for the compost heap, and is des-
tined to be extensively employed in agriculture. Sown broad-
cast on grass lands, it has proved permanently beneficial, par-
ticularly at some distance from the ocean. Sown in the same
manner on a cornfield, immediately after planting, at the rate
of two bushels to the acre, it has afforded effectual protection
against worms and birds. A table spoonful spread in the po-
tato hill, before covering, has preserved the crop from insect
ravages. A fork full of sea weed in each hill would be still
better.

Within a few years. Guano, or the manure of sea-fowls, has
attracted much attention. In England, the humid climate of
which is particularly favorable to its use, the results of exper-
iments have been so remarkable as to induce extensive impor-
tations. An immense number of vessels are engaged in the
trade, and numerous islands of the Pacific Ocean are literally
disappearing. In this country, guano has many ardent advo-
cates, and has been applied with various success. In some in-
stances, it has realized sanguine expectations, and in others
fallen in the rear of common manures. It is unquestionably
one of the most powerful stimulants to vegetable growth, and
is reputed to be of permanent value to the soil. Success in the
use of this article, however, depends on the exercise of judg-
ment. The .same is true of lime, (an excellent neutralizer of
acids,) crushed bones, poudrette, etc. But after all, a Farm-
er's chief reliance should be on his barn yard and cellar, hog
yard, and compost heap.*

*In the " Farmers' Library," for September IS45, Mr, Teschem^cher, of Boston, says :
" In no soil bqt a stiff clay, can guano fsiil to produce its effects; in no soil but one amply

12 MR. stone's ADDRESS.

To the aid of agriculture, the animal creation, the treasures
of the earth, and the riches of the ocean have been made tribu-
tary. But not contented with these resources, man has grasp-
ed the fiery element of the skies, and pressed it into the same
service. Science has now demonstrated that electricity is in-
timately connected with vegetable life, and that its application
to plants greatly accelerates their growth. "Many observing
farmers will, no doubt, have noticed, that vegetation proceeds
more rapidly after a thunder storm, than after one which shows
no electrical phenomena ; and we find, on examining the va-
rious formations of the parts of plants, that they are well adapt-
ed for the passage of electricity through them, either from the
earth or the atmos'phere. Witness the points and serratings, as
well as the hairs and down on the leaves, all good conductors,
and calculated for affording it a silent and easy passage.*"

For the discovery of this use of electricity, the world is in-
debted to a lady. With the aid of a common electrical ma-
chine to which was affixed a wire conductor, she supplied a
certain portion of her garden with a constant flow of electrici-
ty. -'The eftect was, that vegetation did not cease in the win-
ter on the spot under the influence of this wonderful power,
and that what snow fell during the continuance of the experi-
ment never remained, as it did on the rest of the garden
around."!

Interesting experiments have recently been made, both in
this country and in England. By electricity collected from

provided already with phosphate of lime, can its effects fail to be permanent. In arid
soils, it is, if properly applied, of great value, as it infuses that strength and solidity into
the juices vvhicli enable the plant to withstand the drought. To this object, one of my ex-
periments has been devoted with perfect success. On a soutliern bank my peas were green
and fresh, while those of my neighbors, with manure, were brown and burnt up. This,
and every other efficient action of guano, is produced by reflecting on the growth and po-
sition ot the roots of plants, and placing the guano in such a situation that they may reacli
it when they are of pretty good strength, and the moistmo of the soil has sufficiently de-
composed the manure ; but sowing the seed in contact with guano, or placing it where the
young sprouting root touches it immediately, is sure to cause a failure. The same is sure
to ensue when the guano is spread on the surface, so that animoniacal virtues escape info
the atmosphere."

*N. Y. Farmer and Mechanic.
tLondon Spectator, Oct. 26, 1844.

mr.stone'saddress. 13

the air, by wires suspended on poles and connecting with the
earth, barley, on a given quantity of land, grew faster, and
produced a greater number of stocks, than the unelectrified
land adjoining. The ears from one grain of seed were more nu-
merous and longer, and the corn was also larger and harder.
An experiment on potatoes greatly increased the crop. Cu-
cumbers 5 inches long and 1 1-2 in diameter, have been produ-
ced in 37 days after planting, when electricity by a Leyden jar
has been applied, and a dahlia cutting that received two char-
ges, grew nearly five feet in 20 days after it was set out.

These results are as astonishing as those produced by the
application of Guano. But many experiments are still neces-
sary, before we can pronounce with certainty on the practical
utility of this mysterious fire as an element of common hus-
bandry.

Another point I would press, is the importance of improving
our native breed of neat cattle. On this subject, I confess my-
self thoroughly "Native American." It has always seemed to
me a reproach to the farming interests of this country, that it
should depend on foreign supplies of improved stock, when it
could easily be supplied at home. I hold it to be unsound pol-
icy to send a dollar out of the country for what can be produ-
ced here. In saying this, I mean no disrespect to the Dur-
hams, Ayrshires, and other bloods that have been introduced
into the United States from Europe, and that have benefitted
both the dairy and the shambles. But I believe, that in our
native breed, we have the elements of a superior stock, which
it is the duty of enterprising farmers to develope; and that if
they will raise their most promising calves instead of selling
them for slaughter, we may, in a few years, have an improv-
ed race of neat cattle, that will in every respect equal, if not
surpass, any now imported.

Another consideration in favor of native cattle, is the supe-
riority of their hides for leather. Mr. Ellsworth, in his last an-
nual Report to Congress, says that "some hides are actually
worth twice as much as others for their wear after being tan-
ned. The hides of the Durham cattle, for instance, are more
open and porous than (he hides of the native cattle," and

14 MR. stone's address.

will be inferior for leather when manufactured — a fact of no
little pecuniary importance to the consumer.

A subject intimately allied to the foregoing, is Pasturage. — •
Good pasture is as essential to the best results of the Dairy, as
it is to the best appearance of stock. "Short commons" will
make "lean kine" and "thin skimmings," and an inquiry into the
method by which the largest number of cattle may be kept in
good flesh on the smallest number of acres, can never be regard-
ed as idle. There are, in Essex County, more than 100,000
acres of pasturage. Much of this is poor — so bound-out, that a
ten acre lot in midsummer, will scarcely afford a cow her fill,
though she feeds from "dawn to dewy eve." Such lands may
be renovated, without loss of the spring feed, by breaking up
in August, and sowing grass seed with rye. The rye will af-
ford ample feed the following spring, while the grass is obtain-
ing further root. If but half the field is broken up at a time, it
need not be vacated a single season.* Pastures mossed over,
that cannot be ploughed, may be benefitted by harrowing and
a dressing of salt.

Time may be saved to farmers, in renovating their mowing
lands, by sowing grass seed among corn at the last weeding,
and covering it with a light harrow, fitted to pass between the
rows. Experience has proved that hilling is not necessary to
the support of corn, and if, when taken oft', the stalks are cut
close to the ground, and the land rolled, the stubble will pre-
sent no impediment to the scythe. Two advantages are secu-
red by seeding a cornfield. First, an effectual protection
against drought, a point not always gained when grass seed is
sownwith barley or rye ; and secondly, the grass shares the ben-
efit of the manure, without perceptible injury to the corn, and a
more luxuriant growth is obtained. Land broken up in the
autumn, and planted the next season with corn, may be treats
ed in the same way. This plan has the approbation of many
of our most judicious farmers, and from the success I have
witnessed in the praotioe, I feel confidence in recommending it.

* This methotl li^s latoly been brought to public notice, by Win. Buckminstcr, Esq.,
editor of the Mis^sachusctt-^ Ploughman, It is said to havo been practised tiiirty yeara
ago, by a farmer sogth of Uo&ton, whose uuuie I do not reint'Uiber,

MR. stone's address. 15'

Soiling, or feeding milch cows on green fodder, though high-
ly approved by many, is not practised to the most useful extent
in this county. Usually, every season, the dairy suffers sever-
al weeks, in consequence of " parched pastures." The loss of
income following, may be effectually prevented by soiling in
the barnyard or stall, and a large quantity of manure saved,
that, dropped in the field, will be in a measure wasted. An
Essex farmer, by this process, kept up the milk of his cows
during the most trying period of the past summer, and found
ample remuneration for the trouble, in the extra receipts of the
dairy. The product of a single acre will suffice for ten or fif-
teen cows, and "give them their fill."* Farmers who are
deficient in pasture, may, by resorting to green fodder, profita-
bly increase their dairy stock.

If farmers, who have easy access to market, were to raise
larger quatities of carrots, and other roots for their milk stock,
with a view to a winter dairy, I am confident they would ob-
tain a profitable return for their labor. With a sufficiency of
such food, and a pint of Indian meal to each cow per day, cows
that come in in the autumn, (which they should do for a win-
ter dairy) will give a rich supply of milk all winter, and the
cream, under the management of a skillful dairy woman, will
produce butter of fine appearance and flavor. Fresh made
butter, of this character, will always secure a quick sale, and
a higher price than the best quality laid down in June or Sep-
tember.

It is gratifying to notice the increasing attention, in all parts
of our country, to the cultivation of fruit. I well recollect
when the common doctrine was, let each generation provide its
own fruit, and many farmers refused to replenish decaying or-
chards, because, as they said, their old trees would afford a
sufficient supply for their own use while they lived, and those
who came after them must take care of themselves. They
seemed to have forgotten that those old trees were planted by
their fathers, who, had they acted on this selfish principle,

*An acre of land will yield from twelve to twenty tons of green corn fodder. It is staled'
in an agricultural paper, that George Randall, Esq., of New Bedford, has, ihis season'
raised tliirty-one tons and eighty pounds to the acre.

i& MR. stone's address.

would have left their farms barren of trees. But worthier sen-
timents are now prevailing. The agricultural community are
becoming more conscious of the duty they owe to posterity to
leave the world better than they found it, and acting upon this
principle they erect the worthiest monument to the memory of
their ancestors, and evince a commendable regard for those
who will one day succeed them.

Formerly, much of the fruit cultivated, was of an inferior
quality. But orchardists have discovered that the best kinds
caii be produced without enhancing the cost, while the demand
and price in the market are greatly increased. Essex County
now produces as fine apples, pears, quinces, plums, &c., as can
be found in the Commonwealth, and the contributions to the
annual exhibition of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society
in Boston, by gentlemen resident in Salem, Beverly, and the
adjoining towns, are highly creditable to their pomological taste
and skill. Much praise is due to the Essex County Natural
History Society, for the service it is rendering to the Fruit in-
terest, by the weekly exhibitions gratuitously opened to the
public from Spring to Autumn. The annual exhibition, just
closed, has not been surpassed, in the quality of its fruit, by
any show I have elsewhere witnessed.*

For common cultivation, the apple is doubtless the most lu-
crative, and therefore deserves the first place in a farmer's esti-
mation. Beside the increasing domestic consumption, foreign
markets are constantly opening, promising a sure demand for
the surplus that the most favorable seasons bestow. In the
year ending 30th .Tune, 1844, apples to the value of f 51,4G5,
were exported from this country. Winter fruit will always sell
at fair prices. A farmer, with a thrifty orchard of Baldwins,
Roxbury Russets, Rhode Island Greenings, and other choice
varieties, will derive more income from its cultivation than
he can from the same amount of labor employed in any other
way. The " Black Pear of Worcester," and the "Iron" or

*The late Robert Manning, Esq., of Salem, " the great Pomologist of America," gath-
ered into his own collection nearly 2000 varieties of fruit. From that collection 240 varie-
ties of the pear were presented at the recent annual exhibition of the Massachusetts Horti-
cultural Society.

MR. stone's ADDRESS. 17

" Pound Pear " are also valuable fruits for winter use. They
are prolific bearers, keep remarkably well, and always com-
mand a good price in the market.

In some parts of the Commonwealth, the cultivation of Cran-
berries is beginning to engage attention as a source of revenue.
The demand for this fruit is extensive, the supply limited, and
the price consequently high. There is much land suited to
their culture, which at present yields little or no income. —
Strawberries will also handsomely remunerate labor in the vi-
cinity of cities and large towns. The purple grape of our
woods, which makes a delicious conserve, may be reared with
advantage.

More attention should be paid to garden fruit culture. Ev-
ery individual possessing a garden, can, in a few years, sup-
ply his family with all the summer and autumn fruits in rich
abundance, with little expense beyond the leisure moments
that may be employed for such purpose.* In the cultivation of
fruit, luxury and health are for once unued.

For ten years past, this society has, with commendable spir-
it, encouraged the cultivation of Flowers. This is at once a
delightful and innocent recreation, and I never pass a farm-
house, graced with the gaudy marigold, showy peony, or splen-
did dahlia, nor the humble cottage window, with its pot of modest
daisies, without an awakening sympathy for their inmates. Nor
is the mora/ influence of floriculture to be overlooked. It brings
the mind so immediately in contact with the Infinite One, by
whom the numerous orders of the floral world were formed and
received their varied hues, and so exhibits wisdom and design
in their structure, that he who " has considered the lily." the
fabled love of Juno, so beautiful in its texture, and so admira-

*Mr. John M. Ives, of Salem, one of our most skillful Pomologists, in his enlarged edi-
tion of Manning's New England Fruit Book, recommends the following selection of pears
for garden culture :

Summer Fruit. Madaleine, Bloodgood, Dearborn's Seedling, Early Rousalette, Summer
Franc Real. Autumn Fruit. Belle Lucrative, Bartlett, Flemish Beauty, Urbaniste,
Gushing, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Andrews, Long Green, Beurre Bosc, Louisa Bonne de
Jersey, Golden Beurre of Bilboa, Washington, Seckel, Bon Chretien Fondante. Winter
Fruit. Beurre d'Aremberg, Winter Nelis, Lewis, Easter Beurre, Vicar of Wakefield
Cooking Fruit. Catillac, Black Pear of Worcester, Dr. Hunt's Winter.

3

18 MR. stone's ADDRESS.

Lie for the study of the young botanist, or has reared the rose

•'Full lipp'd and warm,
Round about whose riper form
Her slender virgin train are seen
In their close-fit caps of green,'*

cannot remain insensible to the Divine Presence in his works.
There is beauty and instruction in flowers, and their cultiva-
tion is no unfit employment for either sex.

Though the Agriculture of Essex County has made advan-
ces highly creditable to the enterprize of its farming popula-
tion, and is, perhaps, in as prosperous a condition as in any
other section of the Commonwealth, it has by no means reach-
ed the highest point of excellence. Many improvements re-
main to be adopted that will prove as beneficial as those al-
ready reduced to practice. Agriculture, in this country, is com-
paratively in its info.ncy, and while the motto of Essex Farm-
ers is, " prove all things, hold fast that which is good," they
will doubtless continue as they have hitherto done, to make
experiments on a small scale, and contribute their share to the
advancement of the science. For their general benefit, I would
recommend the holding of agricultural meetings in each town
during the winter months, similar to those held in Boston dur-
ing the sitting of the legislature. In these meetings may be
discussed all the topics of interest to farmers. Reports of ex-
periments may be made, and such other information communi-
cated, as will be of practical service. It seems to me, one eve-
ning in a week cannot be more pleasantly or usefully occupied
than in an assembly of neighbors, where, without irksome for-
mality, each adds, as he is able, to the common fund of know-
ledge. It will not only serve to expand the fraternal element of
man's nature, bat to create a desirable esprit dii corps.

The Agricultural capabilities of Essex county are far from
being exhausted. Not only do large quantities af unimproved
land remain to be recliamed and rendered among the most val-
uable, but the crops on that already under cultivation may be
greatly increased, with larger profits on the outlay than are now
realized. Indian corn and potatoes are among our principal
crops. But neither of these does justice to the quantity of

MR. stone's address. 19

ground cultivated. Owing to some erroneous principle in cul-
tivation, shallow ploughing, and spreading the manure on two
acres that ought to be put on one, for example, the corn crop
often does not "pay well," — at least farmers say so — while
the complaint is not less frequent, of " small potatoes and few
in a hill."

I do not suppose we can raise the large crops of corn, per
acre, that are produced in the west — nor do I think we can vie
with the Green Mountain State in the culture of potatoes,
where some of the best farmers consider 1000 or 1200 bushels
per acre an ordinary crop. But that these crops can be made
more prolific, and consequently more profitable, than they now
are, I do believe. The late Agricultural Commissioner of Mas-
sachusetts, in his survey of this county, presents instances in
which 105, 110, 113 1-2, 115 and 117 1-4 bushels of corn have
been harvested from an acre, and 400, 484 and 518 1-2 bushels
of potatoes. These were extraordinary yields, and not speci-
mens of what may be commonly expected under the most im-
proved systems of husbandry; but I entirely coincide with that
gentleman, that " with less than 50 bushels of corn to the
acre, and 300 bushels of potatoes, no farmer ought to rest con-
tented."

An alarming phenomenon in the potato culture, at the pre-
sent moment, is the disease that has proved so destructive, and
which appears to be annually extending the sphere of its rava-
ges. Many and contradictory causes have been assigned for
this disease ; but after perusing the various theories published
on the subject, I confess myself still in doubt. I can only say,
in the language of Gov. Lincoln, " it is death to the 'potato^ —
Though we may not now penetrate the mysteries of this'
disease, we may, at least, learn from it our dependence on the
" God of the Harvest." Happy for us, if we receive the lesson.
The selection of seed corn deserves consideration. This
should be made in the field, before harvesting, from the fairest
and most forward ears. This process, constantly practised, will,
in a few years, advance the ripening of the crop a fortnight.
Of this fact, the exhibition of to-day, is a satisfactory evidence.
By thus obtaining seed that will mature two weeks earlier than

20 MR. stone's address.

corn is usually harvested, the crop will be secured from the in-
jurious effects of a backward spring and early frosts, as well as
from the storms of October, which often beat it down and ren-
der the butt stalks comparatively worthless for fodder, while
in fields partly in grass, the fall feed will be made available at
the most serviceable time.

Much may be done to increase the value, and beautify the
appearance of our barren hills and sterile fields, by planting
them with forest trees. This topic has been more thau once
presented to your notice, but can never lose its intrinsic impor-
tance by repetition. Besides the pine, cedar, elm, ash, oak,
birch, larch and locust, I would recommend the cultivation of
the chestnut. This tree is a native of Massachusetts, and
will thrive well on our poorest soils. It grows rapidly, and of-
ten to a large size. The timber, in exposed situations, is said
to be more durable than the oak, and the tree, besides being
ornamental as a shade, produces a fruit that always commands
a ready market.

Tliere is a beautiful story of Ulysses, who, returning from
Troy after ten years absence, found his venerable father em-
ployed in planting trees. On asking him, why, being so old,
he put himself to the fatigue and labor of planting that of
which he was never likely to enjoy the fruits, answered, sup-
posing himself addressing a stranger, " I plant them against
my son Ulysses come home." And there is another, of touch-
ing interest, told of the Natick Indians, who, in afiection to
Mr. Peabody, the successor of the "Apostle Elliot," planted
two ''• friendship trees" before his door. For ninety years,
they paid homage to exalted worth, " when one was riven by
lightning, and the other seemed to perish through sympathy."
A similar token of regard was offered to Rev. Mr. Badger, in
1753. " These trees are still in full vigor, and remain beauti-
ful monuments of affections which have gone out on earth, but
are destined to be rekindled with a purer flame."*

These, gentlemen, are examples worthy of imitation. If
gain does not prompt you to plant the forest, let love move you

♦Fourth Mass. Ag. Rep. p. 394.

MR. stone'saddress. 21

to plant the "friendship tree" for each Ulysses, — aye — for
each " beauteous Helen " of your blood. Let groves spring up
in your fields, to speak to coming generations of the best sym-
pathies of the human heart.

One of the most striking features of the Agricultural popu-
lation of this county, is its essential equality. Here are none
of the broad lines, that, as in England, mark the several ranks
of land proprietors, land lessees, and land laborers — castes
maintained with a strictness that would delight a Brahmin. —
Here, one man is esteemed better than another, only as he is
more industrious, prudent, virtuous, — and more ready to re-
lieve suffering humanity. In the mutual dependence of the
employer and the employed, and in the mutual respect with
which each treats the other, they approach as nearly, perhaps,
the Ideal of Republicanism, as the imperfection of human na-
ture will permit. This arises, in part, from the general prev-
alence of free-holding. Here are no plethoric land-holders,
and half-famished land-workers. Few farms cover 400 acres,
and the average not more than 100. The advantage of this
state of things is in too striking contrast with the exhibitions
of the old world, where the laborer is doomed for life to the
condition in which he commences it, to escape attention, or
to require argument in its favor on the score of competency
and happiness.

I might cite an hundred instances within my personal ob-
servation, to prove that large farms are not necessary to agri-
cultural success. I have in my mind at this moment, an in-
dividual, whose entire landed estate has never exceeded
twenty acres. Yet he has maintained, reputably, a family of
eight sons and daughters, added something annually to his
capital, contributed liberally to the support of christian institu-
tions, and found time to enjoy, with christian sobriety, the
pleasures of social life. What he has done, all may do.

There are, perhaps, few topics of more anxious interest to a
young man, than the choice of occupations, and on this I would
offer a few remarks. It is not easy for a youth to select a fu-
ture pursuit of life, in which he may best succeed, far in ad-
vance of the period at which apprenticeship usually commen-

22 MR. stone's address.

ces, though the subject may engross much of childhood thought.
Nor can specific rules for selection be laid down, that may in-
variably be adopted. The circumstances, capacity and incli-
nation of each individual, will do something to determine the
choice. I may say, however, that while the learned profes-
sions, the mechanic arts and trade hold out many inducements
to the inventive and enterprising mind, the attractions of Agri-
culture are certainly not less substantial.

If a young man of good understanding, industrious habits,
natural inclination for rural occupations, and capacity for a
good farmer, were to ask me why I advised him to till the
soil, I should answer,

1. Because God has endowed you with talents to excel in
this business, and by following the indications of his Provi-
dence, you will best fulfil your mission. If you embark in
other enterprises, that seem to jiold out more flattering pecu-
niary emoluments, yet for which you have no decided pre-
dilection, you may fail, or meet with indifferent success,
and your disappointed hopes will embitter every enjoyment
of life.

2. Because it is a safe business. There is none that in-
curs so little risk, or that yields more certain returns. If large
fortunes are not realized, a comfortable and honest living is at
least obtained, — income enough to support a family, pay taxes
and other necessary expenses, — and that is more than is ac-
complished by a majority of those who crowd into cities and
large towns, to engage in trade. An old and observing mer-
chant in Boston, remarked a few years ago, that he had, for
forty years, kept his eye on the young men who commenced
business in a certain street, and that to his knowledge, but one
in twenty succeeded. Nineteen out of twenty, or ninety five
out of a hundred, failed, and compounded with their creditors
for a few shillings on a dollar, making a total loss of capital in
the aggregate, sufficient, perhaps, to have purchased a snug
farm for each, on which they could have lived in competency.

Gen. Dearborn, in a speech before an Agricultural meeting
in Boston, in 1840, said, " after a pretty extensive acquaint-
ance with business men, and no limited observation of the com-

MR. stone'saddress. 23

moil course of things, he was satisfied that among one hundred
merchants and tradesmen, not more than three in the city ever
acquired independence. It was with great distrust that he
came to this conchision, but upon consultation with an expe-
rienced merchant, he fully admitted the truth."

Do not understand, me, by these remarks, as undervaluing
trade. No one respects it more. It benefits the farmer, and
enriches the country, and I rejoice that there are those whose
tact and talent qualify them to succeed in it. But observation
has taught me something of its reverses as well as of its
charms ; and if a farmer's son prefers safe employ and moder-
ate compensation, to a business v/ith as many chances of bank-
ruptcy as there are snags and sawyers in the Mississippi, — if
he would escape the torment of professional " shoppers" — the
vexation of delinquent debtors — the incubus of fluctuating mar-
kets, and the horrible spectres of refused discounts, " two per
cent, a month," and protested paper, — let him accept his fa-
ther's proposition, and keep to the homestead, or invest his
first earnings in a small farm.

But there are other and still more important reasons for
choosing agricultural pursuits. These are health, social en-
joyment, and the improvement of the moral afliections. I be-
lieve health is more general, and the average of life is longer,
in rural districts, where due attention is paid to the laws of
physiology, than is found elsewhere, owing, probably, to sim-
pler habits of living, comparative freedom from anxiety inci-
dental to trade, and the diversity of exercise, that gives more
uniform action to all the muscles. And as for rational enjoy-
ment, a farmer with a grateful heart, a generous soul, a
neighborly spirit, and a will to use life as his Creator intend-
ed, may have all that can be realized on earth. And
then, how suggestive of better thoughts, of filial reverence,
of holy aspirations, is his occupation ! At every step, and
in all the wide Universe aroimd, he beholds the traces
of a benignant Providence, the manifestations of a Merciful
Father. The corn that springs up to bless his toil, — the
verdure that yields to the pressure of his feet, — the flowers that
challenge his admiration, as they mingle their ambrosial fra-

24 MR. stone'saddress.

grance with the zephyr's breath — the forest's green perspective,
and the soothing murmurs of the brook, — all, are to him wit-
nesses of a Maker's love, and teachers of Man's dnty to his
race. And all he sees of wisdom and goodness in the works of
God, inspires his heart with trust, confidence, and " loving
gratitude." If any man has reason to rejoice in his condition,
it is an American Farmer. Eating in quietness the bread of
industry, he knows nothing of the anxiety, envy and unprinci-
pled ambition, that rankle in the breasts of " trading politi-
cians," and he looks upon their struggles for " place and
spoils " with unutterable disgust. " Lord of the soil" he culti-
vates, an independence unknown to other pursuits, stamps him

" Nature's own Nobleman, friendly and frank,
A man with his heart in his hand."

Leaving this theme, I pass to consider a want of our times.
This is an attractive agricultural reading for the young. Man
is to no small extent, the creature of early impressions; and
the reading of childhood often gives complexion to the charac-
ter, and directs the aims, of manhood. Many a lad, not remark-
able for the preponderance of a particular propensity, has been
led to the choice of after pursuits, by the books he has perused.
The life of "Jack Sheppard" has made many a villain — of
Howard, many a philanthropist. One reads the life of Frank-
lin, and aspires to the honors of a Philosopher, or to lead pub-
lic sentiment through the press. Another peruses the life of
Washington, and makes him the model of his public career.
Art, Science, Law, Medicine and Theology, are indebted to the
reading of childhood for many of their brightest ornaments.

Now what I wish, is, to make this exercise auxiliary to
Agriculture — through it, to awaken and deepen a love of the
beautiful in the works of creation — and by it, to wed many an
ambitious spirit to the cultivation of the soil. I wish to sec the
subject of Agriculture hold a place in our school books, as
prominent, at least, as that of War. If the spirit of the latter
IS to be fostered where young ideas bud, and often fruit, by the
charms of poetry, it cahnot be asking too much that the praises
of peaceful Agriculture be said in sober prose. The relation
which the latter holds to the former, in some of our school

MR. stone's address. 25

books, aftbrds little hope for an improved public sentiment
while they continue in popular use. I was induced, not long
ago, to examine a reading book for the upper class in schools —
read daily by tens of thousands of youth — 'With a view to as-
certain how far its pages contributed to win the young heart
to your honorable calling. I found eloquent thoughts on
the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers, and a humorous account of
The fat Actor and the Rustic. There were mirth stirring
pieces, and pieces of sober devotion. There were the Battle
of Hohenlinden, and Voices in the Church Yard — Lochiel's
Warning, and a Soliloquy on the immortality of the soul — the
Battle of Flodden Field, and Dr. Slop meeting Obadiah — the
Pleasures of a cultivated imagination, and A new mode of fish-
ing— all excellent in their way ; but the only piece I discover-
ed that could be properly placed in the category of Agricul-
ture, was Irving' s burlesque on a Yankee Farmer, who builds
a palace of pine boards large enough for a parish church, which
he never finishes, — "soon grows tired of a spot where there is
no longer room for improvement, sells his farm, his air cas-
tle, petticoat windows and all, re-loads his cart, shoulders his
axe, puts himself at the head of his family, and wanders away
in search of new lands, again to fell trees, again to clear corn-
fields, again to build shingle palaces, and again to sell ofi" and
wander."

This description may doubtless aftbrd amusement to the
young tyro, when his self-invented resources fail. It may form
an agreeable relief to the puzzles of the black-board, or the
conjugations of Lindley Murray, but that it will inspire a far-
mer's son with respect for farming, or create in him a prefer-
ence for his father's business, I do not believe. To counter-
act, then, the unfavorable influences of the school room, in this
particular, our school books should contain a reasonable propor-
tion of reading on agricultural and kindred topics. FiVery farm-
er should take an agricultural newspaper, that his sons, as well
as himself, may become familiar with the most improved meth-
ods of husbandry in every part of the world. And books, in
poetry and in prose, descriptive of rural scenes, of the advan-
tages, the moral influences, and the social pleasures of agricul-
4

26 MR. stone's ADDRESS.

tural life, should be multiplied. In this way, would I have
every farmer's son, and every other man's son, receive with
the first rudiments of education, worthy impressions of this
branch of industry — impressions that will deepen with his
years, and that will secure a due share of the muscle and mind
of the rising generation to a pursuit so rich in its resources of
enjoyment, and so certain in its results.

There is frequent complaint among farmers, that their sons
early manifest a distaste for Agriculture — that as soon as they
are of an age to be useful, they seek other employments, and
leave them to manage the homestead under the disadvantage of
hired assistance. I do not suppose that every farmer's son
will make, or that it is necessary that every farmer's son should
become, a farmer. The trades, arts, sciences and learned pro-
fessions have a claim on youth. There are " diversities of op-
erations " that require a division of labor. But still, I believe,
by the process I have suggested, and another I shall now speak
of, the evil of which farmers complain would be in a great mea-
sure obviated.

Besides, then, furnishing our youth with " RoUo " and '' Lu-
cy Books" of agriculture — besides enriching their minds with
the beauties of Bloomfield, Gay, Thompson, Cowper, Burns,
and other gems of verse, I would have every farmer educate
that son that discovers the best natural taste and capacity for
farming, for a farmer. That is, the conversation and counsel
of the fireside, the instructions of the field, and the studies of
the school, should all be directed with reference to qualifying
him for the practical duties of ihe farm. Why not? Youth
are educated for lawyers, physicians and merchants. Why
not, then, educate them for farmers, when the influences of ed-
ucation do so much to develope or create attachments to par-
ticular pursuits? If, as was suggested in the able address be-
fore you last year, the elements of agriculture were made a
branch of study in our common schools, the best results might
be confidently anticipated. Possibly some may consider this
a useless appendage to the studies now pursued. They may
think that a boy can learn enough of agriculture on the farm,
without the study of books. But if 1 have rightly estimated

MR. stone's ADDRESS. 27

the influence of books on the choice of pursuits, then this study,
so far from being useless, will be found an important auxilia-
ry to an interest from which other interests are amiually ab-
stracting much of the best talent.

And now that I have entered the school-room, permit me to
say, that notwithstanding the changes for the better we every
where witness, public opinion on the subject of common school
education, is susceptible of further improvement. A noble
spirit has been awakened in Massachusetts. A glorious work
has been successfully begun. Under the operation of our pres-
ent school system, the advance of the last eight years has been
equal to the twenty preceding. The annual Abstracts of
School Returns, and the eight annual Reports of the Secretary
of the Board of Education, have thrown a flood of light upon the
condition of common schools throughout the Commonwealth.
They show that what has been so well done, is, in a sense,
preliminary — that much remains to be done to give our schools
entire efficiency — and that popular sentiment is still to be disa-
bused of hurtful prejudices.

I rejoice in our educational elevation. Still, I must say, the
standard is too low. As a community, we have not yet appre-
hended the true idea. The indifference of thousands, who
hold the responsible relations of parents and guardians, is yet
to be overcome.* The eyes of many are to be unsealed, who
are blind to the bearing of education on the physical, social

*Tlie Secretary of the Board of Education, in his eighth annual report, states tliat
*' thousands and thousands of our children, between the ages of 4 and 16 years, attend no
school whatever, from the beginning to the end of the year." This is an outright loss of
" thousands and thousands " of dollars, raised by taxes, for the education of these absen-
tees. Another evil to which I wish to invite the attention of parents and guardians, (for
they alone can remedy it,) is, irregularity of attendance. The average attendance in all
the public schools of the commonwealth, of children between 4 and 16, is less than two
thirds of the whole number between these ages. In Essex County, the fifth in educational
rank, the whole number of children l:)etween 4 and 16 years is 25,848. The highest num-
ber of scholars of all ages in all the schools, including 458 under 4 years, and 847 over 16,
is 18,210, or 7,738 less than the number of children between 4 and 16. The highest aver-
age attendance is 12,800, or 5,410 less than the number of scholars in all the public
schools. The amount of money appropriated by this county for the education of children
between 4and 16, is $;66,952 73, or $2 59 per head. Of this sum, more than ^14,000
are practically wasted, by irregularity of attendance! Though Massachusetts is in ad-
vance ofall other states in the Union, these facts show that perfection belongs to the future.

28 MR. stone's address.

and moral condition of the rising generation. And many have
still to learn, that to read, write and cypher, is not education
enough for a mechanic or a farmer. If, indeed, we listen to
some European " patron " of the laboring classes, we shall be
told that it is " quite enough of general knowledge for the chil-
dren to know their prayers and the catechism, and of geogra-
phy, for them to find their way from their house to their
work." We shall be assured that no importance is to be
attached "to intellectual improvement amongst the agricultur-
ists," and that no attempts should be made to " raise these peo-
ple out of the condition which Providence has assigned them."*
This may be a popular doctrine in the '• sea girt Isle," where
more than a miUiori and a half of children of a suitable age to
attend school are left in a condition of complete ignorance ^'\ and
where field laborers, of both sexes, herd promiscuously at night
in cattle stalls and stables ;% but it is not a doctrine to be re-
ceived by the farmers of Massachusetts. It is no doctrine for
the farmers of Essex County, and in their name, and for my-
self, I repudiate it now and forever.

It is Mind that gives man his supremacy. It is develop-
ed intellect that lifts one man above another, and procures for
the individual unblest with this world's abundance, respect,
honor, influence and consideration that wealth can never pur-
chase. I would have the humblest farmer's boy, by education,
raised to a level with his more favored fellow. I would give
him a fair start in the world — a fair chance to be felt, through
the influence of his talents, in the assembly of his townsmen,
or in the halls of legislation. I would have every farmer's son
know enough of chemistry, to analyze soils, and prepare com-
posts§ — enough of geology, to understand the origin and nature
of soils — enough of botany, to understand the structure of

*Colinan'3 Euiojjean Ag. p. 191, 195.
fiMann's seventh Ed. Report, p. 40.
ifColman's European Ag. p. 51.

§Cheini3try, by unfolding to us the effects of heat and mixture, enlarges our acquaint-
ance with the wonders of nature and the mysteries of art. In a young country, where im-
provements in agriculture and manufactures are so much to be desired, the cultivation of
this science, which explains the principles of both of them, should be considered as an ob-
ject of the utmost importance. — Dr. Rush, on the mode of education proper in a Rtpublic.

MR. stone's address. 29

plants and flowers, and to classify them — enough of natural
history, to know the habits of the animal, feathered and insect
tribes — and enough of physiology, to recognize the laws of
health, and the secret of prolonged life. In a word, I would
have him a perfect master of bis noble calling, so far as de-
pends on education. And it is for this reason, that I desire to
see our Common Schools, where the majority of our children,
and nearly every farmer's son receives his entire education,
fostered with increasing care, and made equal to the highest
intellectual cultivation that stops short of the University. I
insist upon this high standard, because intelligent labor is bet-
ter and cheaper for those who hire, than ignorant, — because I
wish to see agriculture placed in its true position before the
world, and dignified in the eyes of its own sons — because I
would banish forever the false notion, that physical toil is in-
compatible with intellectual culture — and because I would not
have withdrawn from the plough, one ray of the glory that en-
circled it, when Cincinnatus quitted it to command the Roman
Armies, or our own Washington, to be the Saviour of his
Country.

In the remarks now offered, I have made no reference to
farmer's daughters. I would not, from this cause, be supposed
to cherish indifference to their intellectual improvement. Far
from it. The advantages I demand for the son, I claim for the
daughter. When, in the olden time, a prayer was offered,
'•that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth," it
was added, " that our daughters may be as corner stones, pol-
ished after the similitude of a palace." In my plea for educa-
tion, I can make no distinction in the sexes that God has not
made. I believe the best education, and the fullest develope-
ment of their intellectual powers, that circumstances will per-
mit, is the right of both, — of the sister as much as the broth-
er. If knowledge is a blessing to the latter, it can be nothing
less to the former. The purpose of female education, as is
justly remarked by a successful female educator,* is to lead
the sex " in the path of duty — to make better daughters, wives

*Mrs. Phelps.

30 MR. stone's address.

and mothers, — and better to qualify them for usefuhiess in ev-
ery path within the sphere of their exertions. The true object
of education, is not to lead woman from her own proper sphere,
but to qualify her for the better discharge of those duties which
lie within it. By being enabled to see more clearly the pecu-
liar obligations which devolve upon them in their various rela-
tions, and to discern the boundary between their duties and
those of the other sex, they will be restrained from indelicately
passing the barrier which the Almighty himself, in the pecu-
liarities of physical as well as mental constitution, has estab-
lished between them. Females are not called upon to lead ar-
mies, make and execute laws, or to preside over public safe-
ty." But they may be called to equally important and respon-
sible duties. They " may be called upon to preside over the
domestic circle, — to regulate families by their wisdom, and to
guide and enlighten the youthful mind. In the proper perfor-
mance of these duties, they will need all that clearness of rea-
son, and solidity of judgment, to which a thorough and well
conducted education may conduce. No law, human or divine,
forbids that the female mind should seek to penetrate science,"
or that she should be accomplished in any of the arts that con-
stitute a polite education.

Mr. Colman, in his " European Agriculture," has described
an English lady of highly cultivated intellect and rare accom-
plishments, who, living in the midst of gilded halls and hosts
of liveried servants, was as familiar with the dairy and the en-
tire system of husbandry, as she was with the elegant luxuries
of life, and whose visits to the barn and piggery were as unre-
strained as to the library. Now this beautiful Ideal may, to a
certain extent, be realized by every farmer's wife and daugh-
ter. I maintain, there is entire congruity between a cultivated
intellect and polished manners, and the performance of the
commonest duties of domestic life — between, if you please, a
knowledge of the Latin classics and making a cheese — of the
piano and the spinning wheel — of embroidery and making a
pudding — of algebra and darning a stocking. That woman is
worthy of admiration, as she will always command it, who
combines a thorough knowledge of the details of house-keeping

MR. stone's address. 31

with the charm of intellectual and personal accomplishments.
It is these last that dignify labor, and impart to domestic life a
true zest, and where we see them in this combination, we are
prompted to apply the compliment paid by Dr. Johnson to Mrs.
M'Kenzie : "She is the most accomplished lady I fonnd in
the Highlands ; she knows French, music and drawing ; sews
neatly ; makes shell-work ; andean, milk coivsJ^

There is one other topic kindred to this, which I should like
to treat at length, but to which my limits will permit only a
brief reference. I mean the more exact attention that is due to
the Rights of the intellectual nature^ and to the laics of physi-
cal existence. The careful observer will not have failed to dis-
cover, that even in New England, these points have not com-
manded the consideration they deserve. As a people, we are
every year more and more departing from a sound principle of
health and happiness, by overtaxing the physical powers, and
withholding what is justly due to the intellect. We push the
former to the extreme verge of ability, and leave the other to
amble on at leisure. Life is hurried and excited, and a con-
stant war is waged upon the restorative powers of nature. —
These statements may seem strange, but they are true, and
therefore, should be exhibited. Shakspeare makes one of his
characters say.

" So miiny hours must I tend ray flock;
So many hows must I take my rest;
So many hours must I contemplate;
So many hours must I sport myself."

The soundness of the principles unfolded in this quotation is
self-evident. In man's present staie, labor is necessary. It is
an axiom of inspired authority, that if any will not work,
neither shall they eat. Under the restraints which Christianity
imposes, the eating of one's bread in the sweat of his brow, is
a blessing. But man needs time to wind up the machinery of
animal life — to re-gather the dissipated energies. His higher
nature needs the indulgence of intellectual pursuits. Toil, rest,
recreation and reading or meditation, in proper combination,
are essential to healthy and happy living — to the perfect devel-
opement of the true man.

32 MR. stone'saddress.

But where, at the present day, do we see any approximation
to this division of time, among wha tare technically denomina-
ted " the laboring classes '?" If we examine the condition of
the thousands of unmarried females and widowed mothers,
who ply their needles in our cities and large towns for a liveli-
hood, we find it is

•' Work — work — work!
Till the brain begins to swim;

Work — work — work !
Till the eyes are heavy and dim !

Seam and gusset and band,
Band, and gusset and seam.

Till over the buttons they fall asleep.
And sew them on in a dream."

And how is it with the agricultural population 7 A large
proportion of this class toil sixteen hours out of the twenty-
four — a longer period of continuous exertion than is required of
the slave, with whose brutalized condition we so justly sympa-
thize, leaving not a single hour, (if eight be given to repose)
for recreation, social intercourse, or self-culture. Even the
Avinter, — nature's restorative, — no longer, as formerly, brings
relaxation to the farmer. " He works," it has been said, " as
hard as he can in the summer, and in the winter, a great deal
harder." And the good old fashioned neighborhood parties of
our childhood, so promotive of fraternal sympathies, have been
banished from the circle of rural life, and find a place only in
the " pleasant memories" of other days.

But more than this. We "laboring people" of New Eng-
land, do not take time even to eat. We are the only people, I
believe, on the face of the earth, blessed with a sufiiciency of
food, that are so parsimonious of minutes in this respect. Our
food is bolted^ not masticated, to the manifest injury of the di-
gestive organs,' — and when we have thus replenished the stom-
ach, we hasten to our toil, to recover, if possible, the moments
wasted in this exercise. And what is the result of these and
collateral abuses of the compound nature ? An enfeebled race
of men and women. We look in vain, among the rising gen-
eration, for the robust constitutions, and promise of the health
and long life that blessed our ancestors ; and we shall con-

IMR. stone's address. 33

tiuue to look iti vain while the work of two years is crowded
into one. In placing man here, it was no part of the Divine
Plan, that he should thus overreach himself — that he should
commit moral, intellectual and physical suicide. If God gave
him broad acres to cultivate, he also gave him a mind and
body to improve, and he gave him time enough, when properly
allotted, to do both.

Of all active employments, farming is, perhaps, most conge-
nial to self-culture. In same mechanical pursuits, success of-
ten depends on the concentration of the mind to a single point.
The nice calculations that enter into a new invention, or an
improvement of an old one, forbid attention to any subject out
of that particular line. But it is otherwise with the farmer. —
There are many hours in which he may reflect and meditate
on topics foreign to his business, without impeding it. He can
carry into the field, and digest the contents of a valuable book,
while turning the furrow or cultivating the crop, and feel re-
freshed by the exercise. And if, as 'tis said, " an empty brain
is the devil's workshop," where all sortsof mischief are forged,
he is the wisest man, and in the safest condition, who goes to
his daily employ, well provided with matter for profitable
thought.

Why, then, should not this truth be kept constantly in view?
Why should not every farmer and every farmer's wife, have time
for moral and intellectual improvement? Why should they
not have a choice collection of books, small though it may be,
and time to peruse them? Why should not the one be famil-
iar with the best works on Agriculture and Political Economy,
and the other with the productions of Moore, Edgeworth, Si-
gourney and Beecher 7 Nay, why should not the great truths
of Revelation, those that unveil eternity, and impart lustre to
the soul's destiny, occupy an occasional hour of undistracted
meditation,— of inspection as anxious as was ever devoted to
" the contents of a rich man's last will and testament? "

Industry and enterprise, I profoundly venerate, and feel my-
self bound to say and do what I can to give them healthy
stimulus. But I cannot close my eyes to the evils of their
abuse. All excess is hurtful, and to be deplored. And when I
5

34 MR. stone's ADDRESS,

hear men say, as I frequently do, that they should be glad to
read, but cannot find time — when I hear mothers speak with
deep feeling of maternal responsibilities, and mourn that they
are debared, by the stern demands of toil, the aids of deliber-
ate reading and calm thinking, in discharging the noblest and
holiest duties of life, my heart is pained, and I cannot escape
the conviction that something wrong is mingled with the pres-
ent order of things. And when I see both sexes deeply and
prematurely marked with the lines of excessive care, debasing
their better natures with the grossness of earth — when, in all
parts of our glorious Commonwealth, I see men, and women
too, neglecting the Sabbath — absenting themselves from the
House of Worship — because, as they say^ they are prostrated
by the toils of the week, my soul is grieved beyond expression.
I tremble in view of the consequences they are accumulating
to themselves, the injurious influence of their example on
their offspring, and the disease they are engendering in the
morals of the community.

The causes of this condition of ihings have been variously
assigned. The evil is attributed to avarice — an excessive haste
to be rich — a finical love of show — a passion for dress that or-
dinary labor cannot support — extravagant indulgence of artifi-
cial wants — envious emulation of the rich — ignoble competition
in business — making wealth the only standard of worth — and
the selfishness that either, or all of thesocauses combined, have
nurtured in the human breast. But from whatever source the
evil has sprung, the necessity of its reform is obvious. The
best interests of our community demand it.

I am aware that it is often easier to point out an evil, than it
is to suggest an effectual remedy. Fortunately, however, a
specific is at hand — not, indeed, in the re-organization of Soci-
ety, but in the universal application of Christian principles to
society as it now exists. 1 perceive no occasion for finding
fault with the social institutions of which God is the founder,
though man may be justly censured for his abuse of them. —
Nor has necessity arisen for their destruction, that the evils
which sin and ignorance have forced into them, may be reach-
ed. If the temple is defiled, let it be purified, not razed to the

MR. stone's address. 35

ground. If false notions and wrong practices exist in society,
let them be met and removed by the correct views and right
practices of Christianity. Practical Christianity, divested of
mysticism and superstition, is the true remedy for all the ills of
the social state. If men look into its pure ethics, they will learn
that avarice is sin, and selfishness antagonism with God. They
will learn that true living consists in subordinating the passions
— m^oderating the desires — abjuring the servitude and idolatry
of fashion — cultivating the social relations — and esteeming Mind
of more worth than Matter, and Heaven more desirable than
Earth. Let these truths be reduced to practice by both sexes,
and justice will be done to the moral, physical and intellec-
tual natures. Time will be so rightly divided, that labor, rest,
recreation and intellectual culture will each occupy its due
proportion, and a healthy equilibrium be maintained.

There is one view, gentlemen, in which your profession as-
sumes an immense importance — greater, even, than that aris-
ing from the capacity of our soil to produce food for the whole
world. 1 mean its ability to control the destiny of our country.
Agriculture is essentially conservative. Its interests are so
blended with all other productive interests of this Nation, that
it can never encourage sudden and radical changes of policy,
calculated to injure them. If the time ever was, it has gone
by, when Agriculture can be severed from Manufactures and
Commerce — the parent from the children — or be arrayed in op-
position to them It must, in the nature of things, if true to it-
self, sympathize with what is American in principle and policy.

There are three evils to which agriculture is exposed, the
suppression or prevention of which is essential to its prosperi-
ty. I mean Intemperance, Slavery, and War. Humanity
weeps over the degradation and crime, of which inebriation has
been the prolific cause. Sir Matthew Hale, in speaking of
twenty years judicial experience, says, that " if all the mur-
ders and manslaughters, burglaries, rapes, robberies, riots, tu-
mults, and other great enormities, commited within that time,
were divided into five parts, four of them would be found to
have been the result of intemperance." The criminal calendar
of our own country exhibits equally appalling results. And

36 MK. STONE'sADDRESS.

then, the pecuniary tax intemperance has imposed on its un-
happy subjects, who can estimate 7 What an accumulation
of public and private woes does its history present ! What a
host of victims, from the learned professions, the workshop and
the field, has it immolated ! How many are the hopes it has
crushed, and the fair prospects it has blighted ! Who can
number the farms it has dissipated, or describe the domestic
and social misery it has created !

But amidst all that is heart-rending in the ravages of the in-
toxicating cup, multiplied causes exist, of gratitude to Him,
through whose " loving-kindness," Abbott, Dane, Worcester,
Wadsworth, Torrey, and a goodly company of kindred spirits,
were raised up to stay the tide that threatened to overwhelm
the Commonwealth with drunkenness, and to commence the
regeneration of public sentiment and practice.* It is a gratify-

* In lSll,ata clerical Convention held in Salem, a Committee of eight was appoiiitetl,
lo consider what could be done to arrest the alarming progress of intemperance. This
committee congisted of Rev. Samuel Worcester, D.D., Salem, Rev. Abiel Abbott, D.D.,
Beverly, Rev. B. Wadsworth, D.D., Danvers, Rev. Jedediah Morse, D.D., Charles-
town, Jeremiah Evarts, Esq., and Thurston, Esq., Boston, R. D. Mussey, M.D.,

and Joseph Torrey, M.D., Salem. The Committee, at their first meeting, did little more
than agree to bring some thouglits, on paper, to an adjourned meeting. The second meet-
ing was held at the house of Rev. Dr. Morse. Rev. Dr. Wadsworth wrote elaborately
on the formidable nature of the malady. Dr. Torrey wrote the following remedial pre-
scription :

1. Let each reformer set a wholesome example of abstinence, so that the proverb,
^'physician, heal thyself, ^^ inay not apply lo him.

2. Let hospitality be shown in better ways, than by applying the bottle to our neigli-
bor's mouth, endeavoring to render it as unfashionable to offer, as it has been to witlihold,
the liquid fires.

3. Furnish no spirit, but a better equivalent, to the laborers employed.

4. Let associations be instituted on the above principles, and lectures, addresses aiid
discussions be encouraged, to enlighten the public mind.

Mr. Evarts recommended vigilant attention to the license laws. At tlie third meeting,
held in the autumn of 1812, at the house of Dr. Torrey, in Salem, Messrs Abbott, Worces-
tei', IMorse and Evarts, were appointed a Committee to obtain names and form societies.
A sub-committee, consisting of Messrs Worcester, Wadsworth and Torrey, was also ap-
pointed, to draft a constitution fjr the Massachusetts Temperance Society. In the winter
of 1S13, a meeting, by invitation of the Committee, was held in the hall of the Union
Bank, in Boston, at which time the constitution was read, discussed, amended and adop-
ted. The second aimual address before the society, was delivered in 1815, by Rev. Dr.
Abbott, and the fourth, in 1817, by Rev. Dr. Worcester. Hon. Nathan Dane, and Dr.
Josluia Fisher, of Beverly, were members of the society, at its formation. The former
succeeded Hon. Samuel Dexter, as its second President. Gratitude and duty prompts an
" honorable mention" of those who were among the earliest to take an active part in "an
enterprise which looked to the greatest good of the individual, and the truest happiness of
the state."

MR. stone's ADDRESS. 37

ing fact, in the history of a Reform the most extraordinary and
extensive ever witnessed in this union, that as early as 1827,
your Society set a noble example to all public bodies, by
discarding the use of ardent spirits and wine at its annual
dinner. And not less pleasing is it to learn, as I do from
a reliable source, that a large proportion of the farmers of
this county have ceased to furnish an intoxicating beverage
to their workmen, even in " haying time." They have
foimd, by delightful experience, that by substituting other
drinks for ardent spirits, more work is done and better exe-
cuted, fewer tools are broken and lost, less profanity is heard,
disputes are not so frequent, and the character of laborers
is generally improved. But intemperance is still busy in
its work of ruin. Fathers are mourning over their fallen
sons, and wives are weeping over besotted husbands. Eter-
nity alone can tmfold the agony caused daily by this pes-
tilence ; and of woe visited upon man reckless of right, his will
be the fullest measure, who tempts the penitent inebriate to
swerve from his purpose of reform.

No class, perhaps, is capable of doing more at this time, to
promote temperance, than farmers. In a pecuniary view, they
have weighty reasons for giving their united influence to the
cause. In a moral view, the claims upon them are of the most
solemn and binding character. May they every where appre-
ciate the opportunities that Providence has opened to them for
blessing their age. And may the convictions of responsibility,
enlist them as one man in this work of philanthropy and mercy.

I have not time, and this is not the occasion, for considering
in detail, the physical, social and moral wrongs of slavery. I
cannot stop to speak, as I should like, of its subversion of the
most sacred relations — its paralysis on intelligence — its license
of impurity — nor its malign influence on the councils of the
nation. I may, however, and as an American citizen, I do,
enter my individual, solemn protest against an institution
which converts " a Person into a Thing, an object merely pas-
sive, without any attributes of Human Nature, and stamps
him that character not acknowledged as a man"* — and which,

*Wliewell"s Elements of Moralilv.

38 MR. stone's address.

in the language of Mr. Marshall, of Virginia, " is ruinous to the
whites — retards improvement — roots out an industrious popu-
lation— banishes the yeomanry of the country — deprives the
spinner, the weaver, the smith, the shoemaker, the carpenter,
of employment and support."* I but repeat the sentiment of
the best minds in the North and South, when I pronounce Sla-
very a blighting reproach to our country. Scenes of recent oc-
currence, are proofs added to volumes before existing, of its
utter repugnance to the spirit of our republican Institutions,
and to the noble declaration of Jefferson, that all men are en-
dowed by their Creator with the inalienable rights of " life,
liberty^ and the pursuit of happiness." Slavery is an evil to
Southern agriculture, because it curses the soil with sterility.
The experience of two hundred years in one of the principal
slave States, confirms these statements.!

*Debate in the Virginia Legislature of 1831 and '32.

tThe following corroborative paragraphs, are from a pamphlet published in Richmond,
Va. in 1833, entitled" Review of the Slave Question, by a Virginian." It appeared orig-
inally in the American Quarterly Review, and is the calm testimony of a credible witness.
"It is the office of Agriculture as an art, not to impoverish, but to fertilize the soil and
make it more useful than in its natural state. Such is the effect of every species of agri-
culture which can aspire to the name of an art. It is a truth that an improving system of
agriculture cannot be carried on by slaves. The negligent, wasteful habits of slaves who
are not interested in the estate, and the exacting cupidity of transient overseers who are
interested in extorting from the earth the greatest amount of production, render all slave
agriculture invariably exhausting. How many plantations worked by slaves are there in
Virginia which are not perceptibly suffering the sure process of exhaustion? Pcrliaps not
one, except a few on tlie water courses, composed of the alluvial soils which are virtually
inexhaustible. The uncertainty of the profits of a crop generally deters the planters in
Virginia from giving standing wages to their over.*eers — indeed, it has too often
happened that the salary of the overseer has absorbed all the proceeds. Hence it is usual
to give him, instead of salary, a share of the crop. The murderous effects of this on the
fertility of the soil may well be conceived. An estate submitted to overseers entitled to a
share of the crop, (who are changed of course, almost yearly) suffers a thousandfold more
than would English farms put out on leases of one or two years to fresh lessees. Twenty-
one years is thought too short a term there. It is a fact tliat no soil but the richest, and
that in cfiect inexhaustible, can be profitably cultivated by slaves. In the Legislature of
Virginia it was repeatedly said that her lands were poor, and for that reason none but
slaves could be brought to work them well. On the contrary, poor lands and those of
moderate fertility can never repay the expense of slave labor, or bear up under the vices
of that slovenly system. In modern times, in most cases where slave labor prevails, it
has been found in plantation states and colonies. There are many obvious reasons why,
if profitable anywhere, it must only be there. Now, if this be the case, it would appear
that slavery to be profitable is essentially incompatible with a dense population — at all

MR. stone'saddress. 39

The degradation of white labor, is another evil that slavery
inflicts on southern agriculture. A farmer who cannot afford
to own a slave, and therefore holds his own plough, and han-
dles his own hoe, rake and fork, is placed, by the common
law of public opinion, in an inferior rank, from which, if he
would rise, he must go where field labor is reputable. If he
possesses the honorable ambition of a man, he seeks a new
home in a free state, and his small farm is annexed to the plan-
tation whose owner boasts his scores of bondmen. The ten-
dency of this false standard of respectability is, to banish the
" small farmers," and to accumulate landed property in a few
hands — an effectual method of depreciating its value. But for
this impediment to free labor, Kentucky, for example, (where
are some of the best lands in the United States, and where
farming may be pursued with the most desirable success,)
would fast fill up with an enterprising agricultural population,
and her prosperity keep pace with her sister confederates on
the northern shore of the Ohio.

Slavery is an evil to Northern agriculture, because it wages
war upon those pursuits with which farming is vitally con-
nected. Independent of the sentiments of humanity and

events, with a relatively dense population of freemen. But it may boldly be said that Vir-
ginia possesses scarcely a single requisite to make a prosperous slave labor state. She has not the
inexhaustible rich soils: her earth originally yielded fair returns to hard labor judiciously di-
rected, but all such soils, as she has learned by bitter experience, are fated, under the
hands of slaves, to deterioration down to utter barrenness.

We state as the result of extensive inquiry, embracing the last fifteen years, that a very
great proportion of the larger plantations, with from fifty to one hundred slaves, actually bring
their proprietors in debt at the end of a short term of years, notwithstanding what would
once in Virginia have been deemed very sheer economy ; that much the larger part of the
considerable landholders are content, if they barely meet their plantation expenses without
a loss of capital; and that, of those who make any profit, it will in none but rare instances
average more than one to one and a half per cent, on the capital invested. Labor of every
species is disreputable, because performed Mostly by slaves. If cultivated by free labor,
the soil of Virginia is capable of sustaining a dense population, among whom labor would
be honorable, and where " the busy hum of men" would tell that all were happy, and that
all were free. Where slave labor prevails, it is scarcely practicable for free labor to co-
exist with it to any great extent. Freedom being itself regarded as a privilege in a nation
that has slaves, there is a natural tendency to consider exemption from manual labor as the
chief mark of elevation above the class of slaves."

40 MR. stone's address.

patriotism, the fanners of the whole Union have an interest in
seeing this blot wiped from onr national escutcheon.

To War, the agriculturists of this country can never be in -
different. It is the direst calamity that can befal a nation —
the most pestilential scourge to its morals and prosperity.
" Peace," says General Scott, "is the first want of every civil-
ized community." "Universal and permanent peace," says
Ex-President J. Q. Adams, "belongs to the laws of nature and
of nature's God — to the genius and vital spirit of Christianity —
to the liberty, justice and prosperity of nations." Under no
circumstances can war benefit the farmer. If, for a time, it
may create an extraordinary demand for his products, and se-
cure for them an exorbitant price, the prostration of business
that is sure to follow its close, will make this process of accu-
mulating wealth a fearful failure. Peace is the friend of Pro-
duction— War its enemy. The safety of property, a steady
prosperity, as well as the higher motives of Christianity, should
influence farmers to cherish and diffuse a pacific spirit, and to
maintain an inflexible resistance of all measures that will need-
lessly involve their country in a conflict of blood.

The four millions of your brotherhood in the United States,
gentlemen, are endowed with a mighty moral power, and upon
them a momentous responsibility rests. Let them realize and
meet it faithfully, and they will become the conservators of
Freedom and Perpetual Peace. Inspiration itself, points to
them, as among the chief almoners of these blessings. Their
implements of husbandry are to supplant " the gleaming steel,
and the flash and thunder of artillery." Indeed, let them now
" set their faces as flint," against a method of settling National
disputes, with which, the conqueror of Napoleon hac said,
" men who have nice notions about rehgion have no business,"
and all the forests of Oregon and Texas will be insuflicient to
kindle the fire of war.*

* War is an enorinoiisly expensive method of settling national disputes. A large pro-
portion of the burden is borne by farmers. In seven wars, of 65 years duration. Great
Britain expended $3,982,120,000. France, Austria, and Great Brirain, from 1793 to
1815, expended $7,330,000,000. Tlie sacrifice of life by wars, beginning with the Jewish
and closing with Napoleon's, has been estimated at 683,000,000 human beings ! Dr.
Dick estimates the number of those who have perished directly and indirectly by war,

MR. stone'saddress. 41

I have thus, gentlemen touched upon various topics con-
nected with agriculture and agricultural life, omitting many of
perhaps equal importance, which it were impossible to consid-
er without taxing your patience to an unreasonable extent. I
have not aimed so much to unfold new truths, as to deepen in
your minds truths none the less vital or valuable because old.
If in this I have remotely succeeded, my ambition will be
satisfied.

As I close, a thought of painful interest presses upon me.
One year ago this day, I participated in the pleasures of your
annual exhibition. With a large concourse, I came into this
house, and united in the solemnities of the occasion. As I look
around upon this numerous audience, I recognize many who
were then here. But one manly form, one familiar counte-
nance, I miss. He whose presence shed a cheerful influence
upon the meetings of your society, and who that day presided,
with characteristic dignity, over your deliberations, has gone
from your midst, to return no more. Leverett Saltonstall is
numbered witli the dead, and we, by a dispensation that has
spddened many hearts, are taught in solemn emphasis, that
" the most active and expanded intellect, and the most eminent
virtue, have as little power against the invasion of disease and
the law of dissolution, as the feeblest spark of mind and the
faintest ray of moral goodness." It is not needful that I pro-
nounce his eulogy. This has been done by the Press, the Pul-
pit, the Bar, and at a recent meeting of the Trustees of your
Society, by one of your own members,* with an eloquence,
truth and beauty, worthy its honored subject. Yet the occa-

at fourteen thousand million-, or about one-tenth of ihe human race. Edmund Burke plac-
ed the number at Thirty-Five Thousand Millions. Taking the estimate of Dr.
Dick, and assuming the average quantity of blood in a common sized person, tlie veins of
those fourteen thousand millions would fill a circular lake of more than seventeen miles in
circumference — ten ftet deep ; in which all the navies of the world might float! Supposing
these slaughtered millions to average, each 4 feet in length, if placed in a row, they would
reach nearly 442 times around the earth, and four times around the sun. Supposing the
average 130 lbs. each, then they would Ibrm a globe of human flesh of nearly a mile in di-
ameter, weighing 1,820,000,000,000 lbs., fourteen times more than all the human beings
now living on the globe. — Advocate rf Peace, p. 98.

* Hon. Daniel P. King.

6

42 MR. stone's address.

sion, as well as my own deep feeling, prompts me to offer a
' brief tribute to the memory of one, endeared almost beyond
any now living, to the citizens of his native county. I knew
Mr. Saltonstall well. I have seen him in public and in pri-
vate, under circumstances most favorable to the study of his
character. For honor in his profession, fidelity to his friends,
conscientiousness in the discharge of public and private trusts,
and for qualities that charm the intellect and win the heart,
he was excelled by no man I ever knew. Acting from the
loftiest principles, he made his professional opportunities sub-
servient to the noblest ends. Often and successfully was
his influence employed to prevent litigation, and many now
live to bless his disinterestedness. To him, in its complete
sense, applied the beatitude, "blessed are the peace makers;"
and his repeated calls to public service, are the best proofs of
the confidence of his fellow citizens in his ability and integrity
as a statesman. He was thoroughly republican in his sympa-
thies and preferences. The spirit of the "Old Charter,"
brought to this country by his noble ancestor and the patriot
Winthrop, securing to the colonists of Massachusetts Bay the
rights and pov/ers of self-government, mingled with every
thougljt, and infiuenced every act for his country.

Mr. Saltonstall was warmly interested in the objects of this
Sviciety. He spoke of agriculture as " the basis of all other in-
terests, and essential not only to the comfort but to the very
existence of society." And he honored it, not only for its
peaceful spirit, but for its purifying and elevating influence on
the heart and mind. " Who that has a heart," he exclaimed,
with the fervid eloquence that imparted a charm to all his pub-
lic addresses, — " who that has a heart in his bosom, can look
abroad on our hills, crowned with trees, — our pastures cover-
ed with flocks, on our valleys and plains, laden with ' food for
man and beast,' and not think and feel how good God is 1 —
Who can behold the meadows ornamented with flowers, and
reflect that the wide spread prairies, the solitary wilderness,
nay, that the whole earth is strewn with an infinite variety of
those most lovely objects arrayed with more beauty than was
Solomon in all his glory, and his heart not be softened into a

MR. stone's ADDRESS. 43

sense of that boundless love which has made such provision
for our enjoyment, and for the gratification of a pure and re-
fined taste 1 Who can see the sun rising in his glory, as all
good farmers are wont to do, — or can behold him sinking in
his gorgeous pavilion — who can look upon the magnificent
heavens, which only can be seen in the country, and not feel
awed into reverence before Him who made them all, and ex-
claim, as did the shepherd of Israel, — ' When I consider thy
heavens, the work of thy hand, — the moon and stars which
thou hast ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him,
or the son of man, that thou visitest him ! ' Who can listen
to the ' charm of the earliest birds,' as they dart from their
nests and mount to the topmost sprays at dawn, and not join
their notes of grateful praise to him who notices the sparrow's
fall, and whose providential care extends to all his works'? —
And where shall we learn our dependence on divine Provi-
dence so efiectually, as in an occupation where his visible
presence seems manifest, in his imparting the influences of the
sun and of showers in such succession as to crown with success
the labors of our hands — who withholds the needful blessings
only so long as is necessary to make us feel, that ' it is God
who giveth the increase 7 ' "*

It was this devout spirit, which makes the works of God the
medium of communion with him, that imparted the brightest
lustre to the character of Mr. Saltonstall. The religious senti-
ment was deeply seated in his soul. His reverence for God,
Christ, the Holy Scriptures, and the institutions of Christiani-
ty, was of the profoundest kind. He was, as his pastor has
testified, " a good parishioner, and one of the best of good hear-
ers— a whole-hearted, devoted, sincere, pre-eminent christian.
He was a christian everywhere, and in all the relations of life."
He made, indeed, no display of his religion; his piety was too
humble to seek notoriety; but the closing scene of his life,
which for moral sublimity has scarcely had a parallel since the
death of Addison, was the truest exponent of the christian's
walk, as it was the noblest vindication of the christian's /ai/A.

* Address at Andover, 1843.

44 RIR. STONES ADDRESS.

Ill the death of Mr. Saltonstall, the Essex Agricultural Soci-
ety mourns the bereavement of one of its earliest and most in-
fluential members — the Legal Profession, one of its brightest
ornaments — the Commonwealth and Country, an enlightened
legislator — the Church, a valued member — the Poor, a sympa-
thising, open-handed friend — and the family circle, a devoted
husband and father.

" O 'tis well
With him. But who knows what the coming hour
Veiled in thick darkness, brings for us."

May the mantle of his virtues fall on each member of the
Society over which he so usefully presided, and his example
lead them to look upward with hope. And while they sorrow
for the breach death has made, may they be consoled with the
promise, that " they that sow in tears shall reap in joy." and
that "he that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,
shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves
with him."

HON. MR. SALTONSTALL.

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Essex Agricul-
tural Society, held at Ipsuich, on Wednesday, June 25th, the
Hon. Daniel P. Kh\G introduced the subject of the death of lion.
Levekett Saltonstall, with the following remarks, and moved
the ResoluticHis subjoined, which were unanimously adopted :

Mr. President. — Since the last meeting of the Trustees of the
Essex Agricultural Society, we have sustained a great and ir-
reparable loss in the lamented decease of our wortliy President,
the Hon. Leverett Saltonstall. Other gentlemen, connected
with him in the various associations for the advancement of
good learning, morality and religion, have rendered appropri-
ate tributes to his memory. It is proper that we too should no-
tice this melancholy event, by the adoption of resolutions ex-
pressive of our deep sorrow for his death, of our gratitude for
his services, and of our heartfelt sympathy with his bereaved
family.

Mr. Saltonstall was not a practical farmer, but he was active
in the formation of our society, was one of its earliest members,
and was always warmly engaged in its success. He felt, m
his own words, " a deep sense of the importance of the agricul-
tural interests above all others as a source of individual happi-
ness, and of national prosperity." It is not strange that, with

/

46 HON. MR. SALTON STALL.

his high character and endowments, the members of our Socie-
ty should have unanimously elected him their President, and
that in their undiminished confidence, he should have been
three times re-elected. The prompt and able discharge of tlie
duties of his office, and his devotion to our interests, have shown
the wisdom of their choice. Tiie ease and dignity of his con-
duct in the chair, the uniform cheerfulness and courtesy of his
deportment, and his well-timed and excellent addresses will be
long remembered. As farmers we sincerely lament the death
of one so able and well-disposed to advance the honor and use-
fulness of our association. Timothy Pickering was our first
President, Leverett Saltonstall the last; Pickering and Salton-
stallj worthy names, worthily associated : no encomium of ours
can add one green leaf to their ever fresh chaplet; their deeds,
their talents, and their virtues, have secured for them an endur-
ing fame.

Mr. Saltonstali's life was full of active benevolence and use-
fulness. At the bar, he was an ornament to his profession, and
an illustrious example of what a lawyer should be. the defend-
er of the oppressed, the guide of the ignorant, and the advocate
of justice and good order. In the halls of our state legislature,
and in the councils of the nation, he was distinguished for his
diligence, his honesty, and his independence. With no desire
to mislead or corrupt others, he was too intelligent and too vir-
tuous, to be himself misled or corrupted. With a prudent cau-
tiousness, and wise forecast, he looked to the end, and judged
of measures by their probable results and consequences ; he
might sometimes ask, is it expedient 1 he always dihgently in-
quired, is it right? He loved the approbation of others, but he
loved more the approbation of his own judgment and con-
science ; he did not eagerly covet the flitting breath of popular
applause, for he knew how often the full bloom of its promise
withers and cheats ; he chose rather to wait for the ripe fruit,

HON. MR. SALTON STALL. 47

and he gathered a rich and abundant harvest in the esteem and
love oJ Lie wise and good. Many have admired the fluent and
silver-toned eloquence of his tongue, more have admired the
noble generosity and warmth of his heart. Intercourse with a
sordid world did not make him selfish : in the bustle of politi-
cal strife, and in the noisy turmoil of party conflict he never
lost his equanimity, or his self-respect. Envy and jealousy
found no resting place in his pure bosom. His opponents were
never his enemies ; if they would not adopt his opinions, they
could not withhold their respect and esteem for the man. The
broad mantle of his charity, so seldom needed by himself, he
was ever ready to throw over the errors and faults of others.
He loved good men of every party and sect, and did homage to
virtue and sincerity, wherever he found their shrine. In his
own loved Commonwealth and in distant States, he had many
warmly attached friends, many lovers of liberty and their
country who esteemed him worthy of higher honors, and who
will lament his death as a public loss.

But this is not the place and I have not the ability to do full
justice to his memory. Descended from a puritan family, Mr.
Saltonstall made an honored name, more honorable ; of New
England stock, he was worthy to represent the stern virtues of
New England ; they were his pride and his only boast. Truth,
honor, and virtue, he worshipped always, not because of the
sure and adequate reward which they pay, nor because it is
fashionable occasionally to make a pilgrimage to their altars,
but because for their own sakes, he loved truth, and honor, and
virtue. The beautiful language applied by President Kirkland
to Fisher Ames, is no less true and beautiful when applied to
Mr. Saltonstall ; " happily he did not need the smart of guilt
to make him virtuous, nor the regret of folly to make him
wise." Liberty, religion, and holiness he loved, and his rever-
ence for God was habitual and controlling.

43 H O N . >I R . S A L T O N S T A L L .

The end of the good man is peace. His amiable and excel-
lent qualities could not avert the sliaft of the destroyer; he is
removed from this stage of his usefulness and enjoyments. —
We shall no more here bo cheered by his presence, animated by
his eloquence, or counselled by his wisdom ; we shall no more
meet him in this world, but if faithful to onr trusts and duties,
we shall meet him in happier regions, where are no agonies of
severed friendship, and where all sorrow will forever cease.

Mr. King then proposed the following resolutions :

Resolved. That we are deeply sensible of the loss which our
Society has sustained in the lamented death of our late worthy
President, the Hon. Leverett Saltonstall.

Resolved^ That we entertain a high sense of respect for his
character and talents, and of gratitude for his services.

Resolved^ That we tender to his bereaved family, the expres-
sion of our sincere condolence.

The resolutions were unanimously adopted, and with the re-
marks of Mr. King, were ordered to be placed on the records of
the Society, and to be published.

REPORTS, &

c.

ON PLOUGHING WITH DOUBLE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Double Teams, consisting
of Messrs. Dodge, of Wenham, Brown, of Ipswich, Carr, of
West Newbury, Osborn, of Saugus, and Sutton, of Salem, Re-
port :

That there were thirteen competitors, to Avhom lots of one
quarter of an acre each were assigned by lot. to be ploughed
not less than seven inches deep, viz :

Vo. 1.

" 2.

" 3.

" 4.

'' 5.

" 6.

" 7.

" 8.

" 9.

" 10.

" U

" 12

Aaron Kinsman,
Jedediah H. Barker.
S. B. Swan,
Amos Poor,
Allen W. Dodge,
Nehemiah Dodge,
Barzillai Gould,
Joseph Goodrich,

of Ipswich,

of Andover,

of Danvers,

of West Newbury,

of Hamilton,

of Essex,

of Middleton,

of West Newbury,

Micajah Tread well, of Ipswich,

Benjamin Poore, of West Newbury,

Benjamin Holt, of Danvers,

George Hodgedon, of Ipswich,
13. Thomas Low, of Ipswich.

The several teams were promptly on the ground, at the time
appointed, and started precisely at 10 o'clock. They all finish-
ed their work before 11 o'clock. The time varied from thirty-
five to forty-four minutes; but as all of them did it in a suffi-
ciently short time, we do not think it necessary to state the

50 ONPLOUGHING.

time of each precisely- Nearly all the ploughs used were man-
ufactured by Ruggles, Nourse & Mason, and were of their most
approved patterns. The work was so well done that the Com-
mittee would have awarded premiums to all. had it been al-
lowed by the Society. We unanimously recommend that the
premiums be awarded as follows, viz :
To Aaron Kinsman, of Ipswich, 1st premium, $10 00

" Joseph Goodrich, of W. Newbury, 2d " 8 00

" Benjamin Poore, of W. Newbury, 3d " 6 00

" Allen W. Dodge, of Hamilton, 4th " 4 00

and to S. B. Swan, of Dan vers, and Thomas Low, of Ipswich,
a gratuity of Washington's Letters on Agriculture, one copy
each.

The Committee were highly gratified to find so many com-
petitors in this most interesting trial of skill. Notwithstanding
these trials have been so often repeated, they are still received
with increasing interest, and every succeeding year brings to
notice some valuable improvements. The Committee are
strongly impressed with the superior value of those ploughs
which lay the furrow slice flat and even, especially in the cul-
tivation of grass. Care should be taken by the ploughman that
he does not cut a wider furrow than the plough was intended
to cut, and then it will be entirely smooth in appearance, and
we know of none superior for this purpose to those manufac-
tured by Ruggles, Nourse &. Mason.

For the Committee,

W. SUTTON.
Ipswich, Sept. 24th, 1845.

WITH SINGLE TEAMS

The Committee on Ploughing with Single Teams (present
Messrs. Howes, of Salem, Northend, of Byfield, Follansbee, of
West Newbury, and Pilsbury, of Newbury,) have attended to
that duty, and Report :

That seven teams were entered for the premiums offered on
this subject. One quarter of an acre of land, two rods by twen-

ONPLOUGHING. 61

ty, was allotted to each. The field was adjacent to that
ploughed by the double teams, and similar in character, —
tough swarded grass land, that had been pastured a number of
years, — tolerably free of stones, rather hard to be turned. The
lots were assigned and the work done as follows, viz :

No. 1. To George Daniels, of Middleton ; plough made by
Prouty & Co. No. 26. The team was withdrawn after turn-
ing a few furrows, the cattle not being equal to the perform-
ance of the work.

No. 2. To Joseph C. Putnam, of Danvers ; plough made by
Ruggles & Co., Eagle, No. 2. Work was done by 30 furrows,
in 47 minutes. The furrow slice was cut straight and even,
and laid perfectly'' flat and true. The cattle worked apparently
without fatigue.

No. 3. To Randall Andrews, of Ipswich ; plough of same
description as the last. Work was done by 28 farrows, in 60
minutes. It was very well done.

No. 4. To Jonathan Berry, jr. of Middleton ; plough made
by Ruggles &. Co., No. 25. Work was done by 26 furrows, in
60 minutes. The cattle were young, and the ploughman was
young. The plough appeared to be rather large for the team.
The furrow slice was well laid, and the work was finished in
a satisfactory manner.

No, 5. To Jacob Brown, of Ipswich ; plough made by Rug-
gles «fc Co., Sward C. Work was done by 28 furrows, in 65
minutes.

No. 6. To James Putnam^ of Danvers ; team managed by
Moses H. Pettengill ; plough made by Ruggles &- Co., No. 25.
Work done by 28 furrows, in 47 minutes. Mr. Pettengill
showed himself on this, as on former occasions, to be master
of his business.

No. 7. To Charles Foster, of Andover ; plough made by
Ruggles & Co., Sward C. Work was done by 28 farrows, in
50 minutes. It only differed from the other best work by the
furrow slice being set on edge, or made to lap a little. In the
opinion of some of the committee, for some purposes, this mode
of laying the furrow would be preferred. The team was well
disciplined, and the work well done.

52 ONPLOUGHING.

The committee were entirely satisfied with the work as per-
formed by five of the teams. Considering the hardness of the
work, they have rarely known it to be better done. After a
careful comparison of the several lots, taking into view all the
circumstances, and the condition in which the work was fin-
ished, they agreed to recommend that the premiums be award-
ed as follows :

To Joseph C. Putnam, No. 2, 1st premium, |^8 00

" James Putnam, " 6, 2d " 6 00

" Jona. Berry, jr. " 4, 3d " 4 00

'• Charles Foster, " 7, 4th " 2 00

From these experiments, we learn that an acre of land may
be ploughed by a single pair of cattle and one man in four
hours, and probably nearly two acres in a single day. When
we take into view the expense of operating a team of this de-
scription, compared with those usually employed in this busi-
ness, it will be quite well for our farmers to consider whether
most of their work cannot be done Avitli one pair of cattle, and
if two pair are to be used, would it not be better to cut the first
furrow of less depth, and apply the power of the second pair
to a SUBSOIL plough, to follow directly after. If we do not en-
tirely mistake the signs of the times, our modes of preparing
land for culture will ere long be essentially modified by the
use of the sub-soil jilou^li. In the County of Worcester, where
the management of land and teams is understood as well as in
any part of the Commonwealth, the premiums are limited to
one pair of cattle without a driver.

For the Committee,

Ipswich, Sept. 24, 1845. J. W. PROCTOR.

WITH HORSE TEAMS.

The Committee on Ploughing with Horse Teams, ask leave
to Report :

That there were eight horse teams entered for premiums; viz :
One by David S. Wilkins, of Danvers.
' Amos P. Swinerton, "

30

37

30 "

46

34

53

28

50

37 "

65

ONPLOUGHING. 53

One by John C. Putnam, of Danvers.
'• Jacob Brown, of Ipswich,
" John Dore, "

" Seth Holden, of Salem.
" Phihp Storm, of Marblehead.
" Joseph Woodman, of Haverhill.

Six only appeared on the field. Each team struck out its
own land, containing the usual quantity, and ploughed as fol-
lows ; viz :

John Dore, of Ipswich, ploughed 34 furrows, in 35 minutes.
Philip Storm, of Marblehead, "
A. P. Swinerton, of Danvers, "
Jos. Woodman, of Haverhill, "
Seth Holden, of Salem, "

John C. Putnam's team, "

Mr. Pettingill, ploughman.

All the ploughs used were of Ruggles, Nourse & Mason's
make.

Your Committee, after a careful examination of the plough-
ing and the discipline of the horses, would have cheerfully
recommended premiums to be given to all the competitors,
but as only three Avere at their disposal, no more than this
number could with propriety be awarded. Your Committee
award the premiums as follows, viz :

To John Dore of Ipswich, 1st premium of $S 00

" Seth Holden, of Salem, 2d " 6 00

" Philip Storm, of Marblehead, 3d " 4 00

All which is respectfully submitted.

SOLOMON LOWE,
RUFUS SLOCUM,
GIDEON R. LUCY,
EBENEZER HARRIS.

Ipswich, Sept. 24th, 1845.

54 ONWORKINGCATTLE.

ON WORKING OXEN.

The Committee on Working Oxen, Report :—
Twenty entries were made by the following persons, viz:
Barzillai Gould, of Middleton, 5 years old,
George Daniels, " 0 "

Jonathan Berry, jr., " 5 "

S. B. Swan, of Danvers, 6 "

James Putnam, " did not appear.
Joseph C. Putnam, " 7 "

Moses Pettingill, Topsfield, 7 "

Ezra Dodge, of Wenham, 5 "

Allen W. Dodge, of Hamilton, 5 "

Jedediah H. Barker, Andover, 5 "

Charles Foster, " 6 "

William Williams, Rowley, 7 "

Randall Andrews, Ipswich, 6 "

Levi Lord, " 7

Manasseh Brown, " 6 "

Aaron Kinsman, "

George Hodgedon, " 6 "

Micajah Tread well, '' 6 "

Thomas Low, " 6 '■'

Joseph Low, Essex, 7 "

The Committee consider that there are more difficulties in
the way of deciding correctly upon the merits of Working
Oxen, than in any other department of the exhibition.

The Committee on ploughing, can examine the work done
over and again.

On the Dairy, they can bring specimens in immediate
contact.

The important points in Animals can be placed side by
side.

So with Domestic Manufactures, with Fruits and Flowers.

Not so with Working Oxen. Each pair goes its round, and

when twenty teams have followed in succession, the decision

must be made from the recollection of impressions made on

the Committee's minds at the time of drawing. If differences

O N AV O R K i N G C A T T L E . 55

of impressions exist as to certain trials, recollection and not
actual inspection must decide the issue.

The ages to be brought under the notice of the Committee,
range from four to seven years ; and in making up their award
they are required to take into view the size, power and train-
ing of the teams.

The power and training with a load of any given weight,
are matters which must be left to judgment and fancy. But
size can be brought to a surer standard. And the Committee
would here recommend that in future all cattle entered as
Working Oxen should be weighed on the day of trial.

As to age, cattle frequently pass from one to another, as
being younger than they really are, and as many of the
Working Oxen in this County came by purchase to their pres-
ent owners, their true age may not be well defined. And thus
cattle may be entered as seven years old, without any cer-
tainty that they are not more.

In order that the rule should effectually bar all entries of
cattle over seven years old, some evidence should be required
more than simply, they are called no more.

The Committee will name a few pair of cattle they consid-
er prominent among those to which no premium was award-
ed.

' A pair belonging to Barzillai Gould, of Middleton — the first
pair entered and the last pair which drawed. Small red cat-
tle, reported five years old. They drawed the last load up the
hill as well as any pair, considering their size, and were well
matched as to temper, which could be said of but few pair ex-
hibited.

A pair belonging to Jedediah H. Barker, of Andover. Age
five years ten months. One of them, the near one, a fine ox,
surpassed by a very few, if by more than one.

A pair belonging to Randall Andrews, of Ipswich, reported
six years old. Not fancy cattle, but worked finely.

A pair belonging to Manasseh Brown, of Ipswich, a pair of
twins, reported six years old, fine red cattle, said to be handy
both ways ; they worked in a short yoke, and drawed well.
The near ox crowded, it might be he was foot sore as they

56 ONWORKINGOXEN.

were not shod, it ma/ be he would work fairer on the off side.

A pair owned by Allen W. Dodge, of Hamilton, five years
old. The near ox with proper training and in a suitable yoke,
may hereafter do as well as the best.

A pair owned by Ezra Dodge, of Wenham, reported five
years old, red cattle of medium size and appeared well trained
for cattle of that age.

William Williams, of Rowley, entered a pair of oxen seven
years old, large cattle. The near one seemed disposed to stop
when he pleased, rather than when his driver wished to have
him.

The Committee award to Jonathan Berry, jr., of Middleton,
the first premium of ten dollars, for his speckled face cattle,
five years old. They were large of the age, well formed, not
full in flesh, well matched as to strength and temper, and well
trained for cattle of that age.

They award to S. B. Swan, of Danvers, the second premium
of seven dollars, for his red oxen, six years old. They work-
ed well. The near ox was by the Committee considered the
best working ox exhibited this day.

They awarded to Josiah Low, of Essex, the third premium
of five dollars, for his red oxen, reported seven years old. They
were probably the largest and strongest pair of cattle among
the whole entered — still the Committee did not think they
worked as even and true as some others.

We can say in making up the above award, we endeavored
to refresh our recollections, as to the defects and good qualities
of every pair of cattle brought under our notice, and the fore-
going is the result of our observations at the time of drawing —
and not from any knowledge how the several pairs of cattle
might work when not surrounded by a crowd of spectators.

In behalf of the Committee.

MOSES NEWELL.

Ipswich, Sept. 24, 1845.

ONSTEERS. 57

ON STEERS.

The Committee on Steers would respectfully Report :

That seven pair were entered for premium ; six pair were
considered, by the Committee, worthy of premiums. One pair,
offered by William H. Story, of Essex, although a very prom-
ising pair of three years old steers, did not, in the opinion of
the Committee, come within their province, there being no per-
son present at the pens to give any account of the steers, and
the steers themselves having the marks of drove cattle upon
them.

The Committee, unanimously, recommend the following pre-
miums, viz :

To David S. Caldwell, of Newbury, for his three years old
steers, first premium, 7 00

George Hodgedon, of Ipswich, three years old steers,
second premium, 5 00

William Williams, of Rowley, two years old steers,
first premium, 6 00

Jedediah H. Barker, of Andover, two years old steers,
second premium, 4 00

Jedediah H. Barker, of Andover, one year old steer,
first premium, 4 00

Ammi Smith, of Ipswich, one year old steer, second
premium, 2 00

Respectfully submitted,

R. A. MERRIAM,
ROBERT KIMBALL,
JOHN WHITREDGE,
WILLIAM FOSTER.

?

Ipswich, Sept. 24th, 1845.
8

68 ONBULLS ONPATCATTLE.

ON BULLS.

The Committee on Bulls, Report :

That nme animals of this class were entered for premium,
viz:

One by George Dane, of Hamilton, half Durham, two and
a half years old.

Two by Isaiah Rogers, of Ipswich, one Ayrshire, and one
Durham, each four years old.

One by John Dole, of Rowley, half Durham, one year and
five months old.

One by James D. Herrick, of Methuen, of the Ayrshire and
native breed, two years and three montlis old.

One by Manasseh Brown, of Ipswich, two and a half years
old.

One by Jesse Sheldon, of Beverly, two years old.

One by Adam Nesmith, of Newbury, and one by Benjamin
Moore, of Hamilton.

A fine Bull calf, five and a half months old, was presented
by Nathaniel L. Ordway. of Newbury, weighing 575 lbs.

The Committee have directed me to report the

1st premium of $S 00, to John Dole, of Rowley,

2d " of 6 00, to James D. Herrick, of Methuen,

3d " of 4 00, to Jesse Sheldon, of Beverly.

They recommend as a gratuity to Nathaniel L. Ordway for
his Bull calf, a copy of Washington's letters on agriculture.

J. NEWHALL, Chairman.

Ipswich, Sept, 24th, 1845.

ON FAT CATTLE.

The Committee on Fat Cattle, Report :

That there were four entries for premium on stock of this
description. One pair by Tristram Brown, of Ipswich, with a
statement describing their treatment as to labor and keeping,
for the two last years, with their present live weight. They

ONFATCATTLE. 59

are now in good condition for labor. What their condition was
two years ago, or how mnch they have increased in weight dur-
ing that time, we did not ascertain ; as at the time of examin-
ation no one was in attendance to give any information on
those points, and the written statement does not furnish it.

One ox, by William Williams, of Rowley. A statement ac-
companying the entry describes the manner of feeding, &c., for
three years. This ox like the last pair, was in good working
order, and was entered with his mate for working oxen.

One pair by Josiah Low, Essex. The same pair were also
entered as working cattle. No statement in writing or other-
wise came to the Committee, of the amount of labor they had
performed or how they had been fed. They were large cattle
and in the opinion of the Committee should be improved in
flesh before they are slaughtered.

One pair by Philip K. Rogers, of Byfield. No statement in
writing was put in by the claimant; but we ascertained from
him that he purchased the cattle about two months since for
slaughter, and the weather being warm, he had kept them to
this time.

They had run in an old pasture and had been fed once a day
with barn grass, cut daily. They were now in about the same
condition as when he purchased them.

The Committee consider them as good grass fed cattle for a
dry season; and if the rules of the society permit of premiums
being awarded to the owners of cattle purchased as above
stated, we would award for the red ox the second premium of
eight dollars.

In behlf of the Committee.

MOSES NEWELL.

Ipswich, Sept. 24, 1845.

TRISTRABI BROWNS STATEMENT.

To the Commiltee on Fat Cattle :

Gentlemen, — I present for premium my yoke of fat oxen, seven
years old, which have done the work on my farm of one hundred

6Q ONCOWSANDHEIFERS.

and ninety acres, for the last two years. They had nothing but
salt hay last Winter, and ran in a common pasture the last Sum-
mer. In the Spring, during ploughing, they had English hay and
stalks, and have not taken a bushel of corn for twelve months, to
my knowledge. They weigh now three thousand pounds, alive,

TRISTRAM BROWN.
Ipswich, Sept. 20, 1845.

WILLIAM Williams's statement.
To the Committee on Fat Cattle :

Gentlemen, — I present for a premium, one fat ox, seven years
old, which, with his mate, has done the work on the farm of one
hundred and ten acres for three years past, on ordinary keeping.
They had nothing but salt hay till the twentieth of April last ; then
they had English hay morning and noon, and salt hay at night.
They have never had any grain or roots of any kind, and nothing
but a dry pasture this Summer.

WILLIAM WILLIAMS.
Rowley, Sept. 23, 1845.

ON COWS AND HEIFERS.

The Committee on Milch Cows and Heifers, Report :

They recommend that the 1st premium, of ten dollars and
Coleman's Agricultural Report, be awarded to Henry Creesy,
of Salem, for the best cow, six years old.

2d premium, of six dollars, to Warren Averill, of Ipswich,
for second best cow, seven years old.

3d premium, of four dollars, to William Williams, of Row-
ley, for third best cow, seven years old.

Only five cows were entered for premium. Although all
that were entered were of the native breed, they were excellent
cows ; and taking into view the small expense of their keep-
ing, must have produced a large net profit.

ONCOWSANDHEIFERS, 61

No heifers that have been in milk were entered. Robert
Kimball, of Ipswich, presented a noble heifer calf, from a na-
tive cow, and sired by the Ayrshire bull of George W. Heard,
Esq., kept in Ipswich. The Committee having no authority to
award a premium, would only state, that it was a very fine
calf, of extraordinary size, and they recommend that a gratui-
ty be given Mr. Kimball of a copy of Washington's Letters on
Agriculture,

Statements of the manner of keeping and quantities of milk
and butter each produced, accompany this report.

For the Committee,

T. CUTLER.

Ipswich, Sept. 24th, 1845,

HENRY CREEsy'/s STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Coivs and Heifers :

Gentlemen, — ^The cow which I offer for exhibition and premium,
is six years old. She calved the 21st of May, and has given milk
as follows :

From May 21st to June 21st, 1,469 lbs. 4 oz.

June 21st to July 21 St, 1,264 lbs.

July 21st to August 21st, 1,127 lbs. 8 oz.

*' August 21st to September 2Ist, 956 lbs. 8 oz.

Total, 4,817 lbs. 4 oz.

We sell most of the milk, but in order to ascertain the quality of
her milk, we have made butter from it, and find that it takes nine-
teen pounds of milk to one pound of butter. Her keeping has been
good grass feed, with the exception of seven weeks, when she had
two quarts of shorts per day. The said cow was raised by John
Bartlett, of Marblehead, and has been owned by me two years and
six months. HENRY CREESY.

Salem, September 24th, 1845.

The above statement is correct.

CHARLES CREESY.

62 ON MILCH COWS AND HEIFERS.

WARREN AVERILl's STATEMENT.

To the Commitlce on Cows and Heifers :

Gentlemen, — I offer for your inspection my cow Flora, of na-
tive breed, six years old. The said cow calved on the 21st of last
April. The calf was kept to her until the 13th day of May. With
what milk the calf left, and all after taking the calf from her until the
20th of May, we made 20 lbs. 8 oz, of butter. Beginning at the 20th
of May, we kept an account of the milk by weight, morning and
night, for the four months following, which is 4,375 lbs. Butter
from said milk, 211 lbs. 2 ounces. From the 20th of May to the
last day of June, inclusive, 84 lbs. 2 ounces. In July, 52 lbs. In
August 43 lbs. Twenty days in September, 32 lbs. 2 ounces. vSaid
cow would have risen 35 lbs. in September, had she not met with an
accident by getting one of her teats jammed on the 14th, in conse-
quence of which we did not use the milk from that quarter of the
bag for butter. The first fourteen days in September she made
24 lbs. From the 20th of May to the last day of June, she gave
1,597 lbs. of milk ; in July, 1,115 lbs. ; August, 987 lbs. ; twenty
days in September, 676 lbs. Average through the four months per
day, 35 lbs. 105-122. To July, 39 lbs. 37-40 ; July 36 lbs. ; Au-
gust 32 lbs. ; September 33 16-20. Average on the butter to
July, 19 lbs. In July 21 23-52 ; August, 22 41-43 ; Sept. 21 lbs.
4-32, Through the season, four months, 20 lbs. 155-211.

Manner of keeping said cow. After she calved, I commenced
giving her two quarts of meal per day, until the last day of May.
The 20th day of May, I put her to pasture by herself Her pasture
was good through June ; the first week in July it failed, so I took
her out and put her in an old pasture with other cows for three
weeks, to let ray pasture grow. I then put her back again in my
pasture and kept her until the 24th day of August, when I put her
with another cow in new feed. I commenced giving her, the 30th
of August, one quart of Indian meal and one quart of rye meal every
night. She had no meal, roots or any thing, only what the pasture
afforded, from the first day of June until the thirtieth day of August.

WARREN AVERILL.
Ipswich, September 23, 1845.

O N T H E D A I R Y . 63

We, the undersigned, certify that the foregoing statement is true.

ELIZABETH J. AVERILL,
ELIZABETH AVERILL,
ADAH KNOX.

WILLIAM Williams's statement.
To the Committee 011 Coxvs and Heifers :

Gentlemen, — The cow offered for a premium is seven years old
and of native breed. She calved, Feb. 6, 1845, the calf sucked till
he was six weeks and three days old and then sold to a butcher for
ten dollars. During these six weeks I sold fifty-two quarts of milk
from her and made seven pounds and a half of butter. The calf had
nothing but what he got from the cow. She gave from the time the
calf was taken from her till the first of August, from fourteen to fif-
teen quarts per day, which was a few days over four months. She
gives now eight quarts per day. She had nothing but salt hay till
she calved, then she had for two months, one foddering of English
hay at noon and half of a bushel of carrots per day. After the two
months she did not have the carrots, but had one fodderins of En^-
lish hay at noon and salt hay night and morning till pasture time. She
has had nothing but what she has got in the pasture since, and that
is very short as it has been so dry. The first two weeks after she
calved, she gave ten quarts of milk per day more than the calf could
suck.

P. S. She made nine pounds of butter per week till pasture time,
then the milk was put with the rest of my cows.

WILLIAM WILLIAMS.

Rowley, Sept. 23d, 1845.

ON THE DAIRY.

The Committee on the Dairy, Report :

That at no former Show has so much and so good butter
been exhibited. The season has not been favorable for making
large quantities, but the samples offered were in fine order,
were of excellent taste and color, and very free from butter
milk.

64 O N T II E D A I R Y .

Mr. Lane's September butter was in tin boxes, so construct-
ed as to contain pound lumps in each of the apartments, with
a reservoir in the centre for ice, which keeps the butter
cool and hard in its passage to market in the hottest weather.
This appears to be an improvement.

The Committee consider the quantity made, as well as the
quality : for this they must depend upon the statements of the
competitors, some of which were exceedingly vague and indefi-
nite. For example —

"27 lbs, Butter made by the daughter of Mr. , of

, from nine cows in five days in common pasture feed."

The butter which accompanied this very brief statement was
of excellent quality ; some of the samples, which certainly de-
served better treatment, had no statement of any kind.

The Committee regret that they have not a premium or gra-
tuity to give to the several producers of so much excellent but-
ter, but they have their reward in the good prices such butter
always commands when it is brought fairly into competition
with that of an ordinary quality. Nineteen samples of Sep-
tember butter and seven of June, were exhibited. It is recom-
mended that the statements of the successful competitors be
published, and that the premiums be awarded as follows :

For June Butter.

To George W. Dodge, Wenham, first premium, ten dollars
and Coleman's Report of European Agriculture.

To Benjamin T. Lane, Danvers, second premium, eight
dollars.

To Allen W. Dodge. Hamilton, third premium, six dollars.

For the best produce of September butter, quantity and qual-
ity considered :

To Warren Averill, Ipswich, first premmm, ten dollars and

Coleman's Report on European Agriculture.

To George W. Dodge, Wenham, second premium, eight
dollars.

For the Committee,

DANIEL P. KING.

Ipswich, Sept. 24th, 1845.

ONTHEDAIRY. 65

GEORGE dodge's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy:

Gentlemen, — I present for your inspection, one box of June but-
ter, containing 25 lbs., being a specimen of 132 lbs. made between
the 1st of June and 9th of July, from 5 cows; also, 2 boxes of Sep-
tember butter, containing 27 lbs., being a specimen of 405 lbs, made
between the 20th of May and 20th of September, from the same
cows. Their feed has been common pasture until August; since
then, the pasture being very poor and dry, we have fed them night
and morning with green corn fodder, which was raised for the pur-
pose.

Process of Making. The milk is strained into tin pans, where it
stands from 36 to 48 hours. It is them skimmed, and the cream
put into tin pails, standing on the bottom of the cellar; a little salt
is put into the pails before putting in the cream, which at the times
of addition is stirred. We churn twice a week. The butter-milk is
thoroughly worked out by hand, no water being used for that pur-
pose. In warm weather the cream is lowered into the well the
night before churning. Immediately after the butter-milk is work-
ed out, the butter is salted with an ounce of ground rock salt to the
pound, and in about 24 hours it is again worked over.

N. B. The June butter is packed down in layers of five pounds
each, and salt sprinkled between, the top is covered with salt, and
the pot is set on the bottom of the cellar.

Yours, respectfully,

G, W. DODGE.

Wenham, Sept. 24th, 1845.

BENJAMIN T. LANES STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen, — I offer for your judgment one pot of June butter,
containing 25 lbs, and two boxes of September butter, containing
34 lbs, being a specimen of 475 lbs, made between the 20th of May
and the 20th September, from the milk of eight cows, one of them
commencing the middle of July. We have sold, in addition to this,
291 gallous of milk, and 12 quarts of cream, besides using milk for
9

66 ONTHEDAIRY.

a family of seven persons. The cows came from the barn in the
spring, in good condition, since which time they have run in a com-
mon pasture, and since the first of August have been served with a
foddering of corn at night, planted for that purpose.

In the process of making, the milk is strained into tin pans, and
placed in a cool stone dairy cellar; and, after standing from 36 to
48 hours, it is skimmed, and the cream put into stone pots, where
it remains, standing on the brick floor of the cellar, till it is ready
for churning. We churn twice a week. When the butter is form-
ed the butter-milk is drawn off, and the butter washed twice with
cold water. We use rock salt, and in preparing it for use, we mix
thoroughly together one quarter of a pound of loaf sugar and three
quarters of a pound of salt. One ounce of this mixture is used for a
pound of butter. After 24 hours the butter is again well worked, and
weighed in pound lumps. The tin boxes, in which our butter is
marketed, have reservoirs in the middle to contain ice, by means of
which, the butter reaches the customers perfectly cool and hard in
the hottest weather.

BENJAMIN T. LANE.

Danvers, Sept. 23d, 1845.

ALLEN W. dodge's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on the Dainj:

Gentlemen, — I offer for your inspection a pot of June butter, of
25 lbs. I also offer as a specimen of September butter two boxes
containing 30 lbs, churned on the 20th inst. Up to that time, we
have made the present season 1180 lbs. The following statement I
send in compliance with the rules of the Society,

1. The number of cows kept is thirteen — all of native breed.

2. Their feed in winter was hay of good quality, so that they came
from the barn in the spring in good condition. Their pasture has
been very short, owing to the excessive drought. Since the middle
of July, they have been fed at night with green corn fodder.

3. Treatment of Milk and Cream before Churning: — The milk is
strained into tin pans and placed in a cool cellar for the cream to
rise, which will be according to the weather. The day previous to
churning, the cream is, in hot weather, lowered into the well, in tin

ONTHEDAIRY. 67

pails or cans, in order to become cool. The butter thus comes of a
hard consistency and no difficulty is experienced in making it free of
butter-milk.

4. Mode of churning. Soak the churn with cold water over night.
We have used the present season, Kendall's Cylinder Churn, which
we think a decided improvement. It has many advantages over
any we have heretofore used. Churn once a week, two days be-
fore the butter is taken to market.

5. The method of freeing the butter from milk, is by working it
thoroughly with the hands. It is never rinsed in water. The day
after being worked over it is put into lumps of one pound each, for
market.

6. Salting of the butter. Use the ground rock salt, and salt to
suit the taste, generally about three quarters of an ounce to the
pound. The sample of June butter had added to it a small quantity
of loaf sugar and saltpetre, to aid in preserving it.

Besides making the above quantity of butter, we have used milk
for eight in the family. Respectfully yours,

ALLEN W. DODGE.
Hamilton, Sept. 22, 1845.

WARREN AVERILLS STATEMENT,

To the Committee on the Dairy.

Gentlemen, — I offer for your inspection one pot and box of Sep-
tember butter, containing 32 lbs., being a specimen of 211 lbs. 2 oz.
made from one cow since the 20th day of May, until the 20th day of
September, inclusive.

Process of Making. The milk is strained into tin pans, and stands
from 24 to 36 hours in a cellar, when the cream is taken off and
put into a tin pail. We churn the first part of the season once in
four days; the latter part, once a week. The cream is brought
from the cellar in the morning, and strained through a cloth into the
churn. Afler it is churned, (which has taken on an average, seven
minutes,) the butter is taken out of the churn, put into an earthen
pan, and water put with it. This is repeated until the buttermilk is
thoroughly rinsed from the butter, so that there is scarcely any color
in the water. The butter is then worked over. Then it is put into

68 ONTHEDAIRY.

an earthen pan and salted with one ounce of salt to a pound of but-
ter. It is then worked over again thoroughly, piece by piece, then
made into balls and put into the cellar, fit for market.

I keep two cows, Flora and Kendall. Flora I keep for butter,
Kendall I keep for milk to sell and use in the family. Flora has
made 211 lbs. 2 ounces of butter since the 20th day of May, to the
20th day of September, inclusive. She calved on the 21st day of
April, and I kept the calf to her until the 13th day of May. From
the milk the calf left after sucking and all she gave until the 19th,
inclusive, we made 20 lbs. 8 ounces of butter, making in all 231 lbs.
10 ounces since she calved. Milk given to make the 211 lbs. 2 oz.,
122 days, 4,375 lbs.

Butter made from the 20th May to last of June, 84 lbs. 2 ounces.
In July, 52 lbs. ; August, 43 lbs, ; and in twenty days in September,
32 lbs. 2 ounces. Flora would have made rising 35 lbs. in the twen-
ty days, had she not met with an accident by jamming one of her
teats on the 14th, in consequence of which we did not use the milk
in that quarter of her bag for the last six days. She made 24 lbs.
the first fourteen days.

Maimer of keeping the Cow. After she calved, I commenced giv-
ing her two quarts of meal per day, and hay, until the last day of
May. The 20th of May she went to pasture in a pasture by herself.
The pasture was good through June; the first part of July it began
to fail, and I took her out and put her into an old pasture with other
cows for three weeks; then put her back into her pasture, where I
kept her until the 24th of August, when I put her with another cow
in new feed. I commenced giving her two quarts of meal the 30th
day of August, one of rye and one of Indian, every night, but none
in the morning. She had no meal nor roots, nor any thing else, ex-
cept what the pasture afforded, from the first day of June to the
30th day of August.

WARREN AVERILL.

Ipswich, September 23, 1845.

We, the undersigned, certify that the foregoing statement is true.

ELIZABETH J, AVERILL,
ELIZABETH AVERILL,
ADAH KNOX.

O N T H E D A 1 R Y . ON SWINE. 69

DANIEL Putnam's statement.

To the Committee on the Dairy :

Gentlemen, — I offer for your inspection, two boxes of September
butter, containing 26 lbs., being a sample of 615 lbs., made between
the 20th of May and the 20th of September, from the milk of eight
cows, some of which have been nearly dry a part of the season, hav-
ing calved last autumn. The milk of more than one cow, has been
sold and used in the family, so that it would not be more than the
average milk of six cows. Their feed has been a poor pasture, one
quart of meal per day, with some mown grass, or corn stalks.

Process of making the butter: — The milk is kept in tin pans. After
standing from 36 to 48 hours, the cream is taken off, and put into
tin pails. We churn twice a week. When the butter-milk is drawn
from it, we thoroughly rinse it in cold water; it is then taken from
the churn, worked in part, salted, an ounce of salt and one fourth
of an ounce of loaf sugar to the pound. In about 24 hours it is
worked the second time.

DANIEL PUTNAM.

North Danvers, Sept. 24, 1845.

ON SWINE.

The Committee on Swine, having attended to the duty as-
signed them, as carefully as the limited time allowed would
permit, Report :

The exhibition of swine was, if not as large, in the opinion
of your Committee, as deserving the encouragement of the So-
ciety as at any previous meeting. There were presented for
premium,

By William Williams, of Rowley, one breeding sow, 16
months old; four weaned pigs, 5 months and four days old ;
and one boar, 5 months and 4 days old.

By D. S. Caldwell, of Newbury, one sow, 2 years old ; and
four pigs, 4 months and 28 days old.

70 ON IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEIMENTS.

By Joseph Andrews, of Essex, one boar pig, 5^ months old,
weighing 208 lbs.

By Allen W. Dodge, of Hamilton, seven pigs, 4 months old.

By Jacob Brown, of Ipswich, two sows, IS months old ; and
nineteen pigs, 3 months old.

By Levi Willet, one hog, 1^ year old, weighing .558 lbs.

The Committee unanimously recommend the following pre-
minms, viz :

To William Williams, of Rowley, for his boar pig, the first
premium of five dollars.

To Joseph Andrews, of Essex, for his boar pig, the second
premium of two dollars.

To D. S. Caldwell, of Newbury, for his breeding sow. the
first premium of five dollars.

To Jacob Brown, of Ipswich, for his breeding sow, the sec-
ond premium of three dollars.

To William Williams, of Rowley, for his litter of weaned
pigs, the second premium of six dollars.

To D. S. Caldwell, of Newbury, for his pigs, the second pre-
mium of three dollars.

All which is respectfully submitted,

GEORGE W. ADAMS,
JOHN ALLEY, 3d,
DANIEL S. COLMAN.
Ipswich, Sept. 24, 1845.

ON IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Tbe Committee on Improved Agricultural Implements, re-
spectfully Report :

That a small machine, called a Corn and Cob Grinder, was
presented by Hiram A. Pitts, of Winthrop, in Maine, of which
he claims to be the inventor, and has obtained for it a patent.

The machine appeared to the Committee to be vcrv inge-
niously constructed. It would require water or steam or horse
power. The Committee saw it in operation a short time, by

ONMEADOWANDSWAMPLANDS, 71

water power, and the work was done in a rapid and satisfac-
tory manner, at the rate of perhaps eight or ten bushels of ears
of corn an hour. It is said to be the same machine which ob-
tained a premium of ten dollars at Utica, from the New York
State Agricultural Society.

But as there was no proof given to the Committee of the
work done by the machine before it was exhibited, and no ev-
idence of its having been used and approved by some practical
farmer, the Committee were not authorized to recommend a
premium, and further trial seems necessary to establish its
merits for the use of the practical farmer.

An ox yoke, said to have been made by a youth of fourteen
years of age, was creditable to his ingenuity, but not of suffi-
cient merit for a premium.

Respectfully submitted,

FREDERICK HOWES, Jr.
Ipswich, Sep. 24, 1845.

ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LAND.

The Committee on Meadow and Swamp Land, respectfully
Report :

That they have received but one application for premium.
That entry was made by David Gray, of Andover, whose state-
ment is handed in with this report. The Committee will
simply observe that upon examination of the meadow referred
to, they found the statement of Mr. Gray well sustained by the
appearance of the land and the crop standing upon it. They
hope that his success will encourage many others to commence
similar improvements, though they may be restricted at first
to small fields. There is probably noway in which those who
have meadow land can so easily increase the produce of their
farms as by draining and cultivating their meadows. Your
Committee recommend that a premium be given him of fifteen
dollars and Coleman's European Agriculture.

Your Committee would observe that it is their deep impres-

72 O N M E A D O \V A N D S VV A M P I- A N D S ,

sion that one of the best efforts that the Essex County Agricul-
tural Society could make would be to secure a scientific and
practical survey of the meadows of the county. In this
way great and important principles might be developed, much
useless labor saved, many disappointments avoided, successful
enterprises accomplished with less expense, and the whole la-
bor bestowed on this part of farming be followed by much more
encouraging reward. To give a single illustration : —

Some meadows in this county are flooded with water which
comes in the form of springs from the high lands in the vicini-
ty, and can be easily drained by cutting ditches in the borders.

Others receive their water from springs rising up under-
neath, and require therefore a different process.

Many are simple basins, having a hard and impervious bot-
tom. They hold the water which is rained upon them, and
the little that runs in upon the surface of land around, as wa-
ter runs into tubs from the roofs of buildings.

Some swamps no doubt are watered by a combination of all
these sources.

Now, how obvious it is tliat in draining these swamps a re-
gard must be had to these circumstances. And how few, com-
paratively, are as fully informed, and at present have it in their
power to be as fully informed, as would be good and profitable
for them to be. How could the Society do better than to in-
vestigate the subject and inform the County 7 A few hundred
dollars laid out in such a survey, would be followed by mani-
fold more advantages than all the premiums that are likely to
be given on reclaimed lands for many years.
For the Committee.

G. B. PERRY.

Danvers, Nov. 17, 1845.

DAVID gray's statement.

To the Committee on Mcadoxo and Swamp Land :

Gentlemen, — 1 commenced operations on my meadow in the
autumn of 1842, with no practical experience in the business,

ONMEADOWANDSWAMPLANDS. 73

by digging a ditch through the lowest part of the land, but the
next year I found it did not clear it of superabundant water.
I then ditched it on the shores, which effectually drained it.
It was a peaty bottom, varying from twelve to thirty inches in
depth, with a stratum of about three inches of clay, mixed
with sand, immediately under which was a deep quicksand.
In ditching I cut through the clay into the sand, which effectu-
ally drained it. In the spring of 1844 I found it in a proper
state to plant with potatoes, but too soft for ploughing. I then
dug it with a spade, or what the Irish call a loy, laying it in
ridges about four and a half feet wide, with ditches between,
from twelve to twenty inches in width. Before digging I cov-
ered the ridges with gravel, two or three inches deep. I then
spread my manure on the gravel, and covered it by turning a
sod each way, making it into ridges in the same manner that
back furrows with a plough would do. A part of it I manured
with common winter manure from the barn, and a part I ma-
nured with ashes made of peat cut from between the ridges.
The early kinds of potatoes did well, but the later kinds were
destroyed by rust, when about half grown ; still my crop aver-
aged about four hundred bushels to the acre.

In the summer of 1844, I undertook to plough a portion
which had not been cultivated, but did not succeed, it being
too soft for oxen to travel on. I then dug it over with the Irish
loy, laying it perfectly flat, as a plough would turn it without
ridging it. I then covered it with a mixture of sand, gravel,
and loam, about three inches deep, applying about twenty cart
loads of compost manure to the acre. I then sowed it with
herds grass and red top the first week in September. It prom-
ised well when winter set in ; but in the spring of 1845 I found
some of it killed with frost, and the land in appearance some-
what spongy, to remedy which I sowed more grass seed.

The produce, this year, of 162 rods, is as follows :

73 rods planted with chenangoes in April, 110 bush, $80 00
53 do. planted with blues in June, 125 bush. 50 00

Amount carried over, $130 00
10

74 ONGRAINCROPS.

Amount brought over, $130 00

3G do. oats, on which no application of manure
had been made, except a few ashes last year,
1500 wt. 9 00

The 73 rods of land planted with chenango pota-
toes, was sowed with oats on the 5th and 7th
of August, and there is now, Sept. 4, by esti-
mation, 3000 wt. to the acre, 15 00

154 00
Deduct 10 dollars for rotten potatoes, 10 00

$144 00

The potatoes were planted by perforating the sod after it
was turned, and the potatoes dropped in and then covered with
<^ slight poke with the stick one foot asunder each way, making
four rows on a ridge.

DAVID GRAY.

Andover, Oct. 1845.

ON GRAIN CROPS.

The Committee on Grain Crops, Report :

That they have examined the claims presented to them : — •
One by Dr. Ingalls Kittredge, of Beverly, on a crop of Indian
corn. The quantity was only about sixty-four bushels per
acre, and as the premium oflered by the Society was for not
less than eighty bushels per acre, the Committee do not feel
authorized to award him the premium.

The other two claims were for Rye. The Committee have
examined the statements, and find that of Mr. Alfred Newton's,
of Ipswich, to be a fraction short of the quantity required,
though a good crop. The statement of Mr. Thomas McMa-
hon, of Ipswich, so far as your Committee can judge, appears
correct, and as the quantity of his crop, being about thirty-five

ONGRAINCROPS. 75

bushels per acre, exceeds the amount required by the society,
your Committee award to him the premium of $8 00.

JEDEDIAH BARKER,
J. HAMMOND COGGESHALL,
A. T. NEWHALL.
Danvers, Nov. 17, 1845..

INGALLS KITT hedge's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crojis :

Gextlemen, — I herein enclose a certificate from A. N. Clark, of
the quantity of land, also a certificate from Stephen Cree and James
Leon, of the corn that grew thereon. I also send a couple of ears
for a sample of the corn. The piece of land is bounded on Chap-
man street, about four hundred feet west of my house, where I
now live, which being high gravelly land, had not been under any
cultivation except for a cow pasture for over forty years, to my
knowledge. Last fall I carted on to it about fifty horse cart loads
of brick lime and ashes from the ruins of my house, spread on about
one half of the same, and the residue mixed with about three cords
of manure. On the 26th of last April, I had the land ploughed
and harrowed, which took about one day of tAvo hands and a light
team. From the 7th to 10th of May, it was furrowed, manured
with the above named compost, and planted about four feet apart.
From the last of May to the last of July, the ground was hoed over
three times without much hill. On the 17th day of October, gath-
ered ; on the 21st and 22d, husked ; and measured it on the 23d,
as you will see by the certificate.

INGALLS KITTREDGE.

Beverly, Nov. 15th, 1845.

I hereby certify, that I assisted in measuring a certain piece of
land, belonging to Dr. Ingalls Kittredge, senior, situated on Chap-
man street, in the town of Beverly, and said piece of land measured
in the whole rather more than an acre ; which after deducting three
rows of potatoes around the field, lefi; one hundred and fifty-one
square rods, or an acre less nine rods, of said field, planted with

76 ONGRAINCROPS.

corn ; the same having been harvested, husked and measured, by
Stephen Cree and James Leon, as per certificate.

Witness my hand, at Beverly aforesaid, this 15th day of Novem-
ber, in the year eighteen hundred and forty-five.

A. N. CLARK.

Essex, ss. Nov. 15th, A. D. 1845. Then, A. N. Clark, afore-
said, signed the foregoing certificate, and acknowledged the same
to be true. Before

JOHN 1. BAKER, Justice of the Peace.

We, the undersigned, do hereby certify to the Committee of the
Cattle Show, of the County of Essex, that we did harvest, husk and
measure one hundred and twenty-two bushels of sound corn, that
grew on about one acre of land belonging to Ingalls Kittredge, of
Beverly, the present year, or sixty-one bushels of shelled corn.

STEPHEN CREE,

JAMES LEON.
In presence of John L Baker.
Beverly, Nov. 15th, 1845.

ALDRED Newton's statement.
To the Committee on Grain Crops :

Gentlemen, — I offer for premium a crop of rye, fifty-three bush-
els, the product of one acre and one hundred and twenty-four rods,
as per certificate annexed. The soil in which it grew is a dark
sandy loam, with a sandy sub-soil. In the spring of 1844, the land
was broken up and planted with potatoes, manured with about sev-
en cords of barn and hog-pen manure, spread and harrowed in be-
fore planting the potatoes. The yield of potatoes was good, being
four hundred and six bushels, and of a good quality. About the
middle of December, the land was ploughed and the rye sowed and
harrowed ; no manure was put on at the time of sowing the rye. I
sowed two bushels of seed. ALDRED NEWTON.

Ipswich, Sept. 19th, 1845.

ONFARMS. 77

This may certify, that I measured the forementioned crop of rye,
taken from the said ground, and that the above statement is true,

HORACE SEARLES.
Ipswich, Sept. 19th, 1845.

This may certify, that at the request of Mr. Aldred Newton, I
have surveyed a piece of land, a rye stubble, situated in Ipswich,
and find the contents to be, one acre and one hundred and twenty-
four rods. AARON COGSWELL, Jr., Surveyor.

Ipswich, Sept. 19th, 1845.

THOMAS MCMAHONS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Grain Crops :

Gentlemen, — I offer for premium a crop of rye, forty-nine bush-
els and five quarts, the produce of one acre and sixty-five rods of
land, sown in October last. It had a light dressing of fine manure
on the furrow of a part of the land, and a corn crop the previous
year. THOMAS M'MAHON,

Ipswich, Sept, 23, 1845,

The undersigned measured the grain as above, and found the
same as stated, forty-nine bushels and five quarts,

AARON WAI.LIS,
DAVID ANDREWS.
Ipswich, Sept, 23, 1845,

This may certify, that I have this day surveyed a piece of land, a
rye stubble, for Mr. Thomas McMahon, of Ipswich, and find the
contents one acre, sixty-five and a quarter rods.

AARON COGSWELL, Jr , Surveyor.

Ipswich, Sept. 22d, 1845.

ON FARMS.

The Committee of the Essex Agricultural Society on Farms,
Report :

That although the Society, from its earliest period, has offer-
ed liberal premiums for the best cultivated farms, still the far-

78 ONFARMS.

mers of the county have, with a very few exceptions, been un-
willing to present their farms, Avitli their mode of management,
to the notice of the Society. This is to be regretted, inasmuch
as the Society is thereby deprived of presenting, through their
transactions, the method pursued by the best farmers in con-
ducting their farms. Daring the last seven years, not an ap-
plicant for the premiums of the Society, on F;r-n^s, has been
found. Agriculture, lying at the foundation of ail successful
industry, should by this, and every other means, receive all
the light which its most devoted friends may be able to shed
upon it.

Daring the current year, three farms have been offered for
the inspection of your Committee, by Messrs. Daniel P, King,
of Danvers, Christopher Hov/, of Methuen, Jonas Holt, of An-
dover.

The farms of these gentlemen were visited in July and Sep-
tember.

The farm of Mr. King consists of one hundred and fifty
acres, exclusive of his woodlands. Much of the soil of his cul-
tivated grounds is a gravelly loam, the other portion is peat
meadow, several acres of which have been reclaimed and made
valuable. During the past unusually warm and dry summer,
Mr. King has been able to grow very handsome crops of Indian
corn, hay, &c., upon gravelly loam, inclining to be dry, by the
use of compost manure, the basis of which was peat mud.

Mr. King considers a compost made of three or four parts of
peat, to one part of stable manure, v/ell mixed and fermented
in the heap, to be better for gravelly or sandy loams, than the
same quantity of stable manure. The good condition of his
crops during the dryest part of the season, was evidence of the
value of this compost for such lands. Indeed, so highly does
he value peat for this purpose, that he assured us he could not
farm without it. Peat, as a valuable ingredient in the forma-
tion of compost manure, has, hitherto, been much neglected by
the farmers of this country. In Scotland, a pamphlet was
published some time since, by the late Lord Meadowbanks,
calling the attention of the Scotch farmers to peat as the basis
for compost ; three parts of peat to be used to one of barn yard

O N F A R M S . 1^9

manure, and fermented in the heap. Since its extensive use
there, the agriculture of the country has been greatly improv-
ed. In Mid Lothian a compost so prepared is said to stand
cropping, whether by grain, of all sorts, hay, pasture, and po-
tatoes ; and whether on loams, thin clays, sand or gravel, at
least equally well with farmyard manure, and at the same time
it alters and amends the texture of the soil.

Mr. King has made experiments with guano, salt, saltpetre,
and ashes. On one acre of meadow upon which 300 lbs. of
guano were spread in April, and sown with oats and grass seed,
the crop of oats was heavy, and the grass seed has taken well,
Indian corn grown upon guano, was not as good as some grown,
beside it upon his compost manure. This, as the season has
proved, was better than any fertilizer with which he experi-
mented. Your Committee were pleased with the clean culture
of his hoed crops, v/ith the smooth and workmanlike manner
of inverting the sod and re-seeding his grass lands after hay-
ing, and with the good condition of his v/orking oxen and farm
stock.

Without further remark we v/ould refer to Mr. King's state-
ment, which is annexed, and which will be read with interest, —
for his manner of making and using compost manure, — the use
of the horse rake in securing his hay crop, — for his method of
re-seeding his grass land, — and especially to that part of his
statement which relates to the keeping of a diary.

The farm of Mr. How is in Methuen, and consists of one hun-
dred and seventeen acres; the soil, a gravelly loam, intermixed
with stone, and good for grass. Some parts of the farm rise
into large swells of considerable height, affording good pasture,
and good crops when under cultivation. The ground at the
base of these hills is too moist in the spring to admit of hoed
crops, but produces large crops of English hay, and is kept in
good condition for grass by an occasional top dressing.

Since 1819, when Mr. Howe came in possession of his farm,
it has been increased from about fifty acres to its present ex-
tent, and from that time when the place kept but six head of
cattle, such has been his addition of uncultivated lands, and
his improvement upon the whole, that he is now able to v/in-

80 O N F A R M S .

ter from twenty to thirty head of cattle, and to sell hay the last
year to the amount of six hundred dollars.

The cultivation of fruit is attended to, and there are many
fine young trees upon the farm, the soil of which is well suited
to their growth.

During the last year Mr. How has built a neat and substan-
tial dwelling house. His barn, 110 feet in length, is well white-
washed, and has a cellar under the whole of it.

Ashes, both dry and leached, have been used upon the farm,
but not always successfully. Gypsum has been found to be
useful upon pasture lands.

The addition which Mr. How has made to his farm, and the
great improvement, upon it, is the result of well directed and
persevering industry.

Your Committee regret that so good a farmer as Mr. How
should be unable to give a precise statement of the expense of
conducting his farm ; but one thing he is certain of, that no
claims are allowed to stand against him unsettled.

For an account of Mr. How's farm stock, the product of his
dairy, the amount of his crops, and of his method of farming,
your Committee refer to his statement, which accompanies this
report.

The farm of Mr. Holt is situated in the South Parish in
Andover, and contains about sixty acres. The soil stony and
hard to cultivate, but on some parts of the farm susceptible of
producing good crops. Mr. Holt has been engaged in subdu-
ing some very rough and stony ground, which may repay him
for his labor, if the expense incurred be not too great. It was
a question with your Committee, whether Mr. Holt would not
derive greater profit from his farm by giving more attention to
his field land, now iwider cultivation. It is not always good
policy to bestow much labor on subduing very rough ground,
when less expense applied to the increasing of the produce of
the land already under cultivation, might add very much to
the income of the farm. Mr. Holt has recently dug a cellar
under his barn, for the purpose of increasing and preserving
his manure.

In Mr. Holt's farming, your Committee do not observe any

ON FARMS. 81

thing differing materially from that of many other farmers of
the County, either as to crops or income ; but in considera-
tion of his laborious efforts to bring under cultivation land
very stony and rough, your Committee recommend that a gra-
tuity be paid him of eight dollars. Mr. Holt's statement is
annexed.

Your Committee recommend an award of the first premium
of twenty-five dollars to Christopher How, of Methuen, and
the second premium of twenty dollars, to Daniel P. King, of
Danvers.

JOSIAH NEWHALL,
JEREMIAH COLEMAN,

DEAN ROBINSON.
November, 1845.

CHRISTOPHER HOW S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Farms :

Gentlemen, — The farm that I offer foi* premium contains one
hundred and seventeen acres ; sixty-two acres of pasturing, and the
remainder mowing and tillage. The soil, a gravelly loam, and
most of it was quite stony. I this year had five acres of winter
rye, which yielded 111 bushels ; five acres of oats, 245 bushels;
two and a half acres of corn, 143 bushels ; one and a half acre of
potatoes, 275 bushels ; hay, I think, about 75 tons. In conse-
quence of the drought, my hay I think fell short of my usual crop a-
bout 15 tons ; my corn and potatoes were also considerably injured
by the drought. My crop of apples was also very light. I had only
about 30 barrels of winter apples. This season I have kept ten
cows, and have made 769 pounds of butter and 348 pounds of
cheese. I usually winter from twenty to thirty head of cattle, as
circumstances seem to require, and sell the remainder of my hay.
I usually keep a considerable number of swine for the purpose of
increasing my manure. I usually hire two hands through the farm-
ing season, and my son through the year ; and about forty dollars
for additional help in haying. I cannot give you an exact account
11

82 ONFARMS.

of my previous expenses in managing my farm, as I have not been
accustomed to keep an account.

I came on the farm in 1819. It then contained about fifty acres ;
and kept six head of cattle. All the addition that has since been
made to the farm, was pasture land.

For planting, I usually plough soon after haying, and in the
spring spread from thirty to forty loads of compost manure and
plough it in. I have, to some extent, practised ploughing grass
ground .in the spring, and harrow in the manure, but prefer fall
ploughing. I plant one year, and sow it down (usually,) with oats
and hay seed. As to rye, we have not been accustomed to raise it,
as it has been considered an uncertain crop.

I top dress my land that is too wet for cultivation. I have pur-
chased considerable manure, and have recently purchased a mea-
dow about one and a quarter mile from home, from whence I have
hauled considerable peat mud. I have to some extent used dry and
leached ashes ; sometimes they have done well, at other times very
little or no benefit has been derived from them. I have also used
gypsum, and it has done well, especially on pasture land.

CHRISTOPHER HOW.

Methuen, Nov. 3d, 1845.

DANIEL P. king's STATEMENT.

To the CommitUe on Farms :

Gentlemen, — ^Before the first of July I had no intention of invit-
ing you to visit my farm, but then learning that there had been no
entry which would secure a report from you, I was unwilling that
the Society should lose the benefit of a report, for I think farmers
derive their best hints from the observations and experience of prac-
tical farmers embodied in such reports.

I am far from thinking my management the best, or among the
best, but as it has fully answered my reasonable expectations, I will
as briefly as possible, state it.

My farm has great variety of soil, but the cultivated lands are
mostly a gravelly loam. I have about fifty acres in mowing, tillage
and orchard, twenty-five acres in meadow, one fourth of which is
peat, seventy-five acres in pasture, and several tracts of wood land.

O N F A R M S . 83

I formerly planted from seven to ten acres each year, but I have
found it more profitable to raise hay than corn or potatoes : this
last June from thirty cwt. hay delivered in the barn, I received in
my grain bins forty bushels of good yellow flat corn : the hay cost
me in labor and all fair charges twelve dollars ; to raise the corn
would have cost me twenty-five dollars at least.

By recurring to my journal,* (for I have long kept a sort of diary
in which I have noted the employments of each day, the time of
planting, hoeing and harvesting, the amount of crops, the cost of
animals, current receipts and expenditures, Sfc.,) I find that since
the 1st of April I have expended for labor two-hundred and five dol-
lars, and one third of this has been in making walls, ditches and
permanent improvements. I have kept two pair oT oxen, one horse
and ten cows, one pair of oxen Avhich two years ago cost me fifty
dollars, I have sold to the butcher for one hundred and five dollars;
four cows which cost forty-three, I have sold for seventy-eight dol-
lars, and I have received in exchange of cows thirty dollars. I have
kept no account of the milk and butter used and sold, which has
been less than the usual quantity. I have four fat swine worth sev-
enty-five dollars, which one year ago cost six dollars; their manure
paid for all the grain they have consumed. I have raised one hun-
dred and fifty-eight bushels corn, ninety-five bushels of oats, thirty
bushels of rye and one hundred and twenty bushels of potatoes ; of
carrots, turnips and beets about two hundred and fifty bushels, and
of other vegetables and fruits an abundance. Some years I have
had three or four hundred bushels of good apples, this year not
more than thirty. I have cut thirty-one tons of English hay which
was made and secured with fifty-five days labor ; I used a horse
rake which paid for itself in one week ; my crop was diminished by
the drought from one-fourth to one-third. My meadow hay was a
fine crop and got in good order ; I have sold twelve loads of mead-
ow hay and straw, and have by estimation fodder enough, corn fod-
der included, to keep my stock and some twelve or fifteen tons to
spare. I have carried to market twelve cords of wood, always tak-
ing a return load of manure. I purchase anually about forty-five
dollars worth of manure, which I never use without composting. I

* The advantages of keeping a journal to a farmer are many. By turning
to the pages of past years he will be reminded of work which should be done
in its season ; he will see where he has erred and jjrofit from his experience ;
he will know where his money, sometimes difficult to account for, goes.

84 O N F A R M S .

have used for planting, sowing and top dressing two hundred and
eighty loads of compost. In the barn yard and pig pens I make a-
bout one hundred and ten loads, and at leisure times get out peat
muck and cart it into the field whei-e it is to be used. I then mix
one cord stable or barn yard dung, preferring the stable, with four
cords of muck ; after lying till the heap heats, it is again thrown
over and a few feet of fresh dung or spent ashes added if necessary.
I have found this compost better than clear manure and equal to
any thing except pig manure for corn and potatoes on gravelly or
sandy loams. I have now on hand more than one hundred loads of
this compost besides a good supply in the barn and pig yards, and I
could not farm without it. With this kind of manure I this year had
sixty bushels of corn to the acre, without any extra labor or care.
One fourth of an^cre produced at the rate of seventy bushels, and I
raised fifty-five bushels of oats on one acre ; no great yields cer-
tainly ; but the expense of cultivation too was moderate. All the
land on which I have this year raised potatoes, corn and oats, has
been since ploughed, manured, and laid down with rye and grass
seed, with the exception of one acre of meadow, which in April I
sowed with oats and grass seed after spreading three hundred lbs.
of guano ; the oat sti'aw was very rank and the grass has started
handsomely. I have tried guano, salt, saltpetre and ashes this sea-
son, but I forbear to speak further of results because you, gentle-
men, have seen them, and will determine for yourselves.

My corn land I usually plant but one year ; it is always ploughed
in the fall because the team is in better condition for work, more
vegetable matter is ploughed under and the soil sooner becomes mel-
low. I have practised ploughing in August or September for rye ;
laid the furrow flat, rolled it, spread on from twenty-five to thirty loads
of compost (thirty bushels to the load) harrowed well, then sowed
one peck of herds grass and one bushel of red top, brushed it and
then laid all smooth with a loaded roller. My rye and grass have
always done well ; the straw selling from seven dollars to ten dol-
lars per acre, and the grain bringing ten per cent, more than the
southern Dii-ectly after taking off a crop of hay, early in July, I
have inverted the sod, rolled, harrowed in a good coat of compost,
sowed one peck of millet to the acre, brushed, then sown grass seed,
clover, herds, red top, and brushed and rolled smooth. I have never
failed of getting a ton of millet fodder to the acre, and when the
frost has delayed for about seventy days from the time of sowing,

V

O N F A R JM S . 85

thirty or forty bushels of millet seed to the acre, and the next year
and for several years a good crop of hay. But it is not prudent to
sow millet after the tenth of July, on account of the frost ; it should
not be sown before the middle of May ; best sown in June. In Au-
gust I ploughed two acres of land which was this year mowed ; roll-
ed it flat ; spread sixty loads of compost, harrowed it well, sowed
one-half bushel herds grass and two bushels red top, then brushed
and rolled it smooth ; this process has always succeeded with me.

In planting my corn the present season, instead of cross furrowing,
I ran the plough but one way, and not so deep as to disturb the sod,
nearly filled the furrows, which were four feet distant in part of the
field, with my common compost, in part with pig manure, then drop-
ped the kernels in the furrows, six inches apart, and covered, leav-
ing the surface of the ground even; in May went between the rows
with the cultivator and hoe, and again the last of June, but making*
no hill, and this, with the exception of pulling by hand a few Aveeds,
was all the culture. The crop, as you witnessed, was clean and
heavy.

In October, 1842, I ploughed three acres of field land, which had
been in grass five years, and rolled it. In May following harrowed
it and spread seventy loads of compost, which was well harrowed,
then marked the hills four feet apart each way, dropped the corn and
covered; in June went through with the cultivator and hoe, and late
in July sowed grass seed among the standing corn, went through
with the cultivator and hoe, making no hills; in October the corn
was cut up close, and the ground rolled with a loaded roller. On
one acre I had one hundred and two baskets of good corn, and the
crops of grass have been fair. I have since followed this plan with
better success when I have used more and better compost.

I have this year let five acres of meadow and three pasture lots,
I have top dressed my reclaimed meadows with a compost of loam
and warm manure, and have further extended my experiments in re-
claiming meadows. I have attempted some improvements on bushy
and mossy pastures, which now promise well; on these I have sown
winter and multicole rye with some spurry and common grass seed.

If I have raised no large crops, the expense and labor have been
moderate, and I have the satisfaction of thinking that my farm is in
an improving condition.

DANIEL P. KING.

Danvers, Nov. 4th, 1845.

86 ONFARMS.

JONAS holt's statement.

To the Committee on Farms :

Gentlemen, — Agreeably to your request, I take this opportu-
nity to inform you of the method of managing my farm. I keep a
hired man seven months, pay him thirteen dollars per month. I
keep one yoke of oxen, one horse, five cows, and have four young
cattle.

I compost all my manure, mixing the manure from the horse sta-
ble, the cow yard and the hog pen, altogether, carry the manure out
into the field from these several places in the fall, heap it up and
cover the heap with meadow muck or loam. In the spring I take
what manure is made by the cattle and horse, carry it out into the
field, and mix it with the heap drawn out in the fall. Where it is
not too rough I spread my manure broadcast, but where the land is
very rough and stony I put it in the hill, but I prefer the broadcast
system where it is practicable.

I planted one acre and a half of corn, mostly on very rough rocky
land, and harvested fifty-four bushels of corn from the same. My
potatoes have rotted somewhat, so that with the drought and the rot
I shall get but 224 bushels sound potatoes, from thirty-three bush-
els of seed, about half my usual crop. I have raised 50 bushels
French turnips, 40 bushels sugar beets, 5 bushels of onions, 6 do.
of white beans, 2 cart loads of pumpkins, some squashes, and a va-
riety of garden vegetables, such as round turnips, beans, cabbage,
&c. I cut about 20 tons of English hay and 4 tons of meadow ;
raised 42 bushels of oats from 3 bushels of seed. I sow about two
bushels of oats to the acre. Raised 21 bushels of barley on three
quarters of an acre. I had 6 bushels of pears from three small
trees ; sold 5 bushels, at one dollar per bushel ; of apples I had but
few, most of my trees have been set within a few yeai's. I had on-
ly 13 barrels of winter apples, mostly baldwins, which I sold at two
dollars per barrel, at home.

I usually sell from three to six tons of hay in a year ; the aver-
age price for the last ten years has been a little over fifteen dollars,
at the barn.

I have dug probably about one hundred loads of muck, this sum-
mer, to lie and freeze for next year's use. I have dug fifty rods of
ditch in the pasture, (since you last visited my farm,) thirty inches

ONROOTCROPS. 87

wide at the top, eighteen inches deep, and twelve inches at the bot-
tom ; and have ploughed seven acres of my bush pasture, sowed
four acres with rye for feed, two bushels of rye to the acre ; the
remaining three acres I intend to sow with oats in the spring, for
feed, in order to test the comparative value of oats and rye for feed.
Where I sow rye I also sow timothy at the same time, six quarts of
seed to the acre ; and in March or April, sow six pounds of clover
seed on the snow, and let the rain cover it.

JONAS HOLT.

Andover, October 22d, 1845.

ON ROOT CROPS.

The Committee on Root Crops, Report :

That there is but one claimant, Mr. Paul P. Pilsbury, of
Andover, to whom they award the Society's premium of six
dollars.

The crop is not considered superior by the Committee, but
as the land was of an inferior quality, they feel justified in
giving the above award.

By order of the Committee.

ERASTUS WARE.

Dan vers, Nov. 17, 1845.

PAUL p. PILSBURY S STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Root Crops :

Gentlemen, — The land measured by Mr Dascomb, whose certi-
ficate accompanies this communication, was in 1843, when I came
into possession of it, in grass. In the fall of the same year I plough-
ed it, and the next spring harrowed it smooth, furrowed it, and put
on eight loads of compost manure to the acre, and planted it with
white beans ; crop eleven bushels to the acre.

The first week in June last, I ploughed the ground again, har-
rowed it down, then furrowed it with a double mould plough in fur-
rows three feet apart, and put seven cart loads of compost manure

88 ONROOT CROPS.

on a half acre in the furrows, and then ran the same plo'-rrh be-
tween the rows turning the furrow each way to cover the n.a'.ure.

I then sowed half a pound of ruta baga seed to the half acre, on
the top of the ridges, and raked the seed in with a hand rake.

About the last of June the ground was hoed, and the vacancies
filled by transplanting. The plants were about a foot apart and in
July they were again hoed for the last time, running the cultivator
between the rows each time.

The first week in November, the crop v/as harvested, and ailer
clearing the turnips of dirt and leaves they were put in small piles
to dry. After they were well dryed they were hauled to the cellar
where they were measured in a large basket, filling the baskets as
nearly alike as possible.

Eight baskets were weighed, which varied, aft;er filling them as
nearly alike as we could fill them, from 100 to 106 lbs. to the bas-
ket, but in order not to make the estimate too high, I called each
basket 100 lbs., and had 199 baskets full, or 19,900 lbs., or, allowing
56 lbs to the bushel, 355^^^- bushels.

Had it not been for the severe drought I have no doubt, but I
should have had 500 bushels on the half acre.

My compost was composed of five loads of meadow mud, (cart
holding forty bushels,) and two loads manure from the barn yard.
A part of the mud had lain under the cattle tie-up during the win-
ter, and the rest had received the wash from the house ; all of which
was hauled to the field and mixed before putting into the drills.

The items of cost stated, are counted at one dollar per day for
labor, and are nearly as follows :

Interest on land, at ^50 per acre, ^ 1 50

7 loads compost, at ^^1 50, 10 50

Labor, hauling manure and turnips,
^ day furrowing,

1 day putting in manure,

1^ day weeding and transplanting,

1^ do. for a boy, at 75c.

1 day, second time, myself and boy,

3 days, harvesting, do. do.

^ lb. seed,

$24 87
The land on which I raised this crop is a light soil, composed of a

1

50

50

1

00

1

50

1

12

1

75

5

25

25

ONPRUITTREES. »9

dark loam mixed with sand and gravel. It was in a very bad state
when I first came into possession of it, and produced a very light
crop of grass.

PAUL PILSBURY.
Andover, Nov. 7, 1845.

This is to certify, that I assisted Mr. Pilsbury in the measurement

of land and crop, and do hereby vouch that the above statement is

correct.

JACOB DASCOM.

ON FRUIT TREES.

The Committee on Nurseries of Fruit Trees would respect-
fully Report :

That the number entered for premium was three, viz :
Joshua H. Ordway, West Newbury, Ephraim Woods, Salem,
Moody Ordway, West Newbury.

Th3 Apple Nursery of Mr. J. H. Ordway, contains about
four thousand ; fifteen hundred of these were from two to
three years from the bud, and the remainder, twenty-five hun-
dred, were of one year ; these last were uncommonly thrifty
ani well grown. Your Committee consider him as deserving the
first premium of $10 and Coleman's Agricultural Report. The
Pear Nursery of Mr. Woods, containing about eleven hundred
trees, two and three years from the bud, were exceedingly
thrifty. The apple trees referred to in his statement appended
to this report, your Committee did not consider to come within
the conditions upon which premiums are offered, not having
been grown from the seed by himself. For his Nursery of Pears,
your Committee consider him entitled to the second premium
of $10. Mr. Moody Ordway' s Nursery of Apples and Peaches,
particularly the latter, were well grown ; his statement, which
was forwarded to your Committee, it was thought unnecessary
to append, inasmuch as there were but two premiums offered
by the Society.
12

90 ON FRUIT TREES.

We annex the statements of Mr. Joshua H. Ordway and
Mr. Ephraim Woods.

Respectfully submitted, for the Committee,

JOHN M. IVES,

Salem, Nov. 17, 1845.

GEORGE THURLOW,
ABEL NICHOLS.

JOSHUA H. ORD way's STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Fruit Trees:

Gentlemen, — The trees to which I would call your particu-
lar attention, are two lots of apple, one lot of from fifteen to
eighteen hundred, two and three years old from tVie bud, the
other of twenty-five hundred, one year from the bud, stocks
four from seed, transplanted when two years old.

The following was the course pursued in raising the last
named lot, which is, I think, the best method, on a soil like
mine, which is rather diflicult to cultivate, being a hard gravel
and slate, with a strong clay subsoil, naturally ill adapted for
raising trees or fruit. In the autumn of 1841 I ploughed about
fifteen rods of land, eight inches deep, where corn grew that
season, spread two loads of fine barnyard manure on the sur-
face and harrowed it smooth ; I then, by line, made shallow
drills three feet apart, into which I scattered pomace as taken
from the mill, sufficiently thick, covering it lightly not exceed-
ing half an inch deep ; the trees came up well, were hoed sev-
eral times, the unhealthy ones taken out. In two seasons they
made a good uniform growth. In the spring of 1844, they be-
ing two years old, were transplanted, (first cutting off" the tap
root,) in rows four feet apart, ten inches from each other, care
being taken to select those of uniform size and thrift ; the re-
mainder are set on another lot, not being of sufficient size to bud.

In August following, I budded twenty-five hundred with the
best standard varieties, mostly winter fruit ; the buds took fine-
ly, in several rows of one hundred each, scarcely a bud failed.
They have made a very straight uniform growth this season.

ONFRUITTREES. 91

I practise shield or T budding, and put the bud on the south-
west side of the tree, the rows running southeast, they are then
not exposed to the sleet and snow of winter. I formerly lost
many buds by inserting them on the "back" side of the tree;
another advantage, in putting the bud on the south, is the
greater portion and quicker flow of sap on that side, as every
one knows that a bud takes best where there is the most sun
and sap. I learned some twenty years ago, to take out the
wood from the bud, but soon gave up the practise ; I should as
soon think, now, of taking out the pith of a scion.

On a part of the ground on which these trees stand the ma-
nure was ploughed in, and on a part spread on the surface, in
equal quantities ; the latter is decidedly the best practice in
nurseries, in fact for any and all crops, I have succeeded best
where I followed nature and apply the manure to the surface,
working it in with a harrow or cultivator sufficiently to pre-
vent evaporation. I use any manure, in a fine state, which I
happen to have when wanted, on the surface, working it in
with a cultivator, the rows being sufficiently wide to allow a
horse to pass without injury to the trees. I prefer, however, a
compost, of stable and hog manure one part, and two of muck
and turf from the brook.

I have never manured the same piece of ground oft ener than
once in three or four years, much more depends upon good cul-
ture than high manuring to obtain good healthy trees, besides
being much more valuable for planting in orchards, not being
of such '• fungus" materials.

To the query of the Committee, whether I could suggest
some remedy to prevent young trees, as is common, from bend-
ing with the wind, I would say that I know of no better one,
than to raise strong stocks, that will throw up a vigorous shoot,
able to resist the action of the wind, and let all the leaves re-
main on the trunk. The practice of many people of stripping
them off" is very injurious.

I do n't prune much as the trees advance in age and size,
merely cutting off" superfluous branches, and keep a good bal-
ance of the top.

A word in regard to transplanting trees to the nursery or or-
chard.

92 *' ONLIVEFENCES.

Time. I have had much the best success when removing
them in early spring, with few exceptions. Young trees set in
the fall are liable to be thrown out by frost, and all, whether
large or small, often suffer injury by having their roots severe-
ly frozen, when the ground is bare, during our severe winters.

J. H. ORDWAY.

Ordway's Nursery, West Newbury, Oct. 30, 1845.

EPHRAIM WOODSS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Fruit Trees :

Gentlemen, — In compliance with your request, I will give
you a short statement of the present condition of such pro-
ducts of my nursery, in Salem, as are thought to come within
the sphere of your observations in the performance of the duty
assigned you, together with a few observations concerning my
mode of cultivation.

I have eleven hundred pear trees, two and three years
growth from the bud, mostly two, of the choicest varieties.
The soil is a loam, from nine to twelve inches deep, on a
coarse gravelly bottom. I have manured it bat once in four
years, and then to the amount of three cords of common barn
manure to the acre, which was spread on the surface, and
worked in with the cultivator and hoe. I have hoed the
ground as I would in the cultivation of corn or potatoes, so as
to keep it free from weeds and in good condition.

I have over one thousand apple trees, of the most approved
varieties, two years old from the bud, cultivated in the same
way. EPHRAIM WOODS.

Salem, Nov. 13th, 1845.

LIVE FENCES.

The Committee on Live Fences would Report :

That there has been but One claimant for premium the pres-

ONLIVBFENCES. 93

eiit year, Doct. George Cogswell, of Bradford ; both his haw-
thorn and buckthorn hedges look exceeding well. The Com-
mittee recommend that he receive the Society's first premium of
twenty dollars. They conceive that any remarks are unne-
cessary as his statement is appended.

For the Committee.

JOSEPH HOW.
Methuen, Nov. 10, 1845.

GEORGE COGSWELLS STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Live Fences :

Gentlemen, — A part of the hedge which I offer for premium,
is hawthorn, the other part is buckthorn.

There are about seven rods of the hawthorn, which was set
by me in the spring of 1834. The plants were then two years
old, taken from a nursery at Indian Hill Farm, West Newbu-
ry, Mass. They were placed six inches apart, without any
preparation of the soil. They were cut within six inches of
the ground when set out ; the September following, trimmed
nearly back to the first cutting ; spring following, in June,
trimmed to within eight inches of the last cutting ; again in
September, trimmed nearly back to the spring cutting ; and so
on from year to year to its present growth, which is five feet
three inches high and three feet thick. It is now eight years
since the hedge was set ; for the last three it has been used as
a fence to my front yard, and has proved an impenetrable bar-
rier to any annoyance which might occur from numerous
droves of cattle and swine. It has been kept free, from weeds,
and manured twice. No plant of the original number has
died. During the summer, this presents a beautiful and deli-
cate foliage, surpassing that of any other hedge-plant with
which I am acquainted. For some seasons, in September, its
beauty has been marred by the slug-worm ; besides this it is
perfect ; cattle do not browse or hook it.

The buckthorn hedge was set out in the spring of 1839; the
plants were then two years old ; the mode of trimming has

94 ONFRUITSANDFLOWERS.

been nearly the same as the other. A part of the soil is moist
— the rest somewhat dry. No plants have died. It appears
hardy and holds green till late in the season. As a hedge
plant it requires a longer time than the hawthorn, having few
thorns. The cattle browse it in some measure, and also hook
it. This hedge is about seventeen rods in length.

The above statement was made by me to the society ai;id
published in its doings in 1842. Since then both of the above
mentioned hedges have been trimmed twice a year, generally
in the months of June and August. At the present time my
hawthorn hedge measures 5^ feet in height and 3^ feet in
thickness. My buckthorn measures 4^ feet in height and 3^
feet in thickness.

The hawthorn has continued to flourish, and has retained
its foliage the present season longer than ever before.

The buckthorn has served as a fence to protect my garden
for the last two years.

GEORGE COGSWELL.

Hawthorn Place, Bradford, Sept. 23 1845.

ON FRUITS AND FLOWERS.

The Committee on Fruits and Flowers, Report :
They take pleasure in saying, that in quantity, quality and
variety, the exhibition of fruit, to-day, surpasses any previous
show, and affords gratifying evidence that this culture is gain-
ing importance in the estimation of Essex County farmers.
Sixty-seven • entries were made, embracing apples, pears,
peaches, quinces, plums and grapes. Among the largest con-
tributors, were J. S. Cabot, and John M. Ives, of Salem,
Moody Ordway, of West Newbury, Andrew Dodge, A. J.
Dodge, and Ezra Dodge, of Wenham. A seedling peach,
of large size and flavor, a prolific bearer, presented by the pro-
ducer, J. M. Ives, the Committee have named "Ives's Seed-
ling." This fruit is in perfection at the present time, and may
be regarded as a valuable acquisition to this department of po-

ONPRUITSANDPLOWERS. 9S

mology. Mr. Ives authorises us to say, that he will, next
season, furnish buds gratuitously, to members of the Society,
who desire them. Benjamin Edwards, of Wenham, present-
ed a seedling peach and a seedling sweet apple, of his own
production, both of fine quality. To the former, the Commit-
tee have given the name of " Edwards's Seedling," and to the
latter, " Edwards's Sweeting." The Committee would express
a hope, that the cultivation of seedling] fruit may engage a
greater share of attention in our community hereafter. The
thanks of the society are due to Messrs. Walker, of Roxbury,
Warren, of Brighton, and Philbrick, of Brookline, for their dis-
play of fruits. Did the rules of the society permit, the Com-
mittee would recommend gratuities to each. Under existing
circumstances, they trust that these gentlemen will accept "the
will for the deed."

Of Flowers, there were sixteen contributors, and the display
Avas superior to any former occasion. The cultivation of flow-
ers promotes refinement and taste, and we are gratified to re-
cognize, to-day, so many evidences of their appreciation by the
daughters of Essex. In the judgment of the Committee, the
exhibition of fruits and flowers may, with suitable effort, be
rendered one of the most attractive features of this annual as-
sembling.

In conclusion, the Committee recommend the following gra-
tuities :

Fruit. Andrew Dodge, J. S. Cabot, James Peabody, Eb- •
enezer Rowe, John M. Ives, one dollar each ; Moody Ordway,
Ezra dodge, A. J. Dodge, Jos. L. Ober, Amos French, seventy-
five cents each ; Abraham Lord, F. H. Wade, Jonathan
Berry, Joseph Farley, John Tuttle, Mrs. M. C. Baker, Thos,
Pierce, Josiah Caldwell, Alfred Kimball, David Lord, Geo. P.
Wilkins, Wm. R. Putnam, Charles W. Lord, William Ives,
Jefferson Perry, Israel Trask, Joshua Buxton, Benjamin Ed-
wards, fifty cents each ; Rebecca S. Ives, A. Hammatt, Eben
Lord, Joseph Horton, James Manning, Samuel Kinsman, Oli-
ver Bailey, Alfred Kimball, Wm. F. Wade, twenty-five cents
each.

Flowers. F. H. Wade, of Ipswich, Wm. Hall, Bradford,

96 ONVEGETABLES,

Mrs. George Tenney, Georgetown, one dollar each ; Alfred
Kimball, Samuel Caldwell, Hannah Baker, Hannah Peabody,
Sarah Kent, Mrs. John A. Kimball, A. Hammatt, Ipswich ;
Mrs. Morse, Mrs. Geo. Spofford, Georgetown ; Andrew Dodge,
Wenham ; Daniel Lord, Miss Lord, Mrs. Cleaves, Salem ; fifty
cents each.

Respectfully for the Committee,

EDWIN M. STONE.
Ipswich, Sept. 24, 1845.

ON VEGETABLES.

The Committee on Vegetables, Report :

The exhibition of vegetables has been gratifying to the
committee, in the highest degree. This is partly owing to the
fact that, while there was no deficiency in vegetables of un-
common size, mere monster productions seem not to have been
sought foi\ but a larger proportion of the articles were of the
useful and indispensable kinds. The Committee would par-
ticularly approve of every attempt to improve the potato, that
valuable article, indispensable the world over. The efibrts of
Abel Burnham, of Essex, by which he has been able to pro-
duce thirteen kinds of seedling potatoes, apparently now full
grown the second year from the apple, must strike every one
as meritorious. So the specimen of Indian corn produced by
Isaac Babson, of Beverly, accompanied by a statement of Rev.
E. M. Stone, is exceedingly fine. Whatever may be the facili-
ties for obtaining corn further south, every efibrt should be
made to produce it in our own fields, and the idea of ripening
it before the early frosts is most important — this is perhaps of
more consequence than the mere abundance of the crop, atten-
ded with the usual uncertainty of ripening before the frosts
of early autumn.

The Committee regret that they were restricted to the small
sum of ten dollars for gratuities. Being so limited, however,

ON VEGETABLES,

^7

they are compelled to restrict themselves to the following
sums, among the different applicants, viz :
To Abel Biirnham, of Essex, for thirteen kinds of seed-
ling potatoes, the second year from the apple, the
Committee recommend a gratuity of $1 25

To Luther Wait, of Ipswich, for ten kinds of potatoes, 1 00
To Joseph Farley, of Ipswich, for a specimen of onions
raised with guano, also a specimen of radishes, and
one of mangel wurtzel, 1 00

To Isaac Babson, of Beverly, for the corn referred to

above, 1 00

To E. Dodge, of Wenham, for fine specimens of wheat, 50
To William R. Putnam, of Danvers, for a specimen of

Carter potatoes, 25

To Perley King, of Danvers, for four marrow squashes, 25
To Thomas McMahon, of Ipswich, for a specimen of
rye which produced 49^ bushels from 1^ acre and
25 roads of land, 25

To Livermore Dodge, of Wenham, for four squashes,

(three fine ones being on one vine,) 25

To Thomas Pierce, Ipswich, for a specimen of peppers, 25
To Francis H. Wade, Ipswich, three kinds of tomatoes, 25
To William R. Morrison, for a specimen of broom corn, 25
To Jesse Sheldon, of Beverly, for a specimen of melons, 25
To M. H. Lord, of Ipswich, specimen of squashes, 25

To Parker Barnes, of Dorchester, a vegetable of the

gourd kind, called Hercules's Club, four feet long, 25

To Andrew Dodge, of Wenham, marrow squashes, 25

To the same, for water melon, 25

To Adam Nesmith, of Beverly, early corn, and a mam-
moth cucumber, 25
To Ephraim Annable, specimen of corn, 25
To Thomas Haskell, of Gloucester, mangel wurtzel,

and a squash, 25

To John Hammond, of Beverly, specimen of Jeffer-
son ian corn, 25
To the same, for blood beets, of turnip kind, 25
To John Choate, of Essex, for mangel wurtzel. 25
13

98 ONVEGETABLES

To John M. Ives, of Salem, for orange flesh cantelope, 25
To Ebenezer Lord, of Ipswich, for specimen of the

chestnut, 25

For the Committee,

D. CHOATE.
Ipswich, Sept. 24tii, 1845.

EDAVIN M. STONES STATEMENT.

To the Committee on Vegetables :

Gentlemen, — The accompanying twelve ears of corn, of the
twelve and eight rowed kind, I gathered from the field on Tuesday
last week, (16th Sept.) They are a fair sample of an acre and two
thirds, cultivated by a neighbor, Mr. Isaac Babson, which was in
proper condition ta harvest last week. The corn was in silk on the
28th June, and the stalks were Jit to cut 18th August, and were cut
25th of that month. Mr. Babson has planted this variety several
years, and has uniformly obtained fifty bushels to the acre. He
thinks his field will yield at that rate the present season. He plants
four feet apart each way, and manures in the hill. The weight of
this corn, when in order for grinding, has been found, upon trial, to
be sixty pounds to the bushel, or three thousand pounds to the acre.
My principal object in procuring and presenting these samples, is to
afford a practical demonstration of what farmers, with a little pains,
may do, to bring their corn to early maturity. Mr. Babson's prac-
tice has been for a number of years, to select his seed, in the Jield,
from the fairest and most forward ears; and the result is, that his
corn ripens a. fortnight earlier than it did when he commenced plant-
ing this kind. This, it seems to me, is an important fact, and if
duly heeded by farmers generally, will place their corn crops be-
yond the reach of our earliest frosts, as well as the storms of Octo-
ber, which often beat down and soil the butt stalks.

Very respectfully yours,

EDWIN M. STONE.

Beverly, Sept. 24, 1845.

ONSUB-SOILPLOUGHING. 99

ON SUB-SOIL PLOUGHING.

The Committee on Sub-Soil Ploughing, Report :
That the only entry of sub-soil ploughs, was made by Mr.
Benjamin Poore, of West Newbury, to whom the Society has
been often indebted for contributions to its shows. He pre-
sented to the notice of the Committee, two sub-soil ploughs, of
Ruggles, Nourse & Mason's manufacture, number one and me-
dium size ; one of Howard's and one of Prouty's new pattern.
These were successfully tried with two yoke of oxen attached,
and their working examined by your Committee. They all
did the work of stirring the soil well, and the Committee will
not attempt to decide on the relative merits of the respective
ploughs on a trial necessarily very limited. They were incli-
ned to think the double wing, attached to Howard's plough,
an improvement, as giving a steady motion to the plough,
without much increasing the draft. The farming interest is
greatly indebted to these enterprising plough manufacturers,
for offering them very good sub-soil ploughs at a moderate
cost, in so short a time since the implement was first known in
this country.

Farmers every where, who have tried sub-soil ploughing,
concur in representing it as beneficial in draining wet lands,
and in counteracting the effects of drought on dry soils; and your
Committee believe its advantages will be made apparent to all
who will make a trial of it. They recommend that the pre-
mium of ten dollars be awarded to Mr. Poore, as an acknow-
ledgement of the service rendered by him to the farmers assem-
bled at the Show, by presenting these different sub-soil ploughs
for their inspection, and affording the opportunity of witness-
ing their operations, and thus endeavoring to introduce this
valuable implement to more general use.

For the Committee,

J. H. DUNCAN.

Ipswich.. Sept. 24, 1845.

100 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

Your Committee having attended to the duties assigned them
as fully as the length of time allowed them would permit, beg
leave to submit the following Report :

The number of contributors of articles for the examination
of your Committee was one hundred and sixty, which, consid-
ering the unfavorable state of the weather, is very large, and
shows the increasing interest the exhibitions of the society are
awakening. The articles entered this season were more vari-
ous than in former years, and your Committee are pleased to
see that the Mechanics of our County are making exertions for
and taking more advantage of, the exhibitions of our society
than formerly.

Your Committee cannot avoid urging upon the attention of
the society, the importance of adopting some measures to give
more time for the arrangement and exhibition of articles in this
department. It seems to us that much more practical advan-
tage would be gained to the county at large, if a better oppor-
tunity could be given to the ladies to examine the improve-
ments in the manufacture of the various articles exhibited ; the
examinations now are obliged to be made in so hurried and
crowded a manner, that many give up the attempt to see the
exhibition, rather than submit to the squeezing process attendant
upon it under the present mode of management. Your Com-
mittee, if they have not done exact justice to all the difierent
contributors, must plead the hurried manner in which they
were obliged to act, and recommend to any who may feel dis-
satisfied, if such there be, to ^^ try againy

The following premiums and gratuities have been awarded.

PREMIUMS.

Mrs. John Pearson, Newbury, strip Carpet, 1st prem. $.5 00
Mrs. Jonathan Berry, Middleton, strip Carpet. 2d prem. 3 00
Mrs. Sarah G. Cook, Newburyport, Stair Carpet, 1st

premium. 3 00

Mrs. Eliza Rowe. Rockport, Rug, 1st prem. 3 00

ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES. 101

Mrs. Elizabeth R. Foster, Beverly, do 2d prem. 2 00

Miss R. M. Jacobs, Danvers, 6 prs Hose, (woven) 1st

premium. 2 00

Mrs. A.H. Wildes, Ipswich, 18 pr do 1st prem. 1 00

Miss C. Flint, Salem, 12 pr do 2d prem. 1 00

Mrs. John Tuttle, Hamilton, wrought Q,uilt, 1st prem. 4 00
Mrs. Ab'm. Hammatt, Ipswich, wrought Quilt, &.c.

2d premium, 2 00

Louisa A. Chapman, North Danvers, wrought Lace,

1st premium.
Elizabeth Caldwell, Ipswich, do 2d pr
Nathan Lakeman, S. Danvers, under 11 years of age,

for best specimen of work
Sylvester Brown, Ipswich, do do age 7 years
Amos Gould, Wenham, best thick Boots, 1st prem.
George Dawson, Ipswich, Calf Boots 1st prem.
George McComb, Georgetown, calf Boots, 2d pr
Wm. S. Horner Georgetown, Brogans, 1st prem.
John H. Varrell, Ipswich, calf Shoes,

GRATUITIES.

J. and S. Peetfield, Ipswich, specimens of Hosiery, 5 00

Mrs John Tuttle, Hamilton, piece of Flannel, 2 00

Caroline R. Sawyer, S. Danvers, Blankets, 3 00

Hannah Jacobs, Danvers, aged 78, Frocking, 3 00

Mrs. Brown, Rowley, Hose, 1 00

Mrs Jacob Lowe, Ipswich, knit Gloves, 50

Isaac Bartlett, jr. Newburyport, ladies gaiter Shoes, 1 00

James M. Martin, Salem, Horse Collar, 1 00

Joseph H. Caldwell, Ipswich, specimens of Leather 2 00

Mary A. Chadwick, Danvers, Chair Covering, 50
Sarah S. Bradstreet, Beverly, 3 years old, child's Shoes, 50

Mary P. Smith, Manchester, wrought needle work, 50

Mary E. Ham, Beverly, aged 5 years, Hose, 50

Lydia W. Proctor, Danvers, aged 13, Chair Bottom, 50
Mrs. Jonathan Berry, Middleton, strip Carpet and Hose, 50

Miss Hannah Farley, Salem, Lamp Mats, 50

3

00

2

00

3

00

2

00

3

00

4 00

2

00

2

00

2 00

102 ON DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

Mrs. P. Pilsbury, Andover. Hose, 50

Nancy T. Lovett, Beverly, Sampler, 50
Mrs. Sarah Kinsman, Ipswich, aged 63, very fine Yarn, 50

Mrs. Margaret Dodge, Salem, aged 71, Horse Net, 1 00

Daniel Ross, Ipswich, aged 88, Swift, 50

Lucy E. Treadwell, Ipswich. Travelling Bag, 50

Mrs. Emiice C. Cowles, Ipswich, do 50

Harvey Andrews, Ipswich, 2 Horse Shoes, 1 00

David Stiles, Jr., Middleton, Horse and Ox Shoes, 1 00

Wm. Smith, Ipswich, Horse Shoe, 25

Rebecca P. Jacobs, Danvers, Lamp Mats, 50

J. Herrick and Son, Gloucester, specimen, of Ink, I 00

Lucy B. Dodge, Wenham, aged 14, Sampler, 25

Mrs. Millett, Salem, Lamp Mats, <fcc. 50

Wm. W. Hibbard, Ipswich, Apple Paring Machine, 50

Mrs. Joseph Perkins, Newbury, 2 prs Mittens, 25

Miss Frye, Salem, Lamp Mat, 50

Maria J. Crosby, Georgetown, Wrought Collars, 50

Sam'l Treadwell, Ipswich, Mahogany Chairs, 1 00

Stephen Stan wood, Ipswich, Alum Leather, 1 00

Geo. L. Hovey, do Artificial Flowers, 25
Mrs. Johanna West, Haverhill, aged 81, specimen

Needle Work, 1 00
Martha Bray, Essex, aged 14, Needle Work, 1 00
Hannah A. Martin, Marblehead, 13, Cricket, &c., 1 00
Elizabeth F. Ronndy, Beverly, 14, Worsted Work, 50
Wm. S. Balch, Bradford, Girls' Boots, 50
Miss Lucy Smith, Ipswich, Lamp Mat, «fcc. 25
James F. Mann, Ipswich, Crickets, 1 00
Miss R. S. Ives, Salem, aged 15, Travelling Bag, 25
Miss Mary Ann Tennent, Newbnryport, Bag and Purses, 50
George F. Little, Newbury, Spool Stand, 50
Rebecca R. Coburn, Ipswich, Bed Curtain and Shoes, 50
Mrs. James Carr, West Newbury, Table Cover, 2 00
Hannah Whittredge, Beverly, Needle Work, 25
Mrs. Burbank, Methuen, Embroidery, 50
George D. Varney, Newbury, Surveying Instrument, 5 00
Mayo G. Swift, Newburyport, Mineral Teeth and Den-
tal Instrnments, 2 00

ON MEADOW AND SWAIMP LANDS. 103

Hannah A. Martin, Marblehead, aged 13, Table Cover, 2 00

Mrs. Payson, Rowley, Hose, 50

Mrs. H. Ross, Ipswich, aged 74, Lace, 50

Mrs. Elizabeth Lord, Ipswich, aged 84^, Lace, 50

Miss Lydia Ferson, Gloucester, Cap, Wrought Linen, 50
Nancy E. Richardson, Methuen, Lamp Mat and Chair

Bottom, 3 00

Frances E. Lord, Beverly, Lamp Mat, &c. 25

S. D. Cheever, Danvers, Lamp Mat, &c. 50

Lydia B. Oliver, Lynn, Rug, 1 00

Abigail Staniford, Ipswich, Rug, 1 00

Mrs. Elizabeth Wait, Gloucester, Rug, 50

Mrs. E. Reynolds, Beverly, Rug, I 00

Edith Woodbury, Beverly, Rug, 50

Sarah Lunt, Newbury, aged 67, Stair Carpet, I 00

Abigail Lunt, Newbury, Stair Carpet, 1 00

Sarah S. Giles, Beverly, Rug, 50

Mrs. David Baker, Ipswich, Bed Quilt, 2 00

Elizabeth Curtis, Danvers, aged 10, Q,uilt, 1 00

Mrs. Mehitable Rust, Hamilton, Quilt, 1 00

Mrs. John H. Ross, Ipswich, Quilt, 1 00

Sarah E. Hodges, Salem, Silk Patch-work, 1 00

Lydia N. Dole, West Newbury, Quilt, 50

Mrs. D. C. Houghton, Newburyport, Couterpane, 1 00

Mrs. Mary O. Smith, Danvers, Braided Rug, 50

Miss Hannah H. Phillips, Marblehead, 13 Lamp Mats, 25

Miss Nancy H. Torr, Danvers, Travelling Bag, 25

Elizabeth F. Roundy, Beverly, Bag and Shoes, 50

ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS.

JAMES MARSHS STATEMENT.

To tJve Committee on Meadow and Swamp Lands :

Gentlemkn, — The piece of reclaimed meadow, to which I
ask the attention of the Committee, contains about four acres.
A few years since it was considered worthless, not having been

104 ON MEADOW AND SWAMP LANDS.

manured for many years. A part was covered with bushes
and stunted maples. In the whiter of 1839, I cleared the
wood and bushes from the part now improved. The sprouts
have been kept down yearly. In August 1843, 1 hired an acre
dug over and laid level, (the stumps and hassocks thrown
back) for twenty dollars. Such of the small roots and hassocks
as became dry, I burned ; the others were carted off as soon
as the meadow became frozen. I then covered it with a loamy
gravel, one inch thick ; five days labor of two men and a boy
and two yoke of oxen. The work was done in the winter,
when there was two feet of snow on the ground ; too deep for
other labor. I then applied a light dressing of maure, and
sowed the grass seed, April 15th. The crop the first year was
cut about the last of August, and yielded about one and a
half tons. The present year the acre yielded three tons of
hay of prime quality. I regret the combination of circum-
stances that prevented the Committee's seeing the crop while
growing.

JAMES MARSH.
Danvers, Sept. 24th, 1845.

[ Note. The above mentioned premises were not visited by the Commit-
tee, owing to the absence from the State, of the Chairman, at the time speci-
fied by Mr. Marsh for the visit.]

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 105

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

The Committee on Experiments on Manures, Report :
That no claims for tlie premiums offered under this head,
have been made ; the terms of the offer being for " an exact
and satisfactory experiment in the appUcaiiofi as well as the
preparation of manures." The only communication received is
from Mr. David Wood, of Newbury, who, desirous of subserv-
ing the interests of agriculture, has favored the Committee
with a detailed statement of the materials used and the man-
ner in which he caused them to be mixed, in his compost heap.
Manure is the essential element in New England farming, and
the question, How can I obtain the greatest quantity at the
least expense 1 should interest every farmer. The cattle ordi-
narily kept on the farms in this vicinity, will not afford a suffi-
cient supply of this essential requisite of good crops. How
can this deficiency be supplied with the least outlay of money
and labor'? What materials are best adapted for compost,
and how shall they be compounded ? Mr. Wood's communi-
cation answers these questions by giving the manner in which
he prepared a large quantity of excellent compost. The sub-
ject of composting manure should be kept constantly before
the minds of farmers ; and regarding Mr. Wood's suggestions
as highly worthy of attention, we recommend that his letter
be published in the Society's Transactions.

For the Committee, J. H. DUNCAN.

December 15, 1845.

DAVID wood's statement.

To the Committee on Manures and Composts :

Gentlemen, — At the request of several practical agricultur-
ists, I am induced to call your attention to a compost of ma-
nure, prepared on my farm during the present year.

The heap is composed of materials as at foot, and placed in
layers of from six inches to a foot, according to the nature of
14

106 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

the materials. The heap has been saturated from time to time
with ten hogsheads of soap boiler's lye, and two hogsheads of
urine from my stable tank. The heap was commenced in Au-
gust, 1844, and increased from time to time as the materials re-
quired removing, or at " odd jobs," when there was no other
employment for my hands and team, and finished in Decem-
ber. It was, however, opened in January, (not having frozen
on top during the whole winter,) at the earnest entreaty of a
neighbor, whose horse had died and he wished the body interred.

The heap consists of, —
46 Loads of strong manure from the hog yard,
71 " salt meadow sods, from the banks of the Merrimack,
8 " loam, top soil where a road was formed,

5 " lime and hair from the tan pits,

6 " decayed chips from ship yard,
2 " anthracite coal ashes,

15 " potato vines,

2 " refuse sizing from steam factory,

2 Carcasses of horses, brought to the spot,

2 Hogsheads of urine from my stable tank,
10 " of soap boiler's lye. hauled from Newburyport.

The materials here used, with the exception of the manure
from my stable, and five loads of matter from the tan yard,
cost merely the labor of hauling. The heap was thrown over
last week, for the first time, and upon opening, with the ex-
ception of about eighteen inches on the sides in thickness,
which by reason of an uncommonly dry summer, were baked
hard, it was found in a perfect mass of decomposition, of about
the consistency of brick layers' mortar, emitting an odor so
powerful that I observed those occupied in throwing it over,
eager to keep to the windward.

Of the carcasses, nothing was to be seen but the bones ; the
potato vines had entirely rotted ; the meadow sods were hard-
ly to be distinguished from the stable manure ; and nothing
remained in the state in which it was placed there, save the
coal ashes, which I shall hereafter esteem, in a compost heap,
as of no more value than so much sand.

The sides of the heap were thrown into the centre, and the

ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES. 107

whole well mixed and thrown into a compact heap, there to
remain until next spring, when I intend to spread it on the
land, plough it in, and plant with potatoes and corn.

Here I have a pile of 150 loads of powerful manure, at an
expense of about fifty dollars, and of double the value to the
land of manure for which I have paid heretofore two dollars
per load, and hauled it from town.

I would earnestly recommend farmers to commence the com-
post heap rather than depend upon the towns for their supply
of manure. A salt or fresh meadow is accessible to almost ev-
ery farmer, and this alone, after lying exposed to the sun
awhile and dried, then saturated with lye from the soap boil-
ers', which any one can have about here /or the hauling^ makes
a strong manure. The lye furnishes just the necessary mate-
rials to convert the meadow sods into an active manure, viz :
potash. I consider a hogshead of lye of more value in a com-
post heap than two loads of stable manure.

Dr. Dana, in his Manual, says : " The value of spent lye has
been tested for a series of years, and has shown its good effects
on grass lands, for four or five years after its application."

Indeed so valuable is spent lye considered by Dr. Dana, as
a manure, that he gives a receipt in his Manual, whereby the
farmer may himself prepare it, should he live too remote from
the soap boiler. In many towns in New England the lye is
sold to the farmer as high as twenty-five cents per barrel ; and
one farmer writes me that he buys and hauls it eight miles to
mix in his compost heaps. Yet, notwithstanding its fertilizing
properties, thousands of hogsheads are allowed to flow in our
gutters to the river, the citizen turning up his nose as he passes
it, and the farmer crossing it with his team in pursuit of ma-
nure at two dollars per load, when he has meadows that need
ditching at home, and materials all about him for a compost
heap.

Louden, in his Encyclopedia of Agriculture, says, that the
carcass of one dead horse will convert twenty tons of loam into
a powerful manure ; and yet how many carcasses are thrown
into the Mcrriniac during the year, or suffered to remain in the
pasture, food for birds of prey and infecting the air for miles
around.

108 ON EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

There are few farms in the county, the crops of which may
not be doubled by the application of manure. Farmers all ad-
mit this ; but then, say they, we cannot afford to pay the price
that is demanded for manure.

Let them go to work in earnest and form their compost
heaps ; first cover a space sixteen by twenty feet with meadow
sods one foot high ; leave this to the action of the sun for a
month or two ; then saturate it with a hogshead or two of lye,
spread six inches of stable manure on the top of this, and
cover it with potato vines, chip manure, weeds, or meadow
mud, saturate this as before with lye, next a layer of stable
manure, and so on, till the heap is seven or eight feet high.
Let it remain a year, and upon opening it, at the end of that
period, my word for it the compost heap will not be neglected
the next year.

DAVID WOOD,

Woodland, near Newburyport, Sept. 23, 1845.

LIST OF
PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

AWARDED IN 1845.

« «

2d

do.

<< «

3d

do.

<< c<

1st

do.

« (C

2d

do.

« «

3d

do.

Milch Cows and Heifers.

Henry Creasy, Salem, 1st premium,

Warren Averill, Ipswich, 2d do -

William Williams, Rowley, 3d do.

Robert Kimball, Ipswich, gratuity, ...

BOTTER.

George W. Dodge, Wenham, June butter, 1st premium,

Benjamin T. Lane, Danvers,

Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton,

Warren Averill, Ipswich, Sept.

George W. Dodge, Wenham, "

Daniel Putnam, Danvers, "

Ploughing, Double Teams.
Aaron Kinsman, Ipswich, 1st premium,

Joseph Goodrich, W. Newbury, 2d do.
Benjamin Poore, W. Newbury, 3d do.
Allen W. Dodge, Hamilton, 4th do.
S. B. Swan, Danvers, gratuity, . . . -

Thomas Low, Ipswich, do. -

Ploughing, Single Teams.
Joseph C. Putnam, Danvers, 1st premium, - •

James Putnam, Danvers, 2d do.

Jonathan Berry, Jr., Middleton, 3d do.
Charles Forster, Andover, 4th do.

Ploughing, Horse Teams.
John Dore, Ipswich, 1st premium,

Seth Holden, Salem, 2d do.

Philip Storm, Marblehead, 3d do. -

Subsoil Ploughing.
Benjamin Poore, West Newbury, 1st premium, - . - - 10 00

*And Coleman's European Agriculture.
fWashington's Letters on Agriculture.

$10 00*

6 00

4 00

t

$10 00*

8 00

6 00

10 00*

8 00

6 00

10 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

t

t

8 00

6 00

4 00

2 00

8 00

6 00

4 00

10 00

7 00

5 00

7 00

5 00

C 00

4 00

4 00

2 00

110 PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES.

Working Oxen.
Jonathan Berry, Jr. Middleton, Ist premium, - . -

S. B. Swan, Danvers, 2d do. ....

Josiah Low, Essex, 3d do. ...

Steers — 3 years old.
David S. Caldwell, Newbury, 1st premium, ...

George Hodgdon, Ipswich, 2d do. . . . ,

Steers — 2 years old.
William Williams, Rowley, 1st premium, . - . -

Jedediah H. Barker, Andover, 2d do. ....

Steers — 1 year old.
Jedediah H. Barker, Andover, 1st premium, ...

Ammi Smith, Ipswich, 2d do. .....

Fat Cattle.
Philip R. Rogers, Byfield, 2d premium, - • . - • 8 00

Bulls.
John Dole, Rowley, 1st premium, ....

Jamei D. Herrick, Methuen, 2d do. -

Jesse Sheldon, Beverly, 3d do. ....

Nathaniel L. Ordway, Newbury, gratuity, ....

Swine.
William Williams, Rowley, boar, let premium, - . . •

Joseph Andrews, Essex, ** 2d do. . . -

D. S. Caldwell, Newbury, sow, 1st do. ....

Jacob Brown, Ipswich, *' 2d do. ....

William Williams, Rowley, pigs, 1st do. - - - -

D. S. Caldwell, Newbury, " 2d do. -

Management of Farms.
Christopher Howe, Methuen, 1st premium, ....

Daniel P. King, Danvers, 2d do. ....

Jonas Holt, Andover, gratuity ......

Reclaimed Meadow Land.
David Gray, Andover, 1st premium, - - . . • - 15 00*

Grain Crops.
Thomas McMahon, Ipswich, rye, 1st premium, ....

Root Crops.
Paul P. Pilsbury, Andover, ruta baga, 1st premium, ...

Nurseries of Fruit Trees.
Joshua H. Ordway, West Newbury, 1st premium, ....
Ephraim Woods, Salem, 2d do. .

Live Fences.
George Cogswell, Bradford, 1st premium, - - - - - 20 00

*And Coleman's European Agriculture.
tWashiagton's Letters on Agriculture.

8 00

6 00

4 00

t

5 00

2 00

5 00

3 00

6 00

3 00

25 00

20 00

8 00

8 00

6 00

10 00*

10 GO

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

111

Fruits and Flowers.

Andrew Dodge, gratuity

J. S. Cabot,

do

James Peabody,

do

Ebenezer Rowe,

do

Jolin M. Itcs,

do

Moody Ordway,

do

Ezra Dodge,

do

A. J. Dodge,

do

Jos. L. Ober,

do

Amos French,

do

Abraham Lord,

do

F. H. Wade,

do

Jonathan Berry, jr.,

do

Joseph Farley,

do

John Tuttle,

do

Mrs M. C. Baker,

do

Thomas Pierce,

do

Josiah Caldwell,

do

Alfred Kimball,

do

Daiid Lord,

do

George P. Wilkins,

do

William R. Putnam

, do

Charles W. Lord,

do

William lve3.

do

Jefferson Perry,

do

Israel Trask,

do

Joshua Buxton,

do

Benjamin Edwards,

do

Rebecca S. Ives,

do

A. Hammatt,

do

Eben Lord,

do

Joseph Horton,

do

James Manning,

do

Samuel Kinsman,

do

Oliver Bailey,

do

Alfred Kimball,

do

Wm. F. Wade,

do

F. H. Wade,

do

William Hall,

do

Mrs Richard Tenney, do
Alfred Kimball, do

Samuel Caldwell, do
Hannah Baker, do

Sarah Kent, do

Hannah Peabody, do

Mrs John A. Kimball, do
A. Hammalt, do

Mrs Morse, do

-

1 00

1 00

*

1 00

1 00

1 00

75

75

75

75

75

60

. 50

50

50

50

60

50

50

50

50

50

.

50

50

.

50

50

.

- 50

50

.

- 50

25

.

- 25

25

.

- 25

25

.

- 25

.

25

.

- 25

.

25

.

1 OO

.

1 00

.

1 00

.

50

.

- 50

.

50

.

. 60

-

60

-

- 50

-

50

.

- 50

112

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

Mrs George Spofford,do
Andrew Dodge, do

Daniel Lord, do

Miss Lord, do

Mrs Cleaves, do

Abel Burnham, Essex, gratuity,
Luther Wait, Ipswich, do

Joseph Farley, jr., Ipswich, do
Isaac Babson, Beverly, do

Ezra Dodge, Wenham, do

Wm. R. Putnam, Danvers, do
Perley King, Danvers, do

Thomas McMahon, IpsvTich, do
Liverraore Dodge, Wenham, do
Thomas Pierce, Ipswich, do
Francis H. Wade, Ipswich, do
Wm. R. Morrison, Ipswich, do
Jesse Shelden, Beverly, do

M. H. Lord, Ipswich, do

Parker Barney, Dorchester, do
Andrew Dodge, Wenham, do
Adam Nesmith, Beverly, do
Ephraim Annable, do

Thomas Haskell, Gloucester, do
John Hammond, Beverly, do
John Choate, Essex, do

John M. Itcs, Salem, do

Ebenezer Lord, Ipswich, do

Vegetables

Carpeting

Mrs. John Pearson, Newbury, 1st premium,
Mrs, Jona. Berry, jr., Middleton, 2d do
Mrs. Sarah G. Cook, Newbnryport, (stair) 1st premJBm,
Sarah Lunt, Newbury, gratuity,

Abigail Lunt, Newbury, do ...

Rugs.

Mrs. Eliza Rowe, Rockport, 1st premium,

Mrs. Elizabeth R. Foster, Beverly, 2d do.
Lydia B. Oliver, Lynn, gratuity,

Abigail Staniford, Ipswich, do - ♦

Mrs. Elizabeth Wait, Gloucester, do • -

Mrs. E. Reynolds, Beverly, do - -

Edith Woodbury, Beverly, do - -

Sarah S. Giles, Beverly, do • -

Mrs. Mary O. Smith, Danvers, do - -

Hose.
Miss R. M. Jacobs, Danvers, 1st premium,
Mrs. A. H. Wildes, Ipswich, 2d do

50

- 50

50

- 50

50

- $1 25

1 00

1 00

1 00

50

. 25

25

. 25

25

- 25

25

. 25

25

- 25

25

. 50

25

. 25

25

. 50

25

. 25

25

$5 00

3 00

3 00

- 1 00

1 00

$3 00

- 2 00

1 eo

1 00

50

1 00

50

50

50

- $2 00

1 00

PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

113

Miss C. Flint, Salem,
J. & S. Putfield, Ipswich.
Mrs. Brown, Rowley,
Mrs. P. Pilsbury, Andover,
Mrs. Payson, Rowley,

2d premium
gratuity,
do
do
do

Wrought Quilts.
1st premium.

Mrs. John Tuttle, Hamilton,

Mrs. Abraham Hammatt, Ipswich, 2d do

Mrs. David Baker, Ipswich, gratuity,

Mrs. Mehitable Rust, Hamilton, do - -

Mrs. John H. Ross, Ipswich, do

Lydia N. Dole, West Newbury, do - -

Mrs. D. C. Houghton, Newburyport, do

Wrought Lace.
Louisa A. Chapman, Danvers, 1st premium,
Elizabeth Caldwell, Ipswich, 2d do
Mrs. Hannah Ross, Ipswich, gratuity,
Mrs. Elizabeth Lord, Ipswich, do - -

Wrought Work by Chili
Nathan Lakeman, Danvers, 1st premium,
Sylvester Brown, Ipswich, 2d do
Mary E. Ham, Beverly, gratuity,

Lydia W. Proctor, Danvers, do - -

Nancy T. Lovett, Beverly, do • -

Rebecca P. Jacobs, Danvers, do - -

Lucy B. Dodge, Wenham, do - .

Martha Bray, Essex, do - -

Hannah A. Martin, Marblehead, do - -

Annis Ives, Salem, do • -

George F. Little, Newbury, do - -

Nancy E. Richardson, Melhuen, do -
S. D. Cheever, Danvers, do - •

Elizabeth Curtis, Danvers, do -

Elizabeth F. Roundy, Beverly, do - -

Hannah H. Phillips, Marblehead, do -

Boots and Shoes.
Amos Gould, Wenham, 1st premium,

George Dawson, Ipswich, 1st do.

George McCombe, Georgetown, 2d do.
William S. Horner, Georgetown, 1st do.
John H. Varrell, Ipswich, 1st do.

William S. Balch, Bradford, gratuity.

Miscellaneous Articli
George D. Varney, Newbury, gratuity,

Mayo G. Smith, Newburyport, do.

Mrs Joim Tuttle, Hamilton, do. - •

Caroline R. Sawyer, Danvers, do.

Hannah Jacobs, Danvers, do.

15

- 1 00

500

1 00

50

50

^4 00

2 00

- 2 00

1 00

. 1 00

50

1 00

$3 00

2 00

50

50

- $3 00

2 00

50

50

50

50

25

1 00

300

25

25

• 3 00

50

- 1 00

1 00

25

3 00

- 4 00

2 00

- 2 00

2 00

50

- 5 00

2 00

- 2 00

8 00

- 3 00

114

TREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES

Mrs. Jacob Lowe, Ipswich,
Isaac Bartlet, jr., Newbiiiyport,
James M. ftlartin, Salem,
Joseph H. Caldwell, Ipswich,
Mary A. Chadwick, Danvers,
Sarah S. Bradstreet, Beverly,
Mary P. Smith, Manchester,
Mrs. J. Berry, Middletoii,
Mrs. Hannah Farley, Salem,
Mrs. Sarah Kinsman, Ipswich,
Mrs. Margaret Dodge, Salem,
Daniel Ross, Ipswich,
Lucy E. Treaduell, Ipswich,
Mrs. Eunice C. Cowles, Ipswich,
Harvey Andrews, Ipswich,
David Stiles, jr., Middleton,
William Smith, Ipswich,
T. Herrick & Sons, Gloucester,
Mrs. Millet, Salem,
Wm. W. Hilibard, Ipswich,
Mrs. Joseph Perkins, Newbury,
Mrs. Frye, Salem,
Maria J. Crosby, Georgetown,
Samuel Treadwell, Ipswich,
Stephen Stanwood, Ipswich,
George L. Hovey, Ipswich,
Mrs. Johanna West, Haverhill,
Miss Lucy Smith, Ipswich,
James F. Mann, Ipswich,
Mary Ann Tennent, Newburyport
Rebecca R. Coburn, Ipswich,
Mrs. James Carr, West Newbury,
Hannah Whittredge, Beverly,
Mrs. Burbank, Methuen,
Mrs. Lydia Ferson, Gloucester,
Frances E. Lord, Beverly,
Sa'-ah E. Hodges, Salem,
Nancy H. Terr, Danvers,

Hamilton, Dec. 15, 1845.

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?

PREMIUMS OFFERED

BY THE

ESSEX AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY,

FOR

1846.

1 MANAGEMENT OF FARMS.

For the most extensive, valuable and economical improve-
ments in the cultivation and management of an entire farm,
with all its appendages, within the last Jive yea?' s,

1st premium . _ - _ twenty-five dollars.

2d premium _ . - - twenty dollars.

3d premium . . - - ten dollars.

23^ The Trustees have varied their statement of premiums
offered for entire farms, in the hope of increasing the number
of competitors. They have also determined to admit as com-
petitors, all farms within the county, whether large or small,
for which the Jirst premium has not been awarded within sev-
en years. A detailed statement of the management and pro-
duce will be expected by the 15th of November.

Notice of intention to claim these premiums must be given to
the Secretary on or before the 20th of June.

The Committee will visit such farms as may be entered, in
July and September.

2. DAIRY.
1. For the best produce of butter on any farm within the
County of Essex, from the 1st of June to the 9th of July, in-
clusive, in the present year, a sample, not less than twenty-

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 117

five pounds, to be exhibited, with a particular statement of the
number of cows, quantity of butter, method of making and
preserving it, (fcc, &c.

1st premium ----- ten dollars.

2d premium ----- eight dollars.

3d premium ----- six dollars.

4th premium - - Coleman's European Agriculture.

2. For the best produce of butter on any farm within the
County of Essex, in the four months next following the 20th
of May, the present year, a sample of not less than twenty-five
pounds to be exhibited — quantity as well as quality to be taken
into view ; with a full account of the manner of feeding the
cows, and the general management of the milk and butter,

1st premium ----- ten dollars.

2d premium ----- eight dollars.

3d premium ----- six dollars.

4th premium - - Coleman's European Agriculture.

Note. It will be observed that these premiums are offered
for the best jjroduce on the farms, and not simply for the best
specimen exhibited. Claimants will therefore be required to
be particular in keeping an account, and preparing a statement
of the entire produce, within the times mentioned.

3. TURNING IN CROPS AS A MANURE.

For the most satisfactory experiment of turning in crops as a
manure, either green or dry, on not less than one acre of land,
a detailed account of the whole process to be given in writing,

1st premium ten dollars.

2d premium ----- five dollars.

4. FOREST TREES.

1. For the best plantation of either of the following species
of forest trees, viz : — white oak, yellow oak, locust, birch,
white ash, maple or walnut, not less than three years old, and
not less than one thousand trees, twenty dollars.

2. For the best do. do. do. not less than six hundred
trees, - - _ - _ ten dollars.

Note. For an explanation of these premiums, see remarks
in former years.

118 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

5. IRRIGATION.

For the most satisfactory experiment for increasing the
crops, upon not less than one acre of land, by irrigation, with
a detailed account of the manner, expense, and beiiefits pro-
duced, _ _ - - - twelve dollars.

For the second best _ _ _ ten dollars.

6. IMPROVING WET MEADOW OR SWAMP LANDS.

For the best conducted experiment in reclaiming wet mead-
ow or swamp lands, on not less than one acre, the course of
management and the produce, &c., for a period of two years,
at least, to be detailed, with a statement of all incidental ex-
pense, - - _ - - fifteen dollars.

For the second best _ . _ ten dollars.

For the third best - Coleman's European Agriculture.

7. PLOUGHING.

1. Double Teams. For the best performance in ploughing,
at least one sixth of an acre, seven inches deep, ten dollars.

For the second best _ _ _ eight dollars.

For the third best - - - - six dollars.

For the fourth best _ _ _ four dollars.

2. Single Teams. For the best performance in ploughing,
at least one eighth of an acre, sia; inches deep, eight dollars.

For the second best - _ _ six dollars.

For the third best - _ _ - four dollars.

For the fourth best _ _ . two dollars.

3. Horse Teams. For the best performance in ploughing,
with horses - - _ _ _ eight dollars.

For the second best - _ - six dollars.

For the third best - . _ _ four dollars

4. SuB-soiL Ploughing. For the best performance in Sub-
soil ploughing, _ _ _ _ ten dollars.

For the second best Coleman's European Agriculture.

Note. A team consisting of a horse and one pair of oxen
will be considered a double team. No team or plough which
has taken a premium of this Society will be entitled to another,
excej^t of a higher grade. The competitors for these premi-

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 119

urns, must be the owners of the team, and the same must be
entered in the name of the owner. Those who intend to be
competitors, must give notice to the Secretary, or his agent, on
or before the Monday next previous to the Exhibition. Teams
that come more than ten miles, will be fed the night previous
to the exhibition, at the expense of the Society.

8. EXPERIMENTS IN SUB-SOIL PLOUGHING.

For the most satisfactory experiment on not less than one
acre of land, of the efFectof sub-soil ploughing, to be determined
by the difference of the value of the crops raised on equal
portions of equally manured land of equal quality, one half of
which, having been sub-soil ploughed, the other half ploughed
in the usual manner. Statements of the depth of ploughing in
each instance, together with all the particulars of culture,
required.

First premium, - - - _ ten dollars.

Second premium, . _ _ eight dollars.

9. IMPROVEMENT OF AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

To the person who shall exhibit at the show any new or
improved agricultural implement, the invention being his own,
which shall, in the opinion of the trustees, merit a reward, a
premium shall be given, not exceeding ten dollars.

In all cases, proof must be given of the work done by the
implement before it is exhibited, and of its having been used
and approved by some practical farmer.

10. COMPARATIVE VALUE OF CROPS, AS FOOD FOR

CATTLE.

1. For the most satisfactory experiment upon a stock of cat-
tle, not less than four in number, in ascertaining the relative
value of the different kinds of fodder used, with a statement in
detail of the quantity and value of the same, as compared with
English hay, the experiment to be made in the three winter
months,

1st premium - - - fifteen dollars.

2d premium . . - ten dollars.

120 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

2. For the most satisfactory experiment, proving the compar-
ative value of the crop of cultivated grasses, cut at different
periods of their growth, whether they be worth more or less
for feeding or fattening cattle, cut in the blossom, or when the
seed is fully formed, or when fully ripe, taking into view the
effect of cutting these grasses at the different periods above
mentioned, on the land itself and on subsequent crops,

fifteen dollars.

These premiums are offered, to be paid whenever a meritori-
ous claim is presented ; and will be continued until awarded.

11. EXPERIMENTS ON MANURES.

1. For an exact and satisfactory experiment in the prepar-
ation and application of manures, either animal, vegetable or
mineral,

1st premium - . - - fifteen dollars.

2d premium - - - ten dollars.

3d premium - - Coleman's European Agriculture.

12. CULTIVATION OF WHEAT, RYE, OATS, BARLEY,
INDIAN CORN, &c.

1. For the best conducted experiment of Wheal, not less
than twenty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre,
eight dollars.

2. For the best conducted experiment of Rye, not less than
thirty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre of land,
eight dollars.

3. For the best conducted experiment of Oats, not less than
fifty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre of land, eight
dollars.

4. For the best conducted experiment of Barley, not less
than forty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre of
land, eight dollars.

5. For the best conducted experiment of Indian Corn, not
less than eighty bushels to the acre, on not less than one acre
of land, eight dollars.

6. For the best conducted experiment in raising a mixed
crop of Corn and Potatoes, or mixed grain, and not less in

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 121

value than eighty bushels of corn, on not less than one acre
of land, eight dollars.

7. For the best conducted experiment of White Bea?is,
on not less than one half acre of land, eight dollars.

13. FATTENING CATTLE AND SWINE.

For the most satisfactory experiment in feeding cattle or
swine, with a statement in detail, of the process and the result,
1st premium - _ - > ten dollars.

2d premium _ _ - five dollars.

14. ROOT CULTURE.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Sugar Beets,
six dollars.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Carrots, six
dollars.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Ruta Baga, six
dollars.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Mangel Wurt-
zel, six dollars.

For the best conducted experiment in raising Onions, six
dollars.

Raised on not less than one half acre of land, and the quan-
tity of the crops to be ascertained by weight.

tC^ Claimants for all the above premiums, will be required
to give a statement of the previous condition of the land, the
comparative value of the land, the value of labor and manure
applied, the produce, the manner of preparing the ground, the
seed used, the harvesting, &c., including all the details in rela-
tion to the crops ; the same to be forwarded to the Secretary,
previous to the 15th of November.

15. ANIMALS

TO BE PRODUCED AT THE EXHIBITION, ON THURSDAY, OCTO-
BER 1st, 1846.

TO BE ENTERED IN THE NAME OF THEIR PROPER OWNERS — WHO MUST HAVE HAD
THEM SIX MONTHS BEFORE EXHIBITION.

For the best ox, fatted within the County, regard being had
to the manner of feeding and the expense thereof, ten dollars.
16

122 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

For the second best, . . - eight dollars.

For the third best, . . - five dollars.

For the best bull, not less than one year old, on satisfactory
assurance being given that he shall be kept for use in the Coun-
ty, at least nine months from the day of exhibition, eight dollars.

For the second best, - - - six dollars.

For the third best, _ _ - four dollars.

For the best milch cow, not less than three, nor more than
ten years old, with satisfactory evidence as to the qiiantity and
quality of her milk and the manner in which she has been
fed, ten dollars.

For the second best, - - . seven dollars.

For the third best, - - - five dollars.

For the fourth best, Coleman's European Agriculture.

For the best heifer that has been in milk three months or
more, with satisfactory evidence as to the quantity and quality
of her milk, _ . _ . seven dollars.

For the second best, - - five dollars.

For the best pair of working oxen, not over seven years old,
taking into view their size, power, and training, ten dollars.

For the second best, . - - seven dollars.

For the third best, - - - five dollars.

For the best pair of three year old steers, do. seven dollars.

For the second best, . _ _ five dollars.

For the best pair two year old steers, six dollars.

For the second best, _ _ . four dollars.

For the best pair of yearling steers, do. four dollars.

For the second best, . _ . two dollars.

For the best boar, - - . five dollars.

For the second best, _ . . two dollars.

For the best breeding sow, . - five dollars.

For the second best, - . - three dollars.

For the best litter of weaned pigs, not less than four^ from
two to six months old, - - - six dollars.

For the second best, - - - three dollars.

Note. In testing the power of working cattle, four years
old, or more, the load is not to exceed two to7is ; under four
years old, it is to be one ton.

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 123

16. FRUIT TREES.

For the best nursery of fruit trees, not less than five hundred
in number, raised from the seed, and one or more years old from
the bud or graft,

1st premium, - - - - ten dollars.

2d premium, _ _ . _ eight dollars.

3d premium, - Washington's Letters on Agriculture.

For the best apple orchard, not less than seventy-five trees,
which shall have been planted or set out since the year 1845,
and shall be in the best thriving state in 1849,

1st premium, _ _ - - ten dollars.

2d premium, _ - - eight dollars.

3d premium, . . - - four dollars.

For the best engrafted or budded pear trees, not less than
twenty-five trees, set out since the year 1845, and in the best
thriving state in the autumn of 1849,

1st premium, _ . - - ten dollars.

2d premium, - - - five dollars.

For the best peach orchard, not less than fifty trees, set out
since the year 1845, and which shall be in the best thriving
state in the autum of 1847,

1st premium, - - . . ten dollars.

2d premium, - > _ _ five dollars.

17. CRANBERRIES.

For the best experiment on the cultivation of the cranberry,
on not less than half an acre of land, the quantity, quality and
expense of culture being taken into consideration, to be paid in

1847 and 1848, fifteen dollars.

18. DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

For the best piece of carpeting, a yard wide, and not less than

twenty yards to be exhibited, - - five dollars.

For the second best do. - _ _ three dollars.

For the best piece of stair carpeting, not less than twenty yards

to be exhibited, _ _ - . three dollars.

For the best straw or grass bonnet, - - five dollars.

For the second best do. - - - three dollars.

124 PREMIUMS OFFERED.

For the best wrought hearth rug, having regard both to the qual-
ity of the work and expense of the material, three dollars.

For the second best do. - _ _ two dollars.

For the best piece of woolen cloth, 7-8ths of a yard wide, and
twenty yards in quantity, - _ - five dollars.

For the second best do. _ _ - three dollars.

For the best piece of flannel, a yard wide, and twenty yards in
quantity, - . _ _ _ four dollars.

For the second best do. > _ _ two dollars.

For the best wrought woolen hose, not less than four pair,

two dollars.
For the second best do. « - - one dollar.

For men's best half hose, not less than four pair, one dollar.
For the best silk hose, not less than three pair, two dollars.
For the best piece of linen cloth, not less than twenty yards,

four dollars.
For the second best do, - - - two dollars.

For the best piece of linen diaper, not less than twenty yards,

three dollars.
For the second best do. - - - two dollars.

For the best wrought counterpane, having regard to the quality
and expense of the materials, - - - four dollars.

For the second best do, . . _ two dollars.

For the best specimen of wrought lace, three dollars.

For the second best do. _ _ _ two dollars.

For the best specimen of work performed by a child under twelve
years of age, exhibiting industry and ingenuity, three dollars.

For the second best do, - - - two dollars.

For the best pair of thick boots, - - three dollars.

For the second best do. _ . - two dollars.

For the best pair of calfskin thin boots, - four dollars.

For the second best do, _ _ - two dollars.

For the best pair of thick brogan shoes, two dollars.

For the best pair of calf-skin shoes, - - two dollars.

For the best specimen of shell combs, not less than one dozen,

five dollars.
For the best specimen of horn combs, not less than one dozen,

three dollars.
And should other articles of domestic manufacture be exhibited,
worthy of attention, a proper notice will be taken of them, and suit-

PREMIUMS OFFERED. 125

able gratuities awarded. The whole amount not to exceed one hun-
dred dollars. But no premium or gratuity will he awarded for an^ ar-
ticle manufactured previously to the last Exhibition of the Society.

19. FRUITS AND FLOWERS.
Convenient rooms will be provided for the exhibition of fruits and
flowers, and committees will be appointed to examine and report on
such as may be presented. Whoever may present, is requested to
furnish a minute in writing, of the name of the owner, and descrip-
tion of the article presented. The committees will be instructed to
recommend such gratuities as the articles may seem to merit, not
exceeding in amount the sum of thirty dollars by the committee on
fruit; and seven copies of Washington's Letters on Agriculture,
by the committee on flowers.

GENERAL REMARKS.

All claims for premiums, to be awarded on the day of exhibition,
must be entered with the Secretary of the Society, or his agent, on
or before 9 o'clock, A. M. of that day.

All other claims for premiums, must be handed or forwarded to
the Secretary, in writing.

All premiums awarded, the payment of which is not demanded of
the Treasurer within 07ie year from the day of the exhibition, will be
considered as given to increase the funds of the Society.

No animal or object for which a premium has heretofore been
awarded by the Society, will be entitled to another premium, unless
it be of a higher order, or for qualities different from those for which
the former premiums were awarded.

No person will be entitled to receive a premium, unless he com-
plies with the conditions on which the premiums are offered; and
gives notice as required, of his intention to claim the same.

No gratuities will be awarded except for Domestic Manufactures,
and for Fruits and Flowers.

In regard to all subjects for which premiums are offered, it is to
be distinctly understood, that the Trustees reserve to themselves the
right of judging of the quality of the animal or article offered; and
that no premiums will be awarded, unless the objects of them are of
a decidedly superior quality. By order of the Trustees,

ALLEN W. DODGE, Secretary.
January, 1846.

OFFICERS OF THE SOCIETY,

CHOSEN SEPTEMBER 24, 1845.

JOHN W. PROCTOR, of Danvers, President.
DANIEL ADAMS, Jr., of Newbury, T

SOLOMON LOW, " Boxford, I yi,, p^.^idents

ASA T. NEWHALL, " Lynr.field, Y ^^'-^ i^^^siaents.

ROYAL A. MERRIAM, » Topsfield, J

WILLIAM SUTTON, of Salem, Treasurer.
ALLEN W. DODGE, of Hamilton, Secretary.

TRUSTEES

Jedediah H. Barker,
Andrew Nichols,
Jeremiah Colman,
George Hood,
Moses French,
Andrew Dodge,
James H. Duncan,
Nathaniel Felton,
Nathan W. Hazen,
Joseph How,
Frederick Howes,
John M. Ives,
Josiah Kimball,

Andover.

Danvers.

Newburyport.

Lynn.

E. Salisbury.

Wenhani.

Haverhill.

Danvers.

Andover.

Methuen.

Salem.

Salem.

Boxford,

Joseph Kittredgc,
Wm. N. Cleaveland,
Moses Newell,
Dean Robinson,
Asa Nelson,
Jacob Brown,
Hobart Clark,
Horace Ware,
Daniel P. King,
Josiah Newhall,
John Marland,
John Northend,

Andover.
Topsfield.
W. Newbury.

Georgetown.

Ipswich.

Andover.

Marblehead.

Danvers.

Lynnfield.

Andover.

Newbury .

MEMBERS ADMITTED IN 1845.

Jonathan Merrill,
John D. Cross,
William F. Wade, Jr.
Alfred xM. Farley,
Abraham Hammatt,
James Manning,
George Cogswell,

Methuen.
Ipswich.

Bradford.

Daniel Pillsbury,
Wingate Merrill,
George Creclman,
Daniel T. Colman,
J. H. Coggeshall,
John Alley, 3d,

W. Newbury.

Danvers.
(>

Newbury.
Lynn.

W^ Any citizen of the County may become a member of the Society by pay-
ing to the Treasurer three dollars. Members are not liable to any assessment.

iFW*

INDEX.

Mr. Stone's Address, ....

Advantages of agricultural societies,
Agricultural capabilities of Essex County,
Agricultural education, ....

Abuses of physical nature, — causes and remedy.
Act of legislature in relation to agricultural societies,
Connexion between agriculture and mechanic arts.
Cultivating fruits and flowers, ...

Choice of profession, - . « .

Equality of farmers in Essex County,
Education of females, ....
Fruits for garden culture, ...

Farmers' meetings, ....

Farming a safe business, ....
Farming congenial to self-culture.
Importance of agriculture, ...

Importance of improving native breed of cattle,
Intemperance, slavery and war, adverse to agriculture.
Large farms not necessary to success.
Manures, including guano and electricity,
Orators before the society, ....
Officers of the society, ....
Patent Office, . . . . -

Pasturage, .....

Potato disease, . . . -

Planting forest trees, ....
Rights of intellectual nature,
Statistics of agriculture.
Superiority of hides of native cattle,
Seeding cornfields, ...

t'oiling milch cows, ...

Selecting seed corn, ...

Story of Ulysses, ....
Social and moral influences of agriculture.
Schools, improvement of, -
Saltonstall, Hon. L. notice of.
Transactions first published by Essex Society,
Winter Dairy, ...

Want of the times, ...

Mr. King's Eulogt of Hon. L. Saltonstall,

Report on Ploughing with Double Teams,

Report CD " " Single Teams,

Report on " " Horse Teams, -

PAGE. )

3

6
18
26
33 to 35

8

7'

15 to 18
21
21
28

1?
18
22
33

5
13

35 to 40
21

10 to 13

4

4 to 5

6
14
19
20
31

8 to 10
13
14^
15

19 to 20
20
23
27
41 to 44

7
15
24
45
49
60
62

1 N D B X

Report on Working Oxen, • ^ >

Report on Steers, ...

Report on Bulls,

Report on Fat Cattle, ...

Statement of Tristram Brown,
" of William Williams,
Report on Cows and Heifers,

Statement of Henry Creasy,
" of Warren Averill,

of William Williams, -
Report on the Dairy. ...
Statement of George Dodge, .■->
" of Benjamin T. Lane,

ofAllen W.Dodge,
" of Warren Averill,
" Daniel Putnam,
Report on Swine, ...

Report on Improved Agricultural Implements,
Report on Meadow and Swamp Land,
Statement of David Gray,
" of James Marsb,
Report on Grain Crops,

Statement of Ingalls Kittredge, -
" of Aldred Newton,
" of Thomas McMahon,
Report on Farms, ...

^ Statement of Christopher How,
ofDanielF. King,
" of Jonas Holt,
Report on Root Crops, ...

Statement of Paul P. Pilsbury, -
Report on Fruit Trees, . . .

Statement of Joshua H. Ordway,
" Ephraim Woods,
Report on Live Fences - - .

\ Statement of George Cogswell, -
Report on Fruit and Flowers,
Report on Vegetables, ...

Statement of Edwin M. Stone,
Report on Sub Soil Ploughing,
Report on Domestic Manufactures,
Report on Experiments on Manures,
Statement of David Wood, -
List of Premiums and Gratuities, 1845,
Treasurer's Statement, . - -

Premiums offered for 1846,
Officers of the Society, . . .

64

57

58

68

59

60

60

61

. . . 62
. 63

63

65

65

66

67

69

69

70

71

72

103

74

75

76

77

77

81

82

SQ

87

87

88

90

92

92

93

94

96

9S

99

100

105

105

109

115

116

126