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Transactions 


AG-RICULTUEAL  SOCIETIES 


Unit  tti  '^^KSBiu^wstiis, 


18  6  1. 


COLLATED  FROM  THK  ORIGINAL  RETURNS 

BY     AM AS A    WALKER 

SECEETAET   OF  THE   COlIMON'WEALTn. 


BOSTON: 

BUTTON  &.  WENTWORTH,  STATE  PRINTERS, 

NO.  37,  CONGRESS  STREET. 

1852. 


ABTEETISEMEVI 


-  ic 


Te~ 


HL  avi   ^ar  ^^"ly 


vi  ADVERTISEMENT. 

Board  has  commenced  operations.  Should  that  be  the 
case,  it  will  form  a  new  era  in  the  history  of  our  agri- 
culture. 

In  examining  the  reports  of  the  several  societies  for 
the  last  year,  (in  which  we  have  been  assisted,  as  here- 
tofore, by  Hon.  A.  W.  Dodge,  of  Essex  County,)  we  ob- 
serve a  great  difference.  Some  make  full  and  instructive 
returns  of  their  doings ;  not  merely  the  award  of  the 
premiums,  but  the  statements  of  competitors  as  to  the 
animals,  crops,  or  other  products  for  which  the  premiums 
are  awarded.  These  reports  of  their  committees  give 
also  the  grounds  or  reasons  of  the  awards,  and  a  com- 
parative estimate  of  the  merits  of  the  competitors.  Now 
it  is  clear,  that  from  these  reports  and  statements,  the 
agricultural  community  derive  no  inconsiderable  benefit ; 
and  that  from  them  are  to  be  drawn  such  general  princi- 
ples and  deductions  as  will  aid  the  progress  of  agri- 
culture. It  is  only  by  thus  recording  and  publishing 
facts  and  experiments,  that  they  become  available  to  all. 
The  advantages  of  such  a  practice  would  seem  to  be  so 
obvious,  and  the  obligation  to  observe  it  so  imperative  on 
the  societies  receiving  the  State  bounty,  that  it  is  a  mat- 
ter of  regret  that  any  society  should  fail  to  adopt  it. 
There  are  some  of  the  societies,*  however,  the  Berkshire 
and  Housatonic,  for  example,  that  are  among  the  most 
flourishing  in  the  State,  that  award  premiums  to  a  large 
amount,  and  apparently  require  statements  of  competi- 

•  The  Worcester  (West)  Society  lias  made  no  returns,  either  of  reports  or 
atatcmentfl,  but  as  this  is  the  first  year  of  ita  existence  it  is  not  so  censurable. 


i 


ADVERTISEMENT.  vii 

tors,  yet  return  no  statements  whatever,  or  only  a  few, 
in  regard  to  the  several  objects  which  have  gained  these 
premiums.  We  read  the  list  of  successful  competitors 
for  their  grain  crops,  their  cows  and  fat  cattle,  their  but- 
ter and  cheese, — with  the  sums  awarded  to  them  respec- 
tively,— but  beyond  this,  a  matter  comparatively  unim- 
portant to  the  public,  all  is  blank ;  not  a  word  comes 
to  us,  how  the  crop  or  animal  was  raised,  what  was 
the  cost,  and  what  the  profit  or  loss;  how  the  dairy 
products  are  managed,  and  what  the  amount  produced. 
Of  all  this,  and  much  more  we  would  like  to  know,  we 
learn  nothing.  If  the  abstract  is  good  for  anything,  it  is 
that  it  gives  useful  and  desirable  information.  Many  of 
the  societies  furnish  this  information.  Why  should  not 
ain  Why  should  there  not  be  as  much  ambition  to 
excel  here,  as  in  getting  up  a  good  show  ?  It  needs  only 
proper  effort  on  the  part  of  the  officers  of  the  societies,  to 
make  the  furnishing  of  these  statements  an  indispensable 
condition  of  competing  for  their  premiums,  and  to  ap- 
point only  such  men  on  committees  as  will  make  full 
and  detailed  reports,  and  they  will  be  forthcoming.  Let 
these  reports  and  statements  be  returned,  with  the  other 
doings  of  the  societies,  and  there  will  be  the  proper  ma- 
terials from  which  to  compile  the  abstract.  But  we 
could  go  even  further  than  this ;  such  returns  should  be 
made  compulsory,  under  penalty  of  a  forfeiture  of  the 
annual  gratuity  given  by  the  Commonwealth.  If  a  Board 
of  Agriculture  is  established,  it  should  be  one  of  its  first 
duties  to  prepare  tables  of  the  average  cost  of  production, 
of  premium  crops,  animals,  &c.,  Szc. ;  a  sample  of  tables 


viii  ADVERTISEMENT. 

of  this  sort,  prepared  for  the  Hampden  Society,  may  be 
found  in  the  abstract  of  its  proceedings.  This  subject  is 
one  of  great  practical  importance,  the  measure  is  perfect- 
ly feasible,  and  ought  not  to  be  longer  neglected.  The 
abstract  of  this  year  shows  that  the  cultivation  of  grain 
crops,  especially  rye,  have  been  quite  successful ;  and 
that  wheat  is  rapidly  extending  all  over  the  State.  There 
is  more  attention  given  to  stock  than  heretofore,  jDarticu- 
larly  to  the  breeding  of  horses ;  in  a  majority  of  the  ex- 
hibitions of  the  different  societies,  the  show  of  horses  and 
colts  far  exceeded  that  of  former  years. 

In  conclusion  we  may  remark,  that  no  year  has  opened 
with  more  auspicious  prospects  to  the  interests  of  agri- 
culture than  the  present,  and  w^e  may  confidently  expect 
that  its  close  will  afi'ord  gratifying  evidence  of  progress 
and  improvement. 


CONTENTS. 


Advertisement,      --_-_-_    Page  v 
Returns  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  Promoting  Ag- 


RICULTURE,                 ------- 

1 

Report 

on  Imported  Cattle,        -            -            -            -            - 

1 

Returns  of  the  Essex  Agricultural  Society, 

8 

Report 

on  Milch  Cows,               -            -            _            .            - 

10 

Statements  respecting  particular  Milch  Cows, 

10 

<( 

"  Bulls, 

11 

(( 

"  Working  Oxen,          -            -            -            -            - 

13 

(( 

"  Breeding  Mares,        -            -            -            -            _ 

13 

u 

«  Poultry, 

14 

Statements  respecting  Poultry,       -            -            - 

17 

« 

"  Dairy  Products,          -            _            -            -            _ 

19 

Statements  respecting  particular  Dairies,  - 

19 

(( 

"  Vegetable  Products,  -            -            -            -            - 

21 

Harris's  Letter  respecting  Vegetables, 

22 

(( 

"  Cranberries,   ------ 

24 

(( 

"  Root  Crops,  ------ 

25 

Statements  respecting  particular  Crops, 

26 

(( 

"  Grain  Crops,               -            -            -            -            _ 

30 

Statements  respecting  particular  Grain  Crops, 

37 

(( 

"  Experiments  on  Manures,       -            -            -            _ 

43 

Waters's  Statement,           -            -            -            _ 

44 

« 

"  Improving  Pasture  Lands,       -            -            -            _ 

45 

<( 

"  Reclaimed  Meadow  Lands,     -            -            -            . 

47 

Statements  respecting  particular  Meadows, 

50 

« 

"  Farms,            --.-.. 

53 

Statements  respecting  particular  Farms,    - 

56 

« 

"  The  Grape  Culture,    -            -            -            -            - 

70 

« 

"  Bees  and  Honey,        -            -            .            _            - 

80 

Statements  respecting  same,          -            -            - 

97 

Communication  on  the  Michigan  Sod  Plough,  -            -            - 

B 

100 

X  CONTENTS. 

Returns  of  the  Middlesex  Agricultural  Societt,   -  Page  103 

Report  on  Farms,  &c.,   ------  106 

Statements  respecting  particular  Farms,     -  -  108 

"  "  Reclaimed  Meadows,  -  113 

"  "  Apple  Orchards,       -  -  115 

"         "  Milch  Cows,  ------  119 

Statements  respecting  particular  Cows,       -  -  119 

"        "  Heifers,  ------  123 

"        "  Butter,  ------  123 

Statements  respecting  Butter,         .  -  -  124 

"         "  Bread, 124 

"         "  Agricultural  Experiments,      _  -  -  -  125 

Statements  respecting  particular  Experiments,        -  125 

Returns  of  the  Worcester  Agricultural  Society,  -  128 

Report  on  Ploughing  Match,       -----  128 

"  Bulls, 133 

u        u  Working  Oxen,  -----  135 

"        «  Steers,  ------  136 

"        "  Milch  Cows, 138 

Statements  respecting  particular  Cows,      -  -  139 

"        "  Heifers,  -  -  -  -  -  -  144 

"        "  Fat  Cattle,     ------  145 

"        "  Poultry,  ......  UQ 

"        "  Agricultural  Implements,        _  -  -  -  147 

Boylston's  Statement  respecting  a  Hay  Spreader,  147 

"        "  Cheese,  ------  148 

"        "  Wheat  and  Brome  Grass,       -  -  -  -  153 

Statements  respecting  Wheat  and  Brome  Grass,    -  155 

"  "  Compost  Manures,   -  -  157 

"        "  Root  Crops,    ------  158 

Statements  respecting  particular  Root  Crops,         -  162 

Returns  of  the  Hampshire,  Franklin  and  Hampden  Agricul- 
tural Society,    -------  168 

Report  on  Ploughing  Match,      -----  169 

"        "  Stock, 170 

"        "  Working  Oxen,  -----  171 

"        "  Fat  Cattle,      -----.  171 

"        "  Bulls,  ------  171 

"        "  Steers,  -  -  -  .  -  -  172 

"         "  Cows  and  Heifers,      -----  172 

Statements  respecting  particular  Cattle,      -  -  173 

"        "  Horses,  ----..  174 

"        "  Poultry,  .-.-..  176 

"        "  Bread,  Butter  and  Cheese,      -  -  -  -  178 

Statements  respecting  Butter,         _  -  _  180 


CONTENTS.  xi 

Report  on  Fruits  and  Vegetables,  _  _  .  Page  182 

"         "  Domestic  Manufactures,         -            _            .            _  ig5 

T>.  Stebbins's  Statement,    -            -            -            -  190 

"         "  Reclaimed  Meadows,               -             _             -             _  ]9l 

Samuel  Powers's  Statement,            -            _            -  191 

"         "  Grain  Crops,               -            .            ...  194 

Statements  respecting  particular  Crops,      -            -  194 

"        »  Root  Crops,    ------  194 

Statements  respecting  particular  Crops,      -            -  196 

"         "  Orchards,       ------  198 

Statements  respecting  particular  Orchards,             -  198 

Returns  of  the  Hampden  County  Agricultural  Society,    -  201 

Report  on  Fat  Cattle,     ------  203 

"         "  Working  Oxen,          -            -            -            -            -  204 

"         "  Milch  Cows,  ------  205 

Statements  respecting  particular  Cows,       -            -  207 

"         "  Breeding  Mares  and  Colts,     -            -            -            -  208 

«        "  Swine,           ------  208 

«        "  Poultry,          ------  209 

"        "  Butter,           - 210 

"         «  Vegetables,    ------  210 

"        "  Fruit, 211 

Director's  Report,           _--.--  212 

Report  on  the  Wheat  Crop,       -----  213 

Statements  respecting  particular  Wheat  Crops,      -  214 

"         "  the  Rye  Crop,             -----  219 

Statements  respecting  particular  Rye  Crops,           -  219 

"        "  the  Oat  Crop,              -----  221 

Statements  respecting  particular  Oat  Crops,            -  221 

"        '•  the  Corn  Crop,           -----  223 

Statements  respecting  particular  Corn  Crops,         -  223 

"         'J  the  Carrot  Crop, 226 

Statements  respecting  particular  Carrot  Crops,       -  226 

"         "  the  Turnip  Crop,        -----  228 

Statements  respecting  particular  Turnip  Crops,      -  228 

"         "  Reclaimed  Meadows,              -            -            -            -  230 

"        "  Fruit  Trees,               -----  231 

"         "  Apple  Orchard,           -----  231 

Statement  on  a  particular  Apple  Orchard,               -  231 

"         "  particular  Pear  Trees,            -            -  233 

«         «         «          Peach  Trees,          -            -  233 

D.  A.  Wells's  Communication  to  the  President,             -            -  235 

Returns  of  the  Franklin  County  Agricultural  Society,    -  239 

Report  on  Ploughing  Match,      -----  239 


xii  CONTENTS. 

Report  on  Town  Teams,  -  -  -  -  Page  240 

"        "  Cows,             -.-.--  240 

«        «  Cheese,          -            -            -            -            -    -       -  241 

"         "  Grain  and  Root  Crops,            -            -            -            -  242 

Statement  respecting  a  particular  Corn  Crop,          -  242 

"               "        "         "        Wheat  Crop,       -  244 

"                "        "          "         Carrot  Crop,        -  245 

"                "        «         "        Turnip  Crop,       -  246 

"         "  Hay  Crop, 246 

Returns  of  the  Hampshire  Agricultural  Society,  -            -  247 

Report  on  Subsoil  Ploughing  and  Compost  Manures,      -            -  248 

Statements  respecting  tlic  same,     -            -            -  249 

"         "  Reclaimed  Meadows,              .            .            -            .  252 

Statements  respecting  particular  Meadows,             -  258 

"        "  Ploughing,     ------  263 

"        "  Farms,            ------  269 

"        "  Fruit  Trees,  ------  272 

Statements  respecting  particular  Fruit  Trees,        -  273 

"        "  Milch  Cows,  .----.  275 

"        »  Steers,           ......  077 

"        "  Fat  Cattle,      ----..  277. 

"        "  Butter  and  Cheese,     -----  278 

Statements  respecting  particular  Dairies,   -            -  280 

Returns  of  the  Berkshire  Agricultural  Society,     -            -  281 

Report  on  Agricultural  Products,  by  M.  Sears,               -            -  281 

Statement  respecting  particular  Grain  Crops,          -  282 

"        "  Ploughing  Match,      -            -            -            .            .  285 

"        "  Milch  Cows,              -            .            -            -            .  287 

"        "  Sheep, 288 

"  Fruit, 289 

"        "  Household  Manufactures,       -            .            .            .  qqq 

Returns  of  the  Housatonic  Agricultural  Society,              -  292 

Report  on  Agricultural  Products,            -            .            .            .  093 

"        "  Agricultural  Implements,        -            .            .            .  296 

"         "  Ploughing  Match,       -             -             -             .             .  ogg 

Returns  of  the  Norfolk  Agricultural  Society,      -            -  298 

Report  on  Farms,  by  Chccver  Newhall,              -            -            .  301 

"        "  Reclaimed  Meadows,  by  C.  C  Sewall,           -            .  307 

Statements  respecting  particular  Meadows,            -  310 

"        "  Peach  Orchards,  by  Marshall  P.  Wilder,        -            -  312 

Statements  respecting  particular  Orchards,              -  315 

"        "  Ploughing,  by  J.  M.  Robbins,            -            -            .  317 


CONTENTS. 


Xlll 


Report  on  Fat  Cattle,  by  L.  Humphrey, 

"  Milch  Cows,  by  J.  P.  Jones,  -  -  - 

"  Swine,  by  E.  Perry,    -  -  -  - 

Statements  respecting  particular  Swine,     - 
"  Poultry,  by  Eben.  Wight,       - 
"  Dairy  Products,  _  _  -  _ 

Statements  respecting  particular  Dairies,    - 
"  Bread,  by  Samuel  Walker,     .  -  - 

"  Bees  and  Honey,  by  S.  B.  Babcock,  - 
"  Grain  Crops,  by  Ralph  Sanger, 

Statement  respecting  a  Crop  of  Barley, 

«  »  "  Wheat,     - 

«  «  «  Rye, 

"  "         Corn, 

"  Root  Crops,    -  -  -  -  - 

Statement  respecting  a  Crop  of  Carrots,    - 

"  Agricultural  Implements,        _  _  - 


318 
319 
320 
321 
323 
330 
331 
333 
335 
336 
338 
339 
340 
341 
344 
344 
346 


Returns  of  the  Plymouth  County  Agricultural  Society,  -  347 

Report  on  Improvements,  by  Horace  Collamore,             -  -  347 

Statements  respecting  Improvements,         -  -  349 

Supervisor's  Report,       ------  354 

Statements  respecting  Corn,           ...  359 

"               "          Wheat,       -           -  -  364 

"                "           Oats,           -            -  -  365 

"                "           Barley,        -            -  -  366 

Seth  Sprague's  Statement  of  Root  Crops,  -  -  366 

Statement  respecting  different  Crops,          -  -  368 

"                "          Kelp,            -            -  -  368 

A.  J.  Roberts's  Statement  on  Compost  Manures,  -  370 

Report  on  Dairy  Articles,  by  Calvin  B.  Pratt,    .            -  -  371 

Returns  of  the  Bristol  County  Agricultural  Society,  -  373 

Report  on  Ploughing  with  Ox  Teams,    -            -            -  -  373 

"        "         "            "    Horses  and  Steers,    -            -  -  374 

"        "  Sheep  and  Swine,      -----  374 

"         "  Cows  and  Heifers,     ...            -  -  375 

"         "  Fat  Cattle,  Steers  and  Horses,            -            -  .  376 

"        "  Ornamental  and  Forest  Trees,  by  E.  H.  Pennett,  -  377 

"         "  Grain  Crops,               _            .            -            .  -  382 

Statements  respecting  particular  Grain  Crops,  .  382 

"                "          same.           .            -  .  383 


Returns  of  the  Barnstable  County  Agricultural  Society,  385 

^  Report  on  Farms,  -.---.  385 

Statement  of  Matthias  Hinckley,  -  -  -  385 


XIV 


CONTENTS. 


((  u 


Report  on  Grain  Crops,  .  .  -  -  Page  387 

Statements  respecting  particular  Grain  Crops,        -  387 

"  Root  Crops, 388 

Statement  of  J.  Crowell,    -            -            -            -  388 

*'  Cranberries,  ------  389 

Statement  of  A.  Gaboon,     -            -            -            -  389 

"  Compost  Manures,      -----  390 

Statement  of  J.  C.  Mayo,  -            -            -            -  390 


Returns  of  the  Worcester  County  West  Agricultural  So- 
ciety,       -------- 

Abstract  showing  for  Avhat  objects  Premiums  were  offered  by 
the  several  Agricultural  Societies  in  1851,  and  the  Amounts  of 
the  same,  _-.-__- 

Abstract,  showing  for  what  objects  Premiums  and  Gratuities  were 
awarded  by  the  several  Agricultural  Societies,  in  1851,  and  the 
amounts  of  the  same,      ------ 

Massachusetts  Board  of  AWictjlture, 

Associated  Agricultural  Convention,  -  .  .  . 

List  of  Officers,  -_---_- 

Opening  Remarks  of  the  President,  -  -  -  -  - 

Afternoon  Session,      ------- 

Resolutions  of  Mr.  Sewall,    ------ 

Remarks  of  Mr.  Page,  ----.- 

"        "  Mr.  Proctor,        ----.. 

"        "  Mr.  Whittaker,  ------ 

"        '■  Mr.  Sprague,      ------ 

"        "  Mr.  Gray,  ------ 

"        "  Mr.  B.  V.  French,  -  ...  - 

"        "  Mr.  Geo.  Denny,  -  -  .  -  . 

"         "  Mr.  E.  L.  Keyes,  ----- 

"        "  Mr.  Page, 

"        "  Mr.  John  Brooks,  -  -  .  .  . 

"        "  Mr.  W.  C.  Fowler, 

"        "  Judge  Mack,       ----.. 

"        "  Mr.  Amasa  Walker,        -  .  -  . 

"        "  Mr.  Johnson  Gardner,     -  -  -  -  - 

Evening  Session,        ------. 

Address  of  Ilis  Excellency  Governor  Boutwell,         -  -  - 

Remarks  of  Mr.  William  Buckminstcr,  -  -  -  - 

"        "  President  Hitchcock,      -  -  -  _  - 

"         "  Mr.  Richard  Bagg,  Jr.,   -  -  -  .  _ 

"  Mr.  Wm.  S.  King,  -  -  .  .  . 

First  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture,     - 


392 


394 


396 

398 
399 
399 
405 
405 
406 
408 
409 
410 
411 
413 
413 
413 
414 
417 
418 
419 
420 
422 
423 
423 
426 
428 
433 
434 
435 


CONTENTS.  XV 

List  of  Officers,         ------  Page  435 

Remarks  of  Mr.  John  C.  Gray,  -  -  _  .  -  435 

Afternoon  Session,      -------  436 

Committee  on  Ploughing,      ----.-  437 

Committee  on  Milch  Cows  and  Dairy  Products,        -  _  .  437 

"  "  all  other  Live  Stock,    -----  437 

"  "  Farms  and  Improvement  of  Lands,       -  -  -  437 

"  "  Cultivation  and  Measurement  of  Crops,  -  -  437 

"  "  Agricultural  Implements,        -  -  -  -  437 

"  "  Manufactures,  -----  437 

"  "  Agricultural  Education,  .  -  .  -  437 

Second  Meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture,  -  438 

Constitution  and  By-Laws  of  the  Board,        -  -  -  -  438 

Officers  of  the  Board,  ------  439 

President's  Report  on  Agricultural  Education,           .            _            -  439 
Reports  of  Delegates,            --..--  442 
Report  of  the  Exliibition  of  the  Essex  Society,  by  J.  H.  W.  Page,    -  442 
"         «              "            "       Middlesex  Society,  by  R.  C.  Winthrop,  445 
"        »              »            "       Worcester  Society,  by  J.  W.  Proctor,  447 
Statement  of  Entries  at  the  Shows  of  the  Worcester  Agricultural  So- 
ciety, for  the  four  past  years,      -----  451 

Report  of  the  Exhibition  of  Worcester  West  Society  by  Wm.  S.  King,  452 
"         "            "            of  the  Hampshire,  Franklin,  and  Hampden 

Society,  by  A.  W.  Dodge,  -  454 

"         "  "  "       Hampden  Society,  by  W.  C.  Fowler,  459 

"         "  "  "       Franklin  Society,  by  Johnson  Gardner,  460 

"        "  "  "       Hampshire  Society,  by  M.  P.  Wilder,  463 

«         "  "  "       Berkshire  Society,  by  B.  V.  French,  466 

"        "  "  "       Housatonic  Society,  by  S.  Reed,       -  468 

"        »  "  "       Norfolk  Society,  by  J.  H.  W.  Page,  470 

»         "  "  "       Plymouth  Society,  by  E.  K.  Whittaker,  472 

"         "  "  "       Bristol  Society,  by  John  W.  Proctor,  473 

«         "  "  «       Barnstable  Society,  by  Obed  Brooks,  Jr.,  476 

Third  Meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture,  -  -  477 

Afternoon  Sessmi,      -------  479 

Remarks  of  Mr.  Wilder, 479 

"         "  Mr.  Wheeler, 479 

"         "  Mr.  Dodge, 480 

"  Mr.  Gorham, -  481 

"  »  Professor  Fowler,  -----  481 

''■         "  Mr.  Proctor, 482 

"         "  Mr.  Bagg, 483 

«         «  Mr.  Nash, 484 


xvi  CONTENTS. 

m      ■      C...V.,  -  -  -  Page  484 

Evening  session,        -  -  -  ° 

Remarks  of  Lieutenant  Governor  Cushman,  -  -  -  "  484 

«  "  Mr.  Clark,  ...---  485 

«  "  Mr.  Daggett,       ..----  485 

«'         «  Mr.  Sprague,      ------  486 

Remarks  of  Dr.  Gardner,       ------  486 

«         «  Rev.  Dr.  Choules, 486 

«  "  Mr.  Bird,  .-.---  487 

"  "  Professor  Fowler,  -----  487 

"         "  Mr.  Putnam,       ------  488 

Memorial  presented  to  the  Legislature,  -  -  -  -  489 

Report  on  Ploughing,  by  J.  W.  Proctor,        -  -  -  -  492 

«       "  Milch  Cows  and  Dairy  Products,  by  Allen  W.  Dodge,      -  497 

«       "  Neat  Cattle,  by  Paoli  Lathrop,       -  -  -  -  506 

"       "  Farms  and  Improvement  of  Lands,  by  John  Daggett,        -  510 

"       "  Cultivation  and  Measurement  of  Crops,  by  John  W.  Lincoln,  516 

Average  cost  of  Grain  and  Root  Crops  in  Hampden  County,  by  Fran- 
cis Brewer,  -------  521 

Report  on  Agricultural  Implements,  by  Simon  Brown,  -  -  522 

"       "  Manufactures,  by  Charles  C.  Sewall,         -  -  -  531 

Self.ctions  from  Addresses  to  Agricultural  Societies,       -  537 

Extract  from  an  Address  by  Rev.  Milton  P.  Braman,  at  the  last  Fair 
of  the  Essex  Agricultural  Society,  -  -  -  -  537 

Agricultural  Economy  and  Agricultural  Ethics :  Extract  from  an  Ad- 
dress by  J.  S.  C.  Knowlton,  Esq.,  at  the  last  Fair  of  the  Worcester 
Agricultural  Society,         .___--  553 

TVie  Advantages  of  Science  in  its  Application  to  Agriculture  :  Extract 
from  an  Address  delivered  at  the  last  Fair  of  the  Hampden  County 
Agricultural  Society,  by  John  P.  Norton,  Professor  of  Agricultural 
Chemistry,  Yale  College,  ------  562 

TVie  Importance  of  Agriculture  and  the  Means  and  Motives  for  its 
Promotion :  Extract  from  an  Address  by  Marshall  P.  Wilder, 
before  the  Hampshire  Agricultural  Society,  ...  580 

Agricultural  Education :  Extract   from  an  Address  by  Marshall  P. 

Wilder,  before  the  Berkshire  Society,        -  -  -  -  589 

The  Progress  of  Agricidture,  and  the  necessity  for  its  furtfier  Progress  : 
Extract  from  an  Address  by  Geo.  R.  Russell,  LL.D.,  before  tlie 
Norfolk  Agiicultural  Society,         -----  597 

77t€  M€cha7ucnl  Properties  of  the  Soil,  and  the  Consolidation  and  Pro- 
tection of  Manures :  Extract  from  an  Address  by  J.  E.  Teschemach- 
cr,  before  the  Plymouth  Agricultural  Society,        -  -  -  606 

Stnopsis  of  the  several  Communications  on  the  Cause  and 
Cure  of  the  Potato  Rot,        -  _  -  _  -  629 


ABSTRACT. 


MASS.  SOCIETY  FOR  PROMOTING  AGRICULTURE. 


The  President  and  Secretary  of  the  Massachusetts  Society 
for  Promoting  Agriculture,  as  required  by  the  statute,  offer  the 
following  extracts  of  reports,  showing  the  transactions  of  the 
Society  the  past  year. 

The  Ayrshire  and  Devon  stock,  purchased  by  this  Society, 
have  now  passed  out  of  their  hands.  The  county  societies 
have  been  supplied  gratuitously  with  specimens  of  the  one  or 
the  other  of  these  races.  Some  of  these  animals  may  have 
failed  to  fulfil  the  expectations  formed  of  them,  but  there  is 
good  reason  to  believe  that  the  introduction  of  these  races  may 
prove,  on  the  whole,  an  important  advantage  to  our  farming 
community. 

It  may  be  still  a  question,  whether  the  farmers  of  this  Com- 
monwealth have  faith  in  the  fact,  that  a  good  breed  may  be 
made  better,  or  are  willing  to  admit  that  there  is  any  breed  of 
milch  cows  superior  to  the  (so  called)  native  breed.  This  is  a 
natural  inference  from  the  fact  that  many  of  the  county  socie- 
ties, who  received  the  stock  on  condition  of  annual  returns  of 
the  state  of  the  animals  received,  and  the  number  and  charac- 
ter of  the  progeny  pure  and  crossed,  have  neglected  to  make 
such  annual  returns  ;  some  returns  have  been  made,  full,  accu- 
rate and  satisfactory. 

During  the  last  season,  several  fine  animal-  of  the  race,  gen- 
erally known  by  the  name  of  Alderney,  have  been  imported  by 
the  Trustees.  Great  care  was  taken  in  selecting  them,  and  in 
order  to  insure  a  successful  result,  the  Treasurer.  T.  Motley, 
Jr.,  visited  the  island  of  Jersey  expressly  for  that  purpose. 
1 


2  MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY. 

The  expense  was  not  so  great  as  was  anticipated  *  and  would 
have   been   less  by  nearly  one   half,   but    for   the    high   cost  of 
lV,.i^.ht:  a  cost,  h.nvever,  which  the  l^nstces  think   conid   ..ot 
wcU   have  been  avoided,  as  it  was  of  the    ntmo.t    in)portance 
that  all  care  should  be  taken  of  the  health  and  comfort  of  the 
stock  while  on  shipboard.      They  arrived  in  fine  order,  and  so 
fur  as  their  qnalities  have  been   tested,  have  fully  stistained  the 
rcpuiation  of  this  race,  for  docility  of  teniper,  richness  of  milk, 
and  ihe  economy  with  which  they  can  be  supported.     Should 
this  breed  prove  well  adapted  to  our  country  and  climate,  and 
such  there  is  every  appearance  that  it  will  prove,  there  is  cer- 
tainly no  race  likely  to  be  preferred  to  them,  as  a  dairy  stock. 
The  undersigned  have  only  to  add,  that  on  the  26th  of  Decem- 
ber last,  a  committee  of  the  trustees  visited  Mr.  Motley,  for  the 
purpose  of  examining  into  the  condition    of  the  slock.     The 
weather  was  intensely  cold,  (the  thermometer  standing  at  one 
or  two  degrees  above  zero,)  but  the  animals  seemed   to  be  in 
every  respect  in  good  and  comfortable  condition.     It  would  be 
somewhat  presumptuous  to  speak  decidedly  as  to  the  value  of 
these  animals,  or  of  the  expectations  which  should  be  formed 
in  regard  to  their  descendants,  either  of  the  pure   breed   or  of 
such  crosses  as  may  be  made  with  choice  animals  of  our  own 
hardy  and  valuable  stock. 

The  experiment  has  been  fairly  begun,  and  no  exertions  will 
be  wanting  on  the  part  of  the  Trustees,  to  insure  its  being  car- 
ried out  thoroughly,  carefully  and  judiciously.  The  following 
report  has  been  made  by  Mr.  Motley  to  the  undersigned,  at 
their  request. 

In  addition  to  the  monthly  reports  made  of  the  condition  of 
the  animals,  belonging  to  the  Society,  under  my  care,  it  may 
be  desirable  at  this  time  to  make  some  remarks  as  to  the  proba- 
ble result  of  the  experiment  now  making  by  the  Society. 

The  cattle  are  of  the  Jersey  breed,  imported  from  the  island 
of  Jersey  by  order  of  the  Society,  and  have  now  been  in  the 
country  seven  months,  and  although  hardly  sufficient  time  has 

^  Tlic  iiggrcgaio  prime  nsi,  ;il  Jersey,  of  si.x  fine  aii'mals,  viz.,  iwo  Lulls  aud  four  cows 
and  beifcn,  was  a  litUe  below  three  hundred  and  twenty  dollars. 


MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY.  3 

elapsed  to  prove  conclusively  how  well  tliey  can  bear  the  great 
and  sudden  changes  of  a  New  England  climate,  still  some  opin- 
ion may  be  formed,  and,  I  think,  a  very  good  one. 

On  their  arrival  in  this  country  in  May  last,  they  were  found 
to  have  endured  the  voyage  very  well,  and  all  to  be  in  good 
health  and  better  condition  than  could  have  been  expected. 
After  a  week's  feeding  in  the  barn,  they  were  turtied  out  to 
pasture  and  treated  in  every  respect  as  I  treated  my  own  cattle, 
thinking  that  if  they  were  to  be  a  desirable  breed  of  animals 
for  us  to  raise,  they  should  be  at  once  put  to  the  test.  They 
were  also  housed  at  night,  in  the  fall,  at  the  same  time  with 
the  other  cattle  ;  they  are  kept  in  a  warm  and  sheltered  barn, 
but  not  more  so  than  I  conceive  every  good  farmer,  who  has 
any  consideration  for  the  comfort  of  his  stock  and  the  profit  of 
his  business,  should  have,  for  I  am  well  satisfied  that  quite  as 
much  depends  upon  the  care  in  keeping  cows  well  cleansed 
and  warmly  housed,  as  in  their  feed,  for  the  production  of  a 
large  quantity  of  milk. 

Thus  far  they  appear  to  bear  the  degree  of  cold  we  have 
had  the  past  months,  as  well  as  any  of  the  native  stocks,  or  of 
the  Ayrshire  breed,  of  which  I  have  several  in  my  herd;  and 
perhaps  it  may  be  well  to  state  here  that,  by  some  of  the  best 
authorities,  the  Ayrshire  is  considered  to  be  a  cross  between 
the  Jersey  and  the  improved  Short  Horn  ;  at  any  rate,  the  Jer- 
seys have  a  constitution,  which  enables  them  to  endure  a 
Scotch  winter  without  injury;  atid  if  so,  we  can  reasonably 
infer  that  our  winters  will  not  be  too  severe  for  them.  From 
present  experience,  I  am  inclined  to  the  opinion,  that  they  will 
suffer  more  from  our  extreme  heat  and  drought,  than  from  the 
cold. 

In  regard  to  their  milking  properties,  they  have  not  been 
thoroughly  tested,  for  every  one  at  all  coiiversant  with  cows, 
knows  very  well,  that  a  moderate  journey  of  one  hundred  miles 
will  almost  invariably  redtice  the  product  of  milk  from  a  cow 
twenty-five  per  cent.  ;  how  much,  then,  will  a  sea-voyage  of 
thirty  days,  and  the  consequent  fatigue  from  which  it  will  take 
much  lime  to  recover,  and  the  change  from  grass  to  hay,  to 
which  they  were  subjected.     You  can  all  judge  of  the  effect 


4  MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY. 

of  these  causes;  certainly  the  reduction  in  pfoduct  of  at  least 
fifty  per  cent,  is  not  an  unreasonable  calculation. 

Notwithstanding  this,  one  of  the  cows  belonging  to  the  So- 
ciety, four  years  old,  has  given  from  time  to  time,  after  calving, 
fourteen  quarts  of  strained  milk  per  day,  of  the  very  richest 
quality,  upon  good  pasture,  without  any  extra  feed.  A  heifer 
two  years  old,  with  her  first  calf,  has  given  nine  quarts  per 
day,  of  extraordinary  richness,  upon  the  same  pasture. 

That  the  Jersey  cow  is  decidedly  a  dairy  cow,  there  can  be 
no  doubt,  and  by  a  dairy  cow  I  mean  one  expressly  for  the 
making  of  butter;  that  the  butter  made  from  her  milk  will  be 
of  finer  flavor  and  richer  color  than  any  other,  all  who  have 
tried  it  will  admit.  For  the  milkman,  perhaps,  other  cows 
may  be  more  profitable,  as  for  their  purposes  quantity  is  more 
desirable  than  quality  ;  but  for  farmers  in  the  neighborhood  of 
large  towns,  where  superior  butter  will  always  command  a 
very  high  price  and  ready  sale,  they  must  prove  a  very  desira- 
ble breed  of  cattle. 

This  breed  is,  perhaps,  more  generally  known  as  the  Alder- 
ney,  which,  however,  is  a  mistake,  as  the  animals  were  sent 
more  than  seventy  years  ago  from  Jersey  to  Alderney,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  improving  the  breed  of  cattle  in  Alderney. 

It  is  very  desirable  that  the  stock  now  owned  by  the  Society 
should  be  increased,  as  fast  as  possible,  and  continued  in  a  state 
of  purity,  as  the  trouble  and  expense  of  getting  them  to  this 
country  will  prevent  extensive  importations.  At  the  same 
time  the  Society  made  their  importation,  other  gentlemen,  inter- 
ested in  the  matter,  made  like  importations  of  cows,  and  I 
would  recommend  that  for  the  present  at  least,  one  of  the  bulls 
owned  by  the  Society  should  be  kept  exclusively  for  the  use  of 
pure  blooded  Jersey  cows,  with  the  express  understanding  that 
all  calves  from  this  pure  stock  shall  be  raised,  and  a  record 
kept  of  every  such  calf. 

The  other  bull  may  be  used  for  native  cows,  with  the  stipu- 
lation that  all  heifer  calves  shall  be  raised,  and  the  bull  calves 
killed  :  in  this  way  we  shall  best  increase  the  pure-blooded 
stock,  atid  improve  our  native. 

The  hpifer  calf  dropped  by  "  Rrenda"  July  9th,  and  which 


MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY.  5 

was  always  troubled  with  dysentery,  died  November  24th  ;  the 
rest  of  the  animals,  a  list  of  which  is  annexed  to  this  report, 
are  all  in  fine  health. 

Bull      Colonel,  one  year  old  last  month. 

"       Typhoon,  "  "  " 

Cow     Lady  Franklin,  five  years  old  last  spring. 
"       Countess,  four         "  " 

Heifer  Brenda,  two  "  " 

"       Minna,  one  year  old  " 

Heifer  calf  Alice,  born  May  22d,  1851. 

The  cows  and  heifers  are  all  in  calf  by  "  Colonel,"  as  well 
as  all  the  other  Jersey  cows  imported  at  the  same  time.  The 
other  bull  '•  Typhoon"  has  served  about  fifteen  cows  from  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  State. 

1  will  here  remark  that  it  will  give  me  pleasure  at  all  times, 
to  see  persons  interested  in  this  matter,  and  to  show  them  the 
animals  and  give  them  all  the  information  I  am  possessed  of  in 
the  matter.  THOS.  MOTLEY,  Jr. 

Woodland  Hill,  West  Roxbury,  Dec.  31,  1851. 

The  public  have  already  been  informed  of  the  efforts  made 
by  this  Society  to  procure  a  course  of  lectures  on  the  anatomy 
and  diseases  of  our  domestic  animals,  as  topics  deeply  interest- 
ing to  our  farmers,  from  considerations  of  humanity  as  well  as 
economy.  Their  efforts  have  thus  far  proved  unsuccessful, 
owing  to  the  death,  in  the  course  of  the  last  winter,  of  Dr. 
Edward  Brooks,  Jr.,  a  young  physician  of  promising  talents, 
who  had  employed  several  years  in  the  study  of  comparative 
anatomy.  It  is  hoped  that  his  laudable  example,  in  devoting 
himself  to  a  subject  so  important,  but  in  this  country  so  com- 
monly overlooked,  may  find  many  followers,  and  it  would 
appear  from  the  following  extract  from  the  records  of  the  Soci- 
ety, that  the  course  commenced  by  Dr.  Brooks  may  be  resumed 
by  another  lecturer  at  no  distant  day. 

"  Dr.  Warren,  as  chairman  of  the  committee  on  diseases  of 
animals,  and  to  make  arrangements  for  a  course  of  lectures  on 


6  MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY. 

the  diseases  of  animals,  made  the  fDNowing  report: — The 
commiilee,  in  fiilfihneiit  of  the  directions  of  the  trustees, 
applied  to  Dr.  Brooks,  a  promising  yoinig  man  of  this  city,  and 
invited  him  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  diseases  of  this  ani- 
mal (the  horse)  and  the  mode  of  cure,  with  reference  to  a 
course  of  lectures.  This  gentleman  readily  undertook  the 
task,  and,  after  devoting  some  time  and  attention  to  the  sub- 
ject, returned  to  Boston,  and  began  iiis  lectures.  While  pre- 
paring to  continue  them,  he  was  suddenly  and  violently  attacked 
with  a  disease  which  proved  fatal.  Since  this  unfortunate 
event,  they  have  not  made  any  effort  as  yet  to  supply  the  [)lace 
of  Dr.  Brooks;  but  the  Committee  are  happy  to  say,  that  a 
young  physician  now  in  Europe,  has  spontaneously  offered  to 
devote  such  attention  to  the  subject  as  he  may  be  able,  and 
they  have  reason  to  hope  that  by  his  intelligence  and  assiduity, 
the  course  may  be  resumed  and   completed   in   a  satisfactory 

manner. 

J.  C.  WARREN." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Society,  Dec.  13th,  1851, 
after  some  discussion  in  relation  to  a  communication  from  the 
Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society,  respecting  a  mode  of 
ripening  fruit,  practised  by  D.  J.  Curtis,  of  Boston,  Dr.  Warren 
offered  the  following  resolutions,  which  were  accepted: — 

Whereas,  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Agriculture,  having  understood  that  a  valuable  discovery  has 
been  made  by  Mr.  Curtis,  relating  to  the  preservation  of  fruits, 
the  retardation  of  their  period  of  maturation,  and  the  retention 
of  delicate  summer  fruits  in  a  state  of  perfection,  have  appoint- 
ed a  committee  to  investigate  the  same,  and  that  committee 
have  reported  in  part ; 

Resolved,  That  the  Trustees  desire  this  committee  to  con- 
tinue their  investigations  as  to  the  value  of  Mr.  Curtis's  dis- 
covery, that  they  may  ascertain  particularly  what  fruits  can  be 
preserved,  for  how  long  a  time,  and  at  what  expense  ;  also, 
whether  the  mode  of  accomplishing  the  preservation  will  be 
made  known  to  the  public,  and  if  it  will  be  made  the  subject 
of  a  patent. 


MASSACHUSETTS  SOCIETY.  7 

That  they  also  ascertain  whether  Mr.  Curtis  expects  any 
remuneration  from  this  Society  for  the  expenses  he  has  been 
at,  and  what  may  be  the  amount  of  this  remuneration. 

Finally,  that  they  obtain  all  such  information  relating  to  the 
subject  as  they  are  able,  and  make  report  at  the  next  regular 
meeting  of  the  Trustees,  or  earlier  if  practicable. 

JOHN  C.  GRAY,  President 

BENJ.  GUILD,  Secretary. 
Boston,  January  9lh,  1852. 


ESSEX    SOCIETY. 


ESSEX  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


The  annual  cattle  show  and  fair,  by  this  society,  was  held 
at  Salem,  on  Thursday,  the  25th  of  September  last.  The 
ploughing  match,  which  was  contested  by  a  smaller  number  of 
teams  than  usual,  was  not  surpassed  in  the  execution  of  the 
work  by  that  of  any  former  year.  The  number  of  cattle, 
too,  was  less  than  might  have  been  presented  by  the  farmers 
of  the  county ;  which  may  in  part  be  accounted  for  by  the 
place  of  the  exhibition  being  on  the  sea-board  ;  but  the  show 
of  colts  and  horses,  particularly  of  stud  horses,  was  very 
superior. 

On  a  review  of  what  has  been  done  by  this  society,  there  is 
much  cause  for  congratulation.  Nevertheless,  when  we  look 
about  and  see  what  others  are  doing,  it  is  impossible  not  to 
perceive  that  increased  efforts  are  necessary  to  maintain  that 
comparative  reputation,  which  we  have  so  long  enjoyed.  .  On 
all  sides,  it  is  admitted,  that  the  publications  made,  under  the 
direction  of  this  society,  have  done  much  to  awaken  attention 
to  the  importance  of  improvements  in  agriculture.  For  these, 
there  is  due  to  Pickering  and  Colmax,  a  large  debt  of  gratitude. 

When  we  say  that  increased  efforts  are  necessary,  we  refer 
particularly,  to  what  is  wanted  on  the  day  of  our  "  Cattle 
Show."  It  is  not  sufficient  to  bring  forward  animals  enough 
to  absorb  the  premiums  offered,  and  only  enough  for  this  pur- 
pose ;  but  there  should  be  a  full  and  fair  representation  of  the 
stock  of  the  county  ;  and  more  or  less,  from  every  town  in  the 
county.  Every  trustee  when  he  accepts  the  appointment 
should  feel  it  to  be  a  duty  to  see  that  his  town  or  his  neigh- 
borhood is  fully  and  fairly  represented  at  the  show.  Not  sim- 
ply that  they  may  enjoy  their  share  of  the  bounty,  but  that 
they  may  do  their  part  in  diflfusing  instruction  useful  to  the 
public. 

Is  there  any  town   iii\he   county,  that  could  not  with  ease, 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  9 

bring  forward  twenty  or  more  pairs  of  working  oxen  ?  Suppose 
tliis  to  be  done  by  each  town,  and  a  brigade  of  four  hundred 
pair  of  cattle  to  be  paraded  on  the  day  of  the  exhibition,  each 
town  having  its  own  section,  under  its  own  guides,  selected 
and  arranged  under  the  impulse  of  that  ambition  that  would 
not  fail  to  be  excited  !  This  would  be  a  "Cattle  Show"  in-^ 
deed.  Shows  like  this  have  been  made  in  other  counties; 
why  may  they  not  be  made  in  Essex  ?  Our  own  eyes  have 
witnessed  the  present  year,  a  team  of  one  hundred  yoke  of 
cattle  from  a  single  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut, 
accompanied  by  twice  this  number  of  the  farmers  of  the  town  ; 
and  we  do  not  remember  to  have  seen,  at  any  time,  a  more 
pleasing  sight.  Let  a  feeling  of  generous  ambition  be  awak- 
ened in  the  several  towns,  to  bring  forward  the  best  grown,  best 
fed,  and  best  disciplined  of  their  cattle  ;  and  without  question, 
they  would  find  ample  reward  for  their  exertions,  consequent 
upon  the  improved  condition  of  their  cattle,  that  would  neces- 
sarily result  from  the  competition. 

In  most,  if  not  all  the  other  branches  of  our  exhibition, 
there  is  equal  room  for  improvement.  Take,  for  instance,  the 
cultivation  of  vegetables,  a  pursuit  that  engrosses  much  atten- 
tion in  every  town  in  the  county  ;  how  little  has  been  shown, 
in  comparison  with  what  has  been  done  ?  How  interesting 
would  be  the  spectacle,  of  a  table  spread  by  each  town,  with 
the  best  specimens  of  the  products  of  their  soil !  Let  it  be 
understood  that  such  tables  will  be  prepared,  and  let  there  be 
committees  from  each  town  to  see  that  their  own  town  is  fairly 
represented,  and  there  would  be  such  a  display  of  products  of 
the  garden  and  the  field,  as  the  eye  has  not  before  seen.  The 
rocks  of  Marblehead  and  the  sands  of  Methuen,  would  nobly 
contend  with  each  other  in  their  exhibition  of  squashes:  and 
the  plains  of  Dan  vers  would  bring  forth  onions  not  a  few,  to 
savor  the  entertainment.  A  spirit  of  emulation,  of  this  kind, 
needs  to  be  awakened,  before  we  can  fully  appreciate  what  can 
be  accomplished. 

It   was  particularly  gratifying   to   the  farmers  of  Essex,  on 
the  day  of  their  exhibition,  to  be  favored  with  the  presence  of 
the  governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  to  hear  from  him  the 
•2 


10  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

words  of  instruction  and  encouragement.  This  was  as  it  should 
be.  The  farmer  merits  and  needs  this  encouragement.  Con- 
tent to  labor  as  he  does  from  "  early  morn  to  latest  eve,"  and 
<'by  the  sweat  of  [)is  brow  to  eat  the  bread  of  carefulness,"  it 
is  meet  that  he  should  be  encour.^ged  ;  and  what  better  encour- 
agement can  he  have,  than  the  approbation  and  sympathy  of 
those  in  authority  ? 

The  address  before  the  society  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Milton 
P.  Braman,  of  Dan  vers. 

JOHN  W.  PROCTOR,  President. 
ALLEN  W.  DODGE,  Secretary. 


Milch  Cows. 
The  committee  examined  eleven  cows,  and  awarded  the 
First  premium  of  $10  to  John  H.  Dunnels,  of  Ipswich. 
Second  premium  of  $9  to  Volney  C.  Stow,  of  Salem. 
Third  premium  of  $8  to  Joseph  P.  Pond,  of  Salem. 
Fourth  premium  of  $7  to  Josiah  Crosby,  of  Andover. 

John  H.  Dunnels^s  Statement. 

I  offer  for  premium,  my  cow,  of  native  breed,  eight  years 
old.  She  calved  on  the  12th  day  of  July  last,  and  the  calf 
was  taken  from  her  on  the  15th  day  of  August.  She  has  been 
kept  during  the  past  season  on  nothing  but  road  feed,  four 
hours  each  day,  with  the  exception  of  one  pint  of  meal  each 
morning  and  evening. 

I  have  kept  a  daily  account  of  her  milk  ever  since  her  calf 
was  taken  from  her,  being  forty  days. 

The  whole  amount  of  her  milk  during  that  time  was  1526^ 
pounds.     Average  per  day  during  said  time,  thirty-six    pounds. 

Ips.vich,  Sept.  2Ath,  1851. 

Joseph  P.  Pond's  Statement. 
The  cow  offered  for  premium  by  me,  is  of  native  breed,  nine 
years  old,  and  calved  the  18th  of  August,  1850.  She  was 
bought  by  her  present  owner,  October  7th,  of  that  year;  since 
which  time,  viz.,  two  hundred  and  fifty-three  days,  ending  this 
day,  and  commencing  fifty  days  after  calving,  when  she  was 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  11 

bought,  she  has  given  9.281^  lbs.  or  26}f  j}  lbs.  per  day,  aver- 
age, or  10^  quarts  per  day,  (at  2\  lbs.  per  qt.)  average. 

Her  feed  has  been  common  dry  hay  in  winter,  with  meal 
and  shorts  twice  each  day,  and  in  summer,  she  has  been  kept 
in  the  Tov/n  Pasture,, (so  called,)  where  feed  has  been  so  short 
that  I  have  been  obliged  to  feed,  as  in  winter,  with  meal  and 
shorts  twice  each  day. 

Salem,  Sept.  25,  1851. 

Josiah  Crosby^s  Statement. 

I  offer  for  premium  my  Ayrshire  cow,  seven  years  old.  She 
calved  in  April  last.  Durmg  the  month  of  June,  she  gave 
upon  an  average,  fifteen  quarts  of  milk  per  day,  and  in  a  few 
instances  she  gave  eighteen  quarts  per  day.  She  made  in 
seven  days  of  that  time,  ten  pounds  of  butter. 

She  had  run  in  a  good  pasture,  but  has  had  no  extra  feed  of 
any  kind.  She  generally  holds  out  till  within  a  few  days  of 
calving. 

North  Andover,  Sept.  25,  1851. 

Bulls. 

There  were  five  bulls  entered  for  premium, — also  two  calves 
not  entitled  to  premium. 

One  of  them,  belonging  to  Jedediah  Farnham,  of  Andover, 
half  Durham  and  half  Devon,  being  in  the  estimation  of  the 
committee  a  very  superior  animal,  in  size,  form  and  general 
appearance;  we  unanimously  recommend  to  Mr.  Farnham,  a 
gratuity  of  two  dollars. 

We  have  awarded  the  first  premium,  of  seven  dollars,  to  Jo- 
seph Kittredge,  of  Andover;  the  second  premium,  of  six  dol- 
lars, to  Joseph  Henfield,  of  Lynnfield  ;  and  the  third  premium, 
of  five  dollars,  to  John  Stone,  Jr.,  of  Marblehead. 

The  bull  of  Mr.  Kittredge,  was  from  stock  of  Samuel 
Lawrence,  while  he  resided  in  Lowell,  a  North  Devon,  and 
was  unquestionably  full  blood.  In  the  opinion  of  the  com- 
mittee he  is  a  desirable  animal  to  cross  with  any  of  our  stock 
for  working  purposes,  and  many  of  the  half  bloods  may  prove 


12  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

good  milkers.  There  is  probably  no  stock  in  the  country  so 
uniform  in  color  and  appearance  as  this,  and  therefore  it  can  be 
better  matched  than  any  other  breed. 

Mr.  Henfiold's  bull  is  reported  to  be  half  Durham,  and  is 
probably  of  the  stock  reported.  No  information  was  given 
from  what  stock  he  descended.  He  did  not  show  those  de- 
cided marks  which  many  of  the  half  Durham  exhibit ;  he  is 
fine  dark  red,  in  high  condition,  not  large  size,  of  his  age.  and 
of  compact  form. 

Mr.  Stone's  bull  is  of  the  polled  or  no-horned  breed  on  the 
side  of  the  mother,  but  we  believe  his  sire  was  not  of  that 
stock.  He  is  of  good  size,  but  not  in  high  condition.  He  had 
the  appearance  of  being  part  Ayrshire. 

We  believe  there  are  more  no-horned  cows,  in  proportion  to 
numbers,  that  are  superior  milkers,  than  of  any  other  race  kept 
in  this  vicinity.  And  believing  that  the  male  will  influence  all 
the  qualities  of  his  progeny  to  some  extent,  we  consider  this 
bull  may  do  much  towards  improving  the  milking  qualities  of 
the  heifer  calves,  that  may  be  raised  from  him.  We  are  glad 
that  an  opportunity  is  off"ered  to  make  the  experiment. 

The  Ayrshire  bull  loaned  to  the  society,  but  now  entrusted  to 
an  individual,  was  entered  for  exhibition  only.  He  has  been 
kept  in  the  north  part  of  the  county,  and  it  is  believed  the  cows 
put  to  him  (twenty  or  more)  are  with  calf,  and  that  the  heifer 
calves  will  be  raised,  and  the  milking  qualities  of  the  breed 
fairly  tested. 

The  committee  believe  the  time  will  come,  and  that  it  is 
not  far  distant,  when  the  breeders  and  even  owners  of  stock, 
will  be  more  particular,  and  better  informed  than  they  now  are, 
as  to  the  pedigree  of  the  animals  they  breed  from  and  purchase. 
That  certain  races  of  neat  stock  have  traits  peculiar  to  them- 
selves, which  arc  transmitted  to  their  descendants,  is  beyond  a 
doubt,  and  that  these  peculiarities  may  bo  improved  and  ren- 
dered more  permanent  by  attention  to  the  most  improved 
modes  of  breeding,  we  have  abundant  evidence.  To  profit  by 
this,  It  is  important  not  only  to  know  we  have  reared  a  fine 
animal,  possessing  the   desired  qualities,  but  from   what   stock 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  13 

it  proceeded,  so  that  future  efforts  may  be  directed  by  the  ex- 
perience of  the  past. 

Who  is  to  commence  this,  and  how  it  is  to  be  conducted 
and  perpetuated,  we  do  not  undertake  to  prescribe.  If  it  is  an 
Enghsh  practice  "  to  keep  a  herd  book  "  we  believe  the  lovers 
of  fine  stock  must  come  to  it  here,  or  trust  more  to  accident 
than  they  need  to  do,  in  accomplishing  their  desired  object. 

For  the  committee, 

MOSES  NEWELL. 


Working  Oxen. 

Twelve  pairs  of  oxen  were  entered  for  trial.  Only  ten  pairs 
appeared  on  the  ground,  and  those  were  well  trained,  and  such 
as  would  do  credit  to  any  county  in  the  State.  Each  pair  was 
tried  with  a  load  weighing  more  than  two  tons,  and  the  weight 
of  the  waggon  another  ton. 

The  committee  regret  that  it  was  no"  in  their  power  (for  it 
did  not  come  within  the  rules  of  society)  to  give  Henry  Poor, 
of  Andover,  a  premium  for  his  bull.  The  manner  in  which 
this  remarkable  animal  drew  the  above  load,  with  an  addition 
of  fifteen  men,  showed  plainly  that  his  power  in  a  harness  was 
great,  and  that  he  had  been  well  trained. 

JAMES    STEVENS,   Chairman. 


Breeding  Mares. 
The  committee  are  of  opinion,  that  a  mare  for  breeding, 
should  be  free  from  any  permanent  lameness,  such  as  ring-bone, 
spavin,  or  founder,  or  any  other  material  unsoundness.  There 
can  be  no  doubt  that  there  is  much  risk  of  the  transmission  of 
those  infirmities,  in  some  form  or  other,  to  their  offspring. 
Other  qualifications  are  also  important.  Without  attempting  a 
general  description,  we  would  allude  to  a  iew,  such  as,  good 
size,  kind  disposition,  good  form  and  action,  and  last,  though 
not  least,  that  she  shojild  be  an  easy  and  quick  traveller.     Since 


14  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

the  application  of  steam,  as  a  moving  power,  by  which  we  are 
moved  along  with  great  ease  and  rapidity,  we  have  not  patience 
ill  a  carriage  with  a  horse  that  can  move  bnt  five  miles  an  honr. 
More  horses  are  now  raised  in  the  county  of  Essex  than  for- 
merly. But  litile  attention  seems  to  be  given  to  improving  the 
breed.  But  fewof  onr  most  valuable  mares  are  put  to  breeding, 
until,  by  high  feeding,  and  over  driving,  they  become  of  but 
little  value.  The  first  cost  of  a  colt  from  good  stock  is  small, 
compared  with  the  after  expense  of  keeping  until  old  enough 
for  use.  '  The  price  of  good  horses  in  market,  has  doubled 
within  the  last  twenty  years.  If  prices  thus  continue,  (and  to 
us  there  seems  no  reason  why  they  should  not,)  with  good 
stock  as  breeders,  horses  might  be  raised  in  this  county,  at  as 
good  profit  as  other  stock. 

DEAN  ROBINSON,   Chairman. 


Poultry. 


The  whole  number  of  fowls  presented,  including  about  six- 
ty water  fowls,  and  a  large  lot  of  beautiful  fancy  pigeons,  was 
about  five  hundred.  The  award  of  the  following  gratuities  is 
recommended : 

To  S.  &  O.  Southwick,  of  Danvers,  for  the  best  collection, 
consisting  of  twenty-five  coops  of  fowls,  and  an  equal  number 
of  varieties — among  which  may  be  named,  as  very  beautiful  and 
pure  stock,  White  Shanghae,  Black  Spanish,  Sumatra,  Game, 
and  Irish  Game  ;  also,  one  pair  of  imported  India  Game,  the 
only  specimen  on  the  ground — the  whole  showing  great  care 
and  skill  in  selection  and  rearing,  $6  00. 

To  Daniel  Putnam,  of  North  Danvers,  for  a  lot  of  cross  breed 
fowls,  very  fine.  They  were  accompanied  by  a  statement 
showing  them  possessed  of  great  laying  qualities,  $4  00. 

The  rearing  of  poultry  is  now  understood  to  be  a  very  im- 
portant branch  of  rural  economy,  and  to  a  limited  extent,  a 
source  of  sure  and  ample  profit  to  the  farmer.  When  viewed 
in    the    light    of  a   luxury,  merely,   in    the    pleasure  afforded 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  15 

to  the  proprietor  by  exercising  his  taste  and  judgment  in  pro- 
ducing fine  forms  and  varied  and  splendid  plimiage,  and  in  watch- 
ing the  developments  of  the  young  broods  in  their  different 
crossings,  it  almost  rises  to  the  dignity  of  one  of  the  fine  arts. 

If  the  object  is  mainly  one  of  pecuniary  profit,  it  becomes  an 
important  inquiry  to  ascertain  which  of  the  different  varieties 
it  is  most  profitable  to  rear,  some  being  most  valued  for  the 
table,  and  others  for  being  the  best  layers.  It  is  known  that 
the  flesh  of  the  male  towl,  in  all  the  varieties,  may  be  much 
improved  by  caponizing,  and  the  committee  regret  that  no  spe- 
cimens have  been  exhibited  to-day.  The  skill  and  trouble  re- 
quisite for  this  change,  would  be  amply  repaid  by  the  greatly 
improved  value  of  the  fowl.  We  all  instinctively  eschew  bull 
beef  and  prefer  that  of  the  ox.  Why  then  should  we  not,  by 
the  same  means,  seek  to  provide  ourselves  with  that  delicate 
and  nutritive  meat  which  has  rendered  Shakspeare's  Country 
Justice — 

"  In  fair  round  belly  with  good  capon  lined," 
the  very  epitome  of  good  living. 

There  is  still  much  difference  of  opinion  existing  among 
breeders,  as  to  the  relative  value  of  the  European  and  Asiatic 
varieties,  in  their  qualities  as  layers  and  for  good  flesh.  The 
committee  do  not  propose  to  enter  into  the  controversy  on  the 
origin  of  the  different  varieties.  It  is  sufficient  to  know  that 
there  are  now  many  kinds  marked  by  distinct  peculiarities,  and 
that  they  have  various  good  qualities  differing  from  each  other. 
It  is  the  province  of  the  fowl-breeder  to  combine  these  excel- 
lences by  the  judicious  crossing  of  the  breeds,  carefully  marking 
the  result  in  each  case.  Here  is  a  fine  field  for  competition, 
and  it  might  be  well  for  the  society  to  require  exhibitors  to 
present  statements  of  their  manner  of  keeping  their  fowls,  such 
as  that  offered  to-day  by  Mr.  Putnam.  It  would  also  be  well 
to  require  the  number,  or  what  would  be  better,  the  weight  of 
the  eggs  produced  in  a  given  time,  as  a  foundation  for  the 
awards. 

It  is  a  source  of  much  gratification  to  witness  the  high  and 
increasing  consideration  with  which  the  denizens  of  the  poul- 
try-yard are  now  heW.     The  great   interest  in  these  feathered 


16  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

tribes,  which  has  sprung  up  of  late  years,  promises  the  most 
satisfactory  results.  This  interest  is  most  strongly  manifested 
when  men  are  so  far  carried  away  by  their  enthusiasm  as  not 
only  to  cackle  and  crow  with  delight  over  their  choice  young 
broods,  but  so  far  identify  themselves  with  the  feathered  race 
as  actually  to  lay  eggs — on  editors'  tables  ;  and  when  even  our 
grave  legislators  are  contented  to  sit  so  much  longer  than  the 
most  patient  of  the  poultry  tribes.  People  are  beginning  to  ap- 
preciate the  value  of  these  once  neglected  races.  They  see 
that  they  not  only  yield  good  pecuniary  returns,  but  that  in 
other  respects  they  are  the  friends  and  benefactors  of  our  race. 
Without  their  aid,  what  a  gloom  would  be  cast  over  our 
Thankgiving  festival,  and  what  an  absurd  mockery  would  it 
be  to  congratulate  each  other  on  a  merry  Christmas.  Suppose 
the  female  fowls  to  be  animated  by  some  patriotic  impulse, — 
such,  for  instance,  as  was  once  felt  by  our  Revolutionary 
mothers  in  their  refusal  of  tea, — and  that  they  should  unani- 
mously refuse  to  lay  eggs,  what  a  revolution  would  take  place 
in  our  kitchens  and  larders,  and  of  what  possible  use  would  be 
books  of  cookery  and  housewifery  !  Sensibility  shudders  at 
the  solidity  of  fruit  cakes,  and  humanity  mourns  over  the  spe- 
cific gravity  of  batter  puddings  ! 

We  gladly  turn  from  this  sad  picture  to  witness  the  quiet 
enjoyment  of  the  feathered  families  as  they  range  their  little 
domain.  With  what  joyful  exultation  is  the  advent  of  each 
new  laid  egg  announced  by  the  merry  cackling  of  the  whole 
domestic  assemblage.  How  carefully  and  tenderly  the  matron- 
ly hen  attends  her  young  chicks  until  their  arrival  to  the  full 
maturity  of  pullethood.  How  proudly  and  with  what  majestic 
mein  and  dainty  step  does  Chanticleer  walk  the  barn-yard,  and 
with  what  courteous  dignity  and  chivalrous  courage  does  he 
watch  over  his  feathered  realm.  No  wonder  that  Socrates,  the 
wisest  of  ancient  philosophers,  thought  this  noble  bird  the  most 
acceptable  sacrifice  to  the  immortal  gods,  and  that  our  Puritan 
sires  placed  his  effigy  on  the  spires  of  their  houses  of  worship. 
He  IS  the  herald  of  the  morning,  and  the  clear  and  ringing  tones 
of  his  warning  voice  are  first  heard  to  awaken  slothful  man  to 
the  duties  of  the  day.     As  saith  the  quaint  old  legend — 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  17 

^'  The  cock  does  crow,  to  let  you  know, 
If  you  be  wise  what  time  to  rise." 

The  committee  are  aware  that  there  are  some  persons  in  this 
community  who  say  that  they  can  see  no  good  likely  to  result 
from  what  they  sarcastically  term  this  "  hen  fever."  These  are 
the  conservative  class,  those  worshippers  of  the  past,  who  op- 
pose all  innovations.  We  have  the  most  sanguine  belief  that 
this  dreaded  "  hen  fever"  is  producing  the  best  results.  They 
may  be  seen  in  the  exhibition  this  day  of  improved  races  of 
fowls,  and  if  it  did  not  savor  too  much  of  "counting  chickens 
before  they  are  hatched,"  we  would  confidently  predict  a  still 
better  show  another  year.  We  would  even  indulge  the  hope 
that  the  march  of  improvement  will  go  on  until  it  reaches  the 
performance  of  that  famous  fowl  we  read  about,  of  whom  it 
was  said,  that 

"  Every  day  she  laid  two  eggs, 
And  Sundays  she  laid  three." 

F.  POOLE,   Chahman. 

Daniel  Putnairi's  Statement, 

The  lot  of  fowls  presented  for  notice  to-day,  are  a  sample  of 
my  small  stock.  They  have  been  kept  entirely  confined  to  the 
henery.  Of  their  variety,  they  are  the  common  "  dunghill," 
crossed  with  the  Black  Spanish.  The  following  statement  of 
my  hens,  would  have  been  more  creditable,  had  not  some  one, 
on  the  night  of  the  10th  of  February,  entered  their  premises, 
and  selected  from  their  roost,  five  of  my  very  best  pullets.  I 
regret  that  I  cannot  give  you  the  name  of  the  person  who  took 
them — as  a  good  judge  of  hens — whose  knowledge,  if  honest- 
ly used,  might  be  of  service  to  the  society,  and  the  community. 

In  addition  to  the  food  estimated  in  my  statement,  I  would 
say  that,  during  the  warm  season,  they  are  supplied  with 
grass,  sorrel,  chickweed,  and  tops  of  vegetables,  as  freely  as 
they  will  eat.  Also  the  meat  of  several  calves,  killed  when  a 
few  days  old,  have  been  given  them.  They  are  daily  supplied 
with  fresh  water. 

It   may  be  stated    that    three  pullets,  hatched  the  12th  of 


18 


ESSEX    SOCIETY 


March    last,  commenced    laying,   at  the   average   age  of  four 
months  and  five  days,  and  have  laid  72  eggs. 

Septerabei  1st,  1850.  my  stock  consisted  of  one  crower, 
seven  hens,  and  thirty-one  chickens,  from  three  to  five  mouths 
old.  September  1st.  iS51.  of  one  crower.  ten  hens,  and  twen- 
ty-nine chickens,  from  two  and  a  half  to  five  and  a  half  months 
old. 


Number  of  eggs  laid 
in  each  month. 

94  esss. 
TO  ■■ 
33  -^ 
60  •' 
126  • 
16S     '• 


Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Jan. 

Feb. 

March 

April 

May 

June 

July 

Auff. 


173 
22>5 
198 

161 
ISO 
175 


Number  and  price 

of 

sggs 

sold. 

•2* 

dozen 

at 

33  cents 

per 

dozen 

S3 

20 

25 

■• 

5  00 

18 

(; 

20 

a 

3  60 

14 

C( 

IS 

C( 

2  52 

12 

161 

«. 

Si 

2  00 

^h 

16 

56 

6 

a 

14 

•> 

li 

84 

2 

'• 

12^ 

t: 

(( 

25 

7S  doz. 


S15  60 


3  hens  and  19  chickens  sold  for  SS  02. 


-1661  e22s — or.  13Si  doz. 


Number  of  chickens  raised 

Average  number  of  hens 

Average  number  of  eggs  laid  by  each  hen 

Average  price  of  eggs  j^r  doz.  sold 

Those  not  sold  are  valued  at 

Expense  of  keeping  one  year,  from   September  1st.  1S50.  to 
September  1st,  1S51  : 

To  13  bushels  of  corn  .         «s9  50 


3S 

9 
1S4 

20  cents. 
16  cents  per  doz^ 


Eggs  sold 


shorts       .... 

1  70 

millet       .... 

50 

sunflower  seeds 

1  50 

beets  and  turnips 

70 

75  pounds  soap  grease 

3  00 

S18  90 

$15  60 


ESSEX  SOCIETY,  19 


Hens  and  chickens  sold 
Value  of  chickens  nsed 
Value  of  eggs  used 
Value  of  manure 


Expense  of  keeping 


8 

02 

2 

77 

9 

60 

5 

00 

841 

99 

16 

90 

Profit 825  09 

North  Danveks.  Sept.  2oth.  1S51. 


Dairy  Products. 

The  several  parcels  of  butter,  and  the  statements,  were  num- 
bered, arid  the  premiums  were  awarded  before  the  committee 
knew  by  whom  the  butter  was  made.  The  following  are  the 
statements  of  the  successful  competitors. 

John    Preston's   Statement. 

I  present  a  jar  containing  twenty-eight  pounds  of  June  but- 
ter, a  sample  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  pounds,  made 
from  the  milk  of  four  cows,  from  June  1st  to  July  9th. 

Also,  a  box  of  fifteen  pounds  of  September  butter,  a  speci- 
men of  three  hundred  and  fifty-two  pounds,  made  from  May 
23  to  September  23.  from  the  same  cows.  We  have  used  and 
sold  four  quarts  of  milk  per  day.  It  is  probable  the  cows  did 
not  yield  so  large  a  quantity  within  the  above  named  dates  as 
they  might  have  done,  had  not  two  of  them  come  in  so  early 
as  February  2()th,  Previous  to  making  butter,  these  two  cows 
fattened  six  calves  for  the  butcher,  the  other  two  one  each, 
making  eight  calves  fattened  by  the  four  cows,  previous  to 
May  20th,  which  w^ere  sold  for  $51  20,  averaging  86  40  each. 
The  cows  have  had  common  pasture  till  August  1st,  since  then 
corn  fodder. 

Danvers,  Sept.  25,  1851. 

Jonathan  Berry's  Statement. 
1  present  twenty-five  pounds  of  June  butter,  being  a  sample 
of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds,   the  product   of  five 


20  ESSEX  SO(;iETY. 

cows,  from  the  20th  of  May  to  the  9th  of  July.  Also,  seven- 
teen pounds  of  September  butter,  a  specimen  of  six  hundred 
and  eighty  pounds,  made  from  the  20th  of  May  till  the  23d  of 
September,  from  seven  cows.  The  feed  of  the  cows  has  been 
a  common  pasture  ;  since  the  1st  of  August,  they  have  liad 
green  corn  fodder. 

MiDDLETON,  Sept.  25,  1851. 

Benjamin  T.  Lane's  Statement. 

I  present  one  pot  of  June  butter,  containing  twenty  pounds, 
being  a  sample  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-two  pounds,  made 
from  six  cows,  from  May  30  to  July  1.  Sold  and  used  in  the 
family,  five  quarts  of  milk  per  day.  Also,  one  box  of  Septem- 
ber butter,  containing  twenty-one  pounds,  a  sample  of  five  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one  pounds  from  the  same  cows,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  two  more,  one  the  2d  of  July,  and  one  the  14th  of 
July,  from  the  20th  of  May  to  the  20th  of  September ;  and  I 
sold  in  the  time  six  hundred  quarts  of  milk  and  ten  quarts  of 
cream,  and  averaged  one  quart  per  day  in  the  family.  The 
feed  of  the  cows  has  been  common  pasture,  until  the  10th  of 
August,  when  I  commenced  feeding  them  with  green  corn 
twice  a  day. 

Danvers,  Sept.  25,  1851. 

[Statements  respecting  the  process  of  butter-making,  by  Mr. 
Lane,  were  published  in  the  Transactioyis  of  Agricnltnral  So- 
cieties, for  1845,  and  by  Messrs.  Pope  and  Preston,  in  the 
volume  for  1849.] 

Paul  P.  Pillsburifs  Statement. 
1  present  three  cheeses,  weighing  sixty-five  pounds,  made 
from  the  milk  pf  two  cows.  In  the  month  of  July,  we  made 
nmety  pounds  of  new  milk  cheese,  and  sold  three  hundred  and 
twenty-six  quarts  of  milk  ;  from  the  1st  of  August  to  the  20th 
of  September,  we  sold  eight  hundred  quarts  of  milk,  making  in 
the  whole,  eleven  hundred  and  twenty-six  quarts  of  milk  all 
sold,  at  four  cents  per  quart,  ^45  04.  The  feed  of  the  cows 
was  grass  only.  They  calved  about  the  middle  of  May.  The 
age  of  the  cows  is,  one  four,  tiie  other  seven  years, 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  21 

Process  of  Making. — Set  the  milk  warm  from  the  cows  ; 
allow  one  gill  of  rennet  to  four  pails  of  milk  ;  let  it  remain  fif- 
teen minutes ;  cut  it  with  a  knife  that  will  reach  the  bottom 
of  the  tub  ;  let  it  remain  again,  until  the  whey  begins  to  appear  ; 
dip  it  into  a  basket  to  drain ;  put  it  into  a  cool  place  to  remain 
until  the  same  process  is  performed  again  ;  cut  the  several  curds 
in  small  pieces,  warm  them  in  whey  fifteen  minutes,  salt  wholly 
in  the  curd,  about  a  table  spoonful  of  salt  to  a  pail  full  of  milk  ; 
press  it  two  days,  turn  it  twice  a  day  ;  put  the  cheese  into  an 
airy  room,  and  turn  and  butter  them  once  a  day. 

Andover,  Sept.  25,  1851.  ^ 


Vegetable  Products. 

When  the  benefits  incident  to  this  culture  are  taken  into 
view,  it  is  quite  surprising,  that  it  is  not  more  general,  and  re- 
garded with  more  favor.  Many  instanc-s  have  come  to  our 
knowledge,  where  the  proprietor  of  half  a  dozen  acres  only,  has 
realized  more  net  profit  than  others  in  possession  of  a  hundred 
acres,  simply  because  of  the  superior  skill  in  the  application  of 
labor.  It  is  impossible  to  pass  through  the  country,  without  being 
strongly  impressed  with  the  fact,  that  not  one  quarter  of  the  lands 
can  be  said  to  be  cultivated  at  all ;  and  the  further  fact,  that 
they  are  susceptible  of  producing  at  least  four  times  as  much  as 
they  now  do.  It  is  idle  in  the  extreme,  to  think  of  abandoning 
our  own  soil,  for  the  more  fertile  prairies  of  the  west,  until  we 
have  tested  their  productive  powers  to  their  full  extent. 

Our  tables  have  been  loaded,  from  year  to  year,  with  squash- 
es of  every  form  and  variety,  with  quite  too  little  notice  of  this 
branch  of  culture.  On  looking  after  it  a  little,  we  find  in  the 
town  of  Marblehead,  and  other  places,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
profitable  crops  that  can  be  raised.  We  know  gentlemen, 
whose  statements  are  worthy  of  entire  confidence,  who  have 
assured  us  that  they  have  realized  two  hundred  dollars  from 
the  seeds  only  of  the  marrow  squash,  grown  on  a  single  acre, 
in  one  year.     The  substance  of  this  vegetable  is  nutritive  and 


'42  ESSEX  SOCIETY, 

agreeable  to  animals,  as  well  as  to  men;  it  therefore  must  be  an 
object  worthy  of  culture.  It  can  be  grown,  wherever  the  land 
is  in  good  condition,  and  the  vigilance  of  the  laborer  is  in  ad- 
vance OF  THE  BUGS.  We  Icam,  from  the  best  authority,  (Dr.  T. 
W.  Harris,  of  Cambridge,  Mass.,)  that  it  has  been  a  prevalent 
opinion  among  botanists,  that  pumpkins  and  squashes  were 
natives  of  the  eastern  continent,  from  whence  they  were  intro- 
duced into  America  by  Europeans.  But  he  is  satisfied  that  they 
did  not  begin  to  be  known  in  Europe,  before  the  discovery  of 
America;  and  that  various  kinds  of  them  were  found  by  the 
first  discoverers  and  first  settlers  in  different  parts  of  North  and 
South  America,  where  they  were  extensively  cultivated  by  the 
Indian  inhabitants  as  articles  of  food.  Several  kinds  had  been 
introduced  into  Europe,  before  the  settlement  of  New  England. 
In  England,  they  bore,  generally,  the  name  of  pumpkins,  from 
which  winter  squashes  were  not  particularly  distinguished  by 
name.  The  word  squash,  originally  applied  to  the  summer 
squashes,  is  derived  from  the  Indian  name  of  the  same  kind  of 
fruit,  as  we  learn  from  Roger  Williams  and  others.  They  were 
found  at  Montreal  in  1535,  at  Florida  in  1539,  at  Virginia  in 
1585,  at  Martha's  Vineyard  in  1603.  Our  fathers  made  great 
account  of  fruits  of  this  kind.  Says  Capt.  Johnson  : — '•  Let  no 
man  make  a  jest  of  pumpkins,  for  with  this  fruit  the  Lord  was 
pleased  to  feed  his  people  to  their  good  content,  till  corn  and 
cattle  were  increased."  So  we  see,  that  our  fathers  were  not 
limited  in  their  diet,  to  clams  and  fishes,  but  had  a   plenty  of 

SQUASHES,   ALSO. 

We  had  contemplated  remarks  on  other  classes  of  vegetables 
exhibited  ;  such  as  beets,  cabbages,  turnips,  carrots  and 
onions;  but  have  only  time  to  say,  that  the  splendid  strings  of 
onions  displayed  were  indicative  of  the  superlative  crops  of  the 
present  season  ;  which  have  grown  in  the  town  of  Danvers  and 
vicinity  alone,  one  hundred  thousand  barrels,  worth  at  least, 
as  many  dollars. 

J.  W.  PROCTOR,  Chairman. 

Thaddeus  W.  Harris's  Letter. 
J.  W.  Proctor,  Esq.,— Dear  Sir  :— Last  evening  your  box  and 
squashes  came  safe  to   hand.     I  am   much  obliged  to  you  for 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  23 

forwarding  them.  The  squashes  are  indeed  "  genuine,"  but 
not  the  old  Valparaiso,  introduced  by  Commodore  Porter,  some 
twenty-five  or  more  years  ago.  They  are  the  "autumnal  mar- 
row squashes,"  first  described  by  Mr.  Ives,  of  Salem,  and 
through  him  recommended  and  introduced  to  general  cultiva- 
tion in  this  vicinity,  and,  though  subject  to  vary  and  degener- 
ate by  mixture  with  other  kinds,  they  have  almost  excluded  the 
others  from  our  markets  by  reason  of  their  acknowledged  supe- 
riority. There  is,  indeed,  but  one  kind  which  can  compare 
with  them  in  goodness,  namely,  that  which  is  called  the  acorn 
SQUASH,  of  which  1  shall  be  happy  to  distribute  the  seeds.  The 
autumnal  marrow  squash  is  an  improved  variety,  apparently 
originating  from  Porter's  Valparaiso  squash.  It  was  first  culti- 
vated in  Northampton,  whence  Mr.  Ives  procured  the  seeds. 
This  summer,  I  raised  in  my  garden  a  squash  weighing  twenty- 
five  and  three  quarter  pounds,  and  three  feet  six  and  a  quarter 
inches  in  circumference.  From  my  own  recollection,  and  from 
descriptions  given  me  by  others,  I  believe  it  will  turn  out  to  be 
the  Porter  Valparaiso  squash.  The  color  is  Muish  green,  striped 
with  whitish  lines,  and  irregularly  varied  with  orange-colored 
blotches.  But  color  is  of  less  importance  and  less  constant  than 
other  characters.  This  squash  has  a  little  knob  at  the  blossom 
end,  formed  by  the  base  of  the  pistil,  which  remains  permanently 
attached.  In  most  other  kinds  of  squashes  the  pistil  falls  off 
with  the  blossom.  My  squash,  moreover,  seems  to  be  the  Cu- 
cuRBiTA  MAMMEATA,  dcscribcd  by  Molina,  as  a  native  of  Chili, 
and  named  on  account  of  the  nipple-like  tubercle  at  the  end. 
The  fruit-stem  is  precisely  like. that  of  the  autumnal  marrow 
squash,  which  also  is  surmounted  at  the  apex  by  a  little  tuber- 
cle. 

I  hear  very  little  complaint  of  potato-rot.  Sometime  in  the 
spring  or  summer  of  1849,  I  wrote  an  article  concerning  the  in= 
sects  supposed  to  produce  the  disease  in  potatoes,  and  made 
some  remarks  on  the  cultivation  of  these  vegetables,  and  on  the 
St.  Helena  variety.  My  article  was  printed  in  some  newspa- 
pers, but  I  have  in  vain  looked  for  it,  though  desirous  to  refer 
to  it  again.  I  suggested  that,  perhaps,  the  St.  Helena  potato 
might  be   constitutionally  so   vigorous   and   hardy,  as  in   great 


24  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

measure  or  wholly  to  resist  the  attacks  of  the  disease.  So  far 
as  I  can  learn,  my  suggestion  seems  to  be  verified. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  those  cultivators  who  have  observed 
the  prevalence  of  insects  on  their  potato-vines  this  summer,  will 
favor  the  public  with  the  results.  We  hope  to  have  accounts 
from  all  quarters  where  the  insects  have  prevailed,  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  crop  after  digging.  In  some  fields  in  this  vicinity, 
where  I  saw  the  black  flea-beetle  and  some  aphides  on  the  po- 
tato-vines, in  August,  I  do  not  hear  of  any  disease  having  been 
found  in  the  crop  when  dug.  It  was  feared  that  the  disease 
would  follow  the  cojuous  rain  that  fell  in  September;  but  the 
crop  does  not  seem  to  have  been  affected  thereby.  I  suspect 
that  when  farmers  make  their  returns,  if  they  speak  to  the  point 
in  full,  the  insect  theory  will  be  overthrown  entirely. 

Cambridge,  Mass.,  Nov.  6th.  1851. 


Cranberries. 

The  committee  of  vegetable  products  also  reported  on  this 
subject  as  follows  : — 

A  beautiful  specimen  of  the  cultivated  cranberry,  was  pre- 
sented by  J.  S.  Needham,  of  Danvers,  Mr.  Needham  and  his 
father  have  given  much  attention  to  this  subject,  and  demon- 
strated that  the  very  best  cranberries  may  be  raised  on  up- 
land. We  have  tested  their  cranberries,  and  know  this  to  be 
so.  We  hope  these  gentlemen  will  favor  the  society  with  a 
statement  in  detail,  of  their  culture,  as  it  is  an  object  for  which 
liberal  premiums  have  been  offered  for  years,  without  securing 
any  statement  aff'ording  a  distinct  guide  for  the  cultivation. 
One  thing  has  struck  us  as  worthy  of  special  notice,  on  viewing 
Mr.  N.'s  bed  of  cranberries,  that  is,  the  dressing  that  he  applies, 
about  the  plants  and  between  the  rows ;  which  is  pulverized 
mud  from  the  meadow,  so  as  to  completely  cover  the  ground. 
On  inquiring  the  reason  of  this,  we  were  told  it  was  essential  to 
the  perfect  growth  of  the  cranberry — that  the  mud  operated  like 
a  sponge  to  retain  the  moisture  necessary  to  support  the  plant. 
This  being  so,  indicates  very  clearly,  that  Nature  made  no  mis- 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  25 

take  in  growing  cranberries  on  meadow  land.  And  the  ques- 
tion is,  inasmuch  as  meadow  mud  is  indispensable  to  their 
growth,  whether  it  is  better  to  grow  the  plants  on  the  upland, 
and  bring  the  mud  to  them,  or  to  continue  to  grow  them  in  the 
meadow  and  keep  the  grasses  clear  from  them.  We  would 
not  speak  unkindly  of  the  upland  culture  of  the  cranberry — 
but  if  they  are  to  cost  five  dollars  a  bushel  on  the  upland, 
and  only  half  this  sum  on  the  meadow,  we  think  the  meadow 
will  continue  to  be  preferred,  by  those  who  would  pursue  the 
business  as  a  self-sustainins:  culture. 


Root  Crops. 
The  committee  have  awarded  the  premiums  as  follows  : — 
To  Lyman  Mason,  of  Beverly,  for  his  crop  of  cabbages,  ^6  00 
"  Josiah  Titcomb,  of  Byfield,  for  his  crop  of  onions,       6  00 
"  Richard  P.  Waters,  of  Beverly,  for  his  crop  of  carrots,  6  00 

An  entry  was  made  by  John  Bradstreet,  of  Danvers,  for  his 
crop  of  potatoes.  The  committee  regret  that  there  was  no 
premium  offered  by  the  society,  the  present  year,  for  potatoes, 
as  this  crop  is  certainly  worthy  of  one.  It  seemed  to  the  com- 
mittee that  Mr.  B.'s  success  in  raising  the  potato,  is  owing  in 
a  great  measure  to  his  thorough  mode  of  cultivation,  and  in  the 
selection  of  seed.  He  plants  in  the  old  fashioned  way,  putting 
a  shovel  full  of  barn-yard  manure  in  the  hill  ;  thinks  some 
farmers  mistake  in  making  the  hills  too  near  together,  and  put- 
ting too  much  seed  in  a  hill.  He  plants  mostly  his  seedlings, 
called  the  Danvers  Reds  ;  thinks  they  do  better  than  any  other 
kind  ;  has  tried  others  the  present  season.  We  saw  a  part  of 
his  crop  while  they  were  being  dug  ;  they  were  a  fine  speci- 
men, of  large  sound  potatoes,  averaging  a  bushel  to  sixteen 
hills. 

Knowing  Mr.  Bradstreet  to  be  a  man  of  much  experience 
and  observation  in  farming,  we  requested  him  to  give  us  a 
statement  of  his  crop,  and  as  particular  an  account  of  his  mode 
of  cultivation  as  practicable,  which  statement  is  herewith  sub- 
mitted. 

LEWIS  ALLEN,   Chairman. 
4 


26  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

Lyman  Mason's  Statement. 

Upon  forty-two  rods  of  loamy  soil,  manured  at  the  rate  of 
six  cords  to  the  acre,  one  half  leached  ashes,  and  one  half  barn 
manure,  I  have  gathered  two  hundred  and  sixty  bushels  of  car- 
rots, weighing  six  tons  and  a  half,  averaging  twenty-five  tons, 
and  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds  to  an  acre. 

Upon  one  acre  and  seven-eighths  of  loamy  soil,  manured  at 
the  same  rate  as  above,  I  have  gathered  twelve  hundred  and 
eighteen  bushels  of  onions,  of  full  growth  and  prime  quality. 
All  sold  in  Boston  market,  at  one  dollar  and  six  cents  to  fill  a 
barrel ;  making  a  total  of  five  hundred  and  forty-three  dollars, 
and  sixty-two  cents,  averaging  six  hundred  and  fifty  bushels, 
and  two  hundred  and  ninety  dollars  to  the  acre. 

Upon  two  acres  and  one  half  of  loamy  soil,  manured  the 
same  as  above,  I  have  gathered  eighteen  thousand  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  heads  of  cabbages,  which  have  brought  sev- 
enty-five cents  per  dozen,  amounting  to  eleven  hundred  thirty- 
four  dollars  and  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents,  averaging  seven 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty  heads,  and  four  hundred  fifty- 
Jhree  dollars  and  seventy-one  cents  to  the  acre. 

Beverly  Farms,  Nov.  15.  1851. 

Josiah  TitcomVs   Statement. 

I  employed  a  surveyor  to  measure  off  one  acre  of  my  ground, 
and  then  measured  the  onions  on  that  acre,  and  they  made 
seven  hundred  and  three  bushels. 

My  land  is  a  strong  loam  ;  a  part  of  the  land  has  been  sowed 
with  onions  four  years,  and  a  part  of  it  only  two  years.  I 
plough  very  shallow  in  the  spring,  and  put  on  the  ground  about 
four  cords  of  manure  to  the  acre.  I  sow  a  part  of  Danvers 
seed,  and  a  part  of  the  Old  Town  seed  ;  get  the  largest  crop 
from  the  Old  Town  seed,  the  earliest  from  the  Danvers  seed. 

Byfield,  Nov.  Uih,  1851. 

Orlando  Sonthwick^s  Statement. 
I  make  application  for  premium  on  a  crop  of  onions,  from 
land  measuring  one  hundred  and  four  rods,  yielding  three  hun- 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  27 

dred  and  ninety  bushels  of  onions,  of  large  size  and  excellent 
quality.  The  land  is  elevated,  with  generally  a  southern  ex- 
posure, and  upon  about  two-thirds  of  it  a  crop  of  onions  had 
been  raised  last  year  ;  on  the  remainder  this  was  the  first  crop 
of  this  vegetable.  The  cost  of  producing  this  crop  was  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Compost  manure,  (3-4  stable  manure  mixed  with  1-4 

night  soil,)  2  1-2  cords  at  $5       . 
200  bushels  leached  ashes  at  6  1-2  cents,  . 
Two  pounds  of  seed  valued  at 
Labor  valued  at       . 


$12 

50 

13 

00 

3 

00 

30 

00 

$58 

50 

$15G 

00 

58 

50 

Value  of  crop  as  above,  390  bushels,  at  40  cents, 
From  which  deduct  cost  of  production, 

Leaving  a  net  profit  of        .  .  .  .         $97  50 

Danvers,  Nov.  13//?,  1851. 

Richard  P.  Waters^s  Statement. 

I  offer  for  premium  a  crop  of  carrots,  raised  on  one  hundred 
and  twenty  square  poles  of  land.  By  careful  measurement, 
the  product  was  four  hundred  and  forty-two  baskets  ;  a  basket 
weight  sixty-four  pounds,  and  amounting  to  more  than  fourteen 
tons,  and  making  about  nineteen  tons  to  the  acre.  The  soil 
was  a  mixed  dark  and  yellow  loam  ;  had  been  fenced  off  from 
the  pasture  the  year  before,  and  planted  to  squashes  and  corn 
fodder,  and  received  but  a  light  dressing  of  manure. 

The  present  season  we  manured  it  with  three  cords  of  barn- 
yard manure,  the  scrapings  of  the  yard  after  we  had  finished 
our  planting,  and  ploughed  it  in,  the  latter  part  of  May.  It 
was  sowed  on  the  second  of  June,  the  rows  eighteen  inches 
apart,  with  one  pound  of  orange  and  one  quarter  pound  of  horn 
carrot  seed.  I  should  think  one-sixth  of  the  orange  seed  failed 
to  come  up,  and  on  these  vacant  spots  we  set  out  cabbages. 
The  piece  was  hoed  once  and  weeded  twice  by  hand.  The 
carrots  were  harvested  on  the  thirteenth  and  seventeenth   of 


28  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

November,  by  running  a  plough  parallel  with  the  rows,  within 
four  to  six  inches  of  the  carrots,  and  then  we  turned  them  out 
with  the  spade. 

EXPENSES    OF    CULTIVATION, 

Interest  on  land,          .             .             .             .             .  |5  00 

Three  cords  of  manure,           .              .              .              .  18  00 

Spreading  manure,  ploughing,  harrowing,  raking  and 

sowing,       .              .              .              .              .              .  6  00 

Seed,              .             .             .             .             .             .  1  25 

Hoeing,  weeding,  and  harvesting,       .              .              .  26  50 


|56  75 


Cherry  Hill  Farm,  Beverly,  Nov.  1851. 


John  Bradstrect^s  Statement. 
I  planted  three  bushels  of  two  kinds  of  seedlings,  tliat  I 
have.  They  were  planted  in  three  fields ;  had  fifty-four  bush- 
els ;  found  a  few  rotten  in  low  land.  I  consider  they  did  well 
for  these  kinds.  I  also  planted  twenty-eight  bushels  of  my 
red  seedlings  on  about  four  and  one  half  acres  of  land  ;  had 
eight  hundred  and  eighty  bushels,  yielding  a  bushel  to  every 
sixteen  hills,  and  a  fraction  over  thirty-one  bushels  from  one 
bushel  of  seed.  They  were  planted  in  four  different  fields, 
varying  from  the  fourth  to  the  twenty-eighth  of  May  ;  one 
field  was  the  highest  land  1  cultivate,  and  one  small  piece 
was  as  low  as  any.  The  seed  and  crop  were  measured.  I  give 
the  land  according  to  my  judgment.  They  are  old  fields,  that 
I  have  cultivated  many  times.  I  planted  one  piece  of  new 
sward  land,  which  1  consider  rather  preferable  for  potatoes,  less 
than  one  acre,  with  six  and  one  half  bushels  of  seed,  and  had 
two  inmdred  and  eight  bushels,  two  hundred  of  which  were  of 
merchantable  size,  and  all  were  sound.  I  never  raised  any  pota- 
toes that  would  yield  so  well,  under  every  circumstance,  as 
these.  Planted  early  or  late,  on  high  land  or  low,  good  or 
shallow,  whether  the  season  be  hot  and  dry,  or  wet  and  cold,  they 
have  always  done  well,  except  under  trees. 

I  plough  all  my  land  in  the  spring,  as  I  think  land  cannot  be 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  29 

too  light  for  this  crop.  I  harrow  all  my  ground  with  a  heavy 
iron-tooth  harrow,  only  a  day  or  two  before  I  furrow  ;  I  fur- 
row both  ways,  at  a  distance  that  a  plough  can  pass  each 
way.  I  think  many  people  err  by  having  too  many  hills, 
as  well  as  too  much  seed  in  the  hill.  I  commonly  plough 
about  six  inches  deep,  lowland  less  ;  I  put  all  my  manure  in 
the  hill,  one  shovel  full  to  the  hill.  I  prefer  at  least  one  half 
such  as  has  been  made  in  my  barn  yard  during  summer.  I  cart 
it  out  in  the  fall  in  heaps,  according  to  the  field  where  it  is  to 
be  used,  and  level  the  loads  to  make  the  heap  fiat.  I  like  to 
cart  out  my  winter  manure  as  early  in  the  spring  as  I  can,  and 
tip  it  on  top  of  the  other.  I  never  disturb  it  until  I  fill  it  to 
put  in  the  hill,  minding  to  mix  it  well  then.  To  my  certain 
knowledge,  there  has  not  been  one  heap  of  manure  forked  over 
on  my  farm  for  forty  years,  and  I  believe  my  crops  are  as  good 
as  others  in  my  vicinity.  I  know  some  will  say  that  this  ma- 
nure has  lost  all  its  strength,  and  is  about  worthless  ;  but  strange 
to  tell,  it  makes  my  potatoes  grow  well.  I  know  the  motto  now 
is,  to  cultivate  but  little  land  and  manure  high  ;  but  I  am  con- 
fident that  is  not  the  best  way  for  potatoes ;  they  do  not 
need  so  much  manure,  nor  that  of  the  strongest  kind.  As  for 
medicines  they  need  none,  and  all  that  is  applied  to  them  I  con- 
sider as  quackery  in  the  extreme. 

I  will  here  make  a  few  remarks  concerning  the  rot  in  pota- 
toes. As  to  the  great  cause,  or  why  it  so  differs  from  that  of 
former  years,  I  believe  no  man  can  solve  ;  but  I  do  believe 
some  preventives  may  be  practised  by  most  farmers,  with  but 
little  inconvenience  and  no  expense.  I  always  did  think,  and 
do  now,  that  the  weather  has  much  to  do  about  it ;  and  I 
should  think  the  result  of  the  two  last  seasons  was  sufficient 
to  convince  any  man  of  this.  Much  depends  on  the  seed, 
those  being  best  that  are  hardy  and  vigorous  by  nature.  With 
my  mode  of  planting,  I  have  succeeded  with  old  degenerated 
kinds,  to  that  degree  that  the  price  obtained  has  more  than 
remunerated  my  losses.  But  with  my  seedlings,  called  the 
Danvers  Reds,  my  success  has  been  complete.  Not  a  little,  in 
my  opinion,  depends  on  the  manure.  I  think  mud  a  bad  in- 
gredient, particulary  when  worked  over  by  hogs,  or  any  other 


30  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

strong  manure.  Something  too  depends  on  the  manner  of  cul- 
tivation, after  they  are  planted,  and  much  depends  on  the  land. 
That  which  is  mellow  and  porous,  is  by  far  better  than  that 
which  has  a  hard  pan. 

North  Danvers,  Nov..22d,  1851. 


Grain  Crops. 

There  is,  at  the  present  time,  no  subject,  which  is,  or  ought 
to  be.  more  interesting  to  the  farmers  of  Essex  County,  than 
the  cultivation  of  wheat  and  rye  crops,  which  have  been  con- 
sidered by  so  many  cultivators  of  the  soil  here,  so  liable  to 
blight,  as  to  be  unworthy  their  labor  and  attention.  But  the 
statements  of  claimants  for  the  premiums  now  offered  for  the 
best  experiments  on  these  grains,  and  others  heretofore  pub- 
lished in  the  transactions  of  the  Society,  tend  to  show,  if  they 
do  not  prove  conclusively,  that  such  notions  are  erroneous.  If 
the  soil  be  well  chosen,  well  pulverized,  and  well  manured,  a 
good  crop  of  winter  rye,  and  we  believe  winter  wheat  also,  can 
be  calculated  on  with  as  much  certainty  as  other  crops,  on 
which  our  cultivators  place  their  chief  reliance. 

It  is  certainly  of  great  importance  to  the  agricultural  pros- 
perity of  this  county,  that  the  farmers  should  be  able  at  least 
to  raise  sufficient  bread  stuff  for  their  own  consumption. 
Wheat  has  become  an  almost  indispensable  portion  of  the  diet 
of  the  people,  who  pay  very  seldom  less,  generally  more,  than 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  per  bushel  for  the  wheat,  which  in 
the  form  of  flour  they  purchase  and  consume.  Now,  if  such 
crops  of  wheat  as  have  of  late  years  rewarded  the  farmers  of 
Andover,  Methuen,  and  West  Newbiny,  can  be  getierally  ob- 
tained, viz.,  18,  22,  25,  28,  and  35  bushels  to  the  acre,  under  a 
culture  no  more  expensive  than  has  been  there  practised,  it 
must  be  obvious  that  it  promises  to  reward  the  cultivators,  as 
well  as  most  crops  on  which  they  have  hitherto  placed  their 
chief  dependence.  It  would  seem  that  it  is  spring  wheat 
which  has  brought  the  culture  of  it  into  disrepute.  It  did  so 
to  some  extent,  we  learn,  in  Maine,  where  the  culture  of  win" 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  31 

ter  wheat  is  now  so  successful.  Fall  sown,  or  what  is  called 
winter  wheat,  is,  as  far  as  we  learn,  everywhere  more  produc- 
tive and  less  liable  to  blight  and  other  causes  of  failnre  than 
that  which  is  sown  in  the  spring.  And  from  reason  and  anal- 
ogy, we  should  presume  it  would  be  so. 

Annual  weeds  injure  but  little  fall  sown  grain,  and  winter 
rye  is  certainly  more  productive  than  that  sown  in  the  spring. 
The  culture  of  wheat  in  England  and  on  the  Continent  of 
Europe,  on  soils  which,  like  our  own,  require  the  restoration  in 
the  form  of  manure  of  some  of  the  elements  of  fertility  in 
general,  or  which  are  specially  needed  by  wheat,  affords  better 
rules  for  our  study,  than  the  practice  of  those  in  our  own  country 
who  cultivate  virgin  soils.  I  see  no  reason  why  the  following, 
extracted  and  abridged  from  Low's  Elements  of  Agriculture,  are 
not  nearly  as  well  adapted  to  New  England  as  they  are  to  Old 
England.  After  enumerating  and  describing  the  various  kinds 
of  wheat  cultiyated  in  Great  Britain,  he  says:  "  Of  the  species 
which  have  been  enumerated,  greatly  the  most  important  in 
the  rural  economy  of  this  country  is  the  winter  wheat." 

"  Wheat  is  of  very  general  cultivation  on  all  classes  of  soils. 
But  the  soils  best  suited  to  it  are  those  which  are  more  or  less 
clayey.  So  peculiarly  is  wheat  suited  to  the  stiffer  soils  thai 
these  are  familiarly  termed  wheat  soils.  The  soils  of  the  light- 
est class  are  tlie  least  suited  to  wheat — and  are  better  devoted 
to/)ther  cereals,  rye,  oats,  &c.  As  wheat  is  the  most  valuable 
of  cereals,  so  it  requires  greater  care  to  produce  it.  It  is  an 
error  to  sow  with  a  corn  crop  any  land  which  is  out  of  order, 
but  this  error  is  greater  and  more  hurtful  in  the  case  of  wheat, 
than  of  the  other  cereals.  Wheat  is  always  sown  before  win- 
ter, when  the  land  can  be  prepared  to  receive  it.  The  best 
period  for  sowing  is  from  about  the  middle  to  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember. The  early  part  of  October  is  well  suited  to  the  sow- 
ing of  wheat,  and  it  may  be  continued  to  the  middle  of  Novem- 
ber. When  sown  broadcast  the  land  must  receive  several  har- 
rowings,  but  no  more  than  are  sufficient  to  cover  the  seed,  it 
being  better  in  the  case  of  wheat  that  there  be  a  certain 
roughness  of  the  clod.  No  sooner  is  the  harrowing  executed, 
than  the  land  is  to  be  water  furrowed  in  the  followinsr  manner  : 


32  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

The  common  plough  with  one  horse  is  to  pass  along  the  open 
furrow  and  then  along  the  open  furrows  of  the  head  lands,  and 
to  draw  open  furrows  into  such  hollows  of  the  field  as  water 
mi»ht  stagnate  in.  A  person  is  then  to  follow  with  a  spade, 
to-clear  out  the  open  furrows  of  the  head  lands,  to  make  chan- 
nels through  the  head  lands  to  the  ditch,  where  necessary — to 
clear  out  the  cross  furrows  to  the  hollows,  so  as  to  allow  the 
water  to  run — and  to  open  up  the  intersections  of  the  open 
furrows  and   those  of  the  head  lands." 

"  The  quantity  of  seed  usually  sown  is  from  two  to  three 
bushels  to  the  acre.  In  case  of  summer  fallow,  the  quantity 
need  not  exceed  two  bushels  (and  so  likewise  in  well  manured 
land  from  which  a  summer  crop  has  been  taken.)  In  the  spring 
about  three  bushels  are  sown.  The  seeds,  previous  to  being 
sown,  undergo  an  operation  peculiar  to  wheat  —  termed  pick- 
ling or  steeping — to  prevent  a  disease,  termed  smut.  The  best 
substance  that  can  be  employed  for  this  purpose  is  stale  urine. 
A  very  strong  pickle  of  salt  dissolved  in  water,  may  be  used, 
but  salt  brine  is  not  quite  so  secure  a  means  of  destroying  the 
infection,  as  urine.  The  process  of  steeping  may  be  thus  per- 
formed. Let  a  tub  be  provided,  and  partly  filled  with  urine, 
and  let  a  quantity  of  wheat,  as  a  bushel,  be  put  in  at  a  time. 
Let  the  wheat  be  well  stirred,  and  all  the  lighter  grains,  &c., 
skimmed  carefully  off,  and  thrown  aside  as  useless.  The 
wheat  should  remain  from  five  to  ten  minutes,  but  never  more 
than  ten  minutes,  in  the  pickle.  The  successive  portions  of 
wheat  thus  pickled  are  to  be  allowed  to  drain  a  little,  and  then 
to  be  laid  on  the  barn  floor  in  layers,  hot  lime  (lime  slacked  at 
the  time,)  being  at  the  time  sifted  upon  each  layer.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  lime  is  to  dry  the  grain,  which  should  be  carried 
immediately  to  the  field  and  sown.  When  from  any  cause  it 
is  not  practicable  to  sow  the  wheat  for  a  day  or  two,  it  should 
be  spread  thinly  on  the  floor,  but  never  kept  in  sacks,  lest  it 
ferment  and  its  vegetative  powers  become  injured." 

[Grain  perfectly  clear  and  free  from  smut,  may  do  well  with- 
out undergoing  this  process.  But  the  fertilizing  effect  of  this 
steeping  may  more  than  compensate  for  the  expense,  and  render 
assurance  doubly  sure  against  the  disease  in  question.] 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  33 

''  Wheat  sometimes  becomes  too  luxuriant  in  spring,  espe- 
cially when  sown  early — and  then  it  is  apt  to  become  lodged 
and  run  to  straw  more  than  to  produce  grain.  In  this  case  it 
may  be  pastured,  for  a  short  time,  with  sheep." 

"  The  produce  of  the  crop  varies  greatly  with  the  seasons, 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  and  the  mode  of  cultivation.  A  fair 
crop  may  be  held  to  be  thirty  bushels  per  acre.  The  average 
crop  of  England  does  not  perhaps  exceed  twenty-two  bushels, 
and  that  of  Scotland  twenty-five.  The  weight  of  the  straw 
is  reckoned  to  be  about  double  to  that  of  grain.  As  provender, 
that  is  feed  for  cattle,  wheat  straw  is  considered  inferior  to 
that  of  oats — better  than  that  of  barley.  In  other  countries 
of  Europe,  it  is  that  which  is  most  esteemed  for  provender, 
being  generally  reduced  to  chaff.  Wheat  is  subject  to  various 
accidents,  and  diseases,  and  insects,  some  of  them  peculiar  to 
itself."  But  as  no  remedy  for  any  of  these,  except  the  smut,  is 
suggested  by  our  author,  we  here  close  our  quotations  and  refer 
the  reader  to  the  book  itself  for  many  other  interesting  remarks. 

The  remarkable  success  of  Benjamin  Rogers,  of  Andover, 
renders  his  statement  specially  interesting.  The  use  of  leached 
ashes,  which  contain  much  lime  and  plaster  of  Paris,  is  well 
worthy  of  notice.  Farmers  in  many  parts  of  Essex,  we  know, 
have  little  faith  in  the  value  of  the  latter  article  as  a  manure, 
but  they  may  be  in  an  error.  The  effect  of  gypsum  is  un- 
doubtedly greater  and  more  obvious  in  some  places  than  in 
others.  But  it  by  no  means  follows  that  it  does  no  good  in  the 
latter  places.  It  may  well  remunerate  for  the  expense  which  is 
comparatively  trifling,  where  its  benefits  are  not  obvious,  and 
we  should  recommend  its  use  in  all  cases  on  wheat  land,  in 
addition  to  other  measures.*  Ashes,  leached  or  unleached, 
should  not  be  omitted.  Unleached  ashes  are  often  too  caustic 
when  applied  fresh  to  growing  plants  in  too  large  quantities. 
Hence,  with  many,  they  are  in  less  repute  than  leached  ashes. 
But  since  we  know  that  potash  makes  an  excellent  compost 
manure  with  meadow  mud,  we  must  believe  that  the  soap 
boiler  extracts  from  ashes   what  is  far  more  valuable  to   the 

*  Plaster  of  Paris,  on  my  farm  in  Middlelon,  has  not  j^enernll}'  produced  obvious  effecU. 
But  lliere  we  have  seen  its  beueiil  most  decidedly  on  beans  and  onions. 


34  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

farmer,  than  the  lime  is,  which  he  adds  to  them.  Clayey  lands 
are  best  suited  to  wheat  crops.  Hence  we  infer  that  clay  on 
light  sandy  soils  would  prove  an  excellent  manure  for  wheat. 
It  is  well  worth  the  experiment,  and  should  it  prove  beneficial, 
the  railroads  which  pass  through  clay  beds  might  be  advan- 
tageously used,  to  convey  it  to  lighter  soils  in  the  vicinity  of 
their  lines.  It  would  doubtless  more  permanently  benefit  such 
lands  than  more  costly  and  more  perishable  manures. 

Rye.  On  the  culture  of  Rye,  the  statements  of  the  claim- 
ants now  before  ns,  are  unusually  valuable.  They  come  from 
different  parts  of  the  county,  and  show  a  difference  in  the 
preparation  of  the  land,  the  quantity  of  seed  sown,  and  in  the 
product  obtained,  worthy  of  careful  study  and  consideration. 
For  more  convenient  reference  we  have  reduced  their  results  to 
a  tabular  form. 

E.  Brown,     1  acre,  seed  H  bush.  Prod.  48|  bush,  or  2796|  lbs. 


D.  Cogswell  1  " 

u 

1 

a 

(( 

381 

ii 

2329 

A.  Page 

1  " 

a 

3 

a 

u 

39 

li 

2262 

B.  Adams 

1  " 

li 

n 

ii 

u 

36| 

u 

2124 

N.  Tapley 

1  " 

u 

1 

11 

u 

241 

(( 

1403^ 

"         "        "  "       "       "  straw  3700     "       "  "        " 

The  experiments  of  Messrs.  Page  and  Tapley,  both  of  Dan- 
verS;  show  in  a  strong  light  the  difference  in  value  of  crops  of 
fall  and  spring-sown  grain.  These  fields  were  examined  by  a 
part  of  the  Committee,  before  the  rye  was  harvested.  The 
soil  of  the  different  fields  was  very  similar,  naturally  a  light 
gravelly  or  sandy  loam.  It  would  be  difficult  to  say  which  was 
best  manured  or  cultivated,  and  it  is  decidedly  the  opinion  of 
the  committee,  that  had  Mr.  Tapley  sown  fall  instead  of  spring 
grain,  he  would  have  obtained  as  large  a  crop  as  Mr.  Page,  who 
obtained,  by  cradling  too,  thirty-nine  bushels  to  the  acre,  while 
Mr.  Tapley,  who  reaped  his,  obtained  only  24  1-3. 

The  very  extraordinary  yield  of  Mr.  Brown's  acre  of  land, 
on  Marblehead  Neck,  indicates  that  either  the  sea  air  or  sea 
shore  manures,  kelp,  &c.,  are  peculiarly  suited  to  this  crop.  In 
estimating  the  value  of  a  crop  of  rye,  the  straw  is  an  item  of 
no  small  importance.  Mr.  Brown  sold  the  straw  of  his  acre, 
in  Boston,  for  twenty-eight  dollars. 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  35 

Thaer,  the  celebrated  German  writer  on  agriculture,  goes 
into  some  curious  calculations  to  deduce  the  produce  in  straw 
from  that  of  the  grain.  He  says,  that  the  proportion  of  grain 
to  straw  varies 

In  rj^e,  from  38  to  42  in  100.     In  wheat,  from  48  to  52  in  100. 
In  barley  "    62  "  64  "     "        In  oats,         •'     60  "■  62  "     " 

It  will  be  seen  on  examining  the  statement  of  Mr.  Brown, 
and  calculating  the  results,  that  his  crop  gave  grain  52  to  straw 
100.  and  Mr.  Tapley's  gave  grain  51  to  straw  100. 

Indian  Corn.  Adino  Page's  statement  shows  not  so  large  a 
product,  to  be  sure,  as  has  been  frequently  presented  by  claim- 
ants in  former  years  ;  but  when  we  consider  the  nature  of  the 
soil,  and  the  drought  of  the  season,  at  the  very  time  that  corn 
crops  are  most  injured  by  the  want  of  rain,  we  think  his  exper- 
iment quite  as  valuable  as  any  that  has  preceded  it.  The  land 
on  which  this  crop  of  Indian  corn  was  raised,  is  on  the  north- 
western margin  of  a  somewhat  extensive  plain,  which  is  a 
prairie  in  miniature,  bounded  on  the  north,  west,  and  south- 
west, by  hills,  composed  of  a  stone  form -tion  which  is  a  vari- 
ety of  sienite,  possessing  some  peculiar  characteristics,  not 
however  such  as  are  particularly  interestuig  in  an  agricultural 
view,  further  than  is  necessary  to  explain  the  peculiar  nature  of 
the  soil  and  subsoil  of  this  region.  The  rock  is  composed  of 
felspar,  quartz  and  hornblend,  much  the  largest  part  of  it 
being  a  greenish  felspar,  which  contains  a  large  percentage  of 
potash.  This  rock,  wherever  it  has  been  for  ages  exposed  to 
atmospheric  influences,  has  become  extensively  disintegrated 
and  crumbled  into  a  coarse  rough  gravel,  and  forms  the  subsoil 
of  the  land  under  consideration.  This  subsoil  is  a  complete 
filter,  through  which  the  water  which  falls  in  rain  on  this  plain, 
and  on  the  hill  sides  around  it,  percolates,  is  filtered,  and  be- 
comes purified  in  a  much  higher  degree  than  spring  water  gen- 
erally found  in  other  places.  This  plain,  we  have  said,  is  a 
prairie  in  miniature.  It  was  formerly  the  bottom  of  a  lake. 
And  this  corn  field  was  on  the  margin,  where  the  alluvial 
deposit  is  shallow,  and  so  constituted  as  to  drain  off"  all  the 
water  that  falls  upon  it.  On  this  naturally  barren  soil  —  on 
land  which,  if  suffered  again  to  become  exhausted,  would  not 


36  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

sell  for  thirty  dollars  an  acre,  by  deep  ploughing,  liberal  manur- 
ing, and  clean  culture,  over  eighty  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre 
has  been  obtained.  And  this,  we  think,  is  more  encouraging 
to  farmers  generally,  than  those  experiments  on  the  best  soils 
in  the  county,  where  have  been  raised  one  hundred  bushels  to 
the  acre.  The  tillage  of  this  crop  was  entrusted  chiefly  to  the 
paupers  of  the  establishment,  it  being  on  the  Danvers  alms- 
house farm,  and  the  corn  was  hilled  more  than  the  best  man- 
agement would  justify.  This  was  the  only  fault  which  those 
of  the  Committee  who  saw  the  crop  on  the  field,  noticed.  No 
weeds  were  allowed  to  grow  among  this  corn,  which,  therefore, 
received  the  entire  monopoly  of  the  manure. 

Mixed  Crop.  The  statement  of  P.  P.  Pillsbury,  of  Andover,  of 
a  Mixed  Crop  of  corn  and  beans,  although  it  did  not  come  exactly 
within  the  list  of  premiums  referred  to  this  Committee,was  deem- 
ed of  sufl[icient  importance  to  merit  their  attention,  and  worthy  a 
gratuity  from  the  Society.  Mixed  crops  have  not  received  that 
attention  from  farmers  of  this  county  which  they  probably 
deserve.  The  mixed  crop  of  corn  and  potatoes,  for  which  an 
unclaimed  premium  has  been  offered,  certainly  promises  to 
reward  well  the  experimenter.  The  potato  rot,  instead  of  dis- 
couraging the  trial,  seems  to  us  to  ofl"er  additional  inducements 
to  crop  our  lands  in  this  manner.  At  the  price  which  potatoes 
now  command,  should  they  not  rot,  the  acre  would  with  cer- 
tainly prove  much  more  productive  of  income  than  it  would  if 
planted  with  corn  alone.  And  if  they  should  rot,  the  cultiva- 
tor would  not  lose  liis  labor  as  when  he  cultivates  potatoes, 
which  rot  alone;  for  the  corn  would  not  be  injured,  but 
most  probably  benefitted  by  the  manure  bequeathed  it  by  its 
dying  partner  in  occupancy. 

By  planting,  as  Washington  did,  the  corn  eight  feet  by  two, 
and  the  potatoes  in  the  same  manner  in  alternate  rows,  it  will 
be  perceived  that  the  same  number  of  hills  is  obtained  of  each, 
as  would  be  of  corn  or  potatoes  alone,  when  planted  four  feet 
apart  each  way.  That  more  manure  would  be  required  or 
profitably  used  for  the  double,  than  for  the  single  crop,  is  doubt- 
less true ;  and  that  the  soil  is  composed  of  elements,  some  of 
which  are  consumed  much  less  by  the  one  vegetable  than  by 
the  other,  is  also  a  well  established  fact  in  agricultural  philoso- 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  37 

phy.  Hence  we  infer,  that  a  mixed  crop  can  be  obtained  in 
one  year  from  the  acre  of  land,  of  greater  value  than  a  crop  of 
either  of  the  plants  alone,  but  at  the  expense  of  greater  exhaus- 
tion of  fertility  of  course.  Farmers  have  long  been  in  the 
habit  of  raising  mixed  crops  of  some  of  the  following  vegeta- 
bles:  Indian  corn,  pumpkins,  beans,  turnips,  &c.,  without  so 
noting  the  gain  or  loss  thereby,  as  to  afford  any  important  in- 
formation to  themselves  or  others,  in  regard  to  the  utility  of 
such  management.  It  is  certainly  very  desirable  these  experi- 
ments should  be  so  managed  as  to  establish  the  true  value  of 
the  practice.  Mixed  crops  of  the  cereals,  such  as  wheat  and 
oats,  wheat  and  rye,  &c.,  have  been  much  approved  in  some 
districts  of  New  England,  and  may  be  well  worthy  of  further 
experiments.  But  there  are  mixed  crops  too  frequently  seen 
everywhere  around  us,  which  all  good  amateur  or  practical 
farmers  decidedly  condemn.  These  are  mixed  crops  of  Indian 
corn,  potatoes,  or  some  of  the  above  named  vegetables,  with 
Roman  wormwood,  and  a  variety  of  other  weeds,  which  add 
nothing  whatever  to  the  profits  of  agricultural  operations. 
Farmers  of  Essex  county,  how  long  will  you  tolerate  such 
culture  ? 

The  Committee  award  the  following  premiums  : 

To  Benjamin  Rogers,  of  Andover,  for  wheat,      -         -     $6  00 

"  Ephraim  Brown,  of  Marblehead,  for  rye,        -         -       6  00 

"  Adino  Page,  of  Danvers,  for  Indian  corn,      -         -       6  00 
"  Paul  P.  Pillsbury,  of  Andover,  for  a  mixed  crop  of 

corn  and  beans,  a  gratuity  -         .         -         -       6  00 

ANDREW  NICHOLS,  Chairman. 

Benjamin  Rogers^s  Statement. 
I  offer  for  premium  a  crop  of  winter  wheat,  called  white 
flint,  measuring  forty-one  and  a  half  bushels  from  one  bushel 
and  three  pecks  of  seed,  sowed  on  one  acre  and  twenty-five 
and  four-tenths  rods  of  land.  This  land  has  a  northwesterly 
descent  of  twelve  to  twenty  feet.  The  soil  varies  from  a  light 
sandy  loam,  to  meadow  mud  ;  the  lowest  part  being  so  wet, 
that  I  was  obliged  to  dig  a  ditch  the  length  of  the  field  to 
drain  the  land. 


38  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

Last  year  this  piece  of  land  produced  about  one  ton  of  hay. 
Soon  after  it  was  mowed,  it  was  ploughed  with  a  large  plough, 
at  least  eight  inches  deep,  and  five  cords  of  manure  spread  and 
thorouo-hly  harrowed — the  manure  used  was  such  as  is  made  in 
hog-pens  from  meadow  mud,  loam  and  barn  manure  ;  the  seed 
was  sowed  and  covered  with  a  harrow,  and  rolled  on  the  thir- 
teenth of  September  ;  on  the  first  of  May  following,  thirty 
bushels  of  leached  ashes  were  spread,  and  in  June,  two  bushels 
of  plaster  of  Paris. 

Andover,  Oct.  IS,  1851. 

Henry  Poor^s  Statement. 

I  present  for  premium,  samples  of  white  flint,  and  blue  stem 
winter  wheat.  Of  the  white  flint,  I  measured  an  exact  acre, 
which  produced  twenty-six  bushels  clear  wheat.  Of  the  two 
varieties,  it  may  be  difficult  to  judge  which  has  the  greatest 
intrinsic  value  for  flouring  purposes,  they  both  being  of  the 
same  weight,  sixty  pounds  to  the  bushel. 

The  "  blue  stem,"  derives  its  name  from  the  blue  shade  of 
the  straw,  before  and  after  it  is  ripe,  while  the  other  is  of  a 
golden  color.  The  "  Patent  Office  reports  "  from  various  sec- 
tions of  the  country,  report  more  favorably  for  "  Soule's  blue 
stem,"  than  any  other  variety. 

After  several  years  of  successful  experiments,  I  trust  I  shall 
be  pardoned  in  bringing  once  more  to  your  notice,  this  much 
neglected  and  all  important  branch  of  agriculture  in  New  Eng- 
land. I  think  it  no  dream  of  fancy,  that  the  time  is  nigh  at 
hand,  when  the  New  England  farmer  will  raise  his  own  bread, 
and  to  spare — and  here,  I  would  ask,  what  obstacles  are  in  his 
way  ?  Should  he  lack/o27/«,  and  the  little  he  might  have,  need 
confirmation,  let  him  visit  this  neighborhood,  or  extend  his 
inquiries  into  Maine.  We  all  know,  good  soil  and  manure  are 
indispensable  in  producing  any  crop.  How  little  value  in  com- 
parison with  wheat,  are  all  the  small  grains  which  every  farmer 
cultivates.  No  particular  art  or  skill  is  required  in  cultivating 
wheat.  Where  general  information  is  had  on  the  subject,  we 
need  not  fear  results. 

Andover,  Sept.  23,  1851. 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  39 


Ephraim    Browii's    Statement. 

I  herewith  submit  a  statement  of  a  crop  of  Rye,  raised  on 
one  acre  of  land,  on  my  farm,  on  Marblehead  Neck.  The  land 
had  been  several  years  in  grass,  which  became  very  much 
rooted  out  by  the  tivitch-grass,  and  in  the  spring  of  1849,  I 
broke  it  up,  and  manured  it  with  a  very  liberal  dressing  of  rot- 
ten kelp,  spread  on  the  top  of  the  furrows  and  harrowed  in, 
then  planted  it  with  marrow  squashes  ;  after  gathering  the 
squashes  in  the  fall,  I  cross  ploughed  it  again,  in  order  to  ex- 
pose the  roots  of  the  twitch-grass  to  the  frost,  which  in  a  great 
measnre  subdued  it.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  I  ploughed  it 
once,  harrowed  it  down,  and  spread  on  again  a  very  liberal 
dressing  of  rotten  kelp,  which  I  ploughed  in,  and  then  j)lanted 
it  with  potatoes,  which  I  dug  in  September,  and  the  last  week 
in  that  month  I  ploughed  it  and  sowed  it  with  one  and  a  half 
bushels  of  winter  rye.  Not  thinking  of  entering  this  crop  for 
a  premium,  I  was  not  particular  to  ascertain  the  exact  quantity 
of  manure  used,  but  I  matuired  liberally,  \  robably  six  to  eight 
loads  to  the  acre.  The  rye  was  reaped  the  last  week  in  July, 
and  housed  the  first  week  in  August,  and  after  it  had  been  in 
the  barn  about  a  week,  I  had  it  thrashed  out,  and  cleaned  up, 
and  measured  from  the  mill,  and  found  it  forty-eight  bush- 
els, and  one  peck,  weighing  fifty-eight  pounds  to  the  bushel. 
The  straw  weighed  .5295  lbs.  which  I  sold  as  follows :  The 
first  load,  2200  lbs.  sold  for  $10  per  ton,  the  second  load,  3095 
lbs.  sold  for  $11  per  ton,  total  |28  02. 

The  labor  employed  on  this  land,  has  been  nothing  more 
than  is  usually  employed  in  cultivating  land  in  this  way. 

Marblehead,  Oct.  25,  1851. 

David  CogswelVs  Statement. 
I  send  you  a  sample  of  rye,  raised  by  me,  on  one  acre  of 
land,  from  one  bushel  of  sowing.  The  land  is  a  side  hill,  the 
highest  part  is  gravel  mixed  with  loam,  and  the  residue  is  good 
soil.  It  was  broke  up  in  the  spring  of  1849,  and  planted  with 
potatoes,  with  two  and  a  half  cords  of  barn  manure,  and  one 
barrel  Guano.     In  1850,  it  was  planted  with  potatoes,  five  cords 


40  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

of  manure  ploughed  in  ;  in  September,  the  same  year,  was 
sowed  down  with  one  bushel  of  rye  and  grass  seed,  without 
manure.  It  was  reaped  in  August,  1851,  and  all  cleaned  like 
the  sample,  and  measured  thirty-eight  and  a  half  bushels, 
weighing  sixty  and  one  half  pounds  to  the  bushel  ;  the  straw 
has  not  been  weighed ;  I  should  judge  there  was  one  and  a  half 
tons, 

Ipswich,  >S'ejo^.  24,  1851. 

Adino  Page's   Statement. 

I  present  for  your  examination,  the  product  of  a  field  of  win- 
ter rye,  on  the  town  farm  in  Danvers.  The  soil  on  which  it 
grew,  is  about  an  average  quality  with  that  of  the  farm,  known 
to  be  shallow,  light  and  gravelly. 

Where  the  rye  grew,  it  was  broken  up  in  1849,  and  planted 
with  corn.  In  1850,  it  was  well  manured,  and  planted  with 
potatoes  ;  yielded  a  fair  crop,  most  of  which  rotted,  as  did  the 
others  grown  on  the  farm.  It  was  ploughed  the  latter  part  of 
September,  deep,  with  two  pair  of  cattle,  and  the  rye  was  sown 
on  the  fourth  of  October.  It  came  up  and  looked  well  through 
the  winter.  A  little  over  one  and  a  half  bushels  of  seed  was 
sown  on  the  piece,  containing  two  acres  and  nine  poles.  The 
field  yielded  eighty  bushels,  weighing  fifty-eight  pounds  to  the 
bushel,  of  as  handsome  rye  as  I  ever  saw.  The  straw  was 
upright  and  fair. 

Danveus,  Sept.    1,  1851. 

Richard  Adamses  Statement. 

I  oifer  for  premium  a  crop  of  winter  rye,  raised  on  one  acre 
and  eight  rods  of  land,  being  thirty-eight  bushels  and  nineteen 
quarts  and  a  half,  or  at  the  rate  of  thirty-six  bushels,  and 
242*j-  quarts  to  the  acre. 

The  soil  is  a  dark  loam,  which  was  manured  in  the  spring  of 
1850,  with  eight  cords  of  barn  manure,  and  a  crop  of  potatoes 
raised  thereon.  No  additional  manure  was  used.  On  the  first 
week  in  October,  the  land  was  sowed  with  a  bushel  and  a  half 
of  winter  rye,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  July,  1851,  the  crop  was 
harvested. 

Newbury,  Sept.  24,  1851. 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  4i 

Nathan    Tapley^s    Statement. 

I  herewith  send  a  sample  of  rye,  grown  on  a  piece  of  ground 
viewed  by  you  before  harvested.  The  product  of  the  same 
was  thirty-two  and  one  half  bushels.  The  measurement  of 
the  land  is  one  acre  and  fifty-five  poles.  Onions  had  been  cul- 
tivated on  the  land  for  a  number  of  years,  and  believing  that  a 
change  of  crop  would  be  beneficial,  in  the  spring,  as  soon  as 
the  land  was  sufficiently  dry  to  work,  I  ploughed  it,  and  sowed 
five  pecks  of  seed  on  the  furrow  and  harrowed  it  in.  I  put  a 
sprinkling  of  compost  manure  on  about  one  half  of  the  piece 
where  I  thought  it  most  needed.  I  am  aware  that  the  number 
of  bushels  per  acre,  unless  there  is  some  distinction  between 
spring  and  winter  rye,  does  not  come  up  to  the  requirements 
for  a  premium,  but  the  quality  I  think  very  fine.  I  sold  it  at 
ninety  cents  per  bushel,  except  three  or  four  bushels  reserved 
for  family  use.  I  have  sold  thirty-two  hundred  weight  of  straw, 
it  being  very  clear,  and  good  for  bunching  onions,  at  fifty  cents 
per  hundred  at  the  barn,  and  have  about  five  hundred  weight 
now  on  hand,  making  thirty-seven  hundred  pounds  in  all, 
amounting  to  eighteen  dollars  and  fifty  cents  for  the  straw,  and 
twenty-nine  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents  for  the  grain. 

Danvers,  Oct.  1,  1851. 

Adino  Pagers  Statement. 
I  present  for  your  examination,  one  and  a  half  acres  of  corn. 
Where  the  corn  grew,  grass  was  mown  in  1850,  less  than  half 
a  ton  of  poor  hay  to  the  acre.  After  the  mowing,  I  put  on 
eight  cords  of  compost  manure,  and  ploughed  it  in.  In  the 
spring,  I  cross-ploughed  the  lot  about  two  inches  deeper,  than 
in  the  fall ;  I  furrowed  it  only  one  way,  four  feet  apart,  and 
planted  the  hills  three  feet  apart,  applying  about  two  cords  of 
fine  manure  in  the  hills.  At  the  time  of  hoeing,  it  was  con- 
siderably eaten  by  worms ;  I  thinned  it  out  to  four  stocks  to 
the  hill.  It  grew  luxuriantly  until  the  drought  in  the  last  of 
July  and  first  of  August.  It  then  rolled  so  much,  that  I  feared 
the  crop  would  be  small.  It  afterwards  revived,  and  when 
gathered,  it  yielded  two  hundred  and  twenty-three  baskets  of 
6 


42  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

fair  sound  corn — and  twenty-four  baskets  of  ordinary  quality. 
T  estimate  the  produce  to  have  been  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  bushels  of  corn. 
Danvers,  Oct.  6,  1851, 

Paul  P.  Pillsbury^s  Statement. 

I  submit  the  following  facts,  relating  to  the  cultivation  of  a 
mixed  crop  of  corn  and  beans,  on  my  farm  in  Andover.  The 
crop  which  I  offer  for  premium,  was  the  produce  of  one  acre. 
The  land  was  broken  up  in  the  fall  of  1849,  and  planted  in 
1850,  with  corn.  Twenty  common  cart  loads  of  manure 
spread  on  to  the  acre.     Crop  about  fifty  bushels  per  acre. 

In  the  spring  of  1851,  there  were  fifteen  cart  loads  of  barn  man- 
ure spread  to  the  acre  and  ploughed  in  ;  then  the  land  was  har- 
rowed, furrowed,  and  manured  with  eight  cart  loads  of  compost 
manure  to  the  acre.  On  the  twentieth  of  May,  I  planted  with 
the  Golden  Sioux  corn,  with  from  three  to  four  kernels  to  the 
hill,  and  the  same  number  of  beans.  Hills  three  and  a  half  feet 
apart  each  way.  Hoed  twice.  The  stalks  cut  first  of  Septem- 
ber. Corn  harvested  first  week  in  October,  and  the  crop  was 
one  hundred  and  forty-one  and  a  half  baskets,  full  of  ears  of 
corn,  weighing  forty-one  pounds  to  the  basket,  and  one  basket 
full,  of  equal  weight  and  measure,  kept  until  the  first  of  Nov- 
ember, gave  eighteen  quarts  of  shelled  corn.  The  corn  when 
harvested  was  sound  and  dry,  a  sample  of  which  was  presented 
at  the  Cattle  Show  in  September.  There  were  six  bushels  of 
white  beans  on  the  acre. 

The  following  is  the  amount  of  labor  done  this  season  upon 
this  crop.  Two  men  and  one  yoke  of  oxen,  one  day  and  a 
half  hauling  and  dropping  manure,  one  man  and  one  yoke  of 
oxen  one  day  ploughing  and  furrowing,  one  man  and  a  boy 
one  day  planting,  hoeing  twice,  five  days  labor,  cutting  and 
binding  stalks  two  days  labor,  harvesting  corn  and  beans,  seven 
days  labor. 

The  soil  is  a  brown  loam.  Land  valued  at  fifty  dollars  per 
acre. 

Andover,  Nov.  3,  1851. 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  43 

Experiments  on  Manures. 

Great  diversity  of  opinion  has  been  entertained  ."  y  farmers 
respecting  the  best  method  of  applying  manure  to  the  gro.ving 
crops.  While  some  have  directed  to  spread  on  the  surface, 
and  then  turn  under  to  the  bottom  of  a  deep  furrow,  that 
evaporation  may  not  readily  carry  off  its  more  volatile  particles, 
others,  on  the  contrary,  insist  that  it  should  be  spread  on  the 
surface,  and  thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  soil,  by  repeated 
harrowing.  So  far  as  our  experience  goes,  the  latter  mode  is 
preferable.  The  salts  of  animal  manures  buried  deep  in  the 
soil,  have  a  tendency  to  settle  in  the  subsoil,  below  the  reach 
of  the  roots  of  plants,  which,  if  admixed  near  the  surface,  give 
immediate  aid  to  vegetation. 

If  evaporation  of  manure  near  the  surface  be  more  abun- 
dant, do  not  the  absorbent  vessels  of  the  leaf  drink  in  the  gas- 
eous fluid  with  the  greatest  avidity  ?  Is  not  evaporation  then, 
one  of  the  most  efficacious  means  of  rapidly  advancing  the 
growing  crop  ? 

The  custom  has  prevailed,  and  still  prevails,  to  a  considera- 
ble extent,  to  haul  on  the  top  dressing  for  grass  lands,  in  the 
autumn,  and  leave  it  in  heaps  to  be  spread  in  the  spring.  We 
think  a  better  course  is  to  spread  the  manure  as  it  is  hauled 
upon  the  land.  It  thus  protects  the  roots  of  the  grass,  and 
being  settled  down  by  the  dissolving  snows  of  spring,  has  the 
greatest  eff"ect. 

Every  resource  within  reach  of  the  cultivator  for  the  increase 
of  his  manure,  should  carefully  be  made  available.  Leaves  of 
trees,  turf  from  waste  places,  and  the  clearing  of  drains  in  low 
lands,  when  spread  over  the  barn,  or  hog  yard,  soon  become 
valuable.  On  many  farms,  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  material 
for  the  manufacture  of  a  valuable  compost,  may  be  found  in  the 
peat  meadows.  It  is,  indeed,  manure  itself,  for  all  dry,  grav- 
elly, or  sandy  soils.  As  a  material  for  compost,  peat  has  been 
much  neglected. 

Were  the  privies  of  farmers  so  constructed,  as  to  have  a  cel- 
lar under  them,   tightly  planked,   say  eight  feet  long,  six  feet 


44  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

wide,  and  four  feet  deep,  with  a  door  on  the  back  side,  the 
length  of  the  cellar,  swinging  outward,  and  upward  from  the 
floor,  (the  uuilding  might  be  placed  three  feet  from  the  ground 
with  an  excavation  of  one  or  two  feet  on  the  back  side,  to 
facilitate  the  removal  of  the  contents,)  the  cellar  supplied  with 
a  cord  of  peat  mud,  once  a  month,  and  as  often  removed  ;  the 
farmer,  having  a  family  of  six  or  eight  persons,  might  in  thi& 
way  obtain  a  dozen  cords  of  the  most  fertilizing  manure,  worth 
on  the  farm,  as  manure  usually  sells  in  the  larger  towns,  at 
least  sixty  dollars.  A  great  annual  loss  is  sustained  by  farmers 
through  want  of  economy,  in  this  respect. 

JOS  I  AH    NEWHALL,   Chairman. 

Richard  P.  Waters' s  Statement. 

As  no  application  has  been  made  for  premiums  on  "  Experi- 
ments on  manure,"  I  comply  with  your  request,  and  state 
briefly  my  own  practice  for  several  years  past  to  increase  the 
manure  heap. 

In  the  month  of  August  or  September,  we  get  out  from  one 
to  two  hundred  ox  cart  loads  of  swamp  muck,  and  lay  it  near 
by  in  the  pasture  to  remain  for  the  winter.  During  the  winter 
and  spring,  it  becomes  pulverized  by  the  action  of  the  weather. 
So  that  by  the  time  our  planting  is  over  in  the  spring,  it  is  like 
an  ash  heap,  and  is  then  taken  to  the  barn  cellar,  and  yard, 
both  of  which  receive  a  good  dressing  from  ten  to  twelve 
inches  thick.  We  then  procure  from  Salem,  two  to  four  cords 
of  stable  manure,  and  spread  it  over  the  entire  surface  of  the 
yard  and  cellar.  We  now  let  the  hogs  knock  it  over  during 
the  day,  for  several  months,  scattering  corn  over  the  surface^ 
which  hiduces  them  to  pretty  active  employment  in  working 
over  the  compost.  At  night  the  hogs  take  lodgings  in  their 
own  sty,  which  communicates  with  the  barn  cellar  and  yard, 
and  the  cows  occupy  the  premises  for  the  night.  As  soon  as 
the  cows  are  put  out  to  pasture  in  the  morning,  the  hogs  are  let 
into  the  yard  again,  and  thus  the  work  is  constantly  going  on, 
the  hogs  performing  a  good  service  by  day,  and  the  cattle  en- 
riching the  compost  during  the  night.     We  have  now  one  hun- 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  46 

dred  ox  cart  loads  of  this  manure,  made  during  the  past  season, 
and  shall  make  quite  as  much  more  during  the  winter  and 
spring. 

Chekry  Hill  Farm,  Beverly,  Nov.  28,  1851. 


Improving  Pasture  Lands. 

Pasture  land  has  hitherto  been  more  neglected  than  other 
lands,  and  its  value  has  not  generally  been  appreciated.  I 
think  that  good  pasture  land  will  produce  as  much  net  income, 
reckoning  it  at  the  price  at  which  it  is  usually  valued,  as  other 
lands. 

It  appears  from  statistics  officially  taken  in  1850,  by  the  au- 
thority of  the  State,  that  there  are  in  the  county  of  Essex 
ninety-eight  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-seven  acres  of 
pasture  land,  and  that  it  will  keep,  with  the  fall  feed  on  the 
farms,  nineteen  thousand  three  hundred  and  six  cows,  taking  a 
fraction  over  five  acres  to  keep  a  cow,  on  an  average.  Now  as 
there  are  some  pastures  where  from  one  to  two  acres  will  keep 
a  cow,  consequently  we  may  suppose  there  are  others  that  will 
take  seven  or  eight  acres.  The  difference  in  the  amount  of 
feed  produced  on  good  pasture  land  and  poor,  is  not  all.  The 
quality  of  the  feed  is  much  better  on  good  pasture  land  than 
on  poor,  for  as  the  pasture  improves,  and  the  English  grasses 
increase,  the  wild  grasses  decrease.  And  this  is  not  all,  for 
where  it  takes  seven  or  eight  acres  to  keep  a  cow,  the  feed  is 
so  thin  that  an  animal  is  necessarily  feeding  nearly  all  day  to 
supply  the  wants  of  nature,  while  those  kept  in  good  pastures 
can  quickly  supply  their  wants,  and  then  retire  to  the  shadow 
of  the  tree  to  protect  them  from  the  scorching  sun,  or  if  they 
choose,  refresh  themselves  on  the  adjoining  knoll. 

Now  for  the  comparative  profits  of  the  animals.  If  cows, 
there  will  be  a  great  difference  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
the  milk.  And  in  autumn,  the  one  kept  in  the  good  pasture 
will  be  in  much  better  condition  than  the  other.  If  the  animal 
is  designed  for  beef,  one  will  be  ready  at  almost  any  time, 
when  its  high  price   or    other   circumstances  require    its   sale, 


46  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

while  the  other,  if  sold  at  all,  will  be  deficient  in  quality  and 
weight. 

Now  the  question  is,  how  can  pastures  be  improved  with 
such  limited  expense  that  the  additional  income  will  repay,  or 
more  than  repay  the  outlay ;  for  unless  this  can  be  done,  it  is 
not  considered  profitable  farming.  This,  I  find,  is  the  most 
difficult  part  of  the  subject.  There  is  so  much  difference  in 
soils,  in  locations,  and  in  the  circumstances  of  the  owners  of 
the  soils,  that  it  is  difficult  forming  a  general  rule ;  but  all  these 
things  should  be  taken  into  consideration,  for  what  is  profitable 
in  one  case,  might  not  be  in  another. 

And  first,  I  would  say,  that  pastures  should  not  be  fed  too 
close,  as  close  feeding  tends  to  bind  them  out.  Some  pastures 
may  be  profitably  improved  by  the  ordinary  manner  of  cultiva- 
tion and  manuring,  others  by  top-dressing  with  compost  ma- 
nure, and  others  by  ploughing,  sowing  with  rye  and  hay  seed, 
and  feeding  the  rye  instead  of  cutting  it.  But  pastures  cannot 
be  improved  in  this  way  but  to  a  limited  extent,  for  most 
farmers  want  nearly  all  their  manure  for  their  mowing  land, 
and  many  pastures  cannot  be  conveniently  ploughed,  in  conse- 
quence of  hills,  rocks,  and  other  obstacles.  Leached  or  dry 
ashes  do  well  on  some  lands,  but  these  cannot  be  procured  but 
in  limited  quantities. 

The  best  and  cheapest  way  of  renovating  pasture  lands,  is 
by  using  gypsum  on  such  land  as  is  benefited  by  it.  It  can  be 
procured  in  any  quantity, — will  cost  but  about  thirty  cents  per 
bushel,  and  will  require  about  one  and  a  half  or  two  bushels  to 
the  acre,  per  year.  Some  land,  however,  receives  but  little  or 
no  benefit  from  it.  And  some  farmers  object  to  its  use,  on  the 
ground  that  of  itself  it  aff"ords  the  plant  no  nourishment,  and 
that,  consequently,  it  will  injure  or  exhaust  the  land.  Now,  in 
reply,  I  would  say  that  I  am  no  chemist,  and  shall  not  attempt 
to  give  the  why  or  the  wherefore  in  regard  to  its  operation,  but 
would  simply  say  that  I  have  seen  its  effects  on  pastures  for 
more  than  thirty  years,  without  ploughing  or  any  other  dress- 
ing, except  what  has  been  dropped  by  the  cattle,  and  they  are 
now  among  tlie  best  pastures  in  the  vicinity.  And  further,  if 
pastures  can  be  improved  six  fold,  as  I  have  often  seen  them. 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  47 

then  there  will  be  six  times  the  droppings  from  the  cattle,  and 
who  has  not  seen  the  good  effects  of  it  especially  the  liquids  ? 
It  may  be  seen  for  years. 

I  would  earnestly  recommend  that  farmers  give  gypsum  a 
fair  trial,  not  only  on  one  piece  of  land,  but  on  different  parts 
of  the  farm,  for  although  it  may  not  benefit  one  piece  of  land, 
it  may  an  adjoining  piece.  On  the  whole,  I  know  of  no  bet- 
ter way  than  to  improve  the  best  pasture  land  so  far  as  the 
extra  income  will  pay  the  expense.  Those  old  worn-out  pas- 
tures that  cannot  be  improved  without  an  occasional  draft  on 
the  purse  to  pay  the  expense,  over  and  above  the  income,  may 
as  well  go  for  wood,  if  wood  will  grow  on  them ;  if  not,  let 
them  remain  as  they  are,  until  they  can  be  turned  to  some  bet- 
ter purposes. 

JOSEPH  HOW,  Chairman. 


Reclaimed  Meadow  Lands.  s 

As  early  as  the  year  1750,  the  attention  of  some  farmers  in 
this  county,  was  turned  to  the  improvement  of  their  wet 
meadow.  A  part  of  Bishop's  Meadow,  (so  called,)  in  North 
Danvers,  was  then  ploughed  and  sown  with  grass  seed,  and  for 
some  time  yielded  large  crops.  But  the  improvident  waste  of 
the  forests  by  the  early  settlers  in  the  country,  made  it  neces- 
sary for  many,  at  the  close  of  the  last  century,  to  resort  to 
their  peat  meadows  for  fuel  ;  and  this  reclaimed  meadow  was 
then  dug  out  for  peat.  But  the  general  use  of  the  cooking 
stove,  and  the  introduction  of  hard  coal  for  fuel,  have  lessened 
the  consumption  of  peat  within  the  last  thirty  years,  and  peat 
meadows  are  not  now  so  valuable  for  fuel,  as  they  were  forty 
years  since.  It  becomes  an  important  inquiry  then,  how  they 
can  be  best  reclaimed  ? 

It  has  been  the  practice  of  many,  in  former  years,  to  cart 
upon  them  large  quantities  of  gravel.  This  was  done  many 
years  ago  upon  some  ten  or  twelve  acres  of  the  farm  in  Dan- 
vers, now  owned  by  George  Peabody,  of  Salem,  and  although 
these  meadows   have  some  of  them  been  reclaimed  more  than 


48  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

forty  years,  they  continue  to  produce  large  crops  of  hay.  But 
where  meadow  lands  are  so  situated  that  they  can  be  drained, 
they  may  be  reclaimed  without  the  expense  of  gravelling,  as 
the  statements  of  the  two  applicants  for  premiums  this  year 
show. 

In  draining  land,  it  is  important  to  know  how  much  the 
water  should  be  lowered.  From  our  experience,  we  should 
say,  that  the  ditches  and  outlet  should  be  so  made,  as  to  drain 
the  water  eighteen  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  meadow,  in 
the  spring,  and  the  early  part  of  summer.  As  the  season  be- 
comes dry,  it  may  be  well  to  stop  the  ditches,  so  that  the  water 
may  rise  to  within  twelve  inches  of  the  top.  We  have  some- 
times seen  the  evil  effects  of  draining  these  lands  too  dry  for 
grass. 

If  we  cannot  drain  the  stagnant  water  from  a  meadow,  it  is 
not  desirable  to  attempt  to  reclaim  it.  We  saw  a  strong  illus- 
tration of  the  truth  of  this  remark,  when  viewing  the  meadow 
of  Mr.  Ware.  A  neighbor  of  his  wishes  to  keep  his  pond  at 
its  present  height,  and  to  reclaim  his  meadow.  He  keeps  the 
water  in  the  pond,  but  his  meadow  does  not  stay  reclaimed, 
although  he  has  expended  much  upon  it.  On  the  farm  of  the 
late  B.  W.  Crowninshield,  of  Topsfield,  we  saw  another  illus- 
tration of  this  remark.  He  had  done  much  upon  his  meadow, 
but  his  neighbor  demanded  an  exorbitant  price  for  digging  a 
ditch  a  few  rods  through  his  pasture,  so  that  the  water  stands 
so  much  upon  it,  that  it  kills  the  English  grass. 

Both  of  the  pieces  of  land  to  which  our  attention  has  been 
directed,  were  what  is  commonly  called  swamp  land,  and  were 
nearly  alike  in  what  they  produced  ;  although  they  were  dif- 
ferently situated.  Mr.  Kimball's  farm  is  far  from  any  village 
or  market  town,  so  that  he  has  no  means  of  obtaining  manure, 
except  what  is  made  upon  the  farm.  This  being  the  case,  a 
reclaimed  meadow  is  valuable,  not  only  for  what  it  produces, 
but  as  furnishing  the  means  by  which  other  parts  of  the  farm 
may  be  improved.  The  manure  which  may  be  made  from  the 
stock  fed  upon  the  ten  tons  of  hay  produced  upon  this  meadow, 
will  add  much  to  the  means  for  enriching  his  other  lands. 

From  his  experiment  we  learn  how  that  one   of  the  most 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  49 

uneven,  unproductive  and  worthless  swamps  may  be  converted 
into  a  smooth  and  beautiful  meadow,  for  less  than  forty  dollars 
per  acre. 

We  think,  after  reading  the  statement  of  Mr.  Kimball,  no 
one  need  to  be  deterred  from  trying  to  improve  his  meadow, 
because  it  requires  such  an  outlay  of  capital.  If  many  more  of 
the  foreigners  who  are  coming  to  our  shores  by  thousands,  were 
employed  like  the  one  who  improved  this  swamp,  they  would 
do  much  towards  developing  the  resources  of  the  country.  In 
this  way,  they  might  do  something  towards  relieving  us  of  the 
taxes  which  are  imposed  upon  us  for  their  support. 

We  saw,  when  at  Mr.  Kimball's,  that  his  cows  and  apple 
trees  were  being  benefited  by  his  reclaimed  meadow ;  for  in- 
stead of  feeding  his  cows  upon  coarse  meadow  hay,  he  puts  it 
around  his  apple  trees,  which  gives  them  a  smooth  and  healthy 
appearance  ;  its  usual  effects  upon  cows  need  not  be  named. 

Mr.  Ware's  swamp  is  situated  in  Marblehead.  Its  proximity 
to  the  sea  shore  and  the  large  towns,  enables  him  to  obtain 
manure  from  other  sources  than  the  stock  of  his  farm.  From 
the  appearance  of  this  swamp  we  should  think  that  it  had 
never  produced  a  large  growth  of  wood,  and  at  no  very  remote 
period,  it  formed  a  part  of  the  pond. 

He  thinks  that  when  he  lowered  the  water  in  the  pond 
three  feet,  the  swamp  settled  two  feet  ;  so  that  the  pond  is 
not  now  more  than  one  foot  lower  than  the  meadow.  When 
he  has  completed  his  ditches  so  that  he  can  have  the  control  of 
the  water,  we  think  this  meadow  favorably  situated  for  the  pro- 
duction of  grass.  We  do  not  know  what  will  be  the  effects  of 
the  kind  of^manure  applied  to  this  laud  for  coming  years,  but 
the  produce  this  year  has  been  extraordinary,  for  seed  sown 
last  spring.  From  what  we  saw,  our  impression  is,  that  it 
causes  the  grass  to  grow  so  fast,  that  it  will  not  stand  up,  to 
produce  a  large  crop,  but  will  have  to  be  mowed  often.  This 
will  be  no  objection  to  one  who  is  situated  as  Mr.  Ware  is,  and 
wishes  to  use  his  hay  for  making  milk.  We  consider  a 
reclaimed  meadow  peculiarly  valuable  upon  a  milk  farm ;  as 
the  early  cut  hay  and  second  crop  will  make  a  greater  flow  of 
milk  than  well  ripened  hay. 
7 


50  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

Whatever  may  be  the  intrinsic  worth  of  reclaimed  meadows, 
compared  with  other  parts  of  the  farm,  we  think  that  any  one 
who  has  reclaimed  a  worthless  meadow  will  have  something 
of  the  feeling  of  the  man  in  the  parable  of  the  lost  sheep ;  he 
will  rejoice  more  over  that  acre,  than  over  the  ninety  and  nine 
which  needed  no  reclaiming. 

The  committee  award : 

To  Samuel  Kimball,  of  Boxford,  first  premium,         $15  00 
"    Horace  Ware,  Jr.,  of  Salem,  second  premium,  10  00 

WILLIAM  R.  PUTNAM,  Chairman. 

Samuel  KimhalVs  Statement. 

The  swamp  land  recently  viewed  by  the  committee,  was 
surveyed  in  June,  1851,  and  contains  5  1-80  acres,  including 
ditches,  which  occupy  seventeen  rods  of  the  surface. 

Most  of  it  has  been  a  dense  growth  of  pine  and  maple  until 
within  the  last  seven  or  eight  years.  During  the  winter  of 
1846,  all  the  wood  of  any  value  then  remaining  on  the  swamp, 
was  taken  off.  The  original  growth  on  a  part  of  this  swamp 
had  been  removed  many  years  since,  and  nothing  of  value  had 
grown  from  it ;  dogwood,  alders,  the  blueberry,  and  many 
other  kinds  of  bushes,  together  with  brake,  moss,  and  meadow 
cabbage,  being  the  principal  growth.  This  swamp  has  a  peat 
bottom,  some  parts  of  it  being  soft  ]  so  much  so,  that  no  beast 
of  goodly  size  could  travel  over  it.  Peat  had  been  taken  from 
the  highest  part  of  it,  though  it  was  with  difficulty,  on  account 
of  water. 

In  June,  1847,  I  concluded  to  drain  the  swamp  in  order  to 
clear  it  of  standing  water,  resolving  to  reclaim  it  at  some  future 
time.  I  accordingly  employed  a  man  to  dig  a  ditch  for  that 
purpose,  which  cost  fifteen  dollars  and  forty  cents.  I  saved 
twenty  cords  of  peat,  taken  from  this  ditch,  which  I  sold,  leav- 
ing me  one  dollar  per  cord,  exclusive  of  all  expense. 

In  June,  1848,  I  began  the  work  of  reclaiming.  I  hired  a 
man  well  adapted  to  the  business,  for  twenty  dollars  per  month, 
including  board ;  and  with  bog  hoe  in  hand,  and  a  good  mus- 
cular arm,  he  commenced  business.      The    whole    surface  of 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  61 

about  one  acre  and  a  quarter  of  this  swamp  was  well  cut  and 
carefully  turned  by  him,  (except  the  stumps  and  roots)  it  being 
very  important  to  have  it  well  dried  by  exposure  to  the  sun 
and  wind.  In  the  years  1849-50,  the  same  course  was  pursued 
in  regard  to  the  remaining  three  and  three  quarter  acres.  As 
much  of  it  was  turned  in  this  way  as  possible,  previous  to 
August,  to  enable  us  to  burn  it  the  more  easily  during  that 
month.  After  burning  the  top,  all  the  roots  and  stumps  were 
removed  and  piled,  to  be  taken  off  in  the  winter.  Cross  ditches 
were  then  dug  of  about  one  and  a  half  feet  in  depth,  and  of 
the  same  width,  making  the  beds  about  three  rods  in  width. 
Having  completed  the  beds,  we  seeded  down  the  same  to 
herds  grass  and  red-top.  In  1847,  my  man  was  at  work  on 
the  swamps  sixty-seven  days,  which,  at  seventy-seven  cents  per 
day,  would  be  fifty-one  dollars  and  fifty-nine  cents. 

The  second  year  there  were  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
days'  labor  expended,  at  seventy-seven  cents  per  day,  amount- 
ing to  one  hundred  and  three  dollars  and  eighteen  cents. 

The  third  year  there  were  eighty-four  days'  labor  expended, 
at  seventy-seven  cents  per  day,  amounting  to  sixty-four  dollars 
and  sixty-eight  cents. 

From  this  reclaimed  piece,  T  collected  at  least  thirty  cords  of 
wood,  consisting  principally  of  pine  roots  and  stumps,  which  I 
judge  were  richly  worth  one  dollar  per  cord,  after  being  piled 
on  the  swamp.  The  old  turf  ditches  were  filled  with  stumps 
and  sods  and  then  a  thin  coating  of  gravel  was  put  on  the 
whole  of  it,  say  one  half  of  an  acre. 

After  I  had  seeded  down  the  first  acre  and  a  quarter,  appre- 
hending a  failure  of  the  seed,  in  the  early  part  of  the  spring  of 
1849,  I  sowed  one  bushel  of  spring  rye,  which  yielded  a  very 
large  crop  of  straw,  and  thirteen  bushels  of  grain  ;  and  the 
grass  that  subsequently  grew  so  thickly,  showed  that  my  pre- 
vious apprehensions  were  groundless. 

The  following  year,  the  same  piece  yielded,  in  the  opinion 
of  competent  judges,  two  tons  of  good  hay  to  the  acre.  I  also, 
for  the  first  time,  mowed  the  piece  seeded  down  in  1849,  con- 
sisting of  about  two  and  a  quarter  acres,  and  obtained  for  the 
first  crop  a  ton  and  a  half  per  acre.     I  also  mowed  one  ton  of 


52      ^  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

roweii  from  the  above  pieces.  During  the  present  year,  1851, 
from  the  whole  piece  nine  tons  of  good  Engh'sh  hay  have  been 
taken,  with  the  exception  of  one  half  acre  not  seeded  down 
till  last  March.  From  the  whole  piece,  I  have  taken  this  fall, 
not  far  from  one  ton  of  rowen. 

The  principal  top  dressing  for  the  laud  consisted  of  the 
ashes  obtained  from  the  burning  of  the  top  surface.  On  the 
turf  ditches  gravelled  over,  I  put  fifteen  cart  loads  of  compost 
manure.  During  the  last  winter,  I  put  twenty  cart  loads  of 
compost  manure,  principally  upon  the  piece  first  seeded  down. 
I  have  applied  no  other  and  no  more  manure.  On  the  whole 
five  acres  I  sowed  two  bushels  of  timothy  and  five  of  red-top. 
The  proximity  of  the  meadow  to  my  barn,  (within  forty  rods 
distance,)  makes  it,  in  its  present  state,  exceedingly  valuable; 
and  my  neighbors  concur  in  the  opinion  that  originally,  the 
now  beautiful  meadow  was  a  very  unsightly,  uneven,  and  un- 
profitable piece  of  land  and  water. 

BoxFORD,  Oct.  18,  1851. 

Horace  Ware,  Jr.^s  Statement. 

The  piece  of  meadow  that  I  offer  for  inspection,  contains  two 
acres  and  two  thirds,  and  was  purchased  by  me  in  January, 
1849.  It  was  considered  at  that  time  worthless,  as  for  the  crop 
produced,  being  a  foul  swamp  of  briers  and  bushes,  with  the 
margin  cut  full  of  holes  and  ditches ;  the  water  standing  nearly 
level  with  the  surface  of  the  land  adjoining  it,  being  a  pond 
containing  five  acres. 

My  first  step  was  to  clear  the  brush  from  off"  the  land,  which 
was  done  that  spring.  In  May  I  made  a  ditch  from  the  pond 
and  took  away  about  three  feet  of  the  water.  In  September,  I 
dug  a  ditch  around  the  margin  of  the  meadow,  about  four  feet 
deep  and  two  wide,  and  filled  it  up  two  feet  with  stones,  which 
cut  oft'  the  high  springs  most  eff'ectually. 

I  next  j.loughed  it  by  means  of  a  long  rope  attached  to  the 
plough,  with  the  cattle  on  the  high  land  ;  the  swamp  being  too 
soft  to  bear  them.  I  then  removed  the  roots  and  hassocks,  use- 
ing  them  to  fill  up  the  ditches  and  holes,  and  also  to  build  out 
the  edge  of  the  meadow  into  the  pond,  to  make  it  even  and  fair. 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  53. 

The  next  spring,  as  soon  as  it  was  thawed  about  two  inches, 
I  harrowed  and  planted  potatoes,  manuring  them  with  rock 
weed  and  kelp  green  from  the  sea.  My  crop  was  not  great, 
yielding  about  seventy-five  bushels  to  the  acre,  worth  one  dol- 
lar per  bushel. 

Ill  the  winter  of  1851,  I  hauled  about  forty  loads  of  vault 
manure  and  mixed  with  gravel,  one  part  manure  to  three  of 
gravel,  and  spread  it  on,  about  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches 
deep.  In  the  spring  as  soon  as  the  frost  was  out  four  inches,  I 
harrowed  and  cultivated,  to  mix  the  gravel  with  the  mud,  and 
sowed  grass  seed  on  the  20th  of  March,  viz.,  one  and  a  half 
pecks  herds  grass,  three  of  red-top,  and  five  pounds  clover  seed. 
In  Jane,  three  months  after  sowing  the  seed,  I  mowed  the  grass 
which  was  badly  lodged,  and  got  one  and  a  half  tons  of  hay  to 
the  acre. 

I  have  since  cut  the  second  crop,  which  was  about  three 
fourths  of  a  ton  to  the  acre,  and  there  is  now  a  fair  prospect  of 
there  being  as  much  more  for  the  third  crop,  making  in  all, 
three  tons  of  hay  to  the  acre.  The  expense  of  reclaiming  this 
meadow  has  been  about  $75  per  acre,  leaving  a  balance  in  my 
favor  of  three  tons  of  hay,  which  may  not  be  so  great  as  some 
have  done,  but  is  better  than  nothing. 

Salem,  Sept.  24,  1851. 


Farms. 


The  committee  regret  that  they  camiot,  from  personal  ob- 
servation, speak  more  generally  of  the  state  of  farming  within 
the  county.  We  believe  there  are  many  farms  in  our  limits,  as 
yet  unknown  by  report  of  your  committees  to  the  society,  well 
worthy  of  commendation  ;  from  the  inspection  and  report  of 
which,  in  connection  with  the  statement  of  the  management  of 
their  owners,  much  valuable  information  would  be  derived,  and 
the  cause  of  agriculture  advanced.  At  present,  with  us,  pro- 
gress in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  depends  very  much  upon  the 
dissemination  of  the  practical  experiments  of  our  best  agricul- 
turists;  and  until  the  introduction  of  schools  designed  to  illus- 


54  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

trate  the  principles  of  science,  as  they  are  connected  with  the 
cuhivation  of  the  earth,  we  cannot  reasonably  expect  that  gen- 
eral improvement  in  agriculture  we  desire  and  believe  attaina- 
ble. Some  few  of  the  many  farmers,  will,  by  the  application  of 
skill  and  science  in  their  method  of  farming,  distinguish  them- 
selves by  their  increased  and  improved  products  ;  and  to  these  we 
must  look  as  teachers,  and  to  their  statements,  as  text  books  in 
farming,  until  the  principles  of  agriculture  are  taught  to  our 
youth,  as  a  part  of  their  preparation  for  the  active  duties  of  life^ 

We  have  our  schools  for  instruction  in  law,  physic  and  divin- 
ity, more  or  less  patronized  by  the  State  ;  and  why  should  the 
calling  of  the  great  body  of  the  community,  be  without  its  pub- 
lic school  ?  Is  not  this  want,  in  a  degree,  chargeable  to  our  own 
remissness  in  urging  upon  the  Legislature  of  the  Commonwealth, 
its  duty  in  this  respect. 

The  only  farm  offered  for  inspection  and  premium,  this  year, 
is  that  of  William  F.  Porter,  of  Bradford,  pleasantly  situated  on 
the  Merrimac  River.  This  farm  is  well  known  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  county,  from  the  frequency  of  change  in  owners, 
as  well  as  from  its  general  character  of  fertility.  Under  most  of 
its  late  owners,  we  have  no  doubt  a  spirit  of  improvement  has 
been  manifested,  evidences  of  some  of  which  are  now  visible  ; 
but  so  far  as  is  known  to  your  committee,  the  progress  of  im- 
provement had  not  entitled  it  to  the  favorable  notice  of  the  so- 
ciety. Since  Mr.  Porter's  occupancy,  great  improvements  have 
been  made  in  the  arrangements  of  the  farm  buildings,  in  the  in- 
creased convenience  in  the  gathering  of  the  crops,  in  the  feed- 
ing out  of  the  same,  the  arrangement  for  the  housing  of  the 
stock,  and  the  securing  of  their  droppings. 

The  crops  of  the  farm  the  present  year,  are  good,  and  the 
inspection  of  them  bears  testimony  of  the  skill  and  attentive- 
ness  of  the  cultivator.  The  increase  over  former  years  is  made 
evident  by  the  statement  of  Mr.  Porter. 

The  crop  of  broom  corn  attracted  the  notice  of  the  commit- 
tee, as  being  a  successful  experiment,  in  a  cultivation  not  com- 
mon in  this  county.  From  the  appearance  of  the  crop  and  the 
statement  of  its  yield  of  seed,  and  broom  brush,  we  believe  it 
may  be  recommended  as  a  desirable  and  paying  crop,  on  the 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  55 

warm  lands  in  the  county.  We  do  this  more  confidently  from 
the  double  product,  the  seed  and  brush  of  the  plant ;  believing 
that  the  successful  return  of  either  will  compensate  the  cultiva- 
tor for  his  labor.  Mr.  Porter's  opinion  of  the  comparative  ex- 
haustion of  this  crop,  and  Indian  corn,  upon  the  soil,  we  are 
not  fully  prepared  to  endorse,  as  in  the  case  of  broom  corn  the 
bulk  of  the  crop  is  returned  to  the  soil,  while  in  Indian  corn,  it 
is  mostly  removed. 

The  remarks  of  Mr.  Porter,  on  the  comparative  advantage  of 
stable  and  compost  manure,  as  a  top  dressing,  we  hope  will 
elicit  the  observation  and  experiment  of  our  agriculturists. — 
Composting  has  of  late  been  a  prominent  theme  of  our  agricul- 
tural writers,  and  if  the  application  of  the  basis  of  compost  is 
equally  as  effective  as  the  compost,  much  labor  may  be   saved. 

The  young  orchard  named  in  the  statement,  was  particularly 
noticed,  and  commended  by  the  committee.  The  trees  were 
all  thrifty,  and  of  healthy  appearance,  and  gave  strong  symp- 
toms that  a  part  of  the  increasing  profits  of  the  farm,  spoken  of 
in  the  statement,  may  reasonably  be  expected  from  this  source. 
The  trees  in  grass  land,  under  the  treatment  of  Mr.  Porter,  ap- 
peared fully  as  vigorous  as  those  on  cultivated  grounds. 

We  cannot  pass  without  notice,  the  home  pasture,  on  which 
was  kept  during  the  season,  stock  equal  to  one  cow  to  about 
two  and  one  quarter  acres  of  land  ;  and  from  the  appearance  of 
the  pasture,  the  condition  of  the  cows,  and  the  amount  of  milk 
taken,  the  feed  was  not  stinted.  This  is  a  result  in  pasturing, 
which  is  not  usually  seen,  and  forcibly  impresses  us  with  the 
importance  of  devoting  more  attention  to  pasture  grounds. 

On  the  profits  of  farming  there  exists  a  diversity  of  opinions  ; 
and  the  belief  that  agriculture  is  not  one  of  the  most  direct 
roads  to  wealth,  probably  induces  many  of  the  sons  of  farmers 
to  other  pursuits  of  life.  If  the  statements  of  some  of  our  best 
farmers  are  entitled  to  full  belief,  no  occupation  offers  more  cer- 
tainty, and  few  larger  hopes  of  success,  than  agriculture.  And 
that  these  statements  are  reliable,  most  of  us  have  indications 
from  the  profits  of  some  small  patches  of  our  land,  that  by  de- 
sign or  accident,  may  have  been  devoted  to  a  suitable  crop,  and 
cultivated  with  imusual  care.     Extended   cultivation  is  proba- 


56  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

bly  the  greatest  obstacle  to  improvement;  as  from  our  attempt 
to  grasp  the  whole  range  of  agriculture,  and  in  some  cases,  per- 
haps, horticulture,  the  mind  is  too  much  distracted  to  give  suf- 
ficient thought,  and  the  labor  too  much  diversified  and  pressing 
to  be  devoted  in  as  full  a  manner  as  it  should  be,  to  any  parti- 
cular branch.  With  education  adapted  to  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  with  farms  not  too  large  for  the  mental  and  physical  pow- 
ers, we  do  not  believe  there  is  any  occupation  so  desirable  for 
its  certainty,  healthful ness,  and  success,  to  the  majority  of  our 
young  men,  as  agriculture. 

JOS  I  AH  LITTLE,   Chairman. 

William  F.  Porter^ s  Statement. 

The  farm  offered  for  the  society's  premium,  I  purchased  Oc- 
tober 9th,  1849,  and  moved  on  the  same,  March  11th,  1850.  It 
is  situated  in  Bradford,  and  formerly  was  well  known  as  the 
Elwell,  but  more  recently,  the  Silsbee  farm.  The  county  road 
from  Haverhill  to  Newburyport  and  Salem,  passes  through  the 
farm.  It  contains  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  acres,  divided 
as  follows :  forty-three  and  one  half  acres  of  pasture,  lying 
southwest  of  the  road  ;  forty-three  and  one  half  acres  of  mow- 
ing and  tillage,  northeasterly  of  the  road,  and  upon  which  the 
principal  part  of  the  buildings  stand  ;  also,  an  island  of  sixty 
acres,  in  Merrimac  river,  the  distance  across  the  water  from  the 
mowing  and  tillage  land,  being  twenty  rods.  In  May  last  I 
purchased  seventeen  acres  of  pasture,  adjoining  the  first  named 
lot ;  also,  sixty-five  acres  of  pasture  land,  situated  in  the  east 
parish  of  Haverhill,  making  in  all  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine 
acres. 

The  first  named  pasture,  which  is  a  hill  very  elevated  above 
the  surrounding  land,  consists  of  a  black  gravelly  loam,  with  a 
subsoil  of  gravel,  intermixed  with  clay,  and  at  a  former  period 
a  large  portion  of  it  was  cultivated.  The  mowing  and  tillage 
land  is  somewhat  uneven,  and  about  twenty  acres  consist  of  a 
black  moist  loam,  from  eight  to  twenty  inches  deep,  with  more 
or  less  slate  stones  intermixed,  and  resting  upon  a  hard  pan  of 
gravel  and  clay.     About  half  of  the  remainder  is  too  low  for 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  67 

cultivation,  and  was  cleared  of  bushes  and  alders  fifteen  years 
since.  This  soil  is  from  one  to  three  feet  deep,  inclining  to  a 
peaty  nature,  and  having  a  similar  subsoil  to  the  above.  The 
soil  of  the  rest  is  a  sandy  loam,  with  a  subsoil  not  very  dissim- 
lar,  and  borders  upon  the  river.  The  soil  of  tlie  island  is  a 
sandy  loam,  and  in  digging  a  well,  I  find  the  subsoil  very  sim- 
ilar, for  twenty  feet.  Two  thirds  of  the  surface  of  the  island 
is  elevated  about  twenty  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river,  and 
more  than  half  the  time  for  the  last  forty  years,  has  been  im- 
proved for  raising  corn,  rye,  and  oats.  The  other  third  is  ten 
or  twelve  feet  lower,  and  about  seventeen  acres  is  now  covered 
vvith  a  variety  of  wood,  consisting  of  yellow  birch,  grey  oak, 
elm,  bass,  maple  and  walnut.  The  wood  upon  the  remaining 
seven  acres  ^vas  cut  off  in  1846,  and  most  of  this  lot,  with  the 
preceding,  is  usually  overflowed  with  water,  in  the  spring  fresh- 
ets. The  soil  of  the  pasture  in  Haverhill,  is  a  gravelly  loam,  of 
a  reddish  cast.  The  subsoil  I  have  not  examined.  It  is  said 
to  be  the  highest  elevation  in  the  county,  with  one  or  two  ex- 
ceptions. 

Last  year  I  took  down  the  old  barn  on  the  farm,  and  sold  the 
building  used  for  a  granary,  both  of  which  were  ill  adapted  for 
the  purposes  intended,  and  built  a  new  barn,  seventy-five  by 
forty  feet,  and  twenty-six  feet  post.  This  barn  is  situated  on 
the  side  hill,  about  one  hundred  feet  northeast  of  the  dwelling 
house,  and  has  two  driveways  through  the  centre  lengthwise, 
twelve  feet  wide.  The  upper  driveway  is  thirteen  feet  above 
the  lower,  and  is  conveniently  entered  by  means  of  a  platform, 
or  bridge,  twenty  feet  in  length,  and  supported  at  the  lower  end 
by  a  breast  wall,  ten  feet  high,  the  side  hill  being  excavated  to 
a  level  with  the  lower  floor  to  aflford  a  convenient  entrance  to 
the  barn  yard  and  lower  floor,  which  is  used  for  feeding  the 
stock  in  the  leanto,  it  being  on  a  level  with  said  floor,  and  for 
unloading  muck  or  loam  through  scuttles  into  the  cellar  be- 
neath. The  hay  and  fodder  are  all  unloaded  from  the  upper 
driveway  or  floor,  into  bays  on  either  side,  both  of  which  are 
seventy-five  feet  long  by  fourteen  wide.  One  is  twenty-six 
feet  deep  and  the  other  eighteen  ;  the  leanto  being  under  the 
last,  fourteen  feet  wide,  and  running  the  entire  length  of  the 
8 


58  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

barn,  is  fitted  to  tic  up  sixteen  cows,  and  six  oxen,  and  is  light- 
ed by  five  glass  windows,  having  a  shelf  eighteen  inches  wide, 
and  three  feet  from  the  floor,  to  protect  the  windows,  and  for 
setting  pails  while  milking.  The  manure  from  the  leanto  is 
deposited  in  the  cellar,  which  is  under  the  whole  barn,  nine 
feet  deep,  and  open  to  the  south  fifty  feet,  and  the  cellar  wall 
is  from  one  and  a  half  to  three  feet  thick,  mostly  laid  in  mor- 
tar. 

The  frame  of  the  barn  is  of  chestnut  timber  entire,  except 
the  rafters,  which  are  spruce.  The  body  of  the  barn,  except 
eight  feet  of  the  basement,  is  covered  with  pine  boards  twelve 
inches  wide,  placed  four  inches  apart,  and  the  intervening  space 
covered  with  boards  eight  inches  wide,  and  one  and  a  half 
inches  thick,  thus  making  a  tight  finish  externally,  and  upon 
the  inside  a  space  for  the  free  circulation  of  air,  which  I  deem 
of  great  importance  for  the  better  preservation  of  the  hay. 

I  also  erected  last  year,  a  building  fifty  by  fifteen  feet,  for 
tool  house,  work  shop,  &c.,  adjoining  the  southwest  corner  of 
the  barn,  with  a  basement  story  eight  feet  high,  the  bottom  of 
which  is  on  a  level  with  the  lower  story  of  the  barn,  having  a 
heavy  stone  wall  on  one  side  and  one  end,  the  other  side 
being  open  to  the  barn  yard,  for  the  access  of  the  cattle  to  the 
watering  trough,  which  is  supplied  by  a  lead  pipe,  seventy- 
three  feet  to  a  fountain,  and  made  to  receive  the  water  of  two 
under-drains  which  I  have  laid  for  the  purpose  of  draining  the 
garden  and  other  land  about  the  buildings.  The  surplus  water 
from  the  above  trough,  is  conducted  through  another  lead  pipe 
under  ground  to  a  second  trough  in  the  barn  cellar,  and  the 
waste  water  from  this  trough  passes  off  in  an  under-drain  to 
the  field  below  the  barn. 

I  have  also  erected  this  season,  another  building,  fifty  by  six- 
teen feet,  and  sixteen  feet  post,  adjoining  the  northeast  corner 
of  the  barn,  fitted  with  seven  double  stalls,  each  six  and  a  half 
feet  wide,  for  tying  with  chains  fourteen  cows,  and  a  rack  to 
receive  the  hay  from  the  loft  above,  and  a  light  box  under  the 
rack  for  grain  or  cut  feed,  with  a  basement  beneath  built  of 
stone  and  wood,  the  bottom  being  on  a  level  with  the  barn 
yard  and  barn  cellar,  and  is  used  for  receiving  the  manure  from 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  59 

the  cows.  These  two  buildings,  with  the  barn,  enclose  three 
sides  of  the  yard,  leaving  it  open  to  the  southeast  only,  thus 
making  a  yard,  with  the  cellar,  about  ninety  feet  square,  well 
protected  from  the  cold  winds  and  storms. 

I  have  laid  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet  of  lead  pipe  to  "arry 
the  water  for  the  use  of  the  cattle,  into  a  brick  trough  laid  m 
cement,  and  situated  in  a  basement  room  or  cellar,  which  I  have 
built  of  stone  and  brick,  under  the  northeast  end  of  the  L  part 
of  the  house,  twenty  feet  square.  In  this  room  I  have  a  sink 
and  copper  boiler,  set  for  scalding  cans  and  milk  vessels,  into 
both  of  which  the  water  is  drawn  by  a  faucet.  Water  is  kept 
continually  running  into  the  brick  trough  atone  end  and  out  of 
the  other,  and  the  cans  when  filled  with  milk,  are  set  into  this 
trough  of  water,  to  preserve  an  equal  temperature,  and  this 
keeps  the  milk  sweet  a  longer  time  than  any  other  way  with 
which  I  am  acquainted.  The  water  which  supplies  the  milk 
cellar  is  taken  from  a  well  dug  in  the  pasture  opposite  my  house, 
and  from  which  there  is  about  ten  feet  fall.  I  have  laid  seven- 
ty-four rods  of  under-drains  with  stone,  for  the  purpose  of  con- 
ducting off  the  surplus  water  from  a  portion  of  my  orchard,  gar- 
den, yards,  and  troughs  afore  mentioned. 

When  I  purchased  the  farm,  Oct.  9,  1849,  I  bought  all  the 
hay  in  the  barns,  except  two  thousand  and  fifty  pounds.  It  was 
estimated  by  measure,  allowing  five  hundred  and  twenty-five 
cubic  feet  for  a  ton,  amounting  to  nearly  thirty-three  tons.  The 
men  employed  on  the  farm  were  of  the  opinion  that  not  more  than 
six  tons  had  been  consumed  on  the  farm  of  that  year's  produce, 
so  that  the  amount  of  hay  cut  did  not  exceed  forty  tons.  Four 
oxen  and  one  horse  were  put  on  the  farm  Feb.  1,  1850,  and 
twelve  cows  and  another  horse,  March  11,  and  this  stock  con- 
sumed all  the  hay,  except  four  tons,  before  July  1,  the  oxen  and 
horse  being  kept  up  to  hay  all  the  time. 

I  have  bought  the  manure  made  at  the  Eagle  House  stable, 
in  Haverhill,  for  the  two  years  past,  and  paid  two  hundred  and 
twenty  dollars  per  year,  and  the  quantity  has  averaged  about 
seventy-five  cords  a  year.  Twenty-five  cords  of  this  manure 
I  spread  upon  the  mowing  land  in  the  spring  of  1850,  and  I  be- 
lieve it  increased  the  quantity  of  hay  that  season  more  than  one 


60  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

third.  I  planted  about  eleven  acres,  viz.,  six  to  Indian  corn, 
three  to  broom  corn,  one  to  potatoes,  one  half  an  acre  of  sowed 
corn  for  fodder,  and  one  half  an  acre  to  carrots  and  other  vegeta- 
bles ;  the  whole  of  which  was  upon  land  sowed  to  oats  the  year 
previous,  without  grass  seed.  The  manure  for  the  carrots,  po- 
tatoes, and  about  two  acres  of  the  corn,  was  ploughed  in,  at  the 
rate  of  five  cords  to  the  acre,  in  its  green  state.  The  broom 
corn,  and  the  remainder  of  the  Indian  corn,  was  planted  on  the 
island,  and  manured  with  compost  in  the  hill,  and  at  the  rate  of 
ten  loads  per  acre,  thirty-five  bushels  to  the  load.  Half  a  gill 
of  wood  ashes  and  plaster  was  applied  to  each  hill  at  the  time 
of  planting.  I  cultivated  and  hoed  three  times  in  the  usual 
manner. 

I  sowed  eight  acres  of  spring  rye  on  the  island,  on  land  plant- 
ed to  corn  the  year  previous,  with  little  or  no  manure,  and  on 
which  I  spread  one  hundred  bushes  of  leached  ashes  per  acre, 
and  sowed  ten  pounds  of  southern  clover  per  acre.  These 
ashes  cost  six  cents  per  bushel  at  Haverhill,  one  mile  distant, 
and  were  boated  to  the  island  for  one  and  a  quarter  cents  per 
bushel.  I  sowed  an  acre  to  barley,  and  another  to  rye,  on  the 
home  lot,  having  previously  ploughed  in  about  four  cords  of 
green  manure  per  acre,  and  seeded  down  with  one  peck  of  herds 
grass,  one  bushel  northern  red-top,  and  three  pounds  southern 
clover  to  the  acre.  Product  of  corn  was  two  hundred  and 
forty  bushels  by  estimation,  rye  on  the  island  sixty-four  bushels, 
or  eight  bushels  per  acre  by  measure  ;  rye  on  home  lot  twenty 
and  one  half  bushels,  barley  twenty-two  bushels,  potatoes 
yielded  well,  but  more  than  one  half  rotted,  and  carrots  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  bushels  on  one  quarter  of  an  acre.  Of 
fruit  I  had  about  forty  barrels  of  winter  apples,  mostly  Bald- 
wins, and  over  three  hundred  bushels  of  peaches.  Kept  in  ad- 
dition to  the  team,  thirteen  cows,  and  during  the  season  made 
two  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty  pounds  of  new  milk 
cheese,  and  butter  sufficient  for  the  family's  use. 

The  building  of  my  barn,  and  other  essoitial  improvements, 
occupied  so  much  of  my  time  the  first  year,  that  I  could  not 
give  that  attention  to  the  management  of  the  farm,  or  keep  so 
accurate  an  account  of  the  amount  of  sales  and  the  profits  and 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  61 

expenses,  as  I  have  done  for  this  year.  But  I  believe,  and 
hesitate  not  to  say,  that  the  amount  of  sales  were  ample  to  pay 
all  the  labor  for  carrying  on  the  farm  and  maintaining  the  fam- 
ilies, including  the  taxes,  and  the  manure  and  ashes  which  have 
been  bought.  In  August  1850,  1  turned  over  with  the  plough, 
five  acres  of  sward  land  on  my  home  lot,  and  applied  forty  cart 
loads  of  compost  to  the  acre,  made  by  mixing  green  manure 
with  an  equal  part  of  good  loam,  meaning  always  by  cart  load, 
about  thirty-five  bushels.  The  land  was  thoroughly  harrowed, 
and  I  sowed  one  peck  of  herds  grass,  and  one  bushel  of  north- 
ern red-top  per  acre,  and  brushed  and  rolled  the  same.  I  think 
the  product  this  year  was  full  three  tons  per  acre.  The  first 
week  in  October,  1850,  I  took  off  a  crop  of  corn  from  an  acre 
and  a  half  of  land  adjoining  the  river,  and  ploughed  in  six  cords 
of  horse  manure,  sowed  one  and  a  half  bushels  of  rye,  and 
sowed  the  same  with  grass  seed.  In  September  preceding,  I 
ploughed  sixteen  acres  of  land  on  the  island,  turned  under  all 
the  grass  that  grew  on  the  land  during  the  season,  and  which 
would  have  made  about  eight  or  ten  hu-.dred  of  hay  to  the 
acre.  Two  acres  of  this  land  was  in  the  low  part  before  re- 
ferred to,  and  had  never  been  ploughed.  I  sowed  one  acre  of 
this  low  land  with  grass  seed  only,  and  the  other  fifteen  acres 
with  rye  only,  giving  it  no  further  dressing. 

On  the  first  day  of  April  last,  I  commenced  keeping  a  daily 
account  of  my  sales,  expenditures,  and  labor  performed  on  the 
farm,  also  the  amount  of  farm  produce  of  every  description. 
On  the  24th  of  April,  I  sowed  one  bushel  of  the  Black  Sea 
spring  wheat,  on  two  thirds  of  an  acre  of  land,  on  the  home 
lot,  where  potatoes  grew  the  year  previous,  and  seeded  the 
same  with  red-top  and  herds  grass.  On  the  same  and  the  fol- 
lowing day,  I  sowed  twenty-four  bushels  of  oats  on  eight  acres 
of  laud  on  the  island,  and  two  bushels  of  barley  on  about 
three  quarters  of  an  acre,  and  seeded  the  same  with  ten  pounds 
of  southern  clover  to  the  acre.  This  land  was  in  corn,  and 
broom  corn  the  year  previous.  From  the  13th  to  the  16th  of 
May,  I  planted  three  and  a  half  acres  of  corn,  and  one  and  a 
half  acre  of  potatoes  on  the  home  lot.  One  acre  had  been 
planted  v/ith  corn  and  potatoes  for  two  years  previous,  and  the 


62  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

rest  was  in  grass.  I  ploughed  in  twenty-five  cart  loads  per 
acre  of  green  manure  from  the  barn  cellar — ploughing  ten 
inches  deep — and  put  in  the  hills  six  cart  loads  of  manure  to 
the  acre,  the  ground  being  furrowed  three  and  a  half  feet  apart 
each  way,  and  planted  with  eight-rowed  yellow  corn,  from 
North  field,  Mass. 

From  the  16th  to  the  28th  of  May,  I  ploughed  and  planted 
five  and  one  half  acres  of  Indian  corn,  and  five  and  one  half 
acres  of  broom  corn,  on  the  island  ;  one  half  the  above  eleven 
acres  was  a  part  of  the  fifteen  acres  sown  to  winter  rye,  in  Sep- 
tember previous,  and  the  other  half  had  the  grass  remaining  on 
it  which  grew  the  year  previous.  The  rye  when  ploughed 
in  had  just  commenced  heading  out,  and,  to  facilitate  the 
covering,  a  brush  harrow  was  drawn  over  the  rye  before 
ploughing.  It  was  furrowed  one  way  only,  three  feet  apart, 
and  across  where  both  rye  and  grass  were  ploughed  in.  It 
was  manured  in  the  hill,  with  ten  cart  loads  of  compost  per 
acre,  the  hills  in  the  rows  being  two  and  a  half  feet  apart,  as 
near  as  we  could  judge.  Three  varieties  of  corn  were  planted, 
viz.,  three  and  a  half  acres  with  the  twelve  and  sixteen-rowed 
Canada  corn,  one  acre  with  the  afore-named  Pomeroy  corn,  and 
one  acre  with  a  white  corn,  called  in  Plymouth  county,  the 
Whitman  corn.  On  that  portion  of  the  land  where  rye  was 
ploughed  under,  the  corn  was  not  as  good,  and  the  broom  corn 
not  more  than  two  thirds  as  good  as  on  the  other  part.  To 
all  the  Indian  corn  and  broom  corn,  I  applied  a  small  handful 
of  unleached  ashes  upon  each  hill,  immediately  after  planting, 
using  ninety  bushels  on  fourteen  and  a  half  acres.  My  Indian 
corn,  broom  corn,  and  potatoes,  were  all  cultivated  and  hoed 
three  times. 

On  the  28th  of  April,  I  sowed  eighty-eight  square  rods  to 
onions,  forty-two  rods  on  land  where  carrots  were  raised  last 
year,  and  forty-six  rods  on  land  which  was  the  site  of  the  old 
barn  and  yard,  and  had  been  raised  or  filled  up  with  loam  and 
soil  of  various  qualities,  from  one  to  four  feet.  Both  lots  were 
manured  with  stable  manure  at  the  rate  of  eight  cords  per  acre. 
I  also  raised  one  and  a  half  acres  of  corn  fodder.  In  August 
last  I  turned  over  with  the  plough  two  acres  of  sward  land  on 
my  home  lot,  and  spread  forty  loads  of  compost  per  acre  ;  sowed 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  63 

one  peck  of  herds  grass,  and  one  bushel  of  northern  red-top  per 
acre  ;  harrowed  and  rolled  in  same  manner  as  the  lot  in  1850. 
In  September  following,  I  sowed  ten  acres  of  winter  rye,  and 
two  thirds  of  an  acre  of  winter  wheat ;  five  acres  of  the  rye, 
and  the  wheat  on  a  clover  lay,  and  the  remainder  on  sward 
land,  and  on  land  where  my  corn  fodder  was  raised  this  season  ; 
the  last  five  acres  were  manured,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  loads  of 
compost  per  acre. 

When  I  came  upon  the  farm,  there  were  sixty  old  apple 
trees,  one  half  of  which  had  been  grafted  five  years  ;  forty-five 
old  peach  trees,  eighteen  pear,  twelve  plum,  and  eight  cherry 
trees ;  also  two  hundred  and  fifty  apple  trees,  and  eight 
hundred  peach  trees  were  set  in  1846.  Last  spring  I  set  one 
hundred  apple,  sixty  pear,  and  fifty  cherry  trees.  My  young  trees 
embrace  many  of  the  best  and  most  celebrated  varieties.  All  my 
peach  trees,  and  one  hundred  and  seventy  of  my  small  apple  trees, 
are  in  land  seeded  to  grass  the  year  before  my  purchase.  These 
trees  I  dig  around  monthly,  from  April  to  October,  two  to  three 
feet  distant  from  the  trunk,  and  apply  two  shovels  full  of 
leached  ashes  to  each  tree  in  June,  and  wash  the  apple  trees 
with  strong  soap  suds.  All  my  trees  are  upon  land  of  a  simi- 
lar character,  a  deep,  moist  and  warm  soil,  and  those  in  the 
grass  land  which  is  highly  manured  have  made  as  much  growth 
as  those  in  the  tillage,  and  I  think  will  compare  favorably  with 
any  in  the  county.  I  think  that  my  peach  trees  have  done 
better  in  grass  land  than  they  would  in  tillage,  for  they  make 
as  much  growth  of  wood  as  will  ripen  well,  and  I  have  not  seen 
a  twig  winter-killed  since  I  have  been  on  the  place. 

I  kept  last  winter,  from  the  produce  of  the  farm,  and  fifty- 
two  hundred  pounds  of  rowen  bought  in  the  spring,  twenty 
eight  cows,  one  bull,  six  oxen  and  two  horses.  I  have  kept  in 
my  home  pasture  of  sixty  acres,  on  an  average  for  five  months 
ending  Oct.  20th,  (since  which  I  have  fed  my  mowing  land) 
iwenty-two  cows,  one  bull  and  one  pair  of  oxen.  My  Haver- 
hill pasture  is  fed  by  my  dry  cows  and  oxen,  when  not  wanted 
for  work  on  the  farm.  I  sow  plaster  in  April  and  alternately 
on  one  half  of  my  home  pasture  at  the  rate  of  two  hundred 
pounds  per  acre.  This  has  improved  the  quality,  and  increased 
the  quantity  of  feed  full  one  third. 


64  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

I  have  now,  Nov.  15,  on  the  farm,  thirty-four  cows,  one  bull, 
six  oxen  and  two  horses.  I  shall  reduce  my  oxen,  one  yoke, 
and  add  sixteen  to  my  present  stock  of  cows,  making  fifty-five 
head  of  cattle,  and  two  horses,  which  1  think  I  have  ample 
fodder  to  winter  from  the  product  of  the  farm,  with  nine  tons 
of  salt  hay,  bought  for  five  dollars  per  ton,  delivered  on  the 
river  bank.  Twenty  dry  cows,  of  my  stock,  will  be  kept  on 
the  island,  to  consume  the  hay  and  fodder  raised  there,  and  to 
be  sold  the  next  spring.  All  my  stock  kept  at  home  are  stabled 
every  night  in  the  year,  and  a  good  part  of  the  day  in  winter. 
The  manure  in  the  barn  cellar  is  mixed  with  loam  or  soil,  twice 
or  three  times  a  week  in  about  equal  quantities.  Of  swine,  I 
have  one  breeding  sow,  five  years  old,  kept  in  the  cellar  under 
the  horse  barn,  and  three  of  her  spring  litter  kept  in  a  piggery 
in  the  rear  of  the  house,  which  1  am  fattening  for  family  use. 
They  are  half  blood  Suffolk,  and  I  have  realized  eighty-four 
dollars  for  pigs  of  this  sow,  sold  at  eight  weeks  of  age  and 
under,  in  one  year. 

Of  manure,  I  have  made  the  last  year  four  hundred  and 
eighty-five  cart  loads  besides  seventy-five  cords  drawn  from 
Haverhill.  This  manure  has  been  applied  to  various  crops  and 
as  top  dressing,  as  before  specified.  In  August,  I  spread  eighty 
loads  of  compost  on  my  low  land,  as  soon  as  the  first  crop  of 
hay  was  taken  off",  and  since  Oct.  13,  I  have  spread  on  other 
mowing  land,  forty-four  loads  of  compost,  and  thirty-three  cords 
of  stable  manure  from  Haverhill.  The  result  of  my  experi- 
ence, is,  that  stable  manure  applied  as  a  top  dressing  to  grass 
land  in  November,  is  more  beneficial  and  permanent  in  its 
eflfects  upon  the  succeeding  crops,  than  the  same  would  be 
composted  and  spread  in  spring,  taking  into  the  account  the 
labor  and  expense  in  composting  the  same.  I  have  now  on 
hand,  about  two  hundred  loads  of  manure,  made  in  my  barn 
cellar,  and  twenty  cords  of  stable  manure,  which  I  think,  with 
what  I  shall  make  from  my  stock  in  future,  will  enable  me  to 
keep  the  farm  in  a  gradual  state  of  improvement,  without  pur- 
chasing any  more  manure. 

The  seven  acres  on  the  island,  where  wood  was  cut,  was  cov- 
ered with  a  heavy  crop  of  wild  grass,  brush  and  sprouts,  fiorn  the 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  65 

stumps,  when  I  purchased  the  farm.  In  May  and  June,  1850, 
I  cut  and  mowed  the  same  and  raked  into  winrows  with  a 
horse  rake,  made  for  the  purpose,  and  burnt  it  on  the  ground  ; 
then  sowed  grass  seed,  and  harrowed  thoroughly.  That  year 
I  cut  in  August,  a  heavy  burden  of  wild  grass  and  weeds, 
about  one  half  of  which  was  unfit  for  cattle  to  eat ;  this  year 
I  have  mowed  most  of  it  twice,  and  think  it  yielded  three  tons 
per  acre,  of  good  quality  stock  hay  ;  much  of  the  first  crop  was 
six  feet  high,  and  resembled  blue-joint,  but  I  think  it  is  a  differ- 
ent grass.  I  have  given  it  the  name  of  Island  blue  top.  I 
also  mowed  eight  acres  of  clover  on  the  island  where  the  spring 
rye  grew,  and  the  ashes  were  spread  the  last  year,  which  I 
think  yielded  one  and  a  half  tons  per  acre.  The  second  crop 
would  have  yielded  three  quarters  of  a  ton  per  acre,  most  of 
which  was  ploughed  in  and  sowed  with  rye  and  wheat,  as 
before  stated. 

On  the  home  lot,  which  is  the  forty-three  and  a  half  acre 
lot ,  where  the  dwelling  house  stands,  I  mowed  thirty  acres, 
making  forty-five  acres  in  all  ;  two  acres  of  this  lot  have  been 
taken  for,  and  is  occupied  by  a  railroad ;  three  acres  are  wood- 
land on  the  river  bank,  one  and  a  half  acres  occupied  with  the 
buildings,  yards,  and  road  to  the  river  ;  the  residue  is  in  crops 
before  specified.  The  corn-fodder  was  grown  on  land  taken 
from  the  pasture,  and  was  fed  to  my  cows  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember. I  measured  my  hay  accurately  the  first  day  of  this  ' 
month,  and  allowing  five  hundred  and  twenty-five  cubic  feet  for 
a  ton,  I  cut  this  year  one  hundred  and  twelve  and  a  half  tons, 
besides  some  thirty  tons  of  straw  and  corn  fodder. 

My  new  milch  cows  are  fed  with  four  quarts  broom  seed, 
meal  and  shorts  per  day,  in  winter,  with  cut  hay.  I  have  here- 
tofore fed  pretty  extensively  with  carrots,  but  from  careful  ex- 
periments last  winter,  I  am  satisfied  they  do  not  increase  the 
quantity  of  milk.  I  averaged  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  cows 
in  milk,  summer  and  winter.  Most  of  the  calves  were  sold  when 
three  or  four  days  old.  The  principal  part  of  the  milk  is  sent 
to  Haverhill  every  morning,  and  delivered  to  customers  at  four 
cents  per  quart,  from  April  first  to  Oct.  1st,  and  from  then  to 
April  1st,  at  five  cents  per  quart ;  the  remainder  is  made  into 
9 


66  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

butter  and  cheese  for  the  family's  use.  My  cows  are  princi- 
pally of  the  native  breed  ;  those  that  calve  in  spring  and  sum- 
mer, give  on  an  average,  four  and  a  half  quarts  of  milk  per 
day  for  the  year,  and  those  that  calve  in  October  and  Novem- 
ber, average  five  and  a  half  quarts  per  day.  Their  milk  is 
increased  by  going  from  hay  to  grass  in  spring ;  the  others 
diminished  by  going  from  grass  to  hay  in  the  fall. 

I  have  raised  more  than  thirteen  hundred  bushels  of  grain 
this  year,  viz  :  ten  and  two  sixteenth  bushels  of  wheat,  twelve 
and  a  half  bushels  of  barley,  two  hundred  and  fifty-two  and  a 
half  bushels  of  oats,  two  hundred  and  fifty-six  and  three  quar- 
ters bushels  of  rye,  (one  acre  on  home  lot  produced  thirty-eight 
and  a  half  bushels)  three  hundred  and  thirty  bushels  of  broom 
seed  by  estimation,  worth  as  much  per  bushel  for  cattle  and 
swhie  as  oats.  Pomeroy  corn  on  home  lot,  four  hundred  and 
sixteen  baskets,  the  average  weight,  forty-three  pounds  per 
basket ;  same  kind  on  the  island,  fifty-six  baskets,  weight  forty- 
three  pounds  per  basket.  Whitman  corn  on  the  island,  one 
hundred  and  six  baskets,  weight  forty-one  pounds  per  basket. 
Canada  corn  on  the  island,  three  hundred  and  eighty-four  bask- 
ets, weight  forty-six  and  a  half  pounds  per  basket.  Each  kind 
was  measured  in  the  same  baskets.  I  shelled  two  baskets  of  the 
Canada  corn  which  made  one  bushel  and  five  and  a  half  quarts. 
Allowing  eighty  pounds  of  ears  for  one  bushel  of  shelled  corn, 
I  shall  have  five  hundred  and  thirty-one  and  eighteen  eightieths 
bushels,  and  forty-six  baskets  of  small  corn.  The  Canada  corn 
yielded  much  the  best  according  to  the  treatment,  and  was  fit 
to  harvest  two  weeks  earlier  than  the  other  varieties. 

My  broom  corn  was  a  fair  crop,  but  was  injured  somewhat 
by  the  frost  the  morning  of  the  25th  of  September.  I  think 
the  yield  of  the  five  and  a  half  acres  will  be  full  three  thou- 
sand three  hundred  pounds  of  brush,  and  three  hundred  and 
thirty  bushels  of  seed.  I  raised  eighteen  cart  loads  of  pump- 
kins and  squashes,  mostly  among  my  broom  corn,  which  were 
fed  principally  to  my  cows.  I  believe  broom  corn  exhausts 
the  land  less  than  any  other  hoed  crop.  My  oats  that  grew  on 
land  where  my  broom  corn  was  raised  last  year,  yield  one-third 
more  than  those  where  my  Indian  corn  was  raised  side  by  side, 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  67 

and  manured  alike.  I  attribute  it  to  stocks  of  broom  corn, 
which  are  not  fit  for  fodder,  being  ploughed  in,  which  is  three 
quarters  of  the  whole  in  bulk  of  the  crop. 

I  had  forty-two  barrels  of  winter  apples,  principally  green- 
ings, from  my  old  trees,  and  more  than  two  hundred  bushels  of 
fall  and  cider  apples,  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  bushels  of 
peaches,  and  pears,  cherries,  currants,  &c.,  in  abundance,  for 
family  use.  Ninety-two  bushels  of  potatoes,  two  hundred  and 
sixty-four  bushels  of  onions,  and  seven  and  a  half  bushels  of 
white  beans.  I  hire  a  man  and  his  wife  by  the  year,  who 
occupy  the  L  part  of  my  house,  and  who  board  the  remainder 
of  the  help.  An  account  of  their  expenses  is  kept  daily, 
except  so  much  as  is  consumed  from  the  products  of  the  farm. 

EXPENSES  FOR  THE  PRESENT  YEAR. 


One  man  and  wife  by  the  year     -         -         -         - 
"        "    by  the  year  _         _         _         _         _ 

"        "    six  months,  at  $14  per  month 

"        ''    two  months  and  17  days,  $18  per  month 

((  ((        a  li  u        ((         a  20    "  " 

"        "    one  month,  $14  per  month     -         -         - 
"        "      "       "      and  3  days,  $14  per  month 
Twenty-seven  days  work  at  $1  00  per  day 
Six  days  work  at  5  shillings  per  day     -         -         - 
One  man  12  days,  rate  of  $12  per  month 

({  a     21        "  "      "        10     "         "  -  - 

One  man  for  the  winter,  use  of  house,  and  $20  00,  to 

tend  the  stock  on  the  island      -         -         _         _ 
Salt  hay,  nine  tons  at  $5  per  ton  _         _         - 

Grass  seed  _______ 

Manure       ________ 

Ashes,  110  bushels  at  13  cents  per  bushel 
Leached  ashes,  200  bushels  at  6  cents  per  bushel 
Plaster,  4  tons  at  $6  per  ton  _         _         _         _ 

Blacksmith's  bills  estimated  by  last  year 


$225 

00 

168 

00 

84 

00 

65 

00 

47 

77 

53 

08 

14 

00 

15 

62 

27 

00 

5 

00 

5 

54 

2 

75 

8 

08 

20 

00 

45 

00 

18 

13 

220 

00 

14 

30 

12 

00 

24 

00 

33 

00 

68  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

Furnishing  and  repairing  farm  tools       -         -         -  $18  25 

Toll  over  Haverhill  bridge  by  the  year           -         -  20  00 

Town  and  county  taxes  for  farm  and  stock  -  -  56  82 
Shorts,  five  tons  for  feeding  cows  this  winter  $20  00 

per  ton 100  00 

Butchers'  bill  and  groceries  to  date,  for  help  in  farm 

house      -         -         -         -         -         -         -         -  119  65 

Estimated  by  the  same  to  April  1st,  1852,  according 

to  the  number  of  hands  kept  in  winter       -         -  19  92 


Total  expenses  for  current  year           -         -  $1,441  91 

ACCOUNT     OF     RECEIPTS     OF     FARM. 

Milk  sold $1,824  00 

Oats  sold,  200  bushels,  at  45  cents  per    bushel       -  90  00 

Rye  sold,  135,        "      "     85     "       "         "            -  114  75 

Corn  for  sale,  200  bushels  75     •'        "         "            -  150  00 

Rye    "      "        90      "        85     "       "         "           -  76  50 

Wheat"   "        10      "$1  50     "       "         "            -  15  00 

Broom  brush,  3300  pounds,  at  10  cents  per  pound  -  330  00 

Onions,  sold  208  bushels,  average  47  cents  per  bush.  97  76 

Onions  for  sale,  50  bushels  at  47  cents  per  bushel  -  23  50 

Peaches  sold 194  25 

Apples  sold          --.__.-  38  75 

Rhubarb  and  vegetables  sold         -         -         -         -  22  25 

Squashes  sold 26  00 

Rye  straw  for  sale,  12  tons,  at  $8  per  ton       -         -  96  00 

Calves  sold 44  00 

Pigs  sold 27  00 

Estimated  profits  of  wintering  20  cows  on  the  island     200  00 


Receipts  for  the  year 3,369  76 

Deduct  expenses 1  441  91 


Net  profits  for  the  year       -         -         -         -$1,927  85 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  foregoing  statements  that  I  have   not 
charged  any  seed  or  grain  sowed  the  present  season,  reserving, 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  69 

as  I  have,  fifty-two  and  a  half  bushels  of  oats,  thirty-one  bush- 
els of  rye,  and  more  than  three  hundred  bushels  of  corn,  be- 
sides barley,  potatoes,  fruit  and  various  vegetables,  more  than 
sufficient  for  use  of  families,  and  farm  purposes. 

By  reference  to  my  daily  account  of  farm  work,  I  find  that 
one  hundred  and  forty-six  days'  work  were  performed  in  dig- 
ing  cellar  and  well  on  the  island,  drawing  stone,  brick  and 
lumber,  for  the  buildings,  and  making  a  new  street  in  Bradford 
village,  by  the  hands  employed  on  the  farm,  whose  wages  are 
charged  in  preceding  account  of  farm  expenses,  and  which,  if 
deducted,  would  lessen  the  expenses  and  increase  the  profits  of 
the  farm,  more  than  one  hundred  dollars.  I  have  made  no 
charge  for  my  supervision,  or  the  labor  performed  by  my  son 
on  the  farm,  but  the  rent  of  house,  fuel,  fruit,  vegetables,  pork, 
butter,  and  numerous  articles  of  family  consumption,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  satisfaction  derived  from  making  not  only  two, 
but  even  three  blades  of  grass  where  but  one  grew  before,  I 
have  considered  a  full  compensation.  In  addition  to  the  per- 
manent improvements  made  in  buildings,  ^ences,  &c.,  I  think 
it  will  be  conceded,  that  I  have  increased  the  productive  capac- 
ity of  the  farm  for  the  year  to  come,  more  than  five  hundred 
dollars. 

My  farm,  with  the  buildings  erected  and  repaired  since  my 
purchase,  and  including  stock  and  tools,  has  cost  me  about 
seventeen  thousand  dollars.  Now  it  will  be  perceived  by  the 
credit  in  the  preceding  account,  that  it  has  paid  an  interest  on 
this  investment  of  nearly  twelve  per  cent.  The  remark  has 
often  been  made  to  me  by  people  in  my  vicinity  to  this  effect, 
"  well,  you  have  got  a  good  farm,  and  if  you  get  a  living  from 
it  and  pay  your  expenses,  you  will  do  better  than  any  who 
have  owned  it  before  you."  Experience  has  proved  the  incor- 
rectness of  this  remark  so  far  as  it  relates  to  myself.  I  believe 
investments  in  farming,  if  the  business  is  carried  on  with  the 
system,  energy,  perseverance,  economy  and  skill,  which  char- 
acterize commercial  and  manufacturing  operations,  would  yield 
as  profitable  returns  and  with  much  less  risk.  This  report  has 
been  extended  to  a  much  greater  length  than  I  anticipated  at 
its  commencement,  but  had  it  been  more  brief,  many  facts  and 


rO  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

statements  would  have  been  omitted,  which  I  have  deemed 
important. 

There  is  a  rehictance  among  most  farmers  to  write  a  report  of 
their  farming  operations,  for  the  reason  that  they  know  not 
where  to  begin,  or  where  to  end.  I  must  confess  that  I  have 
felt  a  difficulty  of  this  kind  to  some  extent,  and  I  would  re- 
spectfully suggest  that  a  system  of  questions  on  farming  be  pre- 
pared, similar  in  character  to  those  of  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society,  for  the  benefit  of  persons  hereafter  apply- 
ing for  the  Society's  premium. 

Bradford,  Nov.  14,  1851. 


The   Grape  Culture. 

The  committee  propose  to  make  some  remarks  on  the  culti- 
vation of  the  grape  in  this  county.  They  will  commence  by 
stating  as  their  deep  conviction,  that  an  enlightened  regard  to 
the  prosperity,  health,  enjoyment  and  morals  of  the  commu- 
nity, would  lead  to  an  increased  attention  to  the  cultivation  of 
fruit ;  and  when  the  observation  is  true  in  regard  to  fruit  gen- 
erally, it  is  specially  and  emphatically  so  in  regard  to  the 
grape.     For 

1.  The  soil  regarded  chemically,  is  known  to  possess  to  a 
great  extent,  and  a  rich  degree,  the  elements  which  are  re- 
quired to  give  a  vigorous  and  healthful  growth,  both  to  the 
wood  and  fruit  of  the  vine.  It  is  also  believed  there  is  quite 
as  great  an  extent  of  territory  adapted  to  the  culture  of  this,  as 
to  that  of  any  other  produce.  This  adaptation  of  soil  to  grape 
culture,  made  manifest  by  its  chemical  constituents,  is  still  more 
forcibly  impressed  upon  us  by  the  fact  that  the  vine  springs 
up,  grows  rapidly,  and  produces  abundantly  in  every  part  of 
the  county,  in  spite  of  all  the  violences  that  are  in  one  form  or 
other  practised  upon  it.  It  is  doubtful  whether  there  is  a  farmer, 
we  might  almost  say  a  gardener,  who,  if  he  would  suffer  the 
vines  to  live  and  grow,  that  spring  up  of  their  own  accord, 
would  not  in  a  very  few  years  have  an  abundant  supply  of  this 
delicious  and  highly  valuable  fruit. 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  71 

2.  When  well  cultivated,  the  grape  vine  will  come  into  a 
bearing  state  earlier  than  most  other  fruits.  Years  that  may- 
soon  be  counted,  are  all  that  need  pass  before  the  man  who 
sets  a  vine  will  be  able  to  feast  himself  upon  the  rich  produc- 
tions, which  his  wise  foresight  has  secured  for  him.  Vines 
with  a  good  amount  of  roots,  when  set,  will  often  show  fruit 
on  the  second  or  third  year.  They  have  occasionally  been 
known  to  yield  some  the  very  year  of  their  transplanting. 
The  man  who  will  supply  himself  with  a  few  healthy  vines, 
the  present  season,  may  reasonably  expect  a  full  supply  of  this 
delicious  and  beautiful  fruit  in  the  autumn  of  the  fourth 
year. 

3.  Less  expense  is  required  in  cultivating  the  grape,  than  in 
cultivating  most  other  fruits.  We  know  well  that  large  ex- 
pense in  money  and  labor  may,  with  good  economy,  be  be- 
stowed on  the  vine  ;  but  we  know  also  that  the  generality  of 
men  will  not,  and  consistently  with  their  means  cannot,  afford 
to  do  this.  We  feel  happy,  therefore,  in  being  able  to  say  that 
such  expense  is  not  necessary.  A  bountiful  supply  of  this  de- 
licious fruit  may  be  secured  without  it.  Many  have  vines 
growing  on  their  own  land,  which  need  only  a  little  care  to 
bring  them  into  a  bearing  condition.  Vines  well  rooted  and 
which  are  approaching,  or  have  already  reached  the  bearing 
state,  may  be  purchased  for  a  very  inconsiderable  sum,  and  even 
if  a  man  has  not  a  vine  on  his  land  and  is  not  disposed  to  pur- 
chase one,  he  has  only  to  take  his  knife  and  cut  a  branch 
from  the  numerous  vines  that  grow  by  the  way  side,  or  ask  his 
neighbor  to  suffer  him  to  do  this,  with  one  growing  in  his 
neighbor's  lot,  put  this  cutting  in  the  earth,  perhaps  occasion- 
ally water  the  same,  and  in  a  very  short  time  he  will  be 
refreshed  by  the  fruit  which  this  will  in  great  abundance  afford 
him. 

4.  Less  space  of  earth  is  necessary  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
vine,  than  in  most  other  kinds  of  fruit.  There  is  not  a  resi- 
dent in  the  city  or  county  who  possesses  two  feet  square  of 
earth,  and  a  ten  foot  building,  but  may  for  two  or  more  months 
furnish  his  family  with  a  rich  supply  of  this  fruit.  Nor  one 
who  has  wood  or  pasture  land,  but  might,  after  supplying  his 


72  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

family,  fill  his  carts  for  the  accommodation  of  those  who  de- 
pend on  the  market,  both  for  the  substantials  and  delicacies  of 
life. 

5.  Because  the  grape  affords  a  most  grateful  refreshment  to 
the  sick,  the  infirm  and  aged.  The  committee  believe  they 
are  supported  by  observation,  and  by  the  authority  of  the  med- 
ical faculty  in  saying  that  grapes  are  among  the  most  innocent 
fruits  for  those  who  are  placed  upon  the  sick  bed,  and  that  they 
have  also  a  restorative  influence,  and  certainly  help  rather  than 
hinder  the  favorable  operation  of  most  medicines. 

6.  Because  when  once  set,  vines  may  be  expected  to  live, 
grow,  and  produce  fruit  for  many  years.  The  number  of  years 
they  have  been  known  to  continue  seems  almost  incredible. 
It  would  not  be  easy  to  point  out  a  period  which  they  have 
not  survived,  and  what  seems  worthy  of  record  is,  that  though 
in  the  process  of  years  the  amount  of  their  produce  may  di- 
minish in  a  small  degree,  the  quality  of  the  fruit  becomes  of  a 
higher  and  richer  flavor. 

If  the  question  be  asked,  what  kind,  whether  foreign  or  na- 
tive grapes,  should  be  sought  for  cultivation,  the  committee 
unhesitatingly  answer  the  native.  In  fact,  the  question  practi- 
cally is,  native  or  none.  Those  able  to  possess  green  houses 
may  gratify  themselves  with  grapes  of  other  climes,  and  the 
committee  would  say  with  all  earnestness,  let  them  do  it  they 
Will  thereby  add  something  to  their  own  comfort,  something 
perhaps  to  their  wealth,  and  often  by  their  liberal  distribution 
to  the  sick  and  well,  may  greatly  increase  the  amount  of  hu- 
man enjoyment.  But  of  foreign  grapes  there  never  has  been, 
and  at  present  there  cannot  be,  anything  like  a  general  diffu- 
sion or  liberal  supply.  The  cultivation  of  the  foreign  kinds 
costs  more  time  and  money  than  the  great  body  of  the  com- 
munity have  to  bestow.  What  changes  time,  increase  of 
knowledge,  and  change  of  habits  may  produce,  the  committee 
do  not  undertake  to  say,  but  they  have  no  hesitation  in  com- 
mitting themselves  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  time  has  not  yet 
come,  and  will  not  soon  come,  when  there  will  be  any  general 
su])ply  of  any  grapes,  but  those  of  the  native  kind,  and  they 
are  ready  to  say,  that  they  do  not  think  this  fact  need  be  at- 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  73 

tended  with  any  great  sorrow  or  grief.  They  are  not  sure,  sep- 
arate from  the  influence  of  prejudice  and  habit,  that  the  far 
OFF  are  better  than  the  near  by  ;  certainly  not  in  the  state  in 
which  we  can  have  them.  The  avidity  with  which  the  grapes 
of  this  county  are  sought  when  they  can  be  obtained  from  the 
woods  and  wild  places  about,  the  gladness  with  which  they  are 
received  when  gratuitously  bestowed,  the  price  which  they  de- 
mand when  exposed  in  market,  are  sufficient  proofs  that  the 
fruit  as  it  grows  in  this  State,  is  in  sufficient  demand  to  justify 
an  extensive  cultivation,  and  to  leave  no  just  ground  of  grief, 
that  we  cannot  possess  those  which  adorn  and  bless  other  lands. 
God  has  divided  these  things  as  it  has  pleased  him,  and  the 
committee  are  fully  persuaded  that  He  has  not  left  us  in  this 
particular  without  witness  that  He  is  good,  and  that  with  Him 
there  is  no  respect  of  persons. 

They  must  believe  the  grape  of  this  country  possesses  as 
many  valuable  properties  as  those  of  other  countries  of  a  simi- 
lar latitude,  or  perhaps  we  should  rather  say  of  a  similar  clime. 
Why  should  it  not  be  so  ?  Ours  may  not  possess  some  of  the 
excellences  which  are  found  in  those  abroad.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  are  qualities  of  a  valuable  nature  in  ours,  which 
theirs  have  not.  A  warm  climate  may  produce  better  fruit 
than  one  that  is  cold,  but  this  is  not  the  question  now  before 
us.  The  question  is,  can  foreign  grapes  be  produced  generally 
which  upon  the  whole  are  better  than  ours.  The  committee 
think  not.  There  are  peculiarities  which  it  is  thought  well  to 
mention,  by  which  many  of  the  grapes  of  this  and  some  other 
countries  are  distinguished  from  each  other.  One  of  these  is 
the  foxy  taste  of  ours,  and  musky  taste  of  theirs.  The  com- 
mittee are  not  certain  but  these  flavors  are  equally  unpleasant, 
at  first,  to  all,  or  that  they  do  not  become  equally  pleasant  after 
a  little  use.  The  greatest  difference,  perhaps,  may  be  found  in 
the  fact  that  one  has  by  a  train  of  circumstances,  not  important 
to  mention,  worked  itself  into  fashionable  connection,  the  other 
is  yet  mixed  with  uncultivated  life.  This  disrelish  to  the 
foxy  taste  of  our  grapes  which  many  entertain,  may  be,  as 
many  such  aversions  have  been,  overcome.  The  oldest  por- 
tions of  the  community  can  well  recollect  the  time  when  many 
10 


74  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

would  leave  the  table,  and  some  would  faint,  if  musk-melons 
happened  to  be  a  part  of  the  dessert.  The  tomato  and  rhubarb 
plant  have  worked  their  way  to  general  favor  at  a  much  later 
period.  A  hundred  years  hav^e  not  been  numbered  since  a 
highly  respectable  physician  in  Yirginia,  and  his  family,  were 
thought  to  have  an  idiosyncrasy  in  their  constitution,  which 
enabled  them  to  use  the  tomato  as  food,  while  it  would  operate 
as  a  poison  upon  others,  should  they  partake  of  it. 

Time  and  use  may  produce  as  great  a  change  in  regard  to 
the  foxy  taste  of  our  grape.  Bat  even  if  it  should  not ;  if  the 
foxy  taste  be  a  serious  objection,  a  difficulty  which  cannot  be 
■overcome,  it  should  be  recollected  that  it  is  an  objection  which 
lies  against  only  a  part,  and  not  always  the  best  part  of  our 
grapes.  Many  indeed  of  those  grapes,  which  have  received  the 
name  of  the  fox,  have  not,  as  many  have  supposed,  received  it 
because  they  had  anything  of  this  flavor,  but  because  they  are  in 
fact  destitute  of  it,  and  because,  having  something  of  the  acid  in 
them,  they  have  been  ranked  with  those  in  the  fable  which  the 
fox  is  said  to  have  rejected  and  defamed,  because  he  found 
himself  unable  to  reach  the  branches  loaded  with  this  delicious 
fruit.  In  the  Middle  and  Southern  States,  many,  some  say 
most,  of  the  native  grapes  have  a  rancid,  and  if  you  please  so 
to  call  it,  a  foxy  taste  and  smell,  and  receive  the  name  from 
this  circumstance.  But  it  is  not  so  certainly  in  many  parts  of 
this  Commonwealth.  Here  iliz  term  is  frequently  applied  to 
an  acid  fruit,  which  some  call  the  frost  or  winter  grape.  If 
then,  any  dislike  the  foxy  flavor,  they  are  under  no  constraint 
to  cultivate  them ;  there  are  many  other  varieties,  and  of  good 
qualities,  which  have  nothing  of  this  peculiarity  about  them. 

Production-  of  vines. — Vines  may  be  produced  by  planting 
seed,  putting  down  layers,  setting  out  portions  or  cuttings  of 
vines  containing  two  or  more  joints,  by  dividing  the  roots,  by 
engrafting  and  inoculation. 

By  the  first  process  new  varieties  may  be  obtained,  and  per- 
haps some  of  the  better  quality,  and  a  seedling  vine,  if  the  fruit 
be  good,  is  more  valuable  than  one  obtained  in  any  other 
way,  but  some  years  must  intervene  before  fruit  in  any  great 
quantities  and  in  a  fully  matured  state  can  be  secured  by  this 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  75 

process.  Besides,  experience  has  sho\rn  that  a  very  large  por- 
tion of  vines  obtained  from  seed  prove  to  be  male,  so  that  not 
unfrequently  after  years  of  labor  and  waiting,  those  who  resort 
to  this  course  find  that  they  have  labored  in  vain. 

Vines  raised  as  layers  are  apt  to  be  feeble  for  several  years, 
and  seldom  become  as  vigorous  and  productive  as  those  raised 
from  cuttings.  In  preparing  cuttings,  which  should  be  taken 
from  branches  of  the  year's  before  growth,  the  wood  of  the 
upper  and  lower  end  should  be  cut  away  very  near  to  the  bud 
or  joint,  and  great  caution  is  used  not  to  split  the  wood  or 
bruise  the  bud.  Some  use  cuttings  of  a  single  joint,  cutting 
away  the  wood  to  within  an  inch  on  each  side  of  the  bud.  and 
others  even  split  the  bud  and  place  the  parts  a  few  inches  deep 
in  the  earth.  In  this  last  method  a  vine,  if  obtained,  will  be 
later  in  coming  into  bearing,  but  will  have  a  stronger  resem- 
blance, and  possess  more  of  the  desirable  qualities  of  a  seedling, 
than  those  obtained  by  any  of  what  may  with  propriety  be 
called  artificial  means. 

If  persons  wish  to  secure  different  varieties  of  fruit,  and 
have  vines  which  they  are  willing  to  give  up  for  the  purpose, 
the  readiest  way  is  to  resort  to  grafting,  or  inoculation.  By 
this  process  fruit  may  sometimes  be  obtained  the  second  year, 
and  often  the  third  after  the  operation  :  while  in  doing  it,  there 
is  very  little  more  skill  required  than  in  a  like  process  on  the 
apple  or  pear  tree. 

Influence  or  soil,  v.\:c. — There  is  no  fruit  with  which  the 
committee  are  acquainted,  upon  which,  in  their  opinion,  cultiva- 
tion, soil,  location,  manure  and  pruning,  produce  so  great  changes 
as  they  do  upon  the  grape.  Its  size,  shape,  color,  flavor,  time  of 
maturing,  are  all  obviously  affected  by  these  influences.  We 
have  a  striking  illustration  of  this  remark  in  the  Walker  grape. 
This  is  a  fruit  which  has  long  been  known.  The  original  vine 
is  stiil  standing,  and  thriving  in  its  native  place,  in  East  Haver- 
hill. The  fruit  is  fine,  and  being  held  in  high  estimation,  has 
been  cultivated  somewhat  extensively  in  the  north  part  qi  the 
county,  and  as  it  has  been  spread  about,  it  has  received  almost 
as  many  names  as  there  have  been  persons  who  have  cultivated 
it,  or  places  into  which  it  has  been  introduced.  There  has  not 
a  year  passed,  as  the  committee  believe,  since  fruits  have  been 


76  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

exhibited  at  our  annual  fair,  but  specimens  of  this  grape  have 
been  oifered.  In  ahnost  every  instance,  it  has  come  under  dif- 
ferent names.  The  present  year  there  were  certainly  two,  the 
committee  believe  three,  specimens  exhibited,  neither  of  them 
bearing  the  original  name,  though  upon  a  little  inquiry,  it  was 
ascertained  beyond  a  doubt,  that  the  vine  in  Haverhill  was  the 
source  from  whence  they  came.  The  shape  color,  and  flavor  of 
these  specimens,  have  been  almost  as  various  as  their  names, 
and  they  have  been  spoken  of  in  our  reports,  as  different  fruits. 
The  committee  do  not  think  it  strange  that  it  it  should  be  so. 
For  though  the  discriminating  marks  of  this  fruit  are  sufficiently 
obvious  to  those  somewhat  familiar  with  it,  they  are  such  as 
might  well  pass  unnoticed  in  a  hasty  and  confused  examination. 
One  thing  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  under  whatever  name  it  has 
been  spoken  of,  it  has  always  been  pronounced,  and  Avith  great 
propriety,  a  good  fruit.  This  fruit  in  size  is  a  little  larger  than 
most  of  our  grapes,  remains  longer  in  a  state  of  eating,  and 
when  fully  ripened  in  a  favorable  situation,  the  outward  skin 
loses,  in  a  great  degree,  its  tough  or  leathery  character,  the  pulp, 
which  encloses  the  seed,  changes  into  a  more  tender  and  liquid 
state,  and  the  whole  grape  becomes  a  delicious  morsel  to  be 
eaten,  and  enjoyed  as  most  foreign  grapes,  or  as  the  blackberry 
and  raspberry,  fruits  so  much  esteemed  by  all.  This  fruit  is 
rather  oblong  in  shape,  varying  in  color  from  what  some  would 
call  a  white  to  a  flesh,  and  in  some  instances  to  a  light  purple 
or  crimson.  The  vine  is  a  good  bearer,  and  in  common  years, 
with  usual  cultivation,  the  fruit  will  begin  to  ripen  about  the 
middle  of  September,  and  if  not  injured  by  frost,  will  continue 
on  the  vines  till  the  middle  of  October,  and  perhaps  later,  and 
may  be  kept,  if  carefully  gathered,  through  November.  The 
committee  venture  to  recommend  this  as  a  fruit  worth  cultiva- 
tion, though  not  of  that  high  character  contemplated  by  the 
society  in  the  offer  of  premiums.  The  chairman  has  a  variety 
of  this  grape,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  many  competent  judges, 
is  thought  to  possess  qualities  which  give  it  a  decided  prefer- 
ence over  the  Haverhill  grape.* 

*  The  committee  think  it  quike  likely,  that  some  of  the  grapes  growing  in  the  country, 
jreally  resembling  the  Walker  grape,  have  sprung  from  seed  of  this  grape,  scattered  by 
birds  and  other  instrumentality. 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  77 

Diversity  in  the  qualities  of  Grapes. — Grapes,  like  other 
fruit,  vary  in  size,  shape,  color,  time  of  ripening,  length  of  time 
they  can  be  preserved,  adaptation  to  particular  uses,  and  in 
many  other  circumstances.  Those  about  to  commence  grape 
orchards,  or  to  multiply  or  enlarge  those  already  in  existence, 
should  have  regard  to  this,  and  make  such  selections  as  will  in 
the  result  prove  most  gratifying  or  profitable  to  them.  There 
are  now  in  the  county,  in  process  of  cultivation,  various  kinds, 
from  which  selections  might  be  made,  which  would  secure  a 
constant  supply  of  fruit  in  a  state  of  maturity  and  freshness, 
from  the  middle  of  August  to  the  month  of  February,  and  in 
most  seasons  from  an  earlier  to  a  later  period. 

Unproductive  vines. — Vines  raised  from  seed  of  the  native 
grape,  are  very  apt  to  prove  staminate  ;  these  of  course,  produce 
no  fruit,  and  are  therefore  rejected  most  generally  by  those  con- 
cerned in  grape  culture.  The  committee,  however,  state,  that 
from  physical  considerations,  which  they  deem  supported  by 
sundry  experiments,  they  are  led  to  think  that  it  is  beneficial 
both  for  the  strength  and  health  of  the  vine,  the  perfection  of 
the  fruit,  the  richness  of  its  flavor  and  quantity  of  the  yield,  to 
suffer  some  of  these  vines  to  occupy  a  place  in  the  vineyard. 

Cultivation  and  training  the  vine  — In  the  cultivation  of 
the  grape,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  tendency  of  the  vine 
is  to  a  luxuriant  growth  of  wood.  Its  physical  construction 
encourages  this.  The  study  of  the  vinegrower  should  be,  as 
far  as  he  can,  to  counteract  this  tendency  and  to  turn  the  nu- 
tritious circulation  from  the  wood  to  the  fruit,  and  thus  increase 
the  size,  but  particularly  the  richness  of  it.  In  accomplishing 
this  result,  regard  must  be  had  to  the  character  of  the  soil,  the 
mode  of  trimming  and  training,  and  the  nutritive  ingredients 
applied  to  its  roots.  The  committee  would  enlarge  a  little  on 
these  subjects  were  it  not  that  it  would  unduly  extend  this  re- 
port. As  a  general  observation,  they  will  say  in  respect  to  soil, 
that  it  should  be  sandy  and  warm,  in  preference  to  that  which 
is  clayey  and  wet.  The  manure  used  should  not  be  of  an  ac- 
tive and  exciting  character.  As  a  single  article,  no  one  is  so 
universally  good  as  the  trimmings  of  the  vines,  and  small 
branches  of  trees  placed  upon  the  earth  about  the  roots,  to  the 


78  ESSEX    SOCIETY. 

extent  of  several  feet.  In  places  subject  to  early  frost,  training 
the  vine  near  the  earth,  horizontally,  is  a  safe  practice,  and 
where  the  air  is  particularly  damp  from  any  cause,  training  to 
an  upright  stake  or  pole,  to  the  height  of  ten  or  more  feet,  has 
been  found  so  obviously  beneficial  as  to  recommend  this  mode 
to  the  attention  of  all  engaged  in  the  culture  of  the  grape.  This 
last  course  is  often  beneficial,  too.  because,  by  the  almost  con- 
stant motion  of  the  pole  caused  by  the  wind,  the  fruit  will  be 
protected  from  being  scalded  by  the  sun's  rays,  an  injury  to 
which  it  is  very  liable  in  many  situations,  and  also  to  an  en- 
couraging extent  from  the  baneful  influence  of  the  mould.  For 
the  same  reason  a  common  trellis,  composed  of  rather  flexible 
materials,  is  to  be  preferred  to  one  constructed  of  timber,  so 
firm  as  not  to  yield  at  all  to  the  usual  motions  of  the  wind. 
The  best  fruit  ever  obtained  is  that  which  grows  upon  vines 
attached  to  the  longest  and  most  easily  agitated  limbs  of 
forest  or  cultivated  trees.  The  principle  involved  in  this  last 
observation  applies  with  almost,  or  quite,  as  great  force  to  other 
fruits,  and  suggests  a  consideration  of  a  practical  nature  in  re- 
lation to  general  pruning. 

A  leading  question  in  trimming  is  the  comparative  advan- 
tages between  heading  in  and  thinning  our.  The  committee 
have  been  led  to  suppose  that  extremes  here  should  be  avoided. 
If  headed  in  too  much,  the  tree  and  limbs  will  be  moved  but 
slightly  by  the  common  winds.  This  will  expose  the  bark  on 
the  trunk  and  large  branches  to  be  burned,  and  the  fruit  scalded, 
by  our  hot  and  dry  summer  sun.  If  thinning  out  be  exclusively 
adopted,  the  wind  blowing  upon  the  wide-spread  branches  is 
apt  to  strain  and  split  them,  and  often  to  loosen  the  bark,  and 
to  bruise,  if  not  to  cause  the  fruit  to  fall.  Grapes,  being  a 
smaller  fruit,  will  remain  uninjured  by  an  agitation  which 
would  destroy  the  apple,  pear,  or  any  of  the  large  and  heavy 
fruits,  but  still  will  often  sufier  if  exposed  to  a  violent  motion. 
Trees  of  almost  any  kind,  where  they  can  be  spared,  afford,  so 
to  speak,  the  best  trellis  for  vines,  certainly,  in  cases  where  but 
little  labor  can  be  devoted  to  them. 

But  while  the  committee  judge  it  well  to  make  this  state- 
ment, in  respect  of  methods  of  cultivation,  they  would,  at  the 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  79 

same  time  say  to  all,  who  possess  any  love  of  fruit,  or  who  have 
families  that  like  it,  take  any  method  that  pleases  them,  or 
which  their  friends,  with  or  without  experience,  or  books  writ- 
ten expressly  on  the  subject,  are  pleased  to  recommend,  for  in 
either  way,  in  a  very  few  j^ears,  even  should  the  method  pursued 
not  be  the  most  successful,  it  will  result  in  a  generous  supply 
of  fruit,  and  of  a  quality  sufficiently  excellent  to  afford  great 
satisfaction  in  the  use.  If  there  be  a  tree  that  can  be  spared, 
set  a  vine  beside  it,  and  let  it  spread  itself  out  upon  its  branches. 
If  there  be  a  wall  or  fence  it  will  well  answer  the  place  of  a 
costly  trellis.  If  there  be  a  rock  upon  which,  to  take  an  illus- 
tration from  the  Scripture,  no  one  ploughs,  let  a  vine  cover  it, 
and  let  no  one  neglect  to  cultivate,  altogether,  because  he  has 
not  time  or  means  to  do  it,  in  the  most  scientific  and  expensive 
manner.  The  example  set  by  Daniel  Rogers,  in  Newbury,  is 
good.  Some  years  since  he  set  a  vine,  taken  from  the  wood- 
land, beside  a  large  rock  near  his  house.  This  vine  soon  spread 
out  and  covered  the  rock,  and  has  produced  bountifully.  Two 
years  since,  when  visited  by  the  chairman  c^  the  committee,  it 
was  judged  to  have  at  least  seven  bushels  of  very  good  grapes 
upon  its  branches,  and  should  it  continue  to  increase  as  it  has 
done  for  years  past,  there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  but  double  this 
quantity  may  often  be  gathered  from  it. 

A  little  fruit  is  better  than  none,  and  that  which  the  many 
may  call  indifferent,  possesses  excellences  enough  to  justify  the 
cultivation  of  it  where  better  cannot  be  obtained.  One  fact  is 
certain,  that  there  are  no  grapes  growing  in  our  wild  lands 
but  are  anxiously  sought  and  eaten  with  avidity,  nor  any 
that  are  cultivated  but  will  be  thankfully  received  by  all,  if  pre- 
sented to  them;  none  but  will  be  purchased  if  exposed  in  the 
market,  and  we  may  add,  none  but  what  will  be  stolen  if  op- 
portunities are  discovered.  From  all  which  circumstances,  the 
committee  feel  justified  in  saying,  that,  in  the  unprejudiced  es- 
timation of  the  community,  the  grapes  of  our  own  county  are 
well  worth  cultivation,  and  that  a  much  greater  supply  of  them 
is  required  to  satisfy  the  general  demand. 

GARDNER  B.  PERRY,  Chairnian. 


so  KSSEX    SOCIETY. 

Bkes  and  Honey. 
If  the  small  number  o(  hives  and  boxes  offered  is  anj^  indica- 
tion of  tl^e  exlent  to  which  the  culture  of  the  honey  bee  is  car- 
ried in  tlie  county  of  Essex,  the  committee  regret  tliat  so  inter- 
estinii  and  profitable  a  pursuit  should  be  so  much  neglected  by 
our  farmers.  There  must  be  a  vast  quantity  of  honey  that  lies 
unfathered  deep  down  in  the  sweet  cups  of  the  wild  flowers, 
wasting  its  luscious  sweetness  upon  the  passing  winds.  There 
must  be  in  our  county,  a  very  sparse  population  of 

••  Sweet  honey-sucking  bees. 
That  out  of  summer  velvet  buds 
Do  bear  away  the  pillage  of  the  fields." 

Just  one  hive,  four  boxes,  and  one  glass  globe,  as  samples  of 
all  the  honey  culture  of  this  stout  county  of  Essex,  T\'ith  a  more 
dense  rural  population  than  can   be  found  in  any  other  county 
of  the  State  !     Why,  do  the  farmers  know  that  such  honey  as 
\va5  presented  to  the  inspection  of  the  committee,  is  worth,  at 
retail,  twenty-five  cents  a  pound,  and  is   bought  by  wholesale 
buyers  in  the  market   towns  at   seventeen   to  twenty  cents  a 
pound  r     Do  they  know  that  a  properly  planned,  properly  made, 
and  properly  managed  hive  will  yield  from  thirty  to  fifty  pounds 
a  season  of  just  such  honey,  for  which  just  such  prices  may  be 
obtained  ?    Do  they  once  think  that  a  dozen  hives  may  be  man- 
aged with  almost  nothing  of  care,  and  nothing  of  cost,  after  the 
first  outlay  I    Why,  •-  good  friends,  sweet  friends,"'  let  us  look  at 
it  a  moment,  in  a  practical  and  economical  light.     A  properly 
made  hive,  of  the  right  construction,  one  that  shall  save  the 
lives  of  all  "the  little  busy  bees,''  as  long  as  their  bounteous 
Maker   intended  they  should  live,  (for  your  committee  are  no 
friends   to  that  crael  system  of  management,  which  kills  the 
bees  to  get  the  honey — ^murder  and  robbery  both  combined.) — 
soch  ahive.  of  best  stock  and  well  painted,  maybe  bought  for  four 
dollars  and  fifty  cents.     A  new  swarm  may  be  bought  and  put 
therein  for,  ay  at  a  high  figure,  four  dollars  more.     Throwing 
ont  of  the  account  the  fact  that  in  a  good  season,  from  an  early 
stock,  you  will   get  ten  to  fifteen  pounds  of  honey,  the  first 
year  of  the  swarm,  over  and  above  what  the  bees  will  need 


rjaKj  aeaos.    For  k  is 

sicjiiny.  £2ii.  I.  TTiTrrft  beosc  11  "i  iMiw  iii  Abk  set 

T^s  report  2  sre  :i!hc  ji^ee  n  v%aE&  as  ^f"*>  - 
-^ggazse  iLpiGL  Lif   -iT-Li^^rmHTi:  i£ iee&.  ac  sl  sskt  xg«nL  2e&> 

3sefid  janif  "^  -iff  rnhes- 

E"rsrT::oiy.  rarsxTr  :t  ^^'srr  acne:-  kur"*^  sc  foe^  ai^  iat**". 
si  i"  b*  f :  -  r  i,.  ^as  ail 


Mr   KV^- 


11 


82  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

three  classes  of  individuals,  the  mother,  commonly  called  the 
queen,  the  working  bees,  and  the  drones.  There  is  but  one 
queen  in  the  hive,  the  mother,  and  as  the  instinct  which  God 
has  granted  indicates,  the  mistress  of  the  swarm.  By  the  month 
of  January  and  February,  in  any  given  year,  the  population  of 
a  hive  is  reduced  by  death  to  its  lowest  point,  for  the  life  of  a 
working  bee  does  not  extend  beyond  eight  months,  and  the 
deposition  of  eggs  by  the  queen  mother  to  any  great  extent,  is 
interrupted  during  the  severe  months  of  winter.  About  the 
beginning  of  March,  it  recommences,  and  increases  during 
April,  May,  and  June,  to  such  almost  incredible  amount,  that 
the  sparse  winter  population  of  scarcely  three  thousand,  is  hur- 
ried up  to  twelve  thousand,  fifteen  thousand,  and  twenty  thou- 
sand and  more.  And  every  bee-keeper  is  aware,  that  during 
the  swarming  months  of  May,  June,  and  July,  a  swarming  hive 
is  literally  overpouring  in  numbers,  and  that  for  want  of  room 
and  air,  in  the  inside,  they  hang  in  countless  clusters  upon  the 
outside  front  of  the  hive.  This  is  no  sure  indication  of  swarm- 
ing, but  when  a  swarm  does  rise,  in  time  of  such  crowding, 
the  front  of  the  hive  is  pretty  well  cleared  of  bees.  Ten  or 
twelve  days  more  will  replenish  the  population  to  such  extent, 
that  a  second  swam  is  not  unfrequently  sent  off.  A  third 
swarm  sometimes  succeeds,  but  is  quite  undesirable,  as  it  will 
be  rather  small,  and  is  too  exhausting  to  the  parent  stock,  ex- 
posing it  to  the  attacks  of  that  atrocious  enemy  of  all  bees,  and 
pest  of  all  bee-keepers,  the  bee  moth,  (Tinea  mellonella.) 

The  mother  bee  is  easily  recognized,  by  her  long,  taper  body, 
short  wings  and  slow  gait.  In  ordinary  hives,  she  is  seldom, 
if  ever,  seen.  Before  depositing  her  eggs,  she  carefully  exam- 
ines the  cell,  by  putting  in  her  head,  and  if  satisfied,  she  inserts 
the  point  of  the  abdomen,  exudes  an  egg  which  clings  to  the 
side  and  bottom  of  the  cell,  by  some  adhesive  substance  with 
which  it  is  coated.  The  cells  for  the  reception  of  worker 
eggs  are  the  common  cells  of  the  comb,  those  for  drones  are 
somewhat  larger,  and  those  for  queen  mothers,  larger  yet,  thim- 
ble-shajied,  and  built,  mouth  downward,  upon  the  edge  of  the 
comb.  Of  worker  eggs,  the  qut^en  deposits,  say  from  twelve 
to  thirty   thousand,  of  drone  eggs,  from   five  hundred  to  two 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  83 

thousand,  and  of  queen  eggs,  not  more  than  five  to  eight.  As 
new  queens  are  born,  if  swarming  is  desired  and  allowed,  one 
leaves  with  the  swarm,  and  those  that  remain,  swarming  hav- 
ing ceased,  are  supposed  to  be  destroyed  by  the  strongest  re- 
maining queen.  We  say  one  leaves,  not  specifying  whether  it 
be  the  old  queen  or  a  new-born  one,  as  that  is  a  point  upon 
which  apiarians  are  not  agreed.  To  the  queen  mother,  the 
bees  seem  to  pay  the  greatest  respect,  and  to  take  the  most  spe- 
cial care  to  preserve  her  life  and  health.  She  is  indeed  the  life 
of  the  hive,  and  might,  as  our  common  mother  was  called  by 
Adam,  be  called  the  Eve  of  the  swarm,  "  for  she  is  the  mother 
of  all  living  "  therein. 

"  She  lives,  and  pours  through  all,  the  accordant  soul ; 
She  dies,  and  by  her  death  dissolves  the  whole." 

The  writer  of  this  report  has  often  seen  and  handled  her,  and 
when  seen,  within  the  hive,  among  the  bees,  he  has  seen  that 
all  the  bees  around  her  turned  their  heads  towards  her,  and,  if 
she  stopped,  they  formed  a  sort  of  circle  about  her,  while  some 
fondled  and  licked  her  with  their  probosces,  and  some  supplied 
her  with  food.  She  is  very  gentle  in  her  disposition,  never 
uttering  an  angry  word,  and  can,  only  after  the  greatest  provo- 
cation, and  scarcely  then,  be  induced  to  attempt  to  sting. 
Beautiful  pattern  for  all  her  sex  ! 

The  life  of  the  reigning,  or  queen  mother,  by  a  beautiful 
adaptation  of  Divine  Providence  to  the  wants  of  the  communi- 
ty over  which  she  presides,  herself  supplying  her  own  faithful 
subjects,  is  prolonged  to  the  period  of  four  or  five  years.  If 
she  dies  at  such  a  time  of  the  year,  when  there  is  no  young 
brood  comb  in  the  hive,  say  in  November,  December,  January, 
and  possibly,  February,  the  stock  must  inevitably  die  out  and 
perish.  But  if  she  dies,  or  is  lost,  when  there  is  young  brood 
comb  in  the  hive,  then  the  worker  bees,  wisely  provided  with 
the  appropriate  instinct,  take  a  worm,  of  three  or  four  days  old, 
which,  under  the  ordinary  operation,  would  have  been  a  worker 
bee,  and,  by  means  wholly  unexplained,  convert  it  into  a  queen 
or  mother  bee.  Of  the  fact  there  is  not  a  doubt.  As  the  man 
said  in  the  fable  of  the  chameleon,  so  the  writer  says,  having 


84  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

witnessed   the    operation,    "I've  seen,  and   sure    I    ought    to 

know." 

The  subject  is  one  of  great  detail,  as  well  as  of  great  curi- 
osity, and  would  occupy  too  much  space  to  be  here  discussed. 
It  is  true,  that  apiarians  are  at  issue  upon  the  modus,  and  give 
varied  explanations,  but  the  best  authorities  all  agree,  that 
when  there  is  a  loss  of  the  queen  at  the  time  of  a  supply  of 
brood  comb,  the  workers  can  make  good  the  loss.  Our  own 
theory  is,  that  the  workers  are  all  barren  females,  the  organs  of 
generation  not  being  perfected  for  the  production  of  eggs  ;  that 
on  the  occasion  of  the  loss  of  the  queen,  these  organs  are,  in 
the  worker  worm,  selected  by  some  mode  and  by  some  appli- 
ances known  to  the  instinct  of  the  bees,  duly  and  suitably  elab- 
orated for  the  production  of  eggs.  A  difficulty  is,  and  not  a 
small  one,  that  the  form  and  size,  and  length  of  sting,  are  all, 
also,  altered.  As  our  excellent  friend.  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley 
says,  in  the  Spectator,  "  a  good  deal  may  be  said  on  both  sides 
of  the  question,"  and  a  good  deal  has  been  said,  and  written, 
and  scolded,  and  we  do  not  think  it  worth  while  to  bother  the 
Essex  bee  masters  about  the  arguments.  Let  us  be  thankful 
for  the  thoughful,  wise,  and  excellent  provision  of  the  bee's 
great  Creator,  and  go  on  with  our  report. 

We  will  then  say  a  word  or  two  about  the  great  aristocrats 
of  the  hive,  applying  that  much  abused  word  to  those  therein 
who  live  on  the  labors  of  others,  themselves  furnishing  neither 
capital,  skill,  nor  work,  and  whose  only  office  is  to  assist  in 
propagating  the  race.  A  useful,  necessary,  and  indispensa- 
ble vocation  it  is,  the  committee  are  willing  to  concede,  but 
they  wish  the  drones  had  something  besides,  about  which  to 
emjiloy  their  leisure  moments — 

"  Those  moments  of  leisure, 
Not  devoted  to  pleasure." — Old  Song. 

The  drones,  then,  are,  with  the  exception  before  specified, 
the  regular  do-nothings  of  the  hive  ;  your  fine  gentlemen-at- 
large,  and  very  portly  and  well  fed  gentlemen  too.  "  They 
toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin;  they  lay  not  up  in  garners ;  " 
they  add  nothing  to  the  common  stock,  and  yet,  like  some  ani- 
mals that  go  about  on  four  legs — like  some  noisy  fellows  of  the 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  8^ 

genus  homo — they  make  more  noise  and  fuss,  than  all  the  rest 
of  the  tenants  of  the  hive  put  together.  Like  furious  orators 
on  town  meeting  days,  and  at  political  caucuses,  they  keep  up 
a  miscellaneous  kind  of  bother  and  buzz,  with  the  intent,  very 
likely,  to  make  up  in  noise,  what  they  lack  in  sense,  and  to 
draw  upon  their  inflated  selves  the  eyes  of  the  "  dear  people," 
upon  whose  honey  they  feed,  though  contributing  nothing  there- 
to. With  both  these  classes,  as  Tony  Lumpkin  says,  "  It's  all 
buzz !  " 

They  are  an  idle,  cowardly,  inactive,  lazy,  and  clumsy  set  of 
fellows,  and  it  is  well  that  they  are  stingless,  for  it  is  serious 
matter  of  doubt,  whether,  if  they  had  one,  they  could  get  up 
spunk  enough  to  use  it.  Their  life  is  a  short  and  merry  one, 
scarcely  reaching  beyond  the  brief  period  of  three  months,  by 
which  time,  being  of  no  further  use  in  their  peculiar  vocation, 
they  are  all  cast  out,  and  killed  off  by  the  workers.  Behold 
the  picture  of  the  life  and  death  of  your  lazy,  pot-bellied, 
ease-loving  drones : — 

Their  short  proboscis  sips 
No  luscious  nectar  from  the  wild  thyme's  lips  ; 
From  the  lime's  leaf,  no  amber  drops  they  steal, 
Nor  bear  their  grooveless  thighs  the  foodful  meal ; 
On  others'  toils  in  pamper'd  leisure  thrive, 
The  lazy  fathers  of  the  industrious  hive.* 

Such  being  the  drones,  the  committee  dismiss  them  from  fur- 
ther consideration,  proceeding  to  the  more  grateful  subject  of 
the 

Worker  bees. — These  constitute  the  great  mass  of  the  pop- 
ulation, being,  as  we  have  before  hinted,  unproductive  or  bar- 
ren females.  By  them  all  the  varied  labors  of  the  hive  are  car- 
ried forward.  They  are  shorter  and  less  in  size  than  either  the 
queen  or  the  drones.  Taking  the  queen  at  one  inch  in  length, 
which  is  about  right,  the  drone  is  two  thirds  and  the  worker 
one  half  an  inch  in  length.  The  number  of  working  bees  in  a 
healthy  hive,  may  be  safely  put  at  from  twelve  thousand  to 
twenty  or  thirty  thousand.  And  in  non-swarming  hives,  (such 
as  have  been  in  successful  use  by  the  writer,  to  which  further 

*  From  an  unfinished  poem,  called  "  The  Bees,"  by  Dr.  Evans,  of  England. 


86  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

reference  will  be  made,)  there  have  been,  beyond  question,  as 
many  as  forty-five  to  fifty  thousand.  When  in  such  num- 
bers, and  carefully  attended  to,  in  the  matters  of  roo7n  and 
ventilation,  the  united  labors  of  so  numerous  a  body  of  work- 
men, or  rather  work-bees,  are  productive  of  magnificent  moun- 
tains of  high-piled  sweets.  The  writer  once  owned  a  non- 
swarming  hive,  which  he  kept  in  a  garden  in  Salem,  and  which 
consisted  of  three  collateral  boxes.  At  the  end  of  the  second 
season  from  its  being  tenanted  by  the  bees,  each  side  box  con- 
tained about  forty-five  pounds  of  honey.  Both  these  were 
taken  away,  and  there  was  left  in  the  central  box,  where  the 
bees  domiciled,  fifty  pounds  for  their  winter  use.  To  return  to 
the  workers.  They  are  all  provided  with  a  flexible  apparatus, 
called  a  proboscis,  with  which  they  lap  tip  the  honey,  for  they 
are  a  lapping,  not  a  sucking  insect — Shakspeare  to  the  contrary, 
notwithstanding,  who  says  in  the  Tempest, — 

"  Where  the  bee  sucks,  there  lurk  I." 

They  also  have,  upon  their  thighs,  small,  hollow  baskets  to 
receive  the  farina  and  propolis  which  they  gather,  in  great,  and 
seemingly  unnecessary  quantities,  from  the  flowers  and  the 
leaves. 

The  working  bees  have,  further,  a  honey  bag,  in  shape  like 
a  tapering  oil  flask.  This,  when  full,  is  about  the  size  of  a 
small  pea.  The  honey  which  it  contains,  is  in  part,  delivered 
up  into  the  honey  cells  of  the  hive,  for  winter  use,  in  part,  goes 
into  the  general  system  of  the  bee  for  its  nourishment,  and  a 
portion  is  converted  into  wax,  which  is  afterwards  exuded  in 
scales,  between  the  rings  of  the  abdomen.  For  their  personal 
defence,  and  the  defence  of  their  home  and  hive,  and  its  right 
precious  contents  of  queen,  and  young,  and  honey,  they  are  fur- 
nished with  a  most  powerful  sting,  in  the  use  and  application 
of  which  they  are  eminently  apt,  as  your  committee  have  had 
pungent  experience,  and  can  testify  thereto.  This  sting  is 
complex  and  two-fold,  being  a  horny  scabbard,  enclosing  two 
bearded  darts,  along  the  groove  between  which,  is  ejected  a 
venomous  fluid  acutely  poisonous.  This  poison  is  a  chemical 
acid,  which  may  be  neutralized  and  rendered  harmless,  by  the 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  87 

early  application  of  any  alkali,  such  as  pearlash,  or  saleratus,  dis- 
solved in  warm  water.  The  bee  seldom  stings,  except  about 
home,  and  here  its  watchful  jealousy  against  intruders,  keeps  it 
constantly  "  primed  and  loaded,"  and  ready  for  fight.  Yet,  if 
they  get  wonted  to  the  visits  of  the  keeper,  or  to  frequent  vis- 
itors, they  are  much  less  apt  to  sting,  than  if  left  wholly  unused 
to  such  visits.  In  fact,  if  visited  frequently,  by  persons  who 
move  about  the  premises  carefully  and  quietly,  and  who  are 
cleanly  in  their  habits,  and  have  no  peculiarly  strong  human 
odor,  and  who  are  careful  not  to  breathe  upon  tliem,  they  are, 
on  the  whole,  a  tolerably  peaceable  and  gentlemanly  crowd. 
Never  strike  at  them ;  never  breathe  on  them  ;  never  go  near 
them  when  in,  what  the  refined  lady  in  the  "Vicar  of  Wake- 
field "  called,  "  a  muck  of  sweat.'" 

Just  hear  what  old  Butler  says,  who  wrote  on  bees  more 
than  two  hundred  years  ago  : — '•  If  thou  wilt  have  the  favor  of 
bees  that  they  sting  thee  not,  thou  must  avoid  some  things 
which  offend  them  ;  thou  must  not  be  unchaste  and  uncleanly  ; 
for  impurity  and  skutishness,  themselves  being  most  chaste  and 
neat,  they  utterly  abhor ;  thou  must  not  come  among  them 
smelling  of  sweat,  or  having  a  stinking  breath,  caused  either 
through  eating  of  leeks,  onions  or  garlick  ;  thou  must  not  be 
given  to  surfeiting  or  drunkenness  ;  thou  must  not  come  puffing 
and  blowing  unto  them,  neither  hastily  stir  among  them,  nor 
resolutely  defend  thyself  when  they  seem  to  threaten  thee  ;  but 
softly  moving  thy  hand  before  thy  face,  gently  put  them  by; 
and  lastly,  thou  must  be  no  stranger  unto  them.  In  a  word, 
thou  must  be  chaste,  cleaniy,  sweet,  sober,  quiet,  and  familiar^ 
so  they  will  love  thee,  and  know  thee  from  all  other."  (But- 
ler,  chap.  1,  part  33.) 

For  safety  in  operating  among  them,  it  is  prudent,  if  the 
apiarian  has  any  fears,  to  smoke  a  pipe  or  cigar.  With  tobacco 
smoke,  you  may  drive  before  you,  "  a  whole  wilderness"  of 
bees.  Their  detestation  of  the  nauseous  weed  is  truly  exem- 
plary. 

There  are  very  many  excellent  bee-hives,  patented  and  un- 
patented. We  shall  not  discuss  their  various  merits,  but  shall 
only  point  out  such  principles  in  their  general  make,  as  shall 


88  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

secure  the  management  we  desire  to  see  carried  out.  This 
management  is  to  have  for  its  distinguishing  feature,  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  bees  from  the  cruel,  unnecessary,  improvident 
and  heartless  destruction  by  sulphureous  fames,  to  which  so 
many  farmers  and  apiarians  doom  them,  for  the  sake  of  getting 
their  honey.  Murder  and  arson,  and  robbery,  all  combined  ! 
How  feelingly  Thompson  laments  this  barbarous  usage  in  the 
"  Autumn"  of  his  "Seasons!"   (Line  1170etseq.): — 

"  Ah,  see,  where  robbed  and  murdered  in  that  pit 
Lies  the  still  heaving  hive !  at  evening  snatched, 
Beneath  the  cloud  of  guilt-concealing  night. 
And  fixed  o'er  sulphur !  while,  not  dreaming  ill, 
The  happy  people,  in  their  waxen  cells. 
Sat  tending  public  cares  ; 
Sudden,  the  dark  oppressive  steam  ascends. 
And,  used  to  milder  scents,  the  tender  race. 
By  thousands,  tumble  from  their  honied  domes ! — 
— Into  a  gulf  of  blue  sulphureous  flame." 

This  destruction,  the  committee  say,  is  wholly  unnecessary, 
as  well  as  cruel,  and  they  intend  to  substantiate  the  assertion, 
by  showing  the  bee-keeper,  that,  if  he  considers  it  necessary 
to  dislodge  the  bees  from  a  hive  that  he  may  take  the  honey, 
there  is  provided  by  nature,  a  means  of  doing  it,  without 
destroying  the  life  of  a  single  bee.  The  means  referred  to  will 
be  discussed  before  closing  the  report. 

A  properly  designed  and  well  made  hive  should  have  a 
movable  bottom-board,  collateral  boxes,  and  an  upper  chamber 
in  addition.  With  such  a  hive,  bees  may  be  successfully 
kept,  and  made  to  yield  a  handsome  profit  to  the  keeper,  from 
the  sale  of  their  superfluous  honey.  Not  a  life  need  be  sacri- 
ficed, and  the  honey  taken  will  be  considered  but  a  fair  rent- 
age paid  by  the  bees  for  tlie  use  of  a  comfortable  home  and 
hive;  a  home  and  hive,  in  which,  from  its  proper  construction, 
they  are  equally  protected  from  the  excessive  heat  of  summer, 
(and  therefore  can  work  the  better,  and  without  idlers  piled 
upon  the  outside,)  and  from  the  severe  cold  and  varying  tem- 
perature of  winter.  They  will  also,  by  means  of  the  chamber, 
be  kept  free  from  that  dampness  and  mould,  which,  during  the 


ESSEX    SOCIETY.  89 

winter,  causes  the  destruction  of  so  many  stocks.  With  such  a 
hive,  the  apiarian  may  permit  or  prevent  swarming,  just  as  he 
pleases. 

We  will  now  give  the  description  and  dimensions  of  a  hive, 
constructed  with  the  above  principles  in  view.  Such  a  hive 
was  successfully  used  by  the  writer  for  very  many  years,  in  the 
city  of  Salem.  It  is  not  patented,  and  no  hive  ever  should 
be,  and  the  committee  are  glad  to  know  that  the  granting  of 
patents  on  hives  will  meet  very  little  encouragement  at  the 
Patent  Office  in  Washington.  It  is  not  wholly  an  original  hive, 
but  its  several  points  have  been  made  up  by  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  descriptions  of  the  best  hives  known  here  and  in 
England,  by  actual  practice  with  a  great  variety  of  hives,  and 
by  diligent  study  of  what  appeared  to  be  capable  of  meeting 
the  wants  and  suiting  the  habits  of  the  dwellers  and  workers 
in  hives.  Any  hive  is  a  good  one  which  is  constructed  on  the 
principle  of  humanity  to  th«  honey-bee,  and  your  committee 
speak  of  this,  not  with  the  intention  of  saying,  that  it  is  "  the 
best  that  was  ever  made,"  to  use  a  common  phrase,  but  simply 
to  say  that  it  is  a  good  one,  and  will  answer  a  satisfactory  pur- 
pose ;  that  it  is  not  complicated  nor  costly  and  can  be  easily 
managed.  They  say  to  the  bee-keepers  of  the  county,  "  save 
your  bees,  by  using  such  hives  as  will  enable  you  to  do  so,  and 
at  the  satne  time,  give  you  a  fair  percentage  of  their  labor. ^^ 

Many  such  hives  are  in  use  in  our  county.  Perley  King,  of 
Danvers.  Mr.  Bodwell,  of  liawrence.  Rev.  G.  B.  Perry,  of 
Groveland,  and  very  many  others,  whose  names  do  not  occur 
to  us,  use  such  hives,  and  we  wish  their  use  was  universal. 

The  hive  we  propose  to  describe  consists  of  four  parts,  viz : 
a  bottom  board,  a  centre  hive,  and  two  collateral  boxes.  These 
will  be  described  separately.  The  stuff  of  which  all  the  parts 
are  made,  is  to  be  of  the  best  stock,  well  seasoned  and  free 
from  knots  and  from  shakes.  The  thickness  of  the  stock  men- 
tioned, is  in  all  cases,  what  it  is  after  being  planed  down  and 
smoothed  off  and  ready  for  use,  and  the  other  dimensions  are 
all  inside  measure.  We  may  as  well  mention  here,  that  it  is 
intended  that  these  hives  should  be  placed  under  some  con- 
12 


90  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

venieiit  kind  of  house,  open  to   the  south,  and  sheltered  from 
the  sun  and  the  storm. 

1st.  The  bottom  board  is  made  of  one-and-a-half  inch  stuff, 
and  is  bevelled  at  its  front  edge,  so  that  the  upper  side,  on 
which  the  hive  rests,  is  fourteen  and  one  half  inches  wide, 
and  the  bottom  is  fifteen  and  one  half  inches  wide.  The  ob- 
ject of  the  bevel  is,  that  the  rain  which  may  beat  against  the 
front  of  the  hive,  may  easily  run  off.  The  length  of  the  bot- 
tom board  is  thirty-one  inches,  inclusive  of  a  stout  cleet  at  each 
end,  to  prevent  warping.  In  the  front  centre  of  it  is  the  door- 
way for  the  bees  to  enter  and  leave,  six  inches  long,  and  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  high.  This  commences  at  the  lower  front 
bevel  edge  of  the  bottom  board,  and  slanting  upwards  and  in- 
wards, opens  out  into  the  hive,  just  within  the  inside  of  the 
front  board  of  the  hive.  This  in7ier  opening  of  the  door-way 
is  made  rather  full  and  spreading,  so  as  to  give  room  for  the 
bees  entering  with  their  loads,  to  separate  easily  in  the  several 
directions  into  which  they  may  happen  to  take  their  supplies. 
It  is  made  small  at  the  outside,  so  that  the  bees  may  the  more 
readily  be  able  to  defend  themselves  against  their  enemies. 

2d.  The  central  and  main  hive  is  twelve  inches  by  twelve 
inches  in  area,  and  is  twenty  inches  high,  reckoning  from  the 
upper  side  of  the  bottom  board  on  which  it  rests,  to  the  under- 
side of  the  top  cover,  which  top  cover,  made  of  seven-eighths 
stuff,  is  just  so  much  larger  than  the  central  hive  as  to  allow  a 
projection  three  quarters  of  an  inch  all  round.  This  top  must 
be  firmly  nailed  on,  driving  the  nails  a  little  slanting,  to  get  a 
better  hold.  The  twenty  inches  height  of  this  central  hive,  is 
divided  into  two  rooms,  by  a  seven-eighths  piece  of  stuff, 
through  which  six  holes,  one  inch  bore,  are  made,  to  lead  from 
the  lower  to  the  upper  room,  and  over  which  holes,*  large  pint 
tumblers  or  boxes  may  be  placed  for  the  bees  to  build  in.  What 
they  may  here  deposit,  you  may  take  for  rent  any  time  when 
full.  The  upper  room  is  nine,  and  the  lower  room  is  ten  and 
one-eighth  inches  high.  The  inside  and  roof  of  this  lower 
room  must  not  be  planed  too  smoothly.      A  little   roughness 

*  Keep  these  holes  open  in  winter,  and  tumblers  over  them,  to  collect  the  steamy  mois- 
ture, which,  rising  from  the  bodies  of  the  bees,  often  proves  destructive  to  the  stock. 


ESSEX   SOCIETY.  91 

assists  the  bees  in  securing  their  comb.  Do  not  put  any  sticks 
across  this  room  ;  they  will  be  in  the  way,  if  you  should  at 
any  time  wish  to  take  out  old  comb,  to  let  the  bees  replace  it 
with  new,  and  they  are  of  no  use  whatever.  The  back  and 
front  boards  of  this  central  hive  are  one  and  one  half  inches 
thick,  and  have  in  them  openings,  six  inches  by  four,  and 
glazed,  looking  into  the  lower  room,  to  give  the  keeper  a 
chance  to  see  what  is  going  on.  These  are  to  have  covers 
closely  fitted  in.  The  back  board  reaches  only  to  within 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  the  npper  side  of  the  partition  board, 
which  is  between  the  lower  and  upper  rooms,  this  upper  side 
being,  of  course,  the  floor  of  the  chamber.  This  falling  short 
leaves  a  rabbet  against  which  the  back  door  of  the  chamber, 
which  is  one  and  one  half  inches  thick,  and  is  nmde  of  the  full 
size  of  the  chamber,  may  rest.  The  sides  of  the  central  hive 
are  of  seven-eighths  stuff,  twelve  inches  wide,  and  twenty 
inches  high.  In  these  sides  are  cut  slits,  or  passage-ways  for 
the  bees,  through  which  they  pass  from  the  central  to  the  side 
boxes,  to  ba  described  directly.  These  slits  are  cut,  one  out 
of  the  bottom  of  the  side-piece,  and  one  at  nine  and  one  half 
inches  from  the  bottom,  and  one  just  half  way  between  these 
two.  They  are  seven  inches  long  and  five-eighths  inch  high. 
By  this  arrangement,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  top  of  the  upper 
slit  of  the  three,  is  just  even  Avith  the  top  of  the  central  hive. 
Out  of  the  inner  back  edge  of  those  parts  of  tlrese  side-pieces, 
which  make  the  sides  of  the  chamber,  rabbets  are  also  cut  for 
the  purpose  of  supporting  the  back  door  above  spoken  of.  A 
door  may  also  be  cut,  if  you  choose,  out  of  the  upper  part  of 
the  front  side  of  the  central  hive,  to  enable  you  to  examine 
and  take  out  the  front  glasses,  without  disturbing  those  in  the 
rear.     If  this  be  cut,  rabbets  must  be  left  to  support  the  door. 

3d  and  4th.  The  collateral  or  side-boxes  are  each  ten  and 
one-eighth  inches  high,  six  and  a  half  wide,  and  eleven  inches 
from  front  to  rear,  made  of  seven-eighths  stuff.  The  side  that 
is  next  the  central  hive,  projects  one-half  inch  to  the  front, 
and  the  same  to  the  rear,  coming  flush  with  the  front  and  rear 
of  the  central  hive,  and  so  giving  space  for  the  reception  of 
screws  by  which  to  secure  it  to  the  central  hive.     Gleets  on 


92  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

the  bottom  board,  placed  in  front  of  these  side-boxes,  where 
they  fall  back  from  the  bevel  edge,  keep  the  whole  hive  firmly 
in  place.  Through  this  same  side,  slits  or  openings  are  cut  to 
correspond  with  those  already  cut  in  the  central  hive.  Let 
the  inside  of  these  boxes  be  only  tolerably  stnooih.  Out  of  the 
front  and  rear,  cut  holes  four  by  four  inches,  and  glaze  them, 
through  which  to  see  what  is  going  on.  There  must,  of  course, 
be  proper  covers  for  these  holes.  These  and  all  other  openings 
nmst  be  kept  shut,  excepting  when  you  may  wish  to  take  a 
look,  as  bees  prefer  to  work  in  the  dark.  The  top  cover  of  the 
side-box  is  to  project  on  each  side,  excepting  where  it  joins  the 
central  hive,  and  here  it  is  to  be  flush.  Through  the  centre 
of  this  cover,  cut  a  hole  four  by  four  inches,  and  sink  down 
into  it,  flush  with  the  top,  a  piece  of  tin  or  zinc,  perforated 
abundantly  with  small  and  smooth  holes.  Over  this,  have  a 
slide  cover,  to  open  and  shut  at  pleasure.  This  tin  is  to  let 
out  the  hot  air  from  the  side-boxes,  and  consequently,  from  the 
central  hive,  and  to  prevent  the  bees,  by  this  ventilation,  from 
clustering  and  idling  on  the  outside,  and  to  control  their  swarm- 
ing. With  proper  ventilation  and  the  giving  of  room  enough 
to  work  in,  you  may  prevent  your  bees  from  swarming,  and 
keep  all  hands  constantly,  and  therefore  profitably  at  work,  and 
this  is  a  most  important  feature  in  bee  management.  Do  not 
by  any  means  neglect  it. 

These  perforated  tins  should  be  kept  open,  during  the  great 
working  season,  say  from  the  middle  of  May  to  the  middle 
of  July,  and  if  the  bees  fill  them  up,  be  sure  to  open  them  out 
again,  by  carefully  inserting  an  awl  or  stout  needle. 

During  the  first  season  in  which  a  swarm  is  put  into  this 
hive,  it  must  be  confined  to  the  lower  room  of  the  central  part. 
If  the  season  is  so  favorable  that  they  fill  this  room  completely, 
they  may  be  allowed  to  go  up  into  the  tumblers  or  boxes,  in 
the  upper  room,  or  into  one  of  the  side-boxes.  To  command 
the  passage-holes  leading  to  the  tumblers,  strips  of  tin  must  be 
procured,  say  two  inches  wide  and  twelve  inches  long,  turned 
up  a  httle  at  one  end,  so  as  to  give  hold  in  drawing  them  out. 
When  shut  over  the  holes,  small  tacks  will  hold  them,  and 
they  must  be  shut  when  you  are  getting  your  swarm  in,  or 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  93 

the  bees  will  go  into  the  upper  room  and  canse  trouble.  The 
lower  room  is  the  principal  home.  To  command  the  slits,  or 
passages  into  the  side-boxes,  a  sheet  of  tin,  of  proper  size,  is 
the  most  convenient.  When  the  second  season  opens,  the  bees 
may  be  allowed  full  admission  to  both  side-boxes,  and  to  all 
the  tumblers.  Spare  bits  of  honeycomb  put  into  the  latter, 
will  be  very  useful,  as  an  inducement  to  the  bees  to  commence 
working  in  them.  These  tumblers,  when  full,  may  be  taken 
off  at  any  time.  Hold  them  mouth  upwards,  and  the  bees  will 
soon  leave,  and  you  may  feast  upon  the  fresh  honey  at  your 
own  table,  or  send  it  as  a  comfort  to  a  sick  or  needy  neighbor. 
As  to  the  side-boxes  when  full,  the  writer  has  always  preferred 
to  let  them  remain,  till  some  cold  morning  in  October,  when  it 
will  be  found  that  the  bees  will  be  all  clustered  into  the  cen- 
tral hive  for  warmth,  and  you  may  quietly  unscrew  the  side 
one,  and  take  it  away.  No  bee  will  be  there.  How  vastly 
preferable  is  this  management  to  murderous  assault  by  fire 
and  fagots,  and  sulphureous  fumes  of  choking  brimstone  ! 

Your  hives  should  be  all  made  up  and  most  thoroughly 
painted,  and  the  paint  well  dried,  some  weeks  before  needing 
them  for  swarms.  It  will  be  well  to  keep  a  swarming  hive  or 
two,  wherewith  to  stock  your  "  non-swarnier-hives,''''  such  as 
are  described  above.  We  apply  no  such  laudatory  phrases  as 
"best,"  "most  perfect,"  "surest,"  "incomparably  superior," 
to  this  hive.     We  merely  say  it  has  always  done  good  service. 

We  will  now  point  out  the  means  by  which  the  bee-keeper 
may  stupefy  his  bees,  without  killing  or  hurting  them  ;  how 
he  may,  while  they  are  thus  stupefied,  transfer  them  all  from 
their  own  hive,  leaving  him  the  honey,  and  unite  them  to 
another  stock,  with  which  they  will  pass  the  winter,  and  by 
the  opening  of  the  spring,  give  the  owner  a  strong  and  vigorous 
colony,  which  will  either  throw  off  strong  and  vigorous  swarms, 
or,  if  the  bee-keeper  prefers,  will  keep  at  work  in  the  thus 
doubled  hive,  and  greatly  increase  the  make  of  honey.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  hive  we  have  recommended 
and  described,  is,  if  the  bee-keeper  choose  so  to  manage  it,  a 
non-swarmiiig  hive,  though  he  may  let  it  swarm  or  not  swarm, 
at  his  pleasure. 

There  grows  in  the  old  damp  meadows,  horse  pastures,  and 


94  ESSEX   SOCIETY. 

in  other  localities  all  about  the  farms,  a  sort  of  mushroora, 
varying  in  size  from  a  human  head  to  a  Shanghae's  egg,  which 
is  variously  called  Puck,  Puffball,  Frogcheese,  and  Fungus, 
and  by  naturalists,  Fungus  maximus,  or  Pulverulentus,  and 
Bovista  lycoperdon.  The  fumes  of  this,  after  it  has  been 
dried,  are  narcotic,  aud  will  so  stupefy  the  bees,  that  they  will 
tumble  down  from  out  of  the  hive,  and  remain  dormant  from 
one  or  two  hours,  during  which  time  they  may  be  handled 
with  entire  impunity. 

An  old  English  bee-master,  John  Thorley,  who  wrote  in 
1774,  after,  as  he  says,  '-  forty  years'  experience,"  thus  describes 
the  preparation  of  the  fungus  for  use  : — '•  When  you  have 
procured  one  of  these  pucks,  put  it  into  a  large  paper,  pressing 
it  down  therein  to  two  thirds  or  one  half  its  bulk,  tying  it  up 
very  close.  Put  it  into  an  oven,  some  time  after  the  household 
bread  is  drawn,  letting  it  continue  all  night.  When  it  will 
hold  fire,  it  is  fit  for  use."  For  the  purpose  of  fumigating  the 
bees,  and  stupefying  them,  a  small  sheet-iron  box  must  be 
procured;  in  size  between  a  pepper-box  and  a  flour-dredging 
box,  and  having  a  cover  to  fit  on  rather  tight.*  From  one  end 
of  this  there  should  extend  a  tube,  about  eight  inches  long, 
and  one-half  inch  bore,  bent  upwards  at  its  upper  end,  so  as 
to  be  inserted  into  the  door  of  the  hive  ;  and  from  the  other 
end,  another  tube  about  six  inches  long,  and  of  such  size  as  to 
fit  snugly  upon  the  nose  of  a  common  bellows.  Having  the 
box  and  the  bellows  all  ready,  cut  off  a  piece  of  the  fungus 
about  as  large  as  a  hen's  egg,  put  it  into  the  little  box,  set  it 
on  fire,  shut  the  box,  and  put  the  six-inch  end  upon  the  nose  of 
your  bellows,  insert  the  cur/ed  end  of  the  other  tube  into  the 
door  of  the  hive,  shut  all  other  openings,  if  there  be  any  in 
the  hive,  and  blow  away  ! 

Blow,  bellows,  blow, 

For  you  must  know, 

That  all  this  smoke, 

The  bees  will  choke. —  Old  Song. 

— almost  choke,   not  quite,  for  it  is  only  a  brief  intoxication, 
which  will  do  no  harm.     In  a  few  minutes,  after  a  buzz  or  two, 

•  Brown'i  Patent  Famigaior  is  excellent  for  this  purpose. 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  96 

you  will  hear  the  bees  come  toddling  down,  like  drops  of  hail, 
and  they  will  lie  upon  the  bottom  board  of  the  hive  as  harm- 
less as  "  sucking  doves."  Give  the  hive  a  few  gentle  taps  on 
its  top  and  sides,  to  shake  them  all  down,  and  remove  it, 
stripped  of  its  bees,  away  from  the  place  of  your  operations. 
Take  it  to  the  house  or  barn,  and  put  it  into  a  dark  room, 
v/here  robber  bees  cannot  get  at  it.  Now,  after  sprinkling  your 
tipsy  bees  with  a  very  little  honey,  take  another  stock  and  put 
it  over  them.  Fumigate  this  second  hive,  though  not  quite  so 
much  as  the  first,  and  leave  it,  after  closely  wrapping  it  round 
with  wet  cloths  to  keep  out  all  outsiders,  and  to  keep  in  all  in- 
siders. By  the  next  morning,  you  will  find  a  coalition  formed, 
and  the  two  parties  getting  along  quite  comfortably.  Keep 
them  confined,  though  not  wholly  without  air,  all  the  next  day, 
and  at  evening  of  the  second  day,  take  ofi"  the  coverings  and 
open  the  door  of  the  hive.  The  bees  may  rush  out,  but  will 
soon  return  and  all  will  be  quiet.  As  to  which  queen  shall  be 
retained  to  be  the  mother,  give  yourself  no  trouble,  the  coali- 
tion will  settle  that  knotty  question  for  themselves.  It  will  be 
best  for  the  operator  to  have  an  assistant,  and  the  whole  suc- 
cess will  depend  upon  expertness,  coolness  and  fearlessness.  If 
you  cannot  procure  the  fungus,  take  common  blotting  paper 
and  dip  it  into  a  solution  of  nitre,  (a  tea-spoonful  to  a  pint  of 
water,)  and  after  saturation,  dry  it  by  a  fire.  The  fungus  has 
often  and  successfully  been  used  by  the  writer ;  the  solution  of 
nitre  is  given  on  the  authority  of  others. 

The  united  bees  will  get  through  the  winter  better  than  a 
single  stock.  In  fact,  Gelieu,  a  French  apiarian,  carried  the 
uniting  of  stocks  to  the  extent  of  joining  four  stocks  to  a  fifth, 
and  the  united  stocks  consumed  but  little  more  honey  than  an 
ordinary  single  stock  I  By  this  method  you  save  your  bees, 
and  at  the  same  time  get  the  honey.  You  may  strengthen 
a  feeble  stock,  or  if  your  neighbor  wants  to  '■'  take  up  his  bees," 
to  get  honey  in  the  old  way,  persuade  him  to  let  you  '-'  take 
them  up,"  in  this  new  way  :  restore  to  him  his  hives  and  the 
honey  in  them,  and  join  the  bees  to  your  own  stocks,  all,  of 
course,  with  his  leave  !  Is  not  this  better  than  fire  and  brim- 
stone ?  " 

The  writer  has  usually  employed  a  box  of  the  size  of  the 


9&  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

hives,  and  four  inches  deep,  to  catch  the  dropping  bees.  This 
box  had  a  hole  two  or  three  inches  square,  cut  into  each  side. 
Into  two  opposite  ones,  he  put  a  piece  of  glass  that  he  might 
see  what  was  going  on,  and  into  the  other  two  opposite  ones,  a 
piece  of  tin,  perforated  with  small  holes  to  admit  air  after  fu- 
migation. These  last  must,  of  course,  be  stopped,  while  the 
smoke  is  being  blown  in.  This  operation  must  he  performed 
just  at  nighty  when  the  bees  are  all  at  Jiome,  and  at  some  time 
between  the  middle  of  August  and  the  middle  of  September. 

We  add  a  few  words  respecting  the  enemies  of  bees.  The 
mouse,  the  toad,  the  ant,  the  stouter  spiders,  the  wasp,  the 
death-head  moth,  (Sphinx  atropos,)  and  all  the  varieties  of  gal- 
linaceous birds,  have,  each  and  all,  "a  sweet  tooth,"  and  like, 
very  well,  a  dinner  of  raw  bee.  But  the  ravages  of  all  these 
are  but  a  baby  bite  to  the  destruction  caused  by  the  bee  moth, 
(Tinea  mellonella.)  These  nimble-footed  little  mischievous  ver- 
min may  be  seen,  on  any  evening,  from  early  May  to  October, 
fluttering  about  the  apiary,  or  running  about  the  hives,  at  a 
speed  to  outstrip  the  swiftest  bee,  and  endeavoring  to  effect  an 
entrance  into  the  door  way,  for  it  is  within  the  hive  that  their 
instinct  teaches  them  they  must  deposit  their  eggs.  You  can 
hardly  find  them  by  day,  for  they  are  cunning  and  secrete 
themselves.  "  They  love  darkness  rather  than  light,  because 
their  deeds  are  evil."  They  are  a  paltry  looking,  insignificant 
little  grey-haired  pestilent  race  of  wax-and-honey-eating  and 
bee-destroying  rascals,  that  have  baffled  all  contrivances  that 
ingenuity  has  devised  to  conquer  or  destroy  them. 

Your  committee  would  be  very  glad  indeed  to  be  able  to 
suggest  any  effectual  means,  by  which  to  assist  the  honey  bee 
and  its  friends,  against  the  inroads  of  this,  its  bitterest  and  most 
successful  foe,  whose  desolating  ravages  are  more  lamented  and 
more  despondingly  referred  to,  than  those  of  any  other  enemy. 
Various  contrivances  have  been  announced,  but  none  have 
proved  efficacious  to  any  full  extent,  and  we  are  compelled  to 
say  that  there  really  is  no  security, except  in  a  very  full,  healthy 
and  vigorous  stock  of  bees,  and  in  a  very  close  and  well  made 
hive,  the  door  of  which  is  of  such  dimensions  of  length  and 
height,  that  the  nightly  guards  can  eff'ectually  protect  it.     Not 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  97 

too  long  a  door,  nor  too  high.  If  too  long,  the  bees  cannot 
easily  guard  it,  and  if  too  high,  the  moth  will  get  in  over  the 
heads  of  the  guards.  If  the  guards  catch  one  of  them  his  life  is 
not  worth  insuring.  But  if  the  moths,  in  any  numbers,  effect 
a  lodgment  in  the  hive,  then  the  hive  is  not  worth  insuring. 
They  immediately  commence  laying  their  eggs,  from  which 
comes,  in  a  few  days,  a  brownish  white  caterpillar,  which  en- 
closes itself,  all  but  its  head,  in  a  silken  cocoon.  This  head, 
covered  with  an  impenetrable  coat  of  scaly  mail,  which  bids 
defiance  to  the  bees,  is  thrust  forward,  just  outside  of  the  silk- 
en inclosure,  and  the  gluttonous  pest  eats  all  before  it,  wax, 
pollen,  and  exuviae,  until  ruin  to  the  stock  is  inevitable.  As 
says  the  Prophet  Joel,  "  the  land  is  as  the  garden  of  Eden  be- 
fore them,  and  behind  them  a  desolate  wilderness."  Look  out, 
brethren  bee  lovers,  and  have  your  hives  of  the  best  unshaky, 
unknotty  stock,  with  close  fitting  joints,  and  well  covered 
with  three  or  four  coats  of  paint.  He  who  shall  be  successful 
in  devising  the  means  of  ridding  the  bee  world  of  this  des- 
tructive and  merciless  pest,  will  richly  deserve  to  be  crowned 
"  King  Bee,"  in  perpetuity,  to  be  entitled  to  a  never-fading 
wreath  of  budding  honey  flowers,  from  sweetly  breathing  fields, 
all  murmuring  with  bees,  to  be  privileged  to  use,  during  his 
natural  life,  "night  tapers  from  their  waxen  thighs,"  best  wax 
candles,  (two  to  the  pound  !)  to  have  an  annual  offering  from 
every  bee  master,  of  ten  pounds  each,  of  very  best  virgin 
honey,  and  to  a  body  guard,  for  protection  against  all  foes,  of 
thrice  ten  thousand  workers,  all  armed  and  equipped,  as  Na- 
ture's law  directs.     Who  shall  have  these  high  honors  ? 

HENRY  K.  OLIVER,   Chairman. 

Moody   Ordway^s  Statement. 

The  hive  of  bees  which  I  present  for  inspection,  is  a  spe- 
cimen of  fifteen  hives  in  my  apiary.  The  construction  and 
dimension  of  this  hive,  I  consider  superior  to  any  that  I  have 
ever  seen,  and  are  as  follows  :  Length  on  the  back  side  two 
feet,  front  two  feet  three  inches.  This  slant  on  the  bottom 
enables  the  bee  to  drag  out  all  dead  bees,  and  filth,  easily. 
13 


98  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

Width  eleven  inches  and  a  half,  (this  width  I  choose  on  ac- 
count of  my  glass  ;  I  buy  ten  by  twelve,  and  cut  it  in  the 
middle  which  answers  for  half  hives,)  breadth  one  foot  two 
inches  ;  these  dimensions  are,  in  the  clear,  seven  inches  and  a 
half  from  the  top ;  it  is  separated  for  the  top  box :  under  this  is 
a  little  shelf,  four  inches  deep  and  four  inches  wide,  for  two 
small  boxes  which  hold  about  two  pounds  each  ;  these  are 
very  handy  and  convenient,  in  case  you  want  to  draw  a  small 
quantity  for  a  sick  friend,  or  for  a  luxury.  Under  this  shelf,  is 
a  glass  five  inches  wide,  which  looks  into  the  body  of  the  hive. 
The  bottom  is  put  on  with  butts  on  one  side,  and  with  small 
wire  hasps  on  the  other,  and  a  two-inch  wood  screw  in  the 
centre  behind.  In  the  centre  of  the  hive,  I  have  a  piece  four 
inches  wide,  half  an  inch  thick,  firmly  secured  to  the  centre 
fpiece,  running  down  within  the  reach  of  the  bees,  at  the  bot- 
itom,  for  a  direct  communication  with  the  upper  box,  and  stay 
•to  the  comb,  which  I  find  is  all  that  is  necessary. 

There  are  two  passages  to  the  large  box,  one  four  inches 
long  and  half  an  inch  wide  ;  the  other,  two  and  one  half  inches 
square,  next  to  the  back  shelf.  These  holes  should  be  in  the 
centre,  and  on  a  line,  that  the  communication  may  be  cut  off 
with  one  piece  of  zinc  or  tin.  The  holes  into  the  small  boxes 
should  be  two  inches  square.  On  the  back  part  of  the  hive 
there  are  two  doors,  one  hung  at  the  top,  and  the  other  at  the 
bottom,  and  both  secured  with  one  button  in  the  middle.  My 
hives  and  boxes  are  all  made  of  uniform  size,  so  that  any  box 
will  suit  any  hive.  The  boxes  are  fixed  with  glass  in  front, 
slipped  in  a  groove,  cut  on  each  side,  so  that  I  can  ascertain  the 
amount  of  honey,  and  the  condition  of  my  bees,  at  any  time. 
On  each  side  of  the  hive,  (at  the  bottom  of  the  lower  door  be- 
hind,) are  pieces  firmly  nailed  to  the  hive,  one  and  a  half  inches 
wide,  and  half  an  inch  thick,  projecting  out  four  inches  before 
and  behind,  which  answers  for  handles  to  carry  them  by,  and 
by  which  they  are  suspended.  At  the  entrance  in  front  is  a 
slide  door  made  of  zinc,  and  perforated  with  holes  which  I  can 
shut  at  any  time,  and  is  very  convenient  in  many  instances. 
My  hives  are  suspended  by  stout  wire,  (No.  7,  I  think,)  fixed 
to  the  handles  before  mentioned,  and  running  through  a  groove 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  99 

in  the  top  of  the  hive,  (the  top  projecting  out  a  little  all  round, 
except  behind,)  and  hitched  to  staples  in  rails  about  five  feet 
from  the  ground,  the  top  of  the  hive  five  or  six  inches  from 
the  rails.  Over  this  stand  is  thrown  a  shed,  (which  has  no 
connection  with  it,)  boarded  to  the  ground  on  the  back  (north- 
west,) side,  but  far  enough  from  the  hive  for  a  passage  between. 
Hives  about  one  foot  apart  on  the  stand. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  with  regard  to  my  hives  and 
stand,  for  this  reason  :  I  have  been  very  successful  for  six  years, 
and  I  can  attribute  it  to  no  other  cause  than  a  "  good  rig."  I 
think  very  much  of  this  mode  of  suspending  the  hives  ;  it  is 
calculated  to  keep  them  clear  from  all  vermin,  which  like  bees 
much  better  than  they  like  them. 

I  have  had  seven  new  swarms  this  year,  and  have  taken 
from  nine  swarms  two  hundred  and  eighty-five  pounds  of 
honey,  reckoning  thirty  pounds  in  the  hive  which  you  see. 

My  mode  of  management  when  they  swarm,  is  to  let  them 
alight,  cut  off  the  limb,  put  them  on  a  table,  or  board,  set  the 
hive  on  them,  put  a  quilt  over  them,  and  leave  them  to  go  up 
themselves  ;  and  I  never  have  lost  a  swarm  when  I  have  done  so. 
I  have  tried  to  "  manage  "  a  little  with  bees,  but  with  little  or 
no  success.  I  think  the  best  way  is  to  look  to  them  often, 
keep  them  clean  as  possible,  and  let  them  "manage  "  for  them- 
selves. 

With  regard  to  the  moth,  I  am  inclined  to  think  there  is  no 
possible  way  to  keep  them  clear  from  the  bees  ;  I  am  troubled, 
however,  but  very  little  with  them. 

West  Newbury,  Sept.  24,  1851. 

Eldred  S.  Parker^s  Statement. 
I  offer  this  honey,  two  boxes,  for  premium.  I  purchased  a 
swarm  of  bees  of  Rev.  Dr.  Perry,  the  20th  of  June,  and  hived 
them  that  evening  in  one  of  Breck's  patent  hives.  They 
went  to  work  immediately,  and  in  a  fortnight  had  filled  the 
lower  part  of  the  hive  ;  then  I  let  them  into  the  upper  boxes, 
which  they  filled  so  that  I  removed  them  the  31st  of  July,  re- 
placing with  others  of  the  same  size.  The  boxes  which  I  pre- 
sent for  your  inspection,  weigh  each  twelve  pounds.     The  hive 


100  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

is  placed  in  a  chamber  over  a  wood-house.  It  is  now  full  of 
honey,  forty  pounds  or  upwards.  This  is  my  first  attempt  at 
keeping  bees. 

I  sowed  a  small  piece  of  buckwheat  for  them,  this  fall,  but 
they  have  lived  principally  upon  the  white  honey-suckle,  of 
which  there  has  been  a  great  quantity  the  past  summer. 

Groveland,  Sept.  23,  1851. 


Communication  on  the  Michigan  Sod  Plough. 

On  the  day  of  our  ploughing  match,  one  of  these  ploughs 
was  operated  on  the  field  and  attracted  much  attention.  It 
turns  two  slices  at  the  same  time,  laying  one  upon  the  other. 
Having  seen  similar  ploughs  operated  at  Dedham,  at  Taunton, 
at  Amherst,  and  at  other  places,  uniformly  with  approbation, 
and  having  heard  some  query  expressed,  as  to  the  power  of  team 
necessary  for  their  movement,  I  determined  to  give  them  such 
a  trial  as  to  satisfy  myself,  at  least,  of  their  value.  According- 
ly, I  wrote  to  Mr.  Prouty,  the  proprietor  of  this  plough  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, to  send  me  two  of  best  structure,  so  guaged  as 
to  turn  a  furrow  slice  ten  inches  wide,  and  eight  inches  deep 
— the  sod  part  three  inches,  and  the  under  soil  five  inches. 
This  was  done ;  and  on  Tuesday  last,  they  were  put  in  opera- 
tion, with  a  team  of  two  pair  of  cattle,  in  presence  of  several 
persons,  who  had  strong  impressions  against  the  utility  of  the 
plough.  It  was  tried  in  every  form  thought  desirable  to  test 
its  merits.  It  was  compared  with  one  of  the  best  Eagle  Ploughs, 
Ruggles  &  Co.  The  work  was  continued  until  each  gentle- 
man present  had  an  opportunity  to  hold,  until  he  was  satisfied. 
The  result  was,  that  each  and  all  expressed  their  opinion,  that 
the  plough  was  a  decided  improvement  on  any  ploughs  they 
had  ever  seen ;  and  that  it  would  be  fouud  of  great  value,  for 
many  uses  on  the  farm.  William  R.  Putnam,  who  assisted  in 
operating  the  ploughs,  says  : — "  My  impression  when  I  first  saw 
the  plough  was,  that  it  might  pulverize  the  soil  well,  but  that 
it  would    require    more    power  to   operate  it  than   a  common 


ESSEX  SOCIETY.  101 

plough.  But  in  the  practical  operation  of  it  I  was  disappointed. 
It  appeared  to  work  as  easy  for  the  team  as  the  common 
plough,  and  easier  for  the  holder  ;  in  fact,  it  almost  held  itself, 
one  part  balancing  the  other.  I  saw  it  move  many  rods  ac- 
curately, without  any  guidance.  I  could  not  at  first  see  how  it 
was  possible  for  it  to  move  so  easily  as  the  common  plough. 
But  I  think  I  now  understand  how  the  extra  power  required 
to  draw  the  small  plough,  is  counterbalanced,  by  the  ease  with 
which  the  furrow  slice  is  inverted,  after  it  is  split  in  two  parts. 
We  know  that  two  boards  will  bend  much  easier,  and  support 
less  weight  than  a  plank  of  the  same  thickness  from  the  same 
log.  May  not  the  same  principle  be  applied  to  turning  the  fur- 
row slice?  I  think  that  any  one  who  witnesses  the  operation 
of  this  plough,  will  notice  that  it  rolls  the  furrow  slice  over 
much  easier,  than  does  the  common  plough.  If  upon  trial,  it 
shall  be  found  to  work  as  well  as  when  I  saw  it  upon  your 
brother's  field,  I  think  it  will  prove  a  useful  invention." 

I  have  ventured  to  give  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Putnam,  rather 
than  my  own,  because  where  he  is  known,  his  judgment  will 
be  valued  as  high  as  that  of  any  other  practical  man  in  this 
vicinity.  My  brother  assures  me  that  he  fully  concurs  in  this 
opinion — although  at  first,  his  impressions  were  not  favorable  to 
the  plough. 

I  am  well  aware  that  we  are  in  danger  of  being  captivated 
by  ne.iv  things.  Such  was  the  case,  to  some  extent,  with 
"  Bartlett's  Double  Plough,"  which,  meteor-like,  flashed  upon 
us,  and  vanished  away.  Nevertheless,  great  improvements 
have  been  made  within  the  last  thirty  years^  in  the  structure 
of  the  plough  ;  and  if  I  do  not  mistake  entirely,  this  will  be 
found  among  the  most  valuable  of  the  improvements  that  have 
been  made.  I  do  not  suppose  this  plough  will  be  adapted  to 
every  kind  of  work  Its  peculiar  use  is  for  the  breaking  up  of 
cultivated  grass  land  ;  land  from  which  the  fast  rocks  have  been 
removed,  as  they  should  be  from  all  cultivated  fields.  The 
farmer,  who,  year  after  year,  worries  himself  and  his  team,  by 
ploughing  over  fast  rocks  in  his  field,  thereby  makes  a  mistake. 
It  would  be  much  better  to  remove  them  at  first,  whatever  may 


102  ESSEX  SOCIETY. 

be  the  labor  required,  than  to  continue  to  plough  about  them 
or  over  them.  How  this  plough  will  operate  in  old  ground,  I 
have  not  witnessed  ;  but  my  belief  is,  it  will  do  well,  and 
greatly  facilitate  the  minute  pulverization  of  the  soil,  which  is 
the  grand  purpose  of  ploughing, 

J.  W.  PROCTOR. 
Danvers,  Nov.,  1851. 


MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  103 


MIDDLESEX  AGRICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


The  annual  exhibition  of  the  Society  of  Husbandmen  and 
Manufacturers,  in  the  County  of  Middlesex,  took  place  at  Low- 
ell, on  Wednesday,  the  24th  of  September  last.  For  more 
than  fifty  years,  the  shows  of  this  Society  have  been  held  in 
the  ancient  town  of  Concord.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees, 
it  was  their  opinion  that  a  more  general  interest  in  the  subjects 
proposed  to  be  promoted  by  the  society,  might  be  excited  among 
the  farmers  of  the  county,  by  holding  the  show  this  year  at 
Lo\vell. 

For  the  ploughing  match,  twenty  two  teams  were  entered : 
Eight  doable  teams  of  four  oxen  each  ;  four  horse  teams  of 
two  horses  each,  and  ten  single  teams,  of  a  pair  of  oxen  each. 
The  ground  selected  had  the  merit  of  being  near  the  cattle 
pens,  as  somewhat  uneven  and  stony,  but  afforded  pretty 
fair  average  lands  for  all  the  competitors.  The  ploughmen 
exhibited  great  skill  in  the  use  of  their  implements,  in  avoiding 
stones,  and  in  the  nice  movements  and  changes  of  the  plough 
in  passing  uneven  places,  in  order  to  leave  a  smooth  and  work- 
manlike furrow  behind.  So  much  mind  has  been  brought  to 
act  upon  the  plough  and  its  uses,  within  a  few  years  past,  that 
this  very  important  part  of  husbandry — ploughing,  may  be  per- 
formed now  at  one  half  the  expense  which  it  cost  fifty  years 
ago.  Not  only  is  the  work  done  cheaper,  but  it  is  believed  that 
the  increase  of  crops  occasioned  by  deep  ploughing,  more  than 
pays  the  cost  of  extra  labor.  Then,  a  depth  of  four  and  five 
inches  was  considered  sufficient,  while  now  the  intelligent  cul- 
tivator requires  double  that  depth  on  stubble  grounds,  and  a 
subsoiling  of  five  or  six  inches  deeper,  when  the  sward  is 
broken  up. 

Thirteen  entries  were  made  for  the  trial  of  strength  and  skill 
of  working  oxen,  but  seven  teams  only  appeared  on  the  ground. 
The  load  and  waggon,  weighing  eigltty-jive  hundred  and  ttvelve 
pounds,  was  drawn  a  distance  of  about  forty  rods,  up  a  moder- 


104  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY. 

ate  hill,  with  steadiness  and  apparently  without  straining,  by 
several  of  the  teams.  The  teams  were  exercised  in  all  the 
various  movements  of  the  road,  drawing,  stopping  and  starting, 
backing  and  turning,  and  proved  themselves  to  be  under  most 
excellent  discipline ;  several  of  the  cattle  engaged  in  this  exer- 
cise were  very  large,  of  beautiful  symmetry,  quick  in  their 
motions,  and  of  great  strength,  and  would  bear  a  favorable 
comparison  with  cattle  from  any  part  of  the  State. 

The  show  of  cattle  was  large  in  numbers  and  excellent  in 
quality,  but  upon  the  whole,  not  coming  up  to  what  the  farmers 
of  Middlesex  can  make,  if  they  would  exhibit  more  of  their 
stock.  In  this  county  there  are  several  towns,  which  have  asso- 
ciations and  exhibitions  similar  to  our  own,  and  Ihey  appear  to 
be  a  sufficient  outlet  for  the  zeal  of  most  of  the  farmers  in  those 
towns.  Consequently  their  stock  and  other  articles  suitable  for 
exhibition,  do  not  appear  in  the  annual  county  show.  In  this 
respect,  it  is  believed  that  the  establishment  of  town  societies 
operates  injuriously  to  the  county  societies.  Frequent  meet- 
ings of  the  farmers  of  a  neighborhood  or  town,  for  discussion 
and  comparison  of  farm  operations,  would  no  doubt  lead  to 
many  beneficial  results.  But  it  is  believed  that  the  multiplica- 
tion of  town  societies,  holding  annual  exhibitions,  may  with- 
draw attention  from  the  county  associations,  weaken  the  inter- 
est felt  in  them,  and  finally  defeat  the  object  which  the  State 
had  in  view  in  contributing  to  their  support. 

Among  the  cattle  were  several  specimens  of  native  cows, 
possessing  most  of  the  best  points,  and  giving  strong  indica- 
tions that  with  proper  attention  to  the  sire,  these  animals  would 
produce  progeny  of  a  very  high  order.  The  weight  of  one  of 
these  cows  belonging  to  Alexander  Wright,  of  Lowell,  we  were 
informed,  was  1400  pounds.  There  were  also  fine  cows  of  the 
Ayrshire,  Alderney,  Durham  and  Devon  breeds. 

Of  swine  there  were  a  few  fine  specimens,  comprising  nearly 
all  that  were  shown.  Notwithstanding  this  deficiency  in  the 
exhibition,  there  is  really  a  good  deal  of  attention  paid  to  im- 
proving the  breeds  of  swine.  A  large  number  are  kept  in  the 
county  as  the  best  means  of  increasing  the  manure  heap. 
These  are  principally  fed  upon  milk  and  corn,  and  furnish  as 
good  pork  as  can  possibly  be  produced. 


MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  105 

The  exhibition  of  fowls  was  very  fine.  All  the  kinds  com- 
mon to  New  England,  as  well  as  all  the  imported  varieties 
which  have  become  familiar  to  us,  were  on  the  ground  in  large 
numbers.  Much  attention  is  paid  to  the  rearing  of  poultry  in 
this  county',  and  it  is  hoped  that  some  means  may  be  suggested 
of  ascertaining  its  annual  value  hereafter. 

With  considerable  experience  in  the  rearing  and  management 
of  poultry  and  from  having  kept  accurate  accounts  of  the  ex- 
pense of  producing  it  among  the  several  varieties,  there  are  no 
doubts  remaining  with  us  that  the  best  sorts  which  have  been 
common  in  New  England  for  the  last  twenty-five  years,  are  the 
most  profitable  both  for  eggs  and  flesh,  and  command  a  higher 
price  per  pound  in  the  markets  in  this  State,  than  any  other. 
To  be  made  profitable  here,  chickens  must  be  brought  out  early 
and  sent  to  market  in  July  and  August.  They  then  bring  a 
higher  price  per  pair  than  they  will  in  September  and  October, 
or  even  later.  Hatched  out  in  March  or  early  in  April,  kept  in 
warm,  sumiy  places  and  plentifully  supplied  with  proper  food,, 
our  common  varieties  come  nearly  to  maturity  by  that  time ; 
are  fat,  plump  and  tender,  and  bring  in  the  Boston  market,  from 
seventy-five  cents  to  one  dollar  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per 
pair.  At  this  rate  poultry  may  be  raissd  to  a  profit  in  Middle- 
sex county. 

The  larger  varieties  seem  to  us  fitted  and  designed  for 
warmer  climates.  In  our  experience  we  have  found  that  it 
requires  some  eighteen  months  to  bring  them  to  maturity,  by 
which  time  forty  or  fifty  cents  a  pound  would  not  be  too  much 
to  pay  their  cost  of  keeping.  In  the  southern  States,  where 
they  could  have  an  extensive  range  over  the  stubble  of  wheat 
fields,  or  could  feed  at  pleasure  about  the  stack  yaids,  they 
might  prove  a  profitable  variety. 

That  the  farmers  in  the  county  feel  a  very  general  interest 
in  this  pleasant  anniversary,  was  manifest  by  the  large  numbers 
that  attended  upon  it.  The  influence  of  such  gatherings  must 
be  beneficial.  It  stimulates  competition  in  the  various  modes  of 
husbandry  and  production  of  crops,  brings  the  people  of  differ- 
ent towns  together  to  relate  their  experience,  compare  their 
stock  and  kindle  a  generous  enthusiasm  and  kindly  neighbor- 
14 


106  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY. 

hood  feeling  among  them.  They  gather  new  ideas  and 
encouragements,  and  in  turn  impart  them  to  others.  On  the 
whole,  we  believe  the  operations  of  the  society  are  diffusing  a 
beneficial  influence  in  the  county. 

The  address  before  the  society  was  delivered  by  Hon.  Linus 
Child,  of  Lowell. 

E.  R.  HOAR,  President. 
SIMON  BROWN,  Secretary. 


Farms,    (fcc. 

There  were  five  farms,  three  bog  or  peat  meadows,  and  eight 
apple  orchards  entered  for  premiums  ;  a  much  less  num- 
ber of  entries  than  usual,  but  the  committee,  in  the  dis- 
charge of  their  duty,  have  travelled  from  nearly  one  extreme  of 
the  county  to  the  other.  We  were  cordially  received  by  our 
brother  farmers,  who  gave  us  substantial  proof  of  the  interest 
they  take  in  our  welfare. 

The  committee  could  not  but  observe  the  great  change  that 
has  occurred  almost  everywhere,  as  regards  the  men  who  do 
the  labor  on  our  farms.  The  sons  of  our  farmers  are  looked 
for  in  vain  upon  the  farm.  We  find  in  their  place  foreigners. 
to  help  the  father  in  the  ordinary  business  of  the  farm.  Is  this 
as  it  should  be  ?  Is  it  certain  that  our  young  men  who  leave 
the  paternal  roof  to  seek  a  better  living,  are  sure  of  obtaining 
it?  Does  not  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  aff"ord  as  many  sub- 
stantial comforts  and  blessings  as  other  pursuits?  The  com- 
mittee have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  they  think  it  does,  and 
they  regret  that  they  do  not  find  more  of  our  young  men 
engaged  in  that  calling,  instead  of  resorting  to  our  cities  and 
large  towns  for  a  fancied  easier  mode  of  subsistence. 

But  the  committee  saw  much  to  gratify  the  eye  and  encour- 
age the  heart.  Onr  farmers  are  determined  to  go  ahead,  if  the 
boys  will  go  away,  and  their  motto  is  improvement.  Their 
buildings  are  kept  in  repair,  stone  walls  are  rebuilt,  rocks  blasted 
and  unprodnctive  swamp  lands  reclaimed.  The  time  has  gone 
by  in  which  the  farmer  asks  for  the  old  paths.     He  now  wishes 


MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  107 

to  learn  the  shortest  and  best  road  by  which  he  can  have  a  bet- 
ter farm  and  reap  a  more  abundant  harvest  than  his  neighbor. 
Rejoice  then,  ye  who  cultivate  the  soil,  and  be  grateful  to  all 
bounteous  Heaven,  for  your  distinguished  blessings. 

The  farms  examined  by  the  committee  were  all  rather  hard 
and  rough  in  their  original  state,  but  at  present  bear  evidence 
of  much  persevering  labor  and  good  husbandry.  The  several 
statements  respecting  these  are  so  full,  as  to  render  unnecessary 
any  remarks  of  the  committee.  With  regard  to  the  bog- 
meadows,  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  these  lands,  formerly 
worthless,  now  produce  large  crops  of  good  hay.  The  modes 
by  which  they  have  been  reclaimed,  may  be  learned  from  the 
statements  of  the  competitors. 

The  committee  were  pleased  to  find  that  our  farmers  are 
paying  so  much  attention  to  raising  fruit.  They  visited  or- 
chards containing  from  one  hundred  to  three  thousand  fruit 
trees.  Many  of  these  were  loaded  with  fruit,  and  their  owners 
have  already  received  great  profit  from  them.  Of  others,  the 
profit  is  yet  to  come  ;  but  come  it  will,  for  there  is  nothing 
more  profitable  to  the  farmer  than  his  fruit.  The  demand  for 
good  fruit  is  even  now  greater  than  the  supply.  Let  those 
who  think  there  is  no  profit  in  farming,  look  over  the  county 
and  see  how  many  farmers  not  only  obtain  a  good  support  for 
themselves  and  families,  but  are  every  year  putting  out  money 
at  interest,  or  making  greater  improvements  on  their  farms. 

The  committee  award  the  premiums  as  follows  : — 

Farms. 
Thomas  J.  Damon,  Wayland,  1st  premium, 
Charles  Gerry,  Sudbury,  2d         " 

John  P.  Reed,  Bedford,  3d         " 

Reclaimed  Meadows. 

Joel  Wheeler,  Concord,  1st  premium, 

Daniel  L.  Giles,  Lincoln,  2d         " 

Apple  Orchards. 
William  Wyman,  Lowell,         1st  premium,      -         -        12  00 


$25 

00 

20 

00 

12 

00 

12 

00 

8 

00 

108  MIDDLESEX   SOCIETY. 

J.  W.  Brown,  Framingham,     2d  premium,     -         -      $10  00 

DAVID  HEARD,  ) 

DANIEL  L.  GILES,         i  Committee. 
MOSES  PRITCHARD,   ) 


Thomas  J.  Damoji^s  Statement. 

My  farm  contains  one  hundred  and  twelve  acres,  twenty-five 
of  which  is  woodland.  I  went  on  the  farm  in  1845.  We  cut 
at  that  time,  about  fifteen  tons  of  English  hay,  and  about 
twenty  tons  of  meadow  hay,  which  is  about  the  usual  crop 
yearly.  I  have  six  acres  of  reclaimed  peat  meadow,  which  five 
years  ago  produced  nothing  but  coarse  wild  grass  and  bushes, 
not  worth  cutting.  We  have  set  and  rebuilt  one  hundred  and 
nine  rods  of  wall,  set  one  hundred  fruit  trees,  and  grafted  most 
of  the  old  apple  trees  with  choice  fruit. 

The  yearly  produce  of  the  farm  now,  is  as  follows.  Forty 
tons  of  English  hay;  twenty  tons  of  meadow  hay;  five  tons 
of  straw  ;  two  hundred  bushels  of  corn  ;  fifty  bushels  of  rye  ; 
seventy-five  bushels  of  oats  ;  four  hundred  bushels  of  potatoes  ; 
sixteen  cwt.  of  pork,  and  the  income  of  seven  cows. 

Amount  of  produce  sold  last  year : — 
25  tons  English  hay,      -         -         - 
6     "     straw,         -         -         _         _ 
Oats  and  rye,  -         -         _         _ 

14  cwt.  pork,  -         _         _         - 

Gain  on  beef,  _         _         .         _ 

20  bbls.  potatoes,  -  -  -  - 
50  "  apples,  -  -  -  - 
Pigs  sold,  ----- 
Butter,  milk  and  veal,  -  -  - 
Poultry  and  eggs,  _         _         - 

Gain  on  stock  wintered, 

Expenses,  beside  my  own  labor : — 
Paid  one  man,         -         -         -         _ 
"    one  man  four  months. 


$375 

00 

66 

00 

50 

00 

98 

00 

50 

00 

50 

00 

75 

00 

20 

00 

172 

00 

25 

00 

50 

00 

—$1031  00 

$150 

00 

52 

00 

MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  109 

Paid  another  in  haying,  .         -         _       ^22  00 

20  cords  wood  burnt,       -         -         -         -         90  00 

314  00 


Leaving  a  balance  of  -         $717  00 

Wayland,  Sept.,  1851. 

Charles  Gerry^s  Statement. 

I  began  five  years  ago  on  my  farm,  which  contains  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  about  twenty  of  which  were  English 
mowing,  and  yielded  at  that  time  twenty-five  tons  of  hay.  I 
now  have  twenty-six  acres  of  English  mowing,  which  produces 
fifty  tons  of  English  hay.  I  usually  cut  thirty  tons  of  meadow 
hay  on  twenty-five  acres  of  land.  I  have  built,  the  last  three 
years,  one  hundred  and  seventy  rods  of  wall,  and  blasted  rock 
for  as  many  rods  more.  I  usually  winter  twenty-five  head  of 
cattle,  and  keep  in  the  summer  season  two  oxen,  two  horses 
and  seven  cows. 

From  the  fourth  day  of  July  last  year  to  the  first  of 
May  this  year,  I  lost  fifteen  head  of  cattle,  all  of  which  died 
within  one  or  two  hours  after  being  taken  sick.  The  first 
appearance  of  the  disease  was  dulness,  then  tremor  or  trem- 
bling, and  drying  up  of  the  milk  all  at  once.  We  opened  one 
of  the  cows.  The  intestines  were  bright  ;  the  lights  and  liver 
appeared  perfect ;  the  kidney  looked  of  a  jelly  substance  ;  the 
melt  was  a  clod  of  blood.  I  know  of  no  cause  of  the  disease, 
nor  name  for  it.  My  cattle  that  were  sick,  all  died,  two  oxen, 
five  cows,  six  steers  and  two  heifers  two  years  old. 

The  income  from  what  I  sold  last  year,  was 

20  tons  English  hay,       ...         -  $300  00 

13     •'     meadow  hay,      -         -         -         -  115  00 

150  bushels  potatoes,         ...         -  150  00 

150      "         oats, 75  00 

600  cwt.  pork, 42  00 

Pigs  sold, 30  00 

Poultry, 35  00 


|42 

00 

30 

00 

100 

00 

$919 

00 

20 

00 

170 

00 

28 

00 

01Q 

(10 

■"                 AJ  LkJ 

vJu 

no  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY. 

8  calves,  ------ 

3  tons  oat  straw,        -         -         -         -         - 
Cranberries,      ------ 

Manure  bought  and  wood  used, 

Help  hired,       ------ 

Taxes,      ------- 


$701  00 

Time  of  nnyself  and  son,  18  years  old,  and  small  son,  12  years  old. 
Sudbury,  August,  1851. 

John  P.  Reed's  Statement. 

The  farm  I  offer  for  premium,  was  bought  by  me  in  the 
spring  of  1833,  for  twenty-three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  It 
contains  about  one  hundred  acres.  I  paid  $950  in  cash, 
leaving  me  $1400  in  debt.  The  buildings  then  on  the  farm 
were  very  poor,  and  the  farm  was  very  much  run  out,  having 
had  nothing  done  on  it  for  many  years,  but  merely  to  take  off 
what  grew  upon  it.  The  fences  were  down,  stones  had  been 
tilted  up  by  their  side,  and  brush  was  growing  by  the  side  of 
them,  nearly  all  over  the  farm.  The  fruit  trees  were  all  old, 
and  had  suffered  very  much  for  want  of  trimming  ;  there  was 
but  one  grafted  apple  tree  on  the  place,  and  not  a  pear,  peach, 
plum  or  cherry  tree.  Thus,  you  will  see,  I  was  placed  in 
rather  unfavorable  circumstances.  Poor  buildings,  poor  fences, 
farm  run  out,  and  I  in  debt  for  more  than  half  its  purchase 
money. 

I  have  since  built  all  new  buildings,  at  a  cost  of  about  $2000. 
I  have  built  about  five  hundred  and  ten  rods  of  heavy  stone 
wall,  and  hauled  the  stone  for  about  fifty  rods  more.  The 
wall  I  have  built  with  my  own  hands,  having  a  man  or  boy  to 
help  place  the  large  stones.  I  have  made  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  rods  of  under-drains  or  blind  ditches,  and  dug 
about  three  hundred  and  fifty  rods  of  open  ditches.  My  barn 
is  supplied  with  running  water,  conducted  by  a  lead  pipe  from 
a  well  which  I  dug. 


MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  Ill 

I  have  reclaimed  about  fifteen  acres  of  rough  stony  land,  that 
was  nearly  worthless,  the  stones  being  so  thick  in  some  parts 
of  it,  that,  when  dug,  they  would  more  than  cover  the  ground. 
It  now  produces  good  crops,  some  of  it  more  than  two  tons  of 
hay  to  the  acre.  Twenty  acres  of  meadow  land,  Avhich  was 
so  wet  when  I  bought  it,  that  I  had  to  carry  on  poles  to  the 
hard  land,  nearly  the  whole  of  the  hay  that  grew  upon  it,  and 
that  of  a  very  poor  quality.  I  have  ditched,  bogged  and  burnt, 
so  that  the  quality  and  quantity  of  hay  have  nearly  doubled, 
and  on  some  parts  more  than  doubled,  I  can  rake  and  cart 
nearly  the  whole  of  it  with  a  horse.  I  have  also  grafted  such 
of  the  old  fruit  trees  as  were  suitable  for  this  purpose,  and  set 
out  new  trees  of  the  different  varieties  of  fruit. 

The  farm  now  produces  twice  as  much  as  it  did  when  it 
came  into  my  possession,  the  greatest  income  being  from  the 
sale  of  milk,  which  amounts  to  between  ^700  and  $800  a 
year.  But  still  I  am  in  debt  about  $1000,  having  expended 
my  profits  in  improvements  on  the  farm,  it  being  my  object  to 
make  the  rough  places  smoother,  and  two  spears  of  grass 
grow  where  but  one  grew  before.  The  help  that  I  have  hired 
on  the  farm,  was,  for  the  first  six  years,  a  boy  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years  old,  and  a  man  through  haying.  Since  then  I  have  hired 
a  man  for  eight  months  in  the  year,  and  some  years  a  boy.  I 
have  now  on  the  ground  five  acres  of  corn,  one  and  a  half  acres 
of  potatoes,  and  have  harvested  three  and  a  half  acres  of  oats, 
which  has  been  about  my  usual  quantity  for  years  past. 

Bedford,  Sept.  2d,  1851. 

Abel  Rice^s  Statement. 

My  farm  contains  fifty  acres,  and  was  formerly  an  old  pasture, 
descending  from  one  generation  to  another  down  to  1840,  when 
it  was  purchased  by  a  young  man  for  a  farm.  He  commenced 
building  upon  it,  and  remained  four  years,  when  he  became 
discouraged  and  offered  it  for  sale.  I  bought  the  farm,  and 
removed  to  it  in  184-5.  Since  that  time,  I  have  done  upon  it 
all  that  I  could  do,  without  running  in  debt.  Some  of  the 
improvements  made  by  me  are  the  following.  I  have  finished 
the  house,  enlarged  my  barn  and  dug  a  cellar  under  it,  built 


112  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY. 

♦ 

sixty  feet  of  shed  and  two  hundred  and  ninety  rods  of  stone 
wall,  and  planted  out  over  eight  hundred  fruit  trees.  When  I 
hegan  on  the  farm,  I  found  it  well  stocked  with  rocks  and 
brush.  My  method  of  making  mowing  land  out  of  rough 
upland  pasture,  has  been,  after  cutting  the  brush  and  digging 
out  some  of  the  rocks,  to  plough  it  first  with  a  large  Dutch 
plough  and  six  oxen.  Wet  land  I  have  drained,  carted  on  loam 
and  compost,  and  seeded  to  grass. 

Estimated  amount  of  English  hay  cut  on  the  farm  the  first 
year  of  my  occupancy,  -         -         -         -         3|  tons. 

Estimated  amount  the  present  year,      -         -         -       14       " 

Sales  from  the  dairy  in  one  year,  over  and  above  what  was 
used  in  the  family,  including  milk,  butter  and  veal,  $212  75 

Labor  hired  on  the  farm  in  1850,  -         -         -  30  50 

"  "  "  "      for  1851  to  Sept.  1st,  -         49  50 

My  stock  of  cattle  have  been  kept  in  the  barn,  the  present 
summer,  about  twelve  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four,  and  the 
compost  in  the  barn  cellar  is  made  of  droppings  from  the  cattle, 
loam  and  leaves,  about  equal  parts.  The  compost  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  corn-fields  is  made  of  about  one-half  loam  and  the 
remainder  stable  manure  and  meadow  mud,  and  has  been  about 
one  year  collecting.  The  other  heaps  of  compost  on  the  farm 
are  made  of  loam,  meadow  mud.  ashes,  lime,  plaster  and 
weeds.  I  use  forest  leaves  as  litter  and  in  making  compost 
manure.  I  think  we  should  make  all  our  compost  from  our 
lands  and  stable. 

REMARKS. 

1st.  My  object  has  been  improvement  of  my  farm,  rather 
than  to  obtain  immediate  profit  from  it. 

2d.  The  six  years  that  I  have  owned  the  farm,  is  the  first 
of  my  farming. 

3d.  I  never  had  one  dollar  given  to  me.  I  am  not  in  debt 
one  dollar,  and  when  I  have  been  in  debt,  I  have  always  paid 
one  hundred  cents  on  a  dollar. 

4th.  When  I  hear  a  farmer  call  farming  a  poor  business,  1 
guess  he  had  his  farm  given  him. 

September,  1851. 


MIDDLESEX   SOCIETY.  113 

m  ^ 

Reclaimed  Meadows.  , 

Joel    Wheeler^ s    Statement. 

The  piece  of  meadow  land  to  which  I  ask  attention,  con- 
tains  about  five  acres.  The  soil  is  of  a  light  peaty  mud,  vary- 
ing from  four  to  twenty  feet  deep.  I  commenced  working 
upon  it  in  the  spring  of  1848.  It  was  then  covered  with 
water,  alders,  dogwood  and  brush,  and  consequently  was  of 
little  or  no  value.  My  first  operation  was  to  ditch  it,  dig  it 
over  with  a  bog  hoe  and  burn  it.  The  following  winter,  I 
spread  on  sixty  loads  of  sand  per  acre.  In  June,  1849, 1  sowed 
it  with  oats  and  grass  seed,  without  any  manure.  I  cut  about 
one  ton  per  acre,  and  obtained  a  good  crop  of  fall  feed.  In 
1850  I  cut,  on  the  same  piece,  two  tons  of  handsome  hay  per 
acie,  and  might  have  cut  a  good  crop  of  rowen,  but  preferred 
feeding  it.  In  the  fall  of  1850,  I  spread  on  about  twenty  loads 
of  compost  manure  to  the  acre,  and  this  year  I  cut,  by  estima- 
tion, two  and  a  half  tons  per  acre.  The  whole  expense  of 
reclaiming  and  seeding  down,  was  twenty-eight  dollars  per  acre. 

Concord,  Sept.  5,  1851. 

Daniel  L.    Giles's    Statement. 

The  bog  meadow,  to  which  I  invite  attention,  is  about  two 
and  a  half  acres  of  what  was,  in  1848  and  '49,  in  a  wild  state. 
A  growth  of  wood  was  taken  from  it  eight  or  ten  years  ago, 
and  it  was  covered  with  stumps  of  maple,  birch,  and  dogwood, 
with  some  scattering  stumps  of  pine  and  cedars.  For  many 
years,  it  has  been  a  fine  harbor  for  minks  and  muskrats. 

In  the  winter  of  1848,  I  dug  a  ditch  around  the  meadow, 
sixty  rods  long,  from  three  and  a  half  to  five  feet  wide  and 
four  to  five  feet  deep,  at  a  cost  of  seventy-five  cents  per  rod. 
The  mud  I  carted  into  the  barn-yard  and  hog-yard,  with  the 
exception  of  ten  rods  which  I  sold  for  five  dollars  where  it  was 
flung  out.  Mud  carted  and  sold,  worth  about  ^35,  besides  pay- 
ing for  teaming. 

In  the  summer  of  1849, 1  mowed  the  bushes  and  brakes,  and 
began  to  cut  around  the  stumps  and  roots.  Then  with  a  lever 
15 


114  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY. 

I  upturned  them.  After  remaining  a  sufficient  time  to  become 
dry  so  as  to  be  moved,  we  hauled  them  to  the  upland,  and 
there  were  judged  to  be  thirty  cords,  worth  something  for  fuel 
or  to  be  made  into  coal.  We  then  filled  up  the  holes  and 
smoothed  oflf  the  top  and  burnt  what  could  not  be  disposed  of 
in  the  holes. 

In  June,  1850,  I  sowed  the  meadow  with  oats,  herds  grass, 
red-top  and  clover  seed,  at  an  expense  of  five  dollars.  The 
oats  were  mowed  in  August  for  fodder,  and  when  well  hayed 
were  thought  to  be  three  and  a  half  tons,  worth  $12  per  ton. 
In  July  1851,  I  cut  upon  this  meadow  four  tons  of  hay,  as 
estimated,  worth  $12  per  ton,  and  now  there  is  on  it  a  very 
good  crop  of  fall  feed. 

Lincoln,  Sept.  5,  1851. 

Francis  A.  Wheeler's  Statement. 

In  1846,  I  began  to  reclaim  the  meadow,  which  I  offer  for 
premium.  After  haying,  I  dug  a  ditch  on  three  sides  of  it,  to 
let  off  the  cold  spring  water,  and  I  also  cut  up  the  largest  has- 
socks upon  it.  Then  late  in  the  fall  I  borrowed  a  meadow 
plough  and  ropes,  and  struck  in  on  the  farther  side,  ploughing 
to  the  depth  of  twelve  or  fourteen  inches,  the  oxen  being  some 
ten  or  fifteen  rods  from  the  plough  and  on  hard  ground.  After 
coming  out  to  the  end  of  the  furrow,  the  plough  was  drawn 
back,  and  the  cattle  again  started,  and  in  this  way  we  turned 
over  an  acre  as  well  as  we  could. 

In  the  spring  of  1847,  I  went  on  with  hoes  and  filled  up  the 
holes,  so  that  I  could  go  on  with  my  horse  and  rackets  to 
harrow  ;  then  planted  potatoes.  From  less  than  an  acre  of 
this  bog,  I  raised  a  crop  which  sold  for  $150,  besides  reserving 
enough  to  pay  for  all  the  manure  that  was  applied.  I  was  so 
encouraged  by  this  success,  that  I  turned  over  more  than  an 
acre  in  the  same  way  that  fall,  and  in  the  spring  managed  it  as 
I  did  the  first  piece.  The  yield  of  potatoes  was  again  great, 
but  they  were  lost  by  the  rot.  In  the  fall  harrowed  it  down, 
and  in  the  winter  carted  on  about  sixty  loads  of  gravel  to  the 
acre. 

In    the    spring  of  1849,  I  took    the  mare  and  rackets,  and 


MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  115 

ploughed  and  harrowed  in  the  gravel  with  the  mud,  as  nice  as 
a  pin ;  planted  with  potatoes  again,  thinking  the  gravel  would 
prevent  the  rot,  but  I  only  saved  about  one  hundred  bushels  to 
the  acre  ;  the  rest  went  to  manure  the  ground.  In  the  fall, 
seeded  down  one  acre  with  herds  grass  and  red-top,  and  the 
year  following,  1850,  the  first  crop  cut  from  that  acre  was  about 
two  tons.  The  remainder  was  seeded  to  grass  in  June  of  that 
year,  and  this  season  I  cut  at  the  rate  of  three  tons  to  the  acre 
of  the  best  of  hay. 

I  approve  of  this  method  of  reclaiming  wet  meadows.  Do 
well  what  you  do,  kill  all  the  wild  grass  first,  and  you  need 
not  fear  afterwards.  This  meadow  was  nearly  worthless, 
except  for  peat  and  mud  ;  now  I  consider  it  worth  at  least  $200 
per  acre.  The  whole  cost  paid  out  for  reclaiming  was  but 
$9  75,  besides  my  own  help. 

Concord,  Sept.  5,  1851. 


Apple  Orchards. 

William   Wyman^s    Statement 

My  farm  contains  over  forty  acres  and  was  purchased  in 
1840.  I  gave  for  the  lot  of  land,  which  ./as  covered  with 
wood  at  the  time,  $7000,  and  sold  the  wood  by  auction,  in 
November  following,  for  over  3000.  Late  in  the  fall,  I  ploughed 
a  furrow  among  the  stumps  and  brush,  and  sowed  my  apple 
pomace.  The  second  year,  in  the  spring,  I  covered  my  young 
trees  all  with  manure,  which  gave  them  a  fine  start;  the  third 
spring  I  set  them  out  in  my  nursery,  and  in  the  fall  most  of 
them  were  budded.  About  the  sixth  year  from  the  planting  of 
the  seed,  the  trees  were  set  out.  They  are  set  in  rows  ten  feet 
apart,  one  apple  tree  and  then  two  peach  trees.  The  rows  are 
about  thirty  feet  apart.  Where  my  cherry  trees  are  set,  I  have 
one  peach  tree  between  the  cherry  trees,  ten  feet  apart.  I  have 
cultivated  most  of  my  rows  every  year.  My  orchard  contains 
about  3000  trees,  including  apple,  cherry,  peach  and  plum,  and 
covers  about  twenty-five  acres  of  land.  Many  of  the  trees  are 
in  a  bearing  state. 

Lowell.  Sept.  3,  1851 


116  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY, 

Caleb    WrighVs   IStatement. 

The  land  on  which  my  orchard  is  planted,  was,  before  I 
ploughed  it,  rocky  and  covered  with  bushes.  The  soil  is  a 
warm  moist  loam,  with  a  clay  bottom.  I  set  out  my  trees, 
part  of  them  in  the  spring  of  1845,  and  part  of  them  in  the 
autumn  of  the  same  year.  The  spring  I  consider  the  best  for 
transplanting.  When  the  trees  were  set  out,  the  ground  was 
laid  down,  and  it  has  not  been  ploughed  since.  I  keep  the 
ground  dug  up  around  the  trees.  I  manure  them  with  green 
manure  and  cover  it  with  bushes.  I  wash  my  trees  with  a  mix- 
ture of  lime,  clay,  salt  and  green  manure,  which  I  consider  bet- 
ter than  potash  for  this  purpose.  The  insect  which  most 
troubles  me  is  the  borer,  and  what  I  use  to  get  rid  of  them  is  a 
mallet  and  gouge. 

At  the  request  of  the  committee,  I  give  a  description  of  my 
older  orchard,  mostly  of  Roxbnry  russets  and  Rhode  Island 
greenings.  I  set  it  out  forty-five  years  ago.  For  many  years  it 
bore  well  and  the  fruit  was  good.  At  length  the  fruit  became 
poorer  and  less  of  it,  and  the  general  opinion  is  that  the  russet 
trees  have  run  out.  I  think  differently.  The  most  of  the 
russet  trees  are  old  ;  when  a  tree  is  old  it  does  not  throw  out 
as  much  sap  according  to  its  size  as  a  young  tree,  and  a 
scarcity  of  fruit  is  owing  to  too  much  top,  and  the  tree  is  neg- 
lected. For  a  few  years  past,  I  have  given  attention  to  my 
Roxbury  russet  trees,  and  they  have  well  paid  me.  I  have 
pruned  them  closely.  I  cut  out  the  small  branches  and  trimmed 
off  the  large  ones  within  a  few  feet  of  their  ends.  They  bore 
well  last  year  and  hang  full  this  year.  The  fruit  is  good.  It 
sold  in  the  market  last  spring  for  $4  50,  without  repacking.  I 
would  say  to  those  who  have  the  trees,  don't  give  up  the  rus- 
sets. 

Westford,  Sept.  5,  1851. 

A.    G.    Wing^s  Statement. 
The  young  orchard  which  I  offer  for  consideration,  consists 
of  about   190  Baldwin,  and  about   50  other  choice  varieties  of 
^pple  trees.     I  purchased    the   land    on  which    they  stand  in 


S     m 

MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  117 

1847  ;  it  was  an  old  worn-out  pasture  nearly  overgrown  with 
bushes.  I  cut  the  bushes  and  ploughed  the  ground  in  April, 
and  set  out  the  trees  the  first  of  May.  The  trees  were  two 
years  from  the  bud  when  set,  and  were  set  thirty  feet  apart 
each  way.  The  land  is  a  dark  gray  loam,  with  a  very  hard 
subsoil  of  clay  gravel. 

My  mode  of  setting  was  to  dig  a  hole  about  four  or  five 
feet  in  diameter  and  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  deep  ;  then 
fill  the  place  two  thirds  or  more  with  old  turf,  of  which  there 
was  a  great  abundance  turned  up  by  the  plough.  I  then  drop- 
ped about  one  bushel  of  well-rotted  stable  manure  near  each 
place  and  mixed  it  thoroughly  with  the  best  of  the  loam,  suffi- 
cient to  fill  the  hole.  I  then  covered  the  turf  with  the  mix- 
ture and  set  the  trees  very  near  the  top  of  the  ground. 

My  method  of  treatment  has  been  to  wash  thoroughly  with 
potash,  one  pound  to  a  gallon  of  water,  applying  it  with  a 
scrubbing  brush  and  rubbing  the  trees  hard,  once  or  twice  a 
year.  I  have  kept  the  ground  tilled  every  year,  with  crops  of 
corn,  squashes,  cabbages,  beets,  onions,  and  various  other 
things. 

Dracut,  Sept.  3,  1851. 

David  C.  ButterfielcVs  Stat'-ment. 
My  apple  orchard  consists  of  147  trees,  set  out  as  follows. 
In  1846,  I  set  40  on  one  acre  enclosed  by  a  stone  wall  before 
setting  the  trees.  I  sowed  the  ground  with  oats  and  grass  seed, 
hoed  round  the  trees  a  space  about  six  feet  and  have  kept  the 
space  free  from  grass  and  weeds  by  frequent  hoeings,  enlarging 
it  a  little  every  year  as  the  trees  have  increased  in  size.  In 
1847,  I  manured  them  with  coarse  manure  from  my  horse 
stable,  by  hoeing  a  small  trench  from  the  tree  as  far  as  the  clear 
space  extended ;  spread  the  manure  in  the  trench  and  dug  it  in. 
In  1849,1  took  the  same  course  to  manure  the  trees  as  in  1847, 
and  repeated  the  hoeings.  In  the  fall  of  1850,  I  ploughed  the 
ground  as  deep  as  I  could,  cross-ploughed  last  spring,  spread 
twenty-five  loads  of  manure  and  planted  it  with  potatoes. 
Since  digging  the  potatoes,  I  have  ploughed  the  ground  both 
ways,  spread  forty  horse  loads  of  manure  and  sowed  it  with 
srass  seed. 


118  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY. 

Ill  1847,  I  set  out  twenty  six  apple  trees  and  seeded  the 
ground  to  oats  and  grass  as  before,  but  the  oats  lodged  and  kill- 
ed the  grass  so  much  that  I  ploughed  the  next  spring  and  have 
kept  it  ploughed  until  the  present  season.  In  1848, 1  set  forty- 
seven  trees  on  a  very  rough  piece  of  ground  that  had  been 
planted  one  year  and  sowed  it  with  oats.  In  September  I 
ploughed  in  the  stubble,  spread  thirty  loads  of  manure  to  the 
acre,  cross-ploughed  and  sowed  grass  seed,  and  have  hoed  round 
them  and  manured  in  the  same  way  as  above  described.  In 
1850, 1  set  thirty-four  apple  trees  in  grass  ground,  dug  the  holes 
as  deep  as  I  wanted  to  set  the  trees,  spaded  up  the  bottom  of 
the  holes  as  deep  as  the  length  of  the  spade,  set  the  trees  and 
covered  the  space  with  old  hay.  Last  spring  I  dug  about  a 
foot  farther  round  the  trees,  added  more  hay,  after  spreading  a 
coat  of  manure  from  the  horse  stable.  The  first  of  August  I 
removed  the  hay  and  hoed  round  the  trees,  after  mixing  the 
manure  with  the  earth. 

The  soil  in  which  my  trees  are  set  is  a  deep  rich  loam,  very 
rocky  and  a  portion  of  it  quite  moist.  Therefore  I  prefer  horse 
manure  to  any  other,  as  it  is  of  a  warm  nature.  In  regard  to 
insects,  I  examine  my  trees  before  they  leaf  out,  and  take  off 
the  eggs  of  the  caterpillars.  I  have  made  a  practice  of  exam- 
ining them  twice  a  year  for  borers,  in  June  and  September,  by 
hoeing  the  earth  from  the  tree  down  to  the  roots  and  scraping 
the  bark  with  a  knife.  In  this  way  the  borer  is  easily  discov- 
ered. I  have  found  but  three  trees  this  season,  that  had  any  in 
them.  I  wash  my  trees  once  a  year  with  awash  made  of  lime, 
potash,  green  cow  manure  and  a  little  salt. 

Westford,  Aug.  28,  1851. 

Enos  Wiley^s  Statement. 
My  trees  are  on  land  that  was  a  poor  pasture  when  I  bought 
it.  The  soil  is  light,  gravelly,  sandy  and  loamy.  I  broke  up 
the  land  about  a  month  previous  to  setting  the  trees,  which 
was  in  the  fall  of  1845  and  1846.  At  setting  the  trees,  I  trim- 
med off  all  the  bruised  roots  and  the  ends  of  broken  ones,  and 
the  spritig  following  took  off  part  of  the  tops.  Care  was  taken 
not  to  set   the  trees  too  deep  and  to  have  the   soil  solid  under 


MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY.  119 

the  main  roots.  After  the  roots  were  covered,  meadow  mud 
was  placed  round  the  trees.  I  set  them  two  rods  apart  by  a 
square. 

I  have  washed  my  trees  with  soft  soap  suds  and  potash 
water,  one  pound  of  potash  to  three  gallons  of  water  for  young 
trees.  I  have  been  troubled  but  very  little  with  borers,  I  have 
kept  the  ground  around  the  trees  free  of  weeds  and  the  rough 
bark  scraped  clean  near  the  ground,  where  they  usually  deposit 
their  eggs.  I  have  kept  the  trees  trimmed  up  about  five  feet 
from  the  ground,  which  gives  room  to  plough  under  them,  and 
prevents  cattle  from  breaking  the  tops.  Three  branches  are 
left  to  form  the  top.  The  land  is  cultivated  in  strips  by  the 
trees,  and  what  manure  is  used  for  planting  keeps  the  trees 
thrifty  and  in  good  order.  A  board  placed  on  the  southwest 
side  of  the  trees,  until  the  top  is  large  enough  to  shade  the 
body,  is  highly  beneficial,  as  it  prevents  the  sun  from  striking 
them  and  thereby  impairing  their  growth. 

South  Reading,  Sept.  3,  1851. 

[Of     the    other    competitors,    statements    respecting    their 
orchards  have  heretofore  been  published  in  the  Transactions  of 
Agricultural  Societies;  viz.:  of  Leander  Cros'uy  in  1848,  of  J. 
W.  Brown,  in  1849,  and  of  George  M.  Baker  in  1850.] 


Milch  Cows. 

The  premiums  for  milch  cows  of  native  breed,  were  awarded 
as  follows  : 

To  Alexander  Wright,  of  Lowell,  1st  premium,     -     $8  00 

"  James  Tuttle,  of  Acton,  2d         "  -       6  00 

"  Elijah  M.  Reed,  of  Tewksbury,  3d         "  -       4  00 

and  to  Peter  Lawson,  Dracut,  Ayrshire  cow,  1st  prem.       8  00 

Alexander  WrighVs  Statement. 

The  native  cow  oflfered  by  me  for  premium,  was  purchased 

out  of  a  drove  from  Vermont,  when  three  years  old.     She  is 

now  nine.     She  calved  early  in  January,  1850.    From  the  10th 

of  that  month  to   the  20th   of  August,  1851,  she  gave  9027 


120 


MIDDLESEX    SOCIETY. 


quarts  of  milk,  the  measure  being  the  common  milk  or  beer 
quart,  and  the  weight  per  quart  of  milk  two  pounds,  when 
weighed  warm  from  the  cow.  The  greatest  quantity  given  per 
day  was  in  June  of  1850,  viz.,  twenty-one  quarts  and  one  gill. 
Her  next  calf  was  dropped  on  the  12th  of  this  month,  and  it 
was  not  without  considerable  trouble  she  was  dried  by  the  20th 
of  August,  as  above.  Her  milk  is  very  rich  in  cream  ;  it  has 
been  frequently  tried  and  found  to  produce  one  pound  of  but- 
ter from  seven  quarts  of  milk.  During  winter,  and  a  part  of 
the  summer,  she  is  fed  morning  and  evening,  as  follows,  viz., 
one  quart  of  Indian  meal  and  one  quart  of  shorts,  with  one  gill  of 
malt,  are  put  in  a  pail  and  boiling  water  poured  on  till  the  pail 
is  nearly  full ;  the  contents  are  stirred,  the  pail  covered  with  a 
thick  cloth  and  left  till  the  next  meal  to  cool.  In  winter  she 
has  a  peck  of  carrots  daily,  at  noon,  in  addition. 


QUANTITY 

OF    MILK 

GIVEN 

EACH 

MONTH. 

January, 

1850. 

20 

days. 

15    ( 

quarts. 

300 

quarts, 

February, 

a 

28 

u 

16 

u 

448 

11 

March, 

(C 

31 

(( 

17 

(( 

527 

11 

April, 

u 

30 

u 

17 

u 

510 

u 

May, 

u 

31 

ii 

20 

il 

620 

.1 

June, 

u 

30 

u 

2U 

(1 

63^ 

(( 

July, 

(I 

31 

u 

21 

u 

651 

a 

August, 

u 

31 

u 

20 

c 

620 

(( 

September 

30 

(( 

18^ 

(( 

555 

li 

October, 

(( 

31 

(( 

17 

li 

527 

11 

November, 

(( 

30 

u 

16 

li 

480 

ti 

December, 

u 

31 

ii 

14| 

u 

449 

u 

January, 

1851. 

31 

li 

14 

(( 

434 

li 

February, 

a 

28 

ii 

14 

il 

392 

(t 

March, 

a 

31 

ii 

13 

ii 

403 

li 

April, 

11 

30 

li 

12 

il 

360 

u 

May, 

a 

31 

li 

12 

11 

372 

11 

June, 

(I 

30 

li 

13 

11 

390 

It 

July, 

a 

31 

ti 

9 

11 

279 

u 

August, 

li 

20 

i( 

4 

It 

80 

11 

Total  number  of  quarts, 
Lowell,  Sept.  1851. 


9027 


MIDDLESEX    SOCIETY.  121 

James  Tuttle's  Statement. 
The  cow  which  I  present  for  premium,  has  been  owned  by 
me  three  years.  In  the  summer  she  has  had  good  grass  feed, 
and  that  only  ;  in  the  winter  two  quarts  of  Indian  meal  per 
day,  and  what  good  hay  she  wanted.  She  calved  the  last  day 
of  August,  1850. 

In   September,  she   gave  20  quarts  per  day,  600  quarts. 

"  October,  "  18       "  "  540       " 

"  November,        "  \7       "  "  510       " 

"  December,        "  16       "  "  480       " 

"  January,  "  14       "  "  420       " 

"  February,  "  14       "  ''  420       " 


2970 


Acton,  Sept.  24,  1851. 


Elijah  M.  Reed's  Statement. 

The  native  cow  offered  by  me  for  premium,  is  eight  years 
old.  She  was  raised  in  the  State  of  Maine,  and  has  been  owned 
by  me  four  years.  She  calved,  February  8th,  1851.  The 
quantity  of  milk  given  by  her  in  each  month,  commencing 
February  12th,  is  as  follows  : 

In  Feb.,  221^  quarts.  In  June,        -         -     483J  qrts. 

"  Mar.,  416  ''  ''    July,         -         -     314^     " 

"  April,  408  "  "    August,    -        -     496       " 

"  May,  422^  "  "    Sept.,  to  12th  inst.  110^     " 


2572f  quarts. 

To  test- the  quality  of  milk  for  butter,  her  milk  was  kept  for 
that  purpose,  one  week  in  April,  and  one  week  in  June,  with 
the  following  result :  from  April  28th,  seven  days,  ninety-seven 
quarts  of  milk,  which  produced  thirteen  pounds  of  butter,  after 
the  butter  milk  was  well  worked  out.  The  butter  was  solid 
and  yellow,  like  June  butter.  From  June  5th,  seven  days, 
ninety-five  quarts  of  milk,  from  which  fourteen  and  a  half 
pounds  of  butter,  of  an  excellent  quality,  was  made.  Her 
16 


i%%  MIDDLESEX   SOCIETY. 

keeping  thiongh  the  last  winter,  was  good  English  hay,  with 
the  addition  of  one  quart  of  meal  and  two  quarts  of  shorts,  from 
February  8th  to  June  1st,  when  she  was  turned  out  to  pasture. 
She  has  had  no  meal  since,  excepting  one  week  in  June,  (when 
we  were  making  butter,)  she  had  three  pints  per  day.  It  will 
thus  be  perceived  that  a  pound  of  butter  was  produced  from 
every  six  and  a  half  quarts  of  milk,  in  the  June  trial,  and  from 
about  seven  quarts  in  the  April  trial.  It  is  in  the  quality  of  her 
milk  that  I  expect  she  may  excel,  though  the  average  quantity 
has  been  over  twelve  quarts  per  day  for  the  last  seven  months.  I 
tested  its  properties  for  butter,  in  April,  1850,  and  from  twenty- 
seven  and  one  quarter  quarts  of  mornings'  milk,  we  made  four 
pounds  thirteen  ounces  of  butter.  I  sell  her  milk  at  the  door, 
and  have  only  had  an  opportunity  for  a  few  trials. 
Tewksbury,  Sept.  24,  1851. 

Peter  Lawsoii's  Statement. ' 

My  Ayrshire  cow,  "  Charlotte,"  has  had  no  grain,  whatever, 
and  has  given  an  average  yield  of  sixteen  quarts  of  milk  per 
day,  this  season.     We  have  made  no  butter. 

Dracut,  Sept.  24,  1851. 

P.  D.  ^j"  T.  S.  Edmands^s  Statement. 

The  cow  which  we  offer  for  inspection,  has  been  in  our  pos- 
session four  years,  and  is  seven  years  old.  She  calved  about 
the  middle  of  May,  while  at  pasture  ;  calf  taken  from  her  in  ten 
days,  to  be  raised.  We  keep  no  other  cattle  with  her  this  sea- 
son. During  the  month  of  June,  she  had  no  other  feed  than  a 
poor  pasture ;  for  the  last  six  weeks  has  had  one  acre  of  mow- 
ing in  addition  to  the  pasture  ;  also^  the  refuse  of  the  vegetables 
that  we  carried  to  market.  The  cow  is  of  native  breed,  and 
was  raised  in  Lowell. 

From  June  2d  to  the  28th,  twenty-seven  days,  her  milk 
weighed  one  thousand  and  nine  pounds.  The  first  seven  days 
in  September,  her  milk  weighed  two  hundred  and  twenty-two 
pounds. 

Chelmsford,  Sept.  22,  1851. 


\ 


MIDDLESEX   SOCIETY.  123 

Heifers. 
The  committee  (Elijah  M.  Reed,  Chairman,)  state  that  the 
animals  presented  were  of  a  better  description  than  those  at  the 
last  exhibition  of  the  society.  They  were  much  pleased  to 
perceive  this  evidence  of  an  increased  desire  on  the  part  of 
farmers,  to  improve  their  stock.  There  is  yet  among  us  too 
much  negligence  in  the  selection  of  breeding  cows,  and  of 
calves  for  raising  for  dairy  purposes.  Every  person  who  keeps 
a  cow,  is  more  or  less  interested  in  this  important  subject. 


Butter. 

There  was  awarded  for  butter,  "  the  best  new  churned,  not 
less  than  twelve  pounds  in  the  specimens  exhibited :  " 

To  Samuel  Osgood,  Billerica,            1st  premium,  $3  00 

"     Caleb  Livingston,  Tewksbury,  2d         "          -  2  50 

"     E.  Kimball,  Littleton,                 3d         ''          -  2  00 

"     AsaHodgman,2d,  Chelmsford,  4th        "          -  150 

"     William  Harris,  Woburn,           5th        "          -  1  00 

Samitel  Osgood's  Statement. 

I  present  for  inspection  one  box  of  new  churned  butter,  be- 
ing a  specimen  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  pounds,  made 
from  the  1st  of  July  last,  from  the  milk  of  three  cows.  We 
have  used  milk  in  the  family,  averaging  about  one  quart  per 
day.  The  cows  have  had  common  pasture  until  the  1st  of 
August ;  since  then  they  have  had  corn-fodder  once  a  day. 

Process  of  making. — The  milk  is  strained  into  tin  pans,  and 
stands  in  a  cool  cellar  from  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours,  when 
the  cream  is  taken  off  and  put  into  tin  cans  and  stirred  daily. 
We  churn  once  a  week.  After  it  is  churned,  the  butter  milk  is 
thoroughly  worked  out  with  the  hands  and  salted  to  the  taste. 
After  standing  twelve  hours,  it  is  again  worked  and  weighed. 
each  pound  separately. 

Billerica,  Sept.  21,  1851. 


124  MIDDLESEX    SOCIETY. 

Caleb  Livingston' s  Statement. 

The  butter  I  present  was  made  as  follows :  the  cream  was 
taken  from  four  days'  milk  ;  churned  in  a  common  churn  about 
half  an  hour ;  taken  out  and  salted  with  ground  rock  salt,  to 
suit  the  taste  ;  worked  and  lumped  the  next  morning ;  worked 
entirely  by  hand,  without  the  aid  of  any  mould  or  other  appar- 
atus. 

Tewksbury,  Sept.  24,  1851. 

Asa  Hodgman,  2rf'5,  Statement. 

The  box  of  butter  that  I  offer  for  premium  was  made  from 
the  milk  of  six  cows,  three  of  which  are  nearly  dry,  having 
calved  last  winter.  I  sell  my  night  milk  and  Saturday  morn- 
ing milk.  I  strain  my  milk  in  tin  pans,  and  set  it  in  the  milk 
room  on  the  north  side  of  the  house.  The  milk  stands  from 
forty  to  forty-eight  hours,  according  to  the  weather.  The 
cream  is  then  taken  from  the  milk  and  put  into  stone  jars  in 
the  cellar,  always  putting  a  handful  of  salt  in  the  bottom  of  the 
jars,  and  stirring  the  cream  every  day.  I  churn  once  in  six 
days,  in  a  dash  churn  ;  then  the  butter  is  well  rinsed  with  cold 
water ;  worked  and  salted,  with  about  an  ounce  of  salt  to  the 
pound. 

Chelmsford,  Sept.  23,  1851. 


Bread. 

The  premiums  were  awarded  as  follows  : 

To  Mrs.  Jane  H.  French,  Lowell,       1st  premium,  $4  00 

"         E.  French,                   "             2d          "  2  00 

"         Betsy  Caldwell,  Dracut,           3d           "  1  00 

To  Miss  Phebe  Jane  Worcester,  best  bread  offered  by 

a  girl,             -             -             -             -  4  00 

"         Harriet  Page,  Lowell,                2d  premium,  2  00 

"         Julia  M.  Pierce,  Chelmsford,    3d          "  1  00 

A  gratuity  of  one  dollar  was  awarded  to  Mrs.  H.  W.  Chase, 


MIDDLESEX    SOCIETY.  125 

of  Lowell,  for  a  loaf  of  bread,  which  was  unanimously  con- 
sidered by  the  committee  to  be  the  best  bread  upon  the^table, 
but  in  which  potatoes  were  mixed  with  the  wheat.  As  the  so- 
ciety's premiums  were  offered  for  wheaten  bread,  it  was  thought 
that  this  bread  did  not  come  within  the  rule. 


Agricultural  Experiments. 

The  committee,  consisting  of  Alfred  Allen  and  Peter 
Lawson,  award  the  premiums  on  grain  and  root  crops,  as  fol- 
lows : 

To  N.  P.  Morrison,  Somerville,  Rye,  the  premium  of  f  10  00 
"   John  Hayward,  Ashby,  Indian  Corn,         "  10  00 

"    Samuel  Eastabrook,  Ashby,  Carrots,         "  6  00 

N.  P.  Morrison's  Statement. 
The  following  is  an  account  of  a  crop  of  winter  rye,  which 
I  raised  on  one  acre  and  thirteen  square  rods.  I  sowed  in  Sep- 
tember, after  taking  off  a  crop  of  potatoes,  about  three  pecks  of 
seed  to  the  acre.  On  good  land  I  woulc'  not  sow  more  than 
twenty-six  quarts  to  the  acre,  on  any  account,  say  from  the  first 
to  the  middle  of  September,  if  I  wanted  a  large  crop  of  grain. 
My  rye  was  threshed  in  September,  put  in  barrels  and  remained 
where  it  has  been  some  exposed  to  the  fowls,  until  last  week. 
I  then  measured  forty  striked  bushels  for  W.  &  J.  Libbey,  of 
Boston,  which  I  sold,  fifty-six  pounds  for  a  bushel,  at  eighty 
cents  per  bushel.  The  gain  was  two  and  a  half  bushels  and 
eight  pounds,  which  made  about  sixty  pounds  to  a  striked 
bushel. 

The  amount  paid  was     -  -  -  . 

7\  striked  bushels  reserved  at  home,  (at  same  rate,) 
Straw  sold  for  mats,  4065  lbs.  at  80  cts.,    - 

"  "      filling  beds,  156  lbs.. 

About  300  lbs.  loose  straw,  kept  for  bedding  horses, 

Total,  -  -  -  -  $75  45 


P4 

11 

6 

37 

32 

52 

95 

1 

50 

1%6  MIDDLESEX  SOCIETY. 

Deducting  the  proceeds  of  thirteen  rods,  it  gives  forty-four 
striked  bushels  to  the  acre,  and  by  weight  forty-six  and  three- 
quarter  bushels,  which  amounted  to  about  seventy  dollars  per 
acre, 

SOMERVILLE,  Dec.  17,  1851. 

John  Hayward* s  Statement. 

I  offer  for  premium  a  crop  of  eighty-four  and  three-quarters 
bushels  of  sound  Indian  corn,  raised  on  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
four  rods  of  land,  it  being  all  of  the  piece  planted.  The  soil  is 
a  dark  loam,  sloping  slightly  to  the  southeast.  The  corn 
planted  is  of  the  small,  early,  eight  rowed  kind.  The  ground 
was  broken  up  in  October,  1849,  about  nine  inches  in  depth. 
May  1st,  I  cross  ploughed  and  spread  ten  cart  loads  of  manure 
from  my  barn  cellar,  and  harrowed  it  in.  About  the  middle  of 
May,  I  planted  with  corn,  which  yielded  about  seventy  bushels. 

May,  1851,  the  hills  were  split,  and  twelve  loads  of  manure 
spread  thereon  and  the  land  cross  ploughed  at  the  depth  of 
seven  inches.  May  12th,  furrowed  one  way  only  ;  put  in  the 
hills  eight  loads  of  compost  manure,  which  was  made  fine  by 
being  twice  thrown  over  in  the  spring.  May  12th  and  13th. 
the  ground  was  planted,  three  feet  ten  inches  one  way,  and 
about  two  feet  eight  inches  the  other.  Hoed  three  times  ;  at 
each  time  used  a  small  harrow  made  for  the  purpose,  and  raised 
the  ground  about  the  corn  only  a  little.  The  second  week  in 
October  the  corn  was  cut  up  and  harvested. 

AsHBY,  Jan.  2,  1852. 

Carrots. — My  crop  of  carrots  was  raised  upon  twenty-seven 
and  three-quarters  rods  of  land.  It  is  a  strong,  deep  soil,  on 
which  I  have  raised  carrots  five  years  in  succession.  After  har- 
vesting them  in  the  fall  of  1850,  I  spread  six  loads  of  barn  cel- 
lar manure  and  ploughed  it  in.  Ploughed  again  in  the  spring, 
as  deep  as  possible,  raked  the  ground  over  and  sowed  with  a 
machine  in  drills  one  foot  apart,  half  a  pound  white  and  half  a 
pound  orange  seed.  Hoed  as  soon  as  they  were  up  so  as  to  be 
seen.     When  the  carrots  are  two  or  three  inches  high,  I  weed 


MIDDLESEX   SOCIETY.  1^7 

and  thin  them,  so  as  to  leave  them  from  two  to  four  inches 
apart.  My  crop  this  year  was  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
baskets,  weighing  fifty  pounds  per  basket. 

Expenses. — Cost  of  seed,  75  cents  ;  cost  of  manure,  $6 ; 
ploughing,  ^1;  weeding  and  thinning,  $5;  harvesting,  $4. 
Total,  $16  75. 

AsHBY,  Jan.  I,  1852. 


128  WORCESTER   SOCIETY. 


WORCESTER    AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETY. 


The  undersigned,  President  and  Recording  Secretary  of  the 
Worcester  Agricultural  Society,  report  that  the  said  society  held 
their  last  cattle  show  at  Worcester,  on  the  18th  day  of  September 
last ;  on  which  occasion,  the  very  large  assemblage  of  citizens 
of  this  county,  and  of  other  parts  of  the  Commonwealth,  gave 
evidence  that  the  interest  of  the  public  in  agriculture,  and  in 
the  welfare  of  this  society,  continues  unabated. 

The  number  of  the  entries  made  was  large,  and  the  character 
of  the  stock  exhibited,  such  as  fully  to  sustain  the  high  reputa- 
tion of  the  farmers  of  this  county,  as  stock  breeders,  and  for 
their  skill  in  training  their  cattle. 

The  amount  of  money  offered  to  be  be  distributed  in  premi- 
ums, to  be  paid  within  the  year,  is  $833,  which  includes  the 
sum  of  $50,  to  be  awarded  "  for  experiments  in  determining 
the  advantages  or  disadvantages  of  cutting  hay  as  food  for 
stock,"  the  award  to  be  made  in  March  next. 

The  reports  of  the  several  committees,  and  the  statements  of 
experiments  and  cultivation,  regarded  as  worthy  of  publica- 
tion, will  be  found  in  the  printed  volume  of  the  Transactions 
of  the  Society,  herewith  transmitted.  The  address  before  the 
society  was  delivered  by  J,  S.  C.  Knowlton,  Esq.,  of  Worces- 
ter. 

JOHN  W.  LINCOLN,  President. 
WILLIAM  S.  LINCOLN,  Rec.  Sec'y. 


Ploughing  Match. 

First  in  the  order  of  the  public  exercises  of  this  anniversary  fes- 
tival, was  the  ploughing  match.  It  was  fitting  that,  that  work 
should  take  the  lead  in  an  agricultural  exhibition,  which  lies  at  the 
foundation,  and  is  indispensable  to  all  agricultural  improvement. 


*         WORCESTER    SOCIETY.  129 

The  earth  would  be  either  sterile  or  continue  to  bring  forth,  as 
under  the  primeval  curse,  only  briars  and  thistles,  but  for  that 
process  of  amelioration,  which  results  from  stirring  its  surAice, 
separating  its  particles,  infusing  into  its  bosom  the  influences  of 
light  and  heat,  and  air  and  water,  and  so  mingling  the  elements 
of  productiveness,  as  profitably  to  employ  the  hand  and  give 
reward  to  the  toils  of  labor.  The  history  of  the  plough,  from 
the  earliest  times,  in  its  construction,  its  application,  and  its  im- 
provement, to  the  present  day,  marks,  with  unerring  progress, 
the  advance  of  civilization,  domestic  comfort,  and  social  cnjoy- 
meut.  With  a  savage  and  barbarous  people  it  is  never  found, 
and  with  men  driven  for  subsistence  from  the  chase  to  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  earth,  it  is  first  seen  in  the  rude  shape  of  a  point- 
ed stake,  or  a  hook,  or  the  knotted  or  crotched  limb  of  a  tree, 
drawn  at  the  one  end  and  held  and  guided  by  the  other.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  go  to  distant  countries,  or  other  times,  for  facts 
or  illustrations,  whereby  to  trace  the  improvements  which  have 
been  made  in  this  most  important  implement  of  labor,  to  its 
present  beautiful  and  seemingly  perfect  model  of  construction. 
Here^  at  horne^  and  within  our  own  famed,  if  not  boasting 
county,  the  memory  and  personal  observation  of  many  here 
among  us,  will  suggest  the  comparison.  Tiie  county  of  Wor- 
cester has  long  been  noted  for  its  skill  in  plough  making.  With- 
in the  period  of  the  present  generation,  John  Wesson,  of  Graf- 
ton Gore,  had  a  reputation  little  less  marked,  within  the  limited 
extent  of  his  capacity  of  supply,  than  is  now  enjoyed,  far  more 
deservedly  and  widely  indeed,  by  our  own  Ruggles  &  Mason. 
Yet  how  immeasurably  diff'erent  in  power  and  completeness  the 
implements  of  their  respective  production  !  Wesson's  plough 
was  of  wood,  with  an  iron  coulter  and  share  only.  The  mould 
board,  if  secured  at  all  from  accident  and  sudden  force,  or  rapid 
destruction  by  wear,  was  left  to  be  protected,  in  the  judgment 
or  convenience  of  the  purchaser,  by  a  plating  of  rusty  iron 
hoops,  or  worn  and  inverted  horse  shoes,  or  such  like  appli- 
ances, quite  as  effectual,  in  their  use,  to  the  resistance  of  the 
power  of  draft  as  to  the  endurance  of  the  instrument.  The 
cutler,  to  divide  with  an  easy  force  the  sward ; — the  clevis,  to 
guide  and  guage  the  width  of  the  furrow,— and  the  wheel,  to 
17 


130  WORCESTER   SOCIETY. 

direct  and  govern  its  depth,  were  alike  unknown  or  nnnsed. 
If,  with  such  an  implement,  the  husbandman  was  not  to  be  seen, 
as  in  the  story  of  Scripture,  ploughing  with  twelve  yoke  in  the 
fields  it  was,  probably,  because  the  field  was  easier,  or  his  team 
stronger,  rather  than  the  plough  any  better  than  in  the  days  of 
the  Prophet.  To  improve  the  construction  of  this  implement 
has  worthily  engaged  the  science  and  occupied  the  skill  of  in- 
genious and  philosophic  men.  The  use  to  which  it  is  designed 
indicates  the  power  which  it  should  possess.  To  divide  as  by 
a  wedge  ;  to  raise  and  elevate  as  with  a  lever  ;  and  to  turn  over 
as  upon  a  pulley,  is  its  office  ;  and  to  be  perfect  in  its  adaptation, 
all  these  mechanical  capacities  must  be  united  in  its  construc- 
tion. At  a  recent  exhibition  of  the  world's  ingenuity,  skilful 
and  wise  men  are  said  to  have  adjudged  the  attainment  of  this 
excellence  to  America7i  art,  and  henceforth,  the  ploughs  manu- 
factured in  Massachusetts  by  Prouty  &  Mears,  and  in  the  rival 
and  no  less  celebrated  workshops  of  our  fellow  citizens,  Messrs. 
Ruggles,  Nourse,  Mason  &  Co.,  and  of  Martin,  may  be  relied 
upon  by  the  farmer,  as  models  of  completeness  in  design  and 
finish  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  important  and  ardtious 
labor. 

It  is  declared,  in  the  proposals  of  the  trustees,  to  be  the  great 
object  of  the  ploughing  match  "  to  excite  emulation  in  the  use 
of  this  most  important  instrument  of  agriculture,"  as  well  as  in 
its  construction.  If  the  instrument  has  been  carried  to  great 
perfection,  care  should  be  had  that  corresponding  improvement 
is  attained  in  guiding  its  operation.  Here  the  observation,  skill, 
steadiness,  and  strength  of  the  husbandman  are  called  into  ex- 
ercise. A  vacant  or  wandering  eye,  and  a  slack  hand,  wi'l  do 
little  in  directing  the  plough  beam  aright.  The  furrow  should 
be  uniformly  wide,  of  the  requisite  depth  for  the  cultivation  of 
the  land,  and  the  furrow  slice  laid  up,  or  laid  over,  according  to 
the  properties  of  the  soil,  and  its  productiveness.  Much,  also, 
in  the  character  and  economy  of  the  work  depends  upon  the 
team  and  its  management.  It  has  already  become  the  settled 
conviction  of  the  trustees  of  this  society,  that  with  one  of  the 
improved  ploughs,  and  a  single  yoke  of  well  matched  and  well 
trained  oxen  of  common  size,  most  of  the  ploughing  on  a  New 


WORCESTER    SOCIETY.  131 

England  farm  may  be  well  executed.  But  what  occasion  does 
not  this  give  for  attention  and  skill,  on  the  part  of  the 
ploughman  !  There  are  his  cattle  to  mind  and  manage,  his 
plough  to  direct,  and  his  work  constantly  to  notice  that  it  be 
true  and  thorough.  The  competition  in  our  ploughing  matches 
is  therefore  no  mere  holiday  sport  or  pastime.  It  becomes,  in- 
deed, the  test  of  experience  and  good  effort,  and  exhibits,  as 
intended  it  should  do,  the  judgment  and  expertness  of  the 
man,  both  in  the  management  of  the  plough  and  the  discipline 
and  effectiveness  of  his  team. 

In  the  exhibitions  of  this  occasion,  the  committee  on  the 
ploughing  match  find  much  reason  for  congratulations  to  the 
society.  The  number  of  entries  certified  to  them  by  the  secre- 
tary, was  unusually  large,  amounting  to  eighteen.  Sixteen 
teams  started  in  the  contest,  and  the  committee  carefully  exam- 
ined and  noted  the  progress  of  the  work  in  each  lot,  and  the 
tifne  and  manner  of  its  performance.  The  soil  of  the  field  was 
a  light  loam  upon  a  subsoil  of  clay,  and  the  sward,  for  many 
years  unmoved,  was  rendered  unusually  tough  and  firm  by  the 
late  severe  and  long  continued  drought.  The  power  and  pa- 
tient endurance  of  the  cattle  were  thus  severely  tested,  and  the 
labor  of  the  ploughman,  in  laying  his  furrow^  greatly  increased. 
In  other  respects,  the  land  was  well  adapted  to  the  purpose, 
having  a  smooth  and  level  surface,  and  being  especially  free 
from  stone. 

In  the  judgment  of  members  of  the  committee,  who  had  been 
familiar  with  such  scenes,  and  could  compare  similar  competi- 
tions, here  and  in  other  counties,  the  work,  in  all  which  con- 
stitutes its  perfection,  was  never  better  executed.  The  ploughs 
which  were  used,  are  noted  against  the  names  of  each  of  the  suc- 
cessful competitors,  and  the  best  effect  of  the  exhibition  will  be 
seen  in  the  influence  it  cannot  fail  to  produce  upon  the  thousands 
of  gratified  spectators  who  witnessed  the  quiet  and  effective  per- 
formance of  the  labor.  There  was  neither  hurrying,  nor  noise, 
nor  whipping  or  goading  of  cattle  to  undue  speed, — but  man 
and  animal  went  steadily  forward  as  to  their  accustomed  task. 
The  lots  contained  one  tenth  of  an  acre  each.  The  length  of 
the  furrow  was  sixteen  rods,  and  the  required  depth  not  less  in 


132  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

any  part  than  six  inches.  The  ploughs  were  each  drawn  by  a 
single  yoke  of  oxen,  the  ploughman  driving  his  team. 

The  committee  adjudge,  that  Henry  S,  Stockwell,  of  Sutton, 
with  Martin's  plough,  and  a  yoke  of  five  years'  old  cattle,  is  en- 
titled to  the  first  premium  of  ten  dollars. 

They  award  to  Elbridge  G.  Wheelock,  of  Millbury,  with 
Ruggles,  Nourse  &  Mason's  plough,  and  four  years'  old  cattle, 
the  second  premium  of  nine  dollars. 

To  Benjamin  Harrington,  of  Westborough,  with  Ruggles, 
Nourse  &,  Mason's  plough,  and  four  years'  old  cattle,  one  fourth 
Ayrshire,  the  third  premium  of  eight  dollars. 

To  Harvey  Putnam,  of  Sutton,  with  Martin's  plough,  and 
four  years'  old  cattle,  the  fourth  premium  of  seven  dollars. 

To  Calvin  D.  Nourse,  of  Westborough,  with  Ruggles,  Nourse 
&-  Mason's  plough,  and  six  years'  old  cattle,  the  fifth  premium 
of  six  dollars. 

To  George  Stockwell,  of  Sutton,  with  Martin's  plough,  and 
four  years'  old  cattle,  the  sixth  premium  of  five  dollars. 

The  work  was  beautifully  done  by  quite  a  lad,  apparently 
not  more  than  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age. 

To  Rufus  King,  of  Sutton,  with  Martin's  plough,  and  four 
years'  old  cattle,  the  seventh  premium  of  four  dollars. 

To  Anson  Warren,  of  Westborough,  with  Ruggles,  Nourse 
&  Mason's  plough,  and  four  years'  old  cattle,  the  eighth  premi- 
um of  three  dollars. 

To  Reuben  Carpenter,  of  Sturbridge,  with  Ruggles,  Nourse 
&  Mason's  plough,  and  five  years'  old  catlle,  the  ninth  premium 
of  two  dollars. 

To  Lorin  Carpenter,  of  Sturbridge,  with  Ruggles,  Nourse  & 
Mascn's  plough,  and  five  years'  old  cattle,  the  tenth  premium 
of  one  dollar. 

The  time  occupied  in  ploughing  by  the  several  teams,  varied 
from  thirty-jive  to  ffty  minutes.  The  committee  paid  less  re- 
gard to  this  circumstance  than  to  the  character  of  the  work; 
but  from  the  great  severity  of  the  draft,  they  gave  some  consid- 
eration and  allowance  to  the  age  and  weight  of  the  youngest 
and  lightest  cattle. 

It  was  noticed  by  the  committee,  after  making  up  this  report, 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  133 

as  a  singular  coincidence,  that  of  the  twelve  ploughs  on  the  field 
which  performed  the  best  work,  six  were  of  the  manufacture  of 
Ruggles,  Nourse  &-  Mason,  and  six  from  the  workshop  of  Mar- 
tin (fc  Co.,  or  as  was  wittily  remarked  by  a  bystander,  it  was 
"  six  of  one  and  half  a  dozen  of  the  other." 

LEVI  LINCOLN,  Chairman. 


Bulls. 


Two  of  the  twelve  bulls  entered  for  exhibition  and  premiums, 
were  those  presented  by  the  Massachusetts  Society,  which  were 
most  splendid  animals,  and  made  a  bold  and  lofty  appearance  as 
they  stood  at  the  head  of  their  class.  It  was  understood  that 
many  beautiful  young  cattle,  the  progeny  of  those  two  last 
named  bulls,  were  in  the  pens. 

The  committee,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  merits  of 
the  several  bulls,  and  taking  into  consideration  all  the  facts  in 
the  case,  awarded  the  premiums  as  follows  : — To  Caleb  Nourse 
of  Bolton,  the  first  premium  of  ."|10,  for  the  best  bull,  not  less 
than  two  years  old,  weighing  1505  lbs.,  ^  Creampot  and  f  Native. 
To  J.  D.  Lovell  of  West  Boylston,  the  secoiid  premium  of  $7, 
for  the  next  best  bull,  weighing  1540  lbs.,  §  Devon  and  ^  Dur- 
ham. To  Asa  Holbrook,  of  Holden,  the  third  premium  of  $5, 
for  the  next  best  bull,  |  Devon  and  |  Native.  The  bulls  which 
the  committee  passed  over  in  awarding  premiums,  were  all, 
without  exception,  beautiful  animals,  and  well  deserving  pre- 
miums, had  such  been  at  the  disposal  of  the  committee.  The 
white  bull  of  Marshal  J.  Maynardi,  of  Northborough,  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  committee  on  account  of  its  fine  form  and 
silk-like  hair.  The  bull  of  Benj.- Willard,  of  Lancaster,  drew 
attention  also,  but  was  not  entered  in  time  to  receive  a  premium. 
A  bull  was  presented  for  exhibition,  by  H.  B.  Lyman,  of  Prov- 
idence, R.  I.,  upon  which  the  committee  would  have  been  glad 
to  make  some  remarks,  but  the  age  of  the  animal  passed  that 
duty  into  the  hands  of  the  other  committee. 

[They  say  respecting  this  animal  : — Among  the  bulls  exhib- 
ited, but  not  entitled  to  compete  for  premiums,  was  the  bull 


134  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

Sampson,  whose  merits  are  quite  too  remarkable  to  be  passed 
by  ill  silence.  It  is  \9h  months  old  and  weighs  1400  lbs.,  was 
raised  in  North  Providence,  R.  I.,  and  is  owned  by  Mr.  Lyman. 
This  animal  is  imposing  in  size,  perfectly  symmetrical  in  shape, 
and  seems  to  possess,  in  a  rare  degree,  all  the  qualities  of  a 
good  breeder.  Its  small  head,  well  cut  neck  and  wide  breast — 
long,  straight  back  and  well  rounded  body,  and  neat  clean  limbs, 
rendered  it,  on  the  whole,  superior  to  any  of  its  competitors  and 
highly  deserving  of  commendation.] 

The  chairman  wishes  to  say  a  word,  on  his  own  responsibil- 
ity, on  the  raising  of  bulls — as  he  cannot  look  back  thirty 
years  and  see  so  much  improvement  in  the  breeds  of  cattle  as 
many  imagine  there  is.  It  is  too  often  the  case  that  a  farmer 
has  two  or  three  animals  of  the  right  kind,  while  all  his  others 
are  the  reverse  for  the  want  of  a  good  bull  in  his  neighborhood. 
It  is  very  important  that  all  our  bulls  be  of  good  form  and  pure 
breeds,  even  if  their  calves  are  to  be  fattened  and  slaughtered 
at  five  or  six  weeks  old — for  every  calf  at  that  age  will  be 
worth  one-third  more  than  when  the  bull  is  of  ill  shape  and  of 
a  worthless  breed.  For  a  remedy  for  this  bad  state  of  things, 
the  following  plan  is  suggested,  which  would,  if  carried  out, 
give  us  almost  a  different  race  of  cattle  from  what  we  now 
have,  and  here  in  Worcester  county  increase  their  value  thou- 
sands and  tens  of  thousands  of  dollars  without  increasing  their 
numbers: — That  all  the  Agricultural  Societies  in  the  comity 
increase  their  funds  to  at  least  ten  thousand  dollars — that  they 
all  unite  in  the  purchase  of  a  farm  with  this  extra  increased 
fnnd — that  this  farm  be  imder  the  control  of  the  trustees  of  the 
societies — that  a  superintendent  be  placed  on  the  farm,  whose 
whole  business  shall  be  the  raising  of  bulls  of  the  purest  blood, 
from  the  best  of  breeds,  and  to  continue  raising  till  every  town 
in  the  county  shall  be  supplied  with,  at  least,  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen bulls,  on  such  terms  as  the  trustees  shall  direct.  Should 
the  above  plan  be  carried  out,  the  hundreds  of  little,  peaked 
and  ill  shaped  bulls,  that  are  every  year  scraped  up  in  the  neigh- 
boring states,  would  no  longer  find  a  market  in  Worcester 
county  on  farms  where  the  owners  now  say,  a  bull  is  a  bull. 
CHARLES  BRIGHAM,  Chairman. 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  135 

Working  Oxen. 

To  say  that  there  were  well  trained  cattle  and  skilful  drivers 
on  the  ground,  is  but  making  a  record  of  what  was  witnessed 
by  the  gazing  multitude.  The  interest  in  this  part  of  the  exhi- 
bition has  always  been  manifested  by  numerous  competitors 
and  thousands  of  spectators — the  scene  is  an  exciting  one, 
entered  into  both  by  the  ox  and  liis  master — and  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  teamsters  are  as  closely  observed  as  the 
teams — and  that  opinions  are  formed  in  reference  to  well-trained 
men, 'dso(  well-trained  cattle;  those  that  performed  the  best 
were  not  struck  a  blow,  neither  were  they  frightened  by  Babel 
like  language  from  the  top  of  the  voice.  The  whip  iti  the 
hands  of  a  skilful  driver  will  be  observed,  but  not  felt  by  the 
cattle.  We  live  in  a  day  of  reforms,  and  it  is  a  question 
whether  the  ox  should  not  share  our  sympathy.  Hninanily 
and  self-interest  call  loudly  for  a  change.  As  applicable  to  the 
subject,  the  following  extracts  are  from  the  transactions  of 
the  Westborough  Agricultural  Society  for  18u0,  from  the  report 
of  L.  H.  Boutell. 

"  The  training  of  cattle  is  a  subject  deserving  of  much  more 
attention  than  is  usually  bestowed  upon  it.  Cattle  are  intelli- 
gent creatures,  and  should  be  treated  as  such,  if  we  would  use 
their  powers  to  the  best  advantage.  The  degree  of  their  intel- 
ligence is  indeed  small,  compared  with  that  of  man  ;  whatever 
may  be  its  extent,  it  is  governed  by  the  same  laws  which  regu- 
late human  intelligence. 

"The  person  who  undertakes  to  train  cattle,  should  possess 
judgment,  patience,  tact,  and  a  right  mixture  of  gentleness  with 
firmness.  It  should  never  be  intrusted  to  those  who  have  never 
been  trained  themselves,  nor  to  ignorant  and  irritable  men. 

"  It  is  necessary  to  be  careful  about  the  language  employed 
in  their  government,  and  always  to  use  the  same  term  to  denote 
the  same  thing.  The  language  of  teamsters  is  often  nothing 
but  nonsensical  jargon  ;  and  we  have  sometimes  wondered  that 
cattle  did  not  stand  still  in  utter  astonishment  as  the  driver 
bawls  out  a  dozen  different  commands  in  the  same  breath. 
Such  drivers  generally  end  their   coramauds  with  a  blow,  and 


136  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

wonder  at  the  stupidity  of  animals  that  did  not  know  enough 
to  haw,  gee,  back,  and  go  ahead,  all  at  the  same  time. 

"  Your  committee  are  aware  that  these  suggestions  contain 
nothing  new  ;  but  they  feel  that  they  are  so  important,  and  yet 
so  little  attended  to,  that  they  deserve  to  be  urged  upon  the 
consideration  of  our  farmers. 

"They  feel  that  it  is  important  for  the  farmer  constantly  to 
bear  in  mind  that  the  animals  which  are  so  useful,  so  absolutely 
necessary  for  him  to  perform  his  daily  labors,  are  not  mere 
machines,  but  creatures  of  intelligence  ;  that  they  have  not 
merely  bones,  and  muscles,  and  sinews,  but  capacities  of 
thought  and  feeling,  capable  of  improvement  to  a  degree  which 
will  amply  repay  whatever  labor  may  be  bestowed  upon  their 
development." 

There  are  wanted  more  well-trained  cattle,  and  an  increase 
of  well-trained  and  skilful  men  to  use  them.  May  it  not  be 
found  expedient  to  create  additional  premiums,  such  as  will 
have  a  tendency  to  awaken  an  increased  interest  in  this  depart- 
ment of  farming  ?  say 

"  For  the  best  pair  of  Working  Oxen  raised,  owned,  and  used 
by  the  driver  of  the  same." 

Also, — "  For  the  most  skilful  driver." 

If,  on  inquiry,  it  should  be  found  that  cattle  are  purchased 
and  trained  expressly  for  these  exhibitions,  then  sold — it  will 
be  obvious  that  for  the  want  of  a  nmform  language  their  use- 
fulness will  be  curtailed  and  their  sufferings  increased;  could 
the  noble  animals  speak  out,  there  would  unquestionably  be  a 
call  for  a  convention  to  consult  upon  their  grievances,  and  to 
adopt  measures  that  would  ensure  the  use  of  such  terms,  as 
would  enable  them  to  know  the  wishes  of  their  masters. 

GEO.  DENiNY,  Chairman. 


Steers. 


Among  the  many  requisites  for  good  farming  one  of  the  most 
important  is  a  good  team  ;  and  it  is  conceded  that  an  ox  team 
is  preferable  for   general    use  upon  our   New  England  farms. 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  137 

With  most  of  our  farmers  a  good  yoke  of  oxen  can  be  more 
easily  raised  than  bought  and  paid  fo7- :  or,  in  other  words,  the 
vahie  of  a  good  yoke  of  cattle  being  about  one  hundred  dollars, 
that  sum  is  more  easily  produced  by  raising  and  training  a  yoke 
of  cattle  upon  the  farm  where  they  are  wanted,  than  the  same 
vakie  can  be  produced  by  any  other  ordinary  farming  opera- 
tions ;  and  these  remarks  are  equally  applicable  to  other  de- 
scriptions of  stock. 

It  requires  no  very  great  discernment  to  see  that  those  farm- 
ers who  raise  stock  for  their  own  use,  and  of  course  to  sell,  are, 
as  a  general  rule,  more  thrifty  and  prosperous  than  those  who 
are  constantly  scouring  the  country  to  buy.  If  these  remarks 
are  true,  there  is  certainly  a  want  of  good  management  among 
us,  that  we  are  obliged  to  send  our  money  to  neighboring 
States  to  purchase  inferior  stock  for  our  farms. 

In  rearing  steers  for  the  yoke,  the  requisite  qualities  for  good 
working  cattle,  form,  strength,  size,  temper,  &.C.,  should  be 
looked  to  in  the  parentage  on  both  sides.  Experience  has 
shown  that  calves  from  young  cows  are  preferable,  and  that 
good  care  and  attention  should  be  bestowed  upon  them  during 
the  earlier  part  of  their  growth,  keeping  them  in  good  health 
and  thriving  condition,  that  they  may  take  on  that  fine  form 
and  appearance  which  adds  so  much  to  their  value  in  older 
growth.  More  attention  should  be  paid  to  matching  steers  in 
regard  to  size,  strength,  and  working  qualities  than  to  color  and 
other  points,  which  are  mere  matters  of  fancy. 

In  training  steers,  patience  and  good  temper  are  very  requisite 
in  the  driver — and  with  all,  good  judgment — a  knowledge  of 
what  the  team  is  capable  of  doing,  and  the  best  way  to  do  it — 
and  with  these  qualities  he  should  have  language  to  express 
himself  to  his  team.  A  few  words  that  can  be  understood  by 
human  beings,  will  answer  quite  as  well  as  the  unmeaning  lingo 
that  is  often  heard  in  the  management  of  cattle. 

The  committee   having  stated  the  foregoing  as  embracing 

their  views  of  the  subject,  further  report  that  there  were  thirty 

entries  of  steers,  and  five  of  calves,  nearly  all    of  which  were 

presented  for  examination,  and  it  was  a  source  of  great  satisfac- 

18 


138  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

tion  to  see  so  many  fine  cattle,  all  promising  to  become  oxen  of 
the   best  description. 

GEORGE  C.  DAVIS,  Chairman. 


Milch  Cows. 

Fourteen  cows  were  shown  for  premium  and  two  for  exhibi- 
tion. There  was  no  competitor  for  the  highest  premium  offered 
by  the  society,  viz  :  "  for  the  best  dairy  of  cows,  not  less  than 
five,  owned  and  kept  together  from  May  1st,  to  Sept.  10th, 
three  of  which  shall  have  been  raised  and  hred  by  the  appli- 
cant, and  one  of  which  to  be  exhibited." 

The  first  premium  of  the  second  class,  (which  requires  that 
two  of  the  cows  shall  have  been  raised  by  the  applicant,)  was 
awarded  to  Marshall  J.  Maynard,  of  Northborough,  for  the  two 
best  cows  from  a  stock  of  five,  ^17. 

The  premium  of  $12,  for  the  two  best  cows  from  a  stock  of 
not  less  than  five,  is  awarded  to  William  S.  Lincoln,  of  Wor- 
cester. 

To  Henry  Parker,  of  Holden,  for  the  best  cow  kept  with  a 
stock  of  not  less  than  four,  is  awarded  the  premium  of  $10. 

To  Horace  Chenery,  of  Worcester,  "for  the  best  cow  kept 
alone  or  with  others,"  is  awarded  the  premium  of  $8. 

To  Asa  F.  Rice,  of  Worcester,  for  the  next  best  cow  kept  as 
above,  the  second  premium  of  "  Colman's  Agriculture." 

To  Joseph  A.  Reed,  of  Princeton,  a  gratuity  of  $6. 

To  Harvey  Dodge,  of  Sutton,  a  gratuity  of  %2. 

Our  farmers  have  of  late  made  very  great  improvement  in 
the  breed  and  quality  of  their  cows.  This  is  as  it  should  be  ; 
for  it  is  believed  that  no  other  investment  in  agriculture  is  so 
profitable  or  will  yield  so  rich  returns  as  the  dairy.  One  of 
the  claimants  for  a  premium  states  that  between  the  first  day  of 
June  and  the  tenth  of  September,  the  present  year,  he  sold 
about  eight  thousand  quarts  of  milk  from  seven  cows,  besides 
what  he  used  in  his  family.  This  at  the  low  price  of  four 
cents  per  quart  would  be  three  hundred  and  twenty  dollars. 
Now,  supposing  these  seven  cows   to  be  worth   280  dollars, 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  139 

which  is  40  dollars  per  cow,  then  in  three  months  and  ten  days 
these  seven  cows  would  pay  for  themselves  and  one  more  of 
equal  price,  or  yield  a  return  of  more  than  one  hundred  and 
fourteen  per  cent,  for  the  same  time. 

JAMES  DRAPER,  Chairman. 

Marshall   J.   Maynard^s   Statement, 

I  offer  for  premium  three  milch  cows : — 

1st,  (Phillipine)  native  breed,  7  years  old,  raised  by  myself, 
calved  March  3d  last.  Calf  extra,  and  is  raising.  From  the 
middle  of  March  to  the  10th  of  May,  she  averaged  a  daily  yield 
of  36  lbs.  milk.  From  the  1st  to  the  10  of  June,  inclusive, 
she  gave  294  lbs.  12  oz.  milk,  from  which  was  produced  14  lbs. 
6  oz.  butter.  In  the  same  number  of  days  (the  10  first)  of 
September,  she  gave  222  lbs.  milk,  which  yielded  12  lbs.  8  oz. 
butter. 

The  second  cow,  (Dian)  native  breed,  four  years  old,  raised 
by  me — calved  March  25th,  calf  fatted  and  killed  at  three 
weeks  and  four  days  old,  weighing  95  lbs.  From  the  first  to 
the  tenth  of  June,  both  inclusive,  she  gave  289  lbs.  12  oz. 
milk,  which  yielded  13  lbs.  6  oz.  butter;  and  in  the  first  ten 
days  of  September,  she  gave  201  lbs.  8  oz  milk,  from  which 
was  made  12  lbs.  butter. 

The  third  cow,  (Lizzy)  native  breed,  calved  marched  20th — 
she  is  eight  years  old  and  was  raised  by  Nahum  Eager,  of 
Northborough.  From  the  1st  to  the  lOth  of  June,  inclusive, 
she  gave  323  lbs.  milk,  from  which  was  made  12  lbs.  12  oz. 
butter,  and  in  the  ten  first  days  of  September,  she  yielded  234 
lbs.  milk,  producing  10  lbs.  butter. 

"  My  dairy  consists  of  7  cows  and  one  3  year  old  heifer.  I 
have  sold  the  present  season  924  lbs.  butter — fatted  550  lbs. 
veal,  and  raised  three  calves,  good  ones — have  made  what 
cheese  and  butter  was  used  in  the  family  ;  have  raised  25  pigs — 
sold  ^21  25,  and  have  $50  worth  of  pigs  on  hand.  Have  fed 
stalks  since  1st  of  September." 

William  S.  Lincoln's  Statement. 
I  exhibit   two  cows,  as  competitors  for  the  premium  offered 


140  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

for  the  two  best  cows  kept  with  a  stock  of  not  less  than  five. 
My  dairy  consists  of  6  cows — aged  3,  4,  7,  8,  9  and  11  years — 
one  is  1-4  Ayrshire,  and  was  raised  by  myself,  one  supposed 
part  Devon,  the  rest  are  called  Native,  and  were  raised  in  differ- 
ent towns  in  the  county.  They  calved,  the  11  year  old,  early  in 
the  spring  of  1850,  the  8  year  old,  Feb'y  6,  the  9  year  old, 
April  13,  the  7  year  old,  in  March,  the  4  year  old,  June  18,  and 
the  Heifer,  June  20 ;  were  turned  to  pasture  May  20th,  in  what 
is  called  old  field,  having  no  food  other  than  pasture  from  May 
20th  to  Aug.  loth,  since  when  they  have  been  fed  twice  a  day 
(while  being  milked)  with  corn  stalks. 

From  the  first  cow,  (Sally)  during  the  first  nine  days  of  June, 
was  drawn  266  lbs.  4  oz.  milk,  yielding  12  lbs.  9  oz.  butter, 
and  dmmg  the  same  days  of  Sept.,  232  lbs.  10  oz.  milk,  yield- 
ing 11  lbs.  butter.  During  the  same  period  of  last  year,  this 
cow  made  twenty-nine  lbs  12  oz.  butter,  showing  a  loss  of  6 
lbs.  4  oz. 

The  second  cow  yielded  during  the  first  niiie  days  of  June, 
298  lbs.  15  oz.  milk,  from  the  cream  of  which  was  made  13 
lbs.  14  oz.  butter,  and  for  the  same  period  in  Sept.  she  gave 
235  lbs.  9|  oz.  milk,  producing  9  lbs.  14|  oz.  butter. 

From  the  time  of  turning  to  pasture  (May  20)  to  June  20th, 
with  two  cows,  whose  yield  is  given  above,  128  lbs.  15J  oz. 
butter  was  made.  From  that  period  till  Sept.  10th,  those,  with 
one  four  year  old  cow,  and  the  three  year  old  heifer,  yielded 
309  lbs.  9  oz.  butter — making  the  whole  amount  produced  from 
the  time  of  turning  to  pasture  to  the  10th  September,  438  lbs. 
8|  oz. 

$12  44^  worth  of  milk  and  cream  was  (the  milk  and  cream 
of  the  11  and  9  year  old  cows  having  been  used  in  the  family) 
sold  in  the  above  period  from  these  cows. 

Trial  has  been  made  by  us  of  various  new  and  highly  lauded 
churns  the  past  season.  All  of  them  possessed,  according  to 
the  statements  of  inventors  and  agents,  what  was  called  the 
highly  desirable  quality  of  producing  butter  in  an  extremely 
short  time.  As  yet  we  have  found  no  churn  to  be  an  "  im- 
proved one."  In  various  trials  with  the  new,  side  by  side  with 
the  old  "  Gait  "  churn,  we  have  found  that  there  was  no  short- 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  Ul 

ening  of  time  to  any  considerable  amount,  and  there  was  in 
every  instance,  a  less  amount  of  butter  produced  by  the  new 
than  the  old  churn. 

[The  process  of  making  his  butter  and  the  winter  manage- 
ment of  his  cows,  are  given  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  his  statement 
published  in  the  Transactions  of  Agricultural  Societies  for 
1850.] 

Henry    Parkefs    Statement. 

The  number  of  cows  kept  by  me  is  seven,  all  of  native  breed, 
three  of  which  were  raised  by  myself.  Their  ages  are  2,  3,  6, 
7,  9  and  10  years.  They  were  turned  to  pasture  the  first  day 
of  May,  the  quality  of  which  is  ordinary.  "  Stalks  "  were  fed 
once  a  day  from  the  first  of  September.  My  youngest  cow 
calved  June  20th,  and  the  calf  at  five  weeks  and  two  days  old 
sold  for  $7  62,  We  make  no  cheese,  but  sell  our  milk  at  the 
door.  The  cow  offered  for  premium  yielded  in  the  first  days 
of  June,  360  lbs.  4  oz.  milk,  producing  17  lbs.  2  oz.  butter,  and 
in  the  first  nine  days  of  Sept.,  195  lbs.  6  oz.  milk,  producing 
9  1-2  lbs.  butter. 

In  July  and  August,  from  six  cows  during  one,  and  seven 
during  the  other  month,  we  sold  2758  quarts,  besides  having 
sufficient  milk  for  a  family  of  nine  persons. 

From  my  brown  cow,  in  one  day  in  June,  we  made  2  lbs. 
butter. 

We  churn  cream,  strain  the  milk  into  tin  pans,  and  except  in 
the  warmest  weather,  keep  it  in  a  room  above  ground.  We 
keep  the  cream  in  a  stone  pot  in  the  cellar  until  ready  to  churn  ; 
soak  the  churn  with  water  over  night,  put  the  cream  in  churn 
use  a  dash  churn.  Time  occupied  in  churning,  in  June,  five 
and  in  September,  four  minutes. 

The  most  promising  calves  are  raised,  others  fattened  and 
killed.  I  keep  four  swine,  feeding,  besides  refuse  of  dairy  and 
wash  of  the  house,  about  8  quarts  cob  meal  per  day.  In  winter 
I  keep  my  cows  stabled,  letting  them  out  about  three  hours  in 
the  middle  of  the  day. 

Their  food  is  stock  hay  and  corn  stalks,  till  the  1st  of  March, 
then  feeding  best  hay  till  I  turn  them  to  pasture. 


142  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 


Horace  Chenery''s  Statement. 

The  number  of  cows  kept  by  me  this  season  is  three.  The 
one  exhibited  is  eight  years  old,  of  medium  size,  native  breed, 
raised  by  Rufus  Hastings,  of  Sterling.  The  cow  calved  the 
23d  of  April,  was  turned  out  to  pasture  the  first  of  May,  was 
fed  for  two  weeks  subsequently  with  hay  at  night,  and  a  half 
peck  of  carrots  in  the  morning  of  each  day. 

From  about  the  middle  of  May,  no  food  was  furnished  her 
other  than  pasturing,  of  an  average  quality.  In  the  first  nine 
days  of  June,  she  gave  404.^  lbs.  milk,  producing  19  lbs.  but- 
ter, and  in  the  first  nine  days  of  Sept.,  298  lbs.  of  milk  and 
14  lbs.  of  butter. 

In  June,  she  yielded  1370  1-2  lbs.  milk,  and  the  butter  pro- 
duced in  the  same  period  was  63  1-4  lbs.  From  the  1st  May 
to  1st  September,  she  made  205f  lbs.  butter. 

We  strain  the  milk  into  tin  pans,  letting  it  stand  from  36  to 
48  hours.     Cream  kept  in  a  stone  jar  till  churned. 

I  have  owned  her  four  years,  and  she  has  furnished  all  the 
milk,  butter,  and  cream  for  my  family  averaging  eight  persons, 
during  that  time,  excepting  two  months  before  calving,  but  I 
have  sold  more  milk  in  the  winter  than  I  have  bought  in  the 
spring. 

Asa   F.    Rice's    Statement. 

I  have  four  cows,  each  8  years  old,  two  of  which  I  exhibit. 
One  is  native,  raised  in  Worcester,  the  other,  part  Devon,  raised 
in  Princeton.  The  former  calved  May  20th,  the  other  26th 
of  Feb.  They  were  turned  to  pasture  May  7th,  pasturing 
common.  From  27th  Aug.,  they  have  been  fed  "stalks" 
once  a  day. 

The  first  cow  gave  the  nine  first  days  of  June,  327  lbs.  milk, 
yielding  12  lbs.  5  oz.  butter ;  for  the  same  period  in  Sept.  she 
gave  218  lbs.  milk,  yielding  8  lbs.  10  oz.  butter. 

For  the  first  nine  days  of  June,  the  second  cow  gave  254 
lbs.  milk,  yielding  13  lbs.  10  oz.  butter,  and  in  the  same  period 
in  Sept.,  146  lbs.  milk,  yielding  7  lbs.  7  oz.  butter.  We  make 
no  cheese  ;   have  used  about  280  quarts  milk  in  the  family. 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  143 

We  keep  the  milk  down  cellar  except  in  cool  weather,  letting 
it  stand  from  36  to  48  hours  before  skimming. 

We  strain  the  milk  into  a  dash  churn,  churning  once  a  week. 
The  butter  is  taken  from  the  churn,  salted  the  next  day,  and 
worked  into  lumps. 

I  have  kept  seven  pigs,  giving  them  nothing  but  refuse  of 
dairy. 

I  feed  nothing  but  hay  in  the  winter. 

Worcester,  Sept.  1851. 

Joseph  A.  Reed^s    Statement. 

I  keep  four  cows,  aged  4,  5,  7,  and  8.  They  were  turned  to 
pasture  about  the  1st  of  May.  The  pasture  was  of  average 
quality,  and  they  have  had  no  food  except  pasturing. 

The  cow  exhibited  is  five  years  old,  of  mixed  Ayrshire, 
Holderness,  and  native  breeds,  and  was  raised  by  myself.  She 
calved  the  8th  day  of  May. 

For  the  first  nine  days  of  June,  she  gave  377  1-4  lbs.  milk, 
producing  15  lbs.  15  oz.  butter,  and  in  September  for  the  same 
period  she  gave  209f  lbs.  milk,  which  made  10  lbs.  14  oz. 
butter. 

Two  hundred  and  sixty-five  and  a  half  lbs.  butter,  and  277 
1-2  lbs.  cheese,  (half  new  milk  and  half  four  meal,)  was  made 
from  the  time  of  turning  to  pasture  till  the  10th  September. 

I  have  kept  six  swine — furnishing  them  no  food  save  the 
refuse  of  the  dairy  and  waste  from  the  house. 

My  cows  calved  March  20th,  March  29th,  May  8th,  and 
June  15th. 

The  family  consisted  of  seven  persons  until  July.  In  that 
and  the  subsequent  month  it  numbered  15 — "  which  accounts 
for  the  small  quanity  of  butter  and  cheese  made  from  our 
dairy." 

Milk  is  strained  in  tin  pans  on  the  lower  floor  of  the  house, 
where  it  stands  from  24  to  36  hours ;  it  is  then  skimmed.  The 
cream  is  kept  in  tin  pans,  and  churned  in  a  common  crank 
churn — time  occupied  in  churning  from  20  to  30  minutes. 
Butter  is  taken  from  the  churn — washed  in  cold  water,  butter- 
milk worked  out  by  hand,  and  1  oz.  table  salt  added  to  1  lb.  of 
butter. 


144  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

My  cows  are  stabled  in  winter — fed  at  regular  hours — let  out 
to  water  twice  a  day.  In  pleasant  weather  they  are  left  out  a 
few  hours  in  the  sun.  Their  food  is  hay  of  ordinary  quality, 
until  a  short  time  before  calving — from  which  time  until  they 
go  to  pasture,  they  are  furnished  English  hay. 

Princeton,  Sept.  17,  1851. 

Harvey  Dodge's   Statement. 

This  cow  Flora,  was  five  years  old  the  1st  day  of  July  last, 
one  half  Creampot  and  Durham — has  had  three  calves,  the  last 
of  which  is  by  her  side.  Her  milk  has  always  been  sold.  The 
present  calf  took  one  half  of  her  milk  the  first  three  months, 
and  the  whole  for  the  last  three  months. 

She  gave  37  lbs.  of  milk  per  day  from  June  to  October,  in 
1849  and  1850.  Was  raised  by  myself,  and  has  been  kept 
principally  with  nine  others,  without  any  kind  of  feed  in  sum- 
mer but  grass. 

Sutton,  Sept.   18,  1851. 

Sylvanus  Sears^s  Statement. 

My  dairy  is  composed  of  nine  cows,  of  3,  4,  4,  5,  5,  6,  7,  8 
and  9  years  respectively.  Six  of  them  are  of  native  breed, 
two  half  Durham,  one  part  Devon.  Six  were  raised  in  Wor- 
cester county,  the  rest  in  New  Hampshire. 

The  cow  exhibited  is  six  years  old,  raised  in  N.  H.  She 
calved  1st  June,  was  turned  to  pasture  15th  May,  and  for  about 
the  last  six  weeks  has  had  1  1-2  cwt.  corn-fodder  daily.  In 
the  first  nine  days  of  June,  she  gave  495  1-2  lbs.  milk,  and 
during  the  same  time  in  Sept.  she  gave  243  1-2  lbs.  milk. 

I  sell  all  the  milk  from  my  cows,  and  from  the  time  of  turn- 
ing to  pasture  till  Sept.,  10th,  have  sold  about  18,000  quarts. 
Have  kept  two  swine. 

Worcester,  Sept.  18,  1851. 


Heifers. 
Thirty  heifers  were  presented,  of   two  years  old  and  up- 
wards ;  and  twenty-eight  heifers  not  less  than  one,  and  under 
two  years  old.     The  Durham,  Ayrshire  and  Devon  stock,  and 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  145 

their  crosses,  were  fully  represented.  A.  L.  Allen,  of  Shrews- 
bury, exhibited  six  fine  animals  from  14  to  17  1-2  months  old 
four  of  which  were  of  the  Devon  and  native,  and  two  of  the 
Devon  and  Ayrshire  breed,  promising  a  valuable  dairy.  John 
Brooks,  of  Princeton,  exhibited  six  fine  heifer  calves,  from  four 
to  six  months  old,  half  Ayrshire,  and  of  McGregor  stock.  The 
committee  say,  "  knowing  Mr.  Brooks's  mode  of  raising  and 
keeping,  they  were  highly  gratified  in  their  examination  of 
these  animals,  and  thought  they  had  good  evidence  of  his  skill 
and  judgment  in  selecting  and  raising  stock  for  the  dairy." 


Fat  Cattle. 

The  secret  of  producing,  with  the  least  expense,  large  and  fat 
cattle,  is  one  of  great  value,  and  can  only  be  ascertained  by  many 
facts  or  experiments,  and  a  comparison  of  the  experience  of  many 
persons.  It  is  peculiarly  an  act  of  experiment,  as  it  is  only  by  ex- 
perience that  we  can  ascertain  what  breeds  of  cattle  are  best  for 
fatting,  and  by  what  mode  of  feeding  and  treatment,  they  may 
be  most  easily  and  cheaply  fattened.  It  is  7ery  desirable  that 
a  large  number  of  fat  cattle  should  be  annually  exhibited  on 
this  public  occasion,  where  they  may  be  examined,  not  only 
by  the  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  but  by  numerous 
farmers  and  others  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  who  will  have 
an  opportunity  of  learning  under  what  circumstances,  and  by 
what  treatment  the  largest  and  fattest  animals  are  produced, 
and  thus  every  farmer  is  enabled  to  add  to  his  own,  the  expe- 
rience of  many  others,  for  his  information  and  improvement. 

It  is  to  be  hoped,  therefore,  that  on  future  exhibitions  of  the 
society,  a  larger  number  of  fat  cattle  will  be  presented,  and  that 
careful  and  particular  accounts  in  writing  shall  be  given  in,  of  the 
mode  of  keeping  and  fatting  them,  and  any  circumstances  in 
relation  to  them,  which  may  give  valuable  information  to  the 
public. 

The  fact  that  a  fat  ox  has  been  produced  weighing  4000 
lbs.,  shows  its  possibility,  and  when  more  shall  be  known  upon 
this  subject,  from  longer  experience  and  careful  observation,  we 
19 


146  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

are  now  unable  to  say  what  can  be  accomplished  in  the  en- 
largement of  the  size,  and  improvement  of  the  quality  of  our 
cattle. 

Only  five  fat  oxen  were  exhibited.  There  were  seven  fat 
cows  offered  for  premiums,  which  were  awarded  as  follows: 

The  first  premium  of  ten  dollars,  to  Caleb  Nourse,  of  Bolton, 
for  his  dark  red  cow,  five  years  old,  weighing  1720  lbs. 

The  second  premium  of  six  dollars,  to  Cyrus  Gale,  of  North- 
borough,  for  his  cow,  four  years  old,  weighing  1400  lbs. 

The  third  premium  of  four  dollars,  to  Asa  Matthews,  of  Wor- 
cester, for  his  red  cow,  weighing  1300  lbs. 

All  the  cows  exhibited  were  of  the  native  breed,  and  were  fat- 
tened without  unusual  expense. 

JOSEPH  MASON,   Chairman. 


Poultry. 


,1.  What  are  the  best  kinds  of  poultry  to  keep  ? 
;2.  Is  it  profitable  to  keep  poultry  at  all  ? 
In  answer  to  the  first  question,  the  belief  of  the  committee 
IS,  that  the  kinds  of  fowls  which  lay  the  greatest  number  of 
eggs,  are  the  Shanghaes,  Guelderlands,  Dorkings,  Poland  and 
Spanish.  The  Poland  and  Spanish  fowls  lay  the  largest,  but 
the  larger  varieties  are  said  to  be  inferior  in  flavor  to  smaller 
eggs.  As  to  what  kinds  are  really  to  be  preferred,  different  men 
differ  exceedingly,  and  isolated  opinions  depend  so  much  upon 
each  one's  isolated  experience,  that  we  shall  be  left  in  doubt 
until  the  subject  has  been  more  fully  examined  and  more  clear- 
ly understood. 

This  committee  will  hardly  undertake  to  settle  the  dispute, 
and  will  say  briefly  upon  the  question,  is  it  profitable  to  keep 
poultry  at  all  ;  that  it  is  profitable  for  some  persons.  For  others 
there  is  more  of  fun  than  profit.  If  a  person  is  well  situated 
for  the  purpose,  he  may  readily  make  it  an  object  for  him  to 
keep  poultry,  in  a  pecuniary  point  of  view.  Commodious  room, 
the  right  kind  of  soil — a  variety  of  orts  and  ends,  and  a  proper 
system  in  the  management,  may  make  keeping  poultry  not  only 


WORCESTER   SOCIETY. 

a  pleasant  but  a  profitable  employment.  Far  be  it  from  us  to 
discourage  it  in  any  instance.  That  there  has  been  a  sort  of 
poultry  fever,  no  one  will  attempt  to  deny,  but  a  remedy  has 
been  found  in  many  cases  in  a  process  of  depletion,  which  has 
left  the  dabbler  in  hens  and  chickens  so  well  satisfied  with  the 
experiment  in  his  own  case,  that  his  poultry  yard  has  become 
permanently  empty.  There  have  been  fevers  in  other  kinds  of 
business,  and  a  person  might  as  well  resolve  that  he  would  own 
no  land,  because  there  was  once  an  eastern  land  fever,  as  to  re- 
solve that  he  would  never  keep  a  hen,  because  the  cravings  of 
a  disordered  imagination  have  not  been  supplied  in  the  matter 
of  poultry.  The  truth  is,  keeping  poultry  is  a  legitimate  busi- 
ness and  one  which  may  be  made  reasonably  profitable.  Let 
our  people  be  content  with  this,  and  feeding  fowls,  and  raising 
chickens,  and  selling  eggs,  will  be  reckoned,  not  only  among 
the  most  pleasant,  but  the  most  honorable  employments. 

HENRY  CHAPIN,  Chairman. 


Agricultural  Implements.  -- 

The  committee,  (William  S.  Barton,  Chairman,)  say  that  a 
hay-spreader  was  entered  for  exhibition,  by  Dr.  Boylston,  of 
Princeton  ;  that  from  the  examination  they  were  able  to  make 
of  this  machine,  they  are  quite  confident  that  a  similar  machine, 
of  less  weighty  of  less  complicated  structure,  and  consequently  of 
less  expense,  would  be  a  great  desideratum  among  the  farmers 
of  this  country ;  and  that  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  some  enterpris- 
ing New  England  mechanic  may  improve  upon  it.  The  ex- 
pense of  this  machine  they  understand  to  be  about  seventy-five 
dollars. 

Ward  N.  Boylstori's  Statement. 
I  offer  for  exhibition  a  hay  spreader,  imported  from  England, 
and  the  only  one  in  this  country.  The  machine  runs  crossways 
of  the  swarths,  and  spreads  the  hay  lighter,  and  more  even  than 
can  be  done  in  the  usual  way  ;  moreover,  it  will  shake  it  up  much 
faster  than  you  can  rake  the  same  amount  up  with  the  horse  rake. 


148  WORCESTER   SOCIETY. 

The  machine,  as  you  see  it,  is  out  of  geer  ;  to  put  it  in  work- 
ing trim,  the  two  rollers  are  shoved  sideways,  and  then  tight- 
ened down  by  the  cap  and  nut  in  the  middle.  My  object  in 
purchasing  it  was  to  procure  some  mechanic  to  make  improve- 
ments upon  it,  so  that  a  machine  might  be  made  less  expensive 
and  lighter,  and  come  within  the  means  of  farmers  generally. 
I  have  used  the  machine  for  two  summers,  on  smooth  land. 
Princeton,  Sept.  16,  ISol. 


Cheese. 


It  has  frequently  been  inquired,  whether  a  cow  giving  a 
large  supjjly  of  milk,  not  rich  in  cream,  may  not  be  valuable  in 
a  cheese  dairy,  although  nearly  worthless  for  the  making  of 
butter  ;  and  such  is  often  asserted  to  be  the  case.  It  is  appre- 
hended that  such  an  opinion  is  erroneous,  if  the  quality  of  the 
cheese  is  to  be  regarded.  Cream  cheese  being  much  more  val- 
uable than  skim  cheese,  it  is  believed  that  the  richest  quality  of 
milk  is  necessary  for  the  making  of  the  best  cheese.  As  the 
milk  of  a  single  cow  cannot  well  be  made  into  cheese  for  the 
purpose  of  testing  its  good  properties  for  this  manufacture,  it 
will  doubtless  be  foimd  expedient  to  reject  all  cows,  for  the  use 
of  a  cheese  dairy,  that  would  not  be  considered  as  valuable  for 
the  making  of  butter. 

The  same  degree  of  skill  and  attention  to  cleanliness  which 
is  so  important  in  the  making  of  good  butter  is  requisite  in  the 
manufacture  of  cheese.  Having  provided  good  living  ma- 
chinery, for  the  production  of  the  milk,  much  must  then  de- 
pend upon  the  food,  and  treatment  of  the  cows. 

It  the  fourth  volume  of  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society  of  England,  is  a  lecture  on  the  application  of  physiol- 
ogy to  the  rearing  and  feeding  of  cattle,  by  Professor  Playfair, 
from  which  the  following  is  an  extract : — "  We  have  now  to 
consider  one  of  the  most  important  branches  of  feeding  cattle, 
viz.,  for  dairy  purposes.  Attention  to  scientific  principles  in 
the  department  of  feeding,  is  likely  to  lead  to  the  most  benefi- 
cial results. 


WORCESTER    SOCIETY.  149 

"  Milk  is  one  of  the  most  important  secretions  of  the  body. 
It  has  aheady  been  stated  that  it  consists  of  casein,  (cheese)  but- 
ter, sugar  of  milk,  and  various  earthy  and  alkahne  saUs. 

"  Potash  is  perfectly  indispensable  to  its  formation  ;  indeed 
this  alkali  seems  to  be  the  means  by  which  the  albumen  in  the 
body  is  rendered  soluble,  and  consequently  converted  into  case- 
in. We  know  little  or  nothing  of  the  nature  of  secretions  ;  we 
only  kno\v  that  certain  glands  have  the  power  of  appropriating 
particular  parts  of  the  organism,  as  of  food,  in  order  to  produce 
fluids,  which  are  either  separated  from  the  system,  or  perform 
some  new  functions  in  it.  In  the  secretions,  the  chemical 
forces  play  an  important  part,  although  the  peculiar  nature  of 
their  action  is  but  imperfectly  understood.  We  know,  for  ex- 
ample, that  the  albumen  contained  in  the  serum  of  blood  may 
be  converted  into  casein  by  mixture  with  a  little  caustic  potash, 
but  we  are  entirely  ignorant  how  the  conversion  is  effected  in 
the  animal  economy.  Potash  is  quite  indispensable  to  the  for- 
mation of  milk,  and  hence  it  is  highly  probable  that  the  trans- 
formation of  albumen  into  casein  proceeds  in  the  way  already 
described  ;  but  it  does  so  under  the  direction  of  vitality  ;  for  we 
are  aware  that  the  composition  of  the  secre.lon  of  milk  or  tears 
is  influenced  by  nervous  and  mental  affections,  as  well  as  by 
many  other  causes  which  tend  to  alter  the  state  of  the  vital 
forces  in  the  body. 

"  It  is  a  question  of  some  interest,  whether  the  amount  of 
casein  in  milk  is  increased  by  the  waste  of  the  tissues  of  the 
body  ?  The  milk  of  a  cow  in  the  meadow  contains  more  case- 
in than  that  of  a  stall  fed  cow ;  and  I  found  that  the  evenings' 
milk  generally  contains  more  casein  than  milk  obtained  in  the 
morning.  In  the  first  case,  the  cow  in  the  meadow  obtains  ex- 
ercise, and  consequently  the  tissues  of  the  body  undergo  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  waste  ;  while  in  the  latter  case  a  similar  condi- 
tion holds,  for  during  the  day  a  cow  has  more  exercise  than  at 
night  ;  still  these  cases  might  be  explained  on  the  supposition 
that  the  proportions  of  butter,  sugar  of  milk,  and  water  in  the 
milk,  vary  in  the  different  states.  But  another  strong  proof  of 
our  view  is  drawn  from  the  composition  of  the  milk  of  a  cow 
immediately  after  its  parturition.     During  labor  the  muscles  are 


150  WORCESTER    SOCIETY. 

thrown  into  a  violent  state  of  action,  which  occasions  a  propor- 
tionate waste  of  the  tissues  of  the  body  ;  as  parturition  gener- 
ally continues  for  several  hours,  the  waste  of  matter  in  the 
body  is  very  considerable.  Now  if  this  waste  of  the  tissues  ac- 
tually increased  the  amount  of  casein  in  the  milk,  we  should 
expect  to  find  a  notable  increase  of  that  body  in  the  milk  of  a 
cow  which  has  just  calved,  and  this  we  know  to  be  the  case, 
for  such  milk  is  quite  thick  with  cheese.  Boussingault  found 
the  composition  of  the  milk  of  a  cow,  before  the  calf  had  been 
allowed  to  suck,  as  follow: — Casein,  15.0;  butter,  2.6  ;  su- 
gar, 3.6;  ashes,  0.3;  water,  7S.5 — 100. 

"  Here  then  we  find  the  milk  contained  fifteen  per  cent.,  of 
casein,  while  the  milk  of  the  same  cow  usually  contained  only 
three  per  cent.,  or  one  fifth  the  quantity.  I  am  quite  aware  that 
there  is  some  difficulty  in  conceiving  a  separation  of  part  of  the 
organism  without  a  destruction  of  its  chemical  composition; 
but  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  we  cannot  deny  that  a 
separation  might  take  place  by  a  simple  alteration  of  the  chem- 
ical 7iaiure  of  the  components  of  the  organism,  without  a 
change  in  composition ;  thus  the  alkalies  liberated  by  the  des- 
truction of  the  tissues  might  possibly  convert  the  albumen  in 
the  blood  into  the  casein,  and  thus  the  waste  of  the  tissues 
would  indirectly  increase  the  amount  of  casein  in  the  milk. 
The  cases  already  cited  might  be  explained  on  this  supposition. 
We  have  the  more  insisted  on  this  point,  because  by  it  may  be 
explained  several  apparently  anomalous  circumstances  in  dairy 
farming. 

"It  is  necessary  in  dairy  farming  to  use  every  means  to  in- 
sure the  tranquillity  of  our  milch  cows.  Harsh  treatment  ex- 
erts a  very  injurious  action  on  the  nature  of  the  milk,  both  from 
mental  and  physical  causes.  Dairymen  are  well  aware  of  the 
sad  effects  which  follow,  if  cows  be  harrassed  by  dogs  or  by 
harsh  keepers. 

'•  The  great  cause  which  renders  milk  poor,  that  is,  deprives  it 
of  the  proper  quantity  of  butter,  is  the  respiration  of  too  great 
an  amount  of  oxygen.  This  gas  combines  so  easily  with 
butter  that  it  is  of  great  importance  to  prevent  an  excess  from 
entering  the  body.    Now  the  number  of  respirations  is  increased 


WORCESTER   SOCIETY.  151 

either  by  exercise  or  by  external  cooling — hence  more  oxygen 
in  these  cases  enters  the  system,  and  consumes  a  proportional 
quantity  of  the  butter  of  the  milk.  You  all  know  when  a  cow 
runs,  on  its  way  home  to  be  milked,  that  the  milk  becomes  hot 
and  is  prone  to  sourness.  The  running  increases  the  number 
of  its  respirations,  and  consequently,  the  amount  of  oxygen 
which  enters  its  system.  This  oxygen  unites  with  the  butter, 
or,  in  common  language,  burns  it  ;  and  the  heat  produced  in  the 
milk  is  the  result  of  the  combustion  of  the  butter.  The  milk, 
in  such  a  case,  is  also  reduced  in  volume  ;  this  is  partly  owing  to 
the  evaporation  of  its  water  by  means  of  the  heat  thus  produced  ; 
hence  it  is,  that  such  milk  is  much  poorer  than  usual,  and  apt 
to  enter  into  acidity  ;  hence  also  your  practice  of  driving  home 
to  be  milked  only  those  cows  which  feed  near  home,  while 
those  at  a  distance  from  it  are  milked  in  the  field.  The  amount 
of  oxygen  inhaled,  being  too  considera'ule  when  the  animals  are 
driven  from  a  distance,  the  butter  is  partly  consumed.  To  ob- 
viate an  excessive  respiration  of  oxygen,  we  find  that  all  good 
dairymen  permit  their  cows  to  walk  home  as  leisurely  as  they 
themselves  will  do,  and  never  allow  their  driver  to  accelerate 
their  pace. 

"  A  singular  system  is  frequently  pursued,  which  may  be  ex- 
plained on  this  principle.  In  hot  weather  in  summer,  the  cows 
are  fed  in  the  stall  during  the  day,  and  turned  out  to  grass  dur- 
ing the  night.  Cattle  are  apt  to  be  annoyed  by  the  flies,  and 
by  the  heat  during  the  day.  The  former  cause  them  to  move 
about  to  avoid  their  attacks,  and  thus  they  require  a  greater 
amount  of  oxygen.  This  oxygen  consumes  that  part  of  the 
food  which  otherwise  would  have  been  transformed  into  butter; 
but  when  let  out  at  night,  they  are  not  thus  disturbed  and  the 
darkness  prevents  their  wandering  about ;  thus  they  obtain  ex- 
ercise sufficient  to  furnish  them  with  a  good  appetite,  and  the 
butter  in  the  milk  is  not  consumed.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the 
night  proved  cold,  more  injury  than  good  would  be  experienced 
by  this  system,  for  a  greater  amount  of  butter  would  be  des- 
troyed. Stall  fed  cows  furnish  the  greater  proportion  of  butter, 
a  fact  to  which  we  shall  again  advert.  Any  deficiency  of  heat 
must  occasion  a  combustion  of  butter  to  supply  the  requisite 


152  WORCESTER    SOCIETY. 

quantity.  On  this  account  we  select  warm  sheltered  pastures 
for  our  cows,  and  do  not  expose  them  to  sudden  changes  of 
temperature.  When  butter  is  the  object  desired  by  our  dairy- 
men, too  rich  pastures  cannot  be  supplied  to  their  cows. 

'•The  production  of  cheese  in  the  milk  involves  certain  other 
conditions.  I  have  travelled  through  the  principal  cheese  dis- 
tricts to  acquire  information  on  this  point,  but  the  evidence  fur- 
nished by  cheese  dairymen  is  very  conflicting,  and  apparently 
contradictory.  Almost  all  cheese  districts  agree  in  asserting 
that  poor  land  is  best  adapted  for  cheese,  although  there  are 
certain  other  districts  in  which  the  very  reverse  is  affirmed. 
This  arises  from  the  quality  of  cheese  manufactured  ;  those 
dairies  which  depend  equally  upon  their  butter  and  their  cheese, 
and  [)repare  the  latter  principally  from  skimmed  milk,  must  pos- 
sess rich  pastures  fitted  principally  for  butter. 

"  In  poor  lands  the  cows  have  more  ground  to  traverse,  in 
order  to  obtain  a  sufficiency  of  food,  and  consequently  the  oxy- 
gen required  by  the  increased  exercise  compels  them  to  eat  a 
greater  quantity.  By  this  increased  quantity  more  cheese  (case- 
in,) is  furnished  to  the  milk.  Land  is  considered  rich,  not 
when  its  grass  abounds  in  albumen,  but  when  it  contains  the 
constituents  of  food  fitted  for  the  production  of  fat,  and  if  my 
opinion,  formerly  expressed,  be  correct,  viz.,  that  the  waste  of 
the  tissues  increases  indirectly  the  amount  of  casein  in  the  milk, 
then  another  reason  is  given  why  poor  land  should  be  better 
adapted  for  the  growth  of  cheese,  than  that  which  is  rich." 

The  termjooor,  as  applied  to  land  in  the  foregoing  extracts, 
has  only  a  relative  meaning;  it  cannot  be  received  as  having  the 
same  signification  when  applied  to  the  highly  cultivated  and 
fertile  districts  of  Great  Britain,  as  when  used  in  relation  to  the 
sterile  soils  of  New  England.  We  are  informed  that  pasture 
lands  having  luxuriant  rank  feed,  are  better  adapted  for  the  making 
of  butter  ;  and  that  the  land  having  short  feed,  which  will  in- 
duce the  cow  to  make  use  of  considerable  exercise  to  fill  her- 
self, IS  better  calculated  for  the  making  of  cheese.  No  cow  can 
be  expected  to  yield  a  full  supply  of  milk,  unless  she  shall  have 
been  furnished  with  a  full  supply  of  food,  and  that  of  good  qual- 
ity.    No  degree  of  starvation  of  our  cows  will  tend  to  fill  the 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  153 

shelves  in  our  cheese  rooms.  We  are  also  instructed  of  the 
importance  of  constant  attention  to  the  kind  and  gentle  treat- 
ment of  our  cows,  and  admonished  that  we  should  never  allow 
them  to  be  worried  or  chased  by  brutes,  whether  biped  or  quad- 
ruped. 

JOHN  W.  LINCOLN,   Chairman. 


Wheat  and   Brome  Grass. 

After  the  time  allowed  for  making  entries  for  farms,  a  letter 
was  received  from  Benjamin  Willard,  of  Lancaster,  stating  that 
he  had  a  handsome  field  of  wheat  and  a  species  of  a  new  kind 
of  grass  of  superior  quality,  which  he  was  desirous  of  exhibit- 
ing to  the  committee.  In  compliance  with  his  request,  the 
committee  visited  his  farm  on  the  10th  day  of  July  last.  They 
were  shown  a  very  beautiful  field  of  winter  Avheat,  also  one 
of  spring  wheat.  The  spring  wheat  was  uncommonly  large,  the 
winter  wheat,  it  was  reported,  had  been  much  thrown  out  of 
the  ground  by  the  action  of  the  frost,  but  had  been  saved,  by 
having  a  field  roller  passed  over  it,  early  in  the  spring. 

They  then  proceeded  to  a  pasture  of  seven  acres,  of  very  light, 
sandy  soil,  on  which  they  were  informed  six  young  cattle,  and 
thirteen  sheep  had  been  kept  for  the  season,  and  which  had 
been  laid  down  with  the  seed  of  brome  grass  and  white  clover; 
much  white  clover  was  seen  in  blossom,  and  some  of  the  brome 
grass.  The  surface  was  an  unbroken  turf  of  good  feed,  alto- 
gether better  than  is  usually  seen  on  such  soil.  On  the  interval 
lands  the  brome  grass  was  quite  tall  and  very  thick,  giving  a  very 
large  yield.  The  stalks  of  grass  being  large,  the  hay  would  be 
coarse,  and  probably  not  so  good  as  fine  hay ;  and  there  would 
be  much  waste,  unless  cut  with  a  machine ;  whether  it  would 
then  be  profitable,  must  depend  upon  the  proportion  of  nutritive 
matter  in  the  grass.  The  brome  grass,  (botanically  bromus)  is  of 
a  large  genus  of  grasses  having  numerous  species,  most  of  which 
are  annuals,  is  indigenous  in  Great  Britain,  and  is  described  by 
their  writers  on  grasses  as  a  weed,  which  is  not  relished  by  cat- 
tle. They  state  that  "  it  has  for  a  considerable  time,  been  in 
20 


154  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

great  request  for  lawns,  upon  arid  soils,  for  it  forms  as  thorough 
mat  or  sward  as  rye  grass,  and  powerfully  resists  the  bad  effects 
of  aridity.  Yet  though  comparatively  an  unproductive  grass, 
it  possesses  several  recommendations  to  the  store  farmer ;  it 
affords  a  little  early  food  to  sheep,  it  does  not  strike  deep  root, 
and  it  readily  and  without  aid  from  man,  propagates  itself  from 
its  seed."     Cheat  or  chess  is  of  this  family. 

Rural  Encyclopsedia,  vol.  2,  page  505,  under  the  head  of 
grasses,  says,  "  some  grasses  which  yield  great  bulk  of  produce 
and  possess  considerable  or  even  large  proportion  of  nutritiveness, 
are  hastily  condemned  by  multitudes  of  farmers  on  account  of 
their  coarse  appearance.  Cattle  select  their  food  by  an  instinct- 
ive recognitionofwholesomeness,  universally  and  most  benign- 
ly conferred  on  them  by  the  all  benevolent  Creator ;  and  they 
treat  grasses,  not  at  all  according  to  their  appearance,  hut 
wholly  according  to  their  odor,  their  flavor,  and  their  intrinsic 
properties ;  but  unreflecting  farmers  select,  or  approve,  the  her- 
bage of  their  farms  almost  wholly  by  the  eye,  and  are  liable  to 
reject  with  scorn  any  newly  imported  grass  which  seems  any 
way  akin  in  bulk  or  massiveness  to  the  bulrushes  or  the  sedges. 
"  I  have  often  observed,  in  showing  even  very  intelligent  farm- 
ers my  collection  of  grasses,"  says  Mr.  Gorrie,  of  Annat,  "  that 
if  any  species  sheweth  strength  of  stem,  with  luxuriance  of 
herbage,  and  consequently  promising  extraordinary  weight  of 
forage,  that  species  was  without  hesitation  pronounced  coarse 
and  unworthy  of  further  attention,  till  the  opinion  of  a  horse  or 
a  cow,  as  a  qualified  reference,  was  taken  on  the  subject." 

What  would  be  the  verdict  of  a  jury  of  cows  on  the  qualities 
of  this  brome  grass,  the  committee  have  no  means  of  knowing. 
If  in  tlieir  judgment  they  confirm  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Willard 
as  to  ihc  superiority  of  this  grass,  then  will  the  agricultural 
community  owe  him  a  large  debt  of  gratitude  for  having  intro- 
duced to  notice  here,  a  species  of  grass  which  is  highly  bene- 
ficial on  light  sandy  soils,  much  superior  to  any  other  species, 
and  producing  most  abundantly  on  land  of  better  quality.  But 
if  that  jury  shall  not  relish  the  evidence  laid  before  them,  the 
introduction  of  this  grass  will  not  be  unattended  with  benefit, 
not  only  on  the  poor  lands  before  mentioned,  but  will  be  highly 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  I55 

useful  in  sowing  the  slopes  of  the  various  raih"oad  embank- 
ments and  excavations  on  the  numerous  routes  through  our 
country.  This  grass  appears  well  adapted  for  this  purpose  • 
it  would  readily  grow  in  those  situations,  thus  saving  the  cor- 
porations much  expense  from  repairing  the  banks,  occasioned 
by  washing  of  the  rains,  which  it  would  prevent,  and  would 
convert  the  unsightly  object  of  barren  earth,  to  the  pleasant 
view  of  a  handsome  green  sward.  The  committee,  with  such 
evidence  as  they  have  been  able  to  obtain,  are  in  doubt  wliether 
to  recommend  this  as  a  valuable  grass  except  for  railroad  pur- 
poses, or  to  condemn  it  as  has  been  done  by  some  English 
writers,  as  a  weed.  They  would  solicit  from  those  who  have 
made  a  trial  of  it,  a  statement  of  the  results  of  their  experi- 
ments. 

The  farm  of  Mr.  Willard,  so  far  as  seen  by  the  committee, 
appeared  highly  productive,  the  crops  being  large,  giving  evi- 
dence of  good  cultivation, 

.TOHN  W.  LINCOLN, 
JAMES  ESTABROOK, 
HARVEY  DODGE. 

Com. nit  tee  oji  Farms. 

Benjamin  Willard^s  Statement. 
My  winter  wheat  was  raised  from  six  quarts  obtained  of  a 
friend,  brought  by  him  from  the  far  west;  said  to  yield  a  heavy, 
beautiful  crop,  and  to  be  always  free  from  smut,  blight,  and 
weevil,  neither  of  which  have  I  seen  on  a  single  head  or 
straw.  My  six  quarts  sown  Sept.  1849,  gave  me  6  1-2  bushels, 
fair  as  the  original  seed.  Of  this  I  sowed  2  1-2  bushels  on  a 
two  acre  home  lot,  part  after  early  dug  potatoes,  August  30 ; 
part  after  corn,  Sept.  9th  ;  1  bushel  on  a  summer  fallow  of 
light  pasture  land,  Sept.  24,  1850.  Part  of  the  seed  was  steeped 
in  strong  brine  with  no  perceptible  difference  afterwards. 
The  fallow  (one  acre)  was  cut  Aug.  17th.  It  gave  me  20 
bushels,  for  one  sown.  The  other  was  cut  too  late,  the  26th, 
being  ripe  ;  but  part  of  it  is  thrashed.  I  think  50  bushels  a  safe 
estimate  for  the  home  lot.     It  was  taller,  heavier,  and  equally 


156  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

fair,  though  considerably  injured  by  being  thrown  up  by  the 
frost  in  March,  (bat  pressed  in  immediately  with  a  roller.)  I 
reckon  this  the  most  profitable  crop  I  ever  raised  with  the  same 
outlay.  Equally  sure  from  this  seed  as  rye  or  corn.  On  the 
29th  of  Aug.  last,  I  sowed  three  bushels  on  the  inverted  sod, 
with  a  top  dressing  of  compost  and  grass  seed,  which  now  look 
well.  I  intend  to  sow  my  corn  and  potato  ground,  as  soon  as 
I  can  clear  it,  with  this  wheat  in  preference  to  spring  grain.  I 
get  better  grass  when  sown  in  autumn  (nature's  time)  and  after 

wheat. 

As  to  my  bromus  grass,  some  fears  and  prejudice  have  been 
expressed  concerning  it,  and  the  circulation  has  been  limited  by 
the  pledge  I  have  taken  of  purchasers,  not  to  dispose  of  any  of 
the  seed  had  of  me,  or  raised  from  it.  I  have  preferred  to  make 
the  fullest  experiment  on  my  own  soil  and  in  various  times  of 
sowing,  and  for  different  purposes.  I  can  now  say,  as  far  as  I 
can  learn  from  others  and  my  own  use  of  it,  it  proves  to  be  a 
valuable  accession  to  our  cultivated  grasses.  As  a  fertilizer 
being  richer  feed,  and  growing  quicker  for  pasture  than  any 
other,  on  land  capable  of  being  ploughed.  As  adapted  to  sum- 
mer soiling  from  its  heavy  growth,  and  for  hay,  especially 
when  sowed  with  red  clover,  which  is  held  up  by  its  elasticity 
and  cannot  lodge  so  as  to  be  slippery  or  bad  to  mow ;  and  rank 
as  it  grows,  cattle,  horses,  and  sheep  prefer  it  to  any  other,  green 
or  dry.  Though  it  likes  a  rich  moist  soil,  and  a  top  dressing 
of  plaster  and  ashes,  as  well  as  clover,  it  will  come  up  and 
resist  the  drought  on  gravelly  pine  plain,  covering  the  ground, 
retaining  the  dew,  and  protecting  finer  grasses  until  they  get 
rooted  and  form  a  green  sward. 

Besides  a  large  quantity  for  hay  and  pasture,  I  sowed  six 
acres  of  bromus  last  autumn,  and  allowed  it  to  ripen,  which  is 
now  secure  in  sheaf  for  seed.  I  might  as  well  have  taken  120 
bushels  of  wheat  from  the  same  soil,  and  should  have  done  so, 
but  for  a  wish  to  meet  the  demands  for  its  extended  circulation, 
which  no  other  can  do  at  present.  My  wish  is  to  have  every 
bushel  I  can  spare,  taken  without  restriction,  and  sown  before 
the  ground  closes  again,  and  the  advantage  of  this  prolific 
grass,  be  shared   by  every  applicant.     If  sowing  bromus  grass 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  167 

is  deferred  till  spring,  a  crop  rich  in  proportion  to  the  soil  will 
be  grown,  but  no  seed  till  a  year  later. 
Lancaster,  Sept.  11,  1851. 


Compost    Manures. 
T.  S^  J.  S.  Merriarri's  Statement. 

We  have  a  cellar  under  our  barn  (which  every  farmer  ought 
to  have  even  if  his  stock  consist  of  only  one  cow),  for  one  load 
of  manure  made  under  a  barn  is  worth  two  made  out  in  the 
open  air,  exposed  to  sun  and  rain.  After  cleaning  out  the 
manure  from  the  barn  and  hog  yards,  we  cart  a  quantity  of 
swamp  inud  into  our  barn  yard,  and  loam  into  the  hog  yard; 
and  in  the  spring  before  planting,  we  cart  our  hog  manure  to 
our  barn  yard,  and  gather  all  our  manure,  as  much  as  possible, 
under  the  barn  and  mix  it  as  much  as  we  can,  at  the  same  time 
mixing  in  plaster  sufficient  to  keep  the  ammonia  in,  then  shovel 
it  over,  mixing  and  pulverizing  it  as  much  as  possible,  after 
which  we  let  it  lay  a  iev^  days  before  applying  it  to  the  field. 
In  the  same  way  we  prepare  our  manure  again  early  in  the  fall 
for  our  grass  lands  with  the  addition  of  leached  ashes  (if  we 
can  obtain  them  reasonably.)  We  keep  our  oxen  and  horses  in 
the  barn  to  hay  all  summer. 

We  also  have  another  method  of  preparing  manure  in  the 
spring  which  we  call  guano ;  we  generally  gather  from  our 
dove  house  about  thirty  bushels  of  manure  which  we  mix  with 
swamp  mud  and  plaster,  putting  six  or  seven  bushels  of  dove 
manure  and  four  or  five  hundred  of  plaster  to  a  large  cart  buck 
full  of  swamp  mud  and  mixing  them  well  together. 

For  planting,  we  take  up  green  sward  every  year,  spreading 
the  manure  on  the  grass  before  ploughing  ;  we  keep  a  team 
carting,  a  man  spreading,  and  another  team  following  with  the 
plough,  turning  it  in  as  soon  as  it  is  spread  ;  then  we  follow 
the  plough  with  the  roller  and  harrow.  To  prepare  the  ground 
for  planting  we  do  not  furrow  at  all  ;  we  mark  out  our  grounds 
with  chains  attached  to  a  pole,  then  we  drop  our  corn  and  put 


168  WORCESTER  SOCIETY. 

on  a  small  handful  of  our  own  made  guano  to  the  hill  and 

cover. 

We  apply  our  manure  to  our  grass  land  in  two  ways,  one  by 
turning  the  land  over  with  the  plough  in  August  or  Sept., 
where  the  ground  is  such  that  we  can,  and  put  the  manure  on 
the  top,  sow  the  grass  seed,  then  harrow  and  roll  it.  This  we 
think  the  best  way,  as  we  get  a  good  crop  the  first  year ;  but 
where  the  land  is  too  wet  to  plough,  we  spread  it  on  the  top  as 
early  in  the  fall  as  we  can.  In  all  cases  we  want  to  get  out 
our  mud  and  let  it  lay  in  one  pile  as  long  as  one  year  at  least, 
before  using,  and  if  it  should  lay  longer  it  would  be  the  better. 
We  consider  the  scrapings  of  the  wood  shed  and  yard,  one  of 
the  very  best  articles  to  put  into  the  hog  yard  to  mix  with  the 
loam. 

Auburn.  Dec.  17,  1851. 


Root  Crops. 

Seasonable  entries  were  made  by  Harvey  Dodge  of  Sutton, 
for  1-2  acre,  and  1-4  acre  of  carrots,  and  1-4  acre  of  ruta  bagas, 
by  William  S.  Lincoln,  for  1-2  and  1-4  acre  of  carrots  and  1-4 
acre  sugar  beet.  The  season  in  this  section  of  the  country  had 
been  unusually  dry,  which  had  greatly  affected  these  crops.  It 
is  much  to  be  regretted  that  more  entries  for  these  premiums 
had  not  been  made.  Roots,  particularly  carrots,  were  grown 
very  successfully  in  other  parts  of  the  county,  and  it  was  ex- 
pected  that  other  entries  would  have  been  received. 

Mr.  Lincoln  stated  to  the  committee,  that  he  had  noticed  in 
cases  where  the  rows  of  the  root  crops  were  in  a  north  at)d  a 
south  direction,  the  roots  had  suffered  more  from  a  blast  which 
had  injured  them,  than  in  those  cases,  in  which  the  rows  were 
in  an  east  and  west  direction  ;  that  his  observation  was  of  the 
present  and  past  years  :  that  he  had  conversed  with  others,  on 
the  subject,  and  their  experience  coincided  with  his.  The  fact 
was  new  to  the  committee,  and  is  now  mentioned  for  the  pur- 
pose of  requostiug  information  from  others  of  their  knowledge 
in  relation  to  this  subject.    The  committee,  desirous  of  viewing 


WORCESTER  SOCIETY.  159 

other  fields  of  roots,  that  they  might  the  better  understand  the 
claims  of  the  competitors,  slopped  on  their  return  from  Sutton, 
at  the  farm  of  the  chairman,  to  view  a  carrot  crop  growing  on 
land  which  had  borne  the  same  crop  for  five  consecutive  years, 
each  year  having  more  than  an  average  burden.  From  the 
appearance  of  the  tops  and  the  roots  which  they  raised,  they 
believed  the  yield  would  be  considerably  greater  than  any  they 
had  seen.  The  chairman  was  present  when  these  carrots  were 
being  harvested.  He  was  shown  a  root  which  had  just  been 
raised  which  measured  from  its  crown,  or  the  place  of  separa- 
tion of  the  leaves  and  the  root,  to  its  extremity,  as  it  then  was, 
over  two  feet.  The  root  had  evidently  been  broken  off;  what 
was  its  true  length  in  the  ground,  when  whole,  he  is  ignorant. 
The  fact  is  now  stated,  as  affording  evidence  of  the  expediency 
of  deep  culture.  Some  six  years  since  the  land  was  in  grass, 
but  being  desirous  of  preparing  the  ground  for  a  fruit  orchard, 
the  land  was  ploughed  deep  by  a  common  plough,  followed  by 
a  subsoil  plough,  and  five  years  since,  fruit  trees  were  set  out, 
and  the  land  has  since  been  constantly  under  cultivation,  and 
on  the  greater  part  thereof,  carrots  have  been  grown  each  year. 

The  committee  also  viewed  the  crop  of  .^arrots  of  Mr.  Ham- 
mond, one  of  the  committee,  which  was  also  grown  in  an  or- 
chard of  young  bearing  trees,  which  promised  a  greater  yield 
than  did  those  of  the  competitors. 

It  is  understood  that  a  member  of  this  society  in  the  town  of 
Bolton,  who  has  cultivated  this  crop  largely  in  former  years, 
had  the  present  year  six  acres  in  carrots,  and  considers  their 
culture  as  quite  profitable  ;  he  sells  a  considerable  part  of  these 
roots  to  livery  stable  keepers  for  the  use  of  their  horses,  and 
ihey  are  much  desired  by  them. 

Believing  that  the  value  of  this  crop  is  not  duly  appreciated 
by  members  of  the  society,  for  the  use  of  their  stock,  the  fol- 
lowing evidence  is  offered  to  this  point. 

Carrots  vs.  Oats. — We  have  had  twenty  communications 
from  various  sources,  all  of  which  concur  in  saying  that  a  peck 
of  carrots  will,  with  the  same  quantity  of  hay,  keep  working 
horses  in  as  good  condition,  and  many  say  better,  than  a  peck 
of  oats,  and  a  like  quantity  of  hay  ;  or  that  a  peck  of  carrots 


160  WORCESTER   SOCIETY. 

and  a  peck  of  oats,  are  equal  to  a  half  bushel  of  oats.  Sixty 
bushels  of  oats  and  nine  hundred  bushels  of  carrots  are  large 
crops." 

"  Say,  to  raise  carrots,  you  plough  your  land  once  oft- 
ener  than  for  oats,  at  a  high  allowance  for  men  and 
team, ^2  60 

Say  it  takes  twelve  days'  labor  to  hoe  the  crop  three 
times,  and  four  days'  labor  to  harvest  the  crop,  sixteen 
days  at  75  cents,         .  •  •  •  .   12  00 

Say  additional  manure  for  carrots,  which  however  leaves 

the  land  richer,  .  •  •  •  .    10  50 

$25  00 
Say  then,  you  raise  only  500  bushels  of  car- 
rots per  acre,  at  35  cents,  .  .  $175  00 
Deduct  extra  cost  of  cultivation,         .  25  00     150  00 
Say  you  raise  40  bushels  of  oats   per  acre, 
place   the   seed  of  the  two  as  equal,  and 
that  the  straw  of  the  oats  pays  for  harvest- 
ing and  threshing,  and  you  have  35  cents 
per  bushel,             .              .            .              .       14  00 
One  hundred  thirty-six  dollars  clear  gain,  if 
you  feed  your  carrots  to  your  own  horses 
and  cows.  Then  strike  off  half  again,  and 
reduce  your  carrots  to    250  bushels,  and 
still  you  have  $68  against  $14." 

Plough,  Loom  and  the  Anvil,  June,  1851. 
Carrots  for  Horses. — "  It  is  admitted  by  every  one  who 
is  at  all  acquainted  with  the  great  nutritive  qualities  of  the  car- 
rot, that  as  a  winter  food  for  horses,  to  use  in  small  quantities 
daily, — say  half  a  peck  to  each  horse,  with  their  dry  food,  and 
especially  in  the  absence  of  green  provender,  is  of  the  utmost 
value.  It  not  only  possesses  fattening  properties  equal  to  oats, 
taking  bushel  for  bushel,  but  it  secures  to  the  horses,  in  winter 
season,  fine  health,  a  loose  skin,  and  a  glossy  coat  of  hair,  which 
it  is  impossible  to  produce  except  by  the  use  of  the  carrot. 

'•  To  those  keeping  horses,  who  do  not  raise  their  own  car- 
rots, we  would  hint  that  now  is  the  time  to  procure  a  supply, 


WORCESTER    SOCIETY.  161 

while  they  are  being  harvested.  About  twelve  bushels  to  a 
horse,  would  be  sufficient." — Germantown  Telegraph. 

The  chairman  can  state  from  his  own  experience  of  several 
years,  that  the  use  of  carrots  for  cattle  or  swine  is  not  less  ben- 
eficial than  for  horses. 

From  Mr.  Dodge  a  statement  has  been  received,  by  which  it 
appears  that  on  one  of  his  carrot  fields,  the  crop  was  at  the  rate 
of  568  bushels  per  acre,  on  the  other  at  the  rate  of  503^ 
bushels  per  acre  :  his  ruta  bagas  yielded  at  the  rate  of  516 
bushels  per  acre.  The  committee  believe  those  results  are  be- 
low the  average  crops  of  former  years.  They  doubt  the  pro- 
priety or  expediency  of  awarding  premiums  for  any  crops  for 
which  the  yield  is  below  a  common  average :  and  they  have 
omitted  doing  so  in  these  cases.  A  communication  from  Mr. 
Lincoln  has  been  received,  stating  the  failure  of  his  crops,  and 
that  he  had  omitted  to  measure  the  small  return  which  he  had 
received  from  his  land. 

No  entry  in  relation  to  potatoes  has  been  made.  The  rot  has 
not  been  so  injurious,  as  it  was  the  last  year,  but  has  prevailed 
for  so  many  years,  that  less  of  that  root  is  now  raised  than  in 
former  years.  During  the  last  spring,  the  chairman  received 
the  following  letter: — 

Mr.  Lincoln, 

Sir, — Yours  of  the  10th  is  received.  I  am  not  a  farmer, 
but  a  mechanic,  and  till  a  garden,  the  potatoes  in  which,  have 
at  times  rotted.  Last  year  it  was  mentioned  at  table  one  day, 
that  the  rot  had  commenced,  the  tops  were  dying.  My  wife, 
whose  father  isa  farmer,  and  who  is  rather  philosophical,  said 
"  apply  slacked  lime  ;"  the  idea  did  not  strike  me  favorably, 
and  a  gentleman  of  considerable  information  present,  coincided 
in  my  views.  Mrs.  Wing,  however,  nothing  discouraged,  ordered 
the  little  boys  to  put  some  on  every  hill;  considering  the  dis- 
ease to  be  atmospheric,  and  the  leaves  or  tops  the  organs,  she 
thought  to  absorb  and  thereby  check  the  disease  before  it 
reached  the  root.  The  result,  I  think,  must  have  been  beyond 
her  most  sanguine  expectations.  New  sprouts  came  out  on  the 
decayed  tops,  and  they  assumed  a  vigorous  appearance,  and  re- 
21 


162  WORCESTER    SOCIETY. 

mained  thrifty.  Four  hills  which  were  planted  a  little  aside, 
and  overlooked  by  the  boys,  rotted  entirely.  This  was  our  ex- 
periment, and  the  results  thereof  I  have  no  wish  to  withhold 
from  the  community;  you  are  at  liberty  to  make  what  use  of 
it  you  think  proper.  My  Avife  suggests  the  propriety  of  an  ear- 
lier application,  repeated  in  small  quantities. 

Yours  respectfully, 

E.  WING. 
West  Goshen,  Conn.,  May  13,  1851. 

The  application  of  slacked  lime  to  potatoes  is  not  new  with 
Mr.  Wing ;  a  farmer  in  a  neighboring  town  has  informed  the 
chairman,  that  he  has  for  several  years  used  lime  successfully 
as  a  preventive  to  the  potato  rot ;  he  applied  it  when  planting 
the  root.  It  is  hoped  that  the  farmers  of  our  county  will  make 
the  trial  of  lime  both  as  a  preventive  and  as  a  remedy  for  the 
potato  rot.  It  will  be  attended  with  little  trouble  or  cost,  and 
if  it  should  fail  to  benefit  the  potato  crop,  it  will  do  the  land  no 
injury:  if  it  should  prove  successful,  a  great  blessing  will  be  se- 
cured to  the  country.  They  will  not  fail  to  remember  that  the 
results  of  all  such  experiments,  whether  they  prove  for  good  or 
for  ill,  should  be  communicated  to  the  public. 

JOHN  W.  LINCOLN,  Chairman. 

Harvey  Dodge's  Statement. 
In  my  account  with  my  carrot  fields,  no  manure  is  carried  to 
the  credit  of  a  future  crop,  as  has  been  the  practice  with  me  in 
former  years,  it  being  a  matter  of  some  doubt  how  much  should 
be  credited  for  the  next  crop.  The  committee  will  no  doubt 
understand  by  what  they  saw  when  here,  that  the  young  apple 
trees  of  four  and  five  years  growth,  on  the  two  lots  on  which 
the  carrots  were  growing,  were  claiming  a  large  share  of  my 
attention,  and  the  question  maybe  asked,  why  do  you  not  grow 
from  eight  to  ten  hundred  bushels  instead  of  the  crops  reported 
this  year  and  last  ?  To  this  I  would  answer,  that  the  growth 
of  trees  added  to  550  bushels  would  equal  in  value  a  crop  of 
carrots  of  eight  hundred  bushels  per  acre. 


WORCESTER   SOCIETY.  163 

I  see  no  cause  for  altering  the  opinion,  that  carrots  may  be 
more  profitably  produced  on  the  same  land  for  a  succession  of 
years.  First,  because  the  land  is  thereby  cleansed  from  all 
noxious  weeds  the  first  season,  and  being  worked  with  the  sub- 
soil plough  or  spade  deeper  than  most  of  our  farmers  can  afford 
to  work  their  whole  farm,  the  ground  is  more  easily  worked 
and  cleansed  in  all  after  years ;  and  if  long  or  whole  manure  is 
used,  say  the  droppings  in  the  stable  from  a  well  fed  stock, 
(which  if  permitted  to  remain  in  the  barn  cellar  until  after  the 
carrots  are  cleared  off,  being  almost  one  year  old,  cannot  and 
does  not  contain  weed  seed,)  if  we  do  not  find  all  the  weeds  the 
first  season  we  should  the  next.  All  composts  for  the  root 
crop  of  any  kind  should  be  avoided,  as  I  believe  them  friendly 
to  weeds  of  all  kinds.  "  The  ashes  of  the  carrot  are,  per  cent, 
potash  and  soda,  45  ;  lime,  10  ;  sulphuric  acid,  2.7;  phosphoric 
acid,  5.14,"  so  says  the  Farmer's  Dictionary.  "Hence  ashes, 
common  salt  and  gypsum  are  eminently  useful  as  manures ;"  an 
abundance  of  well  rotted  leaves  and  muck  should  be  added. 

Carrots  have  been  grown  to  a  greater  extent  in  Sutton  the 
present  year  than  in  any  previous  year,  and  all  seem  satisfied 
that  they  have  no  better  crop  ;  yet  I  have  found  no  one  that 
could  tell  any  thing  about  their  cost  or  wortic  per  bushel.  The 
manufacturer  of  cotton  can  tell  you  to  a  fraction  the  cost  of  his 
fabric  and  the  precise  number  of  picks  to  the  inch  in  a  yard 
of  his  cloth,  without  any  aid  in  way  of  premiums  for  his  labor  ; 
he  knows  whether  he  is  making  a  loss  or  gain  from  his  estab- 
lishment. Not  so  with  the  farmer.  A  liberal  premium  has 
been  offered  by  our  Agricultural  Society  for  several  years  to  de- 
termine the  cost  of  production  and  the  true  value  of  the  crop  for 
consumption,  as  well  as  the  best  modes  of  cultivation,  and  I  be- 
lieve that  some  advances  have  been  made. 

But  still  Mr.  A.,  in  the  consumption  of  his  crop,  happening 
to  be  in  possession  of  one  of  Pharaoh's  ill-favored  and  lean 
kine,  determines  to  put  him  to  feeding  on  these  roots.  The 
result  proves  a  bad  one,  and  he  throws  the  whole  root  tribe 
overboard  ;  while  Mr.  B.  works  his  help,  weeding  and  hoeing 
between  showers  and  before  breakfast,  while  the  tops  are  wet. 
His  men  complain,  and  his  crop  is  injured,  and  he  concludes  it 


164  WORCESTER   SOCIETY. 

is  too  troublesome  a  job  for  him  and  gives  it  up.  While  Mr.  C, 
more  of  a  thinking  man,  works  himself  or  men  under  cover 
during  wet  weather,  and  works  his  carrot  ground  only  when 
the  sun  shines,  so  that  the  weeds  may  all  perish  before  any 
moisture  can  come  to  their  aid,  and  this  is  the  end  of  weeds  for 
this  dressing.  Hoeing  his  ground  so  soon  after  the  seed  is 
sown,  but  few  weeds  ever  start.  Mr.  C.  concludes  that  he 
can  do  no  better  business  than  to  grow,  from  year  to  year,  a 
suitable  quantity  of  roots  to  meet  his  wants.  Mr.  C.  is  a  good 
natured  man,  and  trusts  firmly  in  the  doctrine  that  "seed  time 
and  harvest  shall  never  fail  ;"  calling  his  men  and  boys  at  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  he  takes  them  under  the  shade  of  a  fa- 
vorite tree  and  gives  them  a  wholesome  lunch  (no  grog),  and 
then  says.  Come  boys  let  us  now  go  and  look  after  the  weeds 
whilst  the  dew  is  off;  then  he  takes  them  back  to  the  corn  or 
potato  field  without  any  loss  of  time.  At  harvest  he  reports 
his  crop  and  obtains  the  premium.  He  is  surprised  with  the 
result  himself,  while  Mr.  A.  and  Mr.  B.  stand  afar  off,  and  either 
cry  out  sour  grapes,  or  it  is  naught,  it  is  naught.  Would  not 
our  society  be  as  much  benefited  by  a  report  from  Mr.  A.  and 
Mr.  B.,  as  by  one  from  Mr.  C.  ? 

The  rata  baga  crop  entered  for  the  society's  premium  was 
harvested  this  day,  Nov.  18th,  and  129  bushels  were  pulled, 
topped  and  carted  to  the  cellar  in  three  hours  by  four  men  and 
two  boys  with  the  aid  of  a  yoke  of  oxen  and  cart.  One  fourth 
of  an  acre  was  surveyed  and  the  result  was  as  above.  This 
was  nothing  more  than  an  average  quarter  from  a  field  of  sev- 
eral acres  which  has  been  recently  reclaimed  from  a  bad  un- 
sightly pasture,  said  to  have  been  worth  in  the  fall  of  1849,  |i7 
per  acre,  and  this  by  a  former  member  of  your  committee  ;  this 
appraisal  was  when  the  soil  was  about  being  disturbed  from  its 
native  slumbers  for  the  first  time. 

Underdrainage  was  commenced  on  this  land  in  the  fall  of 
1849,  and  ditches  of  three  feet  wide  and  two  and  a  half  feet  deep 
were  cut  at  the  rate  of  about  250  rods  to  the  acre,  and  filled 
with  stoues  taken  from  the  field.  The  land  was  first  ploughed 
in  the  fall  of  1849,  and  has  been  worked  with  the  plough  and 
harrow,  up  to  June,  1851,  but  no  crop  was  taken  from  it  until 
the  present  year,  as  it  was  not  sufficiently  subdued  to  receive  a 


WORCESTER    SOCIETY.  165 

crop.  In  October,  1850,  manure  from  the  hogpen,  of  the  first 
quality,  (a  considerable  quantity  of  small  bones  being  in  its 
composition,)  at  the  rate  of  40  loads  per  acre,  was  carted  upon 
the  land  and  immediately  ploughed  under.  Nothing  more  was 
done  to  the  land  until  last  June,  when  it  was  ploughed  and 
prepared  for  a  turnip  crop.  The  seed  sown  the  3d  of  July, 
full  twenty  days  too  soon,  in  rows  about  twelve  inches  apart. 
But  very  few  weeds  ever  started.  This  crop  was  thinned  the 
first  of  August,  and  no  hoeing  was  necessary,  or  weeding  of 
any  amountj  as  no  crop  of  weeds  had  been  grown  on  the  land. 

TURNIP    FIELD,  DR. 

To  ten  loads  of  manure,  .  .  $10  00 
Ploughing  and  harrowing  land  twice,  1  00 
To  ^  lb.  Scriving's  imported  Ruta- 
baga seed  and  sowing,  .  .  75 
Thitming,  one  hand  one  day,  .  1  00 
Harvesting  and  storing  .  .  1  50 
Interest  on  land,  at  f  200  per  acre,  3   00 


1850.- 

—Oct. 

1851.. 

— June. 

July  3. 

Aug.  1. 

Nov.  17. 

$17  25 


CONTRA,  CR. 

1851.— Nov.  17.     By  129  bushels  of  ruta  bagas  at  25 

cents  per  bushel,  for  table  use,         $32  29 

"  Brassica  Rapa." — This  turnip  seed  was  raised  by  Mr. 
Scriving,  near  Liverpool,  England,  and  is  what  he  claims  to  be, 
his  improved  ruta  baga.  This  is  the  first  crop  ever  raised  in  this 
country  to  my  knowledge.  Its  form  and  appearance  closely  re- 
semble the  ruta  baga  that  we  have  been  growing  the  last  dozen 
years.  The  only  important  difference  is  that  this  shows  no 
disposition  to  go  to  seed  before  harvest,  and  the  stem  and  top 
as  well  as  roots  are  at  least  75  per  cent,  less  than  on  the  old  va- 
riety. This  has  no  strong  taste  like  the  old,  and  is  heavier  in 
proportion  to  its  bulk.  As  I  have  no  knowledge  of  Mr.  Scriv- 
ing's method  of  improving  turnip,  I  shall  not  attempt  to  speak, 
though  I  have  no  doubt  of  its  being  originally  of  the  Swedish 
family. 


166  WORCESTER    SOCIETY. 

Last  spring,  four  of  what  I  esteemed  the  best  varieties  were 
set  out  in  rows  three  feet  apart  for  seed  ;  and  I  was  completely 
successful  in  changing  the  color  and  form  by  mixing  the  seed 
in  the  blossom.  You  will  recollect  the  crop  of  corn  growing 
when  your  committee  were  here,  on  about  one  and  a  half  acres, 
below  the  road.  On  this  lot,  and  of  this  variety  we  harvested 
the  1st  of  November,  over  six  hundred  bushels,  and  the  quality 
cannot  be  improved  for  table  use. 

I  cannot  retract  anything  I  said  last  year,  in  relation  to  the 
traffic  and  the  importance  of  importing  our  turnip  seed,  being 
satisfied  from  longer  experience,  that  if  we  wish  to  raise  good 
crops  of  good  roots,  we  must  have  good  seed  from  good  sorts, 
and  not  that  produced  by  an  annual,  when  it  should  have  come 
from  a  biennial. 

Sutton.  Nov.  18,  1851. 

William  S.  Lincoln's  Statement. 

Below  you  will  find  an  apology  for  not  rendering  to  you  a 
full  report  of  the  carrot  and  beet  crop  entered  by  me  for  the 
society's  premiums.  On  the  12th  of  May  I  commenced  plough- 
ing for  these  crops  ;  and  on  the  25th,  the  manure  being  ploughed 
in,  and  the  soil  thoroughly  pulverized  and  hand  raked,  the  seed 
was  sowed. 

The  2d  day  of  June,  previous  to  the  appearance  of  the  young 
plants,  the  ground  between  the  rows  was  worked  over  by  a 
light  harrow,  made  for  the  purpose.  The  successive  weedings 
were  done  in  a  seasonable  time,  and  the  labor  of  hoeing  and 
weeding  completed  on  the  30th  of  July. 

Up  to  this  period  there  was  promise  of  a  superior  crop.  The 
distance  between  the  rows  was  from  twelve  to  fourteen  inches, 
the  plants  were  thick,  the  foliage  vigorous  and  of  a  deep  green. 

The  society's  books  show  that  at  this  date  my  entry  was 
made.  Had  I  deferred  the  entry  a  few  days  I  should  not  have 
made  it  all,  as,  within  a  fortnight  from  this  time,  the  whole  ap- 
pearance of  the  crop  changed.  The  deep  green  of  the  carrot 
tops  was  changed  to  a  yellow  and  then  to  a  brown  color.  The 
crop  was  blighted;  and  in  a  few  days  the  tops  decayed  and 
hardly  a  green  leaf  was  visible.  The  field  bore  this  burnt  ap- 
pearance during  the  continuance  of  the  drouth. 


WORCESTER    SOCIETY.  167 

The  first  rain  gave  life  to  what  seemed  to  be  dying.  Vege- 
tation started  anew,  but  the  season  was  too  far  advanced  to 
admit  hope  of  a  fair  crop.  No  exact  account  of  the  produce 
was  taken  as  it  was  believed  the  yield  would  be  much  below  a 
fair  one.  Still  I  can  say,  with  confidence,  that  poor  as  the  crop 
was,  it  more  than  repaid  all  expenses  properly  chargeable  to  it. 

The  same  statement  will  apply  to  the  crop  of  sugar  beets  of 
over  a  quarter  acre,  save  that  the  leaves  of  these  roots  were 
affected  by  the  drouth  rather  than  by  any  disease. 

Worcester,  Nov.  1851. 


168  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 


HAMPSHIRE,    niANKLIN,   AND   HAMPDEN  AGRICUL- 
TURAL   SOCIETY. 


The  annual  cattle  show  and  fair  of  this  society  were  held 
at  Northampton,  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  the  8th  and  9th 
of  September  last. 

The  ploughing  match  was  unequalled  by  any  similar  exhibi- 
tion within  our  knowledge.  It  came  off  at  2  o'clock,  on  the 
first  day  of  the  show,  on  a  large,  flat  and  beautiful  piece  of 
land,  about  a  mile  from  the  town,  which  belongs  to  Elisha 
Graves,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of  "  The  Nook."  And 
truly  it  is  a  nook,  one  of  the  finest  in  Massachusetts.  Stand- 
ing on  the  fertile  field  where  the  match  took  place,  the  view  is 
charming.  In  the  distance  rises  in  bold  relief  the  hoary  head 
of  Mount  Holyoke,  with  its  clustering  trees  and  beautiful  foli- 
age, and  on  its  highest  summit,  peering  through  the  variegated 
colors  of  the  changing  forest  leaves,  is  seen  the  mountain  house, 
a  place  of  rest  for  travellers ;  while  at  the  foot  of  the  mount 
runs  the  Connecticut,  flowing  onwards  with  its  pure  placid 
stream,  to  mingle  its  waters  with  the  mighty  ocean.  Thirty- 
two  teams  entered  the  contest,  and  unusual  interest  was  felt  in 
the  result.  Ploughs  from  three  different  manufacturers,  Prouty 
&  Mears  ;  Ruggles,  Nourse  &  Mason,  and  Whittemore,  of  Chic- 
opee,  were  in  competition  for  superiority.  There  was  also 
another  plough,  which  was  new  in  this  county,  with  a  double 
share,  called  the  Michigan  plough.  It  is  virtually  two  ploughs 
in  one,  the  first  plough  or  share  turning  over  the  turf,  and  the 
second  stirring  up  the  subsoil.  It  pulverized  the  soil  equal,  if 
not  superior,  to  the  spade. 

The  show  of  cattle  was  not  large,  nor  so  good  as  this  county 
should  present.  The  whole  number  of  entries  was  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-two,  of  which  nine  were  of  fat  cattle,  ten  of 
bulls,  and  fifteen  of  milch  cows.  In  young  cattle  a  very 
decided  improvement  was  noticed  over  former  years.     Three 


HAMPDEN   SOCIETY.  169 

town  teams  were  presented,  thirty  yoke  from  South  Hadley, 
twenty-five  from  Hadley,  and  twenty-five  from  East  Hampton. 
The  horse  show  took  place  on  Thursday  morning,  at  which 
not  far  from  one  hundred  animals  were  presented  for  examina- 
tion. Some  of  them  were  very  superior,  and  the  show  as  a 
whole  was  probably  better  than  any  previous  one. 

The  exhibition  of  articles  of  domestic  manufacture,  of  fruits 
and  vegetables,  and  of  bread,  butter  and  cheese,  was  held  in 
the  town  hall,  which  was  arranged  with  four  tables  running 
the  whole  length,  and  which  aff'orded  ample  room  for  the 
crowds  of  people  who  visited  it  during  both  days  of  the  Fair. 
In  the  evening  it  was  brilliantly  lighted,  and  at  intervals  en- 
livened with  music.  The  fair  in  the  hall  was  not  equal  to 
what  it  has  heretofore  been,  with  the  exception  of  fruit,  of 
which  there  were  numerous  specimens  exhibited. 

The  address  was  delivered  by  Dr.  Daniel  Lee,  of  Rochester, 
N.  Y. 


Ploughing   Match. 

The  number  of  teams  entered  for  the  ploughing  was  forty- 
one  ;  thirty-two  appeared  upon  the  ground,  and  engaged  in  the 
contest. 

On  account  of  the  land  beiug  dry  and  hard,  it  was  more  dif- 
ficult to  plough  than  on  most  former  years.  The  lots  were  so 
uniformly  ploughed,  and  the  work  was  so  satisfactorily  done, 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  determine  which  was  entitled 
to  the  highest  commendation.  The  committee  was  highly 
gratified  in  observing  the  perfect  order  and  discipline  that  per- 
vaded the  entire  field. 

The  number  of  horse  teams  was  twenty-seven.  Five  of  the 
lots  ploughed  by  them  were  decided  not  to  be  entitled  to  a 
premium,  being  of  less  depth  of  furrow  than  is  required  by  the 
rules  of  the  society.     Premiums  were  awarded  as  follows : — 

Wm.  Strong,  of  Northampton,  -  -  -  $8  00 

Giles  E.  Smith,  of  Hadley,       -  -  -  -  7  00 

George  Dickinson,       "               -  -  -  -  6  00 

22 


170  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,   AND 

Theodore  Bartlett,  Northampton,  -  -  -  $5  00 

H.  K.  Starkweather,          "  -  -  -  4  00 

Alfred  H.  Cook,  Hadley,           -  -  -  -  3  00 

Elisha  Strong,  Northampton,  -  -  -  2  00 

Enos  Clark,               "                  .  .  .  .  i  OO 

Three  single  ox  teams  ploughed  in  the  contest,  and  one  was 
excluded  for  not  ploughing  the  depth  required.  The  committee 
award  on  ox  teams, 

William  P.  Dickinson,  Hadley,  -         -         -      |8  00 

William  Clark,  Jr.,  Northampton,       -         -         -         6  00 

Two  other  teams  appeared  and  ploughed,  one  a  double  team, 
and  the  other  a  single  pair  of  oxen,  both  having  the  double 
share  ploughs.  The  experiment  being  new,  involved  the 
question  of  the  right  of  these  ploughs  to  compete  for  premium 
with  the  other  ploughs,  a  question  which  the  committee  felt 
unwilling  to  decide.  They  would  remark,  however,  that  the 
work  was  very  satisfactorily  done,  and  they  therefore  recom- 
mend a  gratuity  of  $5  each,  to 

Moses  Stebbins,  of  South  Deerfield,  and 
Samuel  1j.  Parsons  of  Northampton. 

There  were  a  number  of  entries  for  ploughing  without  hold- 
ers. There  not  being  a  sufficient  number  of  lots  provided  for 
the  purpose,  that  part  of  the  trial  was  dispensed  with. 

JOSEPH  SMITH,   Chairman. 


Stock. 


Had  the  duties  of  your  committee  devolved  on  them  at  an 
earlier  period  of  our  agricultural  history,  when  there  was  but  a 
slender  acquaintance  with  the  different  kinds  of  stock,  when 
the  importation  of  foreign  breeds  was  of  rare  occurrence,  and 
specimens  were  in  few  hands,  it  might  have  been  desirable, 
with  a  view  to  kindle  enterprise,  and  promote  their  more  fre- 
quent introduction,  to  have  described  their  several  character- 
istics, to  have  pointed  out  their  respective  merits,  to  have  speci- 


HAMPDEN   SOCIETY.  171 

fied  their  individual  or  peculiar  adaptation  to  particular  uses, 
and  their  comparative  claims  to  special  patronage  or  favor.  But 
in  the  present  day,  such  is  the  general  dissemination  of  agricul- 
tural science,  through  the  numerous  foreign  and  native  publi- 
cations, on  this  subject,  and  such  the  consequent  diffusion  of 
knowledge,  that  it  would  be  a  needless  consumption  of  time  to 
dilate  on  these  topics.  Under  these  circumstances,  your  com- 
mittee will  at  once  proceed  to  give  the  result  of  their  investi- 
gations, embodying  the  reports  of  the  several  committees  on 
different  kinds  of  stock. 

Working  Oxen. — Twenty  three  pairs  of  working  oxen  were 
entered  for  premiums.  Some  of  the  cattle  were  of  superior 
quality,  but  in  several  instances,  they  were  ineligible  for  pre- 
miums ;  for  although  they  had  among  them  many  cattle  of 
large  dimensions,  they  were  very  unequally,  we  might  add, 
incongruously  associated ;  we  cannot  say  matched,  for  they 
harmonized  neither  in  size,  figure,  or  quality.  They  were 
coupled,  but  certainly  not  paired. 

Five  pairs  of  oxen  were  exhibited  by  Parsons  West,  of 
Hadley.  They  added  much  to  the  show,  being  large  oxen  ; 
three  of  the  pairs  were  of  fine  quality,  and  admirably  matched. 
In  respect  of  these,  the  committee  recommend  him  a  gratuity 
of  $3. 

Fat  Cattle. — Of  fat  cattle,  the  number  was  much  greater, 
and  the  quality  far  superior  to  those  of  former  years,  nine  pairs 
being  exhibited.  But  among  their  worthy  compeers,  stood 
proudly  forth  the  two  pairs  of  Moses  Stebbins,  of  South  Deer- 
field.     In  the  language  of  the  poet  Spenser, 

"  They  all  their  peers  in  beauty  did  surpass." 

They  were  of  most  perfect  symmetry,  and  superior  handling 
properties,  of  the  Durham  breed,  five  years  old  ;  one  pair 
weighed  4507  pounds,  the  other  4280  pounds.  The  com- 
mittee award  the  first  premium  of  $8,  to  Moses  Stebbins. 

On  Bulls. — The  committee  award  the  first  premium  of  ^8  to 
George  A.  Moore,  of  Southampton,  for  his  Durham  bull.  He  is 
three  years  and  three  weeks  old,  and  his  weight  is  1850  pounds. 


172  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

His  precise  breed  is  three  parts  Durham,  and  the  remainder 
native.  His  symmetry  is  so  nearly  perfect,  that  it  would  savor 
more  of  invidiousness  than  fine  discrimination  to  attempt  to 
point  out  any  faults. 

The  second  premium  of  ^6  was  awarded  to  Paoli  Lathrop, 
of  South  Hadley  Falls,  for  his  fine  animal  of  the  Durham 
breed. 

The  third  premium  of  $4  to  John  L.  Clark,  of  Northamp- 
ton.    This  is  also  a  Durham. 

Steers. — Among  the  two-year  olds,  were  sr  pair  of  very  fine 
Durham  steers  belonging  to  Hervey  Judd,  of  South  Hadley, 
weighing  2870  pounds. 

Such  steers  as  these  rarely  gratify  the  eyes  of  the  farmer. 
There  were  also  three  pairs  highly  deserving  of  special  notice, 
belonging  to  Mr.  May  of  Conway,  comprising  one  yoke  four 
years  old,  weighing  3670  pounds,  one  pair,  three  years  old, 
weighing  3240  pounds,  and  one  pair  of  two  years  old,  weighing 
2442  pounds. 

The  committee  award  the  first  premium  of  $6,  to  Hervey 
Judd,  of  South  Hadley. 

The  second,  of  $4,  to  Cephas  May,  of  Conway. 

Cows  AND  Heifers. — Of  cows  and  heifers  in  milch,  there 
was  a  good  show.  No  fewer  than  twenty  were  on  exhibition. 
Many  statements  were  made.  This  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
enable  the  committee  properly  to  discharge  their  functions. 

The  committee  award  the  first  premium  of  $8  to  W.  A. 
Arnold,  for  his  cow.  She  is  a  very  valuable  animal,  yielding 
in  three  weeks,  forty-nine  pounds  of  butter,  being  a  weekly 
average  of  upwards  of  sixteen  pounds. 

The  second  premium  of  $7,  to  Samuel  Bartlett,  of  Hatfield. 

The  third  of  $6,  to  John  W.  Wilson,  of  Northampton. 

The  beautiful  Hereford  heifer,  two  years  and  nine  months 
old,  presented  by  Dr.  Daniel  Thompson,  well  deserves  the  pre- 
mium awarded  to  her ;  and  the  eight  yearling  animals,  offered 
by  Benjamin  Coit,  of  Norwich,  yield  much  credit  to  their 
breeder,  as  also  does  the  beautiful  heifer,  thirteen  months  old, 
presented  by  T.  G.  Huntington,  of  Hadley. 

JOHN  EDEN,  Chairman. 


HAMPDEN    SOCIETY.  173 

W.  A.  Arnold's  Statement. 

Cow  seven  years  old.  Calved  September  13th.  From 
Wednesday  morning,  September  17th,  to  Tuesday  evening, 
September  23d,  she  gave  111^  quarts  strained  milk,  beer  or  milk 
measure.  The  second  week,  ending  Tuesday  evening,  Septem- 
ber 30,  she  gave  113  quarts  strained  milk  of  the  same  measure  ; 
the  third  week,  ending  Tuesday  evening,  October  7,  she  gave 
lOSi  quarts  strained  milk,  of  same  measure.  As  we  sell  a  por- 
tion of  the  milk,  we  adopted  the  following  method  to  ascertain 
how  much  butter  she  would  make  in  a  week.  We  set  invariably 
two  quarts  of  milk  in  each  pan,  and  kept  an  account  of  the  num- 
ber of  pans  that  were  skimmed.  The  first  week  took  the  cream 
from  twelve  pans,  or  twenty-four  quarts  of  milk,  which  made 
three  pounds,  and  seven  ounces  butter,  which  is  at  the  rate  of 
fifteen  pounds,  and  fifteen  and  one-half  ounces,  from  one  hun- 
dred eleven  and  one-half  quarts,  or  one  week's  milk.  The  sec- 
ond week  took  the  cream  from  thirteen  pans,  or  twenty-six  quarts 
of  milk,  which  made  three  pounds  and  twelve  ounces  butter,  at 
the  rate  of  sixteen  pounds  and  four  ounces  for  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  quarts,  or  one  week's  milk.  Third  week,  took  cream 
from  sixteen  pans,  or  thirty-two  quarts  milk,  and  made  four 
pounds  and  fifteen  ounces  butter,  which,  from  one  hundred  and 
eight  and  one-fourth  quarts,  or  one  week's  milk,  would  make 
sixteen  pounds  and  eleven  and  one-fourth  ounces. 

Feed. — Pasturing,  two  quarts  meal,  and  two  pumpkins,  per  day. 

Northampton,  Oct.  8,  1851. 

John    W.    Wilson's  Statement. 

I  offer  my  red  cow,  four  years  old,  to  your  consideration. 

She  calved  4th  September,  1850.  Sold  the  calf  at  five  and 
a  half  weeks  old.  Weighed,  dressed,  one  hundred  and  two 
pounds. 

Kept  account  of  milk  and  butter,  from  October  11, 
1850,  to  October  8,  1851  ;  gave  3536  quarts,  which  is  an  aver- 
age of  a  fraction  over  nine  and  three  quarters  quarts  per  day, 
during  three  hundred  and  sixty-two  days. 

Butter  made  during  the  above  time,  two  hundred  and  eleven 
pounds  ten  ounces.     Milk  sold  and   used   during   that  period, 


174  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

1526  quarts.  She  is  now  giving  six  and  a  half  quarts  per  day, 
and  is  to  calve  on  the  1st  of  March,  1852  ;  from  a  pure  North 
Devon  bull. 

Feed  as  follows  :  the  cow  went  to  pasture  last  fall,  Septem- 
ber 5th.  From  14th  November  to  8th  June,  she  was  kept  in 
the  barn  and  fed  on  second  crop  hay,  and  two  quarts  shorts,  or 
bran,  morning  and  evening.  From  8th  June  to  20th  Septem- 
ber last,  she  went  to  the  same  pasture,  and  had  nothing  but  the 
grass  she  got  in  the  pasture.  Was  driven  to  and  from  the  pas- 
ture every  day,  making  a  distance  of  about  three  miles,  and 
stood  in  the  barn  without  food  at  night. 

Northampton,  Oct.  1851. 


Horses. 


England  has  paid  more  attention  to  the  breeding  of  horses 
than  all  other  countries  together,  it  is  said,  and  unquestionably 
she  has  the  best  stock  for  the  various  useful  purposes  for  which 
they  are  bred.  And  all  the  countries  of  the  globe  which  are 
peculiar  for  their  horses,  have  contributed  to  this  "  glory  of 
England."  Their  breeding  and  rearing  have  been  carefully 
and  perseveringly  attended  to,  and  it  is  only  by  breeding  and 
rearing  with  care,  that  perfection,  or  anything  approaching  it, 
can  be  expected  in  this  country. 

Formerly,  the  Spanish  Andalusian  horses,  (sometimes  called 
the  handsomest  and  swiftest  in  the  world,)  were  numerously 
imported  into  England.  And  those  world-famed  Arabians 
from  Mocha  and  the  borders  of  the  straits  to  the  Red  Sea,  so 
swift,  so  mettlesome,  so  gazelle-like,  and  perfect  under  the  sad- 
dle, have  been  sought  to  add  to  her  glory. 

Hungary  has  for  generations  produced  mouse-colored  horses 
more  sought  after  for  cavalry  use,  and  by  military  officers,  than 
any  other  horses  raised  in  all  Europe.  A  late  extensive  traveller 
in  South  America,  and  a  good  judge  of  horses,  says,  in  the  large 
cities  of  Peru,  he  has  seen  finer  stables  of  livery  horses,  than  are 
to  be  met  with  in  any  other  country.  This  is  owing  to  the  fact 
that  Pizarro  and  his  Spanish  soldiers  took  with  them  there,  many 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  175 

fine  Andahisian  steeds.  And  the  old  Californians  upon  their 
immense  estates  can  boast  of  horses  by  thousands,  and.  many- 
are  splendid  ones,  and  the  fine  Spanish  blood  can  be  traced  in 
them.  It  is  plain  that  this  fine  stock  is  not  the  result  of  acci- 
dent alone. 

It  is  to  the  rearing  and  breeding  that  we  wish  to  urge  the  at- 
tention of  every  farmer.  Too  much  cannot  be  said  about  the 
choice  of  your  stallion.  He  should  be  not  only  of  a  known 
prime  stock,  but  he  should  be  in  himself  a  horse,  having  all  the 
points  of  a  perfect  animal,  and  then  you  may  look  for  a  valua- 
ble colt.  If  you  have  a  good  mare,  (if  you  have  none,  get 
one,)  let  her  bring  you  a  colt  from  the  best  horse  that  can  be 
found  within  one  hundred  miles,  and  then  you  will  be  likely 
to  have  a  good  colt  that  is  a  "regular  colt."  Then  rear  him 
with  care,  and  be  not  too  anxious  to  give  him  that  execrable 
winter  hardening,  so  common  among  farmers,  and  described  by 
the  chairman  of  this  committee,  last  year.  Give  him  good  food 
and  comfortable  quarters,  and  his  rapidly  increasing  value  will 
reward  you. 

It  would  be  profitable  for  many  in  our  hill  towns  to  purchase 
and  keep  mares  for  breeding  only,  yet  it  is  hardly  to  be  hoped 
at  this  time  to  persuade  many  to  make  this  more  than  a  second- 
ary object,  letting  such  mares  as  they  may  have  produce  a  colt 
occasionally.  But  if  farmers  who  keep  a  team  for  farm, 
for  church,  for  market,  or  for  town,  would  select  a  good  mare 
and  let  her  bring  a  colt  each  year,  we  know  in  a  short 
time  they  will  have  upon  their  farm  some  fine  animals,  of 
which  they  will  be  truly  proud.  Give  attention  to  the  main 
points,  and  to  realize  high  prices  will  not  be  difficult,  while 
good  marketable  horses  are  daily  bringing  from  one  hundred  to 
one  thousand  dollars. 

The  first  premium  for  stallions,  was  awarded  to  Moses  D. 
Parks,  Montgomery. 

Longley's  "  Kentucky  Hunter  "  was  on  the  ground  for  exhi- 
bition, and  attracted  universal  admiration,  and  no  stallion  can  be 
more  worthy  of  the  attention  of  farmers.  His  young  stock  ex- 
hibited with  him  was  faultless,  and  of  his  older  colts,  a  gelding 
was  shown  and   added  much  credit  to  his  sire.     We   believe 


176  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

Longley's  and  Parks's  horses  cannot  be  excelled  as  breeders. 
All  who  exhibit  stallions  another  year,  are  urged  to  show  as 
many  of  their  colts  with  them  as  possible. 

H.  I.  HODGES,  Chairman. 


Poultry. 

The  exhibition  of  barnyard  fowls  was  larger,  and  altogether 
more  interesting,  than  at  any  time  previous.  The  whole  num- 
ber of  entries  was  thirty,  embracing  two  hundred  and  eighteen 
fowls  ;  of  which  there  were  eighty-four  entered  as  pure  Shang- 
haes,  many  of  them  very  fine  specimens,  and  perhaps  nearly  as 
many  more  of  mixed  breeds — partly  Shanghae.  There  were  a 
few  good  specimens  of  Dorkings,  Polands,  and  Bantams,  and 
one  fine  lot  of  the  Plymouth  Rock  variety.  There  were  also 
one  lot  of  Capons,  and  one  pair  of  the  English  game  fowls.  Of 
the  pure  native  breeds,  there  were  none.  This  omission  was 
regretted,  because  we  incline  to  think  that  the  old  sorts  have 
not  had  justice  done  them. 

Interesting  statements  have  been  received  from  Messrs.  J. 
W.  Wilson  and  John  Eden,  of  Northampton,  and  Rev.  J.  H. 
Temple,  of  Whately,  the  substance  of  which,  respectively,  is 
presented  as  follows  : 

Mr.  Wilson,  referring  to  his  specimens  of  white  and  red 
Shanghae  and  Dorking  fowls,  says,  the  oldest  Shanghaes  were 
hatched  on  the  17th  of  last  April,  and  the  Dorkings  on  the  29th 
of  April  and  14th  of  July.  One  of  the  April  Shanghaes  com- 
menced laying  on  the  29th  of  August,  at  four  months  and 
twelve  days  old;  and  laid  for  the  first  four  days,  two  eggs  a 
day!  The  others  began  to  lay  at  four  months  and  fifteen  days 
old,  and  have  laid  every  day  since.  Though  from  his  limited 
experience,  he  does  not  feel  prepared  to  give  a  decided  opinion 
concerning  the  character  of  the  Shanghaes,  as  layers,  from 
what  he  has  seen,  he  feels  confident  that  they  are  much  supe- 
rior to  the  native  breeds.  As  an  example,  he  mentions  a  pair 
of  his  Shanghae  pullets,  of  last  year,  which  commenced  laying 
October  14,  1850,  and  continued  to  the  middle  of  June  of  1851, 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  177 

with  an  interruption  of  only  ten  days  in  January.  Mr.  Wilson 
thinks  the  Shanghaes  possess  another  advantage  over  the  na- 
tives, because  the  chickens  are  more  easily  raised.  This  he 
attributes  chiefly  to  the  fact,  that  they  do  not  get  in  full  feather 
until  they  are  over  five  months  old,  and  hence,  as  he  infers,  the 
substance  which  in  others  is  developed  in  feathers,  with  them 
is  incorporated  in  bone  and  muscle.  He  says  he  has  raised 
over  seventy  chickens  this  season,  and  lost  none  by  disease. 
The  Shanghae,  he  says,  is  a  home  fotol,  having  no  disposition 
to  roam,  and  is  little  inclined  to  do  mischief  in  the  garden.  They 
will  weigh  as  much  at  five  months  old  as  the  common  kind,  at 
full  growth.  He  thinks  the  Dorkings  are  fully  entitled  to  the 
h'gh  reputation  they  have  received.  He  had  on  the  14th  of 
February  last,  fourteen  hens  and  two  cocks,  of  the  common 
breed,  and  their  product  up  to  the  present  time,  has  been  1391 
eggs,  besides  about  eighty  chickens. 

Mr.  Eden  says  he  commenced  the  season  with  thirteen  hens,, 
two  pullets,  and  one  cock.  They  commenced  laying  on  the- 
1st  of  March,  and  between  that  and  the  present  time,  they  laid' 
944  eggs.  The  breed  is  not  mentioned.  He  shut  them  up 
six  weeks  to  keep  them  from  the  garden,  during  which  time 
they  laid  but  few  eggs  ;  but  he  does  not  describe  their  mode  of 
treatment. 

Mr.  Temple  says  his  Plymouth  Rock  roosters  are  six  months 
old,  and  the  largest  weigh  six  and  three  quarters  pounds.  The 
pullets  are  five  and  a  half  months  old,  and  the  largest  weighs 
four  and  a  half  pounds.  They  are  very  hardy.  Of  his  four  early 
broods,  not  one  died  of  disease.  They  are  also  very  quiet, 
never  attempting  to  fly  over  a  fence  three  and  a  half  feet 
high.  Their  flesh  is  fine  flavored.  They  are  good  layers^. 
The  pair  from  which  these  chickens  came,  were  bought  Feb.. 
2nth.  The  pullet  was  then  eight  months  old.  Up  to  Septem- 
ber 1st,  she  laid  eighty  eggs,  besides  bringing  out  two  broods 
of  chickens.  She  is  now  in  the  midst  of  her  moult,  but  lays, 
on  an  average,  two  eggs  a  week.  Th«  eggs  are  of  large  size 
and  excellent  quality. 

Among  the  causes  of  ill  success  attending  efl'orts  to  render 
the  raising  of  poultry  of  any  kind  profitable,  may  be  mentioned 
23 


178  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

the  practice  of  allowing  them  to  roam  at  large.  In  this  way — 
to  say  nothing  of  the  mischief  which  they  do  in  gardens  and 
fields — a  large  proportion  of  their  eggs  are  lost,  and  to  a  con- 
siderable extent,  they  become  victims  to  birds  and  beasts  of 
prey.  Another  cause  of  failure  is  found  in  the  very  common 
neglect  of  protection  from  cold,  and  of  suitable  feeding,  and 
other  necessary  attentions,  in  the  winter  months.  In  conse- 
quence of  this  neglect,  hens  are  valueless  during  cold  weather, 
because,  under  such  circumstances  they  lay  no  eggs  ;  and  poul- 
try, of  every  description,  thus  treated,  come  out  in  the  spring, 
destitute  of  that  thriftiness  and  energy,  which  are  essential  to  the 
full  development  of  their  capabilities  of  growth  and  production. 
Indeed,  there  is  no  description  of  stock  which  more  certainly 
and  manifestly  depreciates  under  bad  treatment,  and  which 
more  handsomely  reciprocates  good  usage. 

Almost  every  housekeeper,  it  is  believed,  may,  by  an  eco- 
nomical and  suitable  arrangement,  make  the  raising  of  the  va- 
rious kinds  of  poultry  not  only  a  source  of  great  convenience  in 
his  family,  but  of  profit,  in  proportion  to  outlay,  quite  equal,  to 
say  the  least,  with  that  arising  from  any  other  branch  of  do- 
mestic culture,  besides  adding  essentially  to  the  enjoyments, 
which  necessarily  flow  from  the  contemplation  of  the  results  of 
agreeable  and  successful  labor. 

A.  W.  THAYER,   Chairman. 


Bread,   Butter  and  Cheese. 

The  ladies,  who  delight  in  "  household  duties,"  furnished 
your  committee  with  a  very  abundant  supply  of  bread,  and 
quite  a  respectable  lot  of  butter  and  cheese.  All  the  specimens 
were  in  excellent  taste.  They  were  seventy-one  in  number; 
being  six  of  cheese,  fourteen  of  butter,  and  fifty-one  of  bread. 
Many  specimens  were  unaccompanied  with  written  statements 
of  the  process  of  making.  It  is  supposed  that  the  society's  rules 
are  well  known  in  reference  to  premiums.  The  numerous  ar- 
ticles which  had  no  accompanying  statements,  in  conformity  to 
these  rules,  are  tlierefore  deemed  evidence  of  the  disposition  of 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  179 

many  ladies  to  add  to  the  excellence  of  the  show,  not  intended 
for  premium.  Such  disinterestedness  is  certain  to  be  appre- 
ciated. 

The  bread,  for  which  premiums  were  awarded,  appears,  from 
the  written  statements,  to  have  been  fermented  with  yeast.  This 
is  the  tenor  of  the  old  way,  and  for  anything  the  committee  know 
to  the  contrary,  yeast  may  be  the  best  leaven.  It  is  presumed 
that  there  may  be  improvements  in  this  respect  by  every  lady, 
who  is 

"  Happy  in  this,  she  is  not  so  old 
But  she  may  learn ;  happier  than  this. 
She  is  not  bred  so  dull  but  she  can  learn." 

Dr.  Gregory,  in  his  Outlines  of  Chemistry,  says,  that  yeast 
causes  a  loss  of  one  sixteenth  part  of  the  flour,  that  is,  of  one 
ounce  in  the  pound.  He  proposes  to  avoid  this  loss  by  the  use 
of  carbonate  of  soda,  which  has  proved  satisfactory;  equally 
good  bread  is  obtained,  and  there  is  no  loss.  The  committee 
suggest  a  trial  of  the  proposed  substitute. 

In  respect  to  butter  and  cheese,  the  question  may  be  put 
to  the  farmers'  wiv^s  and  daughters,  Will  you  make  a  great 
deal  more  of  the  same  sort  ?  Will  you  do  yourselves  and  our 
good  old  Commonwealth  the  honor  to  cause  it  to  be  said  that 
Massachusetts  makes  her  own  butter  and  cheese  ?  Your  grand- 
mothers and  great-grandmothers,  in  1787,  made  enough  and 
had  some  left  for  exportation.  The  home  supply  of  breadstuff's 
in  Massachusetts  does  not  keep  pace  with  the  increase  of  her 
population.  The  production  falls  two  millions  of  bushels  be- 
low the  whole  amount  required  for  consumption.  Will  the 
farmers'  wives  and  daughters  look  to  this?  May  not  the  west- 
ern portion  of  the  State,  in  which  agriculture  is  the  leading  in- 
terest, greatly  increase  its  production  of  breadstuff's  ?  There  is 
already  cheap  transportation  for  produce,  by  railroads,  to  the 
larger  towns  and  cities.  It  will  pay.  Much  has  been  done  ; 
more  can  be  done  by  agricultural  societies,  agricultural  periodi- 
cals and  books.  Scientific  culture  is  growing  in  favor.  It  may 
accomplish  the  work  of  making  Massachusetts  independent  of 
the  farms  and  farmers  of  our  sister  States.  Scientific  culture 
will  be  found   the  most  economical   and  the  most  profitable. 


180  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

May  it  become  general,  through  the   determination  of  our  far- 
mers to  establish  and  to  patronize  agricultural  schools. 

BUTTER. 

Mrs.  Simeon  Clark,  Amherst,  -  -  $4  00 

"     E.  S.  Huntington,  Hadley,  -  -  3  00 

"     Parsons  West,                "  -  -  2  00 

"     S.  Johnson,                   "  -  -  1  00 

CHEESE. 

William  Tilton,  Goshen,  .        .         -  4  00 

J.  W.  BOYDEN,  Chairman. 

Mrs.  Simeon  Clark^s  Statement. 

I  herewith  present  for  inspection  a  sample  of  butter  from  a 
dairy  of  six  cows,  the  proceeds  of  yesterday's  churning.  The 
milk  is  strained  into  tin  pans,  where  it  stands  in  a  cool  place 
from  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours;  it  is  then  skimmed,  the 
cream  put  in  tin  pails,  and  stirred  occasionally.  Churn  twice  a 
week.  After  ue  butter  comes,  the  buttermilk  is  drawn  off,  and 
the  churn  partly  filled  with  sweet  milk,  and  the  butter  worked 
in  the  churn  till  most  of  the  buttermilk  is  out.  It  is  then 
salted  with  ground  rock  salt,  about  one  ounce  to  the  pound, 
and  after  standing  a  few  hours  is  again  thoroughly  worked 
over  and  put  m  lumps  for  market,  or  future  use. 

Amherst,  OcL  8,  1851. 

Mrs.  E.  S,  Huntington'' s  Statement. 
The  milk  from  which  this  lot  of  butter  was  made,  was  set  in  tin 
pans,  and  the  cream  raised  without  artificial  heat.  It  was  taken 
off  after  standing  forty-eight  hours,  and  put  into  a  tin  vessel  and 
slightly  stirred  at  each  time  more  cream  was  added.  The 
cream  was  churned  at  a  temperature  of  fifty-nine  degrees,  by  the 
thermometer,  and  worked  upon  a  platform  with  a  brake  and 
paddle.  It  was  salted  at  the  rate  of  half  an  ounce  to  a  pound 
of  butter.  It  was  twice  worked,  and  partially  salted  at  each 
time. 

Hadley,  Oct.  7,  1851. 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  181 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  P.  WesVs  Statement. 

The  milk  was  drawn  from  the  cows  into  pails  kept  clean  and 
sweet ;  strained  as  soon  as  milked,  into  tin  pans,  kept  clean  and 
sweet  by  washing  and  scalding.  The  milk  stands  before  it  is 
skimmed  from  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours,  the  time  varying 
according  to  the  weather;  in  warm  weather  standing  the  shorter 
time.  The  cream  is  churned  twice  a  week  ;  the  butter  taken  from 
the  churn  and  washed  thoroughly  in  clean  cold  water,  then  salted 
to  the  taste,  and  the  salt  worked  in  thoroughly.  It  then  stands 
fiom  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours,  and  is  worked  into  lumps. 

Hadley,  Oct.  7,  1851. 

Mrs.    S.  Johnsoii's  Statement. 

Our  process  of  making  butter  is  this :  strain  the  milk  into 
pans  and  let  it  stand  from  24  to  36  hours ;  then  take  off  the 
cream,  which  is  not  allowed  to  stand  more  than  three  or  four 
days  before  churning,  which  is  usually  performed  in  15  or  20 
minutes,  in  a  common  wood  churn.  The  butter  is  then  taken 
from  the  churn,  the  buttermilk  worked  out,  then  salted,  and 
after  standing  a  few  hours  it  is  again  worked  and  done  up  for 
use.     The  only  rule  we  have  for  salting  is  to  suite  the  taste. 

Hadley,  Oct.,  1851. 

William  Tilton^s  Statement. 
Take  the  milk  from  the  cow,  and  while  the  natural  warmth 
remains,  add  the  brine  in  which  a  small  piece  of  rennet  has 
been  soaked.  After  stirring  well  let  it  stand  about  one  hour. 
It  may  then  be  broken  up  with  a  paddle  used  for  the  purpose. 
When  the  whey  begins  to  rise,  dip  it  off  into  a  strainer  and 
drain  it  well.  After  which  it  may  be  put  into  a  press  to  re- 
main a  short  time.  Then  cut  in  small  pieces.  Add  warm 
water  of  such  a  temperature  that  you  can  bear  a  hand  in  it 
with  ease.  It  may  remain  in  this  state  from  ten  to  fifteen  min- 
utes, then  drain  it  off  and  cool  it  to  the  warmth  of  the  milk. 
Add  salt  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  ounces  for  thirty  pounds  of 
cheese ;  stir  it  well,  keep  it  in  the  press  twenty-four  hours, 
except  the  time  which  is  spent  in  turning,  which  probably  will 


182  HAMPSHIRE.  FRANKLIN,  AND 

not  be  necessary  more  than  two  or  three  times.  When  taken 
out  of  the  press,  it  is  turned  and  buttered  every  day  until 
cured. 

Goshen.  1851. 


Fruits  and  Vegetables. 

While  advancing  years  bring  the  fraternity  of  husbandmen, 
with  their  experience  enlarged,  and  their  means  and  processes 
improved  to  realize  more  and  more  nearly  their  ideal  of  a  per- 
fect horticulture,  and  a  perfect  agriculture,  they  must  needs,  in 
the  same  degree,  bring  increased  perplexity  to  those  whose  duty 
it  is,  to  discern  the  hair's  breadth  of  difference  between  the 
choicest  productions  here  brought  in  competition.  By  what 
infallible  instinct  are  we  to  discover  inequality,  where  sunshine, 
shower  and  science  have  daily  descended  with  impartial  copi- 
ousness, to  warm,  water,  and  enlighten  the  intelligent  industry 
of  all  ? 

Instead  of  the  slender  collection  of  some  seventy  plates  of 
fruits,  all  told,  on  the  strength  of  which,  some  five  years  ago, 
the  Northampton  Horticultural  Club  ventured  to  challenge  the 
attention  of  the  county,  that  department  this  day  enumerates 
six  hundred  and  seventy  parcels,  every  one  more  rich  and  lux- 
uriant than  the  former,  and  all  justifying  a  pretty  large  preten- 
sion on  the  part  of  the  club,  to  take  rank  among  the  "progres- 
sive "  institutions  of  these  latter  times. 

It  would  afford  us  much  satisfaction,  did  our  limits  permit, 
to  enlarge  upon  the  history  and  operations  of  this  club,  that  its 
example  might  be  known  and  followed  by  all  men.  ;  Its  influ- 
ence upon  fruit  cultiu'e  in  this  immediate  neighborhood  is 
scarcely  to  be  calculated.  Old  soils  that  before  the  club  broke 
ground,  were  here  and  there  found  too  debilitated  to  germin- 
ate even  a  respectable  weed,  at  once  became  endowed  with 
a  new  spirit  of  vegetation,  and  from  that  time  forth  have  given 
abundant  earnest  that  they  are  equal  to  any  effort  at  reproduc- 
tion. Old  trees  too,  that  had  long  ceased  to  remember  when 
they  l^st  blossomed,  and  whose  haggard  and  withered  trunks 
and  limbs  seemed  to  cry  out  for  some  such  thing  as  an  agricul- 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  183 

tural  poor-house,  whither  they  might  retire  and  die — have  pre- 
sented their  fruits  here  to-day,  as  worthy  of  the  highest  honors 
of  the  parent  society. 

There  are  undoubtedly  many  of  the  club,  who  have  been 
successful  in  infusing  new  life  and  vigor  into  old  trees  and  old 
soils.  One  gentleman  at  least,  who  takes  a  premium  for  the 
six  best  varieties  of  apples,  will  scarcely  deem  the  imagery 
which  we  have  used,  a  libel  on  his  own  fruit  yard,  as  it  was 
five  years  ago.  This,  however,  is  but  a  solitary  example.  No 
man  who  rides  three  miles  out  and  back,  fails  to  see,  as  well  by 
the  way  side  as  in  the  field,  numerous  specimens  of  these  trees, 
the  superannuated  relics  of  a  better  day,  which  by  two  or  three 
years'  skilful  fostering  would,  by  their  abundant  fruitfulness, 
make  glad  the  hearts  and  hearths  of  their  owners.  And  your 
committee  would  conjure  every  man,  who  has  a  fruit  tree  on 
his  soil,  with  a  breath  of  life  in  it,  but  yielding  no  fruit,  if  when 
he  rests  from  his  labors  he  would  hope  to  rest  in  peace,  and  not 
find  himself  thrust  through  and  through  by  some  down  strag- 
gling root,  seeking  to  avenge  the  barren  trunk  above  it — that 
he  minister  to  the  wants  of  that  tree,  prune  it  above  and  below, 
regale  its  roots  with  new  food,  clothe  it  with  new  foliage,  adorn 
it  with  new  bloom,  and  then  shall  that  man's  slumber  be  peace- 
ful, and  his  children  shall  make  autumnal  mention  of  him. 
That  most  of  the  contributions  were  from  Northampton,  makes 
it  evident  that  no  such  club  exists  in  the  neighboring  towns. 
We  earnestly  commend  the  cause  in  which  this  club  is  engaged, 
far  and  near,  and  wish  it  God  speed,  wherever  there  is  a  seed 
time  and  harvest. 

In  awarding  the  premiums  on  apples,  the  committee  were  a 
long  time  in  doubt  whether  Dr.  Walker,  or  Willard  A.  Arnold, 
should  receive  the  first  premium.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the 
imposing  presence  of  Dr.  Walker's  pyramid  of  Rhode  Island 
greenings — 60  to  the  bushel — decided  the  question.  Besides, 
as  he  had  reinforced  his  fruits  with  a  strong  detachment  of 
vegetables,  he  had  undoubtedly  determined  beforehand  to  carry 
the  day.  We  have  derived  from  Dr.  Walker,  a  little  of  the 
personal  history  of  this  apple,  which  is  this. 

It  (the  R.  I.  greening)  was  from  a  tree  budded  on  a  seedlirtg, 


184  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

and  supposed  to  be  only  eight  years  from  the  seed.  In  the 
meantime,  it  was  twice  transplanted,  and  for  two  years  was  not 
well  taken  care  of.  Dr.  W.  referring  to  the  well  known  fact, 
that  the  older  varieties  of  the  apple  yield  fruit  earlier  from 
buds  or  scions  than  the  newer  varieties,  states  that  some  of  the 
finest  specimens  exhibited  by  him,  were  from  scions  three  and 
four  years  old,  on  stocks  from  an  inch  and  1-2  to  two  inches  in 
diameter  when  grafted  upon. 

As  respects  other  fruit,  he  has  this  year  gathered  the  finest 
plums  from  trees  grafted  on  wild  plum  roots  three  years  ago, 
and  has  pear  seedlings  four  years  old,  4  1-2  inches  in  circum- 
ference, which  he  has  no  doubt,  if  grafted,  will  yield  fruit  in 
three  or  four  years.  Dr.  Walker  has  also  gathered  from  a  sin- 
gle scion  three  years  old,  one  bushel  and  one  peck  of  the  red 
bell  flower.  Thus  his  testimony  ought  effectually  to  dissipate 
the  impression  that  a  life  time  is  required  to  see  the  full  matu- 
rity and  productiveness  of  seedling  trees. 

The  second  premium  is  awarded,  of  course,  to  Willard  A. 
Arnold  of  Northampton. 

For  the  best  collection  of  Garden  Vegetables.  First 
premium  to  Wells  Lathrop,  of  South  Hadley,  who  exhibited 
23  varieties;  second  premium  to  Dr.  Walker,  17  varieties; 
third  premium  to  John  W.  Wilson,  ten  varieties. 

The  attention  of  the  committee  was  early  directed  to  three 
varieties  of  potato,  imported  in  1850,  by  John  Eden,  of 
Northampton,  and  kindly  distributed  by  him  for  the  purpose  of 
testing  their  adaptation  to  American  soil.  These  varieties  are 
known  as  the  Axbridge  Kidney,  the  prolific,  and  the  Scotch, 
and,  as  we  understand  from  Mr.  Eden,  came  to  him  through 
the  generosity  and  devoted  interest  to  the  cause  of  agriculture, 
of  the  Earl  Ducie. 

Contributions  of  three  varieties  were  made  by  Messrs.  Wm. 
Clark,  Jr.,  Dr.  Lewis  Hopkins,  of  Northampton,  and  T.  P. 
Huntington,  of  Hadley,  the  latter  of  whom  contributed  also 
two  additional  varieties,  and  reports  that  of  the  three  varieties 
first  named,  he  raised  thirty-seven  bushels  from  six  quarts  of 
seed.  i\hira  Lyman  of  Northampton,  also  exhibited  six  out  of 
twenty  varieties  grown  by  him  the  present  season,  and  consid- 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  185 

ering  the  staple  character  of  this  esculent,  and  the  public  as 
well  as  private  interest  that  attaches  to  every  development  of 
new  conditions  of  its  growth  and  health,  we  do  not  feel  that 
we  violate  the  discretion  vested  in  ns,  in  recommending  gratui- 
ties of  $1  to  each  of  the  above-named  contributors. 

CHARLES  DELANO,  Chairman. 


Domestic    Manufactures. 

This  year  of  our  Lord  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-one  will 
long  be  famous  in  the  history  of  mechanic  art.  The  artisan 
shall  name  it  with  honest  pride,  as  the  year  of  the  great 
World's  Fair,  the  high  festival  of  skilful  labor. 

Your  committee  must  be  permitted,  in  this  connection,  to 
direct  attention  to  the  fact,  that  the  plough  of  Prouty  &  Mears, 
No.  40,  which  bore  off  the  palm  in  "  running  aloneP  at  the 
ploughing  match  conducted  by  this  society,  last  year,  has  since 
gained  the  victory  against  the  world,  in  the  great  trial  which 
was  arranged  in  connection  with  the  World  Exhibition.  Partly 
for  the  sake  of  this  flattering  endorsement  of  your  proceedings, 
and  partly  for  more  general  reasons,  we  have  alluded  to  the 
most  distinguished  event  in  the  records  of  industry. 

It  was  a  happy  thought  which  led  to  the  union  of  agriculture 
and  the  mechanic  arts,  in  these  annual  celebrations.  "  The 
plough,  the  loom  and  the  anvil"  belong  together ;  each  is 
dependent  upon  the  other,  and  society  is  most  favorably  consti- 
tuted for  progress,  where  the  interests  which  these  three  words 
represent  are  duly  fostered.  The  farmer  looks  to  the  mechanic 
for  a  convenient  house  and  barn,  for  the  skilfully  devised 
plough,  for  tools  which  shall  enable  him  to  speed  without  slight- 
ing his  work,  for  the  strong  wagon  which  bears  his  harvest 
homeward,  six  days,  and  for  the  graceful  vehicle  which  con- 
veys the  household  to  church  on  the  first  day.  The  mechanic 
must  have  good  corn  and  good  beef,  or  his  sinewy  arm  grows 
weak,  and  both  farmer  and  mechanic,  directly  or  indirectly,  are 
greatly  benefited  by  the  ingenious  labor-saving  contrivances 
24 


186  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

which  mark  our  day.  It  is  greatly  for  the  interest  of  these 
three  classes  that  they  should  be  established  in  convenient 
proximity,  and  that  a  familiar  intercourse  should  be  maintained 
between  them.  The  intermingling  of  different  kinds  of  pop- 
ulation is  one  of  the  most  powerful  civilizing  agents.  It  nour- 
ishes a  genuine  esprit  du  corps,  whilst  at  the  same  time  it  dis- 
courages a  conceited  clannishness.  It  is  one  of  the  many  bene- 
fits which  we  are  to  realize  from  our  great  net  work  of  rail- 
roads, from  those  fire-breathing  and  rough-mannered  yet  benefi- 
cent giants,  whose  pathway  often  lies  through  the  quietest 
hamlets  in  the  land.  An  agricultural  population  is  likely  to 
be  somewhat  scattered.  They  cannot  generally,  as  in  these 
favored  river  towns,  group  their  houses  upon  the  fair  plain  or 
on  the  sides  of  the  hills,  that  form  as  it  were  the  frame  of  their 
great  meadow  landscape ;  each  household  must  bide  upon  its 
own  domain,  and  by  its  own  stutf,  relying  very  much  upon  its 
-own  resources  for  society.  In  such  circumstances,  the  currents 
of  life  will  flow  on  too  sluggishly,  and  dullness  will  creep  over 
the  faculties  of  the  mind,  if  not  of  the  body.  We  occasion- 
ally hear  of  a  sleepy  hollow,  even  in  our  day. 

A  manufacturing  population,  on  the  other  hand,  will  be  dis- 
tinguished by  singular  activity  of  brain,  excited  by  the  frequent 
contact  of  minds  ;  by  that  spirit  of  intellectual  life  which 
animates  large  masses,  coming  we  know  not  whence,  and  the 
danger  here  is,  that  the  artisan  will  be  stimulated  to  a  morbid 
activity,  a  feverish  restlessness,  which  will  lead  to  a  sad  waste  of 
energy.  The  farmer  is  likely  to  be  an  ultra  conservative,  the 
artisan  an  ultra  reformer.  The  one  depends  unwisely  upon 
Providence,  the  other  is  ready  to  intermeddle  with  his  con- 
ceited plans.  Let  the  two  classes  act  each  upon  the  other  and 
you  produce  a  just  equilibrium  of  forces.  The  dividing  lines 
between  the  two  populations  must  not  be  so  deeply  drawn,  as 
to  prevent  a  constant  and  easy  intermingling,  the  daughter 
returning  to  her  father's  hill-side  farm  house,  and  the  young 
man,  amidst  the  various  exciting  occupations  of  artisan  life,  not 
allowing  himself  to  forget  or  lose  the  true  movement  of  the 
scythe  and  axe  arm.  Let  the  different  classes  of  laborers  come 
together  as  freely  and  frequently  as  may  be,  especially  in  our 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  187 

working-day  land,  let  them  come  for  congratulation  and  enjoy- 
ment, yes  "  to  have  a  good  time,"  let  them  bring  each  the 
choicest  results  of  his  skill,  and  in  a  right  brotherly  and  manly 
way,  let  them  magnify  their  crafts  together. 

It  is  said  that  we  need  amusements  : — now  we  may  "  get 
up"  amusements  which  will  amuse  nobody,  because  they  are 
not  in  accordance  with  the  practical  downright  character  of  the 
people.  Archery  clubs  and  the  like  will  never  do  in  this  coun- 
try and  time  of  Colt's  revolvers.  How  much  better  than  any- 
thing which  we  could  painfully  devise,  are  these  almost  sponta- 
neous festivities  of  autumn,  the  occasions  of  so  much  pure  and 
profitable  pleasure,  affording  indispensable  relaxation,  stimula- 
ting the  various  classes  of  laborers  to  renewed  efforts,  and  help- 
ing, which  to  our  mind  is  more  than  all,  to  shed  a  briglitness 
upon  agricultural  and  mechanic  industry,  and  impart  to  it  an 
ideal  beauty,  and  make  it  honorable,  as  in  truth  it  should  be, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  world.  These  occasions  should  be  made 
much  of,  until  men  shall  realize  how  great  a  thing  it  is  and  how 
nearly  allied  to  creative  skill,  the  power  to  take  the  rough,  hard 
materials,  which  nature  has  scattered  profusely  about  us,  and 
hew,  shape,  mould,  forge  and  polish  them,  until  they  wear 
a  beautiful  form  and  are  fit  for  the  thousand  uses  of  life. 
What  an  interval,  to  be  filled  up  by  human  toil  and  skill, 
between  the  lump  of  ore  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  and  the 
fine  spring  which  is  the  almost  living  principle  of  the  watch. 
It  is  a  long  journey  from  the  wool  upon  the  sheep's  back,  to  the 
silk-like  cloth,  the  rich  warm  shawl,  to  which  we  will  gladly 
allow  the  name  of  our  good  old  Commonwealth.  Honor  be  to 
the  craftsmen  from  Tubal  Cain  to  Paxton  !  Honor  to  the  men 
whom  the  Scripture  does  not  hesitate  to  style  wise-hearted, 
treating  the  genius  in  them  as  a  kind  of  inspiration,  the  gift  of 
Providence  rather  than  the  result  of  human  effort,  as  indeed  is 
the  truth,  for  men  are  born  mechanics  as  they  are  born  poets, 
and  the  highest  and  nicest  skill  can  never  be  acquired,  though 
it  may  be  cultivated  and  increased  very  much  when  the  germ 
is  once  there. 

It  is  the  grand  object  of  these  exhibitions  to  cherish   that 
honorable    pride,   and   that   spirit  of  emulation,  which  add  so 


188  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

much  value  to  our  work.  We  desire  to  arouse  a  zeal  which 
shall  stimulate  the  artizan  to  produce  something  more  than  a 
mere  marketable  article,  something  which  shall  be  at  once  gen- 
uine and  beautiful,  wrought  out  too  as  with  the  laborer's  whole 
heart,  finished  "  to  the  nail,"  substantial  and  graceful, — the  real 
thing  and  no  passable  imitation  of  it.  We  need  some  offset 
to  the  fierce  competitions  of  trade,  the  tendency  of  which  is 
to  reduce  the  real  worth  of  manufactured  articles,  and  sacrifice 
much  to  the  mere  outside  gloss,  whilst  the  essential  elements 
are  overlooked.  There  must  be  such  occasions  to  arouse  men 
to  a  sense  of  professional  honor,  and  to  suggest  the  question, 
"  whether  amongst  the  hazards  of  business  life,  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  venture  something  for  the  sake  of  gaining  arepvUation 
as  a  thorough  workman  ?  "  Is  it  not  far  better  to  pay  a  fair 
price  for  a  genuine  article,  than  to  receive  for  a  comparatively 
small  sum  what  would  be  dear  though  it  cost  nothing  ?  That 
would  be  the  most  generous  and  profitable  competition,  which 
should  aim  to  add  the  utmost  grace  and  beauty  to  common 
materials.  Who  does  not  know,  yet  how  many  do  not  realize, 
that  a  graceful  chair  or  table  of  oak  is  infinitely  to  be  desired, 
before  a  tasteless  structure  of  mahogany  or  rose  wood? 
Schools  of  design  are  greatly  needed  in  our  new  land.  We 
earnestly  hope  that  the  beginning  of  such  institutions  for  men, 
and  we  are  happy  to  add  for  women,  which  are  now  enjoyed, 
may  be  fostered  to  a  strong  and  serviceable  maturity.  The 
common  mechanic  requires  the  instruction  which  is  to  be 
gained  in  such  institutions;  it  is  just  what  is  needed  to  change 
our  ugly  houses  of  four  stories  or  of  one  story,  into  graceful 
dwellings,  and  to  shape  the  plainest  cottage  furniture  into 
graceful  outlines. 

It  is  an  interesting  feature  in  these  shows,  that  for  the  most 
part,  articles  of  moderate  cost  and  universal  utility  are  brought 
under  our  notice.  We  are  not  called  upon  to  admire,  with 
misgivings,  the  exquisite  workmanship  of  most  costly  and  luxu- 
rious articles,  which  too  often  only  help  to  cherish  an  insane 
taste  for  display,  and  must  be  out  of  the  reach  of  all  save  the 
wealthiest.  Not  that  elegant  and  costly  articles  are  not  to  be 
made  ;   on  the  contrary,  there  are  those  who  are  sent  into  the 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  189 

world  to  produce  them,  and  they  answer  important  purposes  ; 
but  except  in  a  highly  artificial  state  of  society,  where  great 
inequalities  of  condition  prevail,  they  must  needs  be  rare,  and 
ought,  perhaps,  in  any  case,  to  be  rather  the  pride  of  the  pub- 
lic, in  halls  of  state,  schools  and  churches,  than  the  boast  of 
individuals.  It  is  a  happy  condition  of  things,  let  the  connois- 
seur complain  as  he  may,  when  the  industry  of  a  country  can 
be  profitably  directed  to  the  production  of  articles  which  may 
gain  a  place  in  the  cottage  as  well  as  in  the  palace,  and  will 
help  to  make  the  life  of  the  laborer  comfortable  and  free.  For 
this  reason,  we  like  to  see  substantial  woolens  rather  than  costly 
brocades ;  a  plain  strong  chair  rather  than  a  curiously  wrought 
lounge,  too  beautiful  to  remain  uncovered  except  on  great  state 
occasions ;  a  well  shaped  spade  or  axe  or  saw  rather  than  an  ele- 
gant and  costly  jewel.  In  our  circumstances  we  are  bound  to 
strive  after  a  beautiful  simplicity,  to  set  the  seal  of  genius  upon 
coarse  and  common  materials,  to  make  pine  wood  classic,  and 
arrange  linsey  woolsey  into  graceful  folds. 

Articles  of  strictly  domestic  manufacture  are  of  course  be- 
coming less  numerous,  as  our  manufacturing  establishments  in- 
crease. The  fire-sides  are  gone,  in  these  days  of  stoves,  and 
the  old  fire-side  occupations  are  gone  with  them.  The  work 
which  is  done  after  the  household  labors  have  been  discharged 
in  our  farm  houses,  is  performed  under  the  direction  of  large 
establishments  in  town  or  country,  and  is  too  suggestive  of 
masses  and  of  competition  to  remitid  one  of  the  spinning  wheel 
and  distaff.  It  is  pleasant,  however,  to  know  that  a  portion  of 
the  work  done  in  our  busy  time  can  be  performed  at  home,  to 
relieve  the  monotony  and  fill  up  the  intervals  of  domestic  life, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  to  do  away  with  any  necessity  for  en- 
tirely deserting  the  parental  roof  in  search  of  a  livelihood.  It 
is  vain  to  fight  against  Providence  ;  it  is  wise  to  direct  as  we 
best  can  the  great  tide  of  civilization.  Labor  in  cottages,  labor 
by  hand  of  all  sorts,  we  can  return  to  if  we  choose,  but  who 
will  choose  so  to  do  ?  We  are  not  insensible  to  the  many 
evils  which  infest  manufacturing  neighborhoods,  but  exclu- 
sively farming  regions  have  never  so  far  raised  themselves 
above  our  common  humanity  as  to  be  faultless,  free  from  social 


190  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

vice,  and  we  must  infuse  such  wiser  and  better  life  as  we  have 
into  the  civilization  that  must  be,  and  wait  patiently  until  it 
comes  of  age,  and  can  prove  that  goodness  and  beauty  were 
not  exhausted  by  the  world  of  our  fathers,  but  can  be  realized 
even  within  the  precincts  of  the  huge  factory,  and  within  sound 
of  the  heavy  bell. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  commend  the  subject  of  domestic 
manufactures  to  the  residents  of  Old  Hampshire.  They  were 
by  no  means  the  last  to  occupy  the  new  ground  of  skilful  in- 
dustry, which  has  been  opened  in  these  modern  times.  Though 
they  have  been  outstripped  of  late  in  the  magnificence  of 
great  establishments,  the  cities  of  mills  that  have  risen  like 
magic  upon  the  shores  of  the  New  England  rivers,  yet  the 
wollens,  cutlery  and  paper,  and  silk,  buttons  and  brooms  of 
Hampshire,  have  long  been  and  still  are  established  favorites 
in  the  great  markets ;  and  we  can  show  an  increase  in  the  num- 
ber and  extent  of  manufacturing  establishments.  We  wish  that 
we  could  say  as  much  of  the  manufactured  articles  on  exhibi- 
tion at  our  Fairs. 

RUFUS  ELLIS,   Chairman. 

D.  Stehhins^s  Statement. 

I  present  for  the  examination  of  those  interested  in  the  silk 
culture,  fifty  samples  of  silk  made  in  Persia,  with  the  several 
prices,  for  the  Russian  market,  affixed  on  cards.  Also  a  card 
containing  American  and  foreign  reeled  silk,  floss,  and  cocoons  ; 
also  an  impression  of  Canton  foliage  leaf,  9  by  7  inches,  grown 
the  present  year  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  the  product  of  stock  sent 
there  from  Northampton,  to  commence  a  mulberry  plantation. 
Another  large  shipment  of  trees  and  seed  for  several  acres,  was 
made  the  4th  inst.,  in  the  hope  that  this  may  form  a  nucleus  to 
overspread  the  country  with  something  more  useful  than  Cali- 
fornia dust.  Our  soil  and  climate  are  propitious  to  the  growth 
of  the  mulberry  ;  our  industrial  habits  and  mechanical  tact  are 
adapted  to  make  this  country  the  emporium  of  silk  culture. 

The  object  of  mulberry  plantations  at  St.  Louis,  is  not  only 
for  feeding  silk  worms  and  reeling  silk  for  market,  but  to  use 
the  annual  stalks,  after  feeding,  to  make  bark  silk,  a  sample  of 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  191 

which,  in  the  shape  of  a  child's  apron,  is  exhibited  with  the 
raw  material  from  Sumatra.  The  stripes  are  of  different  colors, 
showing  the  adaptation  of  bark  silk  to  take  any  color.  The 
Pongee  silk  of  our  stores,  is  made  of  mulberry  bark,  and  is  not 
spun  by  the  silk  worm,  The  old  fashioned  bark  silk  handker- 
chiefs, are  made  of  the  fibres  of  mulberry  bark,  manufactured 
in  the  East  Indies. 

A  pair  of  socks,  spun  from  the  threads  of  perforated  cocoons, 
and  knit  the  present  year  by  Mrs.  Sophia  Wright,  of  this  town, 
are  among  the  silk  articles  presented  at  the  exhibition. 

Northampton,  Oct.  8,  1851. 


Reclaimed  Meadows. 

The  premium  of  $10  was  awarded  to  Samuel  Powers,  of 
Hadley. 

Samuel  Poivers^s  Statemenc. 

The  swamp,  which  I  have  reclaimed  and  entered  for  pre- 
mium, is  situated  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  on  the  road  leading  from 
Hadley  to  Amherst,  and  previous  to  my  efforts  at  reclaiming,  it 
was  completely  filled  with  water,  flowing  from  springs,  which 
were  abundant  along  the  base  of  the  hill.  Its  soil  is  of  that 
kind  denominated  peat,  and  is  formed  of  the  accumulation  of 
vegetable  matter  during  a  long  series  of  years,  until  it  is  now 
several  feet  in  depth. 

This  mass  of  matter  lies  upon  a  subsoil,  which  is  so  very 
hard  that  a  plough  will  make  no  impression  upon  it ;  therefore 
what  manure  is  put  upon  it  will  endure  a  long  time,  as  it  can- 
not waste  by  percolation,  or  leaching,  as  it  is  sometimes  called. 
It  is  also  of  itself  a  valuable  fertilizer,  and  we  yearly  use  large 
quantities  of  it  upon  lands  of  an  opposite  nature. 

It  was  of  the  first  importance  that  the  land  be  cleared  of 
water,  and  to  accomplish  this  I  ran  a  ditch  fifty-five  rods  in 
length,  and  from  two  to  three  feet  in  depth,  along  the  foot  of 
the  hill,  in  order  to  cut  off  the  springs.  As  the  land  was  more 
elevated  in  the  centre,  I  found  it  necessary  to  surround  about 
eight  acres  with  a  deep  thorough  ditch,  thereby  concentrating 


192  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN  AND 

the  water  which  covered  the  lower  parts  and  carrying  it  com- 
pletely away.  The  land  was  then  left  to  drain  one  year,  after 
which  the  swampy  part  of  it  was  sufficiently  firm  to  support 
the  weight  of  a  heavy  team,  consisting  of  three  yokes  of  oxen, 
a  large  plough  and  three  men,  who  were  able  by  much  hard 
labor°to  plough  one  acre  in  three  days,  or  at  about  that  rate. 
The  work  was  thoroughly  done  and  the  sods  turned  completely 
upside  down,  to  the  depth  of  eighteen  inches  or  more. 

The  following  spring  I  worked  a  large  cultivator,  drawn  by 
two  pairs  of  oxen,  upon  the  surface,  and  then  used  a  fine  sharp 
tooth  harrow  for  breaking  the  lumps  of  earth  ;  after  which  I 
planted  it  with  potatoes.  The  crop  was  very  abundant,  and 
larger  than  any  crop  I  had  ever  raised.  The  year  after,  I 
ploughed  it  with  a  pair  of  horses,  and  not  wishing  to  disturb 
the  old  sod  previously  turned  under,  I  did  not  suffer  the  plough 
to  run  so  deep  as  before.  After  harrowing  it  and  gathering  up 
the  stumps  and  rubbish  that  usually  cover  the  surface  of  new 
land,  it  presented  a  smooth  and  beautiful  appearance.  The 
manure  I  applied  was  a  compost  of  ashes,  lime  and  plaster,  the 
principal  ingredient  being  ashes.  Of  this  I  put  a  single  hand- 
ful in  each  hill,  and  immediately  planted  Indian  corn.  The 
next  year  I  planted  broom  corn  and  put  five  loads  of  fine  ma- 
nure in  the  hills.  The  yield  was  fully  equal  to  that  of  the 
best  and  most  valuable  lands  in  this  vicinity. 

The  receipts  from  the  five  acres,  treated  in  this  manner,  for 
the  first  three  years  of  their  improvement,  after  making  a  lib- 
eral allowance  for  all  expense  of  labor  and  manure,  are  $80, 
over  and  above  the  expenditures,  reckoning  the  products  at 
their  market  value. 

Since  that  time,  I  have  planted  it  with  broom  corn  every 
year,  using  five  or  six  loads  of  manure  to  the  acre,  and  have 
never  failed  of  realizing  a  handsome  crop,  with  the  exception 
of  the  past  season,  which  is  a  remarkable  one  throughout 
this  whole  region,  on  account  of  the  failure  of  this  crop.  The 
land  is  now  entirely  reclaimed  from  its  original  worthless  con- 
dition, and  is  as  valuable  and  productive  as  any  we  have. 

I  will  now  give  an  account  of  the  other  part  of  this  piece, 
containing   about   three    acres,    and    which    was   so   elevated 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  193 

above  the  surrounding  swamp  as  to  be  perfectly  dry  of  itself, 
although  surrounded  by  water.  Its  soil  was  also  of  an  entirely 
different  nature  from  the  rest  of  the  meadow,  being  of  a  fine 
heavy  loam,  but  from  its  nearness  to  the  dead  swamp  water, 
was  entirely  without  life,  so  that  the  crop  of  corn  and  pota- 
toes, which  were  planted  upon  it,  did  not  flourish  much,  al- 
though the  land  was  manured  well  in  the  ordinary  way.  I 
therefore  concluded  that  barnyard  manure  was  not  adapted  to 
the  nature  of  the  soil,  and  so  resolved  to  make  some  experiments 
upon  it,  in  order  to  discover  the  mode  of  treatment  which  it 
required. 

In  the  fall  of  1849,  I  made  a  pile  of  about  100  loads  of  com- 
post, by  digging  peat  from  the  swamp,  to  which  I  added  100  lbs. 
of  saltpetre,  30  bushels  of  ashes,  and  between  400  and  500  lbs. 
of  plaster,  and  spread  it  evenly  over  the  surface  of  the  whole 
heap.  The  next  spring  I  carted  the  compost  upon  the  lot,  and 
spread  it  over  the  whole  field  at  the  rate  of  30  loads  to  the 
acre,  the  expense  of  the  whole  operation  being  from  twenty-five 
to  thirty  cents  per  load.  I  then  planted  it  to  corn,  and  applied 
five  loads  of  manure  per  acre  in  the  hill,  for  the  purpose  of 
starting  the  crop.  I  soon  found  this  way  of  treating  the  land 
to  be  eminently  successful ;  for  it  enabled  me  to  gather  a  har- 
vest of  forty  bushels  to  the  acre. 

At  the  last  hoeing,  in  July,  I  sowed  the  ground  with  clover, 
herds-grass  and  red-top  seed,  and  the  following  year  (1851) 
mowed  a  fine  crop  of  the  best  quality  of  hay,  and  it  now  pre- 
sents a  favorable  appearance  for  future  productiveness.  The 
great  difficulty  with  this  piece  of  land  in  years  past  has  been, 
that  it  was  so  subject  to  be  thrown  up  by  the  frost  as  to  render  it 
difficult  for  seeds  to  take  root.  But  this  seems  to  be  obviated 
by  a  free  use  of  compost,  and  by  following  this  course  I  hope 
entirely  to  do  it  away. 

Hadley,   Oct.  20,  1851. 


25 


194  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

Grain  Crops, 
There  was  awarded  to  Silas  Robinson,  of  Woithing- 

ton,  for  a  wheat  crop,  a  gratuity  of,       .  .  .       $5  00 

George  Dickinson,  of  Hadley,  for  rye  crop,  do,,         .         3  GO 
Christopher  and    Austin  Wright,  Northampton,    oat, 

wheat  and  rye  crops,     .  .         .         .         •  .       20  00 

Silas  Rohinsoii's  Statement. 

I  enter  for  premium  a  crop  of  spring  wheat.  The  crop  covered 
one  and  one  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land,  which  had  been 
in  grass  several  years  and  become  sward-bound,  and  was 
managed  as  follows : — In  the  autumn  of  1848,  I  turned  over 
the  sward  and  let  it  lie  till  the  next  spring,  when  I  harrowed 
the  surface  thoroughly  without  disturbing  the  surface,  and 
planted  it  without  any  manure,  partly  with  Merino  and  partly 
with  Carter  potatoes,  and  gathered  in  the  fall  125  bushels  of 
the  former,  and  75  bushels  of  the  latter.  After  digging  the 
potatoes,  I  ploughed  the  land  and  let  it  lie  till  the  next  spring. 

I  then  (1850)  spread  over  the  land  37  cart  loads  of  coarse  barn- 
yard manure  and  ploughed  it  in  ;  put  in  the  hills  eleven  loads 
of  compost  manure,  and  planted  it  with  corn  and  beans,  and  in 
the  autumn  gathered  60  bushels  of  corn  to  the  acre  and  seven 
bushels  of  beans.     After  harvest,  I  again  ploughed  the  land. 

The  30th  of  April  last,  I  sowed  the  land  with  1^  bushels  of 
clean  Black  Sea  wheat  to  the  acre,  without  any  manure  what- 
ever. The  seed  was  soaked  in  common  brine  and  rolled  in 
fine  slacked  \\me.  The  crop  was  harvested  August  23d,  and 
threshed  and  measured  371  bushels. 

I  have  been  on  this  farm  six  years,  and  have  raised  wheat 
every  year,  and  this  is  the  smallest  crop  but  one  that  I  have 
gathered.  I  have  been  induced  to  offer  this  for  a  premium,  in 
the  hope  of  stimulating  other  farmers  to  cultivate  the  wheat 
crop,  believing  that  it  is  for  their  interest  to  raise  their  bread, 
rather  than  pay  others  to  do  it  for  them.  Several  of  my  neigh- 
bors have  for  a  number  of  years  cultivated  this  crop  with  nearly 
the  same  success  as  myself 

WORTHINGTOX.    Oct.    13,    1851. 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  196 

George   Dickinson^s  Statement. 

The  field  contains  4^  acres,  lying  on  the  north  side  of  the 
Great  Meadow,  so  called,  in  Hadley,  contiguous  to  the  river. 
The  last  crop  of  rye  previous  to  this,  was  taken  from  the  land 
in  1848.  The  stubble  was  ploughed  in  during  the  fall.  In 
the  spring  of  1S49,  it  was  manured  with  barnyard  manure,  at 
the  rate  of  eight  loads  to  the  acre  ;  a  part  of  it  was  ploughed 
in,  a  part  cultivated  and  harrowed.  It  was  planted  to  corn, 
broom  corn  and  potatoes,  yielding  a  fair  crop  of  the  two  former, 
but  the  crop  of  Indian  corn  was  light.  In  the  spring  of  1850, 
the  stalks  being  burnt  off,  the  land  was  ploughed  from  six  to 
nine  inches  deep,  and  manured  with  stubble  manure,  spread 
and  harrowed  in,  at  the  rate  of  thirteen  loads  to  the  acre,  and 
planted  with  Indian  corn.  A  part  of  the  seed  failed  ;  the  crows 
and  worms  took  their  share,  so  that  the  field  was  very  poorly 
stocked,  yielding  only  about  twenty-eight  bushels  to  the  acre. 
The  ground  was  then  ploughed  from  eight  to  ten  inches  deep, 
and  sown  with  rye  one  bushel  to  the  acre,  September  2 1st. 
The  crop  was  harvested  last  July,  and  yielded  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five  bushels,  or  thirty  and  six-sevenths  bushels  to 
the  acre,  at  a  cost  of  fifty-six  cents  the  bushel,  including  half 
the  cost  of  the  manure  applied  the  present  year. 

Hadley,  Nov.,  1851. 

Christopher  and  Austin  IVrighVs  Statement. 
We  off'er  for  premium  the  following  crops;  first,  a  crop  of 
oats  raised  on  one  acre  and  seventy-one  rods  of  land.  In  the 
spring  of  1849,  this  lot  was  turfed,  ploughed  and  planted  to 
broom  corn  ;  used  ashes  and  not  any  manure  ;  obtained  from 
800  to  900  pounds  of  brush  to  the  acre.  In  the  spring  of 
1850,  ploughed  the  broom  stalks  under,  with  fifteen  to  eighteen 
loads  of  green  manure,  and  planted  to  Indian  corn  and  pota- 
toes, and  received  a  very  good  crop.  Last  spring  ploughed, 
sowed  and  rolled  the  same  to  oats,  sowing  (April  12th)  three 
bushels  of  oats  to  the  acre.  Obtained  ninety-one  bushels,  or 
about  sixty-three  bushels  per  acre.  The  oats  were  cut  July 
29th  ;  straw  rather  green. 


196  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

In  the  next  place,  we  ofler  two  acres  and  ten  rods  of  rye  and 
wheat,  in  equal  proportions.  This  lot  was  precisely  as  the 
other  in  regard  to  turf.  In  1849,  planted  to  broom  corn,  and 
obtained  2188  pounds  of  brush  upon  the  same.  In  1850, 
ploughed  under  the  broom  stalks  with  green  manure,  about  the 
same  as  above,  and  planted  with  corn,  which  was  cut  up  15th 
September  following.  September  20th,  ploughed  and  sowed 
to  wheat  and  rye,  one  and  a  half  bushels  of  wheat  being 
sowed  to  the  acre,  and  one  bushel  and  four  quarts  of  rye  to  the 
acre.  Cut  the  same  from  July  17th  to  19th,  it  being  very 
green.  The  berry  was  very  soft.  It  laid  out  one  week  before 
being  housed.  Threshed  it  out  by  hand.  The  whole  amount 
of  wheat  and  rye  was  eighty-four  and  one-half  bushels ;  forty- 
three  and  one-half  bushels  of  wheat,  and  forty-one  bushels  of 
rye,  measured  running  from  the  mill,  to  the  half  bushel. 
These  lots  of  land  lie  in  Northampton  meadows,  the  one  called 
the  Wright  lot,  and  the  other  the  Pomeroy  lot. 

NOKTHAMPTON,    NoV.^    1851. 


Root  Crops. 

To  William  P.  Dickinson  was  awarded  the  premium  on 
carrots,  $6. 

William  P.  Dickinson's  Statement. 

The  crop  of  carrots  I  offer  for  premium,  was  grown  upon  a 
quarter  of  an  acre  of  ground,  which  is  set  to  young  fruit  trees. 
It  has  been  planted  with  potatoes  for  three  years,  and  well 
manured.  Last  April,  I  spread  on  seven  loads  of  manure,  and 
ploughed  it  in,  eight  inches  deep.  About  the  middle  of  May, 
I  ploughed  the  land  into  ridges  and  sowed  upon  the  top  of 
them.     It  was  hoed  three  times,  and  harvested  in  November. 

The  whole  amount  was  as  follows  : — 
60  bushels  carrots,  (50  pounds  each,)  30  cts.,  -     ,f  18  00 

One-third  of  the  manure  to  next  crop,       -         -         -         2  33 

$20  33 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  197 

Expense  of  cultivation  : — 

Manure  and  seed,             -         -  -         -  -  $7  50 

Ploughing  and  harrowing,       -  -         -  -  75 

Drilling  and  sowing,       -         -  -         -  -  1  00 

Hoeing  and  harvesting,            -  -         -  -  5  00 

14  25 


Profit,  -         -         -       |6  08 

Owing  to  the  fact  of  some  potatoes  growing  in  the  rows, 
some  of  them  were  not  fully  stocked.  I  had  ten  bushels  of 
potatoes  on  the  same,  which  were  worth  $7  50. 

Theophilus  P.  Huntington's  Statement. 

I  offer  for  premium,  a  crop  of  flat  English  turnips,  one  hun- 
dred  and  eighty  bushels  of  fifty-two  pounds  each,  raised  on 
less  than  sixty  rods  of  land.  After  harvesting  a  crop  of  winter 
wheat,  which  yielded  about  twenty-five  bushels  per  acre,  I 
ploughed  in,  July  24th,  fourteen  horse-loads  of  compost  manure  ; 
on  the  25th,  harrowed  in  thirteen  horse-loads  more,  sowed  in 
drills  twenty  inches  apart  and  rolled.  As  soon  as  the  plants 
were  large  enough,  they  were  thinned  to  stand  one  foot  apart 
in  the  row. 

They  were  hoed  once  more  and  left  till  harvest  time.  Then, 
with  a  sharp  hoe,  the  tops  were  cut  and  afterwards  they  were 
dug  and  thrown  together  with  the  same  implement.  The  ex- 
penses of  cultivation,  including  seven  dollars  for  manure-, 
amounted  to  $14.  One  hundred  and  eighty  bushels  of  turnips, 
at  \2h  cents,  $22  50. 

We  see  by  this  account,  that  twenty-five  bushels  of  wheat, 
and  five  hundred  bushels  of  turnips  may  be  produced  from  an 
acre  of  land  in  one  season,  worth  one  hundred  dollars.  If  our 
brother  farmers,  who  are  now  engaged  in  the  culture  of  tobacco, 
could  be  induced  to  devote  their  rich  land  and  manure  to  the 
raising  of  crops  useful  to  man  or  beast,  perhaps  they  would 
be  as  well  prepared  to  account  for  the  manner  in  which  they 
had  "dressed  and  kept"  the  little  portion  of  earth  entrusted  to 
them,  notwithstanding  their  purses  should  not  be  so  well  filled. 

Hadley.  Dec.  26th.  1851. 


198  HAMPSHIRE,  FRANKLIN,  AND 

Orchakds. 

There  was  awarded  for  apple  orchards, 

To  John  L.  Morton,    2d  premium,          -         -         -  $6  00 

"  Daniel  L.  Smith,  3d          "                  .         -         .  4  00 

"  Ephraim  Montague,  Belchertown,  peach  orchard,  3  00 

John  L.  Morton's  Statement. 

The  orchard  presented  by  me  for  premium,  was  set  out  in 
October,  1849,  on  light  sandy  land,  in  a  low  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. It  had  been  tilled  for  a  long  time,  and  would  perhaps 
have  produced  fifteen  bushels  of  corn  per  acre,  without  manure. 

In  digging  the  holes  for  the  trees,  I  took  off  the  soil,  and 
placed  it  one  side  by  itself.  Holes  two  feet  in  depth  by  three 
in  breadth.  Before  setting  the  trees,  I  put  into  the  holes  green 
manure,  the  scrapings  from  under  an  old  barn,  and  from  a  chip 
yard.  On  setting  the  trees,  with  my  fingers  I  carefully  placed 
the  roots,  and  thoroughly  covered  them  with  the  soil,  (that  had 
been  laid  aside,)  until  the  tree  was  firmly  set,  when  the  sub- 
soil was  thrown  upon  the  top.  Of  eighty  trees  set  in  this  man- 
ner, not  one  failed,  and  many  of  them  grew  from  three  to  four 
feet  the  next  season. 

I  have  since  given  them  four  light  top  dressings  of  compost, 
varying  in  quality.  The  first  two  years,  the  compost  applied 
was  from  the  hog  yard,  without  being  dug  in  and  mixed  with 
the  soil.  The  last  two  years,  I  have  been  more  particular  in 
the  selection  as  well  as  the  application  of  the  dressing.  It 
consisted  of  green  manure  and  chip  manure,  of  equal  parts,  to 
which  were  added  lime,  ashes  and  plaster,  and  was  carefully 
dug  in.  The  trees  have  been  pruned  in  June.  In  hoeing  the 
crops,  I  have  uniformly  hoed  the  trees. 

Daniel  L.  SmitJi's  Stateinent. 
In  the  spring  of  1844,  my  father  gave  me  about  two  and  a 
half  acres  of  land,  with  the  understanding  that  I  should  prepare 
and  set  it  out  to  apple  trees.  This  land  was  then  valued  by 
him  at  ten  dollars  per  acre,  it  having  formerly  been  sowed  to 
rye  until  it  was  worn  out.     I  commenced  by  ploughing  it  very 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  199 

deep.     The  first  three  years  I  planted  it  to  corn  and  potatoes, 
putting  on  about  twelve  loads  of  manure  each  year. 

In  the  fall  of  1847  and  spring  of  1848,  I  set  out  my  trees 
two  rods  apart  each  way,  buying  about  one  half  from  the 
nursery,  and  the  other  half  digging  up  about  the  lots,  and 
engrafting  myself,  at  the  ground.  I  tilled  the  ground  for  two 
years  as  before,  and  then  seeded  it  down.  The  manure  used 
about  the  trees  was  compost  and  wood  ashes.  I  put  a  small 
quantity  in  the  hole,  at  the  time  of  setting. 

For  a  wash,  I  used  weak  ley.  My  trees  are  not  os  uniform 
in  size  as  they  would  have  been,  had  they  all  been  purchased 
at  the  nursery.  The  land  is  now  worth  two  hundred  dollars 
per  acre.  I  set  out  peach  trees  between  some  of  the  apple 
trees.  Last  year  I  sold  twenty  dollars'  worth  of  peaches  from 
these  trees,  besides  having  a  supply  for  my  own  use.  The 
apple  trees  have  just  begun  to  bear.  I  have  cut  on  this  land 
two  tons  of  hay  per  acre,  for  the  two  years  past. 

Northampton,  Sept.  19,  1851. 

Ephraim  Mojilague's  Statement. 
My  orchard  consists  of  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
apple  trees  and  nine  hundred  peach  trees,  the  greater  part  of 
w^hich  have  been  set  out  since  1845.  The  land  is  naturally 
stony,  had  been  cultivated  several  years,  and  being  on  a  side- 
hill,  and  but  poorly  manured,  is  not  very  rich.  In  some  places, 
the  heavy  rains  have  washed  nearly  all  the  soil  from  the  solid 
rock,  of  which  the  hill  is  composed.  Still,  I  think  the  soil  and 
location  are  favorable  for  peach  trees,  as  they  show  by 
their  vigorous  growth  and  their  present  healthy  and  thriving 
appearance,  although  they  have  had  no  manure  but  ashes, 
plaster  and  a  little  lime.  The  ground  has  been  cultivated 
every  year. 

The  apple  trees  are  set  two  rods  apart  each  way,  and  the 
peach  trees  between,  leaving  the  rows  one  rod  apart,  and  the 
trees  half  a  rod  apart  in  the  row.  I  have  occupied  the  ground 
between  the  rows  as  a  nursery. 

I  wash  my  trees  often,  as  recommended  in  Cole's  Fruit  Book, 
as  I  think  it  not  only  promotes  the  growth  of  the   tree,  but  is 


200     HAMP.,  FRANKLIN,  &  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

preventive  of  the  ravages  of  the  borer.  I  practise  the  "  short- 
ening in  "  system  of  pruning  the  peach  tree,  believing  it  to  be 
by  far  the  best  method  to  promote  the  health  and  beauty  of  the 
tree,  and  also  the  size  and  quality  of  the  fruit.  Some  of  my 
"  Early  Crawford  "  peaches,  that  grew  on  trees  thus  trimmed, 
measured  nine  inches  in  circumference,  and  weighed  seven 
ounces.  Forty-five  peaches  filled  a  peck  measure,  well  round- 
ed, weighing  twelve  and  three-fourths  pounds,  which  is  more 
than  four  and  a  half  ounces  each  on  an  average. 

I  have  another  field  that  was  set  out  in  1849,  with  three 
hundred  and  forty  peach,  and  sixty  apple  trees.  I  planted 
potatoes  between  the  rows  the  first  year,  and  after  hoeing  once 
or  twice  the  second  year,  I  sowed  buckwheat  between  the 
rows,  and  did  not  hoe  them  again,  until  after  haying  this  year, 
and  about  one  quarter  of  the  field,  I  have  not  yet  hoed,  design- 
ing to  leave  it  without  cultivation,  to  ascertain  what  will  be 
the  effect  upon  the  growth  of  the  tree  and  produce  of  fruit. 
So  far  as  my  experience  extends,  I  am  decidedly  in  favor  of 
thorough  cultivation,  judicious  annual  pruning  and  washing  of 
the  trees,  together  with  a  top-dressing  of  ashes,  lime,  &-c.,  as 
indispensable  pre-requisites  to  a  vigorous  and  productive  or- 
chard. My  principal  varieties  are  the  Early  Crawford,  Yellow 
Rareripe,  and  Royal  George,  which  I  consider  the  most  profit- 
able for  market. 

Belchertown,  Oct,  6,  1851. 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  201 


HAMPDEN  COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


In  presenting  the  transactions  of  this  society  for  the  current 
year,  its  directors  say, — Let  our  first  expression  be  gratitude  for 
the  manifestations  of  mercy  and  kindness  received  from  the 
benevolent  Author  of  all  good  gifts,  whose  protecting  care  has 
preserved  us  as  in  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and  has  crowned  our 
labors  with  uncommon  rewards.  We  have  literally  "  sat  under 
our  own  vines  and  fruit  trees,  with  none  to  molest  or  make  us 
afraid."  Truly  may  we  say,  our  lines  have  fallen  to  us  in  pleas- 
ant places,  and  we  have  a  goodly  heritage  ;  our  garners  are  fall, 
— our  baskets  with  corn,  and  our  measures  with  the  oil  of  fat 
things.  It  is  with  such  feelings  that  we  would  commence  the 
record  of  our  annual  exhibition.  This  society  has  been  organ-^ 
ized  seven  years,  and  has  never  before  furnished  the  members 
with  a  copy  of  its  transactions,  by  which  to  form  an  estimate 
of  its  past  progress,  or  compare  the  present  with  its  future  suc- 
cess. This  consideration,  with  the  fact,  that  many  who  feel  a 
deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  society  would  like  to  refer  to 
some  particular  circumstance  which  transpired  at  these  interest- 
ing anniversaries,  or  would  like  to  re-peruse  the  detail  of  events 
and  circumstances  which  then  and  there  took  place,  and  which 
have  heretofore  reached  them  only  through  the  medium  of  a 
newspaper  column,  which  is  soon  lost  and  forgotten,  has  influ- 
enced the  directors  to  furnish  this  brief  abstract  of  the  doings  of 
the  society  for  the  present  year.  We  shall  not  attempt  to  re- 
kindle those  feelings  of  enthusiasm,  which  animated  every  one 
who  witnessed  the  deeply  interesting  circumstances  of  our  ex- 
hibition, by  presenting  a  full  description  of  each  article  under 
its  appropriate  head,  but  shall  let  the  awarding  committees  tell 
their  own  story. 

It  is  said  that  we  live  in  an  age  of  improvement.     And  if  we 
compare  the  implements  of  husbandry  of  the  present  day  with 
those  our  fathers  labored  with  ;  the  products  of  the  same  fields 
26 


202  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY, 

of  those  days  with  the  present ;  or  the  comforts  and  conven- 
iences of  our  buildings  for  man  and  beast,  with  those  which 
once  were,  we  may  well  say,  it  is  the  age  of  progress.  But  it 
is  not  our  purpose  to  contrast  our  superior  accommodations  and 
facilities,  or  our  greater  comforts,  with  those  who,  with  much 
patience  and  long  endurance,  prepared  the  path,  that  our  feet 
might  stand  secure,  but  rather,  that  we  may  the  more  fully 
realize  the  important  truth,  that  "  where  much  is  given,  much 
will  be  required." 

The  deep  interest  which  is  manifesting  itself  in  the  various 
branches  of  agricultural  pursuits  in  our  Commonwealth,  is  al- 
ready producing  developments  too  important  to  be  overlooked 
with  indiiference.  The  ungenial  climate  and  the  stubborn  soil 
which  characterize  our  New  England  farms,  are  the  obstacles 
we  have  to  encounter  in  the  production  of  the  finer  fruits  and 
richer  grain  of  milder  climes,  and  the  virgin  soil  of  more  favored 
latitudes  ;  and  yet  the  unsubdued  patience,  and  unyielding  per- 
severance of  our  hardy  sons  of  labor,  seem  to  have  almost  over- 
come these  difficulties,  if  we  were  permitted  to  form  our  opin- 
ion from  the  samples  of  each  on  exhibition,  at  our  last  show  and 
fair.  Sustained  and  encouraged  in  every  attempt  to  elevate 
the  character  of  the  husbandman,  to  facilitate  his  labors,  to  in- 
crease his  products  and  his  profits,  by  the  liberal  endowments 
of  a  parental  government,  the  farmers  of  Hampden  will  re- 
spond to  their  obligations,  by  their  constant  and  unwavering 
eff"orts  to  cultivate  and  improve  "  the  mind  and  the  soil "  of 
their  favored  home. 

The  show  of  this  society  was  held  at  Springfield,  on  Wed- 
nesday and  Thursday,  the  1st  and  2d  days  of  October  last. 
Never,  on  any  previous  occasion,  was  the  county  of  Hampden 
better  represented  in  men,  women,  animals,  fruit  and  articles  of 
domestic  manufacture.  The  cattle  show  was  opened  at  ten 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  the  first  day  ;  each  grade  under  its  respective 
banner,  and  so  arranged  that  each  viewing  committee  could 
readily  find  and  carefully  examine  the  class  of  animals  assigned 
to  it.  The  ploughing  match  came  ofi"  at  two  o'clock,  P.  M., 
about  half  a  mile  from  the  village,  and  attracted  a  large  assem- 
bly of  witnesses. 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  203 

On  Thursday,  the  second  day,  the  exhibition  of  horses  occu- 
pied the  time  till  nearly  noon.  There  were  eighty-two  entries 
of  horses,  embracing  ninety-five  animals.  The  address  was 
delivered  by  Professor  J.  P.  Norton,  of  Yale  College. 


Fat  Cattle. 

There  were  six  yoke  of  fat  cattle  presented,  either  of  which 
would  have  added  a  special  attraction  to  any  exhibition,  and 
few  and  far  between  are  the  opportunities  presented,  of  seeing 
at  any  one  view  on  our  show  ground,  twelve  head  of  cattle, 
carrying  from  twenty-two  to  twenty-five  hundred  pounds  of 
flesh  and  fat  each,  especially  at  this  season  of  the  year.  The  val- 
ley of  the  Connecticut  River,  has  long  sustained  the  reputation 
of  producing  the  choicest  stall-fed  beef  which  the  fastidious 
caterers  for  our  city  markets  could  obtain,  and  it  is  a  matter  of 
gratulation  that  Hampden  county  has  justly  acquired  the  repu- 
tation of  standing  in  the  front  rank,  for  prcducing  some  of  the 
finest  specimens  on  exhibition  there  ;  and  we  feel  fully  assured 
that  the  cattle  exhibited  here  to-day,  when  fully  prepared  by 
their  respective  owners  for  the  market,  will  sustain  the  reputa- 
tion already  acquired,  and  add  a  fresh  laurel  to  the  farmers  of 
Hampden. 

We  award  to 

George  Taylor,  of  Westfield,  1st  premium,  of    $8  00 
Charles  Fowler,  of         "  2d         "  -       7  00 

Seth  Bush,  of  "  3d         "  r       6  00 

The  attention  of  the  committee,  (after  finishing  the  duty 
assigned  them,)  was  arrested  by  the  appearance  of  five  yoke  of 
cattle,  owned  and  exhibited  by  Charles  and  John  Fowler,  of 
Westfield,  a  portion  of  which  had  been  entered  for  premium  as 
cattle  for  slaughter,  and  the  others  as  "  for  the  stall."  It  was 
our  unanimous  opinion  that  they  excelled  any  team  we  had 
ever  seen  as  belonging  to  any  one  farm,  and  although  not  a 
part  of  our  duty,  we  cannot  hesitate  to  pay  a  just  compliment 
to  the  spirit  of  enterprise  and  emulation  which  is  manifested 


204  HAMPDEN    SOCIETY. 

by  the  farmers  of  Westfield,  and  confidently  express  the  hope 
that  the  same  spirit  will  continue  to  manifest  itself  in  the 
heart  and  action  of  every  member  of  this  society. 

CYRUS  FRINK,  >  Committee 

SYLVESTER  TAYLOR,  C  ^'>^"""*'«- 


Working  Oxen. 

The  committee  on  working  oxen,  six  years  old  and  upward, 
(Bildad  B.  Belcher,  chairman,)  say,  fifteen  yokes  were  entered 
for  premium.  The  show  of  this  class  of  cattle  was  very  good, 
though,  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  hardly  equaling, 
either  in  grade  or  numbers,  that  of  some  former  years.  They 
were  all  in  excellent  condition,  and  had  the  appearance  of 
well-trained  animals.  We  would  ask  if  it  would  not  be  well 
to  have  this  latter  quality  tested  by  actual  experiment,  at  our 
shows  of  cattle  ?  We  have  no  desire  to  see  them  put  to  their 
utmost  strength  at  a  dead  lift.  We  merely  would  have  them 
draw  an  ordinary  load,  to  show  the  manner  of  their  training — 
whether  they  are  perfectly  obedient  to  the  word  of  command, 
to  haw  and  gee,  to  back  and  forward — that  they  are  indeed 
working  cattle,  designed  for  labor  rather  than  for  slaughter. 
Would  not  such  a  trial  add  somewhat  to  the  interest  of  the  oc- 
casion ?  We  think  it  would  enable  the  committees  on  these 
useful  and  noble  animals,  to  judge  much  better  of  the  actual 
and  full  merits  of  each  yoke. 

The  committee  on  working  oxen  five  years  old,  (Samuel 
Warner,  chairman,)  say,  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered  in 
the  examination  of  this  class  of  stock,  must  be  apparent  to 
every  one,  and  particularly  so  to  those  who  are  called  to  per- 
form the  duty.  This  class  of  stock  generally  constitutes  the 
largest  number  under  any  grade,  at  our  exhibitions,  and  amidst 
all  the  noise  and  bustle  attendant  upon  such  occasions,  and 
the  various  opinions  gratuitously  expressed  by  others  around 
them,  the  committee  feel  the  embarrassment,  in  its  full  force ; 
and  yet  these  constitute  but  a  portion  which  must  be  met.  It 
is  our  duty  to  judge  upon  them  as  worki?7.g  rattle.     And  how  are 


HAMPDEN    SOCIETY.  205 

we  to  know  anything  of  their  strength,  their  training,  or  their 
endurance  under  the  yoke,  or  the  amount  of  labor  actually  per- 
formed by  them  ?  Some  evidence  furnished  to  the  committee 
by  the  respective  owners  of  the  cattle,  on  this  point,  would 
enable  the  committee  to  come  to  a  more  just  conclusion  than 
can  be  expected  of  them  under  the  present  arrangement. 

The  committee  on  oxen  four  years  old,  (Joel  M.  Lyman, 
chairman,)  say,  the  whole  number  of  entries  under  this  grade 
was  fourteen,  and  it  was  a  matter  of  gratification  to  the  com- 
mittee, to  notice  the  decided  improvement  in  this  class  of 
stock.  It  has  been  truly  said  that  the  "ox  knoweth  his  own- 
er." And  it  is  equally  true,  that  no  animal  pays  his  owner 
better  wages  for  the  kind  care  and  treatment  he  receives,  than 
the  ox.  If  we  take  into  consideration  his  strong  constitution, 
his  teachable  disposition,  his  mildness  and  submission,  his  early 
maturity  for  labor,  the  profits  of  his  labor  during  his  growth, 
the  simplicity  and  cheapness  of  his  harness,  his  value  for  food 
after  having  "acted  well  his  part,"  are  important  considerations 
in  agricultural  economy,  and  we  commend  them  renewedly  to 
the  mind  and  judgment  of  every  practical  farmer. 


Milch  Cows. 

The  subject  presented  for  the  consideration  of  this  commit- 
tee, is  one  of  vast  and  increasing  importance  to  the  agriculturists 
of  Hampden  county ;  and  we  could  wish  it  had  fallen  to  abler 
hands  to  discuss  its  merits,  and  present  the  subject  in  its  true 
light  before  the  members  of  this  association. 

Although  we  cannot  compete  successfully  with  our  neigh- 
bors of  the  vast  west,  in  the  raising  of  grain,  to  any  great  ex- 
tent ;  we  may,  with  our  increasing  population,  and  numerous 
villages,  rely  upon  the  productions  of  the  cow,  and  find  a 
ready  market  for  those  articles  which  are  more  difficult  to 
transport. 

These  facts,  we  doubt  not,  are  understood  by  most  farmers, 
and  hence  the  great  itLcrease  in  the  number  of  cows  within  the 
limits  of  this  society.     But,  it  is  evident  there  are  other  facts, 


206  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

which  although  known  are  not  applied  and  brought  into  prac- 
tice to  such  an  extent  as  the  importance  of  the  subject  de- 
mands. We  refer  to  the  diiference  in  value  between  a  good 
cow  and  an  ordinary  one,  and  the  importance  of  breeding  from 
stock  possessing  high  milking  qualities  ;  for  it  will  not  be 
doubted  that  while  a  good  cow  may  have  a  bad  calf,  a  poor  cow 
is  much  more  likely  to  have  one.  We  will  not  attempt  to  pre- 
scribe rules,  or  define  marks  for  the  breeding  and  selection  of 
cows ;  but  venture  the  assertion  that  no  individual  who  has 
observed  closely,  and  has  bred  and  selected  with  reference  to 
good  qualities,  has  failed  to  find  his  reward  in  the  increased 
productiveness  of  the  animals  so  bred  and  selected. 

Neither  do  we  attempt  to  give  the  comparative  value  of  a 
good  cow,  and  an  ordinary  one.  But  usually  the  difference  in 
value  is  far  more  than  the  difference  in  price. 

The  cows  entered  for  premium  at  this  time,  are  Durham, 
Ayrshire,  and  Native ;  or  a  mixture,  in  different  proportions,  of 
the  above-mentioned  breeds. 

The  whole  number  of  entries  is  fourteen.     We  have  award- 
ed the  first  premium  on  cows  five  years  old  and  upwards,  to 
John  Chase,  of  Chicopee,  for  a  Durham  cow  nine  years  old. 
This  cow  calved  in  July  last,  and  has  given  during  the  last  ten 
days  44|  pounds  of  milk  per  day.     Her  keeping,  good  pastur- 
age.    It  is  also  certified,  that  in  1850,  during  four  months  from 
the  first  of  May,  she  yielded  an  average  of  40  pounds  per  day. 
To  Amos  Carleton,  of  Chicopee,  2d  premium,  of        -     $5  00 
"  James  Chapin,  of  Springfield,  3d  premium,  of       -       4  00 
"  James  Bagg,  of  W.  Springfield,  4th  premium,  of  -       3  00 
"  W.  W.  Boyington,  of  Springfield,  5th  premium,  of       2  00 

MILCH    cows    UNDER    FIVE    YEARS. 

To  J.  L.  Briggs,  of  Springfield,  1st  premium,  of  -  5  00 
"  James  Chapin,  of  Springfield,  2d  premium,  of  -  4  00 
"  M.  W.  Ham,  of  Springfield,  3d  premium,  of  -       3  00 

"   Pliny  Merrick,  of  Wilbraham,  4th  premium,  of     -       2  00 
"   Carlos  Allen,  of  Springfield,  5th  premium,  of        -        1  00 

P.  STEDMAN,   Chairman. 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  207 

A.  Carletoti's  Statement. 

Cow  entered,  No.  5  ;  breed,  native  ;  age,  9  years  ;  time  of 
calving,  30th  of  March,  1851 ;  killed  the  calf  at  the  age  of  3 
weeks  and  4  days ;  veal  carcass  weighed  81|  pounds;  during 
the  suckling  of  the  calf,  we  milked  from  the  cow  5  quarts  per 
day;  milk  marketed;  amount  of  milk  given  during  the  month 
of  June,  1322^  pounds,  or  529.8  quarts  ;  September,  828  pounds, 
or  332.4  quarts;  being  an  average  of  17|  quarts  per  day,  or  44 
pounds ;  the  feed  of  the  cow  was  pasturage ;  extra  feed,  one 
peck  per  day  of  wheat  bran,  with  a  slight  mixture  of  oil  cake, 
the  whole  weighing  5|  pounds  to  the  peck. 

This  cow  has  given  since  her  calving,  exclusive  of  the  feed 
of  the  calf,  5669^  pounds,  or  22661  quarts  of  milk;  which  at 
4  cents  per  quart,  amounts  to     -  -  -  $90  67 

Add  to  this,  veal  and  calf  skin,  -  -  -  5  50 


$96   17 
Deduct  for  keeping  26  weeks,  at  7s.  6d  per  week,  32  50 


Net  gain,    -  -  -  -  -  $63  67 

September  26th  and  27th,  set  20  quarts  of  milk — churned 
the  cream  from  the  same,  which  made  2|  pounds  of  butter. 
Chicopee  Falls,  Sept.  1,  1851. 

Mr.  Carleton  furnished  a  minute  statement  of  the  daily  pro- 
ducts of  his  cow,  for  June  and  September,  in  quarts  and  pounds, 
sustaining  fully  the  high  character  of  his  cow  for  milk  and 
cream,  and  his  own  as  an  accurate  observer  ;  but  the  directors 
concluded  that  the  aggregate  would  give  to  others  the  desired 
information. 

James  Chapiri's  Statement. 
The  cow  I  present  for  premium  is  f  native,  ^  Ayrshire,  5 
years  old ;  calved  the  24th  of  May  past — calf  raised.  Her 
milk  from  June  first  to  thirtieth,  averaged  twenty  quarts  per 
day,  weighing  forty-two  pounds.  Milk  marketed.  I  was  pre- 
vented by  sickness,  from  keeping  a  record  for  the  month  of 
September.     Her  feed  was  common  pasturage. 


208  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY- 

The  three  years  old  heifer,  which  I  likewise  present  for  pre- 
miam,  had  her  first  calf  the  second  day  of  January  last,  which 
is  being  raised ;  her  milk  was  daily  measured  and  weighed 
through  the  month  of  February,  and  averaged  thirteen  quarts 
per  day,  weighing  thirty-two  lbs.  Her  feed  was  hay.  From 
June  1st  to  30th  her  milk  averaged  15  quarts,  weighing  32  lbs. 
per  day — feed  common  pasturage — breed  half  blood  Durham. 

Springfield,  Sept.  30,  1851. 

M.  W.  Ham?s  Statement. 

The  cow  which  I  exhibit  is  four  years  old,  Native  Breed ; 
she  calved  the  10th  day  of  last  October ;  her  keeping  through 
the  winter  was  hay  and  corn  fodder,  through  the  summer  she 
has  pastured  with  fifteen  other  cows,  and  has  received  no  meal. 
During  the  months  of  June  and  July,  she  gave  thirty-six 
pounds  of  milk  per  day,  from  which  was  made  five  pounds 
two  ounces  of  butter  per  week,  exclusive  of  three  pints  of 
milk  reserved  daily  for  family  use. 

Springfield,  Sept.  30,  1851. 


Breeding  Mares  and  Colts. 
The  committee  (L.  D.  Fowler,  chairman,)  say,  "they  think 
that  among  our  stock  breeders,  there  is  no  animal  that  makes 
a  greater  return  of  annual  income  than  the  breeding  mare. 
The  subject  demands  the  consideration  of  every  practical  far- 
mer, and  the  best  evidence  we  can  offer  to  sustain  our  opinion 
is  the  exhibition  of  colts,  three,  two  and  one  year  old.  These 
were  all  fine  animals,  many  were  superior,  and  their  owners 
will  soon  realize  the  truth  of  our  observation  in  the  value  re- 
ceived. 


Swine. 


The  committee  (Samuel  Beebe, chairman,) say,  ''The  duties 
devolving  upon  them  have  been  unusually  severe,  from  the 
unprecedented  number  of  entries  and  the  aggregate  of  animals 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  209 

exhibited.  There  were  one  hundred  and  thirteen  animals  pre- 
sented, under  four  different  grades,  for  examination  and  award  ; 
the  task  of  making  a  just  discrimination  under  the  most  favor- 
able circumstances  would  be  a  difficult  one,  even  to  the  most 
practised  eye,  and  particularly  so  under  the  limited  opportuni- 
ties which  the  time  allowed  would  admit  of  Had  there  been 
a  greater  disparity,  had  they  constituted  the  two  extremes,  of 
good  and  bad,  our  duties  would  have  been  light  and  easy. 
But  when  all  are  good,  it  is  more  difficult  to  discriminate,  and 
decide  which  are  better  and  which  best ;  better  were  never 
(probably)  exhibited  at  any  county  exhibition.  And  the  com- 
mittee feel  sincere  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  evidences  of 
decided  improvement  in  this  department  of  the  show. 


Poultry. 

There  were  upon  the  ground  sixty-six  coops  or  cages  of 
fowls,  besides  a  dozen  or  more  not  entered,  ni  consequence  of 
being  brought  in  too  late  ;  containing  in  all,  some  five  hundred 
splendid  specimens  of  the  feathered  race ;  fully  equal  in  point 
of  quality  and  good  breeding  to  any  exhibition  of  fowls  in 
New  England. 

In  justice  to  the  examining  committee  it  should  be  stated, 
that  the  names  of  the  contributors  were  not  known  at  the  time 
of  making  their  awards.  This  fact  was  subsequently  ascer- 
tained by  reference  to  the  book  of  entries. 

No.  45. — Shanghaes,  bantams,  and  cross  breeds,,  owned  by 
Charles  Barrows,  of  Springfield,  who  gives  the  following  state- 
ment : — "  This  bantam  hen  is  17  months  old,  weighing  If 
lbs.,  has  laid,  within  six  months  subsequent  to  January  25, 
1851,  119  eggs,  weighing  169  ounces,  and  has  reared  one 
brood  of  chickens  since  the  expiration  of  six  months ;  while  a 
Shanghae  hen  weighing  5  lbs.  6  oz.,  twenty-eight  months  old, 
during  the  same  time,  laid  only  69  eggs,  weighing  155  ounces, 
being  a  difi"erence  in  favor  of  the  bantam  of  14  ounces.  I 
have  produced  a  new  variety  by  crossing  the  Dorking,  Poland, 
and  bantam  breed." 
27 


210  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 


Butter, 

The  essential  qualities  of  good  butter  are  firmness,  dryness 
and  sweetness.  The  first  quality  depends  principally  on  dairy 
stock,  the  two  last  depend  principally  on  management  and  skill 
in  making. 

Butter  of  the  highest  excellence  has  these  three  qualities 
combined^  and  is  moreover  qualified  or  seasoned  with  the  right 
modicum  of  pure  salt. 

No  butter  can  properly  be  called  good  which  is  not  sweet, 
and  this  quality  must  be  inherent.  It  cannot  be  attained  by 
qualifying  it  with  any  foreign  ingredient.  All  sweet  butter, 
however,  is  not  good ;  it  must  be  dry  or  free  from  milk.  As- 
suming that  it  is  both  sweet  and  dry,  another  quality  is  essen- 
tial to  the  highest  attainment  in  the  art,  \'\z.  firmness,  and 
while  this  quality  is  attributed  principally  to  dairy  stock,  it 
depends  much  on  the  quality  of  their  food,  and  is  not  a  little 
affected  by  management  in  the  dairy  room. 

The  three  qualities  above  mentioned  attained  and  combined, 
the  excellence  of  butter  depends  much  upon  the  seasoning. 
True,  butter  must  be  seasoned  with  salt,  but  not  with  every 
kind  of  salt.  It  must  be  pure,  and  though  seasoned  with  salt, 
the  salt  must  be  thoroughly  incorporated  with  the  butter. 

Every  other  part  of  making  butter  may  be  committed  to 
strange  hands  without  undue  hazard,  but  this  is  the  sole  pre- 
rogative of  her  who  presides  over  the  dairy  room,  and  the 
highest  exercise  of  the  art  of  making  good  butter. 

There  were  seventeen  lots  of  butter  on  exhibition  ;  fifteen 
were  entered  for  premium. 

RICHARD    BAGG,  Jr.,   Chairman. 


Vegetables. 

Never  since  the  organization  of  the  society  has  the  county 

of  Hampden  been  so  well  represented  from  the   garden,  either 

in  the  amount  of  vegetables,  or  the  superior  quality  and  beauty 

of  those   on  exhibition  as  at  the   present  show.     The  ready 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  211 

market,  and  increasing  demand,  for  all  the  products  of  the 
garden  have  presented  sufficient  inducements  to  many  in  our 
immediate  vicinity  to  enlarge  the  area  of  their  labors  far  be- 
yond all  former  precedent.  And  this  result  has  awakened  a 
spirit  of  emulation  among  the  leading  proprietors,  and  aroused 
the  consequent  feeling  of  competition  in  the  breast  of  every 
one,  not  to  be  excelled  by  any  one.  This  laudable  spirit  of 
emulation  was  clearly  manifested  in  the  praiseworthy  struggle 
for  the  highest  premium  offered  by  the  society  for  "  the  best 
collection  and  greatest  variety,"  some  of  them  offering  from 
thirty  to  forty  different  kinds,  embracing  almost  everything  in 
the  form  of  vegetable,  and  with  strict  regard  to  their  quality. 
The  entries  amounted  to  the  aggregate  of  three  hundred  and 
four,  and  these  contributions,  when  arranged  as  they  were  by 
the  judicious  committee  appointed  to  that  duty,  made  a  display 
most  honorable  to  the  producers,  and  gratifying  to  the  admiring 
crowd  of  visitors.  So  nearly  balanced  in  all  respects  were  the 
three  most  prominent  entries,  in  number  and  quality,  the  com- 
mittee could  not  determine  which  should  be  the  victor ;  they 
therefore  awarded  to  each  an  equal  sum.  being  the  full  amount 
of  the  three  first  premiums.  These  were  awarded  to  Aaron 
Bagg,  of  West  Springfield;  Sylvanus  Pendleton,  of  Chicopee  ; 
L.  P.  Dickinson,  of  Springfield. 

D.  C.  BREWER,  Chairman. 


Fruit. 

Already  worthless  and  indifferent  kinds  of  the  apple  are  giv- 
ing place  to  choice  and  valuable  varieties,  and  the  cultivator  is 
amply  repaid  for  all  his  trouble  and  care,  and  obliged  to  ac- 
knowledge that  the  orchard  yields  a  return  equal  to  any  other 
part  of  the  farm. 

Our  climate  and  soil  are  suited  to  the  cultivation  of  the  pear, 
and  every  man  who  has  a  small  patch  of  land  about  his  house, 
by  planting  trees  (upon  the  quince  stock,) and  with  proper  care 
and  training,  can  supply  his  own  table  with  the  choicest  of 
fruit. 


212  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

The  first  of  October  is  too  late  for  us  to  expect  the  best 
specimens  and  the  greatest  variety  of  peaches,  still  we  had  be- 
fore us  some  very  creditable  exhibitions  of  this  fruit. 

Aside  from  the  season,  we  think  this  fruit  the  present  year 
has  not  been  as  good  as  in  former  years.  This  is  undoubtedly 
owing  to  the  unhealthy  state  of  the  trees,  and  we  hesitate  not 
to  say  that  nearly  all  the  trees  in  this  vicinity  are  thoroughly 
and  permanently  diseased,  and  nothing  will  save  them.  Every 
tree  having  small  wiry  shoots  coming  out  upon  the  trunk  and 
branches  is  affected  with  the  yellows,  and  may  be  set  down  as 
beyond  the  reach  of  medicine,  and  ought  at  once  to  be  exter- 
minated from  the  garden. 

By  procuring  trees  from  western  New  York,  where  this  dis- 
ease has  not  extended,  and  starting  anew,  we  can  hope  for 
healthy  trees  and  perfect  fruit. 

There  were  208  entries  of  fruit — last  year.  80. 

RICHARD  BLISS,   Chairman. 


Directors'  Report. 

The  cultivated  crops  of  the  field,  improvement  of  barren 
soils,  reclaiming  bog-meadow,  and  fruit  orchards,  are  all  made 
subject  to  the  action  of  the  directors.  And,  in  presenting  the 
statements  made  to  us  on  these  subjects,  we  feel  a  great  degree 
of  pleasure,  and  even  pride  ;  for  they  establish  beyond  a  duubt 
two  important  facts,  the  capabilities  of  our  soil  and  of  our 
cultivators. 

The  aggregate  of  our  premium  crops  of  wheat  and  corn, 
may  undoubtedly  be  largely  exceeded  in  more  favored  locali- 
ties, but  we  fully  believe  that  we  are  now  only  seeing  "  the 
beginning  of  the  end"  of  these  important  products  among  our 
own  farmers.  The  first  emotion  and  feeling  of  the  yankee 
mind  is  not  to  be  beat — to  establish  the  facts  assumed  by  us 
in  relation  to  our  soil  and  our  cultivators,  we  had  prepared  a 
table  of  comparison  between  our  own  and  the  products  of  the 
same  grain  from  the  largest  producing  states  of  the  Union,  but 
most  fortunately  for  us,  one  more  competent,  and  having  access 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  213 

to  the  official  reports  of  the  patent  office,  has  furnished,  through 
the  columns  of  the  New  England  Farmer,  a  table  of  the  crops, 
prices,  and  cost  of  cultivation,  the  results  of  an  average  for 
ten  years,  from  1840  to  1850  inclusive,  and  from  which  we 
copy  the  following  on  the  wheat  crop  : 

Massachusetts,  average  18  bushels  per  acre, 

$1  34  per  bushel,       -  -  -     $24  12 

Value  of  straw,  -  -  -  5  00 

$29  12 


Cost  of  cultivation,  interest  on  land  included,         -       18  00 


New  Hampshire,  average   20   bushels   per 

acre,  $1  34  per  bushel,  -  -     $26  80 

Value  of  straw,  -  -  -  5  00 


111   12 


$31  SO 


Cost  of  cultivation,  interest  on  land  included,        -       22  00 


Vermont,    average    20    bushels    per    acre, 

$1  34  per  bushel,       -  -  -     $26  80 

Value  of  straw,  -  -  -  4  00 


$9  80 


$30  80 


Cost  of  cultivation,  interest  on  land  included,        -       20  00 


Ohio,  average  20  bushels  per  acre,  78  cents 

per  bushel,      -  -  -  -     $15  60 

Value  of  straw,  -  -  -  3  00 


$10  80 


$18  60 
Cost  of  cultivation,  interest  on  land  included,        -         8  00 


Indiana,  average   20  bushels  per  acre,   75 

cents  per  bushel,         -  -  -     $15  00 

Value  of  straw,  -  .  -  1  00 


$10  60 


Cost  of  cultivation,  interest  on  land  included, 
Illinois  gives  precisely  the  same  results  as  the  above, 


$16 
8 

00 
00 

$8 
8 

00 
00 

214  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

Horace  SmifK's  Statement. 

The  crop  of  wheat  which  I  offer  for  premium  was  raised  on 
seven  and  a  half  acres  of  land,  the  soil  an  alluvial  sandy  loam  ; 
the  land  was  well  prepared  and  planted  with  corn  in  the  spring 
of  1850,  and  harvested  an  excellent  crop,  which  was  cut  up 
and  carted  from  the  ground  by  the  middle  of  September,  We 
then  commenced  for  the  present  crop,  by  dragging  the  land, 
(to  level  the  cornhills,)  which  prepared  it  for  the  plougii,  this 
immediately  succeeded,  and  on  the  25th  of  September,  the 
seed  was  sowed  at  the  rate  of  one  bushel  and  a  half  per  acre, 
which  was  harrowed  in  and  the  land  rolled;  in  July,  1851, 
the  wheat  was  harvested,  has  been  threshed,  cleaned,  and  sold 
for  $1  10  per  bushel. 

The  product  was  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  bushels,  amounting  to 
Eight  tons  of  straw,  at  $6  per  ton, 

Expenses  for 
Dragging  the  land  for  plough. 
Ploughing,  _  _  _ 

Seed,  11^*  bushels,  at  $1  50  per  bushel. 
Sowing,  harrowing  and  rolling. 
Harvesting,  at  $1  25  per  acre, 
Threshing  and  cleaning,     - 
Cartage  to  market, 
Land  rent,  $10  per  acre.     - 

Net  gain,    ------      $178  79 

Being  a  clear  profit  of  twenty-three  dollars  and  eighty-three 
cents  per  acre. 

Justus  Bagg^s  Statement. 
The  crop  of  wheat  which  I  offer  for  premium  was  raised  on 
seven  and  a  half  acres  of  land,  the  soil  an  alluvial  sandy  loam, 
on  which  a  crop  of  corn  was  raised  the  year  previous,  the  pro- 
ducts of  which  I  am  unable  to  state  accurately  at  this  time. 


-$259 

60 

-   48 

00 

$307  60 

-   $2 

20 

9 

37 

-   16 

87 

4 

00 

9 

37 

9 

00 

3 

00 

-   75 

00 

128  81 

HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  215 

After  harvesting  the  corn  the  land  was  ploughed,  and  eight  or 
ten  ordinary  loads  of  manure  (summer  made,  in  the  cattle 
yard,)  and  four  hundred  bushels  of  leached  ashes  were  spread 
upon  the  furrows  and  harrowed  well ;  twelve  bushels  of  seed 
was  sown  and  the  land  again  harrowed ;  the  wheat  was  har- 
vested in  July  past,  and  when  threshed  and  cleaned  gave  me 
two  hundred  and  twenty-three  bushels  of  beautiful  grain.  It 
was  sold  for  one  dollar  ten  cents  per  bushel, 


Amounting  to         -  -  -  -  $245  30 

Straw,        -  -  -  -  -       45  00 


|290  30 


Expenses  for 

Ploughing,              -  -  -  -  $9  37 

Ashes  and  manure,  -  -  -  35  00 

Harrowing  twice,  -  -  -  -  4  00 

Seed,          -             -  -  -  -  18  00 

Harvesting,             -  -  -  -  9  37 

Threshing  and  cleaning,     -  -  -  9  00 

Land  rent,               -  -  -  -  75  00 


159  74 


Net  gain,  -  -  -  -  -  -      $130  56 

Walter  Cooley^s  Statement. 
I  present  you  a  statement  of  my  wheat  crop  which  was 
raised  on  one  acre  of  land.  The  lot  was  in  corn  last  year,  for 
which  I  received  the  first  premium  of  the  society.  After  the 
corn  crop  was  harvested,  the  land  was  ploughed,  and  the  seed 
sowed  the  first  week  in  October,  two  bushels  to  the  acre  and 
harrowed  in.  The  crop  was  harvested  in  July,  and  the  pro- 
duct was  thirty-eight  bushels,  weighing  sixty-three  pounds  per 
bushel.     It  sold  for  one  dollar  ten  cents  per  bushel. 


Amounting  to        -  -  -  -     $41  80 

Two  tons  of  straw,  -  -  -        12  00 


$53  80 


Expenses  for 
Ploughing,  seed  and  harrowing,      -  -       $6  50 


$3  00 

2  00 

12  00 

23  50 

216  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

Harvesting,  _             _  _             _ 

Threshing,  _             _  _             - 

Interest  on  land,  _             -  -             - 


Net  gain,    -  -  -  -  -  -       $30  30 

John  Stiles^s  Statement. 

The  wheat  crop  I  offer  for  premium  was  grown  on  one  acre 
of  land  ;  the  product  was  thirty-seven  and  a  half  bushels, 
weighing  sixty-three  and  a  half  pounds  per  bushel.  The 
land  was  lightly  manured  a  year  ago  last  spring,  and  set  with 
tobacco,  which  was  a  good  crop ;  after  the  tobacco  was  taken 
off,  the  land  was  ploughed  once  and  sowed  with  one  bushel  and 
a  half  of  seed  the  twentieth  of  September ;  the  seed  was  first 
soaked  in  brine,  then  rolled  in  lime.  The  land  is  rather  heavy, 
sandy  loam. 
Value    of   crop,  at    one    dollar  twenty-five 

cents  per  bushel. 
Straw,        -  -  -  - 

Expenses  for 
Ploughing,  _  _  _ 

Seed,  salt  and  lime, 
Sowing  and  harrowing. 
Harvesting,  _  _  _ 

Threshing,  _  _  _ 


Net  gain,  _  .  .  .  _     |45  S7\ 

R.  H.  Barlow^s  Statement. 
The  crop  of  wheat  which  I  present  to  the  society  for  pre- 
mium was  raised  on  one  acre  and  fifty  rods  of  ground  ;  the 
soil,  a  gravel,  on  which  a  crop  of  corn  was  grown  in  1850. 
The  amount  of  manure  for  the  corn  crop  was  20  common 
cart-loads  of  barn-yard  manure  to  the  acre,  made  from  turf, 
muck,  straw,  leaves,  &c.  The  crop  of  corn  I  did  not  measure 
exactly,  but  called  it  about  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre.  After  har- 


$46 

87| 

10 

00 

4b«5fi  en 

^,  2 

|1 

25 

2 

75 

1 

00 

3 

00 

3 

00 

<fcl  1 

00 

Jtf)  11 

\J\J 

HAMPDEN   SOCIETY.  217 

vesting  the  corn,  the  land  was  ploughed  once,  and  the  seed 
harrowed  in  the  first  week  in  October.  Land  valued  at  one 
hundred  dollars  per  acre.     Raised  forty-four  bushels  of  wheat. 

Value  of    crop,  at  one  dollar   twenty-five 

cents  per  bushel, 
Straw,        -  -  .  - 


Expenses  for 
Ploughing,  _  .  - 

Three  bushels  of  seed. 
Harrowing,  _  _  - 

Ten  bushels  of  ashes, 
Harvesting,  threshing  and  cleaning, 
Interest  on  land,     -  -  - 


$55 

00 

5 

00 

$2 

00 

4 

50 

1 

00 

1 

50 

7 

00 

8 

00 

$60  00 


24  00 


Net  gain, -       |36  00- 

Silas  Roofs  Statement 
The  crop  of  wheat  I  offer  for  your  consideration,  was  grown 
on  three  acres  of  land,  all  in  the  same  field,  soil  heavy  loam  ; 
each  acre  differently  cultivated.  The  first  acre  had  lain  in 
grass  for  six  years,  with  a  top-dressing  of  naanure  once  in  two 
years.  I  cut  a  crop  of  grass  the  first  W8€k  in  Xuly,  1850;  a 
second  crop,  the  first  of  September.  As  soon  as  the  hay  wa& 
taken  off  I  ploughed  the  ground  ;  middle  of  September,  I  har- 
rowed it  fine  and  mellow,  then  spread  on  six  loads  of  compost 
manure,  sowed  on  six  bushels  of  air-slacked  lime,,  two  bushels 
of  seed,  and  harrowed  them  all  in  together ;  in  April  sowed  on 
two  bushels  of  plaster  Paris ;  from  this  acre  I  harvested  thirty- 
six  shocks  of  wheat.  The  second  acre  was  land,  where  I 
raised  a  crop  of  wheat  the  year  previous,  managed  the  same  as 
the  above  ;  I  ploughed  the  land  about  the  first  of  September^ 
the  young  clover  v/as  then  as  high  as  the  stubble,  they  both 
being  as  much  as  I  could  well  plough  under ;  soon  after,  har- 
rowed the  ground  well;  middle  of  September  sowed  one 
bushel  and  a  half  of  seed,  harrowed  it  in  ;  sowed  on  two  bushels 
of  plaster,  in  the  spring ;  from  this  acre  I  harvested  twenty-six 
shocks  of  wheat.  The  third  acre  was  grown  after  a  corn  crop  ; 
28 


218  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

the  ground  previous  to  the  corn  crop  had  lain  to  grass  some 
years  without  manure  ;  before  ploughing  for  corn,  I  spread  on 
twenty  loads  of  manure  to  the  acre,  cut  the  corn  last  of  Sep- 
tember, ploughed  the  ground  as  soon  as  the  corn  was  off,  let  it 
lie  two  or  three  days,  then  sowed  on  two  bushels  of  seed,  ten 
bushels  of  ashes,  and  harrowed  them  in.  From  this  acre  I 
harvested  twenty-nine  shocks  of  wheat,  making  in  all  ninety- 
one  shocks,  from  which  I  threshed  ninety-one  and  three -fourths 
bushels  of  good  wheat,  averaging  a  little  more  than  a  bushel  to 
the  shock,  weighing  sixty  pounds  to  the  bushel.  My  uniform 
practice  is  to  soak  the  seed  twelve  hours  in  brine,  then  roll  it 
in  lime  or  ashes ;  when  I  have  done  this,  I  have  never  had  any 
smut. 
Value  of  crop,  at  one  dollar  twenty-five  cents 


per  bushel. 

- 

- 

$114  58 

Five  tons  straw. 
Expenses  for 

at  4  50  per  ton. 

22  50 

$137  08 

First  acre,  labor, 

manure,  seed,  &c., 

- 

$20  75 

Second  "       " 

seed,  &c., 

•- 

10  50 

Third    "       " 

ashes,  seed,  &.C., 

- 

11  25 

A^  50 

Net  gain,  _  -  _  $94  58 

In  presenting  this  statement  of  my  wheat  crop,  I  deem  it 
proper  to  make  some  remarks  in  relation  to  the  raising  of  this 
very  important  crop.  Having  been  in  the  practice  of  raising 
more  or  less  for  twenty  years,  not  having  failed,  I  believe,  in 
one  instance  during  this  time  of  sowing  at  least  a  small  piece  of 
wheat,  and  having  during  that  time  made  several  experiments, 
and  iioted  down  tlie  results  with  careful  observation,  and  well- 
ascertained  facts,  I  find  that  there  has  not  been  an  entire  failure 
more  than  twice  during  that  time,  and  not  more  than  five  or 
six  times  has  the  crop  been  less  than  a  rye  crop  would  have 
been ;  but  in  most  instances,  the  crop  has  been  much  larger, 
and  sometimes  nearly  double.  In  making  a  careful  estimate  of 
the  value  of  the  two  crops  for  the  last  twenty  years,  I  find  the 
value  of  the  wheat  crop  to  be  at  least  one-third  more  than  the 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  219 

value  of  a  rye  crop  would  have  been  on  the  same  ground. 
"With  these  facts  before  me,  I  believe  that  wheat  can  be 
raised  by  many  farmers  at  a  good  profit,  at  least  enough  to 
supply  their  own  families,  and  thereby  lessen  our  dependence 
on  other  states,  and  save  an  amount  of  capital  to  be  employed 
for  other  purposes. 

The  directors  award  to 

John  Stiles,  of  Westfield,  1st  premium,  of       $5  00 

Walter  Cooley,  of  West  Springfield,  2d      "  -  3  00 


Rye  Ckop. 
/.  M.  Merrick's  Statement. 
The  land  on  which  my  crop  of  rye  was  grown,  consists  of 
three  acres  and  a  half;  mostly  a  light  sandy  loam,  a  part  of  it 
gravelly.  This  land  was  manured  in  the  spring  of  1849,  with 
about  seven  cords  of  stable  manure  to  the  acr°-,  spread  on  top 
of  the  sward,  and  turned  under  about  the  middle  of  May,  six 
inches  deep.  The  sward  was  quite  heavy.  A  crop  of  corn 
was  taken  off  that  season,  and  in  November  the  land  was  sowed 
with  rye.  Soon  after  harvest  in  1850,  the  stubble  was  turned 
in;  and  the  last  days  of  August  and  first  of  September,  the 
land  again  ploughed,  and  sowed  with  rye  at  the  rate  of  twenty- 
six  quarts  per  acre. 

I  have  this  season  harvested  from  this  field,  ninety- 
five  bushels  of  rye,  averaging  twenty-seven  and  one- 
seventh  bushels  per  acre.  Value  of  crop,  at  seventy- 
five  cents  per  bushel,      -  -  - 

Five  tons  of  straw,  -  -  - 

Expenses  for  rent  of  land. 

Turning  in  stubble,  .  _  . 

2d  ploughing,  $3  50  ;    harrowing  in  seed,  $2, 

2^  bushels  seed,  (white  rye,) 

Harvesting,  threshing,        .  _  _ 

Net  gain,     -  -  -  -         $50  23 


ri 

25 

20 

00 

— $91 

25 

17 

50 

3 

50 

5 

50 

1 

87 

12 

65 

41 

02 

220  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 


/.  Hooker'' s  Statement. 

The  lot  on  which  my  rye  crop  was  raised,  contained  an  acre 
and  a  quarter  of  land.  In  1849  a  crop  of  rye  and  turnips  were 
raised  on  it,  and  in  1850  a  crop  of  corn.  The  rye  was  sown 
in  the  fall  of  1850,  (in  the  last  days  of  September,)  immedi- 
ately after  taking  off  the  corn  crop  ;  it  was  previously  manured 
for  the  corn — about  five  cords  to  the  acre,  but  none  was  applied 
when  the  rye  was  sown.  The  ground  was  ploughed,  and 
then  the  seed  sown  upon  the  furrow,  and  was  harrowed  over 
once.  The  rye  was  gathered  the  last  of  July,  and  yielded 
thirty-nine  bushels  by  measurement.  The  quantity  of  seed 
sown  was  rather  more  than  farmers  usually  sow,  being  two 
bushels  and  a   peck  to  the  whole   piece. 


Value   of  crop,  at  80  cents  per  bushel,        -         $31 

20 

"        straw,                  -             -             -            10 

00 

<te4.1 

20 

•JP^^ 

Expenses  for 

Seed,         -----           $1 

80 

Labor,  ploughing,  harrowing  and  sowing,             3 

00 

Harvesting,             -             .             .             _             4 

00 

Threshing,              '_             _             _             _             3 

00 

1  of  the  manure,  (applied  to  the  previous  crop,)      6 

25 

i  the  interest  of  the  value  of  the  land,    (there 

being  a  turnip  crop  same   year,)              -             7 

50 

— 

25 

B5 

Net  gain,  -  -  -         $15  65 

Francis  Brewer''s  Statement. 
I  present  a  statement  of  my  crop  of  rye  raised  on  one  acre 
of  pine-plain  land,  being  a  portion  of  a  lot  purchased  by  me  in 
1841 ;  it  has  never  received  but  one  load  of  manure  since  I 
have  owned  it,  and  that  was  applied  in  corn-hills,  and  was  a 
total  failure,  excepting  a  large  growth  of  cornstalks.  In  1847, 
I  sowed  oats  and  clover  upon  it ;  the  oats  were  a  failure,  the 
clover  was  a  partial  catch,  but  mowed  in  1848 ;  in  1849,  the 
sorrel  had,  to  use  a  court  phrase — "expunged"  the  clover,  and 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  221 

the  crop  was  mowed  and  carted  into  the  highway,  to  prevent 
its  further  seeding ;  in  October,  1849,  the  land  was  ploughed, 
in  the  spring  of  1850  harrowed  and  planted  with  potatoes ;  the 
product  a  medium  crop  of  excellent  potatoes.  After  harvesting 
the  potatoes  early  in  September,  the  land  was  ploughed,  and 
the  furrows  levelled  with  one  horse  and  harrow;  the  25th,  one 
bushel  of  Italian  rye  was  sown,  and  the  land  cross-harrowed. 
In  July  last  the  rye  was  cut  with  the  sickle  while  the  grain 
was  quite  soft,  and  lay  spread  some  three  or  four  days  before 
binding,  housed  in  good  order — has  been  threshed,  cleaned, 
and  measured  twenty-three  bushels  and  a  half. 
Value  of  crop,  at  75  cents  per  bushel, 
1  ton  of  straw,        _  _  -  - 

Expenses  for 

Ploughing,  _  _  -  _ 

Harrowing,  -  -  -  - 

Seed,          -  _  -  _  . 

Harvesting,  .  _  _  . 

Threshing  and  cleaning,     -  -  - 

Interest  on  land,  _  _  _ 


Net  gain,     -  -  -  -        |14  08 

This  crop  pays  the  cost  of  the  land,  the  expenses  of  pro- 
ducing it,  and  the  interest^  and  leaves  me  five  dollars  and  eight 
cents. 

The  directors  award  to 

J.  M.  Merrick,  of  Wilbraham,  1st  premium,  of        -         $4  00 
Josiah  Hooker,  of  Springfield,  2d  "  -  2  00 


$17 

62 

5 

00 

-  $22 

62 

$2 

00 

1 

00 

75 

2 

25 

2 

00 
54 

8 

54 

Oat  Crop. 

Horace  Clark^s  Statement. 
I  offer  for  premium  my  crop  of  oats  which  was  raised  on  one 
acre  of  land,  valued  at  fifty  dollars.     One  year  ago  last  spring, 


222  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

I  ploughed  in  about  five  cords  of  barn  yard  manure,  valued  at 
two  dollars  per  cord,  and  planted  with  corn.  Last  April  I 
ploughed  once,  and  sowed  on  three  bushels  of  oats  and  har- 
rowed them  in  ;  I  have  this  day  measured  them,  and  there  is 
eighty-five  bushels  and  a  half,  weighing  2,821  pounds. 
Value  of  crop,  at  45  cents  per  bushel, 
Straw,        ----- 

Expenses  for 

Ploughing,              _  ,  _  - 

Sowing  and  harrowing,  -  -  - 

Three  bushels  of  seed,  -  -  - 

Harvesting,              _  -  _  . 

Threshing  and  cleaning,  -  - 

Land  rent,              .  _  .  - 

13  00 


$38 

47 

5 

00 

—$43 

47 

$1 

00 
75 

1 

50 

2 

50 

4 

25 

3 

00 

Net  gain,     -  -  -  -        $30  47 

J.  H.   Demond's  Statement. 

The  crop  of  oats  which  I  present  for  premium  was  the  pro- 
duct of  one  acre  and  a  half  of  land,  which,  in  1850,  was 
planted  with  broom-corn  ;  the  land  was  prepared  for  this  crop 
by  ploughing  under  twenty  loads  of  compost  manure,  about 
twenty-five  bushels  per  load,  the  soil  a  fine,  mellow,  sandy 
loam — was  then  planted.  The  result  of  this  crop  v/as  eight  hun- 
dred pounds  of  broom-brush  and  eighty  bushels  of  seed,  per 
acre.  Early  in  the  spring  of  1851,  the  stalks  were  cut  and 
burned  on  the  ground,  the  land  was  then  ploughed,  and  the  oats 
sowed  upon  the  furrows,  then  harrowed  and  rolled.  The  pro- 
duct was  eighty-two  bushels,  weighing  thirty-four  pounds  per 
bushel,  being  fifty-five    bushels  per  acre. 

Value  of  crop,  at  forty-five  cents  per  bushel,     $36  90 
Two  tons  of  straw,         -         -         -         -         12  00 

$48  90 

Expenses  for 
Ploughing, $2  25 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  223 


Seed,  -  -  -  - 
Harrowing,  and  rolling,  - 
Harvesting  and  threshing, 
Land  rent,       -         -         - 


SI 

68 

1 

50 

6 

85 

10 

00 

$22  28 


Net  gain,               .         .         .         -  $26  62 

The  directors  award  to 

Horace  Clark,  of  Wilbraham,  1st  premium,  of  -     $4  00 

J.  H.  Demond,  of  Springfield,  2d        "             -  -       2  00 


Corn  Crop. 

Before  presenting  the  statements  on  corn,  we  offer  some  fur- 
ther quotations  from  the  authority  we  have  cited  on  wheat,  as 
the  two  crops  constitute  the  base  of  his  comparisons ;  the  same 
form  was  adopted  in  relation  to  this  grain,  lut  we  will  abridge, 
and  give  only  his  average  crops  and  profits  thus  : 

Massachusetts,  av.  products  per  acre,  40  bu. ;  av.  profits  $19  00 

N.  Hampshire,    "         "  "  40    "  "         "         18  00 

Vermont,  "         "  "  40    "  "         "         17  20 

Ohio,  "         "  "  50    "  "         "         10  00 

Indiana  and  Illinois,  same  results        60    "  "         "  9  40 

Horace  Smith's  Statement. 
The  crop  of  corn  which  I  offer  for  premium  was  raised  on 
five  acres  of  land,  alluvial  sandy  loam,  which  has  been  in  grass 
and  mowed  for  the  last  four  years.  Early  in  the  spring  of 
1851,  this  lot  was  ploughed,  turning  the  furrows  from  six  to 
seven  inches  deep  ;  it  was  then  well  harrowed,  and  about  six 
cords  of  stable  manure  to  the  acre  was  spread  upon  the  surface, 
and  covered  with  the  plough,  throwing  it  into  ridges  or  rows 
to  plant  upon  without  disturbing  the  reversed  turf;  the  plant- 
ing was  done  athwart  these  ridges — the  corn  received  three 
hoeings,  which  was  all  the  labor  bestowed  upon  its  growth. 
In  September,  it  was    cut  up  and   stacked   in  the   field,  since 


224  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

which  it  has  been  harvested,  and  the  yield  was  three  hundred 
and  fifty  bushels,  or  seventy  bushels  per  acre. 
At  seventy-five  cents  per  bushel,  amounts  to  $262  50 
Twelve  tons  of  fodder,     -  -  -         72  00 


Expenses  for 
Ploughing, 
Harrowing, 

Thirty  cords  of  manure,  - 
Carting  and  spreading, 
Covering  with  light  plough, 
Planting  and  hoeing, 
Cutting  and  stacking, 
Harvesting, 

Threshing  and  marketing. 
Land  rent. 


$7 

50 

2 

00 

75 

00 

15 

00 

2 

50 

18 

50 

4 

00 

12 

00 

7 

00 

60 

00 

$334  60 


203  50 


Net  gain,  -  -  -  -  $131  00 

My  practice,  for  twenty  years  past,  in  cultivating  my  meadow 
land,  has  been  a  five  years  rotation,  as  follows :  first  corn,  sec- 
ond wheat,  and  three  years  in  grass,  and  my  experience  and 
success  still  warrant  a  continuance  in  this  system. 

Walter  Coolei/s  Statement. 
The  corn  crop  which  I  offer  for  premium  was  raised  on  one 
acre  of  land  which  had  been  in  grass  for  the  past  five  years, 
and  been  mowed  annually  without  receiving  any  manure  ;  last 
spring  five  cords  of  stable  manure  was  carted  and  spread  upon 
the  turf  and  turned  under  by  the  plough ;  the  land  was  then 
harrowed  and  planted  in  hills  three  feet  apart  each  way ;  the 
cultivator  was  used  at  the  first  and  second  hoeing  and  a  light 
plough  for  the  third.  The  corn  was  ashed  in  the  hill.  I  liave 
harvested  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  bushels  of  ears,  equal  to 
eighty-two  and  a  half  bushels  shelled. 

Value  of  crop,  at  75  cents  per  bushel,  $61  87 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 


225 


Two  bushels  of  soft  corn, 
Two  tons  fodder, 

Expenses  for 
Ploughing  and  harrowing. 
Manure,  seed,  and  planting, 
Hoeing,    -  -  - 

Harvesting  and  husking. 
Interest  on  land, 


|0 

50 

12 

00 

|3 

25 

17 

50 

3 

00 

7 

00 

10 

00 

$7i  37 


40  75 


Net  gain. 


$33  62 


J.   Hooker^s    Statement. 

My  corn  crop  was  raised  on  a  lot  of  three  acres,  being  a  por- 
tion of  the  land  on  which  my  apple-orchard  is  growing.  In 
1849,  crops  of  corn,  carrots,  and  turnips  were  raised  on  the 
ground,  and  in  1850,  corn  and  barley.  The  ground  was  ma- 
nured last  spring  by  the  application  of  about  five  cords  of  com. 
post  manure  to  the  acre,  and  it  was  spread  over  the  ground  and 
ploughed  in.  The  seed  was  a  small  kind  of  corn  (of  eight 
rows)  from  Worcester  county,  called  Canada  corn — known  here 
also  as  the  Demond  corn.  It  was  planted  with  a  seed-sower  in 
drills  three  and  a  half  feet  one  way,  and  two  feet  the  other — it 
was  twice  cultivated  and  hoed — it  was  not  hilled  at  all — it  was 
cut  and  stooked  up  in  the  field  in  September,  about  the  middle 
of  the  month  ;  and  was  all  gathered  into  the  barn  in  the  course 
of  the  month  of  October.  The  yield  was  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  bushels,  being  seventy-five  bushels  to  the  acre. 


Value  of  crop,  at  eighty  cents  per  bushel,  $180  00 

Corn-stalk  fodder,               -             -  -  27  00 

One  fourth  manure  back,                -  -  15  00 

Expense  for 

Fifteen  cords  of  manure,  and  labor,  -  $60  00 

Seed — three  pecks,            _             _  _  75 

Ploughing,  planting  with  seed-sower,  -  6  50 

Hoeing  twice,       -             -             -  -  6  00 
29 


$222  00^ 


226  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

Cultivating,  harvesting,    -  -  -         f  9  00 

Cartage  and  husking,        -  -  -         10  00 

Interest  on  land,  (deducting  one  per  cent,  on 

account  of  orchard,)     -  -  -         30  00 

$122  25 


Net  gain,  -  -  -  -  |99  75 

From  these  statements  if  we  deduct  the  actual  cost  of  cul- 
tivation as  furnished,  and  establish  the  value  of  the  grain  at 
75  cents  per  bushel,  and  the  stover  at  nine  dollars  per  acre,  we 
have  the  following  results  : 

Mr.  Cooley's  total  val.  was  $70  50  prac;  actual  profits  $29  75 
"  Hooker's      "       "      "      65  25      "         "  "         22  50 

"  Smith's        "      "      "      61  50      "         "  "         20  80 

These  results  furnish   a  most  interesting   subject  for  a  few 
more  figures,  but  we  hope  every  individual  will   find   sufficient 
interest  in  the  subject  to  make  his  own.     We  award  to 
Walter  Cooley,  of  West  Springfield,  1st  premium,  of       $5  00 
Josiah  Hooker,  of  Springfield,  2d         "  «'  3  00 


Carrot    Crop. 

Samuel   Warner''s  Statement. 

My  crop  of  carrots  was  raised  on  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of 
land,  on  which  potatoes  were  raised  the  previous  year.  My 
land  was  prepared  by  spreading  four  cart  loads  of  stable  or  yard 
manure,  and  ploughing  twice  ;  my  seed  did  not  come  up  well, 
of  course  there  were  some  vacant  places,  but  contrary  to  my 
expectation,  I  harvested  this  fall  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
bushels  of  carrots,  some  of  them  measuring  two  and  a  half  feet 
jn  length  and  weighing  four  pounds. 

Value  of  crop,  at  thirty-three  cents  per  bushel,  $78  21 

Expenses  for 
Use  of  land,         -  -  -  -         $3  00 

Ploughing  and  harrowing,  -  -  1  00 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  227 

Four  loads  of  manure,      -  -  -  $4  00 

Sowing,  -  -  -  -  2  00 

Hoeing,    -  -  -  -  -  18  00 

Harvesting,  -  -  -  -  3  00 


Pl  00 


Net  gain,  -  -  -  -  |47  21 

M.  Hitchcock's   Statement. 

The  crop  of  carrots  which  I  present  to  notice  was  grown  on 
forty-eight  rods  of  light  sandy  land,  and  from  which  a  crop  of 
carrots  has  been  taken  for  the  two  preceding  years ;  in  the 
spring  of  1851,  two  cords  of  stable  manure  were  spread  and 
the  land  ploughed,  being  fine  and  mellow,  the  furrows  were 
levelled,  and  prepared  for  the  seed  with  a  hand-rake,  the  seed 
was  sown  in  drills  twenty  inches  apart — they  were  hoed  three 
times,  and  kept  free  from  weeds.  I  have  gathered  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  bushels,  weighing  forty-six  pounds  per  bushel, 
and  have  sold  and  used  twenty-five  bushels,  which  were  pulled 
in  thinning  the  crop,  and  are  not  included  in  this  estimate. 

Value  of  crop,  at  thirty-three  cents  per  bushel,  $79  20 

Expenses  for 
Manure,    -  -  - 

Ploughing, 
Raking  and  sowing, 
Hoeing,    -  -  - 

Harvesting  and  marketing, 
Interest  on  land,  - 

26  75 


$6 

00 

1 

00 

1 

25 

9 

00 

8 

00 

1 

50 

Net  gain,  -  -  -  -  $52  45 

Jonathan  Carlisle's  Statement. 
I  send  you  a  statement  of  a  crop  of  carrots  raised  by  me  the 
present  year  on  one  acre  of  light  sandy  loam  ;  this  acre  of  land 
was  iu  part  planted  with  potatoes  and  melons,  and  the 
remainder  was  sowed  with  millet  the  last  year.  The  melons 
were  manured  in  the  hill  ;  no  other  manure  was  used  on  the 
land.     The  yield  of  potatoes  was  about  fifty  bushels ;  on  the 


228  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

remaining  portion  I  spread  twenty-five  bushels  of  leached  ashes 
and  sowed  the  millet.  Last  spring  I  applied  five  cords  and  a 
half  of  compost  manure,  ploughed  it  under  and  harrowed  it ; 
just  before  sowing  the  seed  the  land  was  again  ploughed  and 
harrowed  ;  the  seed  was  sowed  the  third  day  of  June  ;  in 
October,  they  were  harvested  ;  the  yield  was  five  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  bushels  of  carrots,  weighing  forty-five  pounds  per 
bushel. 


Value  of  crop,  at  twenty-five  cents 

per 

bushel. 

$134  50 

Expenses  for 

Ploughing  twice, 

- 

$2  50 

Harrowing  twice, 

- 

1  00 

Five  and  a  half  cords  of  manure, 

- 

23  00 

Seed  and  sowing. 

- 

2  50 

Hoeing,    -             -             -             - 

- 

45  00 

Harvesting,           _             -             _ 

- 

10  50 

Use  of  land,          .             .             - 

- 

3  00 

87   ^0 

0 1       tJ\J 

Net  gain,  -             -             -             .  $47  00 

The  directors  award  to 

Miner  Hitchcock,  of  Chicopee,  1st  premium,  of  $3  00 

Samuel  Warner,  of  Wilbraham,  2d        "  2  00 


Turnip  Crop. 

Miner  Hitchcock^s  Statement. 
The  turnip  crop  which  I  offer  for  premium  was  raised  on  one 
fourth  of  an  acre  of  light  sandy  land,  which  was  last  year 
planted  with  field  beans.  No  manure  ti^as  applied.  In  August 
of  this  year  I  drew  one  cord  of  fine  manure  and  spread  it 
evenly,  and  covered  with  the  plough.  The  ground  was  levelled 
and  made  smooth  with  the  hand-rake,  the  9th  day  of  August  ; 
the  seed  was  sowed  in  drills  twenty  inches  apart ;  when  well 
up  so  as  to  discover  the  rows  distinctly  they  were  hoed  and 
thinned  suitably  ;   two   barrels  of  unleached  ashes  were  then 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  229 

strewed  over  the  land,  and  no  other  labor  was  bestowed  upon 
them  until  harvesting  the  crop. 

The  product  was  one  hundred  and  sixty  bushels  of  fine  long 
turnips,  which  I  have  sold  at  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel, 
amounting  to        -  -  -  -  |40  00 

Expenses  for 

Manure  and  ploughing,  - 

Hoeing  and  ashes,  _  _  . 

Harvesting  and  rent,  -  -     '        - 

Net  gain,  -  -  -  $31  69 

Samuel  Warner^s  Statement. 
My  crop  of  turnips  I  raised  on  five  or  six  acres  of  land,  by 
scattering  the  seed  thinly  among   the  growing   corn  ;  immedi- 
ately after  hoeing  the  last  time,  I  harvested  from  my  corn-field 
four  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  nice  turnips. 

Value  of  crop,  at  fifteen  cents  per  bushel,  $67  50 

Expenses  for 

Seed,  ashes,  and  sowing,  -  -         $5  00 

Harvesting,  -  -  -  -         13  50 

18  50 


|3  75 
1  56 
3  00 

8  31 

Net  gain,  .  _  .  |49  00 

I  consider  what  I  left  on  the  ground,  to  well  pay  for  the  use 
of  the  same. 

Josiah  Hooker^s  Statem,ent. 
My  turnip  crop  was  raised  on  the  same  lot  of  land  with  the 
rye,  and  was  sowed  in  the  last  days  of  July,  immediately  after 
the  rye  was  gathered.  The  seed  was  the  long  English  turnip. 
The  stubble  was  turned  in  with  the  plough,  and  the  ground 
bushed  down  and  the  seed  sowed  in  drills  eighteen  inches  apart. 
No  manure  was  applied — the  yield  was  five  hundred  bushels. 
I  consider  this  crop  the  most  profitable  that  is  raised  on  my 
farm. 

Value  of  crop,      -  .  _  .  $83  33 


230  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

Expenses  for 
Labor,  ploughing,  &.c,      -  -  -         $3  50 

Seed, 1  00 

Harvesting,  -  -  -  -         10  00 

^  the  interest  on   the  value  of  the  land, 

(there  having  been  a  previous  crop  of  rye 

on  it,) 7  50     |22  00 

Net  gain,  -  -  -  -  $61  33 

The  directors  award  to 
Miner  Hitchcock,  of  Chicopee,  1st  premium,  of  $2  00 

Josiah  Hooker,  of  Springfield,  2d         "  1  00 


Reclaimed    Meadovi^s. 

Henry  Ashley^s  Statement. 
The  piece  of  reclaimed  swamp  to  which  I  call  attention, 
contains  three  acres ;  it  was  originally  covered  with  wood, 
brush  and  water.  I  first  cleared  the  timber  from  the  land- — a 
ditch  was  dug  around  the  foot  of  the  hill  about  seventy  rods, 
to  drain  it.  I  commenced  digging  stumps  with  three  men  and 
two  yoke  of  cattle.  In  June,  1850,  I  burned  over  the  ground 
and  commenced  ploughing  with  two  yoke  of  cattle  and  two 
men,  with  a  plough  made  expressly  for  the  purpose  ;  the  same 
month  sowed  it  to  oats  and  stocked  it  down.  In  1850,  cut 
three  tons  of  mowed  oats  to  the  acre,  and  two  and  a  half  tons 
to  the  acre,  of  grass.  In  1851,  a  part  of  the  three  acres  I 
sowed  to  oats,  in  June,  and  stocked  it  down.  In  September,  I 
sowed  a  small  piece  to  wheat.  I  have  made  an  estimate  of 
clearing,  ditching,  digging  stumps,  and  ploughing  at  fifty  dol- 
lars per  acre. 

We  award  to  Mr.  Ashley,  rather  for  his  unyielding  persever- 
ance and  determination  in  conquering  the  obstacles  to  his 
future  labor,  than  for  the  amount  of  improvement,  the  2d  pre- 
mium, of  $4. 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  231 


Fruit  Trees. 


The  deep  interest  manifested  upon  the  subject  of  fruit  and 
fruit  orchards  within  the  limits  of  our  society  is  truly  laudable, 
and  sustains  the  pleasing  anticipation  that  ere  long  our  increas- 
ing wants  will  be  supplied  from  our  immediate  orchards,  with 
the  choicest  specimens  of  every  desirable  variety. 

In  examining  the  orchards  presented  by  the  several  competi- 
tors, the  directors  can  bat  express  themselves  highly  pleased 
with  the  zeal  and  skill  manifested  in  planting,  nurturing,  and 
training  their  trees.  We  feel  assured  that  every  member  of  our 
association  would  be  amply  compensated  by  visiting  and  exam- 
ining these  orchards  and  ascertaining  the  different  modes  of 
culture  for  themselves;  we  cannot  refrain  from  calling  particu- 
lar attention  to  the  method  of  resuscitation,  practised  by  Mr. 
Hooker  on  his  apple  trees,  when  girdled  by  mice,  for  it  may  be 
the  means  of  saving  some  valuable  specimen  for  others. 

We  award  the  premiums  as  follows : 

APPLE      ORCHARDS. 

To  Josiah  Hooker,  of  Springfield,  1st  premium,  of  ^8  00 

To  Rufiis  Whittier,  of  Chicopee,    2d         "  -  6  00 

PEAR     TREES. 

To  D.  C.  Brewer,  of  Springfield,  1st  premium  of    -  4  00 

To  Rufus  Whittier,  of  Chicopee,  2d         "  -  2  00 

PEACH    TREES. 

To  D.  C.  Brewer,  of  Springfield,  1st  premium  of    -  5  00 

To  Rufus  Whittier,  of  Chicopee,  2d         "  -  3  00 


Apple  Orchard. 

Josiah  Hooker^s  Statement. 
My  apple  orchard  consists  of  one  hundred  and   seventy-five 
trees,  embracing  most  of  the   varieties  of  apples   produced  in 


232  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

New  England.  The  orchard  was  begun  in  1845  by  the  setting 
out  of  twenty  trees.  Forty  were  added  in  1846.  The  resi- 
due have  been  planted  from  time  to  time  since  1846  up  to  the 
present  year.  They  are  set  out  in  rows  at  a  distance  of  forty 
feet  each  way. 

The  soil  is  sandy  loam  ;  and  for  the  first  three  years  after 
the  orchard  was  begun,  the  lot  was  a  mowing  lot,  and  the 
trees  did  not  thrive  and  grow  so  well  as  subsequently,  when 
the  land  was  turned  into  tillage,  and  more  pains  taken  with 
them.  The  ground  has  been  planted  with  corn  and  potatoes, 
and  crops  of  carrots  and  turnips  have  also  grown  upon  it,  the 
quantity  of  manure  applied,  being  that  which  is  usual  in  rais- 
ing such  crops.  Care  has  been  taken  to  have  the  soil  dug  and 
loosened  around  the  trees,  and  they  have  been  thoroughly 
washed,  from  time  to  time,  as  they  seemed  to  need  it,  with 
soft  soap  reduced,  viz.,  about  two  fifths  soap  to  three  fifths  of 
water.  The  trees  are  trimmed  every  year,  usually  in  the 
spring,  in  such  a  manner  as  to  have  them  open  in  the  centre. 

The  most  destructive  enemies  to  the  trees  have  been  the 
mice  that  infest  the  field.  With  all  the  precautions  that  have 
been  taken,  in  stamping  down  the  snow  around  the  trees,  &c., 
in  the  winter,  we  have  not  been  able  entirely  to  protect  them 
against  their  ravages.  This  year  I  have  had  a  mound  of  com- 
post matuire  placed  around  each  tree,  (being  about  half  a  cart 
load  for  each,)  and  covered  with  soil  and  made  hard.  This 
not  only  serves  the  purpose  of  protecting  the  trees  against  the 
mice,  but  keeps  the  roots  of  the  trees  warm,  enriches  the  soil 
around  them,  and  helps  support  the  tree  during  the  storms  of 
winter.  The  manure  will  also  be  ready  to  be  used  on  the 
ground  at  the  opening  of  spring. 

Year  before  last,  five  of  my  trees  were  girdled  and  a[)parently 
destroyed  by  the  mice.  But  a  remedy  was  applied  which 
saved  them.  Twigs  of  the  proper  length  were  cut  and  being 
sharpened  at  each  end  were  inserted  above  and  below  the 
gnawed  part,  and  fastened  by  bandages  and  grafting  wax,  so 
as  to  form  a  communication  for  the  sap.  The  twigs  have 
grown  into  the  tree  and  become  a  part  of  it ;  and  those  which 
have  been  thus  treated,   though  somewhat    retarded  in    their 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  233 

growth,  are  now  apparently  as  thrifty  as  those  which  have  not 
been  thus  injured. 

I  have  a  liouse  and  yards  for  fowls  on  one  side  of  the  orchard 
within  the  inclosure  ;  and  it  is  my  present  intention  to  raise  a 
crop  of  tobacco  on  the  ground  next  season,  and  allow  the 
fowls  free  range  over  the  field  to  feed  upon  and  destroy  the 
worms,  &c.,  the  crop  of  tobacco  being  almost  the  only  one 
which  fowls  do  not  injure. 


Pear  Trees. 
D.  C.  Bretver^^s    (Statement. 

The  orchard  of  young  pear  trees  which  I  offer  for  premium, 
consists  of  forty  trees  which  were  set  in  the  spring  of  1850. 
The  land  on  which  they  stand  is  a  sandy  loam ;  it  had  been 
cultivated  for  two  years  and  v/as  in  a  good  state  for  trans- 
planting. 

The  varieties  are  as  folknvs : — Bartlett,  Seckel.  Beurre  Bosc, 
Beurre  Diel,  Beurre  de  Amalis,  Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey,  Flem- 
ish Beauty,  Henry  IV",  Frederick  of  Wurtemburg,  Madeline, 
Vicar  of  Winkfield,  Beauty  of  Automne,  Marie  Louise,  Ur- 
baniste,  Yan  Mons  Leon  le  Clerc.  In  the  spring  of  1850  I 
dug  the  holes  for  the  trees,  fifteen  by  twenty  feet  apart.  I 
made  them  fifteen  inches  in  depth  and  four  feet  broad,  and 
mixed  with  the  soil,  some  compost  to  each  hole;  I  then  set  out 
the  trees ;  they  all  lived  and  made  wood,  from  one  to  two  feet 
the  first  jrear.  They  are  now  looking  healthy  and  vigorous, 
have  made  from  two  to  three  feet  growth  the  past  season  ; 
quite  a  number  of  the  trees  bore  this  year;  the  fruit  Avas  large 
and  fine. 


Peach  Orchard. 
'  D.  C.  Brewer^s  Statemerit. 

In    the    fall  of  1848,  I    made  preparations   for  setting    my 
peach  orchard,  and   in   the   spring  of  1849,  after  preparing  my 
ground,  (which  was  in  a  barren  and   uncultivated  state,)  by  a 
30 


234  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

deep  and  thorough  ploughing,  and  then  digging  very  large 
holes  to  be  partially  filled  with  rich  loam,  before  setting  the 
trees,  after  which  I  used  a  compost  consisting  of  muck,  stable 
manure,  ashes,  coal  cinders,  &.C.,  to  be  placed  around  the  tree 
while  setting  and  afterwards,  to  be  worked  in  with  a  fork, 
keeping  the  roots,  while  setting,  in  their  natural  position,  and 
occasionally  shaking  the  tree  that  the  fine  compost  might  find 
its  way  down  through  and  among  the  roots.  Since  then  the 
land  has  been  cultivated,  raising  mostly  potatoes,  which  I 
consider  the  best  crop  that  can  be  raised  among  trees,  and  in 
truth  I  really  think  them  an  advantage,  as  the  ground  is  gen- 
erally kept  loose  and  free  from  weeds.  The  trees  have  been 
inspected  two  or  three  times  in  the  course  of  a  season  to  keep 
them  from  the  grub  or  borer,  which,  if  allowed  to  enter  an 
orchard,  proves  almost  a  sure  death  to  the  trees.  The  orchard 
consists  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  trees,  which  have  been  regu- 
larly pruned,  thereby  causing  them  to  form  better  heads  or 
tops  than  if  left  alone,  and  making  much  better  looking  trees. 
The  following  are  the  varieties  which,  according  to  my  views, 
are  as  good  a  selection  as  I  could  well  have  : — Early  York, 
George  IV,  Cole's  Early  Red,  Coolidge's  Favorite,  Morris' 
White,  President,  Crawford's  Early,  Crawford's  Late,  Old 
Mixon,  (free  stone,)  Royal  George,  Red  Rareripe,  Tillottson's 
Early,  and  Early  Newington. 

Josiah  Hookefs  Statement. 

My  peach  orchard  consists  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
trees — forty-five  of  which  were  set  out  last  spring.  The 
ethers  were  planted  in  1848  and  the  two  years  following.  The 
position  of  most  of  them  is  on  a  gentle  slope,  having  a  west- 
erly aspect.  They  are  at  a  distance  of  about  fifteen  feet  from 
each  other.  The  trees  have  been,  from  time  to  time,  well 
washed,  and  ashes  and  manure  have  been  put  around  the  roots; 
and  care  has  been  taken  to  keep  the  soil  loose  around  them, 
with  the  spade. 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  235 

D.  A.  Wells's  Communication. 


Cambridge,  September,   1851. 
To  the  President  of  the  Hampden  Co.  Agricultural  Society  : 

You  request  that  I  would  communicate  to  the  Hampden 
County  Agricultural  Society,  such  facts  in  regard  to  the  exami- 
nation and  analyses  of  soils  as  I  may  be  possessed  of,  and 
which  in  my  opinion  may  subserve  the  agricultural  interests  of 
Hampden  county.  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  comply  with 
your  request  so  far  as  I  am  able,  and  although  my  experience 
has  been  somewhat  limited,  yet  impressed  with  the  feeling  that 
the  main  object  of  investigators  and  promoters  of  agricultural 
science  should  be  the  collection  of  facts  having  a  practical 
bearing  upon  the  wants  of  the  agriculturists,  I  furnish,  without 
distrust,  the  result  of  my  investigations  and  observations. 

In  May,  1851,  I  was  intrusted  by  the  secretary  of  the  Ohio 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  with  the  office  of  examining,  anal- 
yzing, and  reporting  upon  the  nature  and  composition  of  the 
soils  of  that  state,  and  upon  this  work  I  have  been  actively 
engaged  during  the  past  summer.  The  question  which  pre- 
sents itself  before  me  at  the  present  time  is  this: — Is  there 
anything  of  profit  or  interest  applicable  to  wants  of  the  agri- 
culturist of  Hampden,  to  be  drawn  from  these  investigations 
of  Ohio  soils?  The  fertility  of  the  rich  lands  along  the  valley 
of  the  Scioto  and  Miami  Rivers,  is  known  world  wide.  The 
sterility  of  Massachusetts  soils,  and  of  the  soils  of  Naw  Eng- 
land generally,  with  the  exception  of  some  alluvial  deposits 
along  the  river  bottoms,  has  an  almost  equally  extensive  repu- 
tation. Will  the  results  of  complete  and  accurate  chemical 
analyses  show  a  reason  for  these  differences,  and  at  the  same 
time  indicate  a  remedy  wholly  or  partially  effectual  ?  This 
question  may  perhaps  best  be  answered  by  a  comparison  of  the 
analyses  of  some  of  the  best  soils  in  Ohio,  with  the  analyses 
of  soils  from  Hampden  county  ;  and  with  this  end  in  view  I 
subrnit  the  following  abstracts  of  the  analyses  of  five  soils  ; 
two  from  Ohio  and  three  from  Hampden  county.  The  first  is 
the  analysis  of  a  soil  from  the  Ree'Ree  Bottom,  in  the  county 
of  Pike,  embraced  in  the  district  known  as  the  Scioto   Valley,' 


236  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

and  occasionally  overflowed  by  the  Scioto  River.  It  has  been 
cultivated  fifty-one  years  ;  forty-five  crops  of  corn  and  two  or 
three  of  wheat  have  been  taken  off  from  it  ;  it  has  also  been  a 
few  years  in  grass  or  clover.  It  has  scarcely  diminished  in 
fertility,  and  now,  with  the  most  ordinary  culture,  yields  on  an 
average,  one  3'ear  M-ith  another,  eighty  bushels  of  corn  to  the 
acre. 

Analj/scs. 

Whole   amount    of  insoluble  matters,  silicious 

sand  and  clay,  -  -  -  -  83.00  per  ct. 

Lime,    -  -  -  -  -  -      0.4         '• 

Phosphoric  acid,  _  _  .  _      0.0-L 

Alkalies,  -  -  -  -  -      O.IG       ••' 

Organic  matter,  -  -  -  -      G.OO       '• 

Another  soil  from  the  Scioto  Yalley,  equally  productive,  and 
cultivated  for  eighteen  years  in  the  simplest  manner,  gave  the 
following  results  : 

Insoluble  silicates,  clay  and  sand,  -  -  79.00  per  ct. 

Lime,    ------  1.00       '' 

Alkalies,  -  -  -  -  •  -  1.00       " 

Phosphoric  acid,  _  -  -  -  0.2         " 

Organic  matter,  -  -  -  -  11.0         -• 

Compare  now  with  these  two  analyses  of  soils,  among  the 
best  in  the  world,  three  from  the  county  of  Hampden,  as 
given  in  the  Geological  Report  of  Massachusetts,  by  President 
Hitchcock.     The  first  an  alluvial  soil  from  West  Springfield: 

Insoluble  silicates,  clay  and  sand,  -  -  03.00  per  ct. 

Lime,  as  sulphate  or  as  gypsum.  -  -       1.3         " 

Phosphates,       -  -  -  -  -  0.7         *' 

Organic  matter,  -  -  -  -      -4.0         " 

Another  soil,  resting  upon  the  red  sand  stone,  from  Long- 
meadow  : 

Insoluble  silicates.  -  .  -  -  92.00  per  ct. 

T.ime.  a?  snlnhate.  -  _  _  _  3.0          " 

Phosphates.       -  -  .  -  -  0.6         " 

Organic  matter,  -  -  -  -  3.7        " 


HAMPDEN  SOCIETY.  237 

A  third  soil  from  Palmer,  gives  us  the  following  : 

Insoluble  silicates,  -  _  -  _  88.00  per  ct. 

Phosphates,       -  -  -  -  -       0.6  '• 

Lime,    -  -  -  -  -  -      2.0  " 

Organic  matter,  .  .  _  _      3  q         c 

In  comparing  these  several  results,  we  find  but  little  differ- 
ence in  the  amount  and  value  of  the  mineral  constituents  of  the 
Ohio  and  Hampden  county  soils;  if  anything,  the  advantage 
is  on  the  side  of  the  Massachusetts  soils.  The  reason  for  their 
respective  differences  in  value,  will  not,  therefore,  be  probably 
found  here. 

How  is  it  then  "with  the  organic  portion  of  these  soils: 
Here  there  is  a  difference.  The  three  soils  which  I  have  se- 
lected from  Hampden  county,  contain  a  greater  proportion  of 
organic  matter,  than  the  general  average.  This  element  of  the 
different  soils  will  generally  be  found  to  be  greater  in  the  rich 
Ohio  soils  than  the  soils  of  New  England.  Compared  with 
the  alluvial  lands  along  the  rivers  of  New  England,  the  excess 
is  not  very  considerable.  But  there  is  a  very  great  difference 
in  the  state  and  condition  in  which  this  organic  matter  exists 
in  the  soils  of  the  Scioto,  and  the  soils  along  the  Connecticut. 
In  the  former,  it  is  so  finely  divided,  so  blended  and  incorpo- 
rated with  the  mineral  particles,  that  few,  on  examining  the 
dry,  pulverulent  soil,  would  be  able  to  form  a  fair  comparative 
opinion  respecting  the  quantity  present.  The  amount  would 
always  be  underrated.  A  very  large  part  of  this  organic  mat- 
ter is  also  in  a  soluble  state,  ready  to  be  appropriated  and  re- 
ceived as  food  by  the  growing  crops.  On  the  contrary,  much 
of  the  organic  matter  in  the  soils  of  New  England  is  coarse, 
recently  derived  from  decayed  animal  or  vegetable  organisms, 
and  perhaps  not  yet  thoroughly  decomposed.  It  is  also  in 
considerable  part  insoluble,  or  in  a  state  allied  to,  and  resem- 
bling charcoal. 

A  microscopical  examination  of  the  insoluble  portions  of  the 
Ohio  soils,  the  silicious  clays  and  sands,  shows  that  they  have 
had  an  origin  common  to  the  great  mass  of  the  New  England 
soils.  .The  rocks  underlying  the  soils  of  Ohio  are  for  the 
most  part  lime  rocks,  and  the  same  is  true  of  the  soils  of  Iowa 


238  HAMPDEN  SOCIETY. 

and  Wisconsin.  Yet  my  examinations  of  Ohio  soils,  and  the 
examination  of  other  analysts,  together  with  the  analyses  of 
the  soils  of  Iowa  and  Wisconsin,  by  Dr.  Owen,  the  United 
States  government  geologist,  show  that  the  quantity  of  lime 
present  is  no  greater  than  the  average  amount  contained  in 
New  England  soils.  The  soils  of  the  three  western  states 
referred  to,  and  perhaps  the  soils  of  all  the  west,  have  been  de- 
rived from  the  ruins  of  granitic  and  primitive  rocks,  swept  and 
distributed  from  the  north  by  powerful  aqueous  agencies. 

There  is  one  other  point  in  which  the  Ohio  soils  examined 
by  me,  differ  from  New  England  soils,  and  that  is,  in  the  fine- 
ness of  their  constituent  particles,  most  of  them  being  little 
else,  when  dry,  than  impalpable  powders.-  This  is  an  impor- 
tant element  of  their  fertility,  for  with  it  a  superior  power  is  at 
once  given  to  a  soil  for  the  absorption,  retention  and  condensa- 
tion of  moisture,  carbonic  acid  and  ammonia,  with  an  oj)por- 
tunity  for  the  free  permeation  of  atmospheric  air,  and  a  facility 
for  the  rootlets  of  plants  to  extend,  appropriate  and  receive 
nourishment. 

The  conclusion  then  to  be  drawn  from  this  comparison  of 
the  soils  of  the  Scioto  Valley  and  the  soils  of  Hampden 
county  is,  that  the  Ohio  soils  are  only  superior  as  regards  the 
fineness  of  their  constituent  particles,  and  in  the  amount  and 
condition  of  the  organic  matter  contained  in  them.  The 
lesson  which  they  may  teach  to  the  agriculturists  of  Hampden 
is,  the  necessity  for  the  thorough  breaking  and  pulverizing  of 
the  earthy  particles,  and  for  the  preservation,  preparation,  and 
proper  application  of  organic  manures,  the  produce  of  the  farm 
yard  and  the  muck  beds.  These  conclusions  are  not  new  ; 
they  are  the  results  of  the  experience  of  ages,  and  of  the 
observations  and  experiments  of  every  practical  farmer.  The 
agricultural  tendency  of  the  present  day  is  toward  mineral 
manures.  I  would  not  undervalue  them,  but  at  the  same  time  I 
wish  that  the  old  notions  respecting  thorough  tillage,  and  the 
value  of  the  barnyard  products — notions,  the  value  of  which 
experience  has  taught  and  which  all  scientific  investigations 
are  now  confirming, — may  not  be  underrated  or  undervalued. 

DAVID   A.  WELLS, 
Chemist  to  the  Ohio  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 


FRANKLIN  SOCIETY.  239 


FRANKLIN  COUNTY  AGRICUI/fUIlAL  SOCIETY. 


The  second  anniversary  and  fair  of  this  society  were  held 
at  Greenfield,  on  the  15th  and  16th  days  of  October  last. 
Three  town  teams  were  present.  The  entries  of  working  cattle 
were  30,  cattle  for  the  stall  6,  fat  cattle  5,  steers  27,  bulls  12, 
and  cows  11.  James  S.  Grennell,  of  Greenfield,  exhibited  a 
Durham  bull  which  weighed  1800,  and  Consider  Arms,  of 
Conway,  a  splendid  pair  of  cattle  weighing  4700  pounds. 
Hubbard  Graves,  of  Sunderland,  exhibited  a  sow  and  pigs  of 
the  Suffolk  breed,  accompanied  by  the  statement  that  the  sow 
had  borne  pigs,  within  a  year  and  a  half,  which  had  been  sold, 
as  pigs,  for  $158  50. 

At  the  horse  show  on  the  second  day,  the  number  of  entries 
was  of  geldings  12,  of  stallions  5,  of  draft  horses  2,  of  carriage 
horses  5,  of  breeding  mares  12,  and  of  colts  37. 

The  address  before  the  society  was  delivered  by  Professor 
John  P.  Norton,  of  Yale  College. 


Ploughing  Match. 

There  were  twenty-four  entries,  but  only  eighteen  competi- 
tors made  trial.  The  ground  was  well  chosen,  a  strong  sward 
upon  a  stiff  clayey  soil.  Although  the  least  depth  of  furrow  to 
be  ploughed,  had  been  fixed  at  six  inches,  the  committee  ad- 
vised and  urged  the  ploughmen  to  aim  deeper  than  this  depth — 
deep  ploughing  being  considered  decidedly  preferable  to  shal- 
low. The  committee  express  the  opinion  that  for  future  trials 
of  this  nature,  the  depth  of  furrow  should  not  be  less  than 
seven  inches.  The  work  was  all  well  done.  The  premiums 
were  awarded,  as  follows  : — 

The  first,  of  six  dollars,  to  Josiah  Fogg,  of  Deerfield  ;  plough, 
Ruggles,  Nourse  &  Mason. 


240  FRANKLIN  SOCIETY. 

The  second,  of  five  dollars,  to  J.  S.  Grennell,  of  Greenfield; 
plough,  Rnggles,  Nourse  &,  Mason. 

The  third,  of  fonr  dollars,  to  Albert  Smead,  Greenfield,  do. 
do.  do. 

The  fourth,  of  three  dollars,  to  Josiah  Fogg,  Deerfield,  do.  do. 

The  fifth,  of  two  dollars,  to  A.  H.  Nims,  of  Greenfield, 
plongh,  Pronty  &  Mears. 

A  premium  had  been  proposed  for  a  plough  without  a  holder, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  match,  such  a  plough  was  put  in,  by 
E.  G.  Stebbins,  of  Deerfield,  and  drawn  by  horses.  Although 
the  work  done  by  it  exceeded  the  expectation  of  the  com- 
mittee, yet  it  was  not  performed  to  their  entire  satisfaction. 
The  plough  was  of  the  manufacture  of  Prouty  &  Mears.  The 
experiment,  if  not  entirely  practical,  was  designed  "  to  stimu- 
late the  ingenuity  and  tax  the  skill  of  the  plough-makers,"  and 
it  should  have  this  effect. 

Three  ploughs  with  double  shares,  the  •'•'  Michigan  ploughvS," 
were  put  in  operation,  each  drawn  by  two  pairs  of  cattle. 
Their  work  appeared  to  be  well  done,  especially  for  some  pur- 
poses of  culture  ;  but  in  the  absence  of  all  experience  and  ob- 
servation of  their  utility,  the  committee  are  not  prepared  to 
express  a  decided  opinion  thereon. 

GEO.  GRENNELL,  Chairman. 


Town    Teams. 

The  committee  say  that  the  team  from  Shelburne  was,  in 
the  opinion  of  the  committee,  the  finest,  heaviest,  and  best 
matched  in  form  and  color,  of  any  team  ever  shown  in  Massa- 
chusetts, and  to  the  town  of  Shelburne  they  awarded  the  first 
premium.     To  the  town  of  Greenfield  they  awarded  the  second. 


Cows. 

Among  the  cows  were  some  superior  ones,  and  all  were  fine 
and  worthy  of  notice.     A  red  cow,  eight  years  old,  half  native 


FRANKLIN  SOCIETY.  241 

and  half  Durham,  owned  by  Josiah  Fogg,  of  Deerfield,  in  seven 
consecutive  days  yielded  four  hundred  and  sixty-five  pounds  of 
milk,  from  which  were  made  seventeen  pounds  of  butter.  She 
is  of  medium  size,  except  her  milk-holder,  which  is  as  large  as 
ever  cow  swung.  She  dropped  her  calf  the  7th  of  September 
last.     The  first  premium  of  six  dollars  is  awarded  to  Mr.  Fogg. 

Elam  Kellogg,  to  whom  is  awarded  the  second  premium  of 
five  dollars,  presented  a  cow  which  dropped  her  calf  November 
19th,  1850,  and  after  supplying  milk  for  two  families  of  nine 
persons,  furnished,  between  December  3d,  1850,  and  August 
23d,  1851,  milk  from  which  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight 
pounds  of  battel:  were  made.  The  greatest  quantity  of  butter 
made  during  six  consecutive  weeks,  was  ten  and  a  quarter 
pounds  per  week. 

It  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  so  iew  cows  were  offered  for 
premium  here,  in  the  midst  of  the  finest  cows  and  stock  of  the 
State,  and  the  committee  are  constrained  to  believe  that  it  is 
owing  mainly  to  the  stringent  rule  of  the  society,  requiring 
quantity  and  weight  of  milk  and  weight  of  butter,  for  a  num- 
ber of  consecutive  weeks,  not  less  than  six.  They  would, 
therefore,  suggest  the  relaxing  of  so  stringent  a  rule,  and  adopt- 
ing one  more  easily  complied  with — a  trial  of  one  week  in 
June  and  one  in  September,  if  the  calf  be  dropped  in  the  spring, 
and  if  dropped  after  June,  then  seven  or  ten  days  in  September, 
or  before  the  fair,  will  be  found  to  be  a  more  satisfactory  and 
sufficient  test. 

H.  G.  NEWCOMB,  Chairman. 


Cheese. 


We  are  confident  that  we  cannot  too  strongly  urge  upon  the 
dairyman  the  necessity  of  using  the  greatest  care  in  the  selec- 
tion of  cows  for  his  dairy.  Very  much  depends  upon  this. 
Milk  is  found,  upon  analysis,  to  contain  the  principal  materials 
of  animal  matter,  albumen,  oil  and  phosphate  of  lime,  and 
these  in  much  larger  proportions  from  some  cows  than  others. 
Good  rich  milk  is  as  necessary  for  making  good  cheese  as  it  is 
31 


242  FRANKLIN  SOCIETY. 

for  making  good  butter,  for  the  quality  and  flavor  of  the  cheese 
depend  in  a  great  measure  upon  the  cream  or  oily  matter  that 
is  left  in  the  curd.  You  might  as  reasonably  expect  richly 
flavored  fruit  from  the  crab-apple  tree,  as  good  cheese  from  poor, 
thin  milk,  that  challenges  the  sky  to  compete  with  it  in  color. 
Away,  then,  (if  you  have  them,)  with  your  little,  blue-skin, 
goat-like  imitations  of  a  cow,  and  supply  their  place  with  the 
noble,  rich  yellow-skin,  every  way  worthy  of  the  appellation 
of  "  Madam  Cow."  And  having  done  this,  see  that  the  busi- 
ness of  the  dairy,  in  all  its  departments,  is  performed  systemat- 
ically, and  with  the  strictest  regularity.  Let  the  process  of 
milking  be  done  at  regular  hours,  and  avoid,  as  far  as  possible, 
a  change  of  milkers.  Then  provide  the  good  woman  with 
every  necessary  convenience  for  carrying  on  her  work,  and  if 
she  be  fully  qualified  to  act  well  her  part,  success  will  crown 
your  eff'orts.  Then  will  the  loaded  shelves  bend  beneath  the 
weight  of  the  rich  product  of  your  labor,  and  your  pockets  be 
well  filled  in  return  for  the  fruits  of  your  honest  toil. 

E.  WING  PACKER,  Chairman, 


Grain   and  Root  Crops. 
There  was  awarded 

To  D.  &.  H.  Wells,  of  Shelburne,     for  Indian  corn,  $5  00 

"    D.  &  H.  Wells,         "                     "   wheat,  -  3  00 

"    James  Childs,  of  Deerfield,            «'    rye,  -  3  00 

'*    Aaron  Budington,  of  Leyden,     "    carrots,  -  2  00 

"    Oliver  Williams,  of  Sunderland,  "    turnips,  -  2  00 

D.  &c  H.  Wells^s  /Statement. 
The  acre  of  corn,  which  we  entered  for  premium,  was  on  a 
moderately  stiff  loam,  with  an  eastern  slope  varying  from  six 
to  twelve  degrees.  The  land  had  been  liberally  manured  and 
planted  to  corn,  then  sown  with  oats  and  grass  seed,  and  mowed 
fourteen  years  without  any  dressings  except  plaster.  Last  year 
the  crop  of  hay  was  over  a  ton  to  the  acre. 


FRANKLIN  SOCIETY.  243 

Last  April,  the  land  was  ploughed  with  a  side-hill  plough, 
turning  all  flat,  furrows  seven  inches  deep.  Twenty-three 
loads  of  green  manure  were  hauled  on,  which  were  spread  and 
harrowed  in  at  the  time  of  planting.  May  19th.  Ten  loads  of 
rotten  manure,  made  under  cover  and  sheltered  through  the 
summer,  were  put  in  the  hill.  Three  hundred  pounds  of 
plaster  were  used,  a  part  on  the  manure  in  the  hill,  the  remain- 
der sowed  on  after  the  first  hoeing. 

Owing  to  the  steepness  of  the  slope,  the  rows  were  furrowed 
three  feet  six  inches  apart,  the  hills  three  feet  in  the  rows. 
Planted  the  eight-row  corn,  using  a  liberal  suppy  of  seed  to 
guard  against  worms  or  other  injury.  At  the  first  hoeing, 
thinned  to  five  stalks  in  the  hill.  Hoed  three  times,  using  the 
cultivator  each  time.  The  corn  was  harvested  by  cutting  up 
at  the  ground,  and  putting  it  in  shocks  of  twelve  hills  each, 
while  a  small  portion  of  it  was  quite  soft,  lest  it  might  be  in- 
jured by  the  frost.  The  corn  was  carted,  husked  and  carefully 
measured  early  in  November.  A  portion  of  it,  shelled  soon  af- 
terwards, gave  a  yield  of  one  hundred  and  nine  bushels,  three 
pecks. 

Estimated  Expense. 

Thirty-three  loads  of  manure,  -  $33  00 

Plaster,  -  -  -  -  1  35 

Ploughing,  and  hauling  manure,  &c.,  -  8  00 

Spreading  manure  and  harrowing,        -  1  50 

Furrowing  75 ;  seed  33,  -  -  1  08 

Planting  $3  ;  hoeing  and  cultivating,  $8  50,      1 1  50 
Cutting  up  and  shocking,         -  -  2  00 

Carting  and  husking,  -  -  8  50 

— ~     |g66  93 
By  109|  bush,  corn  at  70  cts.  per  bush.  $76  81 

3  tons  corn  fodder,         -  -    15  00  91  81 


Balance  in  favor  of  crop,     -  -  -        -       $24  88 

It  will  be  seen  that  we  have  made  no  allowance  for  the  ben- 
efit, which  after-crops  may  receive  from  the  manure.     We  also 


244  FRANKLIN  SOCIETY. 

submit  the  following  statement  in  regard  to  a  crop  of  spring 
wheat,  raised  by  us  this  season,  on  one  acre  and  seventy-three 
rods  of  land.  The  yield  was  fifty-one  bushels,  or  a  fraction 
over  thirty-five  bushels  per  acre,  weighing  61|  lbs.  per  bushel. 

The  soil  is  a  stiff  loam,  and  had  been  in  grass  seven  or  eight 
years,  previously  to  1850,  without  manure.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year,  spread  thirty  loads  of  green  manure,  (about  thirty- 
five  bushels  to  the  load,)  and  turned  it  under  the  sod,  plough- 
ing six  inches  deep,  and  planted  to  corn.  Twenty  bushels  of 
ashes,  four  of  air-slacked  lime,  and  two  of  plaster,  well  mixed, 
were  applied  in  the  hill.  The  estimated  yield  was  seventy- 
five  bushels  to  the  acre. 

This  year  the  land  was  ploughed  once,  the  seed  thoroughly 
harrowed  in,  and  the  land  rolled.  Sowed,  April  2d,  the  Black 
Sea  wheat,  at  the  rate  of  two  bushels  to  the  acre.  Prepared 
the  seed  by  soaking  in  brine  twelve  or  fourteen  hours,  then 
rolling  it  in  lime.  In  May,  after  the  wheat  was  well  up,  the 
field  was  sown  with  plaster,  about  150  lbs. 

Expense  of  Cultivation. 

Three  bushels  of  seed,  $1  50  per  bushel,  $4  50 

Ploughing,  preparing  seed  and  sowing,  3  50 

Harrowing  and  rolling,                 -             -  I  50 

Harvesting  and  carting,  -             -             -  7  75 

Lime,  salt,  plaster,  and  sowing  same,       -  1  25 

Threshing,  (by  horse-power,)      -             -  3  00 

|21  50 


Fifty-one  bush,  of  wheat  at  $1  33  per  bushel,   67  83 
Straw,    -  -  .  .  -  8  00 


75  83 


Profit,  $54  33 

SUELBURNE,   NoV.,    1851. 

James  Child's  Statement. 

The  crop  of  wheat,  which  I  enter  for  premium,  was  raised 
on  one  acre  and  twenty-seven  rods  of  land.  It  was  stocked 
down  to  clover  in  the  fall  of  1848.     The  summer  of  1849,  a 


FRANKLIN  SOCIETY.  245 

crop  of  rye  was  cut  from  it.  Last  year  the  first  crop  of  clover 
was  cut  for  hay,  and  the  second  crop  (about  three-fourths  of  a 
ton  per  acre)  ploughed  in.  It  was  then,  (Sept.  19lh)  sowed 
with  two  bushels  of  the  Soule's  variety  of  wheat.  The  yield 
was  twenty-nine  bushels  and  thirty  quarts  to  the  acre,  or  thirty- 
five  bushels  on  the  entire  field.  The  soil  of  the  field  is  a 
sandy  loam,  of  a  medium  quality.  I  also  present  for  conside- 
ration a  field  of  rye,  four  acres  and  fifty-three  rods,  the  culture 
of  which  has  been  precisely  like  that  of  the  wheat  field,  for  a 
few  years  past,  it  being  a  part  of  the  same  lot.  The  yield  was 
120  bushels,  or  twenty-seven  bushels,  twenty-two  quarts  to  the 
acre. 

Deerfield,  Sept.  25,  1851. 

Aaro7i  Budington's  Statement. 

Previous  condition  of  land,  soil  good,  a  deep  loam.  Part  of 
the  land  had  carrots  on  it  for  three  years  past,  the  rest  one  year. 

Manured  with  fifteen  loads  stable  manure. 
Ploughing  and  sowing,  four  days, 
Weeding  and  thinning,  twelve  days, 
Harvesting,  eight  days,  _  _  _ 

Seed,  one  pound  orange  carrot, 

$40  00 

Spread  the  manure  before  ploughing.  Began  to  plough  on 
one  side,  with  a  side-hill  plough,  letting  it  run  as  deep  as  we 
could  make  it ;  ploughed  one  rod  in  width  ;  then  raked  the 
stones  and  lumps  of  dirt  into  the  dead  furrow,  and  proceeded 
in  that  way  until  finished.  Sowed  with  seed  sower ;  the  rows 
on  one  half  of  the  piece  eighteen  inches,  and  on  the  other  half 
two  feet  apart.  Thinned  the  carrots  in  the  former  rows  to  one 
foot  apart,  and  the  rest  from  eight  to  ten  inches.  Raised  384 
bushels  on  half  an  acre  of  land.  - 

Leyden,  Nov.^  1851. 


$15 

00 

4 

00 

12 

00 

8 

00 

1 

00 

246  FRANKLIN  SOCIETY. 

Oliver  Williams^s  Statement. 
The  land,  on  which  my  half  acre  of  turnips  grew  this  season, 
is  sandy  loam.  The  condition  of  the  land  was  good.  It  had 
been  in  grass  for  two  years,  previously.  I  turned  under  the 
sward  about  the  middle  of  July,  after  mowing,  cutting  the  fur- 
rows eight  inches  deep. 

Ploughing  and  harrowing, 

Five  loads  of  compost, 

Carting  and  spreading  same. 

Seed  and  sowing,  with  machi:ie  in  drills. 

Hoeing  and  thinning,       _  -  . 

Harvesting,  _  -  -  - 

By  364  bushels  turnips,  at  25  cents  per  bushel. 

Profit,  $79  10 

Sunderland,  Nov.f  1851. 


75 

5  00 

1  00 

40 

1  75 

3  00 

$11  90 

>1, 

91  00 

Hay  Crop. 

One  of  the  best  mowing  lots  in  this  State  is  in  Greenfield, 
and  is  owned  by  H.  W.  Clapp.  It  contains,  by  accurate  sur- 
vey, seven  acres  and  one  hundred  rods.  In  1850,  the  first 
crop  of  hay  on  this  lot,  harvested  in  July,  weighed  at  the 
time,    -  -  -  -  -  29  tons,  497  lbs. 

The  second  crop  on  the  same  lot,  harvested 

in  September,  weighed,        -  -  14  tons,    97  lbs. 


"   •         Total,        43  tons,  594  lbs. 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  247 

/ 
HAMPSHIRE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


The  cattle  show  of  this  society  was  held  at  Amherst,  the 
22d  day  of  October  last.  The  exhibition  opened  with  the 
trial  of  horses,  the  number,  quality  and  appearance  of  which, 
received  general  commendation.  The  whole  number  on  the 
ground  was  123,  viz. :  five  stallions,  twelve  geldings,  forty 
work-horses,  twenty- two  breeding  mares,  and  forty-four  colts. 
The  show  of  cattle  was  very  extensive,  numbering  five  hun- 
dred in  all,  viz. :  five  calves,  seven  milch  cows,  nine  heifers, 
twelve  bulls,  sixteen  fat  cattle,  sixty  steers,  and  390  working 
oxen. 

Of  town  teams,  the  Belchertown  string  contained  202  work- 
ing oxen,  in  pairs,  decorated  with  banners,  and  attached  to  a 
spacious  car,  appropriately  decorated  and  occupied  by  181  per- 
sons, including  a  band  of  music.  The  Granby  string  was  com- 
posed of  eighty-eight  excellent  cattle,  and  the  Leverett  string 
of  forty-eight.  Parsons  West,  of  Hadley,  exhibited  eighteen 
very  nice  working  oxen,  from  his  own  farm. 

The  number  of  entries  for  the  ploughing  match,  was  twenty- 
three.  Sixteen  lots  were  ploughed.  The  land  was  hard, 
somewhat  stony,  and  adapted  to  exercise  the  highest  skill  of 
holders  and  ploughs.  The  Michigan  plough,  with  two  coul- 
ters, was  much  admired.  The  ploughing  was  creditable  to  all 
the  holders,  and  very  attractive  to  the  spectators. 

There  were  twenty-five  entries  for  the  trial  of  working  oxen. 
The  load  was  stone,  about  two  tons  in  weight,  drawn  up  an 
ascent  in  the  highway  of  six  or  seven  degrees,  by  single  teams. 

The  show  of  poultry  was  large,  consisting  of  six  hundred 
specimens.  Of  fruit,  there  were  404  plates,  with  not  less  than 
five  specimens  on  each  plate,  and  of  bread,  102  loaves  ;  thirty 
cheeses,  and  twenty-two  lots  of  butter  were  also  exhibited. 
The  other  departments  were  well  filled. 


248  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

The  address  was  delivered  by  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  of 
Dorchester. 

ALFRED  BAKER,  President. 
J.  W.  BOYDEN,  Secretary. 


Subsoil  Ploughing  and  Compost  Manures. 

Subsoil  ploughing  has  not,  in  this  region,  as  yet  arrested  the 
attention  of  farmers,  as  its  importance  deserves.  The  operation 
of  the  double  coultered  plough, — called  the  Michigan  plough 
in  this  country,  but  Morton's  plough  in  Europe, — will,  we 
hope,  be  the  means  of  exciting  more  interest  in  the  subject. 

From  the  known  downward  tendencies  of  the  chairman  of 
the  committee,  the  society  will  not  think  it  strange  if  he  gets  a 
little  nearer  to  the  rocks  than  the  subsoil  plough  reaches.  He 
will,  therefore,  venture  to  suggest  a  mode  of  enriching  land,  to 
which  he  called  the  attention  of  farmers  in  his  final  report  on 
the  Geology  of  Massachusetts,  but  which  probably  has  been 
forgotten.  It  is  well  known  that  some  of  the  most  valuable 
manures  are  soluble  in  water,  and  such,  of  course,  are  carried 
downwards  through  the  soil  as  deep  as  the  water  penetrates. 
This  will  in  a  great  measure  descend  till  it  meets  with  a  stratum 
of  hard  pan,  or  clay,  that  is  impervious  to  water ;  thence  we 
may  expect  that  the  deposit  lying  immediately  above  such  im- 
pervious stratum  will  contain  salts,  valuable  as  manure,  if 
brought  to  the  surface.  This  has  been  proved  by  several  facts, 
which  are  cited  in  the  report  above  alluded  to,  under  the  head 
of  muck  sand,  (p.  107.)  But  the  water-bearing  stratum, 
whether  loam  or  sand,  may  lie  near  the  surface  ;  and  this  may 
be  one  of  the  secrets  of  the  good  effects  of  subsoil  ploughing. 
In  many  cases  this  stratum  may  be  recognized  by  the  springs 
that  issue  from  it  in  steep  banks ;  and  it  may  prove  more  valu- 
able than  even  subsoil  ploughing. 

On  the  subject  of  compost  manures,  two  statements  were  re- 
ceived :  one  from  Samuel  Powers,  of  Hadley,  to  whom  the 
committee   award   the  highest  premium  of  ten  dollars  ;  and  a 


.  HAMPSHIRE    SOCIETY.  249 

second  from  Dr.  David  Rice,  of  Leverett,  to  whom  the  com- 
mittee recommend  a  gratuity  of  six  dollars. 

EDWARD  HITCHCOCK,  Chairman. 

Samuel  Powers^s  Statement. 

I  have,  during  the  last  four  years,  been  in  the  habit  of  using 
compost  manure  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  from  the  expe- 
rience that  I  have  had  in  its  application,  and  the  results  that 
have  attended  its  use,  I  now  think  it  far  cheaper  and  equally 
as  durable  for  a  fertilizer,  as  the  best  animal  manure.  In  1847, 
I  took  from  my  peat  swamp,  the  soil  of  which  is  composed  of 
vegetable  matter,  that  has  been  accumulating  there  for  many 
years,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  cart  loads  of  this 
peat,  and  mixed  with  it  ashes,  saltpetre,  and  plaster,  in  parts, 
equal  to  one  hundred  bushels  ashes,  one  hundred  pounds  of 
saltpetre,  and  five  hundred  pounds  plaster,  for  the  whole  lot. 
In  the  spring  of  1848,  I  carted  this  mixture  upon  a  field  ad- 
joining, the  soil  of  which  is  a  fitie  deep  loam  capable  of  being 
enriched  to  any  extent,  and  spread  upon  two  acres,  fifty  large 
loads  of  compost,  harrowed  it  in  and  planted  it  with  corn. 
Upon  two  acres  adjoining,  of  precisely  the  same  quality,  forty 
loads  of  good  yard  manure  were  applied.  The  result  was,  the 
corn  on  both  pieces  was  good,  yet  that  on  which  the  compost 
was  used  was  more  luxuriant  from  beginning  to  end,  and  pro- 
duced some  seventy-five  bushels  per  acre.  After  harvesting 
the  corn,  one  acre  of  the  land  composted  was  sown  to  wheat, 
and  the  other  acre  to  rye  ;  both  crops  were  good,the  part  sown 
to  rye  producing  about  twenty-five  bushels,  and  the  wheat 
twenty  bushels.  And  had  not  the  frost  killed  it  out,  it  would 
probably  have  yielded  thirty  bushels.  The  rye  sown  on  the 
two  acres  manured,  produced  twenty  bushels  per  acre. 

In  1850,  I  planted  the  same  four  acres  again,  adding  ten 
loads  of  compost,  making  sixty  loads  for  the  two  acres,  and 
putting  the  same  quantity  of  manure  upon  the  other,  it  produced 
a  very  heavy  crop  of  corn.  After  harvesting  it,  I  sowed  it 
again  with  wheat  and  rye,  and  proauced  as  good  a  crop  as 
before. 

32 


250  HAMPSHIRE   SOCIETY. 

In  the  spring  of  1851,  I  sowed  grass  seed  and  harrowed  it  in 
among  the  growing  crop,  and  it  now  presents  a  very  promising 
appearance.  My  object  in  experimenting  upon  these  two  pieces 
of  land,  lias  been  to  test  the  qualities  of  compost,  and  its  utility 
in  preserving  the  qualities  of  the  soil,  which  has  been  done  to 
my  entire  satisfaction,  both  parcels  being  raised  from  a  low  to 
a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  can,  I  think,  be  mowed  for  sev- 
eral years  to  come  with  good  success. 

My  anticipations  have  been  more  than  realized,  both  in  re- 
gard to  the  productiveness  of  the  land,  and  future  prospects  of 
the  crops,  which  are  all  in  favor  of  composting,  one  important 
consideration  of  which  is  its  cheapness,  the  cost  not  exceed- 
ing thirty-three  cents  per  load,  on  the  lot,  or  about  one-third 
the  expense  of  animal  manure.  My  practice  is  to  mix  the 
compost  one  year,  and  use  it  the  next.  I  have  also  applied  it 
on  several  other  parcels  of  land,  with  equal  results.  In  1849, 
I  put  fifteen  loads  of  compost  on  one  half  an  acre  of  land  be- 
side the  same  quantity  of  land  on  which  was  spread  at  the  rate 
of  twenty-nine  large  cart  loads  of  manure  to  the  acre.  The 
corn  grown  from  the  compost  was  the  best  and  produced  forty 
bushels.  I  also  spread  twenty  loads  on  grass  as  a  top  dressing, 
and  experienced  the  same  results.  In  1851,  I  applied  to  one 
acre  about  forty  loads  of  compost,  with  nothing  but  plaster,  to 
as  good  purpose  as  heretofore,  for  the  growing  of  corn.  Also 
thirty  loads  to  another  acre  of  corn,  and  procured  about  the 
same  as  when  twenty  loads  of  manure  were  used,  side  by  side. 
In  all  cases  where  this  compost  has  been  used,  not  only  has  it 
produced  good  crops,  but  it  has  much  improved  the  land,  so 
that  it  is  now  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation. 

Hadley,  Oct.  20,  1851. 

David  Rice's  Statement. 
I  present  the  following  statement  in  regard  to  a  compost  ma- 
nure that  I  have  used  and  tested  for  several  years.  It  recom- 
mends itself  by  several  considerations.  I  state  in  the  outset, 
that  the  two  great  objects  to  be  looked  after  in  making  ma- 
nures, are  cheapness  and  strength.  A  strong  fertilizing  manure, 
\i\    t  a)sts  hut  little,  is  what  farmers  most  desire.     The  experi- 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  251 

ments  that  I  have  made,  have  not  been  on  a  large  scale,  but 
large  enough  for  the  deduction  of  facts,  which  I  wish  to  state 
to  the  committee. 

Immediately  after  planting  in  the  spring,  and  after  I  have 
used  what  manure  I  want,  I  commence  my  compost  heap  for 
the  next  season.  Into  a  convenient  place,  which  with  me  is  a 
hollow  in  the  angle  of  a  bank  wall,  on  the  south  end  of  my 
buildings,  I  deposit  first  a  load  of  horse  manure.  Over  this  I 
usually  spread  the  scrapings  of  my  wood  yard  and  cellar,  es- 
pecially in  May,  and  all  other  refuse  substances  that  will  make 
manure,  that  I  find  about  my  buildings,  such  as  the  rakings  of 
the  yard  and  old  leaves,  &c.,  making  in  all  another  small  load. 
Over  this  I  add  a  load  of  loam,  then  over  the  whole  I  spread 
about  a  bushel  of  ashes.  For  the  next  three  or  four  weeks  this 
heap  receives  from  the  washroom,  all  the  soap  suds  and  wash- 
ing water,  and  from  the  house  all  the  useless  slops  and  wash- 
ings of  the  kitchen,  sweepings,  &c.,  being  kept  continually 
moist.  In  about  four  weeks  after  the  first  deposit,  I  add 
another  load  of  horse  manure,  more  loam  and  sand  from  the 
washings  of  road  drains  spread  over  the  horse  manure,  and 
over  all,  a  layer  of  wood  ashes,  occasionally  adding  more  during 
the  next  four  weeks.  This  heap  for  the  succeeding  four  weeks, 
receives  as  before,  all  the  fertilizing  substances  that  accumulate 
in  the  wash-room  and  kitchen.  This  process  is  continued 
during  the  summer  and  fall,  until  snow  covers  the  ground,  and 
then  I  call  my  heap  finished,  only  as  it  continues  to  receive 
during  the  winter,  washings,  slops,  &c. 

This  manure  I  have  usually  applied  to  corn  lafid,  but  never 
expecting  to  make  any  written  statement  as  to  its  fertilizing 
qualities,  I  have  not  tested  it  as  methodically  as  I  otherwise 
should  have  done.  I  have  tried  it  by  the  side  of  good  barn 
manure,  and  by  the  side  of  good  hog  yard  manure,  and  it  pro- 
duces a  heavier  growth  of  corn  than  either.  I  noticed,  partic- 
ularly this  season,  that  where  I  manured  corn  in  the  hill  with 
my  compost  and  hog-yard  manures,  a  load  of  each  being  de- 
posited side  by  side,  on  equally  good  land,  that  corn  grown 
over  the  compost  manure  was  the  most  vigorous,  darker  col- 


252  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

ored,  and  produced  quite  as  large  a  crop  in  harvest  time,  as 
that  grown  over  the  hog-yard  manure. 

I  have  tried  it  also  in  the  hill  for  potatoes,  and  find  it  fully- 
equal  to  the  best  hog-yard  manure.  1  claim  for  this  manure 
the  following  advantages: 

First  it  is  cheap.  Horse  manure  alone  is  a  miserable  fertil- 
izer, and  this,  excepting  the  wood  ashes,  is  the  only  substance 
of  any  value,  that  enters  into  the  composition.  Combined  in 
the  way  stated,  it  helps  to  form  a  valuable  manure.  Loam  and 
washings  from  the  road  side,  cost  nothing  but  the  labor  of 
getting  them.  All  the  refuse  substances  around  the  house, 
cellar  and  yard,  are  got  rid  of  as  nuisances  and  converted  to  a 
valuable  purpose.  The  wood  ashes  lose  nothing  of  their 
value  combined  in  this  way,  but  rather  are  rendered  more  use- 
ful by  imparting  their  virtues  to  other  substances,  making  a 
compost  more  fertilizing  than  ashes  could  be  alone. 

Again,  as  a  matter  of  cleanness  and  convenience,  this  com- 
post heap  is  of  great  advantage.  How  often  do  we  see  around 
farm  houses  and  farm  yards,  accumulations  of  substances  ren- 
dering the  premises  filthy  and  unsightly.  The  compost  heap 
receives  all  these  otherwise  useless  accumulations,  and  greedily 
drinks  in  all  the  slops  and  washings  that  otherwise  would  be 
forming  dirty  and  offensive  drains  about  the  premises  ;  but  in 
this  way.  they  are  fitly  and  economically  disposed  of. 

Leverett,  Od.,  1851. 


Reclaimed  Meadows. 

The  committee,  in  examining  five  tracts  in  Hadley,  Amherst 
and  Belchertown,  have  had  their  attention  called  to  the  impor- 
tance of  this  subject  generally  in  its  bearing  upon  the  agricul- 
tural interest  of  the  Commonwealth.  In  the  history  of  the 
settlement  and  early  growth  of  the  towns  in  Massachusetts,  as 
in  the  other  states,  the  settlers  brought  into  cultivation  those 
portions  only  of  the  forest  land  which  they  could  subdue  with 
the  greatest  ease,  and  which  would  yield  the  quickest  and 
largest    returns;    while    those    portions  which    required    great 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  253 

expense  and  labor  to  be  brought  under  cultivation,  and  which 
would  yield  returns  of  profitable  crops  but  slowly,  were  suf- 
fered to  remain  wholly  unimproved,  or  were  partially  reclaimed, 
so  far  that  they  would  yield  some  pasture,  or  some  coarse  grass 
for  the  scythe. 

This  mode  of  procedure  might  answer  well  enough  while 
there  was  an  abundance  of  good  land  easily  reclaimed,  while 
the  population  was  sparse  and  the  consumers  comparatively 
few.  But  as  the  population  increases,  and  the  demand  for 
agricultural  products  increases,  the  producers  must  change  their 
mode  in  this  respect,  and  must  put  under  cultivation  a  greater 
amount  of  fertile  land  in  order  to  meet  that  demand. 

Now  it  is  well  known  to  those  who  have  taken  into  consid- 
eration the  unimproved  land  in  the  several  counties  in  the 
State,  amounting  by  the  returns  in  the  aggregate  to  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  thousand  two  hundred  and  ninety-four  acres, 
that  a  very  large  part  of  this  land,  amounting,  by  the  same 
returns,  to  four  hundred  fifty-seven  thousand  two  hundred  and 
sixty-five  acres,  grown  up  to  wood  and  bushes,  or  under  the 
dominion  of  water,  might  be  reclaimed  and  made  productive. 

Some  land  of  this  character  has  indeed  been  partially 
reclaimed ;  but  trees  and  bushes,  roots  and  stumps,  stones  in 
place  and  out  of  place,  obstruct  the  scythe  and  the  rake.  The 
ground  is  too  wet  and  soft  for  the  plough  and  even  for  the  cart. 
The  grass  is  of  but  little  value  for  the  purpose  of  nutrition, 
and  if  mowed,  is  used  chiefly  for  litter. 

But  there  are  extensive  tracts  of  low  land  in  a  still  worse  con- 
dition, covered  with  sedge  and  brakes,  bogs  and  moss,  or  so 
tangled  with  bushes  and  trees,  that  as  one  remarked  to  the  com- 
mittee, a  "  grey  rabbit  could  not  find  his  way  through  it." 
Here  gad-flies  and  bottle-flies,  musquetoes  and  midges  have  their 
native  home.  Here  frogs  and  lizards,  the  water-snake,  and,  it 
may  be,  the  copper-head,  have  their  haunts.  Prom  it,  evapora- 
tion chills  the  neighborhood,  and  malaria  generates  disease  and 
death.     You  step  on  it  and  it  quakes  beneath  your  feet. 

For  land  in  this  condition  the  true  remedies  are  draining, 
and  PLOUGHING.  The  first  is  essential  to  the  second.  The 
second  is  as  essential  to  success  as  to  the  object  aimed  at  in  the 


254  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

process  of  reclamation.  Beside  the  spade  and  the  plough,  the 
axe  often  has  an  important  office  to  perform  in  clearing  off 
wood  and  bashes. 

The  first  thing  is  to  get  rid  of  the  water.  It  is  true  that  a 
certain  amount  of  water  is  necessary  for  the  germination  and 
the  subsequent  growth  of  plants,  both  as  the  medium  of  ali- 
ment and  as  itself  furnishing  certain  elements  which  enter  into 
their  composition.  But  an  excess  of  water  operates  as  injuri- 
ously on  the  fertility  of  land  as  does  the  excess  of  dryness. 
And  it  is  as  important  that  the  one  should  be  corrected  by  drain- 
ing, as  it  is  that  the  other  should  be  corrected  by  irrigation. 
Whether  the  excess  of  water  is  on  the  surface,  or  on  the  sub- 
soil, or  issues  from  strata  cropping  out,  draining,  either  from  the 
surface,  or  from  the  subsoil,  or  from  strata  sending  forth  springs 
as  at  the  bottom  of  hills,  is  the  pioneer  process  for  other  im- 
provements. 

The  land  requiring  to  be  drained  is  not  unfrequently  found 
to  contain  largely  those  elements  which  enter  into  the  compo- 
sition of  valuable  vegetable  products.  It  often  happens  that 
the  finer  parts  of  the  soil  are  washed  down  from  the  hills.  It 
often  happens  too  that  from  the  falling  leaves  and  the  annual 
decay  of  vegetation,  there  has  been  an  immense  accumulation 
of  vegetable  matter  on  the  surface,  which,  by  proper  means, 
can  be  decomposed  and  thus  be  prepared  to  enter  into  other 
crops,  whether  roots,  grains,  fruits,  or  grasses.  For  ages,  the 
work  of  saving  has  been  going  on.  By  the  exclusion  of  air, 
by  a  low  temperature,  by  preservative  qualities  in  the  water  or 
soil  perhaps,  Providence  with  prescient  care  has  laid  by  for 
future  use  these  immense  stores  of  vegetable  matter  in  the  form 
of  peat  for  the  nourishment  of  future  plants ;  just  as  Provi- 
dence has  also  laid  by  immense  stores  of  vegetable  matter  in 
the  form  of  coal,  for  the  future  use  of  man.  In  this  way 
nature  has  hoarded  up  treasures  of  untold  value  for  those 
and  those  only  who  know  how  to  use  them. 

It  is  true  that  in  this  preserved  organic  state,  peat  is  unfit  for 
nourishing  plants.  But  take  a  cart  load  of  it  from  its  place, 
while  in  this  state,  in  which  can  be  seen  the  texture  of  the 
leaves,  the  grain  of  the  wood,  the  cortical  layers,  the  stalks  and 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  255 

stems  and  fibres  of  plants  like  the  sedges  and  grasses,  and 
expose  it  on  high  ground  to  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  to  the 
drying  winds,  and  to  frost  and  rain  ;  turn  it  over  occasionally 
with  a  shovel,  mingle  with  it  half  a  dozen  bushels  of  good 
animal  manure  ;  and  to  furnish  the  requisite  earthy  or  saline 
matter  in  which  it  may  be  deficient,  lime  it,  or  ash  it,  or  marl 
it,  or  clay  it,  or  gravel  it,  or  sand  it,  or  loam  it.  Under  this 
process  it  loses  its  organic  character  and  becomes  adapted  to 
the  support  of  plants.  What  is  true  of  a  cart  load  of  this  veg- 
etable matter,  is  true  of  the  whole  mass  in  the  meadow  from 
which  it  was  taken.  By  draining,  by  turning  up  to  the  sun, 
by  the  action  of  the  air,  of  frost,  and  rain,  by  the  addition  of 
saline  or  earthy  matter,  by  the  use  of  the  plough,  the  harrow 
and  the  hoe,  by  the  addition  of  a  small  amount  of  appropriate 
manure,  it  becom.es  to  some  depth  decomposed,  and  exceed- 
ingly well  adapted  to  the  support  of  vegetation.  Its  character 
is  changed  hy  this  process  from  an  orgajiic  into  an  inorganic 
state,  from  barrenness  into  fertility. 

Beside  changing  the  condition  of  the  soil,  this  process  in- 
creases ease  of  cultivation.  The  plough,  the  cultivator,  the 
harrow,  the  hoe,  the  rake,  which  were  impeded  in  their  use  before 
a  thorough  process  was  commenced  upon  land  partially  reclaimed 
and  while  it  was  in  progress,  can,  after  it  is  completed,  perform 
their  office  with  comparative  ease.  The  work  can  not  only  be 
well  done,  but  can  be  done  at  a  less  expense  of  force  and  time. 
The  productive  area  of  the  farm  is  increased.  Even  if  the 
redeemed  meadow  land  should  continue  to  be  too  wet  for 
wheat  and  Indian  corn,  it  will,  by  an  abundant -production  of 
hay,  leave  the  other  parts  of  the  farm  at  liberty  for  the  produc- 
tion of  such  crops. 

This  process  improves  the  quality  of  the  production.  It 
changes  aquatic  plants  and  coarse  grasses  into  land  plants  and 
fine  grasses,  just  as  surely  as  it  changes  aquatic  animals  like  the 
frog  and  the  water-rat,  for  other  animals  like  the  horse  and  the 
sheep.  Aquatic  plants,  with  the  exception  of  rice,  which  can- 
not be  cultivated  in  our  climate,  are  inferior  to  land  plants.  It 
not  only  changes  the  kind  but  improves  the  quality  of  the 
same  kind,  in  accordance  with  the  general  law  that  vegetable 


256  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

productions  take   their  character  from  the   soil,  whether  they 
are  grapes  or  grass,  or  peaches  or  wheat. 

This  process  of  thoroughly  draining  land,  by  removing  stag- 
nant water  which  contains  no  carbonic  acid  for  the  nourish- 
ment of  plants,  allows  rain  and  running  water  which  contain 
this  important  ingredient,  to  have  access  to  the  roots  to  nour- 
ish them,  allows  the  air  also  to  find  its  way  to  the  manure  in 
the  soil,  to  decompose  it  and  make  it  soluble,  and  thus  prepare 
it  to  enter  into  the  composition  of  the  growing  crop.  Thus 
too,  by  the  withdrawment  of  water,  the  ground  is  often  left 
porous  for  the  free  range  of  the  roots  in  search  of  pasture,  and 
gives  them  food  that  is  not  too  much  diluted.  The  farmer 
should  constantly  remember  that  stagnant  water  is  not  invig- 
orating to  a  man  or  to  a  vegetable  in  comparison  with  rain  or 
running  water,  even  though  they  are  both  thirsty. 

This  process  moreover  raises  the  teinpei'ature  of  the  soil  and 
of  the  air  around,  and  in  this  way  produces  the  rapid  growth 
of  plants  and  their  full  maturity.  You  can  be  convinced  of 
this  by  putting  a  thermometer  a  (qw  inches  below  the  surface 
in  soil  charged  with  water,  and  compare  it  with  another  soil,  or 
by  consulting  your  own  sensations,  or  a  floral  calendar.  Evap- 
oration, a  cooling  process,  is  prevented  by  the  withdrawment 
of  water  from  the  soil,  and  thus  the  temperature  of  the  soil 
itself  and  of  the  air  which  passes  over  it,  is  raised  so  much  as 
to  hasten  the  ripening  and  thereby  accomplish  the  saving  of 
the  crop,  not  only  on  the  land  itself,  but  also  on  that  which  is 
adjacent.  This  is  a  change  equivalent  to  a  change  of  latitude. 
This,  in  a  northern  climate  like  our  own,  especially  in  a  north- 
ern exposure,  is  of  the  greatest  consequence.  Many  a  lost 
crop  of  Indian  corn  might  have  been  saved. 

This  process  favors  the  hibernation  and  sleep  of  plants  which 
is  essential  to  their  health  and  growth.  Plants  in  northern 
latitudes  require  sleep  as  the  animal  creation  does.  If  certain 
plants  are  continually  kept  in  a  growing  state  they  become  feeble 
and  short  lived.  You  may  see  this  in  the  transfer  of  northern 
trees,  like  the  apple-tree  for  instance,  to  southern  climates  where 
there  is  no  winter,  which  as  a  matter  of  course  degenerate. 
Now  it  happens  sometimes  in  low  lands  that  springs  come  up 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  267 

from  below,  or  more  frequently  come  out  from  the  bottom  of 
the  hills  on  the  margin  of  the  meadows,  at  so  high  a  tempera- 
ture as  to  keep  the  grass  in  a  green  and  growing  state  during 
the  winter  and  thus  produce  a  feeble  growth  in  summer.  Cut 
off  the  springs  by  what  is  called  strata-draining,  that  is,  by 
ditches  at  the  bottom  of  the  hills  and  near  the  margin  of  mead- 
ows, or  by  subsoil  draining,  and  you  restore  a  vigorous  growth 
to  the  plants. 

This  process  carried  out  fully,  favors  the  efficacy  of  manure. 
Besides  producing  a  more  rapid  decomposition  by  the  with- 
drawment  of  water,  it  prevents  the  manure  from  being  present 
to  the  roots  of  plants  in  a  form  too  dilute  and  reduced.  This  is 
important  especially  in  respect  to  the  salts  like  nitrate  of  potash 
and  the  liquid  manures  generally.  To  attempt  to  nourish 
plants  by  manures  too  much  diluted  by  water,  would  be  like 
feeding  a  man  constantly  upon  only  a  thin  broth,  instead  of 
solid  nutriment. 

This  process  carried  out  to  its  completion,  is  favorable  to 
health.  This  is  not  only  by  preventing  the  dampness,  and 
coldness  which  operate  to  produce  bronchial  affections  and  con- 
sumptions, but  also  by  its  preventing  the  formation  of  malaria, 
which  generate  intermittent  fevers  and  bilious  affections.  Facts 
are  abundant  in  confirmation  of  this  position. 

This  process  of  reclaiming  meadow  land  gratifies  the  taste. 
It  transforms  barrenness  and  deformity  into  flourishing  beauty. 
It  makes  it  blossom  like  the  rose.  So  that  as  you  pass  by  it, 
adorned  with  its  luxuriant  summer  growth,  you  are  ready,  in 
the  language  of  the  prophet,  to  say,  "  This  land  that  was  des- 
olate has  become  like  the  garden  of  Eden." 

This  process  of  redeeming  meadow  land  incidentally  fur- 
nishes the  means  of  fertilizing  other  lands,  which  need  an 
additional  supply  of  those  elements  which  are  furnished  by  the 
peat-muck  taken  from  the  ditches.  An  illustration  of  this  is 
furnished  by  Samuel  Powers,  of  Hadley.  He  employs  a 
large  number  of  hogs  to  elaborate  this  muck  into  its  proper 
condition.  It  ought  to  be  added  that  Mr.  Powers  has 
been  eminently  successful  in  redeeming  the  land  entered 
for  examination,  as  the  premiums  bestowed  in  past  years  tes- 
33 


258  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

tify.  He  and  each  of  the  five  have  presented  examples  to 
the  public,  of  great  value,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  be  fol- 
lowed. Were  the  society  to  appoint  a  committee  ivhose  duty  it 
should  he  to  learn  what  number  of  acres  of  loiuland  has  been 
recently  reclaimed,  and  what  numher  of  acres  might  be  advan- 
tageously reclaimed  in  Hampshire  county,  and  report  to  the 
society,  it  would  probably  call  the  attention  of  the  public  to 
the  subject,  and  encourage  the  practice  of  reclaiming  meadow 
lands. 

Finally,  the  process  of  reclaiming  meadow  lands  is  profitable. 
In  proof  of  this,  we  rely  upon  the  following  statements. 

Your  committee  have  been  exceedingly  gratified  in  the  ex- 
amination of  the  several  pieces  of  meadow  land,  which  were 
entered  for  the  bounty  of  the  society.  In  each  and  all  we  saw 
animating  evidence  of  skill,  perseverance,  and  success.  In  that 
success,  whether  we  regard  the  change  from  deformity  to 
beauty,  from  barrenness  to  fertility,  from  loss  to  profit ;  in  that 
skill  in  the  application  of  the  rules  of  agricultural  art,  founded 
upon  the  principles  of  agricultural  science,  we  see  a  pledge  and 
an  earnest  of  similar  improvements  to  be  extensively  adopted 
elsewhere  in  this  vicinity  by  other  intelligent  farmers. 

We  assign  the  first  premium,  of  ten  dollars,  to  John  Ship- 
man,  of  Hadley ;  and  the  second  premium,  of  six  dollars,  to 
Leonard  Barrett,  of  Belchertown. 

WILLIAM  C.  FOWLER,  Chairman. 

John  Shipman^s  Statement. 

I  present  to  you  my  experience  in  reclaiming  swamp  land. 
Although  more  than  twenty  years  have  passed  away  since  I 
commenced,  I  will  endeavor  to  give  you  as  correct  a  statement 
as  possible. 

In  April,  1825, 1  came  into  possession  of  fifty  acres  of  swamp 
land  with  which  I  had  been  familiar  from  my  earliest  youth. 
Forty  acres  of  this  land  is  a  peat  swamp.  Being  perfectly 
level,  it  had  in  some  former  years  been  covered  with  a  large 
growth  of  timber,  of  pine,  maple,  oak,  &c.,  which  had  been 
destroyed  by   frequent  burning.      I  well  recollect  fifty  years 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY,  259 

ago  it  was  literally  covered  with  fallen  decayed  timber.  At 
that  time  there  were  but  few  living  trees,  and  but  little  brush 
on  the  land.  There  grew  annually  rushes,  or  as  it  is  called  by 
some,  bull  grass,  to  the  height  of  six  or  seven  feet,  and  very 
thick.  This  grass,  during  autumn  and  winter,  fell  to  the  earth, 
and  in  spring  and  often  in  midsummer,  the  land  was  covered 
with  water  to  the  depth  of  two  feet,  so  that  not  a  particle  of 
the  ground  could  be  seen. 

The  land  is  situated  about  one  mile  north-east  of  Hadley. 
It  is  bounded  on  the  east  by  a  steep  hill,  from  which  run  large 
and  numerous  springs.  At  the  time  I  bought  the  land,  it  had 
grown  up  to  brush  and  small  wood.  I  did  nothing  towards 
draining  it  the  first  year. 

In  August,  1826,  it  being  a  very  dry  season,  I  commenced 
work  with  six  men,  and  dug  a  drain  north  and  south  through 
the  centre,  six  feet  at  the  top,  four  feet  at  the  bottom,  and 
three  and  a  half  deep.  As  the  lot  was  forty  rods  in  width,  I 
thought  it  best  to  have  a  large  drain  through  the  centre.  We 
then  commenced  on  the  outlet,  which  is  about  one  mile  to 
where  it  enters  the  Connecticut  river ;  one  hundred  and  sixty 
rods  of  this  was  through  higher  ground.  We  had  to  go  from 
six  to  ten  feet  in  depth.  It  was  a  sandy  loam  very  easy  to 
shovel,  but  being  so  deep,  it  was  an  expensive  job.  We  got  a 
fall  of  three  feet  in  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  rods.  We  then 
commenced  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  to  cut  off  the  springs.  Here 
we  dug  a  drain  three  feet  at  the  top,  three  feet  deep  and 
eighteen  inches  at  the  bottom,  with  several  cross-drains  three 
feet  six  inches  deep,  three  feet  in  width  at  the  top,  and  eighteen 
inches  at  the  bottom.  The  water  passed  off  freely  through  all 
the  drains,  and  I  felt  confident  of  success. 

In  the  next  spring,  1827,  as  soon  as  the  ground  was  bare  of 
snow,  but  the  frost  not  out,  I  went  to  view  the  ground.  I 
found  it  worked  well,  beyond  my  expectation.  The  deep  cut 
was  partly  filled  with  snow  that  had  drifted  in  during  the  win- 
ter, yet  the  water  passed  freely  under  it.  There  was  but 
little  water  in  the  drain  that  cut  off  the  springs  at  the  hill, 
and  there  was  no  water  on  the  surface  of  the  land.  But 
there   were  difficulties  to  come,  that    I    did    not    then    for^i 


260  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

see.  After  the  frost  was  out  and  the  ground  settled,  1 
went  to  the  lot,  expecting  it  was  fit  to  plough,  but  I 
found  I  had  built  my  works  on  the  sand,  and  they  had  fallen. 
The  deep  cut  at  the  bottom  was  quicksand,  the  water  had 
washed  under  the  banks,  and  when  the  frost  came  out,  it  caved 
in  on  both  sides  almost  the  whole  length,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
rods,  filling  up  the  ditch,  leaving  a  vast  chasm  ten  feet  wide  at 
the  top,  stopping  the  water  which  set  back  upon  the  land,  com- 
pletely covering  forty  acres,  so  that  not  a  particle  of  it  could  be 
seen.  It  now  seemed  as  if  the  work  must  forever  stop.  As  I 
stood  and  looked  at  the  ruins,  I  thought  the  matter  over, 
whether  it  was  best  to  turn  the  lake  as  it  then  was  into  a  fish- 
pond and  give  up  draining,  or  say  as  did  David  Crockett, 
"  never  give  up  but  go  ahead."  I  finally  decided  upon  the 
latter,  and  again  went  to  work. 

This  time  I  did  it  thoroughly,  carted  off  the  dirt,  and  spread 
it  upon  the  land.  About  the  1st  of  June,  1828,  the  land 
became  dry  and  v/e  commenced  ploughing.  This  required 
three  men  and  four  pair  of  cattle,  with  a  large  plough  which 
cut  fourteen  inches  in  depth.  When  digging  the  drain,  we 
found  large  trees  two  to  three  feet  in  diameter  under  ground, 
which  were  burnt  to  charcoal  on  the  outside.  In  ploughing, 
these  were  a  great  hindrance.  We  ploughed  about  one  half 
acre  per  day,  getting  out  all  the  logs  and  roots.  This  team  I 
kept  on  the  land  constantly  in  fair  weather  for  four  months. 
About  one  hundred  days,  in  this  time,  they  ploughed,  dragged 
and  cleared  off  the  logs  and  roots  from  the  remaining  ten  acres. 
Thirty  acres  I  ploughed  the  next  season.  I  then  sowed  ten 
acres  with  rye,  and  two  with  wheat.  Both  grew  well,  and 
there  was  as  large  a  growth  of  straw  as  I  have  ever  seen  on  any 
land,  but  both  blasted  and  were  nearly  worthless.  I  have  since 
that  time  tried  rye,  wheat  and  oats,  in  small  lots,  but  am  satis- 
fied they  cannot  be  grown  on  this  land.  I  next  sowed  buck- 
wheat with  good  success,  and  followed  with  this  eight  years  in 
succession.  At  this  time,  1  found  the  top  of  the  land,  the 
depth  ploughed,  had  greatly  changed. 

The  peat  was  from  two  to  eight  feet  in  depth,  and  of  a  red- 
dish color  before  exposed  to  the  air ;  it  had  now,  to  the  depth 
ploughed,  become  black  and  very  fine. 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  261 

I  now  began  to  think  of  changing  the  crop,  fearing  it  might 
exhaust  the  land  if  continued  in  buckwheat.  I  next  planted 
broom-corn  and  potatoes,  using  five  loads  of  compost  manure 
to  the  acre,  in  which  I  put  one  bushel  of  lime  per  load.  From 
eight  acres  of  corn,  I  had  six  hundred  bushels,  seventy-five 
bushels  per  acre.  From  ten  acres  of  potatoes,  twenty-five 
hundred  bushels,  or  two  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  per  acre. 
The  broom  corn  was  six  hundred  pounds  per  acre.  I  have 
continued  with  the  above  crops  for  twelve  years,  with  good 
success,  with  one  exception.  In  1843,  I  had  ten  acres  of  po- 
tatoes. There  came  a  heavy  shower,  and  some  five  or  six 
loads  of  earth  slid  into  the  deep  cut  and  flooded  the  land ;  the 
drain  was  soon  cleared  and  the  water  off"  in  less  than  twenty- 
four  hours,  but  it  spoiled  the  potatoes  without  doing  any  dam- 
age to  the  corn,  or  other  crops.  In  1849,  I  planted  forty  acres 
with  potatoes,  and  had  ten  thousand  bushels.  I  set  a  small 
piece  with  tobacco  four  years  in  succession ;  it  grew  well  every 
year.  Last  season  I  set  two  acres,  which  produced  seventeen 
hundred  pounds  per  acre  ,•  this  season  I  set  fifteen  acres,  which 
is  better  than  the  crop  last  season  ;  on  the  above  fifteen  acres, 
I  put  six  loads  of  compost  and  eight  bushels  of  lime  per  acre. 

I  now  have  given  a  history  of  reclaiming  the  land,  with  the 
produce,  except  the  buckwheat,  which  was  fifteen  to  twenty 
bushels  per  acre  ;  average,  seven  hundred  bushels  annually, 
from  forty  acres. 

I  will  now  give  an  account  of  the  expense. 

The  wood  paid  for  clearing  the  land. 
525  rods  of  drain,  at  37|  cts.  per  rod,     -         $195  00 
160    "  "      at  40  " 

160  deep  cut  "      at  |2  " 

Ploughing,  draining,  &c.,  40  acres,  at  $15 

per  acre,         -  -  _  _ 

Three  years'  interest  before  getting  crops. 
First  cost  of  50  acres,  at  $5  50  per  acre, 

Total,  '  '  -  $1,669  00 


64 

00 

320 

00 

600 

00 

215 

00 

275 

00 

262  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

The  present  worth  of  the  land,  40  acres,  at 

$150  per  acre,        -  -  -  $6,000  00 

10  acres,  at  $50  per  acre,       -  -  $500  00 

$6,500  00 


Net  profit,        -  -  -  $4,831  00 

If  there  is  any  error  in  the  above  account,  it  is  in  the  present 
price  of  the  land,  as  I  might  with  safety  add  one  thousand  dol- 
lars more.  I  have  been  offered  and  can  now  take  two  hundred 
dollars  per  acre  for  twenty  acres  of  the  best  of  this  land. 
There  are  hundreds,  and  I  may  say,  thousands  of  acres  in  the 
county  of  Hampshire  that  maybe  reclaimed,  and  would  be  the 
most  productive  lands  we  have. 

Hadley,  Oct.  20,  1851. 

Leonard  BarretVs  Statement. 

According  to  my  earliest  recollections,  the  land  was  covered 
with  bogs  and  a  species  of  small  low  water  brush.  As  long 
ago  as  I  can  recollect,  my  father  used  to  mow  the  most  of  it, 
and  got  nothing  but  the  very  poorest  kind  of  bog  hay,  and  that 
we  had  to  carry  out  to  hard  land  by  hand  on  poles,  in  most 
cases  the  ground  being  too  soft  to  drive  cattle  across  it. 

But  in  process  of  time  the  grass  mostly  died  out  for  want  of 
draining,  and  the  bushes  took  its  place.  At  the  decease  of  my 
father  some  thirteen  years  since,  it  came  into  my  possession, 
and  I  resolved,  after  hearing  and  seeing  some  experiments  on 
similar  ground,  to  try  my  fortune  at  improving  it.  Accord- 
ingly I  commenced  cutting  the  bushes,  and  hired  a  drain  dug 
the  whole  length  of  it,  about  three  feet  wide  and  one  foot  in 
depth,  and  the  spring  following,  burnt  it  over  to  kill  the  small 
bushes.  But  I  found  in  one  season  that  my  drain  was  not  suf- 
ficient, and  I  sunk  it  a  foot  lower,  which  I  found  to  answer 
very  well,  although  I  have  had  to  clean  it  out  and  widen  it 
twice  since.  After  lying  in  this  condition  two  years,  I  com- 
menced bogging.  I  first  took  a  small  piece  and  cut  the  whole 
surface  over  just  low  enough  to  smooth  it  and  take  all  the 
bushes  and  bogs,  and  piled  them  in  heaps  and  carted  off  what 
I  could  get  at,  burnt  the  remainder  and  sowed  the  ashes  over 
the  ground,  and  then,  after  raking  it  smooth,  I  sowed  my  grass 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  263 

seed,  consisting  of  red  clover,  white   clover,   herds  grass  and 
fowl  meadow,  and  raked  it  in. 

I  also  tried  bogging  it  deeper,  turning  the  surface  over  and 
cultivating  the  bogs  ;  and  although  this  leaves  a  richer  top,  yet 
it  takes  a  long  time  to  subdue  the  weeds  and  wild  grass  in  this 
way  ;  and  I  find  the  better  way,  after  having  ditched  around  a 
piece,  to  cut  and  turn  over  the  surface  late  in  the  fall,  and  let  it 
lie  until  the  next  August  or  September  ;  then,  if  possible,  burn 
it  as  it  lies,  and  sow  your  grass  seed  and  rake  it  smooth  ;  then, 
in  the  spring  following,  give  it  a  slight  dressing  of  manure, 
accompanied  with  a  good  portion  of  lime  (slack)  and  plaster  of 
Paris. 

In  this  way  I  have  brought  this  nearly  useless  land  to  bear 
two  large  crops  of  the  best  quality  of  English  hay  a  year,  for 
the  two  years  that  I  have  had  it  under  trial. 

I  have  given  a  very  brief  and  imperfect  sketch  of  my  opera- 
tion. And  this  I  do,  that  the  very  large  number  of  men  of 
small  means  like  myself,  who  own  such  land,  may  be  induced 
to  commence  reclaiming  without  delay. 

Belchertown,  Oct.  18,  1851. 


Ploughing. 

If  a  regular  turning  over  the  soil,  from  a  uniform  depth  of 
four,  five  or  six  inches,  be  the  best  thing  that  can  be  done  pre- 
paratory to  putting  in  the  seed,  then  are  our  improved  ploughs 
as  nearly  perfect  as  anything  human  can  be  ;  and  certainly  no 
one,  who  has  witnessed  the  exhibition  of  this  day,  will  doubt 
that  our  accomplished  plough-men  have  approached  perfection 
in  their  use. 

Some  of  your  committee,  however,  are  disposed  to  question 
whether  a  uniform  inversion  of  the  soil  from  four  to  six 
inches  in  depth,  is  the  preparation  best  adapted  to  promote  fer- 
tility. We  suppose  it  possible,  that  an  operation  very  difierent 
from  that  of  merely  inverting  the  top  soil,  may  yet  be  found 
preferable  ;  and  if  so,  then  a  mode  of  accomplishing  it,  differ- 
ent from  any  yet  practised  in  this  country,  may  be  found  ad- 
vantageous. 


264  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

We  anticipate  the  time  as  not  far  distant,  when  the  giant 
power  of  steam  will  be  seen  striding  such  of  our  fields  as  are 
entirely  free  from  stones ;  rolling  its  shark-toothed  cylinders 
through  the  soil  ;  grinding  to  powder  all  coarse  lumps ;  comb- 
ing, currying,  tearing  to  shreds  all  stalks  and  roots  ;  and  so 
pulverizing  and  mixing  the  whole,  as  greatly  to  increase  the 
fertility. 

But  it  would  be  folly  to  relax  our  efforts  at  improvement  on 
existing  means,  for,  in  the  first  place,  such  a  steam  process 
may  never  come  ;  in  the  second  place,  if  it  come,  it  can  be 
applicable  to  only  a  small  portion  of  our  lands  ;  and  in  the 
third  place,  it  affords  no  relief  for  intervening  time.  We  can- 
not live  this  year  on  the  expectation  of  bread  to  be  raised  by 
steam  next  year.  True  wisdom,  in  this  case,  is,  to  seek  for 
the  most  perfect  preparation  of  soils,  by  means  now  within  our 
reach.  As  yet,  "  much  increase  is  by  the  strength  of  the  ox," 
not  of  steam  ;  and  we  do  well  to  inquire  whether  the  strength 
of  this  noble  animal  may  not  be  better  employed  than  at  pres- 
ent, with  all  our  improved  ploughs,  in  preparing  the  soil  for 
luxuriant  crops.  May  there  not  be  some  mode  of  tearing  up, 
pulverizing  and  mixing  soils  to  a  great  depth,  which,  though 
perhaps  more  expensive,  would  nevertheless  pay  better  than 
the  present  cheap  mode  of  merely  inverting  the  top  soil  ? 

The  roots  of  most  cultivated  crops  will  run  twenty  inches 
deep,  if  you  give  them  that  depth  of  loosened  soil.  They  run 
down,  off,  or  upward,  wherever  they  find  the  best  food,  and 
the  best  conditions  for  promoting  the  growth  and  perfection  of 
the  plant.  They  are  endowed  with  an  instinct  about  as  uner- 
ring as  that  of  cattle  in  the  selection  of  their  pasturage.  We 
know  not,  and  we  probably  never  shall  know,  precisely,  how 
plants  grow.  But  we  know  that  the  leaves  select  the  right 
nutriment  from  the  air  and  reject  the  wrong,  and  that  the  roots 
are  equally  discriminating  in  their  choice  from  the  ground. 
He  who  has  taught  the  fowls  of  heaven  to  observe  their  ap- 
pointed times,  has  taught  the  roots  of  plants  to  seek  unerringly, 
the  right  food  and  the  best  conditions — to  run  shoal,  to  secure 
the  kindliest  influences  of  the  sun,  to  run  downward  for  moist- 
ure, to  run  for  food  wherever  food  is  found.     Only  give  them 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  265 

room  and  they  will  choose  their  direction  wisely.  If  you  bury 
an  old  shoe  by  the  side  of  a  grape  vine,  ten  thousand  rootlets 
will  shoot  towards  it ;  while  if  you  put  in  the  same  place  a 
quantity  of  bog  iron,  they  will  all  turn  their  faces  from  it. 
The  roots  of  plants  should  not  be  confined,  as  by  our  common 
method  of  ploughing,  to  five  or  six  inches  of  soil.  They 
should  have  at  least  three  times  as  much  space,  out  of  which 
to  choose  the  proper  conditions  of  moisture  and  dryness,  of 
heat  and  cold,  and  to  select  food  appropriate  to  the  plant  to 
which  they  belong.  By  loosening  the  soil  to  a  great  depth  we 
secure  the  conditions  which  the  plant  demands.  We  create  a 
porosity  by  which  excessive  rains  pass  off  without  injury;  and 
we  secure  a  capillary  action  by  which  water  deep  in  the  earth 
is  drawn  upward,  when  the  surface  would  otherwise  be  too 
dry.  We  thus  secure  the  plant  against  serious  injury  from 
hard  rains  or  excessive  drouth. 

In  soil  loosened  to  a  sufficient  depth,  there  is  always  going 
on  an  equalizing  process.  If  too  much  water  falls  on  the  sur- 
face, it  passes  freely  to  the  subsoil.  If  excessive  evaporation 
takes  place  from  the  surface,  the  moisture  from  below  is  drawn 
upward,  in  a  less  quantity,  it  is  true,  but  on  much  the  same 
principle  as  in  a  sponge,  with  its  lower  side  placed  in  the- 
water.  In  its  progress  upwards,  it  brings  along  with  it  various 
salts,  with  which  it  had  become  impregnated  in  the  ground, 
and  applies  them  in  solution — the  only  state  in  which  plants 
can  appropriate  them — to  the  roots.  That  water  does  thus- 
pass  upward,  that  it  brings  up  food  for  plants  properly  dissolved: 
for  their  use,  and  that  it  does  this  the  more  perfectly  in  propor- 
tion as  the  ground  is  deeply  pulverized,  we  suppose  is  not 
denied.  These  facts  show,  not  only  that  long  rooted  plants- 
are  benefited  by  having  an  extensively  loosened  soil,  through^ 
which  to  send  their  runners  far  and  deep  after  food  and  mois- 
ture, but  also  that  short  root  plants  are  benefited  by  having  a 
deep,  well  prepared  medium  through  which  food  and  moisture 
may  be  brought  to  them.  It  is  certain  that  onions,  with 
fibrous  roots  extending  not  more,  probably,  than  six  inches 
into  the  ground,  will  exhaust  the  strength  of  manure,  lying  at 
almost  any  distance  below,  if  the  intervening  space  be  occu- 
34 


266  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

pied  by  well  pulverized  earth.  The  same  is  probably  true  of 
many  other  plants.  It  would  seem  that  the  rains  of  heaven 
percolate  the  earth,  become  charged  with  ingredients  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  plants,  and  then,  after  the  surface  moisture 
has  gone  off  in  the  air,  return  to  supply  its  place,  bringing 
with  them  the  various  foods  of  plants,  in  the  only  state  in 
which  plants  can  receive  them,  that  is,  in  solution  in  water. 
The  conclusion  seems  irresistible,  that  plants  obtain  their  nu- 
triment not  solely  from  their  immediate  vicinity,  but  from  con- 
siderable distance  below,  and  that  therefore  the  capabilities  of 
a  soil  are  increased  by  a  deep  cultivation.  Your  committee 
are  of  the  opinion  that  if  deep  cultivation  increase  the  farmer's 
expenses,  it  will  increase  his  products  more,  and  thus  raise  the 
net  profits  of  agriculture. 

Our  remarks  thus  far,  we  suppose,  are  applicable  to  all  arable 
lands.  We  wish  now  to  make  some  suggestions  with  special 
reference  to  our  deep,  alluvial  soils.  There  is  in  them  an 
almost  bottomless  reservoir  of  future  food  for  man  and  beast, 
if  we  can  only  come  at  it.  By  high  manuring  they  have 
always  produced  well.  By  concentrating  on  a  few  arable 
acres  the  manure  of  a  whole  farm,  they  have  been  made  to 
produce  great  crops.  Now  can  they  not  be  made  to  produce 
great  crops,  with  only  such  manuring  as  consists  with  the 
general  productiveness  of  the  farm  ?  We  think  they  can  ;  and 
we  believe  that  deep  cultivation  is  the  secret  of  success* 
When  the  Californians  have  gathered  all  the  gold  from  the 
surface  they  will  have  to  dig  under.  So  with  our  Connecticut 
River  farmers;  they  must  tap  mother  earth  deeper;  and  she 
will  pay  them  back  the  shining  gold  for  their  extra  labor. 
Every  dollar  judiciously  expended  in  deepening  the  soils  of 
this  beautiful  valley,  will  prove  a  better  investment  than  the 
gold  digger's  passage  money  and  Jixins. 

Hitherto  we  have  wrought  the  surface  only.  We  have  im- 
plements for  that  purpose,  and  modes  of  using  them,  which 
perhaps  approximate  perfection  as  nearly  as  anything  that  can 
be  reasonably  expected.  But  if  we  undertake  to  do  anything 
more,  we  may  need  other  tools  to  do  it  with.  Should  we 
come   to   the  conclusion   that  eighteen  inches  of  loosened  soil 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  267 

would  afford  a  better  pasture  for  our  coru  roots  than  six — 
enough  better  to  pay  the  extra  expense,  and  leave  an  increased 
profit — how  should  we  effect  the  change  ?  Not  by  running 
deeper  with  our  present  ploughs.  They  are  inadequate  to  the 
task.  Not  by  constructing  them  very  much  larger.  No  power 
yet  in  the  field  could  draw  them.  Even  could  we  perform  the 
operation,  it  would  bury  the  vegetable  mould  in  too  cold  a 
region,  where  its  decomposition  and  conversion  to  food  for  new 
plants  would  be  retarded.  If  performed  in  the  spring,  it  would 
leave  the  surface  entirely  too  cold  for  the  first  summer's  crop. 
Trench  ploughing,  of  which  so  much  has  been  said  of  late, 
we  suppose  is  well  enough  for  a  rich  fancy  farmer,  who,  for 
the  sake  of  exhibiting  his  agricultural  skill,  can  very  well 
afford  to  put  more  on  a  few  acres  than  he  will  take  off.  It 
may  be  well  for  gardeners  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  large  city, 
where  rents  are  high,  manure  plenty,  and  vegetables  always  in 
demand  ;  but  the  practice  of  it  by  farmers  generally,  we  ap- 
prehend, must  be  delayed  till  our  country  contains  at  least  a 
hundred  millions  of  people.  Subsoiling,  ii.  connection  with 
common  ploughing,  as  we  understand  it,  proposes  first  to  invert 
the  top  soil  some  five  or  six  inches,  and  then  to  stir  the  subsoil 
some  ten  or  twelve  inches  deeper.  For  many  of  our  fields 
this  must  be  a  capital  operation.  We  see  not  how  their  pro- 
ductiveness could  fail  to  be  increased  by  it.  It  opens  passages 
for  the  circulation  of  air  and  water.  It  can  hardly  fail  to  pro- 
duce a  favorable  influence  on  the  temperature  of  the  soil. 
But  it  does  not  come  up  to  our  idea  of  so  pulverizing  the  soil, 
that  every  portion  of  it  may  be  perforated  by  rootlets,  and  be- 
come a  fit  medium  for  the  transmission  of  water  downwards 
or  upwards,  as  the  case  may  require.  We  should  keep  in 
mind,  that,  in  a  well  prepared  soil,  the  tendency  of  water  is 
upward  after  evaporation,  as  well  as  downward  after  rain. 

We  have  all  heard  it  said,  that  "  it  is  wise  to  learn  from  an 
enemy."  It  is  wise,  also,  to  learn  from  an  inferior.  Presently 
you  will  understand  what  is  intended  by  this  last  remark. 
The  Spanish  farmer,  in  point  of  skill,  intelligence  and  indus- 
try, cannot  be  superior  to  the  American  farmer.  He  is  indeed 
more  conservative — he  uses  the  same  plough  to-day  that  his 


268  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

ancestors  used  two  thousand  years  ago.  I  cannot  better  de- 
scribe it  than  by  comparing  it  with  a  rake.  Imagine  for  your- 
self an  enormous  iron  rake,  with  a  long  handle  and  four  teeth, 
long  enough  to  scratch  the  ground  some  twenty  inches  deep, 
and  strong  enough  to  endure  the  draft  of  a  team.  With  a 
leather  thong  the  farmer  fastens  the  end  of  this  to  the  yoke  of 
a  pair  of  cows  or  of  oxen,  as  the  case  may  be,  and  drags  it 
through  the  field  in  all  directions  till  those  huge  teeth,  twenty 
inches  long,  readily  sink  into  the  ground  their  whole  length, 
and  pass  freely  through  it.  Now  what  is  the  result  of  this  ? 
Why,  that  he  gets  fifty  bushels  of  wheat  to  the  acre,  once  in 
two  or  three  years,  and  gets  a  large  crop  of  roots  or  some  infe- 
rior grain,  the  intervening  years,  and  that  with  a  husbandry 
vastly  inferior  to  our  own  in  everything  except  the  more  care- 
ful preparation  of  the  ground  before  sowing.  This  refers  to 
the  north  of  Spain,  among  the  Calabrian  mountains,  where 
the  climate  is  scarcely  superior  to  our  own  ;  and  where  just 
about  the  same  process  of  cropping  has  been  going  on  for  at 
least  fifty  generations. 

We  spoke  of  learning  from  an  inferior.  We  are  not  going 
to  advise  you  to  work  cows,  as  the  Spaniard  does  ;  nor  to  send 
your  wives  out  to  drive  them,  as  many  Europeans  do  ;  nor  to 
substitute  the  Spanish  plough  for  your  own  beautiful  instrument. 
The  farmer  should  imitate  no  one  slavishly,  but  be  ready  to 
learn  from  all,  even  from  the  conservatives  of  the  oldest  plough 
in  the  world.  We  believe  there  is  many  an  old  field  in  this 
region,  of  rather  heavy  loam,  ploughed  for  a  half  a  century  six 
inches  deep  and  no  more  ;  clay  colored,  cold  and  impervious 
as  you  descend  below  the  six-inch  level  ;  in  which  if  the 
owner  were  shut  up  to  the  alternative,  either  of  reinverting 
the  old  six  inches,  or  of  patiently  scratching  down  three  times 
that  depth  with  the  Spanish  plough,  he  might  better  choose 
the  latter;  because  by  so  doing,  although  he  should  expend 
more  labor  in  spring,  he  would  get  a  better  return  in  autumn, 
and  leave  his  land  in  a  better  condition  for  future  crops.  But 
is  it  not  possible  that  some  instrnment  adapted  to  produce  a 
like  effect  on  the  soil  to  that  of  the  Spanish  plough,  but  far 
easier,  neater,  and  more  workmanlike  in  its  operation,  will  yet 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  269 

be  invented  ?  Is  it  not  possible,  that  by  means  of  it  we  may 
yet  be  able  to  deepen  our  soils  to  any  desirable  extent,  without 
greatly  increasing  the  expense  ?  It  might  be  a  machine  re- 
sembling the  tongue  and  fore  wheels  of  an  ox  wagon,  with 
steel  bars  running  down  and  sloping  forward  from  the  axle,  so 
as  to  penetrate  the  soil  more  or  less,  as  they  might  be  guaged, 
to  be  drawn  by  a  powerful  team  through  the  soil  till  all  should 
be  finely  pulverized.  Some  yankee,  we  think,  will  yet  invent 
an  implement  which,  for  our  alluvial  soils,  such  as  are  free 
from  stones,  will  be  better  than  Prouty,  Mears  &.  Co.'s  best, 
with  the  subsoil  plough  in  the  bargain. 

With  regard  to  established  modes  of  treating  the  soil,  we 
would  not  be  radicals,  nor  yet  would  we  be  quite  as  conservative 
as  those  who  use  the  oldest  plough,  unaltered.  We  would  not 
repudiate  old  practices  till  quite  sure  that  we  have  found  better. 
To  farmers  we  would  say,  do  not  adopt  on  mere  recommenda- 
tion, any  theory,  however  plausible,  till  you  have  tried  it  on  a 
small  scale,  so  small  as  not  to  injure  you  if  it  do  not  succeed,  or 
seen  it  tried,  or  know  that  it  has  been  tried,  and  proved  sound. 
Feel  your  way  by  sharp  observation  and  prudent  experiments, 
and  before  many  years  we  are  fully  persuaded  you  will  agree 
with  us,  that  if  charity,  as  the  Bible  tells  us,  is  casting  bread 
upon  the  waters,  to  be  found  after  many  days,  deep  plough- 
ing,— a  thorough  comminution  of  the  soil, — is  casting  bread 
upon  I  he  waters,  to  be  found,  with  increase,  after  few  days. 

J.  A.  NASH,   Chairman. 


Farms. 

The  pecuniary  estimates  of  the  farm  have  often  been  put  too 
high,  especially  when  made  by  professional  men,  who  have  no 
practical  experience  in  farming.  There  is  probably,  no  class 
of  men  who  do  so  much  work  for  so  small  a  pecuniary  profit, 
as  the  farmer.  But  is  pecuniary  profit  the  main  object  for 
which  a  man  lives?  Are  health,  virtue,  intelligence  and  quiet, 
of  no  account  in  the  estimate  of  human  happiness  ?  In  each 
and  all  of  these,  the  farmer  must  be  allowed  to  have  a  de- 


270  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

cided  advantage.  The  unforeseen  changes  which  so  oflen  carry 
confusion  and  ruin  to  the  mercantile  and  manufacturing  inter- 
ests scarcely  affect  him.  His  subsistence  rests  on  a  surer  basis, 
and  on  the  fulfilment  of  that  promise  which  says  that  seed 
time  and  harvest  shall  continue  to  the  very  end  of  all  things. 
Is  his  a  toilsome  life  ?  That  very  toil,  taken  as  it  is,  in  the 
open  air  and  amidst  the  fragrance  of  the  fields  invigorates,  his 
whole  nature,  and  prepares  him  for  that  repose  which  lubricates 
the  joints  and  strengthens  the  muscles  and  prepares  him  for  the 
labors  of  the  coming  day. 

It  has  been  asserted  by  some  that  the  human  race  is  degen- 
erating ; — that  men  do  not  live  so  long  as  formerly  ; — that  they 
are  not  so  tall  and  strong  as  they  used  to  be.  There  surely 
must  be  a  reason  for  this  degenerating,  and  in  our  humble 
opinion  it  is  found  in  the  fact,  that  under  the  influence  of  a 
false  refinement,  our  youth  are  too  eager  to  quit  the  farm- 
houses of  their  fathers,  and  crowd  into  the  cities  and  large 
towns,  with  the  mistaken  notion  that  such  is  the  surest  and 
shortest  road  to  promotion  ;  they  turn  away  from  the  pure  air  of 
the  forest,  for  the  clouds  of  dust,  the  continual  bustle,  the  con- 
fining employment,  the  pestiferous  influences  of  the  latter.  It 
is  in  this  class  of  people,  if  in  any,  that  the  degeneracy  is 
to  be  looked  for.  And  it  is  only  by  a  steady  adherence  to 
those  pursuits  which  all  past  experience  declares  to  be  conge- 
nial with  our  physical  and  moral  nature,  that  the  evil  can  be 
remedied. 

Were  we  to  ask  you  to  look  at  that  condition  of  life  which 
in  our  opinion,  is  preferable  to  that  of  every  other,  we  would 
not  take  you  to  the  manufactory,  amidst  the  buzz  of  spindles 
and  the  clank  of  looms ;  or  to  the  merchant,  perched  upon  his 
high  stool,  the  live  long  day  looking  over  his  ledger,  or  to  the 
state  officer  who  is  expected  to  please  every  body  but  himself. 
But  we  would  say  to  you,  just  go  with  us  yonder  to  that  house 
that  stands  a  little  from  the  road,  environed  by  beautiful  trees; 
with  a  well  planned  garden  in  its  rear  ;  with  lawns  spreading 
out  to  the  right  and  the  left ;  look  at  the  thrifty  herd  and  the 
well  fed  flock,  the  fruits  and  the  flowers ;  then  enter  its  com- 
fortable and  neat  apartments,  and  on  the  healthful  and  intelli- 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  271 

gent  countenances  of  those  who  preside  there  ;  the  beauty  and 
joy  that  beam  in  the  faces  of  their  children  ;  join  with  them  in 
their  morning  song  and  in  their  evening  hymn ;  and  say,  if 
there  be  an  elysium  on   earth,   you  have  not  now  found  it. 

Four  farms  were  entered  for  premiums. 

E.  PoMEROY  Cutler's  Farm  is  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
from  the  village  of  Amherst.  It  contains  thirty-five  acres, 
sloping  gently  to  the  west  and  southwest.  It  is  in  the  form  of 
a  parallelogram,  except  that  it  is  notched  at  the  south  end  by 
two  house  lots.  The  soil  consists  of  a  fine  rich  loam,  lying 
chiefly  on  a  hard  gravel,  and  is  all  arable.  The  growth  of  hay 
the  present  season,  it  is  believed,  is  seldom  equalled,  he  having 
made  thirty-two  tons  and  a  half  from  thirteen  acres  at  one 
mowing;  which  is  two  and  a  half  tons  to  an  acre.  And  this 
lot  for  mowing  is  so  conveniently  situated,  that  after  the  first 
day,  a  man  will  make  and  get  in,  a  ton  in  a  day,  in  good 
weather.  He  cultivates  this  year  three  and  a  half  acres  of 
corn,  which  is  estimated  to  produce  two  hundred  and  fifty 
bushels.  His  usual  crop  of  oats  is  one  hundied  bushels;  and 
his  potato  crop  ranges  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  bushels ;  and 
he  has  also  a  good  kitchen  garden. 

On  his  farm  Mr.  Cutler  has  one  hundred  and  fifty  apple  trees 
of  the  best  varieties  Thirty  of  these  have  come  to  an  age  to 
be  productive.  The  remainder  are  but  eleven  years  from  the 
seed.  These  trees  taken  together,  in  point  of  health,  thrift, 
beauty,  and  choice  selection,  probably  will  not  suffer  in  com- 
parison with  the  same  number  within  the  limits  of  this  society. 
The  committee  award  to  him  the  first  premium  of  twelve  dol- 
lars. 

Linus  Green's  Farm  is  situated  in  Hadley,  more  than  a 
mile  northeast  from  the  centre  of  the  town.  It  contains  one 
hundred  acres  ;  has  a  southern  exposure  with  a  surface  very 
agreeably  diversified  with  gentle  elevations  and  depressions. 
On  this  farm  are  several  springs  of  pure  water,  which  are  not 
dry  in  the  driest  weather,  and  which  must  enhance  the  value 
of  the  farm.  A  very  small  portion  only  is  not  suited  to  profita- 
ble culture.  Some  parts  of  it  possessed  originally  a  stiff  soil 
and  were  nearly  unproductive  of  anything  valuable.     But  by  a 


272  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

plentiful  application  of  lime,  these  parts  have  been  so  much 
ameliorated  that  they  are  now  among  its  most  valuable  por- 
tions. It  is  very  judiciously  divided  into  pasturage,  tillage  and 
mowing,  and  supports  a  very  large  stock.  The  products  in 
hay,  the  present  year,  are  eighty  tons,  which  is  of  a  very  good 
quality;  and  four  hundred  bushels  of  corn  and  other  grains  in 
due  proportion.  The  labor  in  the  warm  season,  can  be  per- 
formed by  about  three  efficient  men.  The  committee  had 
much  pleasure  in  looking  over  this  farm,  not  only  from  its 
present  fine  appearance,  but  also  from  the  consideration  that 
some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago,  it  contained  little  else  but  de- 
formity and  sterility,  and  owes  its  present  improved  state  to 
the  indefatigable  industry,  and  the  skill  of  its  possessor.  They 
award  to  Mr,  Green,  the  second  premium  of  eight  dollars. 

JOHN  SANFORD, 

In  behalf  of  the  Committee. 


Fruit    Trees. 

The  committee  visited  the  several  orchards  of  different  va- 
rieties presented  for  premiums  ;  and  two  that  were  presented 
for  inspection,  one  by  Edward  Dickinson,  and  one  by  Josiah 
Ayers,  both  of  Amherst.  The  orchards  of  both  were  set  in 
ground  well  adapted  to  their  growth,  and  have  since  had  all 
the  attention  that  is  necessary  for  their  thrift  and  well  balanced 
tops. 

In  the  orchard  of  Mr.  Dickinson,  your  committee's  attention 
was  called  to  various  kinds  of  fruit;  such  as  the  best  varieties 
of  apples,  pears,  peaches,  plums,  quinces,  and  grapes,  (both  na- 
tive and  foreign,)  nearly  all  of  which  are  in  bearing  conditio)!. 
We  also  saw  in  his  garden  a  beautiful  fig  tree  loaded  with 
fruit  ;  we  weie  unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  he  has  trained 
them  all  strictly  to  the  laio  of  agriculture.  Mr.  Ayres  has  155 
apple  trees,  all  budded  on  seedling  stocks  raised  from  seed  of 
his  own  planting.  He  has  budded  and  set  them  all  himself, 
and  has  been  very  particular  in  every  attention  required.     In 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  273 

transplanting  seedlings  to  the  nursery,  the  centre,  or  tap  root 
of  each  tree  has  been  cut  off  for  the  purpose  of  giving  the 
lateral  roots  more  vigor.  In  removing  from  the  nursery  to 
their  present  position  he  was  careful  to  dig  large  places,  and 
subsoiled  at  least  six  inches  below  where  they  were  to  stand, 
supplying  a  small  quantity  of  compost  manure,  and  set  the 
same  depth  as  when  in  the  nursery.  The  trees  are  nearly  all 
thirteen  years  from  the  seed,  and  many  of  them  this  year  pro- 
duce fine  fruit.  This  orchard  contains  almost  all  the  choicest 
and  most  approved  varieties,  of  which  the  owner  has  the  satis- 
faction to  know  the  name  of  every  individual  tree,  whether 
bearing  or  not.  The  committee  were  highly  gratified  with  the 
success  of  Mr.  Ayer's  experiment  ;  and  are  happy  to  present 
this  as  an  illustration  of  what  can  be  done  by  skill  and  intelli- 
gence. 

We  find  four  apple  orchards  offered  for  premiums,  viz. :  by 
Alfred  Baker,  E.  Pomeroy  Cutler,  S.  Harrington,  all  of  Am- 
herst, and  Levi  Boutwell,  of  Leverett. 

We  award  to  Mr.  Cutler,  first  premium,  $8 ;  Mr.  Baker, 
second  premium,  $5. 

The  committee  witnessed  with  delight,  the  evidence  of  taste 
Mr.  Harrington  possesses  for  the  cultivation  of  choice  fruit, 
suited  to  his  soil,  and  the  success  which  has  crowned  his  ef- 
forts. Had  the  society  offered  premiums  for  the  best  fruit  or- 
chard containing  different  varieties,  your  committee  could  not 
have  failed  unanimously  to  give  the  first  to  him. 

There  was  but  one  premium  offered  on  pear  trees  and  but 
one  application  for  the  same.  Mr.  Harrington  offered  for  our 
inspection,  one  hundred  and  eleven  pear  trees,  of  different  vari- 
eties as  named  in  his  statement,  all  of  which  appear  in  a  very 
flourishing  and  thrifty  condition.  The  committee  award  him 
the  premium  of  $3. 

PAOLI  LATHROP,  Chairman. 

E.  P.  Cutler^s  Statement. 

My  orchard  consists  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  trees,  some  oi^ 
which  are  in  bearing  condition,  but  the  majority  of  them  have 
35 


274  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

never  borne  any  fruit,  as  they  are  but  twelve  or  thirteen  years 
old,  from  the  seed.  It  is  all  engrafted  fruit,  and  choice  varie- 
ties, consisting  of  greenings,  pound  royals,  Baldwins,  Newtown 
pippins,  seeknofnrthers,  Roxbury  russets,  winter  sweet,  Hub- 
bardston  nonsuch,  minister  apple,  yellow  harvest,  sops  of  wine, 
and  some  other  choice  kinds  which  I  cannot  find  names  for. 
The  method  of  cultivation  is  to  plough  the  land  once  in  two 
years,  and  keep  the  soil  loose  and  light  close  to  the  trees,  and 
manure  them  with  compost  manure  every  fall,  have  them 
washed  with  a  solution  of  potash  water  the  last  of  May  or  first 
of  June,  one  pound  of  potash  to  two  gallons  water ;  also  trim 
all  the  small  limbs  which  rub  or  touch  each  other.  The  land 
on  which  this  orchard  stands,  is  a  coarse  gravelly  loam  and  not 
under  a  very  high  state  of  cultivation. 
Amherst,  Oct.^  1851, 

Alfred  Baker^s  Statement. 
My  trees  were  all  engrafted  in  the  nursery,  at   or  near  the 
ground ;  they  were  transplanted  in  the  fall  of  1838,  late  in  the 
month  of  November.     The  soil  in  which  they  were  set,  was 
poor,  dry,  and  very  stony.     My  manner  of  setting  them  was  in 
the   first  place   to  dig  a  hole  sufficiently  large   to   admit  the 
longest  roots,  and  a  few  inches  deeper  than  1  wished  to  have 
them  stand.     Before  setting,  I  threw  in  a  few  shovels  of  rich 
loam,  procured  for  the  purpose,  and  continued  to  mix  the  same 
with   the   earth   thrown    out,   in    filling    up  around    the  trees. 
They  were   set  from  four  to  six  inches  deeper  than  they  stood 
in  the  nursery.     I   have  kept  the  land  ploughed,  taking  a  crop 
for  the  same  every  year,  ripplying  no  manure  except  in  the   hill 
when   planted  and   a  small  quantity  from    the  compost   heap 
around  the  trees,  as  often.     I  have  once  in  a  year  (with  one  or 
two  exceptions)  washed  my  trees  with  weak  ley,  taken  from 
the  leach  after  making  soap,  which  I  think  has  been  of  essen- 
tial service  to  them.     The  healthy  and  thrifty  condition  of  my 
trees  has  been  particularly  noticed  by  all  who  have  seen  them, 
and. I  think  it  a  little  remarkable  that  of  the  115  or  120  trees 
set,  I  have  not  lost  one.     My  trees  stand  just  two  rods  distant 
*rom  each  other,  which  in  my  opinion   is  full   near  enough. 


HAMPSHIRE   SOCIETY.  275 

Of  fruit,  I  have  several  varieties ;  such  as  greenings,  Roxbury, 
and  English  russets,  Spitzenburg,  Congress  and  seeknofurther ; 
besides  some  of  poorer  qualities  which  I  intend  to  get  rid  of  by- 
engrafting  with  better  varieties. 
Amherst,  Oct.,  1851. 

Samuel  Harrington's  Statement. 

I  have  in  my  orchard  the  following  trees,  viz.,  of  apples — 
Baldwin  12  ;  greenings  13  ;  Roxbury  russets  6  ;  Esopus  Spitz- 
enburgs  4  ;  common  russets  3  ;  congress  apple  4 ;  Philadelphia 
bell-flower  4 ;  York  pippin  4 ;  Miller  2 ;  seeknofurther  3 ; 
Peck's  pleasant  3;  other  kinds  29;  in  all  87.  Cherries  20  ; 
plums  25 ;  peach  30 ;  quinces  30.  Pears — Bartlett  on  pear 
stock  25;  Bartlett's  on  quince  12;  Flemish  beauty  4;  Seckel 
4  ;  Dix  5  ;  Buffum  3 ;  Bell  lucrative  3 ;  St.  Ghislain  2  ;  Mad- 
aline  4  ;  other  kinds  49.     Whole  number  of  trees  303. 

Amherst,  Oct.,  1851. 


Milch  Cows. 

The  committee,  having  read  the  statements  and  decided 
according  to  the  best  of  their  judgment  as  to  the  comparative 
excellence  of  the  cows  exhibited,  are  happy  to  say  that,  with 
one  exception,  they  are  of  a  superior  quality.  The  several 
competitors  to  whom  premiums  are  awarded,  are  all  of  Am- 
herst. 

First  premium  of  five  dollars,  to  Spencer  Church.  His  cow 
is  seven  years  old.  She  gave  forty-five  pounds  of  milk  per 
day  during  the  months  of  May  and  June  last,  from  which  he 
made  14  lbs.  of  butter  weekly.  Her  feed  was  grass  only.  She 
calved  April  23,  1851,  and  her  calf  is  by  her  side. 

Second  premium  of  four  dollars,  to  Rev.  John  San  ford.  His 
cow  is  four  years  old,  and  has  had  three  calves.  Had  her  last 
calf  on  the  20th  of  last  March,  which  weighed  at  less  than  five 
weeks  old  140  pounds.  At  the  best  of  the  season  she  gave 
from  14  to  15  quarts  of  milk  a  day.  Three  months  from 
calving,  she  made    16  pounds  of  butter  in  ten   days ;  and  in 


276  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

August,  about  five  months  from  her  calving,  she  made  14 
pounds  in  ten  days  ;  food,  grass,  with  two  quarts  provender 
daily.  This  would  give  an  average  of  full  15  pounds  in  ten 
days  for  182  days,  which  is  half  a  year,  and  at  this  rate,  273 
pounds  in  182  days,  and  273  pounds  of  butter,  at  one  shilling 
a  pound,  is  $A5  50. 

Third  premium  of  three  dollars,  to  James  P.  Dexter.  His 
cow,  from  the  15th  of  July  to  the  24th,  (ten  days,)  gave  from 
34  to  38  pounds  of  milk,  and  made  15  1-2  pounds  of  butter. 
During  a  period  in  September,  of  ten  days,  her  average  quan- 
tity of  milk  was  34  pounds,  from  which  he  made  14  pounds  of 
butter.  Her  feed  was  grass,  with  two  quarts  of  provender 
daily.  The  cow  calved  the  4th  of  March,  and  the  calf  was  of 
a  good  quality. 

Fourth  premium  of  two  dollars,  to  H.  L.  Burnham.  The 
milk  of  his  cow,  from  October  1st  to  21st,  was  five  quarts  per 
day  ;  very  yellow  and  sweet.  Used  one  quart  per  day  in  the 
family.  The  butter  made  in  that  time  was  nine  ounces  per 
day,  the  cow  had  only  pasture  feed.  She  calved  on  the  1st  of 
August,  1850. 

A  cow  was  entered  by  Alvan  Barnard,  of  Amherst,  and  by 
his  statement,  (that  she  yielded  113  12-16  pounds  of  milk  in 
three  days,  ending  October  18th,  from  which  he  churned  5  12- 
16  pounds  of  butter,  appears  to  be  a  very  valuable  animal,  and 
would  have  been  entitled  to  a  high  premium  had  the  conditions 
of  the  society  been  complied  with  on  his  part.  We  recom- 
mend to  him  a  gratuity  of  $1  00. 

We  see  occasionally  a  cow  that  produces  14  pounds  of  but- 
ter in  a  week,  but  how  seldom  !  Now  the  question  arises,  how 
can  we  breed  good  coavs  ?  In  all  animals,  as  well  as  vegeta- 
bles, like  produces  like.  But  here  there  seems  to  be  a  great 
uncertainty.  A  good  cow,  perhaps  the  most  useful  among 
domestic  animals,  and  what  every  family  needs,  seems  to  come 
by  chance.  If  a  man  happens  to  have  a  good  cow,  it  is  no 
doubt  very  agreeable  to  take  a  prize  ;  but  he  has  done  nothing 
to  make  her  what  she  is,  and  he  is  not  certain  of  rearing  another 
like  her. 

If  there  is  a  breed  of  cattle   in  the  world  that  can  be  relied 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  277 

on  as  producing  superior  milkers,  pray  let  us  have  them, 
that  we  may  not  be  disappointed  and  discouraged  when  we 
undertake  to  raise  at  considerable  expense,  a  good  heifer  from 
a  good  cow.  What  we  stand  very  much  in  need  of,  in  this  as 
in  other  matters  relating  to  agriculture,  is  that  most  highly 
esteemed  commodity,  science. 

The  Ayrshire  stock  have  been  much  extolled  for  their  milk- 
ing properties.  The  Hampshire,  Hampden  and  Franklin  Agri- 
cultural Society,  was  presented  with  a  sire  of  this  breed  nearly 
three  years  since,  by  the  Massachusetts  Society,  but  where  is 
the  man  who  is  rearing  an  individual  heifer  from  him,  with 
full  confidence  that  she  will  make  a  first  rate  cow  ?  So  weak 
is  our  faith  in  this  matter,  that  even  this  animal,  imported  at 
great  expense,  and  his  dam  probably  from  some  of  the  best 
milkers  in  Scotland,  has  been  lightly  esteemed  by  some  of  the 
leading  members  of  that  society  ;  and  a  iew  months  since,  it 
was  deemed  inexpedient  longer  to  give  him  a  support.  He  is, 
however,  still  in  their  possession  at  Hadley,  and  your  commit- 
tee would  strongly  urge  upon  all  who  may  obtain  calves  by 
him,  the  importance  of  giving  the  stock  a  fair  trial,  hoping  that 
a  decided  improvement  in  our  breed  of  milkers  may  be  the 
result. 

THEOPHILUS  P.  HUNTINGTON,  Chairman. 


Steers. 


The  committee  say  that  the  two  years'  old,  were  a  superior 
lot,  all  fair  and  some  very  fine.  The  weight  of  four  pairs  was 
as  follows ;  the  first  weighed  2600  pounds ;  the  second  2470 
pounds  ;  the  third  2390  pounds  ;  the  fourth  2400  pounds. 


Fat  Cattle. 


The  committee  (Levi  Stockbridge,  chairman.)  say  that  the 
business  of  fattening  cattle  is  important  and  extensive  in  this 


278  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

county.  Our  farmers  feed  out  their  hay  and  grahi,  and  return 
their  fertilizing  properties  to  their  farms.  We  speak  advisedly 
when  we  say  that  at  least  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  beef  are  annually  fattened  within  the 
limits  of  the  society. 


Butter  and  Cheese. 

Twenty-two  specimens  of  butter,  of  fine  appearance  and  of 
superior  quality,  contributed  largely  to  the  exhibition  in  Sweet- 
ser's  Hall. 

The  statements  of  the  process  of  making  butter,  might  have 
been  more  full,  and  therefore  much  more  valuable.  The  entire 
method  may  be  familiar  to  housewives,  yet  it  is  not  probably 
uniform.  The  best  mode  is  to  be  ascertained  by  compar- 
ison of  statements,  the  publication  of  which  will  put  them 
within    the    cognizance    of  every  farmer's  wife    and  daughter. 

The  manner  of  milking  has  much  to  do  with  the  quantity 
of  butter  produced.  Let  the  cow's  bag  be  thoroughly  exhausted 
of  milk  ;  for  it  is  believed,  that  one  pint  at  the  close  of  milking 
will  make  as  much  butter,  as  four  pitits,  at  the  commencement. 

The  most  suitable  place  for  the  milk,  while  the  cream  rises; 
the  proper  time  for  this  operation  ;  the  right  depth  of  the  pans ; 
whether  the  cream,  after  it  is  skimmed,  should  be  put  in  buck- 
ets or  in  pans;  in  the  well,  or  in  the  cellar,  or  in  a  cool  vault 
constructed  under  the  cellar  floor,  are  matters  of  importance. 

It  is  desirable,  that  the  degree  of  temperature  of  the  cream, 
during  the  churning  process,  and  that  the  form  of  churn — 
which  produces  the  best  quality  and  largest  quantity  of  butter 
— be  ascertained,  and  generally  adopted. 

After  the  butter  comes,  the  most  delicate  part  of  the  process 
remains,  the  removal  of  all  particles  of  the  buttermilk.  It  is 
suggested,  that  our  dairy-women  could  aff'ord  to  apply  here 
double  their  usual  labor  to  half  the  quantity  of  butter ;  for  this 
half  would  be  worth  more,  for  the  table  or  for  the  market,  than 
the  whole  in  the  condition  it  is  usually  prepared.  The  removal 
of  buttermilk   is  eff'ected  by  some,  with  the  use  of  water ;  by 


HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY.  279 

others,  without  water ;  and  by  others,  with  sweet  milk. 
Which  is  preferable  ?  Experiments  will  furnish  the  most  satis- 
factory answer,  and  the  statements,  accompanying  the  butter 
at  the  annual  cattle  show,  will  disclose  it  to  the  agricultural 
community. 

The  salting  process  is  of  no  small  consequence.  "  To  salt 
to  suit  the  taste,"  or  with  half,  or  three  fourths  of  an  ounce  of 
salt  or  more  to  the  pound,  are  some  of  the  methods.  So  vari- 
ous are  the  rules  of  good  housewives,  that  we  can  easily 
account  for  all  the  differences,  in  the  quality  of  their  butter. 

Notwithstanding  the  utmost  skill  in  the  process  of  butter- 
making — from  the  milking  of  the  cow  to  the  moulding  of  the 
yellow  lumps  for  the  table  or  for  the  market — it  will  be  found 
that  one  quart  of  milk  from  some  cows  will  yield  as  much  or 
more  butter,  than  two  quarts  from  others.  The  cow  that  yields 
the  greatest  quantity  of  milk,  may  not  yield  so  good  a  quality 
of  milk  for  butter,  as  another.  Hence,  it  is  for  the  interest  of 
the  farmer,  who  is  about  to  purchase  cows  for  their  butter-mak- 
ing qualities,  to  test  their  milk.  And  here  it  may  be  proper  to 
state,  that  although  the  breed  imported  from  the  county  of 
Ayr,  in  Scotland,  is  celebrated  for  great  milkers  ;  yet,  the  most 
productive  cow  in  butter,  found  in  England,  by  the  late  Mr. 
Colman,  was  a  North  Devon;  she  made  21  pounds  of  butter 
per  week,  for  several  successive  weeks,  without  extra  feed. 
An  imported  hull  and  cow  of  the  North  Devon  breed,  are  in 
possession  of  this  society,  at  the  residence  of  the  president,  for 
the  convenience  of  the  farmers  of  this  region. 

Sixteen  parcels  excellent  cheese  were  presented  for  inspec- 
tion. The  statements  are  satisfactory,  although  they  might 
have  been  more  extended.  May  the  day  soon  arrive,  when 
our  dairies  shall  become  to  old  Massachusets,  all  that  the  dairies 
of  New  York  are  to  the  "  Empire  State."  The  average  annual 
product,  in  1846,  of  the  dairies  of  Herkimer  county,  ranged 
from  500  to  650  pounds  of  cheese  per  cow.  A  Mr.  Rottier,  of 
Jefferson  county,  N.  Y.,  in  1849,  produced  from  26  cows  an 
average,  of  from  125  to  150  pounds  of  butter,  and  from  300 
to  400  pounds  of  cheese,  per  cow. 


280  HAMPSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

When  the  farmers  of  the  Connecticut  valley  loill  to  have 
such  products,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  they  will  come. 
For  the  committee, 

J.  W.  BOYDEN. 

Mrs.  Wm.  Merrick's  Statement, 
I  herewith  present  for  inspection  a  sample  of  six  cheeses 
from  a  dairy  of  eleven  cows.  Process  of  making.  The 
night's  milk  is  strained  into  a  tub  ;  to  which  is  added  the  morn- 
ing's milk.  After  having  taken  from  the  night's  milk  about 
two  gallons,  turn  in  the  cream  and  place  it  in  a  kettle  of  scald- 
ing water.  When  heated  to  a  temperature  of  about  90  degrees, 
add  rennet  sufficient  to  bring  the  cheese  in  about  an  hour ; 
when  wheyed  off,  press  about  two  days,  and  turn  daily  till 
cured. 

Mrs.  Oren  Williams^s  Statement. 
The  milk,  when  taken  from  the  cow  at  night,  is  permitted 
to  stand  in  a  tub  for  that  purpose,  until  the  next  morning. 
Then  the  cream  is  taken  from  it,  and  warmed  with  a  quantity 
of  milk  ;  then  it  is  turned  back  with  the  morning's  milk,  and 
rennet  is  added  to  it,  after  which  it  is  to  stand  until  the  curd 
separates  from  the  whey.  It  is  then  scalded,  dipped  off,  per- 
mitted to  drain  until  afternoon,  and  then  manufactured  into 
cheese. 


BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY.  281 


BERKSHIRE  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


The  forty-first  anniversary  of  this  society  was  held  at  Pitts- 
field,  on  the  1st  and  2d  of  October  last.  The  address  was 
delivered  by  the  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  of  Dorchester. 


Agricultural  Products. 
The  committee,  in  the  performance  of  their  duty,  have  had 
occasion  to  notice  the  agricultural  interests  of  Berkshire,  and  it 
is  a  source  of  pride  and  pleasure  that  they  are  enabled  to  re- 
port her  rapidly  advancing.  As  an  agricultural  district  she  is 
regarded  as  second  to  none,  and  in  contrast  with  her  sister 
counties,  soon  may  be  seen  (if  she  is  not  already)  leading  the 
van. 

The  wonderful  changes  which  have  been  effected  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  many  portions  of  our  county  within  a  few  years, 
are  indeed  highly  commendable.  Waste  and  broken  lands,  be- 
fore entirely  unproductive  and  considered  worthless,  have  been, 
by  judicious  management,  reclaimed,  and  now  comprise  some  of 
our  fairest  meadows,  yielding  a  rich  annual  tribute.  Exhaust- 
ed lands  have,  by  the  application  of  science  and  good  hus- 
bandry been  renovated,  and  now  fields  of  rich  grain  are  seen 
upon  lands  which  a  (ew  years  ago  were  supposed  to  be  beyond 
the  hope  of  recovery.  Many  new  and  beautiful  dwellings  with 
neatly  ornamented  grounds,  richly  displaying  taste  and  refine- 
ment ;  barns  and  other  buildings  of  superior  plan  and  structure, 
stored  with  the  bountiful  harvest  which  the  present  season  has 
furnished  ;  all  have  attracted  the  attention  of,  and  been  survey- 
ed with  great  pleasure  by  your  committee. 

Indeed,  in  all  portions  of  our  county  indications  of  the  spirit 
of  improvement   were  observed,   not  only  in  agriculture  but 
horticulture.     Some   beautiful  gardens  of  flowers,  fruits   and 
36 


282  BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

vegetables  were  shown  your  committee,  all  of  which  deser"^8 
the  highest  praise.  We  are  happy  to  see  such  evidences  of  a 
growing  taste  for  the  cultivation  of  the  different  varieties  of 
fruits  ;  the  apple,  pear,  peach,  plum,  apricot,  and  grape,  and  a 
variety  of  other  fruit,  to  all  of  which  our  soil  and  climate  are 
so  admirably  adapted,  and  would  cheerfully  recommend  a  more 
extensive  cultivation  of  the  same. 

In  conclusion,  your  committee  would  take  occasion  to  say, 
that  they  have  everywhere  been  made  the  recipients  of  that 
kind  hospitality  so  characteristic  of  the  good  people  of  Berk- 
shire. 

The  number  of  entries  for  premium  was  220,  a  number  far 
exceeding  that  of  any  former  year,  all  of  which  have  been  ex- 
amined with  great  pleasure  and  satisfaction.  Your  committee 
would  be  pleased  to  give  to  each  and  all  a  premium,  which 
they  so  much  merit,  but  our  means  are  limited,  and  we  award 
as  follows : — 

WINTER    WHEAT. 

For  the  best  acre  of  winter  wheat,  James  Baldwin,  Eg- 

remont,  -  -  -  -  -  -  |6  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  Leonard  Tuttle,  Sheffield,      -     4  00 

SPRING    WHEAT. 

For  the  best  acre  of  spring  wheat,  Reed  Mills,  Williams- 
town,  -  -  -  -  -  -6  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  Harvey  Chapin,  Sheffield,  -  5  00 
For  the  third  best  do.,  Caleb  Brown,  Williamstown,  -  4  00 
For  the  fourth  best  do.,  Solomon  Russell,  Pittsfield,  -  3  00 
For  the  fifth  best  do.,  Darius  Ford,  Lenox,        -  -     2  00 

WINTER    RYE. 

For  the  best  acre  of  winter  rye,  Norman  Wilcox,  Stock- 
bridge,  -  -  -  -  -  -  6  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  Joseph  H.  Chapin,  Sheffield,    -  5  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  Edmund  Bush,  Sheffield,  -  4  00 

For  the  fourth  best  do.,  Chester  K.  Lanphire,  Lee,         -  3  00 

For  the  fifth  best  do.,  Enos  Smith,  Stockbridge,  -  2  00 


BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY.  283 

CORN. 

For  the  best  field  of  corn,  not  less  than   three  acres, 

Henry  Smith,  Lee,    -  -  -  -  -  |6  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  E.  C.  Carter,  Stockbridge,       -  5  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  Clement  Harrison,  Adams,          -  4  00 

CORN. 

For  the  best  acre  of  corn,  Edson  P.  Sexton,  Stockbridge,  5  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  Benjamin  Parsons,  Lenox,        -  4  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  Ezekiel  R.  Colt,  Pittsfield,         -  3  00 

For  the  fonrth  best  do.,  James  S.  Smith,  Lenox,            -  2  00 

OATS. 

For  the  best  acre  of  oats,  William  E.  Johnson,  Williams- 
town,  -  -  -  -  -  -5  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  William  Daily,  Sheffield,         -  4  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  Albert  G.  Belden,  Lenox,            -  3  00 

For  the  fourth  best  do.,  John  S.  Noble,  Pittsfield,          -  2  00 

MESLINGS. 

For  the  best  acre  of  meslings,  Albion   P.  Bagg,  Lanes- 
borough,       -  -  -  -  -  -5  00 

For  the  second  do.,  Marshall  Butler,  Lenox,      -             -  4  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  Jonathan  Andrews,  Richmond,  -  3  00 

For  the  fourth  best  do.,  Stoddard  Hubbell,  Lanesborough,  2  00 

BARLEY. 

For  the  best  acre  of  barley,  Morgan  Lewis,  West  Stock- 
bridge,           -             -             -             -             -             -  5  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  B.  F.  Mills,  Williamstown,      -  4  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  Seymour  T.  Cooman,  Pittsfield,  3  00 

For  the  fourth  best  do.,  Marshall  Brace,  Stockbridge,     -  2  00 

BUCKWHEAT. 

For  the  best  acre  of  buckwheat,  Robert  E.  Galpin,  Stock- 
bridge,           -             -             -             -             -             -  4  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  George  S.  Willis,  Pittsfield,     -  3  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  James  Meacham,  Williamstown,  2  00 


284  BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

The  peas  brought  to  the  notice  of  your  committee,  were  not 
of  such  a  character  as  in  their  opinion  merit  premium. 

I 

POTATOES. 

For  the  best  acre  of  potatoes,  Charles   E.  Hinckley, 

Lee,  -  -  -  -  -  -  |5  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  J.  R.  Lawton,  Great  Barrington,     4  00 
For  the  third  best  do.,  Elias  Wright,  Monterey,  -     3  00 

For  the  fourth  best  do.,  A.  Shephardson,  Lanesborough,     2  00 

CARROTS. 

For  the  best  ^  acre  of  carrots,  Elijah  N.  Hubbard,  Great 

Barrington,  -  -  -  -  -  -3  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  Benjamin  Hull,  Stockbridge,   -     2  00 

GRAFTED    APPLE    ORCHARD. 

For  the  best  grafted  apple   orchard,  Asahel  Foot,  Wil- 

liamstown,    -  -  -  -  -  -  12  00 

For  the  second  best  do.,  George  S.  Willis,  Pittsfield,     -  10  00 

For  the  third  best  do.,  Edson  Sexton,  Stockbridge,       -     8  00 

M.  SEARS,   Chairman. 

Reed  Mills^  Statement. 
I  hereby  transmit  to  you  the  process  of  cultivation  and 
fertilizers  used  the  present  and  last  year  on  a  field  of  spring 
wheat,  which  obtained  the  first  premium  at  the  late  fair  in 
Pittsfield,  not,  however,  with  the  idea  that  this  is  the  best 
mode,  but  rather  with  the  view  that  we  may  hear  from  other 
wheat  growers  in  Berkshire,  who  have  had  more  experience, 
and  whose  products  have  been  not  only  twenty-eight  and 
three-fourths  bushels  per  acre,  the  quantity  we  had,  but  thirty- 
eight  or  forty  bushels  per  acre,  which,  I  believe,  can  be  raised- 
Yes,  there  are  many  hundred  acres  of  land  in  old  Berkshire 
capable  of  producing,  with  the  right  cultivation  and  fertilizers 
adapted  to  its  growth,  forty  bushels  to  the  acre  ;  if  so,  why 
may  not  every  farmer  in  Berkshire,  be  his  farm  ever  so  small, 
if  it  contains  one  acre,  raise  his  own  bread  stuff's  ?    How  many 


BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY.  285 

thousands  of  dollars  are  paid  annually  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Berkshire  for  bread  stuffs  for  home  consumption,  when,  at  the 
same  time,  more  than  ten  times  the  amount  lays  within  eight 
inches  of  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and  what  we  want,  is  to 
know  the  surest  way  to  draw  it  out. 

Our  field  last  year  was  planted  to  corn,  thoroughly  manured 
and  plastered.  Early  ploughed  this  last  spring  and  subsoiled, 
one  bushel  and  three  pecks  of  seed  to  the  acre,  harrowed  in. 
When  the  blade  was  up  two  or  three  inches,  we  went  over  the 
entire  field  once  in  a  place,  with  a  light  harrow,  followed  with 
a  roller.  This  process  is  most  valuable  if  performed  just  be- 
fore a  rain.  I  am  sensible  it  helped  our  grain,  but  whether  it 
would  be  good  for  all  kinds  of  soils  is  a  question  I  cannot 
answer.  About  the  time  we  harrowed,  we  applied  a  light  coat 
of  plaster.  If  the  crop  the  previous  year  was  hurt  with  worms, 
I  would  add  one  peck  of  salt  to  three  pecks  of  plaster,  and 
mix  before  sowing. 

Our  seed  was  obtained  from  abroad,  in  which  item  there  is  a 
greater  gain  than  most  farmers  are  aware.  Our  kind  was  the 
Mediterranean,  weighing  sixty-one  and  one-fourth  pounds  to 
the  bushel. 

South  Williamstown,  Oct.  20,  1851. 


Ploughing  Match. 

Peace  hath  its  victories  as  well  as  war;  it  was  a  sun  as  bright 
as  Austerlitz  that  broke  upon  the  field  of  contest,  but  the  mists 
which  it  dispelled  were  not  the  murky  clouds  that  hover 
"dreadfully  over  death's  alembic,"  but  the  feathery  mists  that 
had  been  all  night  long  creeping  up  from  the  Housatonic,  to 
paint  with  a  thousand  rainbow  tints  the  oak  and  the  maple 
leaf.  In  the  midst  of  a  wide  panorama  of  hills  and  mountains, 
the  yeomanry  of  our  dear  Berkshire,  gathered,  not  to  beat  back 
from  its  soil  the  footsteps  of  a  tyrant  and  an  invader,  but  to 
reveal  from  the  long  drawn  furrow,  the  hidden  wealth  which 
Mother  Earth  holds  in  her  bosom  ;  a  wealth  more  precious  than 
the  sands  which  glitter  on  the  banks  of  the  Sacramento.     The 


286  BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

generous  emulation  of  industry — the  face  smiling  in  its  enthu- 
siasm— the  eye  lit  up  with  the  sparkle  of  eager  and  honorable 
effort — the  swarthy  arm  of  free  labor  bared  to  the  full  develop- 
ment of  the  light  and  straining  muscles — the  encouraging 
cheer  and  halloo  to  the  cattle,  half  sensible  of  the  holiday  strife 
of  their  owners — all  were  on  the  field  developing  the  triumphs 
of  the  farmer,  and  illustrating  the  kindness  of  that  Providence, 
which  softened  the  curse  of  earth's  first  farmer,  by  attaching  to 
"labor's  brow-bedewed  toil,"  the  surest  elements  of  indepen- 
dence and  happiness. 

Nature  is  a  kind  friend,  earth  is  a  gentle  mother.  She  gath- 
ers her  children  about  her  in  the  autumn  ;  and  as  Providence, 
after  the  waste  of  a  deluge,  pointed  to  a  rainbow  in  the  sky 
as  the  pledge  and  a  promise  of  hope,  so  kind  earth  bids  her 
children  here  look  out  upon  the  rainbows  which  are  interlaced 
upon  the  mountain  side,  and  the  many  tints  of  the  ripened  har- 
vest, as  the  pledge  and  the  witness  of  hope's  realization,  and 
labor's  generous  reward.  The  strife  of  the  ploughmen  went 
on — the  damp  farrows  browned  in  the  October  sun — mothers 
and  sisters  and  daughters  smiled  upon  the  skill  of  sons  and 
brothers — music  sent  up  its  mellow  voice — the  birds  which 
had  lingered  from  their  southern  tour  to  sing  their  farewell 
concert  at  the  farmer's  jubilee,  joined  their  melody  to  shrill  fife 
and  soul-stirring  trumpet — the  goal  was  reached,  and  the  sward 
which  so  late  had  been  gleaming  with  dew-drops,  was  prepared 
for  the  tasseled  corn  of  another  harvest. 

The  triumphs  of  honest  industry  are  the  best,  perhaps  the  only 
real  triumphs  of  ambition.  The  furrows  which  the  politician 
ploughs,  are  either  too  wide  or  too  shallow,  or  his  work  is  not 
performed  in  the  time  which  is  marked  out  for  him  at  the  com- 
mencement of  his  career.  His  eager  strife  wins  few  laurels, 
and  no  valuable  harvest  rewards  the  heart-burni)igs  and  toil  of 
seed-time.  The  angry  tide  of  speculation  wastes  itself  upon 
the  sands,  or  wrecks  the  bark  it  bears  on  its  crest,  upon  beetling 
cliffs.  But  the  ploughman  knows  when  he  turns  the  furrow, 
that  the  sun  of  another  summer  will  swell  the  seed  which  he 
casts  there,  and  that  a  kind  Providence  hovers  above  him,  with 
the  blessed  promise,  "seed  time  and  harvest  shall  not  fail." 


BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY.  287 

The  work  was  well  performed.  Every  year  witnesses  new 
improvements  in  the  ploughs,  and  greater  excellence  in  the 
ploughmen.  Your  committee  have  had  no  little  difficulty  in 
allotting  the  prizes  to  the  different  competitors.  And  with  fear 
and  trembling,  only  consoled  by  honest  intentions,  they  award 
them.  There  were  seventeen  horse  teams,  and  seven  ox  teams 
on  the  field. 

CHARLES  N.  EMERSON,   Chairman. 


Milch  Cows. 

The  number  of  competitors  in  this  class  was  quite  respecta- 
ble, although  it  might  have  been  much  diminished  by  the  reg- 
ulations adopted  by  the  society,  for  testing  the  merits  of  the 
animals.  The  competitors  were  required  to  furnish  a  statement 
setting  forth  the  time  of  calving,  the  number  of  pounds  of 
milk  produced  in  the  third  week  of  June  and  the  third  week  of 
September,  respectively,  the  number  of  pounds  of  butter  made 
from  the  same,  and  what  feed  was  given  beside  pasture,  and  how 
much.  The  first  cow  upon  which  we  report,  was  offered  by 
George  S.  Willis,  of  Pittsfield,  who  complied  with  the  condi- 
tions required,  and  whom  we  award  the  first  premium  of  ten 
dollars.  This  cow  produced  from  the  18th  day  of  June  to  the 
24th,  inclusive,  seven  days,  three  hundred  and  fifteen  pounds 
milk,  averaging  forty-five  pounds  per  day,  and  making  sixteen 
and  seven-eighths  pounds  of  butter,  and  seven  days  in  Septem- 
ber, two  hundred  and  sixty-six  pounds  of  milk,  and  fourteen 
and  one-eighth  pounds  of  butter. 

The  second  was  presented  by  Walter  Tracy,  of  Pittsfield, 
who  did  not  strictly  comply  with  the  society's  regulations,  to 
whom  we  award  the  second  premium  of  nine  dollars.  The 
cow  produced  thirty  pounds  of  butter  in  two  weeks,  in  the 
month  of  June. 

The  third  premium  we  award  to  James  Sears,  of  Pittsfield, 
for  a  beautiful  three-years  old  heifer,  eight  dollars. 

The  fourth  premium,  to  James  H.  Roberts,  of  Hinsdale,  seven 
dollars,  for  his  Durham  cow.     This  cow  produced  three  hun- 


m$  BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

dred  and  thirty-nine  pounds  of  milk  the   third  week  in  June, 
making  fifteen  and  nine-fifteenths  pounds  of  butter. 

The  fifth  premium,  to  Walter  Richards,  of  Lenox,  six  dol- 
lars. This  cow  furnished  the  third  week  in  June,  three  hun- 
dred and  eight  pounds  of  milk,  making  fourteen  and  seven- 
sixteenths  pounds  of  butter. 

The  sixth  premium,  to  George  W.  Goodrich,  of  Pittsfield, 
five  dollars. 

NELSON  STRONG,   Chairman. 


Sheep. 


All  of  the  lots  of  sheep  examined,  gave  strong  evidence  that 
there  is  an  improvement  going  on  in  the  county;  but  the  com- 
mittee see  ample  "  verge  and  scope "  for  greater  excellence. 
They  are  of  opinion  that  there  ought  to  be  a  greater  improve- 
ment in  the  weight  of  fleece.  The  probable  average  amount 
produced  in  this  county,  for  the  last  ten  years,  does  not  exceed 
three  pounds  to  the  fleece,  which  is  far  below  what  it  ought  to 
be,  to  make  the  growing  of  wool  a  profitable  business,  in  view 
of  the  price  which  has  been  realized  for  it.  That  it  is  as  easy 
to  produce  four  or  five,  six  or  seven  pounds  of  fine  and  pure 
wool  to  the  fleece,  does  not,  in  our  opinion,  admit  of  a  doubt ; 
provided  there  is  proper  attention  paid  to  the  matter. 

In  making  this  improvement,  it  is  not  recommended  that  it 
be  done  wholly  by  increasing  the  size  of  sheep,  but  that  there 
be  a  greater  per  cent,  of  wool  from  sheep  of  the  present  size. 
No  wool  grower  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  his  improvement, 
unless  his  flock  yields  one  pound  of  fine  pure  wool  to  every 
ten  or  twelve  pounds  of  carcass.  It  may  be  thought  that  this 
calculation  is  beyond  what  can  be  effected,  but  it  is  fair  to  sup- 
pose that  what  has  been  done,  can  be  done  again,  and  what  one 
man  can  do,  can  also  be  done  by  another.  We  have  it  from 
good  authority,  that  the  flock  of  A.  L.  Bingham,  of  Vermont, 
produces  a  yield  of  one  pound  of  wool  to  every  seven  or  eight 
pounds  of  carcass. 

EDWARD  CHEESMAN,  Chairman. 


BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY.  289 


Fruit. 


The  committee  report  that  their's  was  a  plcasaiit  service,  thus 
to  look  upon  the  treasures  of  Pomona,  whicli  she  had   dropped 
ill  such  rich  and  beaiUifiil  varieties,  into  the  paths  of  tho.:e  who 
had  labored  to  secure  her  smiles  ;  altliough  the  number  of  vari- 
eties was  not  so  great,  nor  the  entries  so   many  as   we   have 
sometimes  seen,  yet  there  was  enough  to  convince   the  most 
Aiithless,  that  Berkshire  hills  and    Berkshire    vales   are    places, 
over  which  the  goddess  of  fine  fruits  would  like  to  extend  her 
luxurious    and    health-giving    favors.      Indeed,    we    question 
whether  any  locality  can  furnish  better  specimens  of  the  Bald- 
win, the  Northern  Spy,  the  Greening   in  its  varieties,  together 
with  other  kinds  of  apples  desirable  for  cultivation,  than  those 
-which  have  graced  this  and  other  exhibitions  in  the  county  tiiis 
season.    It  is  an  agreeable  fact  to  communicate  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  all  who  would  plant  a  fruit  tree,  and  gather  its  choice 
products  as  the  results  of  their  own  happy  labor,   that   these 
contributions  have  come  in  from  almost  every  section  of  the 
county.     So  then,  we  fairly  infer  what  may  be  done  among  us 
in  the  way  of  fruit-growing,  if  the  people  are  only  disposed  to 
do  it ;  yet  we  would  by  no  means  insinuate  that  orchards  can 
be  planted  and  grown  without  toil  and  care.    It  is  a  wise  arrange- 
ment, that  all   that  is  valuable  for  us  to  attain,  is  the  result  of 
both  these,  and  the  labor  and  care   of  successfully  cultivating 
a  tree,  is  probably  much  less  in  proportion  to  the   profit  or  the 
comfort  it  will  eventually  give,  than  that  bestowed  upon  a  field 
of  corn  or  a  flock  of  sheep.     These  last,  to  be  sure.,  may  yield 
more  speedy  returns  for  the  labor  invested,  yet  who  can  suppose 
that  for  a  series  of  years  they  will  give  a  tithe  of  the  per  cent- 
age  that  a  choice  orchard  will  yield?     So  long  as  choice  apples 
and  pears  sustain  their  present  prices,  and  there  is  no  fear  of 
diminution,  there  is,  we  are  certain,  no  business  more  profita- 
ble than  their  cultivation.     An  orchard  may  be  three   or  four, 
five  or  six  years   in  coming   into  bearing,   from  the  time  the 
ti'ees  are  taken  from  the  nursery,  according  to  the  care  and  labor 
bestowed;  but  when  its   productiveness  commences,  back  ex- 
penses are  soon  paid,  and  all  is  profit  beyond. 
37 


$3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

$2 

00 

1 

00 

290  BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY. 

We  award  on  winter  apples, 
The  first  premium,  to  Edward  C.  Carter,  Stockbridge, 
Second  "  Joseph  Stevens,  Sheffield, 

Third  •'  Luther  S,  Butler,  Lenox, 

On  fall  apples. 
First  premium,  to  David  F.  Goodrich,  Stockbridge, 
Second     "  Luther  Sears,  Jr..  Lenox, 

And  recommend  a  reserved  premium  of  one  dollar,  to  Na- 
thaniel Cook,  of  Richmond,  for  a  choice  lot  of  winter  apples. 

Six  seedling  varieties  of  apples,  many  of  ihem  from  trees 
supposed  to  have  been  planted  by  the  Indians,  were  presented 
by  Samuel  Goodrich,  of  Stockbridge.  If  the  taste  of  these 
apples  is  to  be  relied  upon  as  evidence  of  their  excellence,  they 
are  well  worthy  of  cultivation,  as  they  are  certainly  adapted  to 
the  soil  and  climate  of  Berkshire.  Also,  beautiful  seedling 
plums,  by  W.  Curtis,  of  Lenox. 

Twenty-five  or  thirty  varieties  of  winter  apples  were  pre- 
sented for  exhibition,  by  Benjamin  V.  French,  of  Braintree, 
and  fifty-two  varieties  of  the  pear,  by  M.  P.  Wilder,  of  Dor- 
chester. 

WILLIAM  BACON,  Chairman. 


Household  Manufactures. 

A  premium  of  two  dollars  was  awarded  to  Mrs.  John  Os- 
born,  of  Pittsfield,  for  some  beautiful  linen  thread,  spun  in  her 
84th  year.  The  committee  (J.  C.  Hoadley,  chairman.)  say, 
there  is  about  a  pound  of  this  thread,  and  every  skein  of  it 
should  be  kept  as  a  precious  heirloom  in  the  family  of  the  ven- 
erable lady  who  spun  it.  The  "  little  wheel,"  as  the  machine 
for  spinning  flax  was  called,  which  used  to  blend  its  tiny  mur- 
mur with  the  loud  hum  of  the  "  great  wheel,"  on  which  hand- 
carded  rolls  were  spun  into  woollen  yarn,  has  shared  the  fate 
of  its  more  pretending  sister, — the  merry  music  of  both  is 
drowned  in  the  din  of  the  factory.  This  little  linen  thread 
runs  back  into  the  time,  when  our  grandmothers  sat,  with  foot 


BERKSHIRE  SOCIETY.  291 

on  treadle,  twirling  the  shining  black  spokes  of  the  little  wheel, 
and  with  busy  fingers  dipped  ever  and  anon  into  water  con- 
tained in  a  gourd,  teased  the  flaxen  fibres  from  the  distaff; 
while  the  sturdy  matron  or  the  buxom  maiden  danced  a  lively 
measure  beside  the  spinning  wheel,  transferring,  with  nicest  art, 
the  fleecy  rolls  to  the  fast  filling  spindle.  Modern  manufactur- 
ing may  have  its  compensations,  but  these  scenes  of  cheerful 
domestic  industry  will  ever  remain  among  the  happiest  recol- 
lections of  our  vouth. 


293  HOUSATONIC  SOCIETY. 


IIOUSATONIC   AGRICULTURAL   SOCIETY. 


The  annual  cattle  show  and  fair  of  this  society  were  held 
at  Great  Barrington,  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  24th  and 
25th  of  September  last.  The  .exhibition  of  agricultural  pro- 
ducts was  large,  and  the  great  number  and  excellent  quality  of 
grain  crops  presented  for  premiums,  indicate  that  our  farmers 
are  successfully  giving  more  attention  than  heretofore  to  the 
cultivation  of  these  crops.  The  display  of  potatoes  was  very 
fine.  One  specimen  was  presented,  which  was  raised  from 
seed  of  four  years'  growth,  and  which  had  been  entirely  free 
from  the  rot,  while  others  grown  in  the  same  field  have  been 
more  or  less  affected  every  year.  The  exhibition  of  stock  was 
not  as  large  as  last  year,  although  decidedly  good.  Products 
of  the  dairy,  of  the  spinning  wheel  and  loom,  and  of  the 
garden,  were  in  profusion  and  of  the  finest  quality. 

The  hall  of  the  new  centre  schoolhouse  was  devoted  to  the 
exhibition  of  fruit  and  flowers.  There  was  a  large  variety  of 
choice  fruits  exhibited,  though  the  yield  of  some  varieties  is 
this  year  quite  limited  in  most  parts  of  southern  Berkshire. 
An  increased  attention  is  devoted  by  our  people  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  choice  fruit. 

The  ploughing  match  on  Thursday  morning,  was  one  of 
the  most  important  features  of  the  occasion,  and  the  grandest 
spectacle  of  the  kind  we  ever  witnessed.  A  beautiful  Sep- 
tember sun  looking  out  from  a  cloudless  sky  upon  our  beauti- 
ful valley  and  autumnal-robed  hills,  the  bracing  air  of  the 
morning  and  the  excitement  among  the  friends  of  the  respec- 
tive competitors,  gave  unusual  life  and  interest  to  the  scene. 
The  grounds  were  surrounded  with  spectators,  to  the  number 
of  five  thousand,  in  carriages  and  on  foot.  Twelve  horse 
teams  and  five  ox  teams  were  entered  for  the  prizes,  and  were 
accompanied,  during  their  movements,  by  the  stirring  notes  of 
a  band  of  music. 


HOUSATONIC  SOCIETY.  293 

After  the  ploughing  was  complpted,  the  annual  address  be- 
fore the  society  was  delivered  by  Marshall  Warner,  of  Stock- 
bridge. 

A  close  attendance  upon  the  proceedings  of  the  fair  that  has 
just  passed,  has  more  than  ever  convinced  us  of  the  useful 
influence  which  agricultural  societies  and  their  annual  iiolidays 
have  upon  the  community.  We  have  seen  the  hardy  yeo- 
manry of  our  county,  the  mechanic,  the  professional  mnu, 
and  last,  though  not  least,  the  fair  daugliters  of  norkj;!iire, 
come  together,  with  smiling  faces  and  hearts  full  of  welcome 
for  each  other,  for  the  purpose,  though  incited  to  a  certain  ex- 
te.)t  by  a  laudable  spirit  of  rivalry,  of  laying  their  offerings  of 
real  and  substantial  products  upon  the  altar  of  public  good. 
We  have  seen  many  classes  and  branches  of  industry  here 
represented  in  one  common  gathering. — have  seen  the  toiling 
sons  and  daughters  of  southern  Berkshire  niiugle  together  in 
the  enjoyment  of  their  annual  holiday,  incited  by  a  spirit  of 
enterprise  and  good  will,  which  cannot  fail  to  operate  for  lasting 
good  upon  the  hearts  of  our  whole  people. 


Agricultural  Products. 
The  committee  were  invited  to  examine  and  report  upon 
one  hundred  and  eighty  growing  and  ripened  crops,  and  eight 
gardens,  there  being  in  all  not  far  from  one  hundred  com- 
petitors for  the  premiums  to  be  awarded  by  the  society.  Of 
winter  wheat  there  were  fifteen  entries  and  of  spring  wheat, 
ten  ;  nearly  all  of  these  crops  were  good,  giving  promise  of 
abundant  returns  for  the  labor  bestowed.  On  winter  rye  there 
were  thirty-two  claimants  for  premiums.  Rare  indeed  is  it  to, 
see  this  crop  so  universally  abundant  and  extending  over  so 
large  a  portion  of  our  county.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that 
the  committee  could  see  with  the  eyes  of  the  claimants,  yet 
they  have  earnestly  endeavored  to  award  the  premiums  as 
justly  as  it  was  in  their  power  to  do.  Competitors  should  ever 
bear  in  mind  that  to  bestow  premiums  for  the  most  suc- 
cessful efforts,  is  but  a  small  part  of  the  object  of  the  society, 


294  HOUSATONIC  SOCIETY. 

which  is  mainly  to  elicit  and  disseminate  agricultural  infor- 
mation. 

The  applicants  for  premiums  on  oats  numbered  forty-six,  the 
like  crop  of  which  was  never  seen  in  Berkshire,  and,  as  your 
commitlee  believe,  seldom  in  New  England  or  anywhere  else. 
Fields  varying  from  fifteen  to  fifty  acres,  many  of  which  were 
judged  to  yield  from  sixty  to  ninety  bushels  to  the  acre,  came 
under  the  observation  of  the  committee,  and  they  have  availed 
themselves  of  every  spare  dollar,  placed  at  their  disposal,  for  a 
bounty  on  this  crop. 

The  crop  of  Indian  corn,  owing  in  some  measure  to  the 
coldness  of  the  season,  may  be  characterized  as  in  a  backward 
state  and  the  ears  not  as  well  filled  as  usual,  although  some 
large  crops  were  brought  to  our  notice.  But  few  fields  were 
found  well  ripened,  yet  there  were  forty-seven  entered  for  pre- 
miums and  but  seven  premiums  to  bestow.  Here  pause  we 
a  moment  to  make  a  remark,  which  we  consider  of  great  im- 
portance to  the  growers  of  Indian  corn.  Almost  everywhere 
in  southern  Berkshire,  we  found  a  great  growth  of  stalk,  in 
comparison  with  the  size  of  ear.  Indeed  we  saw  but  one  field 
to  which  this  remark  would  not  apply  : — If  our  brother  farmers 
would  but  take  the  trouble  to  procure  good  seed  corn  from  the 
north  part  of  the  county,  they  would  be  greatly  benefited 
thereby. 

Thirteen  entries  were  made  for  potatoes,  of  which  the  crop 
iSj  in'the  main,  very  sound,  and  in  size,  quality  and  yield,  re- 
minds us  of  the  abundant  crops  gathered  in  former  years. 

In  a  former  part  of  this  report  we  have  said,  that  the  more 
important  objects  of  the  society  is  not  the  bestowal  of  pre- 
miums, but  to  elicit  and  diffuse  agricultural  information,  and  to 
arouse  and  spread  abroad  the  spirit  of  improvement.  And 
that  spirit,  we  are  most  happy  to  say,  is  aroused  and  is  encom- 
passing the  whole  length  and  breadth  of  our  borders.  We  see 
it  in  every  valley  and  on  every  hill.  Our  waste  places  are 
being  brought  under  the  hand  of  cultivation,  commodious 
houses  and  barns  are  in  process  of  erection,  and  the  motto  of 
the  Berkshire  husbandmen  is  still  "  excelsior." 

The  committee  award  as  follows : 


HOUSATONIC  SOCIETY.  295 

For  the  best  acre  of  winter  wheat,  to  James    Baldwin, 

of  Egremont,         -  -  -  -  -  $6  00 

Second  best,  to  John  H.  Lawton,  Gt.  Barrington,      -     5  00 
Third  best,  to  John  L.  Cooper,  Sheffield,       -  -     3  00 

For  the   best  acre  of  spring   wheat,  to  Allen   S.  Yale, 
Stockbridge,  -  -  _  _  _ 

Second  best,  to  Benjamin  Wheeler,  New  Marlboro',  - 
Third  best,  to  J.  W.  Parks,  Sheffield, 

For  the   best  acre   of  winter  rye,  to  Norman   Wilcox, 
Stockbridge,  -  -  -  _  _ 

Second  best,  to  Joseph  Chapin,  Sheffield, 
Third  best,  to  Edmund  Bush,  Sheffield, 
Fourth  best,  to  Joseph  Gibson,  Gt.  Barrington, 
Fifth  best,  to  David  Pratt,  Sheffield, 

For  the  best  acre  of  corn,  to  Nelson  Joyner,  Egremont, 
Second  best,  to  Hiram  Kirby,  Sheffield, 
Third  best,  to  Joshua  R.  Lawton,  Gt.  Barrington,     - 
Fourth  best,  to  Leonard  Tuttle,  Sheffield,     - 
Fifth  best,  to  Edson  Sexton,  Stockbridge 
Sixth  best,  to  Thomas  Wood,  Egremont, 

For  the  best  four  acres  of  corn  in   one  piece,  to  Henry 

Smith,  of  Lee,      -  -  -  -  -   10  00 

For  the  best  acre  of  oats,  to  William  Daily,  Sheffield,  -     6  00 
Second  best,  to  Edmund  Joyner,  Egremont,  -     5  00 

Third  best,  to  Washington  J.  Bissell,  Gt.  Barrington,      4  00 
Fourth  best,  to  Robert  B.  Brown,  Egremont,  -     3  00 

Fifth  best,  to  Stephen  Powell,  New  Marlborough,      -     2  00 

For   the    best    acre    of   barley,   to   Marshall    Brace,   of 

Stockbridge,  -  -  -  -  -     3  00 

Second  best,  to  Morgan  Lewis,  West  Stockbridge,    -     2  00 

EGBERT    B.  GARFIELD, 
R.  E.  GALPIN, 
JOSEPH    WILCOX, 

Committee. 


6 

00 

5 

00 

3 

00 

6 

00 

5 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

7 

00 

6 

00 

5 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

296  HOUSATONIC  SOCIETY, 


Agricultural  Implements. 

Agriculture  is  so  much  dependent  upon  the  mechanic  arts, 
that  it  can  never  attain  its  highest  triumphs  until  the  inventive 
genius  of  our  mechanics  sliall  seek  an  appropriate  field  for  (he 
display  of  its  powers,  in  future  improvements  upon  the  con- 
struction of  the  implements  of  husbandry. 

Among  those  shown  at  the  fair,  was  a  fanning  mill  to  clean 
grain  and  seed,  manufactured  by  Martin  Rees,  of  West  Stock- 
bridge.  It  is  on  a  new  principle,  simple  and  easy  to  be  kept 
in  repair,  and  does  the  work  with  great  rapidity.  After  wit- 
nessing its  operation,  the  committee  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  they  had  seen  nothing  better. 

They  were  also  shown  some  superior  forks,  manufactured 
by  William  K.  Gates,  of  Lee.  There  are  few  agricultural 
implements  tliat  have  received  more  improvement  within  forty 
3'ears  tlian  the  forlc.  The  old  forks  that  were  then  in  use, 
would  now  almost  lie  considered  a  load  for  a  man,  while  those 
maiuifactured  by  Mr.  Gates  are  sought  after  for  the  pleasure  of 
using  them. 

A.  GIDDIiXGS,   Chairman. 


Ploughing  Match. 

The  ploughing  match,  if  we  are  to  judge  from  the  thousands 
assembled  to  witness  this  delightful  and  exciting  scene,  is  the 
main  attraction  of  this,  the  great  holiday  of  southern  Berk- 
shire. 

The  land  selected  for  this  interesting  trial,  was  again  on  the 
beautiful  meadow  owned  by  Benjamin  Coles.  The  land  was 
marked  out  into  quarter  acre  sections,  each  twenty  rods  long 
by  two  rods  wide.  'I'lie  time  allowed  for  doing  the  work  was 
o;ie  lionr,  including  a  rest  often  minutes  after  the  first  twenty- 
five  miiiutes.  '['he  furrow  to  he  not  more  than  twelve  inches 
wide,  and  in  dtpih  not  less  than  six  inches.  The  whole  num- 
ber of  competitors  entered  wag  17, — horse  teams,  12;  ox 
teams,  5. 


HOUSATONIC  SOCIETY.  297 


HORSE    TEAMS. 

First  premium,  to  Elijah  N.  Hubbard,  Gt.  Barrington,   • 
Second  premium,  to  Horatio  N.  Tuttle,  Sheffield, 
Third  premium,  to  Pliny  Karner,  Jr.,  Egremont, 
Fourth  premium,  to  Nelson  Joyner,  Egremont, 
Fifth  premium,  to  J.  R.  Lawton,  Gt.  Barrington, 
Sixth  premium,  to  Loomis  Millard,  Egremont, 
Seventh  premium,  to  Charles  S.  Joyner,  Egremont, 

ox    TEAMS. 

First  premium,  to  Moses  P.  Lawton,  Egremont, 
Second  premium,  to  George  Burghardt,  Gt.  Barrington, 
Third  premium,  to  Leonard  Tuttle,  Sheffield,  - 
Fourth  premium,  to  Lorenzo  H.  Rice,  Gt.  Barrington,  - 


$r 

00 

6 

00 

5 

00 

4 

00 

3 

00 

2 

00 

1 

00 

7 

00 

6 

00 

5 

00 

4 

00 

SAMUEL    H.  BUSHNELL,   Chairman. 


38 


298  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 


NORFOLK  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


The  exhibition  of  this  society  was  held  at  Dedham,  on  the 
24th  of  last  September.  In  consequence  of  the  unfavorable 
state  of  the  weather  the  preceding  day  and  evening,  it  was  not 
so  extensive  in  some  of  its  departments  as  was  anticipated. 
A  storm,  accompanied  with  violent  gales,  continued  during 
most  of  the  night,  threatening  to  prostrate  the  great  tent  which 
had  been  erected  for  the  occasion,  and  to  demolish  the  other 
preparations  which  had  been  made.  Contrary  to  all  expecta- 
tions, about  dawn  the  weather  became  fair,  and  seldom  have 
we  seen  a  more  propitious  day  for  such  an  exhibition.  The 
pelting  storm  had  spent  its  fury,  the  rushing  wind  had  retired 
to  its  hiding-place,  and  the  morning  broke  upon  us  with  that 
clear  sky  and  glorious  sunshine  which  distinguish  the  most  de- 
lightful days  of  a  New  England  autumn. 

The  large  attendance,  the  number,  variety  and  excellence  of 
the  contributions,  under  such  circumstances,  were  peculiarly 
gratifying  and  encoiu'aging.  Not  less  than  ten  thousand  per- 
sons were  present,  and  the  number,  by  some,  was  estimated 
much  higher. 

The  "  Ploughing  Match,"  as  usual,  was  a  scene  of  great 
interest,  and  was  witnessed  by  a  great  concourse  of  people. 
There  were  nineteen  teams  which  entered  the  list  for  compe- 
tition, and  seldom  did  the  Athletce  in  the  Greek  games  contend 
with  more  zeal  for  the  palm  of  victory,  than  these  sons  of  Nor- 
folk for  the  prizes.  The  results  of  the  contest  showed  that 
success  did  not  attend  the  man  who  made  the  most  noise,  or 
the  most  frequent  use  of  his  whip. 

In  the  department  of  stock,  there  were  several  fine  native 
and  grade  animals,  but  the  distinguishing  feature  was  the  large 
proportion  of  pure  blood-cattle  on  exhibition;  among  others, 
especially  those  recently  imported  by  the  Massachusetts  Society 
for  the  Promotion  of  Agriculture,  which  has  labored  so  long  for 


NORFOLK   SOCIETY.  299 

the  improvement  of  our  breed  of  cattle.  No  object  is  more 
worthy  of  effort,  or  of  more  importance  to  the  farmer.  We  are 
happy  to  state,  that  on  this  subject  a  new  interest  has  been 
awakened  among  our  members,  and  that  its  influence  is  already 
to  be  seen  in  the  improved  character  of  our  stock.  We  cannot 
expect  any  rapid  advance,  few  farmers  being  willing  to  incur 
the  great  expense  necessary  to  possess  the  finest  breeds  ;  but 
from  the  improvements  which  have  already  taken  place,  and 
from  the  zeal  and  enterprise  manifested  by  many  of  our  farmers, 
it  may  be  reasonable  to  anticipate,  that  the  Norfolk  society  in 
the  line  of  blood  stock  will  not  be  surpassed  by  her  sister  asso- 
ciations. 

The  exhibition  of  swine,  was,  as  heretofore,  of  a  high  char- 
acter, many  of  the  animals  being  of  rare  excellence,  especially 
those  of  the  Suffolk  breed,  so  universally  admired  by  all. 

But  little  attention  has  hitherto  been  given  to  the  breeding 
and  raising  of  horses  in  this  county,  the  many  fine  animals 
possessed  by  our  citizens  having  generally  been  brought  from 
other  states.  We  are  happy  to  learn,  howeve.^  from  our  exhi- 
bitions, and  from  other  sources,  that  efforts  are  in  progress  for 
the  improvement  of  this  useful  and  noble  beast. 

In  poultry,  the  exhibition  was,  as  on  former  occasions,  very 
extensive,  containing  most  of  the  new  and  popular  varieties  in 
the  country,  and  adding  greatly  to  the  interest  and  utility  of 
the  show.  The  report  of  the  committee  on  this  subject,  forms 
a  valuable  part  of  these  transactions. 

In  the  products  of  the  dairy,  the  exhibition  was,  as  usual, 
very  small,  on  account  of  the  proximity  of  our  county  to  Bos- 
ton market,  and  the  sale  of  its  milk  in  that  city,  and  in  other 
places.  The  sale  of  milk  may  be  more  profitable  than  the 
manufacture  of  butter  and  cheese  ;  still,  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  more  attention  is  not  devoted  to  the  production  of  these 
articles.  We  especially  commend  the  worthy  example  of  con- 
tributors during  the  present  and  past  seasons. 

The  pomological  department  is  always  an  attractive  and  im- 
portant feature  of  our  exhibitions.  This  county  has  been  long 
and  justly  celebrated  for  the  cultivation  of  fruits.  A  spirit  of 
enterprise  and  emulation  has  existed  for  many  years  among  her 


300  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

citizens.  Almost  nil  the  native  or  foreign  varieties  of  the  pear 
and  other  fruits,  have  been  added  to  our  collections,  for  the 
purpose  of  testing  their  excellence  and  adaptation  to  this  loca- 
tion and  climate.  Much  attention  has  recently  been  paid  to 
the  planting  of  orchards,  especially  the  peach.  This  crop  has 
hitherto  been  considered  too  uncertain  for  profit,  but  the  expe- 
rience of  the  past  few  years  has  corrected  this  erroneous  opinion 
and  increased  its  cultivation. 

The  exhibition  of  agricultural  implements  was  smaller  than 
was  anticipated.  While  this  was  regretted,  the  society  were 
highly  gratified  with  the  ploughs  manufactured  by  their  mem- 
bers, Messrs.  Prouty  &  Mears,  and  especially  with  the  prize 
plough  which  received  the  first  premium  at  the  general  compe™ 
tition  of  the  world's  fair.  From  the  same  manufactory  was  ex- 
hibited the  Michigan  sod  and  subsoil  plough,  noticed  in  the 
transactions  of  last  year,  the  work  of  which  on  the  field,  bore 
additional  testimony  to  its  utility,  and  was  deemed  by  the  so- 
ciety worthy  of  a  special  gratuity.  This  plough  is  constructed 
with  two  shares,  the  one  in  advance,  raising  a  sod  of  three  or 
four  inches  in  depth,  the  other,  following  and  covering  it  with 
about  the  same  depth  of  the  lower  soil.  By  this  process,  the 
vegetable  nutrition  which  is  turned  under  with  the  sod,  is  pre- 
vented from  escaping  during  decomposition,  and  the  inorganic 
substances  which  are  brought  up  in  the  subsoil,  exposed  to  the 
beneficial  influences  of  the  atmosphere.  For  the  turning  in  of 
grass  or  stubble,  this  implement  is  considered  as  one  of  the 
most  important  which  has  recently  come  to  notice.  The  ad- 
dress was  delivered  by  George  R.  Russell,  LL.  D.,  of  Roxbury. 

The  society  during  the  past  season  has  purchased  a  lot  of 
land  in  Dedham  for  its  future  exhibitions.  Upon  these  prem- 
ises, there  have  been  constructed  one  hundred  and  twenty  pens 
for  domestic  animals.  A  never-failing  well  of  excellent  water 
has  been  dug,  and  the  whole  enclosed  by  a  substantial  fence. 

The  funds  of  the  association  have  not  been  much  increased. 
An  accumulation  was  confidently  anticipated,  but  the  destruc- 
tion by  fire  of  its  cattle  pens,  liuTiber  and  furniture,  occasioned 
a  loss  of  about  six  hundred  dollars,  which  it  became  necessary 
to  replace,  and  to  which  may  also  be  added,  as  extra  expenses. 


lORFOLK  SOCIETY.  301 

those  incident  upon  fitting  up  its  new  location.  With  the 
present  arrangnnents,  and  with  the  plan  of  taking  a  fee  of  ad- 
mission at  the  gates,  and  of  continuing  the  show  for  two  days, 
the  society  expect  to  be  able  hereafter,  not  only  to  defray  its 
annual  expenses,  but  to  add  something  to  its  permanent  fund. 

Never  before  has  so  strong  a  desire  existed  among  our  yeo- 
manry for  knowledge  in  rural  labor,  especially  in  relation  to  the 
proper  adaptation  of  soils,  manures  and  crops,  the  breeding  and 
raising  of  stock,  and  the  most  recent  improvements  in  the  arts 
of  cultivation,  and  the  implements  of  husbandry.  A  favorable 
change  has  taken  place  in  the  minds  of  our  farmers,  in  relation 
to  scientific  investigation.  A  spirit  of  inquiry  has  been  aroused, 
and  they  are  not  only  anxious  to  avail  themselves  of  the  best 
practical  experience,  but  to  become  acquainted  with  the  nat- 
ural laws  and  principles  upon  which  depends  the  full  develop- 
ment of  their  agricultural  resources. 

In  conclusion,  the  undersigned  cannot  refrain  from  express- 
ing the  belief,  that  the  exhibitions  of  agricultural  societies,  and 
the  interchange  of  experience,  cannot  fail  to  produce  results 
which  will  be  mutually  beneficial  and  lasting.  The  Norfolk 
society  is  among  the  younger  members  of  the  agricultural  fam- 
ily, but  if  her  success  is  commensurate  with  the  zeal  and  in- 
terest manifested  by  her  members  in  the  great  cause  she  is 
seeking  to  promote,  we  may  hope  that  she  will  not  only  main- 
tain her  present  rank,  but  be  able  to  exhibit,  each  succeeding 
year,  marked  and  decided  improvement. 

MARSHALL   P.  WILDER,  President 
EDWARD  L.  KEYES,  Secretary. 


Farms. 

Two  farms  only  were  entered  for  premium.  One  by  William 
M.  Stedman,  of  Needham,  and  the  other,  by  Henry  Breck,  of 
Dorchester. 

The  farm  of  Mr.  Stedman  consists  of  sixty  acres.  Twelve 
acres  are  covered  with  wood,  mostly  oak,  of  thrifty  growth, 
entirely  cleared  of  under-brush,  and  highly  ornamental.     The 


303  NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  ^ 

tillage  land  embraces  several  acres  of  corn  and  potatoes,  three 
acres  of  rye,  two  acres  of  barley,  and  a  patch  of  oats.  About 
three  acres  are  devoted  to  fruit  trees,  which  are  well  pruned 
and  very  thrifty.  The  remainder  of  the  farm  is  grass  land. 
The  stock  consists  of  one  yoke  of  oxen,  two  horses,  four  cows, 
and  seven  or  eight  hogs.  Everything  about  the  premises  was 
in  good  order,  and  showed  economy,  thrift,  and  careful  hus- 
bandry. Mr.  Stedman  makes  no  pretensions  to  high  cultiva- 
tion, but  he  has  every  comfort  and  convenience  around  him, 
which  are  so  characteristic  of  the  good  farmers  of  our  county. 

The  committee  examined  the  farm  of  Mr.  Breck,  in  the 
month  of  July,  and  again  in  September.  This  farm  is  im- 
proved, partly  for  the  milk  business,  and  partly  for  the  growing 
of  vegetables,  to  be  sold  in  the  city  of  Boston,  and  in  the 
neighboring  towns. 

The  farmers  of  our  county  being  so  unwilling  to  compete  for 
the  premiums  offered  by  the  society,  the  duties  of  your  com- 
mittee were  far  from  laborious.  They  therefore  accepted  an 
invitation  to  visit  the  farm  of  Aaron  D.  Williams,  of  Roxbury. 
This  farm  is  mainly  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  vegetables 
for  Boston  market.  Large  quantities  are  sent  there  daily,  such 
as  spinach,  asparagus,  peas,  tomatoes,  potatoes,  &c.  Dande- 
lions, also,  are  grown  extensively,  and  find  ready  sale  at  remu- 
nerating prices.  Tomatoes  are  sent  to  market  early  in  the 
season,  and  very  large  quantities  of  this  healthful,  and  now  in- 
dispensable vegetable  are  sold.  Your  committee  were  highly 
gratified  in  viewing  the  large  and  well  grown  crops  produced 
by  the  care  and  good  management  of  Mr.  Williams.  His  fruit 
trees  were  laden  with  fruit,  of  the  finest  and  most  delicious  va- 
rieties ;  they  were  all  healthy  and  thrifty,  except  the  peach 
trees ;  these  were  diseased,  as  your  committee  believe,  by 
means  of  too  high  manuring  for  this  fruit,  and  the  consequent 
too  rapid  growth  of  the  tree. 

It  is  the  aim  of  Mr.  Williams,  to  have  all  the  work  on  his 
farm  done  at  the  right  time.  The  land  is  ploughed  when  it  is 
not  too  wet,  the  seed  is  put  into  the  ground  at  the  most  favor- 
able moment,  and  all  the  crops  are  freed  from  weeds  and  hoed 
thoroughly.     By  attending  to  every  part  of  his  work  in  season^ 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  303 

and  by  high  cultivation,  he  is  enabled  to  obtain  two  crops  an- 
nually, from  a  large  portion  of  his  land,  and  to  realize  a  hand- 
some income  on  the  amount  invested,  equal  to  that  received 
by  a  majority  of  our  merchants.  Nor  is  there  any  mystery  in 
this.  The  like  result  may  be  obtained  by  any  good  farmer 
who  will  be  content  to  cultivate  no  more  acres  than  he  has  the 
means  of  cultivating  in  the  inost  thorough  manner,  and  who 
will  keep  in  mind  that  the  farm  is  the  place  of  his  vocation, — 
the  theatre  on  which  he  is  to  display  his  knowledge  and  good 
management. 

Your  committee  are  convinced  that  farmers,  as  a  class,  labor 
under  great  difficulties, — much  greater  than  are  experienced  by 
men  of  any  other  occupation.  They  are  not,  as  a  class,  prop- 
erly educated.  They  do  not  study  like  professional  men,  nor 
have  they  the  advantages  of  mechanics  and  merchants,  who 
necessarily  meet  and  converse  with  each  other  daily.  Their  sit- 
uation is  generally  an  isolated  one,  and  they  cannot  often  avail 
themselves  of  the  information  to  be  gained  by  intercourse  with 
other  farmers.  It  is,  therefore,  of  the  greatest  importance,  that 
they  should  read  books  and  treatises  upon  agriculture,  and  its 
kindred  sciences, — more  of  which  have  been  published  within 
the  last  ten  years,  than  for  centuries  previously.  Otherwise, 
they  must  be  content  with  what  may  be  gained  by  their  own 
practical  experience, — a  process  of  learning  which  is  slow  and 
tedious. 

Your  committee  believe  that  too  much  cannot  be  said  in 
favor  of  seaso7iahle  and  thorough  cultivation.  The  land  should 
be  cleared  of  stones,  and  completely  drained.  It  should  be 
ploughed  and  subsoiled  frequently,  to  a  depth  of  at  least  fifteen 
inches,  until  the  whole  mass  is  finely  pulverized  and  mellow. 
A  plenty  of  good  stable  manure  should  be  incorporated  with  it, 
at  the  rate  of  not  less  than  ten  cords  to  the  acre  ;  or  other  ma- 
nure, equally  fertilizing,  and  in  due  proportion.  The  seed 
should  be  put  into  the  ground  as  soon  as  possible,  after  a  fine 
tilth  is  obtained.  The  surface  should  never  be  permitted  to 
become  baked  or  to  form  a  crust,  and  it  should  be  kept  entirely 
free  from  weeds.  In  this  way,  the  farmer  may  obtain  more 
clear  profit  from  a  single  acre,  than  he  can  from  ten  acres  un- 


304  NORFOLK   SOCIETY. 

der  the  common  mode  of  culture  in  New  England.  Either 
this,  or  the  sJcinning  method^  must  be  resorted  to  for  profit. 
Ploughing  four  inches  deep,  with  one  horse,  and  applying  two 
cords  of  manure  to  an  acre,  will  produce  a  small  crop  at  little 
expense.  But  no  half-way  culture  will  afford  a  remunerating 
profit,  at  the  present  prices  of  labor  in  our  county.  While  on 
the  other  hand,  a  judicious  rotation  of  crops,  and  seasonable, 
high  cultivation,  in  order  to  supply  our  cities  and  manufactur- 
ing villages  with  such  articles  of  necessity  and  luxury  as  cannot 
be  brought  from  a  distance,  are  almost  sure  to  make  the  skil- 
ful, industrious  farmer,  independetit,  and  with  good  health,  7'ich. 

Your  committee  regret  that  so  much  apathy  should  prevail 
in  the  county.  And  they  earnestly  entreat  their  brother  farm- 
ers, in  every  town,  to  awake  to  their  true  interest,  and  to  give 
evidence  to  the  committee  of  the  next  year,  that  they  are  not 
inconsiderate  of  their  own  good,  nor  indifferent  to  the  honor 
of  Norfolk  county. 

Particularly  would  the  committee  express  the  hope,  that  no 
false  views  of  the  objects  and  principles  of  the  society  will 
prevent  a  more  general  competition.  Our  aim  is  the  improve- 
ment of  agriculture ;  our  intention  and  desire  is  to  encourage 
and  reward  industry,  skill,  and  careful,  judicious  management, 
wherever  they  may  be  found. 

We  earnestly  invite  the  humblest  cultivators  of  the  soil,  to 
become  competitors  for  the  premiums  offered  to  all.  Those 
who  possess  but  few  acres,  and  wi.  h  the  smallest  means,  may, 
by  energy,  industry  and  good  management,  distance  all  com- 
petitors. And  your  committee  regret  that  no  opportunity  has 
occurred  to  carry  out  what  they  conceive  to  be  the  design  and 
wishes  of  the  society  in  this  respect. 

The  chaiiman  being  the  owner  of  the  farm  cultivated  by 
Mr.  Breck,  one  of  his  associates  reports  for  him  in  relation  to 
that  farm  : 

•' The  farm,"  says  Mr.  Newhall,  -'came  into  my  possession 
partly  in  1829,  and  partly  in  1836.  It  was  then,  a  large  part 
of  it,  pasture  land  filled  with  large  boulders  of  many  tons 
weight,  and  covered  with  barberry  bushes  and  wild  roses.  The 
boulders  have  been  blasted  and   made   into    heavy  stone  wall ; 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  305 

the  bushes  eradicated,  and  the  most  part  is  now  first  rate  grass 
land.  Some  part  of  it  was  low,  wet  land  ; — too  wet  to  pro- 
duce any  valuable  crops.  This  has  been  under-drained,  by 
digging  more  than  two  hundred  rods  of  trench,  two  and  a  half 
feet  deep  ;  filling  in  with  fifteen  inches  of  small  stones  picked 
from  the  land,  and  these  stones  covered  with  two  or  three 
inches  of  leather  shavings.  The  remainder  of  the  trench  was 
filled  with  soil.  The  apple  and  pear  trees  have  been  pruned, 
some  of  them  grafted,  and  all  had  the  land  around  them  culti- 
vated. Have  gathered  the  present  year,  ninety  barrels  of  win- 
ter apples,  and  quite  a  number  of  bushels  of  pears,  without 
setting  out  any  more  trees  since  it  came  into  my  possession. 
The  first  year  I  owned  it,  the  produce  did  not  exceed  five  bar- 
rels." So  far  Mr.  Nev/hall.  He  is  understood  here  to  speak 
only  of  the  portion  of  his  lands  occupied  by  Mr.  Breck.  On 
other  lands  he  has  planted  many  trees,  and  been  a  successful 
grower  of  fine  fruits.  We  happen  to  know,  also,  that  he  has 
done  much  in  the  way  of  subsoil  ploughing,  trenching,  manur- 
ing and  enriching, — both  on  the  lands  hired  by  Mr.  Breck,  and 
on  those  to  which  he  gives  his  personal  attention.  The  barn 
built  by  him,  and  used  by  his  tenant,  is  one  of  the  largest  and 
best  we  have  ever  seen.  Therefore,  in  judging  of  Mr.  Breck's 
farming,  we  must  bear  in  mind  the  much  that  has  been  done, 
and  well  done,  by  Mr.  Newhall,  in  the  preparation  of  soil  and 
buildings.  It  is  rarely  the  case  that  a  tenant  can  find  a  farm 
so  well  prepared  in  advance  for  producing  plentifully,  as  this 
one  was  when  its  present  occupant  took  it.  A  strong,  heavy 
soil,  almost  clayey,  never  exhausted  by  tillage  and.  hard  crop- 
ping, now  first  made  fit  for  the  plough,  relieved  of  its  super- 
fluous waters,  filled  with  manure,  and  faithfully  worked  over 
with  every  suitable  implement,  is  in  just  the  best  condition  for 
yielding  plentifully,  in  which  it  could  be  put.  Therefore, 
unless  Mr.  Breck  shall  show  good  results  very  few  will  be 
ready  to  ascribe  to  him  any  peculiar  merits  as  a  farmer.  His 
own  statement  is  brief,  containing  little  more  than  figures.  But 
these  figures  indicate  that  he  must  have  been  a  hard  worker,  a 
good  planner,  and  successful  in  money-making. 

39 


306  NORFOLK    SOCIETY. 

His  minutes  show  that  the  farm  consists  of  seventy  acres,  viz  : 

46  acres  mowing  and  tillage, 
8     "     pasturage, 
16     "     salt  marsh. 

The  stock  consists  of  twelve  cows,  one  yoke  of  oxen,  three 
horses,  two  swine. 

The  crops  were  forty  tons  English  hay,  from  twenty-three 
acres  ;  twenty-six  tons  salt  hay,  from  sixteen  acres ;  seven 
hundred  bushels  potatoes,  from  five  acres,  dug  mostly  in  July. 
These,  together  with  other  crops,  brought  in  market,  or  were 
worth,  as  follows,  viz  : 


Potatoes,     - 
Peas, 

;    :    : 

- 

- 

$650  00 
290  00 

Cabbages,    - 

- 

- 

- 

480  00 

Sweet  corn, 

- 

- 

- 

140  00 

Tomatoes, 

- 

- 

- 

42  00 

White  turnips, 

. 

- 

- 

70  00 

Ruta  bagas, 

. 

- 

- 

95  00 

Blood  beets, 

. 

- 

- 

140  00 

Carrots, 

- 

- 

- 

80  00 

Squashes,    - 

- 

- 

- 

112  00 

Fruit, 

- 

- 

- 

220  00 

Rye  and  stover, 

- 

- 

- 

40  00 

Hay, 

Labor  and  team  h 

ired  off  the  farm, 

- 

- 

200  00 
250  00 

Sundries,     - 

- 

- 

- 

125  00 

Milk, 

... 

_ 

_ 

1080  00 

Expenses  for 
Labor, 
Board  of  laborers 

$4014  00 

$680  00 
450  00 

Manure, 

_ 

- 

- 

180  00 

Grain, 

. 

- 

- 

480  00 

Rent  and  taxes, 

- 

- 

- 

740  00 

Wear  of    tools,  interest   on    stock    and 

tools, 

and 

blacksmith. 

- 

- 

- 

200  00 

$2730  00 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  307 

The  result  shown,  by  striking  the  balance  between  the  debt 
and  credit,  makes  Mr.  Breck  receive  more  than  $1200  for  his 
year's  labors,  though  he  pays  to  the  owner  of  the  farm  a  sum 
equal  to  the  interest  of  more  than  $10,000.  We  award  to  Mr. 
Breck  the  merit  of  good  management,  (for  nothing  short  of  that 
could  have  accomplished  so  much,  even  on  this  well-prepared 
farm,)  and  the  first  premium  of  the  society,  of  twenty-five 
dollars. 

CHEEVER  NEWHALL,   Chairman. 


Reclaimed    Meadows. 

The  committee,  having  been  elected  again  to  perform  the 
service  entrusted  to  them  last  year,  have  continued  a  general 
observation  of  the  lands  which  were  then  entered  for  the  pre- 
miums offered  by  the  society.  These  premiums,  it  had  been 
understood,  were  to  be  awarded  after  the  success  of  the  exper- 
iment for  which  they  were  claimed,  had  been  tested,  in  some 
measure,  by  the  crops  of  two  successive  years  following  the 
entry  of  the  claimants.  We  have  ascertained,  accordingly, 
what  has  been  the  cultivation  of  the  lands  referred  to,  during 
the  past  season,  and  what  returns  they  have  yielded. 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  statement  of  Mr.  Tubbs,  that  he  now 
considers  the  cost  of  reclaiming  his  land,  at  an  expense  of 
nearly  $200  per  acre,  a  profitable  investment.  And  we  are 
disposed  to  add  the  expression  of  our  own  belief  that  such 
would  be  the  result,  even  if  but  small  returns,  in  dollars  and 
cents,  were  annually  received.  In  the  improved  appearance 
and  increased  value  of  his  lands,  rendering  them  more  attract- 
ive and  more  saleable,  together  with  his  own  gratification  in 
the  result  of  his  labors,  he  would  find  his  investment  a  satis- 
factory and  profitable  one. 

That  portion  of  his  land  which  had  been  laid  down  to  grass 
last  fall,  presented  a  strikingly  beautiful  surface  in  the  spring, 
and  yielded  a  fair  crop  of  good  hay,  at  the  right  time.  By  a 
further  drainage  of  it,  so  that  the  surface  water  may  entirely 
escape,  and   by  the    completing  of  the    owner's   plans,  which 


308  NORFOLK   SOCIETY. 

were  interrnpted  this  year,  we  have  no  doubt  that  a  large  and 
amply  remunerating  crop  may  be  taken  from  it  for  many  years 
to  come.  Upon  that  portion  of  the  land  which  had  been  tilled 
last  year,  the  crops  of  hay  and  spring  grains  were  light.  We 
apprehend,  however,  that  a  like  result  has  been  the  common 
experience  this  year,  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Potatoes, 
grown  here,  proved  to  be  of  excellent  quality. 

Mr.  Tubbs  is  deserving,  we  think,  of  no  small  credit,  for 
his  energetic  and  persevering  endeavors  to  reclaim  and  beautify 
this  unsightly  and  unpromising  bog.  We  accord  to  him  the 
encouragement  he  merits,  and  would  urge  others  to  follow  his 
example,  wherever  the  means  at  hand  will  justify  the  cost  of 
the  experiment.  An  equally  praiseworthy  and  successful 
experiment,  upon  lands  immediately  adjoining  those  of  Mr. 
Tubbs,  has  attracted  our  notice,  and  presents  a  most  encour- 
aging example  to  any  who  are  willing,  by  hard  and  persevering 
labor,  to  make  for  themselves  a  prodactive  farm,  out  of  an 
almost  worthless  bog.  And  we  are  confident  that  large  tracts 
of  similar  bog  and  swamp  land  in  our  county,  may  be  made, 
by  similar  means,  to  produce  large  crops  of  hay,  grain,  and 
vegetables,  instead  of  remaining  to  disfigure  its  sarface,  to 
spread  noxious  miasma  through  the  homes  of  its  citizens,  and 
to  rebuke  the  farmers  who  own  them. 

The  land  of  Mr.  Salisbury  embraces  a  portion  of  bog  nearly, 
if  not  quite,  as  unsightly  and  unpromising,  as  are  those  lands 
to  which  we  have  already  alluded.  It  had  been,  however,  cul- 
tivated for  a  longer  time,  and  had  steadily  improved  under  the 
care  and  judicious  management  of  its  owner.  The  crop  of 
hay  on  this  land  was  larger  this  year  than  the  last,  but  dimin- 
ished by  a  cause  to  which  Mr.  S.  refers  in  his  statement.  We 
have  no  doubt  that,  when  this  obstacle  is  removed,  the  whole 
cost  and  labor  of  the  experiment  will  be  amply  repaid.  It  will 
be  observed,  that  Mr.  Salisbury  continues  to  enrich  this  land 
by  the  annual  compost  of  his  barn  yard,  consisting  of  coarse 
sand,  or  gravel,  and  the  droppings  of  several  cows.  By  this 
course,  he  is  rendering  the  soil  firmer  and  more  compact,  and 
the  grass  sweeter  and  more  nutritious,  as  well  as  more  abund- 
ant. 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  309 

We  think  it  worthy  of  remark,  that  Mr.  Salisbury  began 
this  experiment  when  he  was  already  far  advanced  in  life ;  and 
that  he  has  brought  it  to  its  present  profitable  state,  by  his 
almost  unaided  labor,  at  seasons  when  other  work  cannot  well 
be  performed.  And  we  would  again  present  his  example  as  a 
rebuke  to  the  timidity  or  sluggishness  of  many  younger  in 
years,  and  surrounded  by  far  more  favorable  circumstances, 
who  have  upon  their  premises  similar  portions  of  waste  land, 
or  noxious  bog. 

A  new  entry  of  reclaimed  meadow  land  has  been  made  this 
year  by  Hiram  W.  Jones,  of  Dover,  whose  farm  last  year,  re- 
ceived the  third  premium  of  the  Society.  This  land  is  part  of 
a  low,  wet  meadow,  which  had  been  partly  overgrown  with 
bushes,  and  yielded  only  a  meagre  crop  of  coarse  and  sour 
grass.  By  judicious  and  persevering  labor, — opening  wide  and 
deep  rectangular  drains,  rooting  out  bushes,  supplying  a  new 
surface  soil,  ploughing  and  enriching  with  manure, — the  whole 
has  been  made  smooth,  firm  and  fertile  ;  bearing  large  crops  of 
excellent  grass,  capable  of  any  desired  tillage,  and  of  yielding 
the  most  profitable  returns.  The  operations  and  improvements 
of  Mr.  Jones,  upon  this  and  other  land,  have  attracted  much 
notice  and  commanded  general  approbation.  Rarely  do  we 
see  exhibited  more  satisfactory  proof  of  the  profitableness  and 
expediency  of  improvements  like  that  we  have  here  been  called 
to  examine.  And  we  commend  the  example  as  worthy  of  gen- 
eral imitation. 

Your  committee  have  awarded  to  Mr.  Tubbs,  the  first  pre- 
mium of  $15;  and  to  Mr.  Salisbury,  the  second  premium  of 
$10. 

Mr.  Jones,  having  offered  satisfactory  proof  of  the  mode  of 
reclaiming  and  cultivating  his  land,  and  also  of  the  crops 
received  therefrom,  during  the  two  years  past, — thereby  show- 
ing that  his  labors  have  been  worthy  of  such  encouragement, 
we  recommend  that  a  gratuity  be  made  to  him  of  $12. 

In  behalf  of  the  committee, 

CHARLES  C.  SEWALL. 


310  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

B.  H.  Tuhbs^s   Statement. 

You  wish  me  to  give  you  a  minute  statement  of  the  crops  on 
my  bog  meadow  the  past  season. 

On  the  land  you  saw  laid  down  to  grass,  I  cut  between 
three  and  four  tons  of  good  hay,  and  could  have  cut  another 
ton  of  rowen,  had  I  not  chosen  to  feed  it  off.  On  one  and  a 
half  acre,  sowed  with  grass,  oats  and  barley,  I  harvested  only  a 
light  crop.  On  a  corner  of  the  land,  about  thirty  square  rods,  I 
raised  about  ten  bushels  of  very  good  peach-bloom  potatoes. 
They  were  manured  with  compost  in  the  hill. 

I  have  not  made  much  improvement  on  the  bog  this  season, 
for  I  have  been  very  much  troubled  with  that  bad  complaint, — 
"the  shorts," — in  the  pocket.  But  I  am  very  much  pleased 
with  this  investment ;  and  when  I  have  anything  more  to  dis- 
pose of  in  this  way,  I  shall  invest  it  in  bog  meadow,  in  pref- 
erence, at  least,  to  the  Norfolk  county  or  any  air  (castle)  line 
railroad. 

West  Dedham,  Nov.  25,  1851. 

William  Salishunfs  Statement. 

After  you  examined  my  meadow,  last  year,  I  carted  on  it, 
and  spread  forty  loads  of  compost  manure,  and  sowed  more 
grass  seed.  I  have  now  about  fifty  loads  more  of  compost, 
made  by  covering  the  droppings  of  my  cows,  this  season,  with 
coarse  sand  and  gravel,  which  I  intend  to  place  there  as  soon 
as  the  meadow  is  frozen  sufficiently  to  bear  up  the  load  and 
team.  I  have  cut,  the  past  season,  about  three  and  a  half  tons 
of  hay;  and  should  have  raised,  it  is  probable,  nearly  double 
that  quantity,  if  my  labors  had  not  been  thwarted.  A  road  has 
been  raised  below  my  meadow,  having  only  a  small  sluice-way; 
and  several  of  the  past  seasons  being  very  wet  in  the  spring, 
the  water  has  set  back  and  stood  upon  my  ground.  This,  I 
think,  has  been  a  great  injury,  and  I  hope  that  it  may  be  rem- 
edied another  season. 

Medfield,  Nov.  24,  1851. 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  311 

Hiram  W.  Joneses  Statement. 
The  piece  of  meadow  land  offered  by  me  for  a  premium,  is 
a  part  of  a  large  tract  of  meadow  on  what  is  called  Trout 
Brook,  and  contains  about  three  acres.  The  distance  from  the 
hard  land  to  the  brook  is  about  twenty-five  rods.  The  mud  or 
peat  varies  from  twelve  inches  in  depth,  near  the  upland,  to  six 
feet  at  the  brook.  The  grass  that  grew  upon  it,  in  its  natural 
state,  was  worth  no  more  than  the  cost  of  harvesting.  I  began 
to  reclaim  it  in  1839,  by  cutting  large  ditches,  on  each  side, 
from  the  upland  to  the  brook,  and  also  between  the  upland  and 
meadow,  to  receive  the  water  that  came  out  from  the  bank. 
In  the  fall  of  1839,  when  the  land  was  dry,  I  ploughed  one 
half  acre,  at  the  corner  of  the  piece,  commencing  at  the  upland 
and  going  as  far  towards  the  brook  as  the  team  could  be  borne. 
There  were  many  roots  and  hassocks  upon  the  piece,  and  it 
did  not  turn  over  very  smooth.  I  then  rolled  it  witli  a  heavy 
roller,  and  let  it  remain  until  winter.  I  then  carted  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  ox-cart  loads  of  gravelly  sand  upon  it,  from  a 
knoll  near  by  ;  making  it  pretty  smooth  on  the  surface.  In 
June  following,  when  it  was  sufficiently  dry,  I  harrowed  it 
thoroughly, — mixing  the  sand  well  with  the  soil ;  I  carted  on 
ten  ox-cart  loads  of  compost,  made  one  half  of  horse  manure 
and  t?ie  other  half  of  sandy  loam.  Harrowed  again,  and  sowed 
one  bushel  of  oats,  half  a  peck  of  herds  grass,  half  a  bushel  of 
red  top  and  four  pounds  of  Western  clover  seed,  and  harrowed 
them  in.  In  August,  I  cut  a  good  crop  of  oats  and  clover. 
The  cost  of  reclaiming  this  half  acre  was  as  follows: — 

Ditching,                 _             .  _  -  - 

Ploughing,  3  men,  2  days,  _  -  - 

"           4  oxen,  2  days,  _  -  - 

Plough,  2  days,      -             -  _  -  - 

Rolling,                   -             .  _  -  - 

Carting  110  loads  of  sand,  _  .  - 

Compost  and  carting,          -  _  _  - 

Harrowing,             -             _  _  _  _ 

Grass  seed,  sowing,  &c.,    -  -  -  - 

$38  50 


$5 

50 

6 

00 

4 

00 

1 

00 

50 

8 

50 

10 

00 

1 

00 

2 

00 

312  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

In  1841  the  growth  of  herds  grass  and  red  top  was  very- 
heavy,  and  the  quality  excellent.  It  was  cut  the  first  week  in 
July,  before  it  was  fully  grown,  and  was  estimated  at  over  two 
tons  to  the  acre.  The  second  crop  was  cut  about  the  middle 
of  September,  and  was  estimated  at  over  one  ton  to  the  acre. 
Compost,  of  one-third  part  stable  manure,  and  two-thirds  sandy 
loam, — at  the  rate  of  fifteen  ox-cart  loads  per  acre, — has  been 
spread  on,  late  in  the  fall,  every  second  year  since  it  was  sown 
to  grass.  And  the  crop  has  been  as  heavy  and  as  good  every 
year,  up  to  the  present  time,  as  it  was  the  first  year, — both  first 
and  second  crops.  In  1843,  the  first  crop  grown  upon  this 
half  acre  was  put  into  the  barn,  apart  from  the  other  hay;  and 
when  sold,  in  the  spring,  it  weighed  over  twenty-one  hundred 
pounds. 

The  remainder  of  the  field  was  reclaimed  by  carting  on  sand, 
at  different  times, — covering  it  from  two  to  three  inches  deep, 
spreading  the  mud  from  the  ditches  on  the  sand,  and  compost, 
of  the  same  kind  and  in  same  quantity,  as  on  the  first  piece. 
The  crop  taken  from  this,  the  first  three  years,  was  equal  to 
that  from  the  piece  which  was  ploughed.  But  since  that  time, 
the  natural  grass  has  come  in,  although  the  whole  field  has 
been  manured  and  treated  in  the  same  way.  The  whole  has 
been  mowed  twice  each  year  since  it  was  first  sown  with 
grass  seed. 

DovKR,  Nov.  21,  1851. 


Peach   Orchards. 

Three  peach  orchards  were  offered  for  the  society's  pre- 
miums. 

Of  the  orchard  of  Mr.  Porter,  the  committee  would  remark, 
that  by  the  free  use  of  the  knife  in  shortening  the  new  wood, 
and  by  the  cultivation  and  management  of  his  grounds,  he  has 
not  only  produced  trees  of  fine  pyramidal  form,  but  crops  of 
fruit  which  bear  testimony  to  his  judicious  pruning  and 
treatment. 

Mr.  Reed's  orchard  is  systematically  laid  out.  His  trees 
are  thrifty  and  well  formedj  but  have  not  as  yet  borne  fruit. 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  313 

They  give  promise,  however,  of  good  crops  ;  which  opinion 
was  confirmed  by  the  examination  of  another  orchard,  planted 
a  few  years  previous,  that  was  producing  large  quantities  of 
fair  and  fine  specimens. 

It  will  be  noticed,  that  only  a  part  of  Mr.  Porter's  orchard, 
thirty-nine  trees,  have  been  planted  "since  the  year  1848," 
and  that  Mr.  Reed's  not  being  in  a  "  bearing  condition,"  they 
are  excluded  by  the  terms  of  the  premium  list  from  competi- 
tion. The  committee  noticed  with  pleasure,  that  they  had 
adopted  the  system  of  mulching  their  trees  with  hay  or  straw, 
a  practice  known  to  experienced  cultivators  as  invaluable  in 
the  production  of  fine  fruits.  Especially  is  this  desirable  on 
soils  of  a  light  character,  such  as  those  upon  which  the  peach 
is  usually  planted.  Under  this  system  the  earth  is  kept  moist 
and  cool,  during  the  drought  and  heat  of  summer — the  fruit 
much  increased  in  size — the  roots  protected  from  the  burning 
rays  of  the  sun,  the  extreme  frosts  of  winter,  and  the  sudden 
alternations  of  the  temperature,  so  fatal  in  the  spring  to  the 
peach  and  other  fruits. 

With  the  orchard  of  Mr.  Hubbard,  the  committee  were  much 
gratified.  His  trees  are  all  of  a  pyramidal  form,  with  clean, 
straight,  sound  stems,  and  round,  compact  heads  of  well-ripened 
wood,  and  the  culture  evinces  the  skill  and  good  judgment  of 
the  proprietor.  His  orchard  is  planted  alternately  with  apples 
and  peaches;  first  with  apples,  afterwards,  intermediately,  with 
peaches,  and  the  ground  underneath  is  cultivated  with  cabbages 
and  other  vegetables.  Whether  this  system  is  judicious,  and 
to  what  extent  it  may  be  carried,  without  injury  to  the  fruit 
crops,  your  committee  will  not  undertake  to  say.  .  In  the  early 
stages  of  the  trees,  this  under-cropping  might  not  be  so  dele- 
terious, as  in  a  more  advanced  state  ;  but  when  in  a  bearing 
condition,  the  energies  of  the  soil  would  require  a  constant  and 
ample  supply  of  the  appropriate  fertilizing  ingredient. 

The  committee  award 
To  Gardiner  G.  Hubbard,  of  West  Needham,  the  first 

premium  on  peach  orchards,  -  -  $10  00 

40 


314  NORFOLK  SOOiKTY. 

The  committee  also  recommend  the  following  gratuities  : — 

To  Jason  Reed,  of  Milton,  -  -  -  $3  00 

To  Luther  Porter,  of  Stoughton,  -  -  2  00 

In  closing  this  report,  the  committee  beg  leave  to  remark, 
that  although  the  peach  tree  is  not  indigenous  to  our  soil  and 
climate,  yet  it  was  introduced  early  into  the  country,  and  has 
been  successfully  cultivated  in  different  sections  of  the  Union. 
The  peach  tree  has  been  considered  as  of  short  duration,  but 
its  natural  life,  when  grown  in  congenial  soil  and  climate,  and 
not  affected  by  the  worm  or  disease,  continues  to  thirty  or  forty 
years  ;  and  instances  are  not  rare,  of  still  greater  longevity.  In 
the  Middle  States,  where  the  peach  is  cultivated  extensively 
for  the  market,  the  orchards  are  either  renewed,  or  the  location 
changed,  as  often  as  once  in  six  or  eight  years. 

In  our  latitude,  the  fruit  buds  are  often  injured  by  the  late 
frosts  of  spring,  or  the  severe  changes  from  warm  to  extreme 
cold  weather  in  the  autumn.  These  circumstances  have  pre- 
vented the  extensive  cultivation,  in  our  region,  of  this  delicious 
fruit.  Experience,  however,  has  shown,  that  with  the  selection 
of  proper  soil,  location  and  varieties,  and  judicious  ripening  of 
the  wood,  the  peach  may  be  cultivated  in  many  parts  of  New 
England,  particularly  in  our  county,  with  great  success.  When 
we  compare  the  obstacles  which  exist  in  Massachusetts,  with 
those  which  afflict  the  cultivator  of  this  fruit  in  New  Jersey 
and  Delaware,  we  shall  find  that  not  unfrequently  the  crop  is 
injured  or  destroyed  there,  by  the  same  causes  which  prevail 
here, — early  or  late  frosts. 

The  committee  are  gratified  to  learn  by  their  investigations, 
that  the  opinions  here  advanced  are  sustained  by  the  experience 
of  many  who  have  recently  entered  upon  the  cultivation  of  the 
peach  for  the  market,  and  that  its  culture  with  us  has  already 
become  of  no  inconsiderable  consequence,  either  as  it  regards 
extent  or  profit. 

When  we  consider  our  proximity  to  a  large  market — the  im- 
mense demand  for  this  fruit,  at  the  appropriate  season — the 
superior  quality  of  that  which  is  grown  here,  above  that 
brought  from  the  south — that  it  can  be  grown   on   light  soils, 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  315 

scarcely  suited  to  any  other  product — with  less  risk  of  drought 
than  most  other  crops — that  the  contingencies  of  failure  are  not 
much  greater  with  us,  than  in  the  great  peach-growing  states, 
we  cannot  conclude  our  report  without  recommending  an  in- 
creased attention  to  this  branch  of  cultivation. 

MARSHALL  P.  WILDER,  Chairman. 

Luther  Portej'''s  Statement. 

My  peach  orchard  consists  of  ninety-four  trees ;  seventeen 
of  them  remain  where  the  stones  were  planted.  Thirty-eight 
were  set  in  the  spring  of  1848,  and  thirty-nine  set  in  the  spring 
of  1849.  They  have  all  been  trimmed  or  headed  in,  and  the 
dead  wood  cut  out  in  the  spring. 

I  prefer  to  have  them  headed,  or  shortened  in,  as  the  fruit  is 
larger  and  more  easily  gathered,  and  the  fruit  not  so  easily 
blown  off  by  the  wind.  The  soil  is  a  sandy  loam,  situated  on 
the  southern  side  of  a  hill.  One  half  the  ground  has  been 
planted  as  a  garden,  with  hay  around  the  trees.  The  other 
half  has  for  the  last  two  years  been  entirely  covered  with  hay, 
spread  in  March,  when  the  ground  was  frozen.  The  buds  are 
thereby  kept  back,  and  are  not  so  liable  to  be  killed  by  the 
cold  in  April  and  May.  It  keeps  the  weeds  and  grass  down, 
and  the  ground  moist  and  light  in  the  hot  days  of  summer.  I 
also  think  it  the  best  manure,  when  the  hens  have  mixed  it 
with  the  soil,  which  they  are  sure  to  do,  if  they  have  access  to 
it.  Some  two  weeks  before  my  peaches  are  ripe,  I  shut  my 
hens  off,  and  I  then  have  a  clean,  soft  bed  for  them  to  fall  on. 
In  1849,  I  put  one  half  pail  of  scalding  soap-suds  on  to  each 
tree,  and  let  it  run  down  the  butt,  into  the  soil.'  Since  that 
time,  I  have  not  taken  pains  to  heat  it. 

To  keep  the  borers  off,  I  apply  ashes  two  or  three  times 
a  year,  and  examine  them  very  closely  during  the  season, 
taking  care  to  keep  the  hay  from  the  butt,  so  as  not  to  encour- 
age them  around  the  root. 

My  trees  were  one  year  from  the  bud  when  set.  Last  year 
they  produced  about  twenty  bushels  of  large,  handsome 
peaches,  the  most  of  which  sold  for  one  dollar  per  bushel.  This 
year  you  will  judge  of  the  quantity. 

Stowghton,  Sept.^  1851. 


316  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

Jason  Reed's  Statement. 

The  peach  trees  examined  by  the  committee  were  set  out 
May,  1850,  having  one  year's  growth  from  the  bud.  They 
Avere  set  in  sward  ground,  which  was  turned  over  the  Novem- 
ber previous. 

In  transplanting,  the  roots  were  covered  with  soil  taken  from 
the  surface  of  a  cultivated  field  adjoining,  and  the  holes  filled 
with  the  sods,  and  earth  taken  out. 

The  number  of  trees  is  two  hundred  and  ten  ;  set  at  the  dis- 
tance of  about  twelve  feet  apart,  or  averaging  two  trees  to  the 
square  rod.  The  ground  has  been  cultivated  with  corn  and 
potatoes,  and  in  June,  last  year  and  this,  leached  ashes  have 
been  placed  about  the  trunks  of  the  trees,  at  the  rate  of  a 
bushel  to  about  ten  trees. 

The  ground  has  been  manured  very  lightly  each  year — not 
exceeding  the  rate  of  about  three  cords  to  the  acre,  placed  in 
the  hill. 

Milton,  Oct.  31,  1851. 

G.  G.  Hubbard's  Statement. 

The  peach  orchard  offered  by  me  for  premium,  contains 
nearly  three  hundred  trees,  set  out  in  the  spring  of  1849.  The 
trees  were  one  year  old  from  the  bud.  The  varieties  consist 
principally  of  Crawford's  Early,  Malta,  Noblesse,  President, 
George  lY,  and  some  good  budded  fruit  from  seedlings  of  a 
neighbor  of  mine.  Most  of  these  trees  bore  well  for  their  age. 
I  marketed  this  year  nearly  fifty  bushels,  besides  a  number  of 
bushels  which  were  used  on  the  place.  Owing  to  the  drought, 
some  kinds  dropped  their  fruit,  and  the  crop  was  thereby  con- 
siderably diminished.  There  are  over  five  hundred  peach  trees 
in  this  orchard,  some  set  out  in  the  year  1848.  All  of  these 
were  budded  and  tied  by  myself  and  man.  No  one  has  touched 
them  with  a  pruning-knife  but  myself 

West  Needham,  Nov.  24,  1851. 


V 

NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  317 


Ploughing. 

The  committee  do  not  regard  bad  ploughing  as  the  besetting 
sin  of  onr  cultivation;  we  have  strong  teams,  good  ploughmen, 
and  the  best  ploughs  in  the  world — and  we  need  the  best.  To 
say  nothing  of  rocks  and  roots,  Avhere  else  but  in  the  northern 
States  of  this  Union,  especially  New  England,  is  it  regarded  as 
good  culture,  to  suffer  the  best  arable  lands  to  rest  in  the  sod, 
producing  grass  three-quarters  of  the  time  ?  The  process  of 
breaking  up  an  old  grass  field  of  five  or  six  years'  standing, 
which  occurs  annually  on  all  our  large  farms,  is  almost  un- 
known in  the  grain  regions,  where  one  or  two  successive  hay 
crops  are  the  utmost  ever  raised.  This  peculiarity  in  our  hus- 
bandry, is  mainly  caused  by  the  high  price  of  labor,  inducing 
the  owners  of  large  farms  often  to  content  themselves  with  the 
produce  of  one  ton  of  decent  hay  from  an  acre,  in  preference  to 
incurring  the  expense  of  labor  and  manure,  which  the  highest 
cultivation  would  involve.  Another  cause  for  this  practice 
may  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  our  soil  and  climate  are  espe- 
cially favorable  to  the  production  of  hay.  The  cultivation  of 
a  perennial  crop  like  grass,  which  is  emphatically  the  staple 
produce  of  our  farms,  renders  the  operation  of  the  plough  more 
difficult,  though  less  continued,  than  under  the  European  sys- 
tem of  agriculture. 

Our  exhibition  was  confined  to  the  breaking  up  of  an  old 
grass  field,  of  rather  light  land,  of  hardly  eight  inches  surface 
soil,  and  was  regarded  as  a  specimen  of  autumn  ploughing. 
Good  work  of  this  kind  requires  a  straight  furrow,  turning  a 
sod  of  ten  or  twelve  inches  in  width,  so  far  inverted  as  entirely 
to  conceal  all  vegetation,  and  yet  to  suffer  the  edge  of  the  slice 
to  rest  upon  its  neighbor  sufficiently  to  prevent  it  from  falling 
flat  into  the  furrow.     This  was  done  well  by  all  the  teams. 

The  Michigan  Sod  and  Subsoil  Plough,  used  by  Mr.  French's 
team,  is  undoubtedly  a  valuable  improvement  for  breaking  up 
land  to  be  immediately  planted  or  sowed.  It  splits  the  furrow 
slice  horizontally,  about  three  inches  from  the  surface,  and  the 
main  head  of  the  plough  following,  throws  up  the  bottom  of 
the   furrow   in  a  pulverized   state,   so   that   newly  broken  up 


318  NORP^OLK  SOCIETY. 

ground  presents  somewhat  the  appearance  of  fallow  ploughing. 
It  appears  especially  adapted  to  our  mode  of  cultivation,  as  it 
disposes  at  once  of  the  old  sod,  which  is  so  apt  to  interfere 
with  the  new  crop.  There  can  be  no  possible  view  of  its  op- 
eration, which  will  render  its  work  less  valuable  than  that  of 
the  common  breaking-up  plough ;  and  your  committee  feel 
confident  that  a  more  extended  acquaintance  with  this  instru- 
ment, will  cause  its  extensive  use  upon  our  tough-sodded  grass 
fields.  Fallow  ploughing,  the  most  common  use  of  the  plough, 
cannot  be  conveniently  performed  at  a  cattle-show.  Whether 
the  deep  ploughing,  so  much  in  practice  in  England  at  the 
present  day,  extends  its  benefits  to  grass  crops  as  well  as  roots 
and  grain,  we  are  not  informed. 

For  the  Committee, 

JAMES  M.  ROBBINS. 


Fat  Cattle. 
Four  fat  oxen,  six  years  old,  and  not  of  the  largest  size,  were 
entered  for  premium,  by  William  Enslin  and  John  Ayres,  of 
Roxbury,  the  heaviest  pair  weighing  4,300  pounds.  All  were 
well  fatted  animals,  and  spoke  well  of  their  owners,  and  very 
emphatically  of  the  good  quality  of  their  pastures,  as  grass  had 
been  their  only  feed  since  June,  and  as  one  pair  of  them  had 
drawn  in,  the  most  of  150  tons  of  hay  in  the  haying  season. 
Had  there  been  given  the  committee  the  weight  of  each  ox  at 
the  time  he  was  turned  to  pasture  in  June,  and  the  weight  of 
each  at  the  time  of  the  exhibition,  they  would  have  been 
better  able  to  form  a  correct  judgment.  Without  this  aid,  in 
case  of  several  competitors  for  a  premium,  it  might  be  difiicult 
for  a  committee  to  arrive  at  a  conclusion  satisfactory  to  them- 
selves. But  there  appeared  to  be  no  competition  in  this  case, 
and  having  understood  that  the  cattle  were  only  in  good  work- 
ing order  at  the  time  they  were  unyoked  for  the  pasture,  and 
that  they  all  had  made  a  gain  unusually  remunerative,  your 
committee  awarded  to  Messrs.  Enslin  and  Ayres  the  premiums. 
LEMUEL  HUMPHREY,  Chairman. 


NDRFOLK  SOCIETY.  319 


Milch  Cows. 


Only  two  of  the  competitors  furnished  any  statement.  The 
committee  have  awarded  only  two  premiums. 

The  first  to  S.  J.  Capen,  of  Dorchester,  for  his  dark  red  cow, 
"Flora," — one  half  Ayrshire  and  one  half  Durham, — five  years 
old.  She  calved  in  April,  1850.  One  year  from  the  next  June, 
from  June  1st  to  10th,  she  averaged  8  qts.  of  milk  per  day, 
weighing  19  lbs.  Was  fed  on  grass  alone.  She  calved  again 
on  the  15th  of  August  last.  The  calf  was  taken  from  her  Au- 
gust 30th,  and  weaned.  She  gave,  on  the  average,  from  Sep- 
tember 1st  to  September  10th,  25  qts.  per  day,  weighing  58 
lbs.  She  was  fed  on  grass,  corn  fodder,  1  qt.  of  Indian  meal, 
and  2  qts.  of  shorts  per  day.  The  milk  was  not  made  into 
butter. 

The  second  to  David  N.  Hollis,  of  Braintree,  for  his  native 
cow,  four  years  old.  The  cow  gave,  from  the  10th  of  June  to 
the  20th,  164  qts.  of  milk,  and  made  20  lbs.  and  2  oz,  of  but- 
ter. From  the  10th  of  September  to  the  14th,  she  gave  44 
quarts.  The  weather  being  very  warm,  the  milk  was  sold. 
From  the  14th  to  the  20th, — six  days, — she  gave  63  qts.  1  pt. 
and  a  half;  making,  in  the  whole,  107  qts.  and  1|  pts.  From 
the  14th  to  the  20th,  she  made  8  lbs.  and  6  oz.  of  butter,  from 
63  qts.  and  li  pts.  of  milk. 

This  cow  has  not  had  one  quart  of  meal,  or  any  other  grain, 
for  more  than  a  year.  In  June,  grass ;  in  September,  grass, 
with  stalks.     She  calved  the  6th  of  May  last. 

The  number  of  cows  ofi"ered  for  exhibition,  was  large,  and, 
in  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  one  of  the  choicest  lots  ever 
exhibited  in  this  State. 

Thomas  Motley,  Jr.,  of  West  Roxbury,  otfered  some  very 
fine  blood  cows.  His  Jersey  cows,  recently  imported  by  him, 
attracted  great  attention.  We  very  much  regret  that  Mr.  Mot- 
ley did  not  furnish  us  a  written  statement,  to  be  published  for 
the  benefit  of  the  society. 

Samuel  Henshaw,  of  Brookline,  exhibited  four  full-blood 
Durham  cows,  which,  in  the  opinion  of  the  committee,  were 


320  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

superior  cows  for  the  dairy.  He  also  exhibited  two  fine  Jersey 
cows. 

The  following  is  the  statement  of  the  products  of  Mr.  Hen- 
shaw's  Durham  cow,  "Maggie,"  seven  years  old: — 

From  June  10th  to  19th,  inclusive,  1850,  she  gave  555  lbs.  of 
milk,  producing  21|  lbs.  of  butter;  from  September  10th  to  19th, 
inclusive,  1850,  she  gave  409  lbs.  of  milk  ;  from  June  10th  to 
19th,  inclusive,  1851,  she  gave  656|  lbs.  of  milk,  which  pro- 
duced 21  lbs.  1  oz.  of  butter;  from  September  10th  to  19th, 
1851,  she  gave  300|  lbs.  of  milk,  from  which  12  lbs.  3  oz.  of 
butter  were  made.  This  cow  has  never  had  any  grain  or  meal, 
since  he  has  owned  her.  The  falling  off  in  the  quantity  of  milk 
this  month,  as  compared  with  last  September,  is  owing  en- 
tirely to  the  dry  state  of  the  pasturage. 

B.  V.  French,  of  Braintree,  exhibited  several  fine  cows.  His 
pure  North  Devon  cow,  "  Cyprens,"  attracted  much  attention. 

G.  G.  Hubbard,  of  Needham,  exhibited  two  North  Devon 
cows ;  the  milking  qualities  of  which  your  committee  cannot 
judge,  but  their  form  and  color  were  perfect. 

S.  J.  Capen,  of  Dorchester,  exhibited  several  fine  cows. 
Among  the  number  was  the  celebrated  Holstein  cow,  "  Jes- 
sica," which  received  the  premium  at  the  American  Institute, 
in  1850,  when  she  gave  15  quarts  of  milk  at  a  single  milking. 

The  President  of  the  Society  exhibited  a  fine  native  cow, 
which  has  given  25  quarts  of  milk  per  day. 

J.  P.  JONES,  Chairman. 


Swine. 


G.  W.  Shaw,  of  Grantville,  had  a  very  good  sow  entered  as 
a  Suffolk,  which  had  excellent  points,  and  had  produced  very 
good  stock,  some  of  which  were  in  the  pens. 

G.  G.  Hubbard,  of  West  Needham,  exhibited  a  sow,  three- 
fourths  Suffolk,  one-fourth  Essex ;  also,  two  very  nice  barrow 
hogs,  raised  from  his  sow,  which  the  committee  considered 
worthy  of  notice.     After  examining  the  two  sows  and  their 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  321 

stock,  the  committee  found  it  difficult  to  decide  which  was  en- 
titled to  the  first  premium. 

G.  G.  Hubbard  exhibited  a  superior  Suffolk  boar,  two  years 
and  five  months  old,  which  the  committee  would  cheerfully 
recommend  to  the  public. 

Thomas  Motley,  Jr.,  of  West  Roxbury,  exhibited  a  Suffolk 
boar,  but  recently  imported,  which  has  excellent  points. 

G.  W.  Shaw  and  Luther  Gilbert,  of  Grantville,  each  exhib- 
ited fine  looking  Suffolk  boars.  Mr.  Gilbert  made  a  very  good 
statement  respecting  his  boar,  and  also  produced  evidence  of  his 
usefulness.  They  think,  that  as  Mr.  Gilbert  made  a  written 
statement  and  produced  evidence  of  the  usefulness  of  his  boar, 
and  Mr.  Shaw  did  neither,  Mr.  Gilbert  should  have  had  the 
first  premium.  The  error  having  been  made  on  the  day  of  the 
exhibition,  it  is  not  deemed  advisable  to  change  the  award. 

B.  N.  Sawin,  of  Dover,  exhibited  a  very  fine  boar,  five 
months  old,  and  made  a  written  statement,  which  entitles  him 
to  credit. 

The  litters  of  weaned  pigs  were  all  very  good,  and  some  of 
them  superior. 

The  committee  consider  the  raising  of  good  swine  important 
to  the  public,  and  in  order  to  judge  of  the  good  qualities,  the 
keeping  and  care  should  be  taken  into  consideration  ;  there- 
fore, the  committee  would  recommend  that  written  statements 
be  required  of  all  entering  swine  for  premium. 

ELIJAH  PERRY,  Chairman, 

Luther   GilherVs  Statement. 

I  offer,  as  competitor  for  the  first  premium,  one  full  blood 
Suffolk  boar,  from  the  imported  stock  of  the  late  William  Stick- 
ney.  I  also  offer,  for  the  first  premium,  four  weaned  pigs,  out 
of  a  full  blood  Suffolk  sow,  from  the  same  imported  stock  by 
my  Suffolk  boar,  and  as  proof  of  his  good  qualities. 

By  request  of  your  society,  I  offer  a  statement  of  facts.  First, 
of  the  boar.  He  is  twenty-two  months  and  twenty-one  days 
old.  For  the  first  twelve  months  I  kept  him  on  as  little  food 
as  I  could,  he  not  having  more  than  one  third  the  quantity  or 
quality  of  food  that  my  native  pigs  had,  of  the  same  age.  And 
41 


322  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

he  kept  in  better  order  than  the  natives  on  that  keeping,  my 
object  being  to  keep  him  as  poor  as  possible,  so  as  to  have  him 
fit  for  use  as  soon  as  I  could,  (Mr.  Stickney  informed  me  that- 
the  Suffolks  would  breed  much  younger  if  they  were  kept 
poor).  The  first  time  he  was  used  as  a  boar,  was  when  he 
was  about  twelve  months  old.  He  has  had,  since  that  time, 
sixteen  sows,  whose  time  has  expired,  that  have  produced  in 
the  aggregate,  134  pigs  ;  some  of  which  had  twelve  and  four- 
teen pigs  to  a  litter.  In  all,  he  has  had  twenty-seven  sows  ; 
ten  of  my  own  and  seventeen  of  others,  for  which  the  rate  is 
two  dollars  for  each  sow.  He  has  been  kept  on  low  diet,  until 
the  last  twelve  days,  when  I  put  him  up  to  good  keeping,  on 
which  he  gained  twenty-two  pounds  in  ten  days.  As  you  will 
perceive,  I  could  have  made  him  much  larger  if  I  had  fed  him 
longer;  but  I  did  not  want  to,  for  fear  of  hurting  his  breeding 
qualities ;  also,  being  aware  that  your  premium  is  offered  for 
the  best,  and  not  the  fattest  boar. 

My  four  pigs  are  four  months  and  three  days  old.  They 
have  not  had  any  extra  care  or  keeping  until  the  last  twelve 
days.  They  were  weaned  when  they  were  six  weeks  old,  and 
have  been  kept  since  that  time,  mostly  on  rice  meal  or  shorts, 
and  some  green  corn-stalks,  and  some  windfall  apples.  They 
have  been  for  the  last  twelve  days  kept  in  the  same  pen,  and 
have  eaten  out  of  the  same  trough  with  my  boar.  In  order  to 
ascertain  what  they  all  eat  per  day,  I  weighed  out  their  meal 
part  of  the  time,  and  found  that  the  boar  and  four  pigs  would 
only  eat  eight  pounds  of  rice  meal  and  eight  pounds  of  Indian 
meal,  scalded,  per  day.  For  the  last  three  days,  the  pigs  have 
gained  seven  pounds. 

Needham,  Sept.  24,  1851. 

Benfn  N.  Sawi7i^s  Statement. 

The  pig  entered  by  me  for  exhibition,  is  half  Suflblk  and 
half  native  breed.  He  was  taken  away  from  the  sow  when  he 
was  eight  weeks  old,  and  weighed  43  pounds. 

Weighed  at  12  weeks  old,    73   lbs.     Gain  in  28  days,  30  lbs. 
"  16  "  110     <'  "        28     "      37    " 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  323 

Weighed  at  19  weeks  old,  150  lbs.     Gain  in  21  days,  40  lbs. 
"    Sept.  13,  179     ''  ''         16     "      29    " 

u  u      19^  192      u  u  6      a        13     u 

u        u     24,  204     ''  "  5     "      12    " 

"      104     "    161    " 

He  has  had  nothing  more  than  common  feed — skim  milk, 
pork  scraps,  raw  apples,  &c.,  which  cost,  on  an  average,  about 
four  and  one  half  cents  per  day. 

Dover,  Sept.  24,  1851. 


Poultry. 


The  character  of  the  contributions  was  greatly  superior  to 
that  manifested  the  previous  year,  and  exhibited  itself  in  all 
the  varieties  brought  forward,  which  included  the  choicest 
sorts,  and  especially  in  the  case  of  distinctive  breeds,  which  are 
generally  cultivated  in  Norfolk  county.  When  the  great  and 
rising  importance  of  poultry  improvement  is  taken  into  consid- 
eration, the  fact  stated  must  be  gratifying  to  members,  zealous 
that  the  objects  of  the  society  should  be  prominently  exempli- 
fied, even  in  the  meanest  of  its  details  of  practice.  Collateral 
circumstances  prove  that  poultry  breeding  in  the  county  of 
Norfolk  in  this  State,  places  it  in  the  position  that  the  English 
county  of  the  same  name,  has  long  upheld,  viz.,  that  of  being 
the  leading  district  in  the  country  in  the  improvement  of  do- 
mestic poultry,  and  the  cultivation  of  the  best  modes  of  man- 
aging that  interesting  department  of  domestic  economy.  Not 
only  has  Norfolk  made  the  poultry  department  the  most  inter- 
esting of  its  annual  exhibitions,  but  she  has  carried  off  the 
palm  of  merit  at  the  fairs  of  the  New  England  Society  for  the 
Improvement  of  Domestic  Poultry.  While  this  fact  is  to  be 
contemplated  with  a  feeling  of  pride,  it  has  bearings  indicative 
of  more  substantial  results,  as  your  committee  will  briefly  at- 
tempt to  show. 

The  quantity  of  poultry  raised  within  the  county,  it  may 
safely  be  said,  has  been  more  than  quadrupled  compared  with 


324  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

what  it  was  five  years  ago.  This  has  been,  to  a  great  extent, 
eiTected  by  improved  management  alone.  A  few  years  ago, 
poultry  was  considered  an  adjunct  to  every  barn  yard  ;  but 
very  few  took  the  trouble  to  treat  it  on  a  systematic  principle. 
Fowls  were  strictly  kept  upon  their  own  shifts,  without  any 
recognition  that  they  had  wants,  or  that  an  attention  to 
their  necessities  and  comforts  would  be  productive  of  any 
benefit  whatever.  Breeds  were  suffered,  through  the  same 
carelessness,  to  degenerate  into  varieties  offering  no  distinctive 
type  of  their  origin  ;  and  no  one  acquainted  with  fowls  will 
wonder  that  this  degeneracy  affected  their  size,  as  well  as 
other  properties.  By  the  assignment  of  a  proper  value  to 
fowls,  and  a  scientifically-conducted  system  of  managing 
them,  their  weight  has  been  increased  at  least  one  half,  while 
their  producing  properties  have  been  conserved,  to  say  the 
least ;  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  attest  the  statement  that 
they  have  been  greatly  augmented.  The  larger  number  of 
fowls  kept  within  the  county  will  account  for  the  remaining 
increase,  which  may  be  greater  than  what  is  specified. 

The  advantage  proceeding  from  regular  treatment  and  man- 
agement, is,  that  a  less  quantity  of  food  would  feed  it  fat  if 
given  systematically,  and  accompanied  by  other  conditions  cal- 
culated to  promote  cleanliness  and  secure  comfort. 

It  will  not  be  difficult  to  deduce  the  conclusion  that  pecunia- 
ry profit  must  be  the  natural  result  of  increased  produce,  cheap 
and  orderly  management  in  the  poultry  yard ;  neither  will  it 
be  hard  to  discover  that  these  consequences  lend  an  importance 
to  poultry  keeping,  which  ought  to  keep  it  before  the  society 
as  one  of  its  most  prominent  interests. 

Your  committee  might  specify  many  particulars  corrobora- 
tive of  the  importance  of  this  branch  of  economy,  but  will  sim- 
ply allude  to  one,  and  that  one  which  promises  to  confer  much 
benefit  on  Norfolk  county.  The  names  of  the  principal  fowl 
breeders  within  its  bounds  are,  perhaps,  better  known  among 
amateurs  in  poultry-raising  in  the  south  and  west  than  at 
home,  on  account  of  the  large  quantities  of  fowls  exported  to 
those  quarters  by  the  farmer.  The  specimens  imported  are  of 
the  best  classes  of  all  distinctive  varieties  ;  and  the  trade  grows 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  325 

extensively  every  year,  and  produces  good  returns  for  stock ; 
but  the  character  of  the  trade  has  been  ratified  by  the  sale  of 
fowls  of  undoubted  purity  of  blood,  and  not  by  the  disposal  of 
impure  specimens.  The  remarkable  size  to  which  fowls  bred 
in  the  north,  attain  when  carried  south,  promises  to  make  New 
England  the  great  arena  for  the  raising  and  sale  of  this  des- 
cription of  produce  for  the  southern  and  western  states.  But 
it  ought  to  be  kept  in  recollection,  that  nothing  but  what  is 
genuine  can  succeed  in  giving  satisfaction  ;  and  that  no  means 
will  be  so  effectual  in  destroying  the  good  name  and  pecuniary 
interest  of  the  New  England  breeders,  as  the  imposing  of  im- 
pure stock  on  purchasers  at  a  distance  for  the  genuine. 

Your  committee  will  now  proceed  to  enumerate  the  several 
classes  and  descriptions  of  domestic  poultry  exhibited  at  the 
late  show,  appending  such  observations  as  a  careful  inspection 
of  their  meiits  justifies. 

Black  Spanish. — The  contributions  of  J.  P.  Childs  and  C. 
B.  Ward,  were  specially  possessed  of  merit.  The  former  were 
of  the  stock  brought  from  Scotland  by  Mr.  Fricker.  The  lat- 
ter were  of  the  stock  imported  by  Francis  Blake,  Newton  Falls. 
Both  are  well  known  to  be  of  the  purest  blood. — they  having 
been  bred  with  peculiar  care  before  and  since  their  arrival  in 
America.  This  breed  is  characterized  by  its  glossy,  sable 
plumage,  extremely  ample  development  of  comb,  and  wattles 
of  pure  scarlet  color,  with  silvery  white  cheek  pieces,  in  con- 
trast to  the  deep  black  of  the  feathers.  Those  who  breed  for 
the  combined  properties  of  fine  flesh  and  steady  laying,  could 
not  do  better  than  provide  themselves  with  the  Fricker  or  the 
Blake  stock,  which  are  equal  in  merit.  Their  flesh  is  white, 
tender  and  juicy  ;  they  are  unequalled  as  layers,  and  their 
eggs  are  large  sized  and  finely  flavored.  They  are  beautifully 
rounded  in  form,  majestic  in  attitude,  and  altogether  an  orna- 
ment to  the  poultry  yard. 

Black,  yellow  and  white  Shanghae  Fowls. — Your  com- 
mittee recognized  very  marked  improvement  in  this  depart- 
ment ;  although  it  was  not  without  its  element  of  alloy.  Sev- 
eral items  were  exhibited  of  those  long-legged,  crane-necked, 
big-headed  fowls,  which   exemplify  the   possejssion  of  useless 


326  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

offal  rather  than  any  other  property.  The  presence  of  such 
produce  from  any  one's  stock,  goes  plainly  to  show  that  some 
foreign  cross  h'as  been  incorporated  into  its  constitution,  which 
careful  breeding  and  coupling  alone  will  ultimately  eradicate. 
Such  description  of  fowls  is  generally  noted  for  an  unusual 
greediness  for  food,  to  expend  which  in  an  immoderate  de- 
gree, is  exceedingly  injudicious  when  mere  offal  is  the  princi- 
pal return. 

The  points  which  ought  to  distinguish  the  pure  varieties  of 
the  Shanghaes  are  as  follows  : — 

Their  general  characteristics  are  great  size,  roundness  and 
shortness  of  body,  width  of  breast  and  back,  with  medium 
height  corresponding  to  their  weight,  much  after  the  model  of 
the  best  of  the  Perley  stock  of  Shanghaes.  The  pure  breeds 
are  close-feathered,  generally  exceeding  the  weight  the  best 
of  ordinary  judges  would  assign  to  them  by  mere  calculation, 
after  a  simple  glance.  Their  flesh  is  fine  in  fibre,  yellow 
and  juicy,  and  of  delicate  flavor.  They  are  prolific  layers; 
and  when  at  maturity  furnish  large  eggs.  The  best  breeders 
generally  have  their  broods  produced  early  in  the  season, — not 
later  than  the  latter  part  of  May. 

All  pure  varieties, — brown  or  white, — are  hardy,  neverthe- 
less; males  generally  average  from  ten  to  twelve  pounds  when 
a  year  old,  and  females  from  eight  to  nine  pounds.  In  every 
respect  they  are  a  most  desirable  description  of  fowl.  The 
best  specimens  of  the  Marsh  stock  were  shown  by  H.  H. 
Williams,  West  Roxbury,  A.  White,  East  Randolph,  Charles 
L.  Copeland,  Milton,  and  Francis  Alden,  Dedham.  The  best 
specimens  of  the  Forbes  stock  were  shown  by  E.  P.  Stetson, 
Walpole,  and  Silas  Belcher,  Foxborough.  The  best  Fussell 
stock  was  shown  by  John  Fussell,  Jamaica  Plain,  John  Shorey 
and  C.  B.  Ward,  Dedham.  The  black  Shanghaes,  shown  by 
J.  S.  Belcher  and  A.  White,  East  Randolph,  elicited  much 
praise.  The  only  lot  of  Perley  Shanghaes  was  contributed  by 
Francis  Alden,  Dedham. 

The  specimens  of  Cochin  Chinas,  shown  by  A.  White  and 
J.  S.  Belcher,  were  unexceptionable. 

Bolton  Grays. — The   fowls   of  this   variety  on    exhibition 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  327 

presented  characteristics  of  great  purity  of  breed.  The  silvery 
whiteness  of  their  plumage,  minutely  and  uniformly  pencilled 
with  black,  their  small,  neat,  rounded  forms,  sharp  pointed, 
double  rowed  combs,  large  and  round  wattles  and  delicately 
white  ear  lobes,  with  definitely  marked  hackells,  evinced  the 
care  with  which  the  specimens  on  show  had  been  bred.  The 
Bolton  Grays  are  excellent  layers,  easily  kept,  healthy  and 
hardy,  moderate  in  their  demands  for  food,  and  particularly 
eligible  as  stock,  where  an  ornamental  quality,  with  common 
care,  are  considerations.  Specimens  possessing  the  character- 
istics named,  were  shown  by  E.  S.  Rand,  Jr.,  John  Shorey, 
Theodore  Shorey,  Dedham,  and  James  Cobb,  Canton. 

Fayal  Fowls. — Those  of  this  description,  the  original  of 
the  Improved  Black  Spanish,  exhibited  by  John  Fiissell,  Ja- 
maica Plain,  and  C.  B.  Ward,  Dedham,  were  very  fine.  They 
are  good  layers  of  the  largest  sized  eggs, — exceeding  that  of 
any  other  fowl  of  similar  size.  The  weight  of  the  male  is 
from  four  to  six  pounds,  while  that  of  the  female  is  from 
three  to  four  pounds,  having  all  the  characteristics  of  plumage 
and  other  markings  of  the  Black  Spanish. 

White  Dorkings. — Among  the  many  varieties  which  are 
cultivated  by  the  most  discerning  breeders,  this  seems  to  be 
the  one  prized  to  the  highest  degree.  It  is  what  may  be 
emphatically  designated  a  model  fowl,  in  consideration  of  its 
physical  proficiency,  and  producing  and  other  qualities.  No 
fowl,  certainly,  is  better  suited  to  meet  the  general  wants  of 
poultry  keepers,  or  to  the  production  of  profit,  to  use  plainer 
terms.  They  are  what  is  called  "  partridge  built,"  round  and 
compact  in  form,  carry  more  flesh  to  their  amount"  of  offal  than 
any  other  breed,  are  hardy  in  their  habits,  good  layers  and 
setters,  and  grow,  the  males  from  seven  to  nine  pounds  when 
at  maturity,  the  females,  from  five  to  seven  pounds.  They 
are  easily  reared,  and  reach  maturity  much  sooner  than  any 
other  description  of  poultry.  Their  flesh  is  white,  tender  and 
juicy  ;  in  fact,  nothing  can  exceed  them  as  a  table  fowl.  It  is 
difficult  to  obtain  pure  specimens  in  this  country ;  and  those 
exhibited  were  principally  from  recent  importations  by  mem- 
bers of  the  society.     All   the  features  of  color  and  distinctive 


328  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

markings  assigned  to  the  Dorkings  by  the  best  judges  and 
ablest  writers,  were  present  in  the  specimens  shown.  There 
is  a  peculiarity  about  this,  and  other  fowls,  which  may  be 
mentioned  here. 

When  bred  in  aiid  in  for  a  length  of  time,  the  comb, — al- 
ways single  in  the  carefully  bred  fowl  originally, — becomes 
double,  which  some  recognize  as  a  mark  denoting  degenera- 
tion, while  the  uninitiated  set  greater  value  on  those  having  a 
double  or  rose  comb.  Whether  this  may  arise  from  physical 
disability  or  not,  your  committee  will  not  undertake,  at  this 
time,  to  decide  ;  certain  it  is,  that  the  introduction  of  fresh 
blood  into  stocks  demonstrating  such  features  of  degeneracy, 
(admitting  them  to  be  such,)  is  a  certain  means  to  counteract 
its  progress. 

Aylesbury  Ducks. — Your  committee  would  recommend  at- 
tention to  the  advantages  arising  from  the  breeding  of  this 
variety  of  the  duck  tribe. 

The  principal  one  is,  the  greater  weight  to  which  they  attain 
at  the  commencement  of  the  winter  season  than  any  of  the 
more  common  varieties  ;  but  they  are  also  beyond  comparison 
with  the  common  sorts,  in  point  of  easy  management  and 
productive  qualities ;  they  are  the  earliest  layers  and  setters  of 
any  of  the  varieties. 

In  the  latter  respect,  none  are  easier  to  propagate.  They 
are  beautifully  ornamental, — have  fine  white,  downy  feathers, 
pure  colored  skin,  and  white,  delicate  and  savory  flesh,  which, 
associated  with  their  large  size,  render  them  the  most  marketa- 
ble fowls  of  their  kind, — the  most  profitable  in  every  respect. 
At  seven  to  eight  months  old,  they  attain  to  the  weight  of  ten 
to  twelve  pounds  per  pair. 

China  (or  Tchin-Tchu)  Goose. — Some  of  the  contributors 
entered  them  under  the  name  of  Mountain  Goose,  which  was 
not  correct ;  for  the  Mountain  Goose,* — a  misnomer  with  us, — 
is  a  judicious  cross  between  the  Tchin-Tchu  and  Bremen  or 
Embden  Goose.     The   former  variety,  in  its  purity,  attains  at 

*  Mountain  Goose, — Anas  picta, — is  larger  than  the  tame  goose,  and  has  the  head, 
neck  and  quill  feathers  of  the  wings  of  a  very  beautiful  glossy  green.  It  frequents  the  val- 
ley of  Waitreriy  or  Roode-sand,  and  is  sometimes  seen  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  329 

maturity  to  nearly  fifty  pounds  per  pair,  while  the  latter  attains 
to  from  thirty-five  to  forty  pounds  per  pair.  Early  maturity  is 
one  of  the  most  noted  characteristics  of  this  cross.  They  can 
be  reared  to  fourteen  pounds  weight,  dressed,  in  sixteen  weeks. 
The  cross  is  one  of  the  most  acceptable  descriptions  of  fowl 
that  can  be  brought  to  market ;  where  it  always  commands  a 
high  price. 

Your  committee  noted  some  specimens  which  had  a  small 
protuberance,  or  knot,  on  the  necks  of  the  China  geese  ex- 
hibited. It  appears  to  your  committee  that  this  feature  pro- 
ceeds from  an  infusion  of  the  blood  of  the  Aiias-melanotus,  or 
black-backed  goose,  with  the  Tchin-Tchu  variety,  which  forms 
one  part  of  the  cross,  showing  that  there  had  been  a  cross 
previous  to  the  importation  of  this  lot.  The  black-backed 
goose  is  a  native  of  the  country  to  the  north  of  the  Ganges, 
and  is  to  be  found  in  Ceylon  and  Madagascar,  and  is  said  to 
be  the  largest  variety  of  goose. 

The  variety  contributed  are  called  by  the  various  names 
(though  erroneously)  of  Hong  Kong,  (fee.  It  is  agreed,  on  all 
hands,  by  those  who  have  visited  Hong  Kong,  that  710  variety 
of  fowl  is  bred  at  that  place.  C.  R.  Belcher,  East  Randolph, 
exhibited  the  best  specimens  of  the  Tchin-Tchu  and  Bremen 
geese. 

Black  Bantams. — Some  of  the  finest  specimens  of  this 
clean-legged  variety  were  shown  by  Francis  Guild,  Dedham, 
and  John  Fussell,  Jamaica  Plain. 

JVative  Fowls. — A  fine  lot  of  native,  or  dung-hill  fowls, 
were  shown  by  William  Hill,  Dedham. 

Black  Turkeys. — Nearly  equal  praise  should  be  accorded 
to  those  exhibited  by  Lemuel  Kingsbury,  Need  ham,  and  John 
Dean,  Dedham.  They  were  all  dark  in  plumage,  and  showed 
a  strong  infusion  of  blood  of  the  wild  breed. 

Silver  Pheasants  and  Sebright  Bantams,  in  their  purity, 
were  shown  by  Charles  Sampson,  West  Roxbury,  and  added 
much  to  the  interest  of  this  department  of  the  exhibition. 

In  conclusion,  your  committee  would  urge  on  members  the 
importance, — as  has  been  before  hinted, — of  breeding  from  the 
purest  of  the  distinctive  varieties  of  fowls,  whether  for  per- 
42 


330  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

petuating  a  variety  in  its  purity  or  successful  crossing.  The 
first  aim  of  every  one  who  would  raise  fowls  should  be,  to 
possess  himself  of  the  purest  stock  of  whatever  description  he 
may  fancy  or  deem  best  suited  to  the  circumstances  of  his 
location,  climate  and  other  conditions.  Every  denomination 
has  its  standard  of  merit,  and  it  is  desirable  to  have  that  stand- 
ard raised  as  high  as  a  regard  to  the  distinctive  qualities  and 
stamina  of  its  members  will  allow. 

The  committee  would  suggest  that,  in  future,  some  rule 
should  be  definitely  laid  down  whereby  popular  judgment 
could  be  regulated  on  unerring  principle ;  they  would  further 
suggest  that  the  prizes  should  be  distributed  so  as  to  embrace 
a  larger  number  of  known  popular  varieties  of  barn-yard  fowls, 
with  a  view  that  this  definitive  process  should  be  made  to  em- 
brace the  whole  of  them  ;  also  that  the  number  of  gallinaceous 
fowls  should  not  exceed  twelve  of  the  choicest  specimens, 
to  entitle  the  contributor  to  compete  for  the  best  lot  of  fowls. 

We  would  further  recommend,  in  consideration  of  the  obvi- 
ous importance  of  poultry  raising,  that  a  prize  be  off'ered  for 
the  best  Essay  on  the  Management  of  Domestic  Fowls,  with 
reference  to  the  special  conditions  of  climate,  and  other  influ- 
ences in  Massachusetts,  which  aff'ect  this  item  of  domestic 
economy.  This  prize  might  not  be  less  than  $25,  and,  should 
a  larger  sum  be  assigned  by  the  society,  it  would  not  be  spent 

in  vain. 

EBEN   WIGHT,   Chairman. 


Dairy  Products. 
'There  was  awarded  on  butter : 
To  Rev.  C.  C.  Sewall,  of  Medfield,  1st  premium,         .  |10  00 
"   George  F.  Adams,    "         "  2d       "  .8  00 

The  committee  recommend,  also,  that  the  society's  first  pre- 
mium of  $10,  on  milk  of  any  ntmiber  of  cows  more  than  seven, 
be  awarded  to  John  H.  Robinson,  of  Dorchester,  who  has 
made  a  long  and  valuable  statement  of  the  number  of  cows 
kept  by  him  ;  of  the  quantity  and  value  of  their  milk,  and  his 
method  of  keeping  them. 


NORFOLK    SOCIETY.  331 

Charles  C.  SewalPs  Statement. 

I  offer,  for  premium,  twenty  pounds  of  September  butter,  a 
part  of  9S6  pounds,  made  on  my  farm  between  the  20th  of 
May  and  20th  of  September,  1851.  I  have  milked  ten  new 
milch  cows  and  two  farrow  heifers  during  the  season.  My 
family  has  consisted  of  from  twelve  to  seventeen  persons.  New 
milk  and  cream  have  been  used  freely  at  the  table,  particularly 
the  former,  in  large  quantities,  daily,  for  several  young  children. 

Eight  of  these  cows  received  only  grass  feed,  and,  occa- 
sionally, corn  stover.  One  had,  in  addition,  from  one  to  two 
quarts  of  meal  most  of  the  time ;  and  two  have  had  a  few 
pumpkins  during  the  last  week. 

The  cream  was  allowed  to  stand  thirty-six  hours  in  a  cool 
room,  and  was  then  placed  in  stone  jars,  and  kept,  generally, 
on  ice.  The  weekly  gathering  was  churned  in  two  parts. 
The  buttermilk  was  thoroughly  worked  out  with  the  hands, 
and  the  butter  salted  with  the  usual  proportion  of  fine  rock 
salt. 

The  whole  management  of  the  cream  and  butter  has  been 
the  work  of  one  of  my  daughters. 

Medfield,  Sept.  22,  1851. 

George  F.  Adamses  Statenietii. 

I  offer,  for  premium,  two  boxes  of  September  butter,  con- 
taining twenty-five  pounds.  I  have  made,  since  the  20th  of 
May,  408  pounds.  From  the  20th  of  May  to  the  25th  of 
June,  I  had  but  two  cows  ;  after  that  time,  four  and  five  cows  ; 
but  since  the  first  of  August,  we  have  churned  only  from  four 
cows. 

There  is  nothing  unusual  in  our  method  of  making  butter. 
The  milk  is  kept  in  a  cool  room,  and  generally  stands  about 
thirty-six  hours.  The  buttermilk  is  worked  out  with  the 
hands. 

The  salt  used  was  fine  rock  salt,  about  one  ounce  to  the 
pound.  The  feed  of  the  cows  has  been  grass  and  some  corn 
fodder. 

Medfield,  Sept.  23,  1851. 


332  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

John  H.  Robinson's  Statement. 

I  send  you  a  statement  of  the  product  of  milk  from  my 
stock  of  cows,  consisting,  a  part  of  the  year,  of  twenty-one 
head,  and  another  part,  of  sixteen  head  ;  five  having  been  sold 
in  the  course  of  the  first  nine  months  of  the  year,  so  that  the 
whole  stock  for  the  year  would  average  nineteen  head. 

I  accordingly  predicate  my  statement  and  estimate  of  milk, 
as  being  the  yield  of  nineteen  head  for  one  year,  from  Septem- 
ber 1,  1850,  to  September  1,  1851. 

The  time  of  their  calving  was  as  follows : 

1  in  January,  1850. 
5  "  October,      " 

9  "  November,  " 

2  "  December,  " 

2  "  January,  1851. 
2  "  February,    " 

21  total. 
Deduct     5  of  the  above  sold  in  the  first  nine  months. 

16  balance  of  stock  on  hand,  July  1,  1850. 
Add  3  as  the  average  for  the  whole  year  of  those  sold. 

19  whole  stock  for  the  year  from  September  1,  1850, 
to  September  1,  1851. 

As  my  milk  was  all  sold  to  the  same  men,  for  the  Boston 
market,  I  can  give  an  accurate  account  of  it,  and  also  the 
amount  received  for  the  same.  The  following  memorandum 
will  give  you  the  quantity  and  prices  obtained : 

From  September  1  to  October  1, 1850, 

«     October  1,  1850  to  January  1,  1851,  2,2395 

"     January  1  to  April  1,  1851, 

"      April  1  to  July  1,  1851, 

"     July  1  to  September  1,  1851, 

Total,    -  -  .  . 

Add  the  quantity  used  in  the  family, 
say  1  gal.  per  day, 

Total  yield,      -  .  .  9,831i  "  |1,238  17 


667  galls. 

at  11  cts.. 

$73  67 

2,2395   " 

"  14    " 

313  56 

2,793     " 

"  14    " 

391  02 

2,577i  " 

"  11    " 

283  49 

1,189^  " 

«  11    " 

130  81 

9,466i  " 

$1,192  55 

365     « 

«  12j|  « 

45  62 

NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  333 

You  will  perceive  that  my  cows  all  come  in  with  calf  in  the 
fall  and  winter,  so  that  they  had  not  the  advantage  of  pastur- 
ing, at  the  time  of  calving.  They  were  well  fed  and  cared 
for,  however,  being  kept  in  a  warm  barn  and  fed  with  great 
care  and  regularity,  and  watered  three  times  each  day  and 
evening  through  the  winter  ;  the  last  watering  in  the  evening 
at  eight  o'clock,  which  process  is  performed  in  the  barn.  My 
feed  is  salt  and  English  hay,  about  half  each,  with  shorts  and 
grains  mixed,  say  half  a  bushel  to  each  cow  in  milk  per  day. 
The  cost  of  this  feed  of  grain,  is  five  cents  per  head  each  day. 
My  stock,  in  the  spring,  were  all  in  first  rate  order,  and  would 
sell^  for  slaughter  or  fattening,  for  nearly  as  much  per  head  as 
they  cost  in  the  fall. 

In  the  summer,  as  my  pasture  is  small,  and  does  not  afford 
sufficient  food,  I  raise  corn  fodder  and  begin  to  feed  as  early  as 
possible  once  a  day, — recently,  owing  to  the  drought,  twice 
each  day.  The  quantity  that  can  be  raised  on  an  acre  is  such 
as  to  make  it,  in  my  opinion,  the  cheapest  and  best  crop  that 
can  be  raised  for  summer  feeding. 

If,  after  taking  into  account  the  number  of  cows,  you  find 
the  yield  such  as  to  entitle  me  to  the  favorable  consideration  of 
the  committee,  it  will  be  acceptable  to  me,  but  not  unless  my 
stock  deserve  it.  It  cannot  be  supposed  that  so  large  a  stock 
will  be  made  to  yield  so  much  per  head  the  year  through  as  a 
smaller  stock.  The  yield  per  head  for  the  whole  year,  I  think 
will  not  fall  much  short  of  one  and  a  half  gallons  per  day. 

Dorchester,  Sept.  25,  1851. 


Bread. 


Simple  as  this  aliment  appears,  it  is  susceptible  of  great  im- 
provement, by  attention,  labor,  and  a  little  philosophy.  A  hint 
to  the  ladies,  in  any  good  work,  is  always  sufficient.  Your 
committee  would  not  venture  even  to  make  a  suggestion  on 
this  subject,  were  it  not  of  vital  importance  to  the  community, 
that  good  bread  should  be  found  upon  the  table  of  every  person 
in  the  country. 


334  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

There  is  an  abundance  of  what  may  be  termed  "fancy" 
bread,  made  in  almost  every  family  ;  but  there  is  but  here  and 
there  a  housewife  who  can  place  upon  her  table  a  loaf  of  un- 
exceptionable bread,  of  her  own  manufacture.  Now  there  is 
no  good  reason  why  this  should  be  the  case,  as  the  ingredients 
to  make  good  bread  are  always  at  hand  in  this  country,  viz., 
good  flour,  good  yeast,  good  water,  and  good  salt.  These  are 
the  only  things  that  should  ever  enter  into  the  composition  of 
bread  ;  milk,  molasses,  and  alkalis,  should  never  be  used, — 
these  only  deteriorate  and  take  from  its  excellence ;  neither 
should  any  of  these  ingredients  enter  into  the  composition  of 
the  yeast. 

The  materials  which  go  to  form  good  bread,  are  liable  to 
three  fermentations,  viz.  :  first,  vinous;  second,  acetous ;  third, 
putrefactive.  The  first,  makes  the  bread  light  ;  and  at  this 
stage,  the  dough  should  be  baked  ;  the  second,  makes  it  sour ; 
the  third,  totally  ruins  the  mass.  All  the  ingredients,  except 
the  four  first  named,  tend  to  hasten  and  bring  about  the  second 
and  third  fermentations,  and  to  spoil  its  healthful  and  nutritious 
qualities.  The  good  housewife  will  therefore  make  this  sub- 
ject a  matter  of  watchful  care  ;  experience  will  soon  point  out 
to  her  the  precise  moment  the  bread  should  go  into  the  oven. 

The  committee  may,  perhaps,  have  already  dilated  upon  this 
subject,  beyond  what  may  appear  necessary  in  a  report ;  but  as 
good  bread  appears  to  them  to  be  of  great  importance,  they 
venture  a  few  hints  in  connection  with  this  case,  viz.  :  on  ovens. 
For  after  all  the  good  wife's  care,  if  she  has  not  an  oven  of  the 
right  sort,  she  will  never  produce  the  best  bread.  An  old-fash- 
ioned oven,  built  of  brick,  is  the  best  for  baking  bread,  and  will 
give  a  "  better  bake"  than  any  stove  now  in  use. 

After  the  bread  is  taken  from  the  oven,  it  should  be  placed 
in  some  open,  airy  situation,  that  it  may  imbibe  the  oxygen, 
instead  of  being  covered  up,  as  is  often  the  case  ;  thus  prevent- 
ing the  hydrogen  being  thrown  off  by  a  proper  process  of  cool- 
ing. But  enough ;  these  few  hints  may  prove  useful  to  some 
good  lady  who  is  aiming  to  take  the  first  premium  for  good 
bread,  at  the  next  exhibition  of  the  society. 

Believing,  as  your  committee  do,  that  the  best  bread  can  be 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  335 

made  with  the  four  articles  above-named,  they  have  refrained  to 
submit  any  of  (he  statements  made,  as  to  the  materials  used,  or 
the  manner  of  making  the  bread  exhibited.  Practice,  and  that 
alone,  will  make  the  housewife  perfect  in  this  useful  art. 

SAMUEL  WALKER,   Chairman. 


Bees  and  Honey. 

You  offered  two  premiums  for  the  best  display  of  honey, 
one  of  eight,  the  other  of  four  dollars.  They  were  sufficiently 
liberal  premiums.  The  raising  of  bees  demands  but  a  very 
small  original  outlay.  If  the  enterprise  be  at  all  successful, 
the  remuneration  is  large  enough  for  its  own  reward.  There 
are,  however,  desiderata  which  justify  the  encouragement  in 
your  power  to  grant.  First  of  these,  is  a  hive  that  can  be 
conveniently  attended,  and  answering  all  the  ordinary  pur- 
poses demanded  for  the  deposit  of  honey.  These  are,  a  prin- 
cipal hive  and  coimecting  boxes,  with  easy  and  well  arranged 
passages,  and  which  can  be  added  or  removed  at  pleasure,  with 
the  least  possible  disturbance  to  the  bee.  Second,  an  arrange- 
ment that,  preserving  the  above  conditions,  shall  effectually 
prevent  the  intrusion  of  the  bee-moth,  or  bee-pirate.  Third,  a 
feeding  apparatus, — and  lastly,  a  bee  nutriment,  that  shall  en- 
sure the  life  of  the  insect  in  deficiency  of  a  supply  of  honey, 
and,  if  practicable,  increase  the  quantity  of  honey.  There  are 
many  hives  constructed,  that  rather  resemble  the  Cretan  laby- 
rinth than  a  bee-hive,  the  geography  of  which,  is  about  the 
study  of  a  life-time. 

The  committee,  having  these  points  in  view,  hoped  for  an 
opportunity  of  instituting  comparisons  between  different  hives 
and  different  results  of  experiments.  In  this  they  were  disap- 
pointed. One  hive  was  presented,  but  having  no  pretensions 
above  many  others  in  frequent  use  ;  and  a  few  glasses  of  honey 
were  presented  by  another  contributor,  without  any  model  of 
the  hive,  or  statement  of  facts. 

■   We  know  that  Norfolk  county  could  furnish  20  or  30  com- 
petitors, and  we   trust  another  year  will  elicit  facts,  to  show 


336  NORFOLK   SOCIETY. 

how  the  bee-]]ouse  may  rival  the  poultry  yard,  or  yield,  at  least, 
a  handsome  compensation  on  a  small  capital. 

SAMUEL  B.  BABCOCK,  Chairman. 


Grain  Crops. 

Claims  for  premiums  were  entered  by  the  following  persons, 
viz. : — Horatio  Mason,  of  Medway,  on  wheat  and  barley  ;  H.  W. 
Jones,  of  Dover,  on  Indian  corn,  winter  rye  and  oats ;  H.  Rob- 
inson, of  Needham,  on  spring  rye ;  William  Pierce  and  G. 
Revere,  of  Needham,  on  Indian  corn.  All  the  fields  were 
examined  by  one  or  more  of  your  committee.  It  was  our 
desire  to  obtain  accurate  information  ;  we  wished  to  ascertain 
the  essential  facts  in  each  case  ;  we  wished  to  have  our  report 
based  on  facts,  and  facts  only, — for  such  basis  is  alone  reliable 
and  useful. 

Mr.  Mason  raised  25  bushels  of  wheat  on  180  rods,  or  at  the 
rate  of  between  22  and  23  bushels  to  the  acre.  This,  though 
not  so  large  a  crop  as  raised  by  Mr.  Mason  last  year,  is  never- 
theless much  larger  than  the  average  crop  to  the  acre,  in  the 
great  wheat-growing  state  of  Ohio.  This  is  an  encouraging 
fact  for  Norfolk  county.  The  premium  of  ten  dollars  is  award- 
ed to  Mr.  Mason.  Your  committee  would  gladly  have  recom- 
mended, that  a  premium  be  awarded  for  his  crop  of  barley; 
but  the  regulation  of  the  society  requires  that  the  experiment 
made  on  each  of  the  "  grain  crops,"  excepting  wheat,  should 
be  on  not  less  than  one  acre  of  land. 

Henry  Robinson,  of  Needham,  raised  18  bushels  of  spring 
rye  on  one  acre,  and  Hiram  W.  Jones,  of  Dover,  16  bushels  of 
winter  rye.  Mr.  Jones's  statement  on  this  subject,  as  is  also 
his  statement  upon  his  crops  of  corn  and  oats,  is  full  and  satis- 
factory. But  as  winter  rye  ordinarily  yields  considerably  more 
than  spring,  the  committee  are  of  opinion,  that  the  society's 
premium  of  six  dollars  should  be  awarded  to  Mr.  Robinson. 

William  Pierce,  of  Needham,  raised  100  bushels  of  corn  on 
an  acre,  and  Hiram  W.  Jones,  of  Dover,  70  bushels  on  an  acre. 
From  the  statements  of  these  gentlemen,  it  will  appear  that 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  337 

both  of  (hem  estimate  their  land  at  the  same  value,  viz.,  $Q0 
per  aero.  Your  committee  recommend,  that  the  premium  of 
ten  dollars  be  awarded  to  Mr.  Pierce,  and  the  premium  of  six 
dollars,  to  Mr.  Jones.  The  last  named  gentleman  raised  105 
bushels  of  oats  on  3^  acres.  We  recommend  that  the  premium 
of  six  dollars  be  given  him  for  his  crop  of  oats. 

Your  committee  are  unwilling  to  close  their  report,  without 
expressing  the  satisfaction  they  feel,  on  account  of  the  in- 
creased interest  manifested  in  the  "grain  crops"  in  our  county. 
The  opinion  has  been  more  or  less  extensively  entertained,  that 
the  cultivation  of  these  crops  in  this  country  is  unprofitable. 
There  may  be  parts  of  the  county  in  which,  on  account  of  the 
high  pi'ice  of  the  land,  this  may  be  correct.  But  where  the 
price  of  the  land,  suitable  for  these  crops,  ranges  from  50  to  75 
dollars  per  acre,  it  is  believed  that  these  grains,  cultivated  with 
skill  and  care,  may  afford  a  handsome  remunerating  profit. 
This  opinion  appears  to  your  committee  to  be  well  sustained 
by  facts  familiar  to  the  intelligent  farmers  in  the  southern  and 
western  parts  of  this  county.  It  is  confirmed  by  the  state- 
ments appended  to  this  report.  The  statements  of  Mr.  Jones 
are  satisfactory  on  this  point.  They  appear  to  be  made  with 
fairness  and  accuracy.  From  these  statements,  it  appears  that 
the  profit  on  the  corn  crop  was  75  per  cent.  ;  that  is,  the  value 
of  the  corn  raised,  was  75  per  cent,  over  and  above  the  cost  of 
production.  This  appears  a  handsome  profit ;  a  profit  which 
mechanics,  manufacturers  and  merchants,  would  be  glad  to 
realize.  But  large  as  this  profit  appears,  the  profit  on  Mr. 
Jones's  crop  of  rye  and  oats  was  still  larger,  being  at  least  100 
per  cent.  It  will  be  remembered,  too,  that  the  past  season  has 
not,  in  this  vicinity,  been  favorable  to  the  grain  crops.  A  part 
of  the  season  was  very  wet,  a  part  very  dry,  and  most  of  it 
colder  than  usual.  The  crops  of  grain  were  generally  lighter 
than  in  common  years ;  and  still,  notwithstanding  these  un- 
favorable circumstances,  the  grain  crops  in  our  county,  that 
have  been  cultivated  with  skill  and  care,  have  yielded  a  hand- 
some remunerating  profit.  Your  committee  regret  very  much, 
that  there  has  been  so  great  delay  on  the  part  of  the  claimants 
in  sending  written  statements  to  them.  They  have  suffered 
43 


338  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

much  inconvenience  from  this  canse.  It  is  very  desirable  that 
all  committees  should  have  in  good  season,  the  facts  upon 
which  their  reports  are  based,  that  thus  they  may  have  suffi- 
cient time  to  form  their  opinions  deliberately,  and  make  out 
their  reports  with  care.  Unless  opinions  and  reports  rest  upon 
such  a  basis,  they  are  of  comparatively  little  value. 

Your  committee,  therefore,  in  closing  their  report,  urgently 
recommend  the  adoption  and  enforcement  of  the  following 
regulation,  to  wit: — That  every  person  who  puts  in  a  claim 
for  a  premium  on  any  of  the  "  grain  crops,"  shall,  on  or  be- 
fore the  15th  of  November  each  year,  send  to  the  chairman  of 
the  committee  on  the  aforesaid  crops,  a  written  statement, 
containing,  besides  any  other  suggestions  that  he  may  make, 
the  following  particulars,  viz. : — a  description  of  the  soil ;  the 
value  of  the  land ;  the  annual  interest  on  that  value  :  the 
amount  of  taxes;  the  value  of  manure,  or  ashes,  or  plaster 
used  ;  the  cost  of  seed  ;  the  expense  of  preparing  the  ground; 
of  sowing  or  planting  ;  of  cultivating  and  harvesting  the  crop; 
and  the  total  value  of  the  crop  raised  ;  that  thus,  by  a  single 
glance,  the  net  cost  of  the  production  may  be  seen. 

RALPH  SANGER,  Chairman. 

Horatio  Masoivs  Slatemeut  on  Barley. 

The  field  of  barley  which  I  entered  for  premium,  contains 
1.50  rods.  Corn  last  year,  with  a  light  dressing  of  hog  manure. 
This  spring,  the  land  was  ploughed  and  spread  with  10  loads 
green  manure,  and  ploughed  in.  Sowed  1^  bushels  of  barley, 
and  harrowed  in.  The  product,  37^  bushels.  Barley  has  been 
a  favorite  crop,  but  for  the  last  ten  years,  it  has  not  succeeded 
as  well  as  formerly.  Last  year  I  sowed  a  little,  with  a  deter- 
mination to  abandon  it  altogether  if  there  was  no  improvement. 
I  had  a  better  crop  than  in  the  last  six  or  eight  years,  and  this 
year  the  crop  was  a  good  one.  The  land  was  flat,  the  spring 
wet,  and  the  ground  in  bad  order;  so  much  so,  that  the  grain 
was  not  sowed  imtil  tlie  last  of  May  (about  a  month  too  late  ) 
I  consider  barley  the  best  crop  to  lay  down  land  with.  It  is 
also  a  good  substitute  for  corn,  in  fattening  beef  and  pork,  and 
much  easier  raised. 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  339 

I  have  charged  for  two  ploughings,  $2  50;   sowing  and 

harrowing,  1  25,    -             -             -             -       $3  75 

do.  land  worth  ^60  per  acre,  3  60  ;  taxes,  ,50,       -  4  10 

do.  threshing,  $3  50 ;  ten  loads  niannre,  5  00,      -  8  50 
do.  mowing,  raking,  and  carting,  $3  00  ;    l^-  bushels 

seed,  1  75,               -             -             -             -  4  75 


$21   10 

Cr.  by  37|  bushels  barley,  at  75  cts.  per  bushel,     -         $28   13 
E.  Medway,  Nov.,  1851. 

Hoj-atio  Masoii's  Statement  on  Wheat. 

The  wheat  field  which  you  viewed  in  July  last,  contains 
180  rods.  The  soil  is  a  gravelly  loam,  planted  with  corn  the 
last  year,  with  a  dressing  of  twelve  loads  of  green  manure. 

This  spring  the  ground  was  ploughed,  and  about  the  same 
quantity  and  quality  of  manure  spread  as  last  year,  and  ploughed 
in.  The  land  was  then  divided  into  two  equal  parts.  One 
half  the  seed  was  thoroughly  soaked  in  lime  water,  then  mixed 
with  plaster  and  ashes,  and  sown  upon  one  half  the  ground. 
The  other  half  was  sown  at  the  same  time  with  dry  seed,  and 
the  whole  harrowed  in.  There  was  no  perceptible  difference 
in  the  grain,  where  the  seed  was  soaked  and  where  it  was  sown 
dry.  Sowed  the  first  week  in  May,  IJ  bushels — gathered  in 
July — threshed  in  September, 

Product,  twenty-five  bushels.  Weight,  sixty  pounds  per 
bushel.     Land  worth  $75  per  acre. 

I  have  charged  for  use  of  land,  and  taxes,      -             -  $6  75 

<'  "  "  two  ploughings,   -             -             -  3  00 

"  '<  "  sowing  and  harrowing,     -             -  1  25 

"  "  "  one  half,  twelve  loads  manure,     -  6  00 

"  "  "  reaping,  binding,  &c.,       -             -  3  75 

"  "  "  threshing  25  bush.,  12i  cts.  per.  bush.,  3  13 

«'  "  "  1§  bushels  seed,  at  $1  50  per  bush.,  2  62 

Making  the  sum  of  -  $26  50 

Cr.  by  25  bushels  wheat,  at  $1  33  per  bushel,  $33  25 

E.  Medway,  Nov.,  1851. 


340  NORFOLK    SOCIETY. 

Hiram  W.  Joneses  Statement  on  Rye. 

The  crop  of  rye  offered  by  me  for  premium,  was  grown  upon 
an  acre  of  light,  sandy  loam,  which  had  been  sown  with  grass 
two  years  previous,  but  not  become  thickly  swarded.  It  was 
ploughed  the  last  of  September,  1850,  rolled,  harrowed,  sowed 
with  one  and  one  quarter  bushels  of  seed,  then  thoroughly  har- 
rowed and  rolled.     It  was  harvested  the  19th  of  July. 

The  expense  of  the  crop,  was 

For  ploughing,    -             -             -  -  - 
Harrowing  twice,  $1  00  ;  seed,  1  25, 

Rolling  twice,     -             -             -  -  - 

Harvesting,          -             -             .  -  _ 

Threshing  and  winnowing,         -  .  - 

Interest  on  value  of  land,             .  _  . 
Taxes,    ------ 

Total,     -  -  $10  47 


$1 

50 

2 

25 

75 

1 

50 

2 

50 

1 

80 

17 

Value  of  Crop. 

For  16  bushels  rye,  at  $1  00  per  bushel,  -  $16  00 

For  1320  lbs.  straw,  at  .95  per  hundred,  -  5  94 


Total,     -  -  $21  94 

Balance,  -  10  47 


$11  47 


Dover,  Dec.  1,  1851. 


Horatio  W.  Joneses  Statement  on  Oats. 

The  field  of  oats  entered  by  me  for  premium,  contains  about 
five  acres,  and  was  planted  with  corn  in  1849  and  1850.  An 
unusual  quantity  of  rain  having  fallen  the  last  season,  and  a 
part  of  the  field  being  low,  the  crop  of  corn  was  not  large. 
Last  spring  I  commenced  ploughing  as  soon  as  the  highest 
part  W.-S  dry  enough,  (the  first  of  May,)  and  sowed  about  an 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  341 

acre.  I  was  then  obliged  to  leave  it,  on  account  of  the  water, 
until  after  planting.  June  1st,  it  still  was  very  wet,  but  I  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  it  all  sown  with  oats  and  grass  seed.  2.^ 
bushels  oats,  one  peck  herdsgrass,  one  bushel  northern  red- 
top  clover,  (six  pounds)  were  sown  to  the  acre.  It  was  thor- 
oughly harrowed  in,  and  then  rolled.  The  season  continuing 
very  wet,  very  few  of  the  oats  sown  on  the  low  parts  came  up. 
Those  sown  on  the  higher  parts,  came  up  and  grew  very  well. 
One  third  of  the  field,  at  least,  was  so  injured  by  the  water, 
that  it  was  cut  when  green  for  hay,  or  reserved  to  feed  out 
without  threshing.  This  left  three  and  one  third  acres  to  be 
cut  and  threshed.  After  threshing,  the  oats  measured  one  hun- 
dred and  five  bushels.  The  seed  oats  were  of  the  variety 
known  as  the  Bedford  oats,  which  are  less  subject  to  blast, 
than  any  other  variety  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  The 
expense  of  the  crop,  was  as  follows : 

Ploughing,  harrowing,  sowing,  and  rolling  3J  acres, 
at  $2  50  per  acre,  .  -  _  . 

Interest  on  value  of  land,    -  -  _  - 

Taxes,        .--_-- 
Harvesting,  -  >  -  -  _ 

Threshing,  by  horse  power,  and  winnowing. 
Nine  bushels  seed,  at  55  cents, 


$8 

33 

10 

00 

73 

4 

16 

6 

00 

5 

95 

Total,         -  -       $35  17 


The  value  of  the  crop,  was, 

For  105  bushels,  at  55  cents, 
"     2^  tons  straw,  at  $7  00, 


Total, 
Balance, 


57 

75 

17 

50 

$75 

25 

35 

17 

$40  08 


Dover,  Dec.  1,  1851. 

Horatio  JV.  Joneses  Statement  on  Corn. 


The  acre  of  corn,  for  which  I  ask  a  premium,  was  improved 
as  a  corn-field  the  last  year.     There  had  been  no  manure  put 


342  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

upon  it  for  several  years.  The  soil  is  a  gravelly  loam,  (not 
very  rich,)  situated  upon  a  hill  side,  and  well  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  corn.  In  May  of  1850,  the  sward  was  ploughed, 
harrowed  and  manured  in  the  hill  only,  and  planted  with  corn. 
It  yielded  a  fair  crop  in  the  fall.  Last  spring  it  was  ploughed 
twice,  harrowed  once,  and  furrowed  one  way  ;  the  furrows 
three  and  one  half  feet  apart.  On  the  14th  and  loth  days  of 
May,  thirty-two  horse-cart  loads  of  compost  manure,  (twenty 
bushels  each,)  one  half  of  which  was  horse  manure,  the  other 
loam,  (the  whole  having  been  thoroughly  mixed  in  the  barn 
cellar,)  were  carried  on  and  put,  a  shovelful  in  a  place,  about 
three  and  one  third  feet  apart  in  the  furrows,  making  four 
thousand  hills  to  the  acre.  It  was  then  planted  with  a  me- 
dium sized,  very  early  variety  of  corn,  putting  five  kernels  in  a 
hill.  This  corn  I  obtained  from  Acton,  Mass.,  last  winter. 
The  cultivator  was  used  between  the  rows  once,  and  the 
plough  twice,  during  June,  and  it  was  hoed  three  times.  The 
top  stalks  were  cut  the  first  of  September,  and  the  corn  was 
ripe  enough  to  harvest  the  first  of  October.  The  expense  of 
the  crop  was  as  follows,  viz.  : 

Interest  on  land,  at  price  paid  for  it  in  May,  1850,  -  $3  60 
Taxes,  .  -  -  -  .  -  30 

Ploughing,  harrowing,  and  furrowing,  -  -        4  50 

Applying  manure,  $3  00 ;  one  half  the  manure,  10  67,    13  67 
Working  with  cultivator  and  plough, 
Hoeing,  three  times,  $4  00 ;  seed,  25, 
Cutting  and  securing  top  stalks, 
Harvesting  corn,         .  _  -  - 

Total,  -  $36  82 

On  the  25th  of  October,  the  ears  from  twenty-five  hills,  that 
being  the  average  upon  a  square  rod,  were  gathered  and 
weighed. 

Nov.  8,  the  ears  weighed           -             -             -  31 1  lbs. 

Dec.   1,    "   cobs        "                 -             -             _  5    lbs. 

The  shelled  corn  measured        -             -             -  17    qts. 

"         "           "     weighed          -             -             -  25^  lbs. 

Making  seventy  bushels  of  shelled  corn  to  the  acre. 


2  00 

4  25 

1  50 

7  00 

NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  343 

The  value  of  the  crop  was  as  follows,  viz. : 

70  bushels,  at  92  cents,  .  -  . 

Top  stalks,        ----- 
Husks,  _  -  -  .  _ 

Total,  -  $7 A  65 

Deducting  cost  of  crop,     36  82 


$64 

40 

3 

25 

7 

00 

Leaves  net  profit  of,        $37  83 
Cost  of  corn  per  bushel,  52*  2  cents. 
Dover,  Dec.  1,  185  L 

Henry  Rohinsoii's  Statement. 

The  field  is  one  acre — a  warm,  dry  soil.  Stocked  with 
fruit.  Some  of  the  trees  in  bearing  order;  most  of  them,  how- 
ever, but  four  years  from  the  bud.  Has  been  under  cultivation 
four  years.  Planted  first  with  potatoes,  and  the  two  succeed- 
ing years  with  corn.  This  year,  with  rye.  Have  given  it  a 
thin  coating  of  manure  each  year, — say  three  cords.  Sowed 
in  the  spring  one  bushel  and  a  half  of  rye,  and  threshed 
eighteen  bushels  this  fall.     The  statement  is  this,  therefore  : 

Ground,  -  -  -  _  _  1  acre. 

Seed,   ------         11  bushel. 

Manure,  -  -  -  -  -         3  cords. 

Grain,  -  -  -  -  -  18  bushels. 

Needham,  Nov.  25,  1851. 

William  Pierce's  Slateme?it. 

The  quantity  of  land  on  which  my  corn  was  raised,  measured 
two  acres.  In  the  spring  of  1850,  this  land  was  turned  over, 
and  planted  with  corn  and  potatoes  ;  manured  with  compost, 
putting  one  shovelful  in  the  hill.  The  compost  was  composed 
of  mud,  loam,  and  green  manure,  composted  in  the  barn-yard 
the  previous  summer. 

Ill  the  spring  of  1851,  I  ploughed  this  land  two  inches 
deeper  than  the  year   previous,  (ploughed  eight  inches  deep.) 


344  NORFOLK   SOCIETY. 

Upon  one  acre,  composed  of  black,  sandy  loam,  I  spread  six 
loads  of  green  manure,  twenty-five  to  thirty  bushels  to  the 
load,  harrowed  well,  furrowed  with  plough  one  way,  three  feet 
apart,  applied  one  shovelful  of  manure  in  the  hill,  2|  feet  apart 
in  the  row ;  this  manure  was  a  compost  of  mud,  loam,  night 
soil,  and  green  manure,  thoroughly  composted.  The  corn  was 
planted  on  the  16th  and  17th  of  May,  putting  four  or  five 
kernels  in  the  hill ;  hoed  twice.  Harvested  1st  of  November. 
One  rod  was  selected,  which  was  considered  a  fair  sample  of 
the  acre.  This  rod  yielded  twenty  quarts  of  shelled  corn. 
To  the  additional  acre,  a  lighter  sandy  loam,  I  applied  four 
loads  of  green  manure.  In  other  respects,  the  two  lots  had 
precisely  similar  treatment,  and  the  yield  was  obtained  in  a 
like  manner,  one  rod  yielding  sixteen  quarts,  one  pint. 

Value  of  land,  per  acre,  $60.     Taxes,  45  cents  on  $100. 

Needham,  1851. 


Root  Crops. 

There  was  awarded  to  Elijah  Perry,  Jr.,  of  Dover,  for  the 
best  field  of  carrots,  the  premium  of  $6. 

Elijah  Perry,  Jr.^s  Statement. 

The  ground  on  which  I  raised  my  carrots,  which  I  offer  for 
premium,  measures  one-half  acre,  one  and  six-tenths  rods.  It 
was  in  carrots  last  year.  After  gathering  the  carrots,  I  spread 
six  horse-cart  loads  of  compost  manure,  ploughed  it  in,  and  let 
it  lie  till  spring,  when  I  spread  seven  horse-cart  loads  more  of 
compost  manure,  and  ploughed  it  in.  I  ploughed  the  ground 
twice,  and  harrowed  it  once  in  the  spring.  On  the  18th  day 
of  May,  I  ploughed  it  into  ridges,  about  twenty-eight  inches 
apart,  and  sowed  by  hand,  one  row  to  the  ridge.  This  work 
was  done  by  two  men  and  a  horse,  in  a  little  more  than  half 
of  a  day.  The  first  weeding  was  done  with  a  garden  hoe,  as 
soon  as  the  carrots  could  be  distinguished  from  the  weeds. 
The  second  time,  I  run  a  cultivator  between  the  rows  and 
thinned  the  carrots,  and  the  third  time,  I  did  not  intend  to 


NORFOLK  SOCIETY.  345 

leave  the  carrots  nearer  than  seven  inches,  and  from  that  to  six 
inches  apart.  After  this,  the  cultivator  was  run  through  the 
rows  once,  and  a  little  work  was  done  with  a  hoe.  Where  the 
carrot  seed  did  not  come  up  well,  I  sowed  ruta  baga  seed  at  the 
second  weeding.  The  dry  weather  seemed  at  one  time  to  stop 
the  growth,  but  after  the  rains  came,  they  started  and  grew 
well. 

I  had  10,095  lbs.  of  carrots — 5  tons,  95  lbs. — or  180  bushels 
and  15  lbs.,  estimating  56  lbs.  to  the  bushel;  and  I  raised  on 
the  same  ground  where  the  carrots  did  not  come  up,  2,550  lbs. 
ruta  bagas.  I  have  sold  one  ton  of  ruta  bagas  at  $8  per  ton, 
and  about  one  half  the  carrots  at  $10  per  ton.  At  these  prices, 
the  carrots  would  amount  to  -  -  -         $50  50 

Ruta  bagas,        -  -  -  -  -  10  20 


|60  70 


The  expense  of  ploughing  and  harrowing,     $1  25 


"    sowing, 

1  50 

"    first  weeding,  - 

1  00 

"    second    "           - 

1  25 

"    third       " 

1  25 

"    cultivating  and  hoeing, 

1  00 

"    harvesting. 

2  75 

I  charge  for 

manure,      _             .             - 

■    13  00 

23  00 

Net  profit,  -  -  -  -         |37  70 

I  have  charged  nothing  for  the  fall  ploughing;  nor  getting 
the  manure  on  the  land,  supposing  that  the  land  might  be 
enough  better  to  pay  for  the  work ;  nor  have  I  charged  for  the 
use  of  the  land,  choosing  to  let  others  make  their  own  esti- 
mate. I  have  raised  carrots  on  a  small  portion  of  this  land  three 
years,  and  my  opinion  is,  that  they  grow  quite  as  well  the  sec- 
ond or  third  year  as  the  first. 

Dover,  Nov.  14,  1851. 
44 


346  NORFOLK  SOCIETY. 

Agricultural  Implements. 
There  are  in  the  county,  manufactories  of  hoes  and  forks, 
producing,  it  is  believed,  the  best  articles  of  the  kind  in  the 
world.  Not  a  single  article  of  Norfolk  county  manufacture  was 
entered  for  exhibition.  This  is,  probably,  partly  owing  to  the 
fact  referred  to  in  our  report  last  year,  that  the  articles  exhib- 
ited the  previous  year,  received  no  notice  from  the  committee ; 
but  perhaps  more  to  the  fact,  that  the  society  is  understood  to 
offer  premiums  only  for  "  new  agricultural  implements  ;"  that 
is,  for  new  inventions.  The  committee  suggest  that  this  re- 
striction upon  the  action  of  the  committee  for  the  next  year,  be 
removed.  The  society  offer  premiums  for  the  best  fruits,  the 
best  vegetables,  without  requiring  that  they  should  be  new  va- 
rieties. The  offer  of  premiums  for  the  best  agricultural  imple- 
ments, would  undoubtedly  invite  competition  and  secure  a  fuller 
exhibition.  It  is  hardly  creditable,  that  an  exhibition,  second 
to  that  of  hardly  any  county  in  the  State  for  agricultural  pro- 
ducts, should  be  entirely  without  agricultural  implements.  The 
only  exhibitors  in  this  department,  were  Messrs.  Prouty  & 
Mears ;  and  the  articles  entered,  were  two  hay-cutters,  two 
churns,  one  cultivator,  and  three  ploughs. 

F.  W.  BIRD.  Chairman. 


PLYMOUTH    SOCIETY.  347 


PLYMOUTH   COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


The  annual  festival  of  the  farmers  of  this  county  came  off 
at  Bridgewater,  on  Wednesday,  the  8th  of  October  last.  The 
first  feature  in  the  exhibition  of  the  day,  was  the  ploughing 
match,  which  took  place  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning.  There 
were  twenty-six  teams,  of  one  pair  of  oxen  each,  entered.  The 
contest  was  very  spirited  and  the  work  was  performed  in  a 
most  skilful  manner.  The  committee  recommend  that  for  the 
future  every  ploughman  should  drive  his  own  team,  and  that 
all  who  wish  may  strike  out  their  own  lands,  with  an  additional 
compensation  therefor.  As  the  object  is  to  do  work  not  only 
well  but  cheap,  it  is  thought  that  the  premiums  should  be  so 
graduated,  as  to  encourage  and  reward  the  man  that  drives  his 
own  team. 

The  trial  of  working  oxen  took  place  on  the  hill  opposite 
the  LTnitarian  church.  Thirty-two  teams  were  entered.  The 
test  of  superiority  was  the  drawing  of  a  load  of  about  5000 
pounds,  up  the  hill  and  back. 

There  were  twenty  fat  oxen  offered  for  premium.  One  pair 
was  exhibited  by  Abraham  T.  Low,  weighing  4200  pounds, 
and  a  pair  by  Augustus  Pratt,  of  Middleborough,  weighing  3360 
pounds.  The  number  of  entries  of  milch  cows  and  heifers 
was  much  larger  than  that  of  former  years,  and  superior  in 
quality.  Of  horses  and  colts,  but  few  specimens  were  exhib- 
ited. 

The  display  of  dairy  products,  and  of  fruits  and  vegetables, 
was  unusually  large  and  excellent. 

The  address  was  delivered  by  James  E.  Teschemacher,  Esq., 
of  Boston. 


On    Improvements. 

The  committee  on  improvements  can  at  this  time  only  report 
on  two  classes  of  premiums  offered  some  years  since. 


348  PLYMOUTH    SOCIETY. 

Ill  18 18,  three  prospective  premiums  were  offered  "  to  the 
person  who  shall  do  the  most  effectml  work  with  the  plough 
or  hoe  in  subduing  bushes  in  pasture  land  from  May,  1848,  to 
October,  1851." 

For  those  premiums,  three  entries  were  seasonably  made ; 
one  was  subsequently  withdrawn. 

The  committee  recommend  the  award  of  the  first  premium 
of  ^10  to  Chipman  Porter,  of  Halifax,  he  having  effectually 
subdued  six  acres  of  bush  pasture  at  an  expense  of  about  $10 
per  acre. 

Austin  J.  Roberts,  of  Middleborough,  has  partially  reclaimed 
four  acres  of  very  rough  land  at  a  great  expense,  but  we  appre- 
hend that  the  trustees  in  offering  those  premiums,  did  not  con- 
template bestowing  them  on  competitors  who  should  attempt 
the  renovation  of  pasture  land  at  an  expense  of  $50  or  $60 
per  acre  ;  there  are  few  localities  in  the  county  that  would 
justify  so  great  an  outlay,  unless  there  were  some  very  visible 
evidences  of  fertility. 

It  is  to  be  feared  that  applicants  for  those  premiums  in  their 
eagerness  to  become  successful  competitors,  may  sometimes, 
(from  a  misconception  of  their  interest,)  destroy  much  young 
growing  wood,  which  in  a  few  years  would  become  vastly 
more  valuable  than  indifferent  pasture  land. 

Three  prospective  premiums  were  offered  in  1848,  "for  the 
most  judiciously  cultivated  farm  of  not  less  than  twenty  acres," 
payable  in  1851.  Three  entries  were  originally  made,  two 
have  since  been  withdrawn,  leaving  Orsamus  Littlejohn,  of 
Middleborough,  without  a  competitor. 

It  is  a  matter  of  regret,  that  when  there  are  so  many  farms 
in  the  county  of  Plymouth  that  should  merit  this  distinction, 
so  few  competitors  should  be  found.  We  recommend  the 
award  of  the  2d  premium  of  $20  to  Mr.  Littlejohn. 

Mr.  Littlejohn  combines  the  two-fold  occupation  of  farmer 
and  blacksmith,  and  owns  a  farm  of  fifty-six  acres,  twenty- 
two  acres  of  wood  land,  twelve  acres  of  unimproved,  and 
twenty-two  acres  of  improved  land.  The  appearance  of  his 
farm  when  divested  of  crops  is  certainly  not  very  prepossessing  ; 
the   most  of  his  soil   may  very  properly  be  denominated  what 


PLYMOUTH    SOCIETY.  349 

he  terms  it,  ^^  hungry ^''^  and  exhibits  evidences  that  the  former 
owners  were  not  very  liberal  in  supplying  all  the  food  neces- 
sary for  the  full  development  of  growing  plants. 

Since  it  come  into  his  possession,  Mr.  Littlejohn  has  con- 
verted several  acres  of  worthless  swamp  into  fertile  English 
meadow. 

His  unimproved  land,  he  has  mostly  covered  (by  planting) 
Avith  young  thrifty  forest  trees. 

His  orchard  contains  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  trees  of 
various  kinds,  in  a  flourishing  condition,  the  most  of  them  set 
or  grafted  with  his  own  hands. 

For  his  sandy  and  gravelly  soils  he  prepares  annually  a  com- 
post of  muck  (composed  chiefly  of  vegetable  matter)  to  which 
he  adds,  barn-manure,  burnt  oyster  shells,  spent  ley,  ashei,  &c., 
by  which  he  obtains  a  most  fertilizing  manure,  suited  to  his 
soil,  at  the  trifling  cost  of  twenty  cents  per  load. 

Mr.  Littlejohn  has  erected  the  present  season  a  new  and  con- 
venient dwelling-house,  one  room  in  which  he  informed  us 
would  be  fitted  up  for  an  agricultural  library,  from  which  may 
emerge,  at  no  distant  day,  another  "learned  blacksmith." 

In  the  management  of  his  farm  we  have  discovered  no 
hasty  or  impulsive  attempt  at  renovation  not  justified  by  the 
strictest  economy,  but  a  system  of  progressive  improvement, 
exhibiting  a  degree  of  prudence  and  economy  seldom  equalled 
and  never  surpassed. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

HORACE  COLLAMORE. 

Chipman  Portefs  Statement. 
The  bush  pasture  that  I  have  entered  for  premium,  I  purchased 
in  April,  1848.  I  commenced  cutting  bushes  the  August  fol- 
lowing, and  ploughed  two  acres  ;  in  1849,  two  acres  more,  and- 
in  18.50,  two  more,  making  six  acres  that  I  ploughed.  The 
most  of  it  had  not  been  ploughed  for  forty  years.  It  was  cov- 
ered with  black  and  swamp  whortleberry,  black  laurel  and 
bayberry  bushes.  I  seeded  it  down  to  grass  in  April,  and  it 
took  well.  The  bushes  are  nearly  all  subdued  but  the  laurel  ; 
they  start  between   the  furrows.     The  expense  of  cutting  the 


350  PLYMOUTH    SOCIETY. 

bushes  and  ploughing  has  been  about  ten  dollars  per  acre.  One 
other  acre  of  meadow  land  was  covered  with  alder  and  rose 
bushes.  This  I  subdued  by  cutting  in  August ;  there  were 
but  few  of  them  that  started  ;  those  that  did,  I  cut  the  next  year 
and  it  entirely  subdued  them. 
Halifax,  Sept.  6,  1851. 

Orsamus  Liitlejohn' s   Statement. 

The  offer  of  a  premium  made  by  this  society,  for  the  most 
judiciously  cultivated  farm  of  not  less  than  twenty  acres,  pay- 
able in  1851,  was  accepted  by  me  in  1848,  and  the  following 
is  an  account  of  my  operations  and  the  results. 

I  am  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  my  time  is  almost  wholly 
occupied  in  the  shop  ;  when  on  the  farm,  I  charge  ten  cents 
the  hour.  My  farm,  which  by  the  help  of  books,  I  have  earned 
and  made,  contains  56  acres  and  cost  $1,483.  22  acres  are 
wood  land — 12  acres  are  too  poor  to  have  a  name,  and  have 
been  planted  with  forest  trees — 22  acres  are  the  farm.  My 
stock  is  equal  to  three  cows,  one  horse,  three  hogs  and  one  beef 
creature.  My  family  consists  of  seven  persons.  A  daily 
account  has  been  kept  with  the  farm,  and  also  of  all  the  arti- 
cles bought  for  the  family.  Each  crop  is  charged  for  all  it 
receives,  and  credited  for  all  it  returns.  The  labor  and  materi- 
als not  produced  for  the  compost  heap,  are  charged. 

Permanent  improvements,  such  as  blasting  rocks,  building 
walls,  shifting  soils  and  laying  under-drains  are  charged  to  im- 
provements. 

The  hired  labor  in  1848,  amounted  to         -             -  $135  50 

Interest  on  farm  and  taxes,               _             _             _  104  00 

My  work  and  boys  on  farm,             -             -             -  50  00 
Articles    purchased  for  farm  and  family,    such    as 
stock,  hay,  grains,  groceries,  grass  seed,  repairs  on 

buildings,  pasture,  stock,  materials  for  compost,  142  98 

$432  49 
Produce  of  the  farm  in   1848  as  follows: 
135  bushels  corn,  75  cts.,    -  -  -  -        101  25 


PLYMOUTH   SOCIETY. 


351 


Com  fodder,    $22  50, — 100    bushels    potatoes, 
50  00,       - 

35  bushels   oats,  $14  70, — straw,  5  00, — gar- 
den vegetables,    11  00,      -  -  - 

10  3-4  tons  English  hay,  at  $13  per  ton, 

Hay  seed,    and  pasture  for  three  cows  and  a 
beef  creature,        -  -  _  - 

88  bushels  carrots,  sold  for  33  cts.,    - 

200  bushels  of  fruit  of  all  kinds, 

104  bushels  French  turnips,  $16  92, — 3  bushels 
beans,  $6  00,         - 

24  bushels  rye  and  wheat,  $13  50, — straw,  $4, 

372  loads  compost  manure,  (30  cubic  feet)  1  ct. 
per  foot,    -  -  -  -  - 

Permanent  improvements,      -  -  - 

Estimated  growth  of  wood. 

House  rent,  $30, — received  for  bees  and  honey, 
$7  00, 

Amount  of  sales,  of  surplus   beef,  pork,  butter, 
cheese,  eggs,  milk,  and  for  exchange  of  stock 
and  premiums,       -  _  -  - 

Deduct  expenses  as  above,  for  farm  and  family. 

Net  profit,  -  -  - 

In  1849,  the  income  of  farm  was,     - 
Expenses,      ----- 

Net  profit,  _  -  - 

In  1850,  the  income  of  farm  was 

Expenses,      -  -  -  -  - 

Net  profit,  -  _  _ 

In  1851,  the  income  of  the  farm  was  esti- 
mated at    - 
Expenses,       -  -  -        '    - 


$72  50 


30 

70 

138 

67 

30 

70 

29 

04 

42 

00 

22 

92 

17 

50 

111 

60 

47 

50 

45 

00 

37  00 


267  85 


$994 

03 

432 

49 

•  $561 

54 

$1036 

15 

-  453 

84 

■  $582 

31 

$1075 

55 

-  464 

74 

$610  81 


$1150  24 
339  32 


Net  profit, 


$810  92 


352  PLYMOUTH    SOCIETY. 

1  have  made  no  account  of  fuel,  for  the  premises  afford  an 
abundance  of  birch,  alders  and  refuse  wood,  that  pays  well  for 
collecting.  The  cultivation  of  crops,  the  manufacture  of  com- 
post manure,  &c.,  are  all  charged  the  market  price  of  day  labor, 
that  they  may  not  appear  low  in  consequence  of  cheaper  labor 
by  the  season.  1377  loads  of  compost  made  in  the  above 
named  four  years,  cost  20  cents  per  load.  My  yards  and  barn 
cellar,  are  kept  well  supplied  with  mud,  shoveled  out  the  year 
before. 

Much  pains  are  taken  to  save  all  the  liquids  made  on  the 
premises.  My  compost  heaps  are  made  by  first  placing  a  layer 
of  mud,  then  about  one-third  as  much  barn  manure,  and  so 
on,  alternately,  with  the  addition  of  salt,  ashes,  burnt  oyster 
shells,  salt  ley,  &c.,  and  wet  over  with  water.  After  fermenta- 
tion takes  place,  it  is  shoveled  over  and  used  as  wanted.  It  is 
always  applied  on  top  of  the  ground,  prepared  for  crops,  and 
kept  there  as  much  as  possible. 

Since  I  entered  for  this  premium,  I  have  raised  488  bushels 
of  corn,  at  a  cost  of  twenty-one  cents  per  bushel.  Sward  land 
is  taken  for  this  crop.  I  plough  seven  or  eight  inches  deep, 
when  the  ground  is  as  dry  as  possible.  Spread  from  forty  to 
sixty  loads  of  compost  on  the  acre  ;  harrow,  brush  and  hoard 
over,  till  all  is  fine  and  smooth  ;  plant  three  and  a  half  feet 
apart,  each  way.  Five  or  six  corns  are  dropped  in  the  hill,  six 
inches  apart  ;  one  quart  of  fine  compost  is  spread  on  the  corn, 
and  covered  lightly.  The  cultivator  is  used  one  week  and  the 
hoe  the  next,  until  the  corn  shades  the  ground  sufficiently  to 
keep  the  weeds  down,  and  the  ground  loose ;  in  this  way, 
myself  and  two  boys  have  hoed  one  acre  in  two  hours. 

I  select  my  seed  corn  in  the  field,  about  the  10th  of  Septem- 
ber ;  ears  that  are  then  ripe,  close  to  the  ground,  and  on  small 
.stalks. 

There  has  been  about  fifty-one  tons  of  English  hay  raised  on 
•my  farm,  the  last  four  years,  at  a  cost  of  a  fraction  over  four 
dollars  per  ton.  My  hay  and  pasture  crops  have  nearly  doubled 
since  1848.  My  reclaimed  meadows  are  kept  in  tolerably  good 
condition.  By  spreading  one  load  of  manure  every  fall,  over  a 
large  surface,  and  three  or  four  loads  of  gravel  on  the  manure, 
the  old  turf  decomposes  and  enriches  the  land. 


PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY.  353 

There  has  been  488  bushels  of  potatoes  raised,  at  a  cost  of 
twenty-seven  cents  per  bushel.  I  have  suffered  very  little  by 
the  rot.  I  plant  early — early  seed, — manure  highly,  and  dig 
early. 

This  crop  is  cultivated  almost  wholly  with  the  horse.  I 
cover  with  a  bush,  and  when  the  potatoes  are  up,  run  the  culti- 
vator close  enough  to  cover  the  tops  and  weeds ;  do  the  same 
again  if  possible,  and  finish  with  the  hoe.  I  have  raised  forty- 
four  bushels  of  winter  wheat,  at  a  cost  of  eighty-five  cents  per 
bushel ;  this  crop  was  put  in  after  potatoes,  with  grass  seed — 
the  grass  was  a  very  great  damage  to  the  crop. 

Ninety-three  bushels  of  winter  wheat  and  rye,  mixed,  have 
been  raised,  at  a  cost  of  sixty-seven  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel. 
This  crop  was  raised  on  very  poor  land ;  got  in  about  the  1st 
of  September,  with  a  light  dressing  of  compost  manure. 

Oats  and  white  beans  have  cost  their  market  value. 

There  have  been  about  700  bushels  of  fruit  raised,  mostly 
apples,  at  a  cost  of  six  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel.  I  have  238 
fruit  trees  in  all,  the  most  of  them  set  or  grafted  with  my  own 
hands.  During  the  warm  weather  in  .January,  I  wash  or  soap 
the  trees  as  near  the  top  as  possible,  with  a  whitewash  brush  ; 
the  after-rains  wash  the  soap  down  and  kill  the  insects.  The 
trunks  are  scraped  in  the  spring,  and  pruned  just  before  the 
blossom  buds  open,  and  again  in  August.  The  ground  is  kept 
dry  round  the  trees,  and  compost  applied  over  the  whole 
ground,  late  in  the  fall  of  every  other  year.  This  crop  can 
scarcely  be  estimated  too  highly  as  food  for  man  or  beast. 

My  cattle  have  each,  once  a  day  in  the  winter,  about  a 
bushel  of  cut  straw  or  stalks,  moistened  and  mixed  with  one  or 
two  quarts  of  cob  meal  or  shorts,  or  have  carrots  or  turnips. 
They  thrive  well  on  either;  and  1  consider  it  equal  to  an  in- 
surance on  their  lives. 

It  will  be  seen  that  a  living  has  been  received  from  the  farm 
for  the  family,  and  a  balance  for  education  and  the  pursuits  of 
happiness. 

MiDDLEBOROuGH,  Sept.  9,  1851. 
45 


354  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 


Supervisor's  Report. 


We  cultivate  the  soil  that  received  the  first  impress  from  the 
footsteps  of  the  hardy  pioneers,  who  landed  on  our  shores  more 
than  two  hundred  years  ago.  They  foimd  fields  then  cleared 
and  cultivated  with  maize  or  Indian  corn,  (a  grain  unknown  to 
Europeans  till  the  discovery  of  this  continent) ;  in  the  process 
of  time,  those  fields  became  exhausted  of  fertilizing  material, 
and  a  resort  was  had  by  the  natives  of  the  soil  to  the  rivers 
and  ponds,  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  for  alewives  and  other 
fish,  to  restore  to  the  soil  its  primitive  productiveness.  Un- 
skilled in  the  arts  of  husbandry  adapted  to  the  New  World,  our 
progenitors  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  their  savage  tutors, — 
cleared  the  land  most  easily  cultivated,  and  which,  from  the 
nature  of  the  soil,  was  the  more  readily  exhausted ;  the  sili- 
cious  virgin  soil,  rich  in  accumulated  vegetable  matter,  for 
a  while  withstood  the  heavy  drafts,  but  as  generation  succeeded 
generation,  and  pursued  the  same  course,  and  cultivated  the 
same  fields  with  cereal  grains,  without  any  adequate  returns  of 
fertilizing  manure,  their  crops  began  to  fail,  the  paternal  acres 
were  abandoned  by  enterprising  youth,  and  new  locations 
sought   in  the  western  wilds. 

Little  was  done  for  the  amelioration  of  the  soil  in  this 
county,  prior  to  the  organization  of  this  society,  some  thirty 
years  ago.  Since  then,  our  progress  has  been  onward  ;  prior  to 
that  time,  little  attention  was  paid  to  the  renovation  of  low 
meadow  or  swamp  lands,  which  have  so  liberally  rewarded  the 
labors  of  the  husbandman,  with  large  crops  of  rich  herbage. 

Little  was  done  in  the  manufacture  of  compost  manure,  an 
article  so  necessary  to  restore  to  our  exhausted  fields  their 
wonted  fertility. 

Little  was  done  in  the  judicious  alternation  of  crops,  a  sys- 
tem so  necessary  for  the  amelioration  of  the  soil. 

It  is  their  boast  that  the  agriculture  of  England  has  doubled 
its  products  within  the  last  half  century.  We  would  make  no 
invidious  comparisons,  but  we  claim  for  Plymouth  county  a 
much  greater  increase  in  the  productions  of  her  soil. 


PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY.  355 

It  has  been  said  we  have  no  agricultural  science  in  America; 
that  for  this  commodity,  we  are  dependent  upon  Europe. 

If  we,  of  the  old  colony,  can  make  little  pretensions  to  the 
science  of  agriculture,  (literally  speaking,)  we  claim  at  least, 
the  virtues  of  industry  and  economy,  and  we  have  learned 
something  of  the  economy  of  making  and  saving  manure,  and 
of  its  judicious  application  to  the  soil — of  crops  judiciously 
arranged  and  suited  to  the  soil ;  and  we  have  some  practical 
skill  in  the  cultivation  of  crops,  that  compare  favorably  with 
any  raised  in  the  United  States.  If  then,  as  has  been  truly 
remarked,  "in  the  first  stages  of  civilization,  art  precedes, 
science  follows,"  reasoning  from  analogy,  may  we  not  consider 
ourselves  in  a  fair  way  to  attain  (at  no  very  distant  day)  a 
sprinkling  of  old  colony  agricultural  science?  And  as  this  will 
be  applicable  to  our  soil,  perhaps  it  may  not  then  be  necessary 
to  continue  the  importation. 

Competitors  for  premiums  the  present  season,  exceed  in  num- 
bers those  of  former  years.  More  than  eighty  entries  were 
seasonably  made,  and  your  supervisor,  in  the  discharge  of  his 
duties,  has  visited  the  fields  entered  for  premiums,  three  times; 
in  doing  this,  he  has  travelled  some  four  hundred  miles. 

Seven  claims  were  originally  entered  for  the  greatest  crop  of 
Indian  corn  on  one  acre. 

After  a  season  of  excessive  moisture,  and  notwithstanding 
the  trustees,  at  their  last  annual  meeting,  saw  fit  to  raise  the 
standard  of  computation  to  eighty-five  pounds  of  corn  in  the 
ear,  for  a  bushel,  yet  we  think  the  number  of  bushels  raised 
on  the  acre  this  season,  will  compare  favorably"  with  former 
years. 

Selh  Sprague,  of  Duxbury,  is  entitled  to  the  first  premium 
of  eight  dollars.  He  raised,  according  to  measurement,  101|| 
bushels  on  an  acre.  This  crop  was  raised  on  a  sandy  soil, 
bearing  incontrovertible  evidence  that  it  was  once  the  site  of 
Indian  wigwams,  and  that  the  tribe  was  accustomed  to  banquet 
on  clam  chowder,  and  it  would  require  no  very  great  stretch  of 
the  imagination  to  carry  us  back  to  the  time,  when  on  this 
spot,  the  old  sachems  and  their  tribes  were  wont  to  assemble 
around  the  council  fires,  to  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace, — to  hold 
their  pow-wows  or  perform  the  war  dance. 


366  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 

Spencer  lieonard.  Jr.,  of  Bridgewater,  is  entitled  to  the  sec- 
ond premium  of  six  dollars.     He  raised  9S^f  bushels. 

Benjamin  Hobart,  of  Abington,  is  entitled  to  the  third  pre- 
mium of  five  dollars.     He  raised  91^1  bushels. 

Four  claims  were  entered  for  the  best  field  of  Indian  corn, 
not  less  than  two  acres. 

Seth  Sprague,  of  Duxbury,  raised  98 If  bushels  per  acre,  and 
is  entitled  to  the  premium  of  ten  dollars. 

A  gratuity  of  five  dollars  is  recommended  to  be  paid  to 
Leonard  Hill,  of  East  Bridgewater,  who  raised  (under  many 
disadvantages  and  inconveniences)  SS|§  bushels  per  acre. 

Five  claims  were  originally  made  for  the  best  field  of  Indian 
corn,  not  less  than  three  acres. 

Adin  i\.lger,  of  Bridgewater,  is  entitled  to  the  premium  of 
fifteen  dollars.     He  raised  67||  bushels  per  acre. 

Six  claims  were  entered  for  the  best  experiment  to  prove  the 
influence  of  subsoiling  on  the  corn  crop ;  three  subsequently 
withdrew. 

Benjamin  Hobart,  of  Abington,  is  entitled  to  the  premium 
of  five  dollars;  the  difference  in  favor  of  the  subsoiled  part,  is 
llff  bushels  per  acre. 

Spencer  Leonard,  Jr.,  of  Bridgewater;  difference  in  favor  of 
subsoiling,  10g°  bushels  per  acre — one  volume  Massachusetts 
Ploughman. 

Notwithstanding  the  season  was  unfavorable  for  experiments 
in  subsoiling,  in  consequence  of  the  abundance  of  moisture,  yet 
suflicient  influence  is  shown  in  every  instance,  to  encourage 
further  experiments. 

B.  Hobart,  of  Abington,  entered  for  premium  for  the  best 
experiment  to  prove  the  influence  of  subsoiling  on  the  wheat 
crop.  The  half  acre  subsoiled,  exhibited  the  most  luxuriant 
appearance  through  the  season,  and  so  rapid  was  its  growth, 
that  the  high  winds  caused  it  to  lodge  before  the  grain  was 
matured,  which  occasioned  considerable  loss  of  grain ;  owing 
to  these  circumstances  he  obtained  about  a  bushel  more  from 
the  part  not  subsoiled.  Notwithstanding  these  adverse  circum- 
stances, we  think  he  is  entitled  to  the  premium  of  five  dollars. 

For  the  best  experiment  in  raising  oats,  Sylvanus  Hinckley, 


PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY.  357 

of  Middleborough,  is  entitled  to  the  first  premium  of  eight  dol- 
lars,— he  raised  62^  bushels  on  an  acre. 

George  W.  Wood,  of  Middleborough,  the  second  premium  of 
six  dollars, — he  raised  fifty-one  bushels  and  twelve  quarts  on 
158  rods  of  land. 

A  gratuity  of  three  dollars  to  Leonard  Hill,  who  raised  fifty- 
one  bushels  on  the  acre. 

For  the  best  experiment  in  raising  wheat,  Benjamin  Hobart, 
of  Abington,  is  entitled  to  the  first  premium  of  fifteen  dollars, — 
he  raised  twenty-four  and  a  half  bushels  on  an  acre.  Mr.  Ho- 
bart may  be  considered  one  of  the  most  successful  cultivators 
of  the  wheat  crop  in  the  county,  notwithstanding  he  persists 
in  the  doubtful  expediency  of  applying  manure  directly  to  the 
crop. 

Thomas  Ames,  of  West  Bridgewater,  is  entitled  to  the  first 
premium  of  eight  dollars,  for  the  best  experiment  in  raising 
barley, — he  raised  forty-four  bushels  on  an  acre  and  two  rods. 

For  the  best  crop  of  Ruta-baga  or  Frenc'^  turnips,  on  one 
half  acre,  George  Drew,  of  Halifax,  is  entitled  to  the  first  pre- 
mium of  five  dollars, — he  raised  199ff  bushels, — equal  to  799^f 
bushels  on  the  acre. 

Seth  Sprague   is  entitled  to   the  second  premium  of  three 
dollars — he  raised  at  the  rate  of  780  bushels  to  the  acre. 

For  the  greatest  quantity  of  common  turnips,  raised  on  half  an 
acre,  Aretas  Fobes,  of  Bridgewater,  is  entitled  to  the  premium 
of  five  dollars, — he  raised  at  the  rate  of  448f  f  bushels  per  acre. 

If  we  could  divest  ourselves  of  an  •'  overweening  fondness 
for  English  agriculture,"  we  think  the  cultivation  of  turnips  as 
a  field  crop,  for  fattening  cattle,  or  for  milch  cows,  would  be 
abandoned  in  this  country,  for  other  root  crops,  which  afford 
more  nutriment  and  are  as  easily  cultivated ;  for  it  is  a  fact 
that  cannot  be  disguised,  that  the  influence  of  this  crop  on  the 
soil,  is  fatal  to  the  corn  crop  that  succeeds  it. 

Seth  Sprague,  of  Duxbury,  is  entitled  to  the  premium  of  five 
dollars,  for  raising  407^^  bushels  of  beets  on  a  quarter  of  an 
acre,  equal  to  1628ft  bushels  on  the  acre, — it  is  believed  this 
is  one  of  the  largest  crops  of  beets  ever  raised  in  this  country; 
these,  also,  were  raised  on  the  land  formerly  occupied  by  Indian 
wigwams. 


358  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 

Four  claims  were  entered  for  the  greatest  quantity  of  carrots, 
raised  on  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land. 

Seth  Spragne  raised  214|f  bushels  on  quarter  of  an  acre, 
eqnal  to  857tf  per  acre,  and  he  is  entitled  to  the  first  premium 
of  ten  dollars. 

Jonathan  Copeland,  of  W.  Bridgewater,  is  entitled  to  the 
second  premium  of  five  dollars, — he  raised  at  the  rate  of  757^^ 
per  acre. 

This  is  one  of  the  richest  and  most  valuable  root  crops  raised 
by  the  farmer.  Its  nutritious  qualities  render  it  second,  only, 
to  the  grain  crops,  as  food  for  animals,  and  it  is  raised  as  easily 
and  in  as  great  profusion  as  any  of  the  root  crops. 

For  the  first  time,  perhaps,  in  the  annals  of  this  society,  we 
have  an  entry,  "for  the  greatest  quantity  of  onions,  on  not  less 
than  a  quarter  of  an  acre  ; "  and  although  the  applicant  failed 
of  raising  the  required  quantity,  in  consequence  of  a  failure  in 
the  greater  part  of  the  seed  t(i  vegetate,  yet,  he  has  succeeded 
in  raising  forty-five  bushels  of  onions,  and  as  many  carrots,  on 
the  land  appropriated  to  this  crop, — we  recommend  that  a  gra- 
tuity of  three  dollars  be  paid  to  Aretas  Fobes,  for  his  unsuc- 
cessful attempt  to  raise  seventy-five  bushels  of  this  delicious 
vegetable. 

Five  claims  were  entered  for  the  premiums  offered  for  the 
collection  and  judicious  application  of  the  greatest  quantity  of 
rock  and  other  sea  weeds. 

Gideon  Harlow,  of  Duxbury,  is  entitled  to  the  first  premium 
often  dollars, — he  carted  250  tons. 

Seth  Sprague  is  entitled  to  the  second  premium  of  six  dol- 
lars.    He  carted  225  tons. 

Five  entries  were  made  for  the  greatest  quantity  of  the  most 
valuable  compost  manure. 

The  first  premium  of  ten  dollars,  is  awarded  to  Jonathan 
Howard,  2d,  of  W.  Bridgewater, — he  had  made  364  loads,  of 
forty  cubic  feet. 

The  second  premium  of  eight  dollars,  is  awarded  to  Daniel 
Alden,  of  Middleborough,  who  made  283  loads. 

The  third  premium  of  six  dollars,  is  awarded  to  George  W. 
Wood,  of  Middleborough, — he  made  244  loads  ;  and  th3  fourth 


PLYMOUTH   SOCIETY.  359 

premium  of  Colmaii's  Report,  to  Austin  J.  Roberts,  of  Middle- 
borough,  who  made  202  loads. 

In  the  manufacture  of  compost  manure,  no  farmer  need  be 
at  a  loss  for  material, — the  sources  of  fertility  are  unlimited, — 
the  hedgerows  around  his  fields — peat  and  mud  from  his  low 
meadows — afford  an  inexhaustible  supply;  in  fact,  a// animal 
or  vegetable  matter,  or  even  sawdust  and  spent  tan,  after  hav- 
ing been  used  as  bedding  for  horses  or  neat  stock,  or  when 
divested  of  their  acidity,  by  mixing  with  a  sufficiency  of  barn 
manure,  ashes  or  lime,  to  induce  fermentation,  are  rendered  an 
efficient  manure. 

It  was  prophetically  said,  by  the  lamented  Fessenden,  that 
"the  time  may  come  in  which  science  may  impress  into  the 
service  of  the  cultivator,  every  element  or  substance  which 
constitutes  the  globe  we  inhabit, — the  world  of  matter  become 
completely  subservient  to  the  world  of  mind.  Then,  and  not 
till  then,  will  agriculture  have  attained  the  utmost  degree  of 
perfection  of  which  it  is  capable." 

Every  farmer,  by  a  judicious  application  of  labor,  can,  in  a 
few  years,  render  all  the  land  he  ought  to  cultivate,  fertile  ; 
and  it  should  always  be  borne  in  mind,  that  fertile  fields  draw 
the  largest  dividends  from  the  atmosphere.*  It  was  beautifully 
said  by  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  in  modern  husbandry,  in 
this  county,  that  "  the  air  is  composed  of  an  infinity  of  g'^ses, — 
of  vapors  exhaled  from  the  bosom  of  the  earth,  as  much  more 
fertilizing  than  the  more  dense  and  earthy  manures,  as  volatile 
alkali  is  more  fertilizing  than  the  fixed." 

A  rich,  well  cultivated  soil,  not  only  attracts  moisture  from 
the  atmosphere,  but  it  more  readily  imbibes  and  retains  those 
life-sustaining  gases,  so  indispensable  to  vegetation. 

HORACE  COLLAMORE. 

Seth  Sprague^s  Statement  on  Corn. 

The  acre  of  land  entered  by  me  for  premium,  on  Indian 
corn,  has  been  in  pasture  for  more  than  thirty  years,  and  not 

*  Dr.  Macomber. 


360  PLYMOUTH   SOCIETY. 

ploughed.  About  one  third  of  it  is  a  dark  mould,  of  good 
quality  ;  the  remainder,  is  a  light,  dry,  sandy  soil. 

In  November  last,  from  sixteen  to  twenty  tons  of  kelp  was 
carried  on  and  turned  under,  seven  inches  deep.  It  was  har- 
rowed several  times  in  April,  to  keep  down  the  grass  that 
started  from  the  edge  of  the  furrows.  The  first  and  second 
week  in  May,  hauled  on  twenty  loads,  of  forty  cubic  feet  each, 
of  manure,  from  my  barn-yard,  where  swamp  mud,  peat,  and 
oth«r  materials,  had  been  deposited,  and  on  which,  twenty 
head  of  cattle  had  been  wintered.  This  was  turned  under 
with  the  plough,  four  inches  deep,  and  harrowed  three  times. 

On  the  14th  of  May,  planted  the  Whitman  corn,  in  rows, 
three  feet  apart ;  three  corns  in  a  hill,  eighteen  inches  apart. 
Cultivated  and  hoed  twice,  leaving  the  ground  level.  At  the 
first  hoeing,  about  one  gill  of  phospate  of  lime  and  ashes,  pre- 
pared with  oil  of  vitriol,  was  put  around  the  hills,  excepting 
about  one  rod  across  the  middle  of  the  field.  There  has  been 
in  no  stage  of  its  growth,  any  perceptible  difference  where  this 
was  applied,  from  where  it  was  not.  At  the  second  hoeing,  a 
handful  of  peat  mud,  in  which  menhaden  fish  had  been  com- 
posted the  previous  summer,  was  j)ut  around  the  hill.       ' 

We  ditfer  so  much  as  to  the  cost  of  manure  that  we  make, 
that  I  have  not  estimated  that  in  the  expense  of  the  crop.  Mr. 
Littlejohn  makes  it  for  twenty-five  cents  a  load,  while  mine 
cost  me,  at  least,  one  dollar.  The  cost  of  the  droppings  of  my 
cattle,  1  cannot  estimate. 

Ploughing,  |4;  cross  ploughing,  $2  ;  harrowing,  $2  ;  plant- 
ing, $4;  hoeing  and  cultivating  twice,  $10;   total,  $22. 

Oct.  18.  The  supervisor  gathered  two  rods  from  different 
parts  of  the  field,  which  weighed  108  pounds,  which,  at  85 
pounds  to  the  bushel,  is  101  ^f  bushels  to  the  acre. 

The  two  acres  entered  by  me  for  premium  on  Indian  corn, 
is  high,  dry,  sandy  soil,  with  a  subsoil  of  loose  sand.  It  has 
been  a  cow  pasture  for  about  forty  years  in  succession.  During 
the  winter  and  spring,  I  carried  on  to  it  kelp,  sixteen  or  twenty 
tons  to  the  acre.  The  first  week  in  April,  it  was  ploughed 
seven  inches  deep.  Carried  on  thirty-six  loads  of  forty  cubic  feet 
each  of  compost,  from  the  barn-yard,  where  I  had  put,  the  pre- 


PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY.  361 

ceding  summer,  a  large  quantity  of  swamp  mud,  peat,  and 
other  material,  and  on  which,  twenty  head  of  cattle  had  been 
wintered.  This  was  turned  under  with  the  plough,  four  inches 
deep, — harrowed  three  times.  On  the  15th  and  16th  of  May, 
planted  the  Whitman  corn,  in  rows,  three  feet  apart :  three 
corn?  in  a  hill,  two  feet  apart.  On  one-fourth  of  an  acre,  I  put 
about  one  gill  of  phosphate  of  lime  and  ashes  in  a  hill,  prepared 
as  follows: — to  one  hundred  pounds  of  phosphate,  put  forty 
pounds  of  sulphuric  acid,  diluted  with  twelve  gallons  of  water. 
Stand  three  days,  then  mixed  with  ten  bushels  of  ashes. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  perceive  any  benefit  from  this  appli- 
cation, to  the  stalk  or  ear,  at  any  period  of  this  growth.  The 
whole  field  had  a  rapid  and  great  growth  of  stalk,  which  was 
much  heavier,  and  eared  higher,  than  this  variety  generally 
does.  The  stalk  was  weak  in  this  and  my  other  field,  and 
much  of  it  fell  before  harvest.  It  was  cultivated,  and  hoed 
twice.  At  the  second  hoeing,  a  handful  of  peat  mud,  in  which 
menhaden  fish  had  been  composted  the  summer  previous,  was 
put  around  the  hills.  October  18th,  the  supervisor  weighed 
two  rods,  taken  from  different  parts  of  the  field,  which  weighed 
52|  pounds  to  the  rod,  which,  at  85  pounds  to  the  bushel,  is 
9814  bushels. 

Expense — Ploughing,  $8;  cross  ploughing,  $4;  harrowing, 
$3;  planting,  $10;  hoeing  twice,  $11  ;  cultivating,  $2;  total, 
$38. 

The  phosphate  and  ashes  cost  3  75,  exclusive  of  the  labor 
of  mixing  and  applying.  The  manure  we  differ  in  as  to  the 
value  or  cost  of  making,  as  well  as  the  proportion  consumed 
by  the  crop,  which  the  most  experienced  can  judge  best. 
Some  competitors  put  the  ploughing  of  an  acre  at  two  dollars. 
I  cannot  plough  an  acre,  with  a  double  team  and  two  men,  for 
less  than  four  dollars. 

DuxBURY,  Oct.  27,  1851. 

Speiicer  Leonard,  Jr^s  Statement. 

Having  entered   my  name  as  a  competitor  for  the  premium 
for  the  greatest  crop  of  Indian  corn  on  an  acre,  I  will  give  a 
46 


362  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 

statement  of  the  cultivation  and  expenses  of  the  crop.  The 
land  was  planted  to  corn  last  year  and  produced  a  heavy  crop. 
About  the  middle  of  May  this  year.  I  spread  eighty  bushels  of 
leached  ashes,  (cost  twelve  and  a  half  cents  per  bushel)  and 
about  seven  cords  of  good  manure,  and  ploughed  them  in. 
One  half  was  ploughed  about  seven  or  eight  inches  deep,  and 
the  other  half  was  subsoiled ;  the  plough  going  about  ten  or 
eleven  inches  deep  ;  harrowed  well  and  furrowed ;  planted  the 
19th  of  May,  three  feet  five  inches  apart  one  way  and  half  that 
distance  the  other,  four  corns  in  a  hill.  After  planting,  there 
was  a  medium  sized  teacup  full  of  leached  ashes  applied  to  each 
hill.  A  cultivator  was  used  between  the  rows,  and  it  was  hoed 
three  times,  the  last  time  the  25th  of  July.  The  corn  planted 
was  smutty  white,  and  was  selected  at  the  time  of  husking  the 
last  year's  crop,  care  being  taken  to  select  ripe,  fair,  and  well- 
filled  ears.  Expenses — carting  and  spreading  manure,  f  7  ;  do. 
ashes,  $2  50  ;  ploughing,  $2  50 ;  harrowing  and  furrowing,  ^1 
50;  planting,  $3 ;  cultivating  and  hoeing  for  the  season,  $7 ; 
seed  corn  40  cents — Total,  f  23  90.  The  stalks  were  cut  about 
the  20th  of  September.  I  consider  the  corn  fodder  to  pay  for 
cutting  the  stalks  and  harvesting. 
Bridgewater,  Oct.  21,  1851. 

Leonard  HilVs  Statement. 

The  land  I  entered  for  the  best  crop  of  Indian  corn  on  two 
acres — one  acre  and  a  half  had  been  in  grass  for  several  years. 
I  cut  about  half  a  ton  of  hay  to  the  acre  last  year  ;  the  reuiain- 
der  was  planted  last  year  to  corn.  In  1851  it  was  planted  1st 
of  May,  I  then  harrowed  it  ;  10th,  furrowed  it  one  way  three 
feet  and  six  inches  apart,  and  in  these  furrows  were  put  fifty 
horse  loads,  (about  nine  cords)  of  good  stable  and  barn  manure. 
from  the  pile  that  had  been  kept  about  four  weeks ;  most  of  it 
was  made  last  winter  by  cattle,  horses,  hogs,  &c.  On  this  ma- 
nure I  dropped  three  kernels  in  a  hill,  about  two  feet  apart, 
using  twenty-one  quarts  of  seed.  The  kind  was  eight-rowed 
white  (sometimes  called  the  smutty  white  corn).  The  seed 
was  selected  last  fall,  from  the  best  stalks.     Planted  from  1 1th 


PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY.  363 

to  16th  of  May ;  June  10th,  ploughed  two  furrows  in  a  row,  as 
near  as  I  could  to  the  corn  and  not  start  the  roots,  soon  after  it 
came  up,  turning  the  dirt  from  the  corn,  leaving  a  ridge  several 
days  to  warm.  June  20th,  it  was  again  ploughed,  one  furrow 
in  a  row,  splitting  the  ridge  made  by  the  first  ploughing,  and 
then  hoed  leaving  the  ground  level.  July  3d  and  4th,  it  was 
again  hoed  and  weeds  killed  ;  27th,  went  over  with  a  hoe  and 
killed  the  weeds  that  escaped  the  last  hoeing.  September  12th 
and  13th,  cut  stalks.  Expense — ploughing,  $5  50  ;  harrowing 
and  furrowing,  $2  75;  hauling  manure,  .^4  75  ;  seed,  62  cents; 
planting  2,1  acres,  $5  25  ;  ploughing  and  hoeing,  $5  75;  weed- 
ing, 75  cents ;  cutting  stalks,  $2  75 — Total,  $2S  12. 
East  Bridgewater,  Oct.  20,  1851. 

Adin  Alger^s  Statement. 

That  part  of  the  field  on  which  the  corn  grew,  contains 
about  three  and  one  quarter  acres  of  land.  It  was  ploughed 
from  greensward  in  the  fall  of  1849,  and  planted  with  potatoes 
the  next  season.  I  spread  forty  loads  of  manure  on  the  lot  and 
harrowed  it  in  ;  I  also  used  plaster  on  the  potatoes.  After  the 
crop  was  taken  off,  the  land  was  ploughed.  The  soil  is  princi- 
pally a  sandy  loam.  On  the  1st  of  May,  I  commenced  carting 
on  barn  yard  manure,  to  the  amount  of  eighty-four  ox-cart 
loads,  and  spread  it  as  evenly  as  possible  on  the  lot.  I  then 
ploughed  it  six*  inches  deep  with  a  pair  of  horses ;  furrowed 
east  and  west  about  three  and  a  half  feet  apart,  and  planted  the 
15th  of  May.  One  half  the  piece  was  planted  with  a  kind  of 
flesh-colored  corn,  the  other  half  with  seed  called  smutty  white. 
It  was  cultivated  and  hoed  twice  in  June  and  once  in  July. 
Expenses  of  crop  as  follows — carting  manure,  $15;  spreading 
do.,  $2;  ploughing,  $6  ;  furrowing  and  planting,  $3  ;  hoeing, 
S12  ;  cultivating,  $3  ;  five  pecks  seed  corn,  $1  25 — Total, 
$42  25. 

Bridgewater,  Oct.  10,  1851. 

*  Six  inches  is  not  deep  enough  for  any  crop ;  eight  or  ten  inches  is  the  least  for  a  premi- 
um crop. 


364  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 


Benjamin  HoharVs  Statement. 
I  entered  my  claim  for  a  premium  on  one  acre  of  wheat,  and 
the  snbsoiling  of  one  half  of  the  same.  I  ploughed  the  ground 
the  15th  of  April,  and  at  the  same  time  subsoiled  one  half  of  it. 
On  the  9th  of  May  I  spread  on  twenty-five  ox-loads  of  good 
compost  manure  and  ploughed  it  in ;  on  the  15th  of  the  same 
month,  and  after  harrowing  it,  sowed  two  bushels  of  wheat, 
which  I  call  golden  straw  wheat,  and  which  I  raised  the  year 
before,  and  harrowed  the  same  in  on  the  16th  of  May,  after 
which  I  sowed  grass  seed  and  bushed  it  over.  The  ground 
was  a  good  loamy  soil,  a  young  orchard,  on  which  last  year  I 
planted  potatoes. 

I  reaped  the  wheat  on  the  21st  of  August,  let  it  stand  ten 
days  in  shooks  in  the  field,  then  housed  it,  and  on  the  9th  of 
September  threshed  it  out  with  a  horse  machine.     The  wheat 
on  each  half  acre  was  kept  by  itself,  and  the  result  was,  on  the 
half  acre  not  subsoiled,  twelve  bushels  and  twenty-two  quarts; 
on  the  half  subsoiled,  eleven  bushels  and  twenty-six  quarts; 
making  a  difference  in  favor  of  that  not  subsoiled,  of  over  three 
fourths  of  a  bushel  ;  and  twenty-four  and  one  half  bushels  in 
all  of  good   clean  wheat.     There   was   no   rust  or  blast  on  the 
wheat  whatever;  the  heads  were  long  and   well-filled.     In  re- 
spect to  the  subsoiled  part,  I  was  surprised  at  the  result,  for  the 
half  acre  subsoiled  was  much  the  stoutest  straw  and  promised 
the  greatest  yield ;  but  I  attribute  the  difference   to  the  blow- 
ing down   of  the   wheat,   which  was  repeatedly  injured  in  this 
way  ;  the   stoutest   straw,  the  subsoiled  part,  did   not  rise  so 
well  as  that  which  was  not  subsoiled,  and  a  considerable  part 
of  it  did  not  fill  so  well.     It  is  probable  that  when  land  is  un- 
der very  good  cultivation,  that  the   difference  of  the  subsoiled 
part  over  that  which  is  not,  will  not  be   so  great  in  the  same 
field  as  in  land   not  cultivated  so  high.     My  experience  has 
convinced  me  that  snbsoiling  is  of  great  advantage  especially  in 
rather  thin  lands  and  hard  and  stiff  soils. 

I  sowed  two  bushels  to  the  acre  ;  I  used  to  sow  two  and  one 
half  to  three   bushels  to  the   acre.     I   think  three  bushels  too 


PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY.  365 

much  and  two  not  enough.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  if  I 
had  sowed  only  one  peck  more  I  should  have  had  thirty- 
bushels;  it  would  have  prevented  the  weeds  from  getting  the 
ascendancy,  as  they  d'u'l  in  some  spots.  Two  bushels  and  a 
half,  or  two  bushels  and  a  peck  is  about  the  right  quantity  to 
an  acre  ;  the  latter  quantity  on  rich  land  and  the  former  on  less 
cultivated  land. 

S.  Abington,  Sept.  27,  1851. 

Sylvanus  Hitickley^s  Statement. 

The  acre  of  land  entered  by  me  for  the  best  crop  of  oats,  is 
of  a  gravelly  loam.  I  have  planted  it  with  corn  two  years  past, 
by  spreading  on  it  about  thirty-five  loads  of  manure  each  year. 
Last  spring  I  ploughed  and  sowed  about  four*  bushels  of  oats 
to  the  acre  without  manure  ;  harvested  and  threshed  in  August, 
and  measured  up  sixty-two  bushels  and  three  pecks.  Sowed 
the  oats  30th  day  of  March. 

MiDDLEBOROUGH,  Sej)f.  20,  1851. 

Leonard  HilVs  Statement. 
The  land  on  which  my  oats  grew,  the  same  I  entered  for 
premium,  produced  a  heavy  crop  of  Indian  corn  in  1850.  Ear- 
ly in  the  spring  of  1851,  about  the  middle  of  April,  it  was 
ploughed  deeper  than  usual;  18th,  I  sowed  on  to  the  furrows 
one  and  one  half  bushels  of  good  oats  and  harrowed  them  once  ; 
afterwards  sowed  one  and  one  quarter  bushels  oats,  making  two 
and  three  fourths  bushels  in  all.  Then  harrowed  twice,  leav- 
ing the  land  light  ;  I  then  sowed  on  grass  seed  and  brushed  it 
all  over.  They  were  cut  the  last  of  July  and  housed ;  they 
were  threshed  and  cleaned  the  15th  and  16th  of  October,  and 
we  find  by  measuring  the  same,  to  be  forty-nine  bushels  clean 
oats,  two  and  a  half  bushels  not  so  clean,  making  in  all  a  frac- 
tion over  fifty-one  bushels.  There  probably  would  have  been 
three  or  four  bushels  more  had  the  season  in  the  first  part  been 
dry  as  usual.  About  ten  square  rods  was  under  water  so  long 
as  to  entirely  spoil  the  whole  growth  of  the  ten  rods.    Expense 

*  Three  bushels  of  seed  is  quite  sufficient  for  an  acre. — Sup. 


366  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 

— ploughing  and  harrowing,  |3  ;  seed  oats,  $1  42;  cradling 
and  housing,  $2  42;  threshing  and  cleaning,  &c.,  $4  50 — To- 
tal, $11  34. 

East  Bridgewater,  Oct.  18,  1851. 

Thomas  Ameses  Statement. 

The  land  on  which  I  have  this  year  raised  barley,  was  last 
year  planted  with  potatoes.  On  the  15th  of  April  last  I  plough- 
ed the  ground,  and  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  I  spread  on 
four  cords  of  stable  manure  and  ploughed  it  in.  On  the  30th, 
I  sowed  three  and  one  half  bushels  of  barley  and  harrowed  it 
in  twice.  I  then  sowed  grass  seed  and  bushed  it  over.  On 
the  20th  of  August,  1  had  forly-four  bushels  of  barley,  threshed 
and  cleaned  from  the  ground,  which  measured  one  acre  and 
two  rods. 

West  Bridgewater,  Oct.  20,  1851. 

[The  manure  should  have  been  applied  to  the  previous  crop. 
We  think  it  a  well-established  fact,  that  barn  manure  should 
not  be  applied  immediately  to  the  small  grains.  Our  own  ex- 
perience teaches  us  that  two  and  one  half  bushels  of  seed  is 
enough  per  acre — three  and  one  half  bushels  quite  too  much. 
— Sup.] 

*S'e//i  Spragiie^s  Statcm^ent. 

The  quarter  of  an  acre  entered  by  me,  for  premium  on  beets, 
is  a  dark  or  moist  quality  of  soil, — it  was  in  potatoes  last  year. 
In  consequence  of  getting  a  quantity  of  kelp  and  ploughing 
the  adjoining  land,  it  was  ploughed  in  November,  turning 
under  about  four  tons  of  kelp.  May  1,  hauled  on  six  cart- 
loads of  stable  manure,  and  ploughed  it  under,  six  inches  deep; 
harrowed,  and  carried  on  six  loads  of  compost — harrowed  three 
times.  May  10th,  ploughed  in  rows,  two  feet  apart,  in  drills, 
(thinning  out  twelve  inches,)  one  half  with  mangel  wurtzel, 
and  the  other,  the  white  beet  of  the  wurtzels ;  not  more  than 
one-third  come  up.  By  replanting  and  transplanting,  with  four 
or  five  days'  labor,  I  got  them  to  stand  pretty  well  in  the  rows. 
They  were  hoed  four  times,  and  hand-cultivated  several  times. 


PLYMOUTH   SOCIETY.  367 

Labor,  planting,    -  -  -  -  $2  00 

Weeding,  thinning,  and  hoeing  four  times,  10  00 
Transplanting,      -             -             -             _  4  00 

Harvesting,  -  -  -  -  3  00 

Seed,        -  -  -  -  -  1  00 


.f  20  00 


On  the  18th  of  October,  the  supervisor  weighed  one  rod,  570 
pounds,  which,  at  56  pounds  to  the  bushel,  is  407^^^  bushels, 
and  1628f|  bushels  to  the  acre.  The  white  beets  stood  better, 
or  nearer,  in  the  rows,  than  the  wurtzels,  and  were  about  equal 
in  weight. 

The  quarter  of  an  acre  entered  by  me,  for  premium  on  tur- 
nips, was  in  corn  last  year.  It  is  a  dry,  sandy  soil,  the  subsoil 
loose  sand.  It  was  ploughed  the  first  of  June,  without  manure; 
spread  90  bushels  of  ashes,  mixed  with  two  barrels  of  crushed 
bones;  harrowed  fine  and  smooth,  after  adding  two  loads  of 
compost  manure.  June  24th,  planted  in  drills,  with  a  seed- 
sower,  with  white  French  turnip,  twenty  inches  in  the  rows, 
thinned  to  about  twelve  inches ;  hoed  anu  cultivated  three 
times. 

Ploughing  and  harrowing,  $1  50;  planting,  f  1 ;  hoeing 
three  times,  thinning,  &.c.,  $6;  harvesting,  $2;  total,  ^10  50. 
October  18th,  the  supervisor  weighed  one  rod,  373  pounds ;  56 
pounds  to  the  bushel,  is  196f|  bushels.  This  is  a  small  crop; 
one  thousand  to  sixteen  hundred  bushels  should  be  raised  to 
the  acre,  and  I  think  premium  should  not  be  given  for  less 
than  250  bushels  to  the  quarter  of  an  acre. 

The  quarter  of  an  acre  entered  by  me,  for  premium  on  car- 
rots, is  a  sandy,  somewhat  gravelly  soil — it  was  in  corn  last 
year.  It  was  ploughed  the  first  of  May,  nine  inches  deep,  turn- 
ing under  about  four  tons  of  kelp.  Six  loads  of  stable  manure 
was  then  ploughed  under,  six  inches  deep ;  harrowed — spread 
six  cart-loads  of  compost,  and  harrowed  three  times.  Planted 
May  9th,  with  the  orange  carrot,  in  drills ;  the  rows  eighteen 
inches  apart ;  thinned  out  four  to  ten  inches  apart, — there  were 
some  vacant  places,  but  they  came  up  well. 


368  PLYMOUTH   SOCIETY. 

Ploughing  twice  and  harrowing,  $2  50;  planting,  $2;  weed- 
ing, thinning,  and  hoeing  four  times,  $12;  harvesting,  .$4; 
total,  (manure  excepted)  $520  50.  On  the  18th  of  October,  the 
supervisor  weighed  one  rod,  302  pounds,  which,  at  56  pounds 
to  the  bushel,  is  218|§-  bushels,  or  S74|f  bushels  to  the  acre. 
This  is  a  good  crop,  but  not  a  great  one.  I  intend  to  try  for 
300  bushels  on  a  quarter  of  an  acre,  next  year. 

DuxBURY,  Oct.  20,  1851. 

George  Drexo's  Statement. 

The  land  on  which  I  planted  my  French  turnips,  was 
planted  to  corn  in  1850.  Ploughed  in  May,  and  cross  ploughed 
and  harrowed  twice  in  Ji,me,  $1  50.  I  put  on  the  quarter  acre 
50  bushels  leached  ashes,  $5  50,  June  21st  and  23d,  planted 
two  feet  one  way  and  twenty  inches  the  other,  $2  50.  July 
and  August,  hoed  twice,  $3;  harvesting,  $2  50;  making  $16. 
I  consider  the  land  to  be  better  for  the  ashes,  one  half  the  ex- 
pense, $3  25.  October  23d,  the  supervisor  harvested  and 
weighed  one  rod,  279:i  pounds,  making  779if  bushels  per  acre. 

Halifax,  Oct.  31,  1851. 

Jonathan  Copeland's  Statement. 

The  quarter  acre  of  land  I  entered,  for  premium  on  carrots, 
I  ploughed  the  first  of  August,  1850 ;  the  land  in  good  condi- 
tion, and  a  strong  sward  loam,  with  some  gravel.  The  middle 
of  April,  put  on  seven  large  cart-loads  of  manure  from  barn 
cellar,  and  ploughed  it  in  deep.  The  20th  May,  ploughed 
again,  and  commenced  sowing  on  a  smooth  surface,  the  rows 
eighteen  inches  apart ;  seed  of  the  orange  variety,  sown  by 
hand.  The  weeding  and  thinning  out  was  done  by  my  man, 
before  breakfast,  in  cloudy  weather.  I  think  it  requires  about 
the  same  labor  to  cultivate  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  carrots  that 
it  does  to  cultivate  an  acre  of  corn. 

W.   Bridgewater,  Oct.  20,  1851. 

Seth  Spragne's  Statement. 
I  have  carted  on  to  my  farm  in  Duxbury,  the  past  year,  226 
tons  of  rock  or  sea-weed.     A  few  loads  were  weighed,   the 


PLYMOUTH   SOCIETY.  369 

others  estimated  by  them.  About  160  tons  I  hauled  from  the 
beach,  at  least  four  miles.  The  remainder  was  brought  near 
by  water.  About  100  tons  were  spread,  16  to  20  tons  to  the 
acre,  on  corn  and  other  cultivated  lands,  and  ploughed  under, 
soon  after  as  possible  ;  a  few  tons  were  put  in  my  barn  and  hog 
yards;  the  remainder  was  spread  on  my  mowing  land,  which 
is  a  reclaimed  peat  swamp,  drained,  but  moist  enough  to  pre- 
vent it  from  drying  up  and  wasting  by  the  sun  and  air.  I 
spread  it  as  we  get  it,  in  autumn,  winter,  or  spring.  Two 
years  ago,  I  spread  about  five  tons  on  a  little  less  than  half  an 
acre,  which  I  repeated  the  last  winter.  I  had  this  season,  from 
that  piece,  more  than  a  ton  of  good  hay,  some  clover,  where, 
two  years  ago,  I  got  less  than  five  hundred  of  coarse  hay. 

I  tried  it,  this  season,  in  competition  with  barn  manure.  On 
a  quarter  of  an  acre  in  my  two-acre  field  of  Indian  corn,  I  put 
on  the  one  half  kelp,  on  the  other  half  green  manure,  from  my 
barn,  in  equal  bulk.  The  corn,  I  think,  was  the  best  where 
the  kelp  was  put.  Kelp  spread  on  low  land,  in  autumn  and 
winter,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  or  twenty  tons  to  the  acre,  will 
increase  the  crop,  the  next  season,  one  third.  The  value  of 
this  manure  is  so  well  established  in  the  vicinity  of  the  sea,  in 
this  region,  that  a  premium  for  its  application  is  not  necessary. 
Every  ton  that  lands  where  it  can  be  got  at,  is  eagerly  sought 
for  and  carried  off.  Last  autumn,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
fifty  teams  on  the  beach  at  one  time,  and  it  was  thought  that 
three  thousand  tons  were  hauled  up  and  secured  on  the  beach 
in  two  or  three  days. 

DuxBURY,  Oct.  29,  1851. 

Jonathan  Hoicard,  2rf's,  Statement. 
I  have  made  and  measured,  during  the  present  season,  on  my 
farm,  375  loads*  of  compost  manure  in  the  following  man- 
ner : — 140  loads  were  scraped  up  from  under  and  around  where 
I  had  recently  taken  down  an  old  barn,  which  had  stood  on 
the  spot  nearly  one  hundred  years.  This  was  stacked  and 
covered   with  ten  loads  of  muck.      160  loads  of  it  were  made 

*  364  loads  of  40  cubic  feel. 

47 


370  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 

ill  the  cow  yard,  one  fourth  of  which  was  muck,  and  the  re- 
mainder, soil  and  scrapings  from  the  sides  of  fences,  from 
ditches,  &c.  On  this  I  have  thrown  brine  from  meat  barrels, 
and  yarded  through  the  season  from  twelve  to  fifteen  head  of 
cattle,  the  droppings  from  which  are  thrown  in  a  heap  and 
covered  every  morning  with  soil  and  coal  dust,  and  from  two 
to  three  times  a  week  I  sprinkle  on  the  heap  two  quarts  of 
salt.  Fifty  loads  of  it  were  made  in  the  hog  yard,  where 
has  been  kept  on  an  average  five  hogs.  Into  this  yard  have 
been  thrown  muck  and  soil,  in  about  equal  quantities  and  at 
different  times,  as  it  was  needed,  together  with  weeds  and 
potato  tops.  Fifteen  loads  of  the  375  were  turf  and  peat 
ashes.  The  cart  in  which  the  said  manure  was  measured,  was 
of  the  following  dimensions,  viz.,  6^  feet  long,  20  inches  high 
and  3  feet  7  inches  wide,  and  was  well  filled  each  time. 
W.   Bridgewater,  Sept.  7,  1851. 

4 

Austin  J.  Roherts^s  Statement. 

I  hav^e  made  202  loads  valuable  compost  manure  since  March 
last.  The  amount  is  not  so  great  as  I  have  made  in  former 
years,  not  having  so  many  cattle  as  usual. 

The  basis  of  my  composts  is  vegetable  matter  from  the 
woods  near  by.  Decayed  leaves  I  have  collected  and  used 
with  good  effect,  mixing  them  with  animal  manure,  which  I 
find  very  beneficial  when  applied  to  my  fruit  trees.  I  am  led 
to  believe,  from  a  few  experiments,  that  manure  made  in  the 
summer  and  winter,  is  much  improved  in  quality,  by  hauling 
it  out  of  the  pens  or  yards,  (four  to  six  weeks  before  using,) 
and  throwing  it  into  compost  heaps,  in  any  convenient  place, 
or  in  the  fields  where  it  is  to  be  applied,  and  between  layers  of 
dung  one  foot  thick  ;  and  I  put  two  inches  of  unleached  ashes, 
and  so  on,  proceeding  until  the  heap  is  about  four  feet  high. 
I  have  found  manure  thus  made,  almost  to  increase  the  value 
of  the  compost  one  half;  and  by  thus  doing,  it  enables  the 
farmer  to  add  materially  to  the  size  of  the  heap  by  mingling 
between  the  layers  of  "  reeking  dung,"  muck,  or  any  other 
absorbent  which  would  receive  and  hold  any  ammoniacal  liquor 


PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY.  371 

which  might  filter  through  the  mass  and  various  gases  evolved 
during  fermentation. 

Respectfully  submitted. 

[This  can  all  be  done  in  the  yard   and  save   much  labor. — 

Sup.] 


DAfRY  Articles. 

The  whole  number  of  claimants  for  premiums  for  butter 
■v\ras  34, — nearly  all  of  whom  complied  with  the  requirements 
and  submitted  to  the  committee  proper  statements  of  their 
method  of  making  butter.  Those  of  the  committee  who  have 
in  former  years  examined  butter  offered  for  premium,  are  of 
opinion  that  the  butter,  as  a  whole,  is  not  so  rich  and  good 
flavored  as  common,  owing  probably  to  a  poorer  quality  of 
feed.  The  butter,  however,  is  pronounced  by  the  committee 
to  be  of  the  best  quality,  and  is,  both  on  account  of  the  quan- 
tity offered  and  the  neatness  and  taste  with  which  it  is  put  up, 
highly  creditable  to  the  dairy  women  of  the  county.  The 
committee  have  awarded  the  following  premiums : 

Mrs.  Waite  S.  Holmes,  Bridgewater,      -  -  -  $7  00 

"     Mary  Whitman,  West  Bridgewater,  -  -     6  00 

*'     Amasa  Howard,                  "  -  -     5  00 

"     Melinda  S.  Holmes,  Bridgewater,  -  -  -     4  00 

Miss  Selina  G.  Bassett,             «              -  -  -     3  00 

The  number  of  claimants  for  premiums  on  cheese  was  24. 
The  exhibition  of  cheese  is  considered  by  the  committee  to  be 
uncommonly  good,  both  in  quantity  and  quality,  and  is  un- 
undoubtedly  as  good  as  any  made  in  the  State.  The  commit- 
tee award  the  following  premiums : 

Mrs.  Rachel  Allen,  Bridgewater,             -  -  -  $7     0 

"     Aretas  Fobes,          "                          -  -  -     6  00 

"     Thomas  Weston,  Middleborough.  -  -     5  00 

"     Mary  Whitman,  West  Bridgewater,  -  -     4  00 

"     Melinda  S.  Holmes,  Bridgewater,  -  -     3  00 


372  PLYMOUTH  SOCIETY. 

The  committee  had  their  attention  called  to  a  sample  of 
bread  made  by  Mrs.  Simeon  Leonard,  of  Bridgewater.  One 
loaf  of  the  wheat  bread  was  mixed  with  milk,  the  other  with 
water  and  yeast.  The  committee  were  unanimous  in  favor  of 
the  yeast  and  water,  the  bread  being  light,  sweet  and  agreea- 
ble to  the  palate.  The  loaf  of  rye  and  Indian  bread  was  good, 
'being  light  and  sweet  and  well  baked.  All  this  bread  was 
made  without  saleeratus.  The  committee  have  no  premium  to 
offer,  but  recommend  a  gratuity  of  $1. 

CALVIN    B.  PRATT,   Chairman. 


BRISTOL   SOCIETY.  373 


BRISTOL  COUxNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


The  exhibition  and  cattle  show  of  this  society,  came  off  at 
Taunton  the  9th  and  10th  days  of  October  last.  The  display 
in  almost  every  department,  far  exceeded  that  of  any  previons 
year,  excepting  the  last.  The  fancy  articles  and  home  manu- 
factures reflected  great  credit  upon  the  fair  contributors — too 
much  praise  cannot  be  awarded  them.  The  fruits  were  rich 
and  rare,  in  size,  flavor  and  variety.  The  silver  plated  wares, 
brass  wares,  and  other  articles  of  Taunton  manufacture, 
enhanced  the  interest  of  the  exhibition. 

Of  stock,  there  were  about  eighty  head  of  cattle,  viz:  twelve 
yokes  of  oxen,  eight  bulls,  ten  cows,  twenty  heifers,  ten  steers 
and  eighteen  calves  ;  together  with  sixteen  swine  and  six  sheep. 


Ploughing  with  Ox  Teams. 

The  committee  (S.  M.  Stanley,  Chairman,;  reports  that  six- 
teen competitors  entered  their  names,  fifteen  of  whom  ploughed, 
and  the  committee  are  happy  to  say  that  as  a  whole,  the  work 
was  well  performed ;  b'^tter,  we  think,  than  on  any  previous 
year.  There  was  some  difficulty  experienced  on  the  part  of 
some  of  the  ploughmen,  in  leaving  the  last  furrow  unturned, 
(it  being  the  first  year  of  trial  in  that  respect,)  which  will 
readily  be  obviated  by  practice. 

The  committee  were  unanimous  in  adopting  the  following 
rules,  which  would  govern  them  in  their  decision  of  the  work, 
and  also  made  the  same  known  to  the  competitors  before  the 
trial. 

1st.  Thorough  pulverization  of  the  soil. 

2d.  Narrow  furrows,  well  turned,  not  less  than  seven  inches 
in  depth. 

3d.  The  last  furrow  left  unturned. 

4th.  Unlimited  time  without  hurrying. 


374  BRISTOL  SOCIETY. 

In  some  cases,  the  lands  were  well  turned,  but  lacked  pul- 
verization ;  in  others,  thoroughly  pulverized  without  being 
well  turned ;  some  others  with  comparatively  wide  furrows 
and  others  still,  improperly  finished. 

The  committee  suggest  the  propriety  in  future,  of  adopting 
rules  for  the  regulation  of  ploughing  at  the  March  meeting,  and 
having  them  published  under  the  list  of  premiums. 


Ploughing  with   Horses  and  Steers. 

The  committee  (F.  B.  Dean,  Chairman)  say,  that  the  plough- 
men have  rendered  any  remarks  this  committee  might  have 
wished  to  offer,  entirely  unnecessary,  by  performing  their  work 
to  the  satisfaction  of  all,  and  beyond  their  praise.  We  have 
found  it  no  easy  task  to  decide  who  among  the  many  rivals  on 
the  field,  were  most  entitled  to  the  awards. 

The  rules  announced  by  the  committee,  before  commencing, 
and  which  guided  them  in  their  decisions,  were  as  follows, 
viz  : — 

1st.  Ploughing  not  to  be  less  than  seven  inches  deep. 

2d.  The  soil  to  be  well  pulverized. 

3d.  The  last  furrow,  in  the  middle  of  the  lands,  to  be  left 
unturned  from  six  to  eight  inches  wide. 

4th.  Preference  to  be  given  to  narrow  furrows. 

The  whole  number  of  teams,  under  the  supervision  of  this 
committee,  was  sixteen,  nine  of  which  were  composed  of  one 
yoke  of  two  or  three  years  old  steers,  one  horse  and  driver,  and 
seven  of  one  span  of  horses  without  driver. 


Sheep  and  Swine. 

Though  the  specimens  on  the  ground  were  very  fine,  and 
deserving  of  all  praise,  yet  the  value  of  the  best  breeds  of  these 
animals  is  such  to  the  country,  and  especially  to  this  part  of  it, 
where,  if  we  make  anything  by  such  stock,  it  must  be  by  hav- 
ing it  better  than  that  of  others,  that  we  wish  many  more 
raisers  of  it  would  bring  the  best  they  have,  and  make  a  more 


BRISTOL  SOCIETY.  375 

exciting  and  severer  competition.  For  the  very  competition  to 
produce  the  best  breed,  and  the  best  specimens  of  a  breed,  is  of 
vastly  more  importance  to  the  country,  than  the  trifling  sum 
offered  as  a  premium.  And  we  think  the  farmer  who,  by  skill 
and  care,  shall  produce  a  finer  breed  of  domestic  animals  than 
has  heretofore  been  known,  does  a  benefit  to  the  community 
that  cannot  easily  be  reckoned.  And  a  comparison  of  them 
here,  at  our  annual  exhibitions,  is  one  of  the  best  modes  of 
instructing  the  raiser  of  them  in  the  points  he  should  seek  to 
cultivate,  and  the  competition  for  prizes  will  spur  his  energies 
and  ambition  to  do  better  than  he  has  ever  done  before. 

And  we  shall  be  pardoned  if  we  add,  that  no  breed  of  animals 
is  perfect ;  that  improvements  are  daily  made  in  them ;  that  we 
are  just  learning  the  rudiments  of  the  real  art  of  raising  and 
improving  them  ;  that  the  whole  field  is  open  to  every  com- 
petitor ;  and  that  skill,  energy  and  care  alone  will  succeed. 

C.  B.  FARNS  WORTH,  Chairman. 


Cows  AND  Heifers. 

The    fourth    premium    the    committee    withheld,   but    they 
recommend  that  the  society,  in  lieu  thereof,  grant  the  following 
gratuity  : — 
To  Horatio  Leonard,  Raynham,  for  two  valuable  cows,  ||2  00 

In  this  case  they  could  not  award  to  him  a  premium,  because 
the  claimant  had  not  complied  with  the  rules  of  the  society  in 
his  statement ;  the  rule  requiring  that  a  statement  of  the  amount, 
both  of  milk  and  butter,  should  be  rendered;  but  all  the  milk 
of  these  cows  was  sold  daily,  and  no  butter  made..  The  com- 
mittee would  therefore  recommend  the  society  to  amend  the 
rule,  so  as  to  authorize  them  to  award  premiums  in  cases  of 
this  kind. 

Of  heifers,  there  was  an  unusually  large  number  exhibited. 
There  were  none  of  an  inferior  quality  or  grade,  and  nearly  all 
of  them  of  superior  merit ;  of  comparatively  large  size  and  of 
great  beauty  of  form  and  color.     They  presented  a  gratifying 


376  BRISTOL  SOCIETY. 

improvement  over  previous  years.  When  they  came  to  the 
examination  of  these  beautiful  and  gentle  animals,  the  com- 
mittee regretted  that  they  were  restricted  to  the  meagre  pre- 
miums offered  by  the  society.  They  would  therefore  recom- 
mend an  increase  in  the  number  of  premiums  on  heifers.  In 
order  to  testify  their  opinion  of  the  merits  of  the  several  ani- 
mals presented,  they  were  obliged  to  resort  to  the  recommenda- 
tion of  several  gratuities. 

JOHN  DAGGETT,   Chairman. 


Fat  Cattle,  Steers  and  Horses.  j 

The  committee  have  seen  wit!^  great  pleasure,  the  increasing 
interest  which  their  agricultural  brethren  manifest  in  this 
branch  of  their  industrial  pursuits. 

The  fat  cattle  exceeded  in  numbers  and  quality,  those  which 
had  been  presented  at  any  former  exhibition  of  this  society; 
and  they  found  many  of  the  animals  so  nearly  equal  in  excel- 
lence, that  it  was  very  difficult  to  discriminate  between  them. 
But  taking  into  consideration  the  mode  of  fattening,  as  well  as 
the  obesity  of  the  animals,  and  their  quality  for  beef,  they 
awarded  the  premiums. 

They  also  examined,  with  great  satisfaction,  a  remarkable 
steer,  only  three  years  old,  weighing  1975  pounds.  This  ani- 
mal having  been  owned  in  the  county  less  than  three  months, 
they  had  no  power  to  award  any  premium.  But  in  the  hope 
that  this  steer  of  extraordinary  promise  will  be  preserved  till 
he  reaches  maturity,  the  committee  recommend  that  there  be 
granted  to  his  owners,  A.  White  &  Co.,  of  Taunton,  a  gratuity 
of  two  dollars. 

The  committee  regret  that  in  the  list  of  steers,  there  was  a 
•falling  off  from  some  former  years.  But  they  derive  consola- 
tion from  the  belief  that  it  was  the  only  department  in  the 
whole  exhibition,  in  which  there  was  not  a  manifest  improve- 
ment. The  committee  were  reluctantly  brought  to  the  con- 
clusion that  there  were  no  yearUng  steers  which  they  could 
■approve  as  worthy  of  the  highest  premium. 


•  BRISTOL  SOCIETY.  377 

The  committee  were  surprised  to  find  so  extraordinary  an 
improvement  in  the  department  of  horses.  There  was  not 
only  a  very  great  increase  in  the  number  of  entries,  but  a  still 
greater  improvement  in  the  qualities  of  the  animals.  And 
while  the  committee  would  not  encourage  too  great  a  taste  for 
fancy  animals  of  this  kind,  they  will  not  suppress  the  opinion 
that  too  little  attention  has  been  given,  in  this  county,  to  the 
breeding  and  raising  of  horses.  They  rejoice  to  see  so  much 
evi(i'ence  of  the  increased  care  given  to  this  subject,  and  they 
felt  mortification  and  regret  that  so  very  few  and  meagre  pre- 
miums were  offered  for  the  encouragement  of  the  rearing  of 
this  useful  and  noble  animal.  How  could  the  committee  dis- 
tribute two  small  premiums  among  twenty  meritorious  appli- 
cants? In  this  dilemma,  what  could  the  committee  do,  but 
appeal  to  the  generosity  of  the  society  for  the  most  liberal 
allowance  of  gratuities. 

The  committee  entertain  no  doubt  that,  could  the  whole 
society  examine  the  several  horses,  young  and  old,  which  were 
offered  for  premium,  they  would  not  only  most  cheerfully  grant 
these  gratuities,  but  feel,  as  the  committee  feel,  regret  that  they 
could  not  make  more  and  larger  grants. 

MARCUS  MORTON,   Chairman. 


Ornamental  and  Forest  Trees. 

The  use  and  cultivation  of  trees  for  ornament  is  not  an  intro- 
duction of  modern  times.  The  garden  in  the  East  was  fur- 
nished with  every  kind  of  tree  which  was  "  pleasant  to  the 
sight,"  or  good  for  food.  There  flourished  in  luxuriance  and 
beauty,  the 

"  Cedar  and  pine,  and  fir,  and  branching  palm," 
and  on  every  hill-side  and  in  every  valley  waved 

"  Groves,  whose  rich  trees  wept  odorous  gums  and  balms," 

beneath  whose  shade  our  first  parents  sat  in  conversation  pure, 
or  leaned  in  graceful  attitudes  to  rest.     In  ancient  times,  the 
48 


378  BRISTOL   SOCIETY. 

tree  was  the  chosen  emblem  of  life,  knowledge,  beauty,  con- 
stancy, fruitfuhiess,  patience,  wisdom,  power  and  victory. 

The  palm,  the  cedar,  the  fig,  the  almond,  and  the  olive 
tree,  were  all  deemed  worthy  of  dignity  and  honor,  while  the 
"  pine,  the  fir  tree,  and  the  box  together,"  were  chosen  to 
beautify  and  adorn  the  place  of  the  sanctuary. 

And  what  more  worthy  object  of  admiration  can  be  found 
among  nature's  loveliest  productions,  than  a  perfect  and  well 
formed  tree — whether  we  behold  it  as  a  single  cone,  with  its 
exact  and  symmetrical  form,  and  neat  trim  outline,  or  as  spread- 
ing its  wide  and  umbrageous  head  in  graceful  lines,  and  sweep- 
ing curves,  or  bending  its  boughs  to  the  earth,  laden  with  bright 
and  golden  fruit — whether  standing  by  itself  in  solitary  beauty, 
in  a  fertile,  grassy  plain,  or  grouped  in  an  affectionate  and  har- 
monious cluster  with  artistic  grace  and  skill — or  ranged  in 
more  formal  order,  by  the  dusty  road  side,  refreshing  the  weary 
traveller  on  his  sultry  way,  at  once  with  nourishment  and  shade 
— whether  budding  forth  with  the  fresh  and  joyous  green  of 
spring, — or  decked  in  the  rich  and  gorgeous  robes  of  autumn, 
— or  clad  with  the  icy  vestments  of  winter,  glittering  in  the 
bright  sun  with  the  matchless  splendor  of  a  diamond  mine — 
everywhere,  in  all  places,  and  under  every  aspect,  a  perfect, 
well-formed  tree  is  an  object  of  beauty  and  admiration. 

"  The  sayling  pine,  the  cedar  proud  and  tall, 
The  vine-propp  elm,  the  poplar  never  dry, 
The  builder  oake,  sole  king  of  forests  all. 
The  aspine,  good  for  staves,  the  cypress  funerale," 

have  all  received  the  homage  of  a  poet's  pen,  while  the  painter's 
pencil  has  vied  with  the  sculptor's  chisel  in  embodying  and 
preserving  their  various  forms  of  beauty  and  grace.  The  cul- 
tivation of  ornamental  trees  is  the  cause  and  the  effect,  the 
antecedent  and  the  consequent,  the  sign  and  the  produce,  of  a 
love  for  the  beautiful  and  true,  in  nature.  It  is  justly  entitled 
to  be  classed  with  the  fine  arts,  and  ever  tends  to  elevate, 
humanize  and  refine  mankind.  What  traveler,  as  he  passed  some 
humble,  modest,  neat-looking  cottage,  with  its  well-trimmed 
grass  plot  and  overhanging  elm,  has  not  felt  that  there  must  be 
the  abode  of  refinement,  contentment  and  peace? 


BRISTOL    SOCIETY.  379 

Time  was,  when  the  setting  of  shade  trees  by  the  road-side 
was  forbidden  by  law,  lest  in  case  of  fires  in  a  village,  they 
should  be  the  means  of  spreading  the  conflagration  from  dwel- 
ling to  dwelling  ;  but  thanks  to  a  wiser,  and  more  far-seeing 
legislation,  their  cultivation  is  now  encouraged  by  statute,  and 
their  wilful  and  malicious  destruction  is  visited  with  a  heavy 
penalty. 

A  wealthy  inhabitant  of  Middlesex  recently  left  a  legacy  of 
several  hundred  dollars,  for  planting  trees  by  the  road-side. 
What  future  way-farer,  as  he  seeks  rest  and  shelter  under  their 
welcome  shade,  will  not  pronounce  blessings  on  this  benefactor 
of  his  race  ?  A  public  spirited  member  of  our  own  society*  has 
directly  or  indirectly  caused  several  hundred  trees  to  be  trans- 
planted along  the  highways,  within  a  few  years  past,  and 
already  his  example  is  imitated  by  many  who  were  first  in- 
clined to  oppose  or  ridicule.  Let  us  then  encourage  the  culti- 
vation of  ornamental  trees,  remembering  that  in  their  happy 
influences  upon  our  posterity,  they  will  bear  fruit,  "some  thirty, 
some  sixty,  and  some  an  hundred  fold." 

This  society  have  off"ered  for  the  greatest  number  of  orna- 
mental trees  of  the  best  kind,  and  in  the  most  thrifty  condition, 
planted  by  the  road-side,  a  premium  of  $10.  No  competitor 
has  entered  for  this  premium. 

The  cultivation  of  forest  trees  also  demands  our  attention, 
and  is  worthy  of  our  serious  eff'orts.  Modern  civilization  is 
fast  sweeping  away  the  beauty  and  pride  of  those  noble  for- 
ests, which  waved  so  majestically  over  our  land  when  the  May- 
flower touched  our  New  England  shores.  The  murderous  axe 
of  the  Yankee  farmer  has  made  wanton  havoc  of  our  noble 
pines  and  stately  oaks  ;  the  work  of  destruction  is  still  going  on, 
and  necessity  will  soon  compel  us  to  adopt  some  energetic 
measures  for  the  preservation  of  so  valuable  a  production  of 
our  soil. 

The  beauty  and  usefulness  of  the  forest  are  each  sufficient 
reasons  for  cherishing  and  preserving  it. 

How  much  more  pleasant  to  the  eye  is  a  hill-side,  with  its 
green   trees  and  splendid  foliage,  to  a  naked   barren    summit 

*  Mr.  Samuel  Carpenter  of  Altleborough. 


380  BRISTOL  SOCIETY. 

stript  of  nature's  own  protection  ?  Who  would  exchange  the 
tree-clad  hills  of  Berkshire,  for  the  uninteresting  wastes  of  Nan- 
tucket ?  The  lover  of  nature  too,  finds  unwearied  delight  in 
gazing  upon  our  autumnal  forests.  Their  exceeding  variety 
and  brilliancy  have  been  the  subject  of  enthusiastic  admiration 
of  every  English  traveller.  The  gold  and  green  of  the  Amer- 
ican elm,  the  high  orange  hues  of  the  sugar  maple,  the  gold 
and  scarlet  of  the  swamp  maple,  the  unassuming  buffs  and 
yellows  of  the  birches,  the  full  bright  yellows  and  scarlets  of 
the  oaks,  the  rich  browns  of  the  bass-wood  and  hickories,  the 
soft  olive  tints  of  the  ash,  the  ochry  hues  of  the  larch,  the  deep 
black  green  of  the  firs  and  other  evergreens,  all  these  intermin- 
gled and  combined  with  brilliant  tints  of  crimson,  purple  and 
gold,  in  a  thousand  forms  and  shades,  ever  changing  to  the  eye 
of  the  traveler,  like  nature's  great  kaleidoscope,  present  a  sight 
which  in  gorgeous  beauty  out-rivals  the  most  brilliant  concep- 
tions of  imperial  magnificence. 

Well  then  does  the  American  forest  deserve  preservation  for 
its  magnificent  beauty  alone.  But  we  are  a  utilitarian  people 
and  require  some  more  powerful  stimulus  to  stay  the  devasta- 
tion of  our  forest  trees,  which  our  want  of  foresight  is  so  rap- 
idly producing.  The  uses  of  the  forest  are  so  manifold  and 
multiform,  that  our  economical  interest  requires  us  to  adopt 
some  means  for  its  preservation. 

We  have  time  to  enumerate  only  a  few  of  the  prominent 
points  of  value  and  necessity.  Forests  enrich  our  soil  by  their 
annual  deposits  of  leaves  and  branches.  Their  root  and  root- 
lets permeate  the  ground,  opening  it  to  the  genial  influences  of 
the  sun,  rain  and  air,  while  on  the  hill-sides  they  bind  it  to  the 
earth,  preserving  it  from  wearing  and  washing  away  under 
heavy  rains  and  snows.  They  equalize  the  temperature  of  the 
climate,  protecting  us,  our  flocks  and  herds  from  the  vio- 
lence of  the  winds  and  the  scorching  rays  of  an  American  sun. 
They  furnish  us  with  building  material  for  our  dwellings,  our 
shops  and  stores,  our  ships  and  steamers, — for  our  cabinet  ware, 
carriages,  wooden  ware,  fences  and  agricultural  implements. 
To  say  nothing  of  the  cultivation  of  certain  varieties  of  trees 
for  the  value  of  their  barks  and  nuts,  the   sugar  maple  recom- 


BRISTOL  SOCIETY.  381 

mends  itself  to  us  as  a  source  of  easy  and  enormous  profit.  It 
has  been  stated  that  a  single  town  in  our  Commonwealth  has 
produced  in  a  year  over  100,000  pounds  of  sugar  from  this 
tree ;  and  the  annual  production  of  a  single  New  England 
State,  containing  not  one  third  the  population  of  our  own,  has 
exceeded  5,000,000  pounds,  which  at  the  average  price  at  retail 
among  us,  amounts  to  a  sum  nearly  sufficient  to  defray  the 
annual  expenses  of  the  whole  judiciary,  executive  and  legisla- 
tive departments  of  our  own  Commonwealth. 

Last,  but  not  least,  we  would  mention  the  forest  as  a  source 
of  fuel.  To  pass  over  the  thousands  of  cords  consumed  annu- 
ally by  the  various  railroads  and  steamboats,  if  the  average 
supply  of  fuel  for  each  family  in  the  Commonwealth,  were  hut 
10  cords  a  year,  and  there  be  150,000  families  in  the  State,  our 
annual  fuel  for  family  use  alone,  is  purchased  at  a  cost  of  over 
$7,000,000.  And  this  does  not  include  the  vast  quantities 
used  on  railroads  and  for  manufacturing  purposes,  nor  the  thou- 
sands of  tons  of  coal,  which  are  annually  imported  and  sold 
within  our  borders. 

We  have  not  time  to  pursue  this  investigation  further,  but 
enough  has  been  given  to  demonstrate  that  the  value  of  our 
forest  trees  is  far  beyond  our  ordinary  estimation  or  concep- 
tion. 

In  view  of  these  facts,  and  because  of  the  rapidity  with  which 
our  woods  are  disappearing,  this  society  has  offered  premiums 
for  the  most  extensive  forest  of  any  sort  of  trees,  suitable  for 
fuel  or  timber  and  in  the  most  flourishing  condition  in  Septem- 
ber, 1851. 

The  committee  are  gratified  to  see  the  spirit  beginning  to  be 
awakened  among  our  faj-mers  on  this  subject,  and  that  the  pre- 
judice once    existing  against  planting  trees  is  fast  disappearing. 

Many  have  commenced  planting  pines  on  barren  worn  out 
land,  and  already  their  fields  have  advanced  more  than  five 
hundred  per  cent,  in  value. 

The  committee  have  examined  several  handsome  fields  of 
pine,  in  this  part  of  the  county,  and  award  the  first  premium 
of  $25  to  John  B.  Newcomb,  of  Norton. 

The  second  of  $20,  they  award  to  J.  Calvin  Crane,  of  Nor- 
ton. 


382  BRISTOL  SOCIETY. 

The  third  of  $15,  to  Darwin  Deane,  of  Mansfield. 

The  committee  have  also  viewed  with  great  pleasure  the 
pine  woods  of  Henry  T.  Gilmore,  of  Raynham,  and  James 
Smith,  of  Norton,  but  as  they  are  not  strictly  within  the  regu- 
lations prescribed  by  this  society  for  competitors  for  premiums, 
your  committee  cannot  award  them  a  premium,  but  deem 
them  equitably  entitled  to  a  gratuity  of  $10  each. 

The  present  regulations  require,  that  the  number  of  trees 
shall  be  not  less  than  1000  to  the  acre.  At  this  rate,  the  trees 
must  stand  not  far  from  six  feet  apart.  Believing  that  they 
can  be  raised  more  profitably,  if  more  thinly  planted,  your 
committee  recommend  that  the  future  premiums  shall  be  offered 
to  the  person  setting  out  the  greatest  number  of  acres  after  this 
date,  to  be  not  less  than  300  to  the  acre. 

EDMUND  H.  BENNETT,  Chairman. 


Grain    Crops. 

But  two  claims  have  been  made  for  the  premiums  on  grain 
crops.  Both  of  these  are  for  Indian  corn.  We  recommend 
that  the  first  premium  of  $10  be  awarded  to  Abiah  Bliss,  Jr., 
of  Rehoboth,  he  having  raised  77  bushels  on  one  acre.  Mr. 
Bliss  has  not  strictly  complied  with  the  regulations  of  the 
society,  by  measuring  his  corn  between  the  15th  of  November 
and  1st  of  December,  having  measured  the  most  of  it  subse- 
quent to  that  period.  Andrew  H.  Hall,  of  Taunton,  raised  68^ 
bushels  on  an  acre,  to  whom  a  gratuity  of  $5  is  recommended. 

O.  AMES,  Jr.,  Chairman. 

Abiah    Bliss,  /r's  Statem,ent. 

The  acre  of  land  on  which  I  raised  77  bushels  and  3  quarts 
of  corn,  is  a  gravelly  soil,  about  one-third  part  full  of  fast 
stones  or  rocks.  It  has  been  mowed  ten  years,  and  no  manure 
applied  since  1846. 

Ploughed  first  time  in  October,  1849.  Used  nine  cords  of 
manure,  viz.,  three  cords  hog  manure,  three  cords  horse  manure, 
and   three   cords   from    the  winter   yard,  composed    chiefly  of 


BRISTOL  SOCIETY.  383 

swamp  mild,  taken  from  the  swamp  in  1848.  The  manure 
spread  evenly  and  harrowed,  then  ploughed  and  the  land  har- 
rowed again.  Furrows  3|  feet  apart  and  three  inches  deep, 
one  way  ;  chains  drawn  the  other  way  two  feet  apart .  Six 
bushels  of  dry  ashes  were  put  in  the  hill — planted,  18th  and 
20th  of  Mav,  eight  quarts  of  eight-rowed  white  corn  brought 
from  Scituate,  R.  I.  Three  to  four  kernels  in  a  hill,  covered 
one  inch  deep.  Hoed  twice  in  June,  and  once  in  July.  Used 
horse  harrow  at  first  hoeing,  cultivator,  second  hoeing ;  the 
last  hoeing  done  without  the  use  of  cultivator.  The  whole 
crop  cut  up  and  shocked  the  last  of  September ;  harvested  first 
week  in  November. 


EXPENSE  OF  CROP. 

Fiist  ploughing  with  one  yoke  of  oxen, 
Second  "  "  " 

Harrowing,     -  -  -  - 

Nine  cords  manure,     -  -  - 

Ashes,  _  _  _  - 

Planting,  $2  50;  hoeing  three  times,  $6  00, 
Cutting  and  shocking  corn,     - 
Harvesting,     -  -  -  - 

Seed,  25  cts.  ;   use  of  land,  $2  00, 


By  corn  fodder, 


$1 

25 

1 

25 

1 

00 

27 

00 

75 

8 

50 

1 

33 

2 

50 

2 

25 

$45 

83 

10 

00 

$35  83 


Rehoboth,  Dec,  1850. 

Andrew  H.  HalVs    Statement. 

The  land  on  which  my  corn  grew  was  mowed  in  1849,  and 
yielded  about  seven  cwt.  of  hay ;  had  no  manure  put  upon  it. 
It  was  ploughed  seven  inches  deep,  and  in  April,  1850,  there 
were  drawn  on  28  horse  loads  (about  20  bushels  to  a  load)  of 
manure,  which  was  spread  and  ploughed  in  four  inches  deep. 
The  land  was  furrowed  but  one  way,  averaging  4^  furrows  to 
a  rod  ;  in  these  furrows  was  put  one-third  of  a  shovelful  of 
fine  manure  at  intervals  of  about  20  inches  ;  used  about  one- 


384  BRISTOL  SOCIETY. 

half  as  much  as  was  spread.  Planted,  May  14th  and  17th, 
dropping  the  corn  on  this  manure,  two  corns  at  a  place  ;  used 
one  peck  of  corn,  it  was  a  large  yellow  kind.  Soon  after  the 
corn  was  up,  ploughed  two  furrows  in  each  row  ;  about  a  week 
after,  harrowed  twice  in  a  row.  Hoed,  June  26th  and  27th, 
one  and  a  half  days.  About  first  of  July,  harrowed  again 
twice  in  a  row,  and  the  middle  of  the  month  pulled  the  weeds. 
October  24'th,  began  to  harvest;  31st,  finished.  There  were 
137  bushels  of  ears ;  several  of  them  were  weighed,  averaging 
38  1-2  pounds  to  a  bushel,  making  68  1-2  bushels  of  corn,  of 
77  pounds  each. 

EXPENSE    OF    THE    CROP. 

Ploughing,    -  -  -  - 

Manure  and  drawing, 
Spreading  and  ploughing  in. 
Furrowing  and  seed. 
Planting,  4  days'  work, 
Ploughing  and  harrowing,    - 
Hoeing  and  weeding. 
Cutting  stalks  and  harvesting. 


By  68  1-2  bushels  corn,  80  cts., 
"    corn  fodder. 


Profit,         -  -  $10  40 

Taunton,  Dec,  1850. 


- 

$2  00 

- 

36  00 

- 

1  50 

- 

60 

- 

4  00 

- 

1  50 

- 

1  80 

- 

8  00 

$55  40 

$54  80 

11  00 

fi^  80 

\J%J      \J\J 

BARNSTABLE  SOCIETY.  385 


BARNSTABLE  COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


The  annual  cattle  show  and  fair  of  this  society  were  held  at 
Orleans,  on  Wednesday,  8th  of  October  last.  The  exhibition 
of  neat  cattle,  although  good,  was  not  so  large  as  it  should 
have  been.  The  show  of  colts  exceeded  that  of  any  former 
year,  and  it  is  believed,  would  compare  favorably  in  numbers 
and  quality,  with  that  of  any  county  in  the  State.  The 
ploughing  match  was  well  contested.  The  fruit  exhibited  was 
of  a  superior  character,  and  the  articles  of  domestic  manufac- 
ture such  as  were  highly  creditable. 

The  address  was  delivered  by  Hon.  C.  E.  Potter,  of  Man- 
chester, N.  H. 


Farms. 

The  committee  (David  Mayo,  Chairman,)  report,  that  there 
was  but  one  farm  entered  for  premiums, — the  farm  of  Matthias 
Hinckley,  of  Barnstable.  They  began  their  examinations  of 
this  farm  in  May  last,  and  continued  to  visit  it,  from  time  to 
time,  until  October.  They  think  he  is  entitled  to,  and  they 
award  to  him,  the  first  premium  of  twelve  dollars. 

Matthias  Hinckley^s  Statement. 
The  farm  that  I  offer  for  premium,  contains  about  twenty- 
five  acres.  I  commenced  purchasing  in  1825,  and  have  bought 
of  six  different  individuals.  The  last  purchase  was  made  in 
1847.  The  whole  was  in  a  rough,  worn-out  condition,  nothing 
having  been  done  by  way  of  manuring,  fencing,  or  getting  out 
stones  and  rocks,  for  the  last  fifty  years  previous  to  my  buying 
it.  I  have  given  my  attention  more  to  freeing  it  from  rocks 
and  clearing  it  up  and  fencing  it,  than  to  getting  crops  from  it. 
49 


386  BARNSTABLE   SOCIETY.  j 

I 
It  is  now  mostly  fenced  into  one  acre  and  one  and  a  half  acre     i 

lots,  will)  substantial  stone-wall,  the  stone  having  all  been  taken     j 

from  the  ground  belonging  to  the  farm,  by  blasting  or  splitting,     j 

Tiiere  is  no  wooden  fence  on  the  f)lace.    I  have  made  237  rods     j 

of  stone-wall,  anil  reset   lOG   rods.     I   have  made  40  rods  of     J 

blind  ditches,  and  set  30  rods  of  cranberry  bog,  since  I  have 

owned  the  farm.  i 

I  conmicnced   living  on   the  farm  in   1831,  having  built  a     ! 
house  upon  it  during  that  year.     The  house  is  of  the  following     j 
dimensions:  25  feet   front,  22   feet   rear,  17  feet   post,  with  a     1 
porch,  34  feet  by  15.     A  shed  connects  the  house  with  a  barn,     j 
of  the  following  dimensions,  viz. :  20  feet  by  24,  and  14  feet     } 
post.     In  1848,  I  built  another  barn,  32  by  28  feet  and  17  feet 
post,  with  a  cellar  under  the  whole  of  it.     I  have  set  out  about 
CO   fruit   trees,  some  of  which  are  now  producing   fruit,  and 
about  100  shelter  and  ornamental  trees.     The  whole  farm  is 
well  cleared  up  and  well  fenced,  and  in  good  order  to  cultivate. 

I  cut  annually  about  eight  tons  of  English  hay  and  about 
two  tons  of  salt  hay.  I  have  about  one  acre  of  potatoes,  beans 
and  vegetables;  one  and  a  half  acre  of  corn  ;  one-fourih  of  an 
acre  of  beans,  (six  bushels;)  one  acre  of  rye,  and  ihree-fonrihs 
of  an  acre  of  wheat.  The  last  named  crops  have  not  been 
threshed,  but  I  judge  there  are  15  bushels  of  rye  and  10  bush- 
els of  wheat.     The  corn  looks  well. 

My  stock  is  from  six  to  twelve  head.  I  milk  generally  three 
cows,  and  keep  two  hogs.  My  land  is  well  watered  by  springs. 
A  large  brick  cistern  is  attached  to  the  barn  I  last  built,  suffi- 
cient to  water  stock  in  the  yard  in  winter.  I  make  about  2U0 
horse  cart-loads  of  dressing  per  year. 

I  have  scarcely  got  under  way  at  farming,  as  I  have  only 
been  on  shore  about  two  years;  but  by  much  labor  and  ex- 
pense I  have  now  the  farm  in  good  condition  to  commence 
upon. 

Barnstabi^e,  Oct.,  !85X. 


BARNSTABLE  SOCIETY.  387 

Grain  Crops. 

There  was  awarded  to  Zenas  Doty-j  of  Falmouth,  for  the 
best  conducted  experiment  in  raising  Indian  corn,  on  not  less 
than  one  acre  of  land,  the  first  premium,  ^6. 

To  Enoch  T.  Cobb,  of  Barnstable,  for  a  crop  of  white  beans, 
on  a  quarter  of  an  acre  of  land,  the  first  premium  of  $4. 

Zenas  Doty'^s  Statement. 

The  acre  of  land,  on  which  I  have  the  past  summer  raised 
76  bushels  of  corn,  is  a  part  of  the  Jenkins  farm,  (so  called,) 
Avhich  cost  six  dollars  per  acre,  and  was  good  pasture  land. 
The  soil  is  a  light,  sandy  loam.  The  manner  of  cultivating 
was  as  follows : — In  the  fall  of  1850,  I  carted  on  and  ploughed 
under,  40  loads  of  good  stable  and  barn-yard  manure,  valued 
at  50  dollars.  In  the  spring,  I  cross-ploughed  a  part  of  the  lot, 
but  could  not  see  any  benefit  to  the  crop  from  cross-ploughing. 

ESTIMATED    COST    OF    CULTIVATION. 

Ploughing,  -  -  -  $2  50 

Harrowing  and  planting,    -  -  2  90 

Hoeing  twice,        -  -  •>  2  50 


$7  90 


The  stalks  of  the  corn  paid  for  harvesting. 
Falmouth,  Oct.  Qih,  1851. 

Enoch  T.   Cohb^s  Statement, 

The  quarter  acre  of  land,  on  which  I  raised  white  beans,  has 
been  planted  with  corn,  twelve  years  in  succession,  previous  to 
the  past  summer,  and  has  been  covered  over  each  year  wiili  a 
good  coat  of  barn-yard  manure,  (compost,)  turned  under  deep, 
with  the  plough,  and  has  produced  a  good  crop  of  corn  each 
year  during  that  period. 

Last  spring  early,  I  manured  it  as  I  did  the  years  before, — 
ploughed  it  early  and  deep.  May  25th,  ploughed  it  the  second 
time,  and  planted  it  with  small  white  beans,  about  two  feet 
apart.     September  20th.  I  harvested  the  beans,  threshed  them 


388  BARNSTABLE   SOCIETY. 

out  and  spread   them  thin  on  the  floor  to  dry.     After  being 
spread  in  the  open  air  for  fifteen  days,  and    being  fully  dry,  I 
measured  up  from  what  grew  on  the  land  described  9J  bushels 
of  beans,  a  sample  of  which  is  presented  for  inspection. 
Barnstable,  Oct.  7,  1851. 


Root  Crops. 
A  gratuity  of  $3  was  awarded  to  Joshua  Crowell,  of  Dennis, 
for  a  crop  of  2301  bushels  of  carrots,  raised  on  one  quarter  acre 
of  land,  no  premium  for  this  crop  having  been  offered  by  the 
society. 

Joshua  CrowelVs  Statement. 

The  land  on  which  my  quarter  acre  of  carrots  was  raised 
this  season,  is  a  yellow  loam,  and  is  part  of  a  tract  of  land, 
measuring  four  and  a  half  acres,  that  I  bought  in  October, 
1845,  at  $23  per  acre.  I  manured  it  for  the  first  time  in  1849, 
by  ploughing  under  sea- weed,  at  the  rate  of  100  horse  cart- 
loads to  the  acre,  and  planted  it  with  potatoes,  which  came  in 
very  light.  In  tlie  winter  and  spring  of  1850,  it  was  heavily 
mannred  with  a  compost  of  sea-weed  and  barn-yard  manure  and 
the  carcass  of  a  hump-back  whale,  say  a  hundred  horse  cart- 
loads to  tlie  acre,  and  again  planted  with  potatoes,  nearly  all  of 
which  rotted. 

Last  April,  I  measured  ofl^  one  quarter  of  an  acre,  and  carted 
on  twelve  horse  cart-loads  of  compost  manure,  and  May  1st, 
sowed  carrots  in  drills,  east  and  west,  at  the  average  width  of 
twenty-six  inches. 


Expenses  of  Crop. 

April  20th. — To  12  horse-cart  loads  of  manure,  -  $8  00 

'*             Carting  and  spreading  same,      -  -  1  60 

May  1. — Ploughing  and  harrowing,  -             -  -  1  00 

"         Seed  and  sowing,  -             _             -  -  60 


'») 


BARNSTABLE  SOCIETY.  389 


June  15. — Hoeing  between  rows, 

"    25,  and  July  5. — Weeding,  four  days, 
Harvesting,  -  -  -  _ 

Interest  on  land,        -  -  . 


By  13,840  pounds   carrots,  or   230|  bushels,  at    60 
pounds  per  bushel,  estimated  at  $10  per  ton, 

Profit,  -  -     $45  8c 

East  Dennis,  Oct.  7,  1851, 


$1 

50 

4 

00 

4 

50 

2 

25 

$23 

35 

69 

20 

Cranberries. 
To  Alvan  Cahoon,  of  Harwich,  for  the  best  experiment  in 
cultivating   the  cranberry   on   one   quarter  acre   of   land,   was 
awarded  the  first  premium,  $5. 

Alvan  Cahooit^s  Statement. 

Twelve  years  since,  I  purchased,  for  one  hundred  dollars, 
twenty  acres  of  land,  including  a  bush  swamp  of  about  two 
acres.  The  swamp  I  did  not  value  more  than  five  dollars  at 
the  time  when  purchased,  the  mud  being  from  six  inches  to 
three  feet  deep,  beneath  which  was  white  sand. 

In  the  spring  of  1846,  I  cleared  off  the  bushes  from  about 
seven  rods,  and  finished  by  covering  with  sand  four  inches 
thick,  and  set  it  with  cranberry  vines  in  hills  eighteen  inches 
apart  each  way.  The  first  and  second  year  the  vines  grew 
well  and  bore  a  little  ;  the  year  past  the  average  crop  was  one 
and  a  quarter  bushels  per  acre. 

The  quarter  acre  examined  by  the  committee,  and  which  is 
oflfered  more  particularly  for  premium,  I  set  with  vines  in 
1847  ;  the  meadow  prepared  in  the  same  manner  as  the  above 
described  piece.  The  vines  grew  very  fast,  without  any  care, 
after  setting  them.  The  quarter  acre  yielded,  in  1849,  six 
bushels;  in  1850,  thirty-five  bushels;  and  in  1851,  fifty-four 
bushels.  The  expense  for  preparing  meadow,  setting  the 
vines,  &c.,  I  estimate  at  one  dollar  per  rod. 


390  BARNSTABLE  SOCIETY. 

Since  1847,  I  have  set  with  vines  about  fifty  rods  each  yearj 
they  are  all  now  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

Produce  of  one  quarter  of  an  acre  for  three  years, 

95  bushels,  at  $2  75  per  bushel,  -  -       $261  00 

EXPENSES. 

First  cost  of  meadow,  setting  vines,  &c.,     $40  00 
Picking,  freight,  and  all  other  expenses,  25  00 


65  00 


Net  profit  of  the  quarter  acre  for  three  years,  -       $196  00 

Do.  of  the  seven  rods  do.,  -  -  -  60  00 


Total,        .-..--      |256  00 

Harwich,  Nov.  3,  1851. 


Compost  Manures. 
To  Joseph   C.   Mayo,  of  Orleans,  for  the  most  satisfactory 
experiment  in   preparing  compost  manures,  was  awarded  the 
first  premium  of  $8. 

Joseph  C.  Mayors  Statement. 
Heap  No.  1  was  composed  of  sea  drift,  muck  and  some 
clay.  These  were  put,  in  layers  of  each,  into  a  yard  built  on 
a  low  spot  of  ground.  The  first  of  March,  1850,  I  purchased 
three  shoats  for  $13  50;  I  kept  these  in  the  yard  till  the  mid- 
dle of  October.  One  of  them  had  four  pigs,  which  I  sold 
when  four  weeks  old 

For  -  -  -  -  -  -  $8  00 

The  shoats  weighed,  when  killed,  000  pounds,  and 

sold  at  7  cents  per  pound,  -  -  -  42  00 

$50  00 
Deduct  first  cost,  -  -  -  -  -  13  50 

$36  50 
Whole  cost  of  keeping,     -  -  -  -  20  75 

Net  profit,  -  -  -  -  -         $15  75 


BARNSTABLE  SOCIETY.  391 

In  March,  1851,1  carted  out  from  the  yard  twenty-five  cords 
of  good  compost  manure,  all  worked  over  by  the  shoats,  the 
worth  of  which  I  shall  not  pretend  to  decide,  but  which  I 
have  no  doubt  is  valuable.     Cost,  at  ^1  per  load,  is  $25. 

Heap  No.  2  was  composed  of  the  scrapings  of  my  barn  yard 
through  the  summer  and  fall,  together  with  sea-drift,  muck, 
and  anything  else  I  could  get.  I  put  on  two  casks  of  lime 
and  two  bushels  of  salt,  and  a  lot  of  sizing  made  of  all  the 
slop  matter  I  could  obtain.  In  February  last,  I  carted  the 
whole  to  land  I  intended  for  corn,  into  heaps  of  sixteen  loads 
each,  where  it  remained  till  1  wanted  to  plough  in  April, 
wheti  I  carted  it  out  and  ploughed  it  in.  The  heaps  contained 
192  horse  loads  or  38|  cords,  the  cost  of  which  was  $1  25  per 
cord,  making  $48. 

Heap  No.  3  consisted  of  the  manure  of  one  horse,  one  colt, 
(two  years  old,)  one  cow  and  one  yearling  heifer.  1  saved  the 
urine  of  all  these  animals,  by  means  of  a  vat  in  my  barn  cellar. 
I  commenced  this  heap  March  1st  with  a  layer  of  sea-drift,  a 
layer  of  barn  yard  manure  and  a  layer  of  muck,  and  so  on 
till  it  was  raised  five  or  six  feet  high.  I  then  turned  on  my 
sizing,  and  in  a  few  days  there  was  heat  tifficient  to  rot  the 
whole  mass.  I  then  carted  it  to  my  corn  land  and  ploughed  it 
in.     This  heap  contained  llf  cords,  at  $1  per  cord,  .^^ll  GO. 

Orleans,  Oct.  8,  1851. 


392  WORCESTER    WEST  SOCIETY. 


WORCESTER  COUNTY  WEST  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


It  was  intended  this  Report  should  follow  that  of  the  Worcester  County  Society,  but  it 
was  accidentally'  omitted. 


This  society  held  its  first  meeting,  January  22d,  1851,  when 
the  following  resolution  was  adopted  : 

Resolved,  that  this  society  proceed  in  all  necessary  measures 
to  procure  an  act  of  incorporation  from  the  Legislature  of  the 
Commonwealth. 

The  act  was  obtained  the  17th  of  March  following,  and  was 
accepted  by  the  society.  The  officers  and  trustees  were  chosen. 
Dr.  William  Parkhurst,  of  Petersham,  being  elected  president, 
and  Dr.  Joseph  N.  Bates,  of  Barre,  secretary.  The  society  num- 
bers at  this  time  about  five  hundred  members,  with  fair  prospects 
of  a  generous  increase  of  funds  from  the  friends  of  agriculture. 

The  first  annual  fair  and  cattle  show  of  the  society,  were 
held  at  Barre,  the  1st  of  October,  1851.  Its  recent  formation 
preventing  the  receipt  of  the  liberal  bounty  from  the  State,  the 
citizens  of  Barre  contributed  the  funds  awarded  as  premiums 
on  the  occasion.  The  order  of  exercises  commenced  witli  a 
fine  display  of  horses  and  colts,  mostly  of  the  stock  extensively 
known  as  the  Morgan  horse.  More  than  one  himdred  choice 
animals,  of  different  ages,  were  presented  for  inspection,  com- 
prising many  superior  specimens  of  excellent  selection,  and 
careful  and  attentive  breeding.  In  the  opinion  of  many  com- 
petent judges,  the  display  of  colts  and  horses  has  no  where 
been  equalled  at  any  show  in  this  Commonwealth.  This  por- 
tion of  our  State,  must  ere  long  bear  the  palm  in  the  breeding 
and  rearing  of  that  noble  and  useful  animal,  the  horse. 

The  exhibition  of  working  oxen  was  very  superior  in  point 
of  numbers  and  quality.  The  number  of  yokes  of  cattle  ex- 
ceeded one  hundred,  and  elicited  high  encomiums  from  all  ob- 
servers, for  their  condition  and  apparent  capacity.     The  show 


WORCESTER  WEST   SOCIETY.  393 

of  fat  cattle  was  a  feature  of  the  day,  well  adapted  to  excite 
the  emulation  of  all  breeders  and  producers  for  the  shambles. 
H.  Bacon,  of  Barre,  exhibited  thirteen  fat  oxen  of  different 
breeds,  weighing  thirteen  tons.  N.  Turner,  of  Phillipston,  pre- 
sented several  fine  specimens  of  fat  oxen.  One  pair  of  oxen, 
oifered  by  Timothy  Nurse,  weighed  4650  pounds.  There  were 
also  several  fat  cows  and  steers  on  the  ground,  of  a  superior 
quality. 

Justly  celebrated  as  is  this  section  of  our  county  for  superior 
milch  cows,  and  for  the  great  attention  bestowed  by  our 
breeders  to  this  portion  of  farm  stock,  much  was  anticipated  by 
those  interested  in  this  department  of  the  exhibition,  and  the  high- 
raised  expectations  of  all  concerned,  were  more  than  realized. 

The  show  of  young  cattle,  of  sheep,  swine  and  poultry,  was 
large  and  good,  and  well  calculated  to  excite  a  growing  interest 
in  the  future  exertions  of  the  friends  of  the  society  to  compete 
with  other  similar  institutions,  older  and  more  eligibly  situated 
than  our  own. 

The  ploughing  match  and  trial  of  working  oxen  were  looked 
upon  with  great  interest,  and  perhaps  have  nowhere  been  ex- 
celled for  precision  and  care  in  the  execution  of  the  ploughing, 
or  for  the  kindness  and  docility  displayed  in  the  management 
of  cattle  at  the  load. 

The  fruits  exhibited  by  the  friends  of  the  society  from  the 
adjoining  towns,  was  of  superior  varieties  and  quality.  Apples, 
especially,  were  in  profusion,  and  attested  the  nice  distinctions 
of  our  cultivators  of  this  most  excellent  fruit.  This  part  of  the 
county  may  safely  challenge  competition  in  the  production  of 
apples  of  superior  size,  flavor  and  firmness,  with  any  other  sec- 
tion of  the  Commonwealth. 

The  other  departments  of  the  exhibition  were  well  repre- 
sented— vegetables,  flowers,  and  the  varied  and  skilful  produc- 
tions of  the  fairer  and  most  interesting  portion  of  all  societies ; 
all  tending  in  a  remarkable  degree  to  establish  a  precedent  for 
Worcester  County  West  Society,  which  she  will  ever  strive  to 
emulate. 

The  address  before  the  society  was  delivered  by  William  S. 
King,  Esq.,  of  Manton,  R.  I. 
50 


394 


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ABSTRACT  OF  PREMIUMS. 


397 


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^^ 


398  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


MASSACHUSETTS  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


In  publishing  the  Transactions  of  the  Massachusetts  Board 
of  Agriculture,  it  may  not  be  uninteresting  to  give  a  sketch  of 
the  origin  of  the  Board,  with  some  account  of  the  doings  of 
the  Convention,  which  immediately  preceded  it. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Trustees  of  the  Norfolk  Agricultural 
Society,  January  28,  1851,  it  was  voted,  "  that  the  president 
and  secretaries  be  a  committee  to  mature  and  adopt  a  plan  for 
a  convention  of  delegates  from  the  various  agricultural  socier 
ties  of  the  Commonwealth,  to  be  holden  at  some  convenient 
time  and  place,  the  object  of  which  shall  be  to  concert  meas- 
ures for  their  mutual  advantage,  and  for  the  promotion  of  the 
cause  of  agricultural  education." 

In  the  discharge  of  their  duty,  the  president,  Marshall  P. 
Wilder,  and  the  secretaries,  Edgar  K.  Whitaker  and  Ed- 
ward L.  Keyes,  as  this  committee,  addressed  communications 
to  the  presidents  of  the  several  agricultural  societies  in  the 
State,  who  cordially  approved  of  the  plan  of  the  convention 
and  united  in  calling  it.  The  convention  was  accordingly 
announced  to  be  holden  at  the  State  House,  in  Boston,  on 
Thursday,  March  20lh,  1851,  and  in  order  to  increase  the  in- 
terest and  usefulness  of  the  occasion,  the  officers  and  trustees 
of  the  abovenamed  societies,  and  such  delegations  as  might 
represent  them,  were  invited  to  attend. 


Associated  Agricultural  Convention. 

On  the  day  named,  the  convention  assembled,  at  10  o'clock, 
in  the  Green  Room,  and  was  organized  by  the  choice  of  the 
following  officers,  the  vice  presidents  being  the  presidents  of 
the  several  societies  represented  by  them  : 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


399 


President. 
MARSHALL  P.  WILDER,  of  the  Norfolk  Society. 

YiCE  Presidents. 


JOHN  C.  GR\Y,  . 
LEVI  LINCOLN,  . 
JOHN  VV.  PROCTOR, 
E.  R.  HOAR,  .  .  . 
MORGAN  LEWIS,  . 
SETH  SPRAGUE,  . 
J.  H.  W.  PAGE,  .     . 

WILLIAM   CLARK, 

JEREMIAH  MAYO, 
JOSIAH   HOOKER, 
GILBERT   MONSON, 
ALFRED   BAKER,  . 
HENRY   W.  CUSHMAN, 
GEORGE   DENNY,  .     . 


of  the  State  Society. 

"  Worcester  Society. 

"  Essex  Society. 

"  Middlesex  Society. 

"  Berkshire  Society. 

"  Plymouth  Society. 

"  Bristol  Society. 

(  Hampshire,  Hampden  and 
I      Franklin  Society. 

"  Barnstable  Society. 

"  Hampden  Society. 

"  HousATONTC  Society. 

"  East  Hampshire  Society. 

"  Franklin  Society. 

"  Westborough  Society. 


Secretaries. 

E.  K.  WHITAKER,  of  Needham, 

E.  L.  KEYES,  of  Dedham, 

WILLIAM   S.  LINCOLN,  of  Worcester, 

SAMUEL   A.  DEAN,  of  Taunton. 

The  blessing  of  Heaven  was  invoked  upon  the  convention 
by  Rev,  Mr.  Huntington,  of  Boston. 

The  President,  in  his  opening  remarks,  said  : 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  expected  that  your  presiding  officer 
should  propose  business  for  the  convention.  There  are  many 
subjects  which  may  be  introduced,  and  which,  in  the  opinion 
of  the  chair,  require  attetjtion  ;  but  the  suggestion  of  them 
will  more  properly  emanate  from  a  business  committee,  who 
may  be  charged  with  the  duty  of  presenting  such  topics  as  are 
deemed  most  important. 

It  may  not,  however,  be  improper,  in  this  stage  of  proceed- 
ing, to  allude  briefly  to  a  few  points  which  may  be  deemed 
worthy  of  consideration. 

Among  these  may  be  named, 

1.  The  expediency  of  so  arranging  the  annual  exhibitions 


400  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

of  the  various  local  societies,  as  to  permit  of  more  frequent 
intercourse  and  interchange  of  civilities,  for  the  promotion  of 
the  great  object  of  their  organization. 

2.  The  propriety  of  adopting  a  more  uniform  system  as  re- 
lates to  premiums,  and  the  principles  upon  which  they  are 
awarded. 

3.  It  may  be  important  for  the  convention  to  inquire  into 
the  expediency  of  constituting  a  central  committee,  consisting 
of  representatives  from  the  various  county  and  district  socie- 
ties, who  may  meet  semiannually  for  consultation  in  regard  to 
their  general  interests.  Individual  societies  can  accomplish 
much,  but  associated  effort,  more. 

4.  It  is  also  to  be  hoped  that  the  cause  of  agricultural  edu- 
cation, now  about  to  receive  the  consideration  of  the  Legisla- 
ture, will  not  be  overlooked  in  the  deliberations  of  this  body, 
and  if  it  be  the  opinion  of  this  convention  that  agriculture 
may  be  promoted  by  the  application  of  science,  that  such  a 
sentiment  may  be  expressed  in  terms  so  explicit  as  not  to  be 
misunderstood,  and  that  the  aid  of  government  may  be  solicited 
for  this  purpose. 

And,  gentlemen,  I  submit,  in  view  of  the  present  condi- 
tion of  agriculture  in  our  Commonwealth,  whether  there  is  not 
occasion  for  the  assembling  of  this  convention  ;  whether  there 
is  not  a  necessity  for  improvement  in  this  most  important 
branch  of  human  industry,  and  for  the  patronage  of  govern- 
ment to  place  it  on  a  par,  at  least,  with  other  arts  in  point  of 
wealth,  honor  and  influence.  For  if  agriculture  is  the  parent 
of  all  arts ;  if  it  is  the  basis  upon  which  rests  individual  and 
national  wealth  and  prosperity ;  if  it  is  intimately  connected 
with  the  virtue  and  happiness  of  the  community,  then  it  is 
the  duty  not  only  of  philanthropists  to  foster  it,  but  also  of 
government  to  make  it  one  of  the  first  objects  of  her  guardian 
care  and  protection. 

Agriculture  should  especially  receive  the  encouragement  of 
government,  because  it  embraces  more  than  three  fourths  of 
our  population,  because  from  it  is  derived  a  very  large  propor- 
tion of  her  revenue,  and  because  that  large  class,  who  are 
engaged  in  it,  are,  to  a  great  extent,  the  conservators  of  the 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  401 

public  good  in  times  of  danger  and  peril.  Agriculture  is  the 
prominent  pursuit.  It  employs  more  capital  and  labor  than  all 
other  trades  and  professions,  and  in  proportion  as  it  prospers, 
will  the  welfare  of  the  community  advance.  But  how  has 
agriculture  progressed  with  other  callings  in  Massachusetts? 

Facts  warrant  the  assertion  that  there  is  occasion  for  great 
improvement.  This  is  apparent  from  the  rapid  increase  of 
population  and  the  comparative  decrease  of  agricultural  pro- 
ducts in  this  State.  By  the  report  of  the  valuation  committee, 
it  appears  that  although  since  1840  there  have  been  added  to 
the  area  under  improvement  in  Massachusetts,  342,000  acres  of 
land,  which  at  that  time  were  classed  as  "  unimproved,''^  or 
^^  unimprovable,''^ — and  although  the  tillage  lands  have  been 
increased  more  than  forty  thousand  acres  in  the  same  time, 
yet  the  grain  crops  have  largely  decreased  ;  and  although,  dur- 
ing the  same  period,  the  upland  and  other  mowing  lands  have 
increased  nearly  fifteen  per  cent,,  yet  the  hay  crops  have  been 
increased  only  about  three  per  cent. 

In  1840,  the  population  of  Massachusetts  was  737,700,  re- 
quiring, at  six  bushels  per  head,  4,426,200  bushels  of  bread 
stuffs  for  their  subsistence.  Of  this,  the  soil  p''oduced  3,705,261 
bushels,  leaving  700,000  bushels  to  be  supplied  by  foreign 
production.  But  in  1850,  the  population  of  the  Common- 
wealth is  one  million,  an  increase  of  thirty-three  and  two 
thirds  per  cent.,  requiring  six  millions  of  bushels  of  bread  stuffs 
for  consumption,  and  of  which  she  raises  but  about  three  mil- 
lions, leaving  three  inillions  of  bushels  to  be  supplied  by  for- 
eign production,  showing  a  depreciation  in  her  cereal  grains 
of  more  than  600,000  bushels ;  and  should  the  inhabitants  of 
this  Commonwealth  increase  in  the  same  ratio  for  the  next,  as 
for  the  last  ten  years,  and  without  a  corresponding  increase 
of  the  grain  crops,  we  shall,  at  the  close  of  that  term,  be  de- 
pendent on  foreign  sources  for  nearly ^t/C  millions  of  bushels 
of  bread  stuffs  annually. 

These  facts  show  that  however  productive  other  labor  may 
have  been,  agriculture  has  not  progressed  proportionably  with 
the  other  arts.     It  should,  therefore,  receive  the  special  atten- 
tion of  Massachusetts  in  self  defence  ;  for  unless  our  farms 
51 


402  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

can  be  made  more  productive  and  profitable,  we  shall  continue 
to  be  dependent  on  other  portions  of  our  country  for  a  large 
share  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  her  sons  will  look  to  other 
and  more  fertile  lands  for  a  residence. 

Agriculture  should  receive  our  special  attention,  for  al- 
though we  may,  for  the  present,  purchase  with  our  manufac- 
tures the  grain  and  beef  and  other  products  we  consume,  yet 
the  time  will  come  when  the  manufacturer  and  mechanic  will 
place  himself  down  by  the  side  of  the  producer,  thus  saving 
the  expanse  of  transportation  to  both,  and  when  Massachusetts 
will  be  obliged  to  rely,  more  than  she  now  does,  on  the  pro- 
ducts of  her  soil  for  the  support  of  her  population. 

Shall  we  learn  wisdom  by  this  experience  ?  Or  shall  we 
-continue  the  exhausting  process  of  perpetual  cropping,  without 
the  application  of  science  to  restore  the  productive  energies  of 
the  soil  ?  So  devastating  has  been  this  practice,  that  oiie  thou- 
sand millions  of  dollars,  it  is  estimated,  would  not  more  than 
.restore  to  their  primitive  richness  and  strength,  the  arable  lands 
of  the  United  States,  which  already  have  been  partially  ex- 
hausted of  th^ir  fertility  ;  and  that,  should  this  prodigal  system 
continue  to  the  close  of  the  present  century,  the  natural  fertility 
of  all  the  remaining  American  territory,  will,  long  before  that 
period,  have  been  abstracted. 

Is  it  not,  then,  a  question  of  vital  importance  to  the  Common- 
wealth v/hether  the  great  interest  of  agriculture  shall  remain 
stationary,  or  whether  it  shall  move  on  in  the  line  of  improve- 
ment with  the  other  departments  of  human  industry?  It  is  un- 
doubtedly wise  policy  to  encourage  and  foster  any  species  of 
industry  which  is  adapted  to  the  wants  and  conditions  of  a 
community;  but  just  in  proportion  to  the  prosperity  of  the  agri- 
cultural interest,  will  ultimately  be  the  ratio  of  success  in  all 
the  other  great  industrial  pursuits. 

Who  doubts  that  our  lands  are  capable  of  yielding  more  than 
double  their  present  productions,  with  little  or  no  increase  of 
expense  ?  How  many  thousands  of  acres  there  are  in  the  Com- 
monwealth, also,  which  produce  no  income  whatever,  and 
which,  in  reality,  are  the  richest  portions  of  our  soil,  and  by 
the  application  of  science  may  be  made  to  produce  abundantly  ? 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  403 

If.  therefore,  we  desire  to  retain  the  young  farmers  of  our  Com- 
monwealth.— the  future  pride  and  support  of  the  State, — we 
must  place  within  their  reach  the  means  of  producing  a  result 
so  desirable. 

Similar  advances  may  be  realized  by  the  application  of  sci- 
ence in  the  improvement  of  our  cattle,  horses,  swine,  ^c,  and 
in  the  saving  and  scientific  application  of  manures. 

Take  an  example  : — 

We  have  150,000  cows  in  this  Commonwealth.  Suppose 
science  enable  these,  or  improved  breeds,  to  yield  one  addi- 
tional quart  of  milk  per  day ;  this,  at  three  cents  per  ^uart, 
would  increase  the  productive  capital  of  the  State,  ^4,500  per 
day,  or  $1,642,500  per  year;  or,  if  two  quarts  per  day,  a  gain 
of  more  than  three  million  dollars  annually. 

We  have  70,000  horses  in  the  State,  and  which  might,  by  a 
better  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  breeding,  be  improved  so 
as  to  command  at  least  fifty  dollars  each,  more  than  they  are 
worth  at  present;  this  would  increase  their  value  three  millions 
and  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Who  doubts  that  with  a 
better  understanding  of  the  laws  of  agricultural  chemistry,  and 
the  proper  adaptation  of  crops  and  manures  to  the  soil;  that  our 
cereal  grains  might  be  increased  ten  bushels  to  the  acre,  with- 
out additional  expense  ?  This  would  add  several  millions  of 
dollars  to  the  present  amount  of  products. 

Doubtless  these  results  can  be  attained,  or  science  is  a  chi- 
mera, and  all  the  laws  of  animal  and  vegetable  physiology  a 
delusion. 

It  is  susceptible  of  proof  that  the  loss  of  manure  in  the  Com- 
monwealth, by  misapplication  and  waste,  is  more  than  two 
millions  of  dollars  per  year.  Now  suppose  this  enormous  loss 
were  appropriated  scientifically,  who  can  estimate  the  additions 
which  it  would  make  to  the  products  of  the  soil  ? 

We  need  information  in  all  these  branches  of  husbandry. 
We  have  materials,  but  they  need  system ;  they  need  the  en- 
couragement and  patronage  of  government.  We  make  no  ob- 
jections to  what  the  Commonwealth  has  done  for  educational 
and  charitable  purposes.  Our  Common  School  Fund  now 
amounts  to  nearly  a  million  of  dollars;  but  great  as  are  the 


404  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

blessings  which  have  flowed  from  this,  why  should  not  a  por- 
tion of  the  State  income,  from  the  same  resource,  be  appropri- 
ated for  agricultural  education  ? 

With  the  view  we  have  taken  of  the  present  condition  of 
agriculture  in  this  Commonwealth,  is  it  not  the  imperative  duty 
of  all  associations  like  those  we  represent,  to  enlarge  their  fields 
of  usefulness,  and  to  awaken,  if  possible,  a  more  earnest  inter- 
est not  only  in  the  minds  of  our  State  and  National  legislators, 
but  throughout  all  classes  of  the  community  on  this  most  im- 
portant subject. 

In  conclusion,  if  agriculture  can  be  promoted  by  the  applica- 
tion of  science,  then  it  is  the  manifest  duty  of  government  to 
extend  to  it  the  hand  of  protection.  Massachusetts  is  world- 
wide renowned  for  her  system  of  education.  Let  her  perfect 
it  by  extending  it  to  all  her  sons, — to  the  farmer  as  well  as  to 
the  professional  man.  Let  her  legislators  take  up  the  subject 
in  earnest.  Let  them  look  at  the  matter  with  no  narrow  or 
grudging  policy,  but  with  generous  and  enlightened  liberality. 
An  appropriation  now  of  a  few  thousand  dollars  for  this  cause, 
will  add,  ultimately,  millions  to  the  productive  capital  of  the 
State,  and  will  be  of  more  substantial  benefit  to  her  citizens, 
than  any  similar  appropriation  ever  made. 

Massachusetts  has  always  taken  a  leading  part  in  most  of  the 
great  enterprises  which  mark  the  progress  of  society,  and  we 
trust  that  she  will  not  now  hesitate  to  promote  by  her  legis- 
lation an  interest,  which,  more  than  any  other,  will  redound  to 
her  future  glory  and  permanent  prosperity. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Convention  :  I  congratulate  you  on  the  large 
attendance  of  delegates,  all  of  whom  I  am  most  happy  to  meet 
on  this  occasion,  and  I  doubt  not  that  the  results  of  this  meet- 
ing will  not  only  be  productive  of  good  to  ourselves,  but  it  is 
hoped  will  be  of  some  advantage  to  those  who  may  come 
after  us. 

Upon  motion,  it  was  voted,  that  an  invitation  be  extended  to 
the  Governor,  Lieutenant  Governor,  members  of  the  Council, 
and  both  branches  of  the  Legislature,  to  attend  the  afternoon 
and  evening  sessions  of  the  convention. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  405 

Afternoon  Session. 

The  convention  assembled  in  the  Representatives'  Hall,  at  3 
o'clock.  The  attendance  was  quite  large,  and  among  those 
present  were  many  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. 

Mr.  Sewall,  of  Medfield,  from  the  Business  Committee,  re- 
ported for  the  deliberation  of  the  convention  the  following  pre- 
amble and  resolutions : — 

Whereas,  Agriculture,  the  parent  of  the  arts,  is  essential  to  the  subsistence 
and  preservation  of  the  human  race,  and  embraces  in  itself  the  elements  of 
national  wealth  and  power, — therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  1.  That  the  encouragement  and  advancement  of  agriculture, 
should  be  with  us,  as  it  has  been  with  other  civilized  nations,  a  leading  object 
of  public  regard,  to  be  cherished  by  a  generous  public  sentiment,  and  liberally 
sustained  by  the  resources  of  the  Commonwealth. 

Resolved,  2.  That  it  is  expedient  to  establish  a  Central  Board  of  Agriculture, 
to  be  composed  of  delegates  from  the  various  incorporated  agricultural  socie- 
ties of  the  Commonwealth,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  meet  semiannually,  or 
oflener,  if  it  shall  be  deemed  expedient,  and  to  recommend  to  the  several  socie- 
ties uniform  rules  of  action,  and  to  take  into  consideration  all  subjects  pertain- 
ing to  the  interests  of  agriculture. 

Resolved,  3.  That,  whether  acting  as  individuals,  or  as  representatives,  the 
citizens  of  the  Commonwealth  are  bound  to  encourage  the  application  of  sci- 
ence to  all  those  branches  of  industry  which  minister  to  human  comfort  and 
happiness,  and  thereby  to  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  State. 

Resolved,  4.  That  agricultural  schools  having  been  found,  by  the  expe- 
rience of  other  nations,  efficient  means  in  promoting  the  cause  of  agricultural 
education,  which  is  so  essential  to  the  prosperity  of  farmers  and  to  the  wel- 
fare of  communities,  it  becomes  at  once  the  duty  and  policy  of  the  Common- 
wealth to  establish  and  maintain  such  institutions  for  the  benefit  of  all  its 
inhabitants. 

Resolved,  5.  That  the  several  plans  for  an  agricultural  school,  recently 
reported  by  the  board  of  commissioners  appointed  for  that  purpose,  are  worthy 
the  profound  consideration  of  the  people  of  Massachusetts,  and  their  repre- 
sentatives in  the  General  Court,  as  indicating  the  feasibility  and  practicability 
of  an  establishment  worthy  that  exalted  character  which  the  State  has  secured 
by  the  endowment  of  kindred  institutions,  designed,  like  these,  for  the  diffusion 
of  useful  knowledge  among  the  people. 

Resolved,  6.  That  inasmuch  as  agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation  of  her 
citizens,  the  Commonwealth,  in  the  organization  of  its  government,  should  be 
provided  with  a  department  of  agriculture,  with  offices  and  honors  commen- 
surate with  the  importance  of  the  duties  to  be  discharged,  of  the  abilities  to  be 
required,  and  of  the  labors  to  be  performed. 


406      -     MASS.  BOARD  OF   AGRICULTURE. 

Resolved,  7.  That  the  several  county  and  local  agricultural  societies,  (al- 
ready the  adopted  children  of  the  Commonwealth,)  by  their  pioneer  efforts  in 
diffusing  useful  knowledge  among  the  people ;  by  their  agency  in  arousing 
and  directing  the  energies  of  the  farmer  in  the  course  of  modern  improvement, 
and  by  tlie  encouragement  they  offer  to  every  worthy  effort  of  agricultural  skill 
and  industry,  recommend  themselves  still  more  powerfully  to  the  protection 
and  patronage  of  the  Legislature. 

Resolved,  8.  That  the  convention  respectfully  suggests  to  the  Legislature 
the  propriety  and  expediency  of  reserving  the  entire  proceeds  of  the  sales  of 
the  public  lands  of  the  Commonwealth, — from  and  after  the  period  when  the 
Common  School  Fund  shall  have  reached  the  maximum  fixed  by  the  act  of 
1834^ — for  purposes  of  education  and  charity,  with  a  view  to  extending  that 
aid  and  encouragement  to  a  system  of  agricultural  education,  which  the  impor- 
tance of  the  subject  so  imperiously  demands. 

Upon  motion  of  Mr.  Sewall,  the  resolutions  were  taken  up 
in  order,  with  the  exception  of  those  relating  to  agricultural 
schools,  which  were  deferred  until  the  last. 

The  first  resolve  was  read  and  adopted  on  motion  of  Mr. 
Keyes,  of  the  Norfolk  Society. 

The  second  resolution  was  next  read,  whereupon  Mr.  Page, 
president  of  the  Bristol  Society,  addressed  the  convention  as 
follows  : — 

I  do  not  like  to  have  this  resolve  pass  in  silence.  I  think 
there  is  matter  there  which  will  commend  itself  to  the  judg- 
ment of  every  gentleman  who  has  given  the  subject  of  agri- 
culture and  agricultural  societies  in  Massachusetts  any  consid- 
eration. We  have  had  agricultural  societies  for  years,  in  va- 
rious parts  of  this  Commonwealth.  Each  has  gone  on,  in  its 
own  way,  to  accomplish  the  good  objects  which  are  proposed 
by  all.  But,  sir,  the  action  of  each  of  these  societies  has  been 
isolated,  confined  to  itself,  communicated,  with  very  few  ex- 
ceptions, to  nobody,  except  those  who  happened  to  be  present 
at  the  annual  exhibitions  ;  and  even,  sir,  where  a  report  is 
annually  prepared,  as  it  has  been  in  the  two  years  of  the  exist- 
ence of  your  society,  and  in  Essex  and  one  or  two  others,  it  is 
a  local  matter  after  all,  and  finds  its  way  into  the  hands  of  but 
very  few  of  the  practical  farmers  of  the  Commonwealth.  The 
result  of  this  state  of  things,— this  want  of  cooperation,— has 
limited  the  benefit  that  agricultural  societies  are  capable  of 
accomplishing.     The  objects  for  which  premiums  are  awarded 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  407 

are  substantially  the  same,  so  far  as  my  observation  of  the  bills 
of  fare  has  gone,  throughout  the  Commonwealth  ;  differing 
somewhat  according  to  the  peculiar  features  of  the  industry  in 
the  different  parts  of  the  Commonwealth ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
they  are  about  the  same.  The  amount  of  premium  offered, 
differs  very  essentially.  The  amount  of  encouragement  which 
it  is  thought  necessary  to  bestow  upon  different  branches,  dif- 
fers very  materially  in  different  places,  though  the  subject  is  of 
equal  importance  in  different  parts  of  the  Commonwealth. 
The  mode  of  operation,  the  mode  of  putting  on  paper  that 
which  is  thought  worth  recording,  and  the  extent  to  which 
that  is  done,  differs  materially  in  one  county  from  another. 
There  is  no  concentration.  There  is  no  permanent  recording. 
There  is  no  distribution  of  information.  So  that  these  socie- 
ties, though  they  have  accomplished  vast  good,  have  failed,  in 
my  judgment,  to  accomplish  the  greater  amount  of  good  that 
they  might  have  done. 

The  proposition  before  you  is  for  the  organization  of  a  Cen- 
tral Committee.  The  details  of  the  constitution  of  that  body 
are  not  carried  out  in  the  resolve.  But  the  idea  has  been  sug- 
gested that  it  should  be  composed  of  some  of  the  officers  of  the 
different  societies  of  the  Commonwealth  ;  that  they  should  pe- 
riodically meet,  as  suggested  in  the  resolve  itself,  to  devise  and 
recommend  to  the  other  societies  some  uniform  mode  of  action ; 
and  that  they,  beyond  that,  should  take  into  consideration  all 
those  subjects  which  are  useful  in  agricultural  societies. 

Now  it  seems  to  me,  that  this  proposition  needs  only  to  be 
stated,  in  order  to  commend  itself  to  the  approbation  of  every 
gentleman.  It  is  a  very  innocent  matter,  at  any  rate.  Wheth- 
er the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  shall  or  shall  not  ex- 
tend that  aid  to  agriculture,  which  it  has  given  already  to  almost 
everything  else, — whether  the  action  of  this  day  shall  result  in 
any  important  good  or  not  to  the  farmer  of  Massachusetts, — 
whether  any  dollar  shall  nqw  or  hereafter  be  appropriated  to 
the  promotion  of  agriculture  or  not,  this  matter  is  required 
equally  to  be  done  under  the  existing  state  of  things,  and  un- 
der any  possible  future  state  of  things, — whether  you  have 
schools  or  not.     They  are  necessary  in  order  that  little  county 


408  MASS.   BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

collections  may  be  made,  and  that  the  farmers  may  there  inter- 
change views  and  may  get  ideas  which  they  will  reduce  to 
practice.  They  will  be  necessary  in  order  that  men  may  en- 
courage each  other  by  acting  together,  to  talk  over  these  sub- 
jects of  common  interest.  If  you  have  your  agricultural  schools 
or  not,  carried  on  under  any  plan,  still  I  think  you  need  these 
same  agricultural  societies,  as  their  business  is  distinct  entirely 
from  that  of  your  agricultural  schools,  each  working  in  its  own 
department  in  the  same  great  cause.  And,  in  any  event,  while 
you  have  these  agricultural  societies  you  will  need  this  central 
association  in  order  that  they  may  all  stand  on  the  same  plat- 
form, that  they  may  have  the  same  object  in  view,  and  the 
same  general  mode  of  carrying  out  and  attempting  to  accom- 
plish that  object. 

It  is  supposed  that  this  association,  formed  of  delegates  from 
each  of  the  societies,  would  come  together  at  stated  periods, 
and  have  meetings  other  than  stated  ones,  whenever  occasion 
may  require  ;  that  facts  of  interest  may  be  laid  before  them  ; 
that  the  light  of  minds  from  all  parts  of  the  Commonwealth 
may  be  brought  to  bear ;  that  they  may  devise  rules  which  may 
be  presented  to  the  several  societies  throughout  the  Common- 
wealth ;  and  that  we  might,  by  concerted  action,  accomplish 
that,  which,  by  acting  separately,  it  has  been  heretofore  impos- 
sible to  produce,  and  probably  to  all  time,  in  the  past  desultory 
mode  of  action,  would  be  impossible  to  produce. 

Mr.  Proctor,  president  of  the  Essex  Society,  remarked  : — 
I  fully  accord  with  most  of  the  views  that  have  been  suggested, 
and  believe  that  there  is  room,  by  delegates  coming  together 
from  the  different  societies,  of  very  much  improving  their 
mode  of  administering  their  affairs.  I  think,  sir,  these  socie- 
ties owe  to  the  Commonwealth  something  of  this  kind.  They 
have  now  been  established,  many  of  them,  about  thirty  years. 
The  Commonwealth  has  appropriated  $5,000  to  $7,000  annu- 
ally, for  their  support.  Generally,  if  I  understand  it,  they  are 
in  a  good  degree  of  favor  throughout  the  Commonwealth.  I 
believe  they  are  thought,  in  their  different  spheres,  to  have 
done  much  useful  service. 

Now  the  remark  has  been  made,  that  their  meetings  con- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  409 

flict  with  each  other.  Several  of  these  meetings  come  on 
the  same  day.  It  would  be  well  that  there  should  be  an 
undertanding  that  they  should  come  one  after  the  other,  so 
that  individuals  could  go  into  other  counties  and  see  what 
was  done  there ;  that  they  could,  by  their  practical  observa- 
tions, carry  home  that  which  they  might  find  valuable.  In 
this  way  the  objects  of  the  premiums  would  be  suggested  to 
them,  and  the  manner  of  offering  them.  In  this  way  there 
might  be  very  great  improvement  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties 
of  committees  in  reporting  on  the  subject. 

I  believe,  it  has  been  found  by  the  gentleman  who  has  pre- 
pared the  annual  abstract  which  has  been  published  by  the 
Legislature,  that  in  different  counties  there  is  a  very  great  vari- 
ety of  the  degree  of  attention  paid  in  preparing  those  reports. 
In  some  counties  it  has  been  an  object  to  make  those  reports 
worthy  of  notice  ;  to  make  them  the  means  of  disseminating 
useful  knowledge.  And  when  they  are  embodied  together,  a 
useful  book  is  furnished.  If  the  State  is  to  be  at  the  expense 
of  publishing  annually  the  reports  of  the  several  counties,  it  is 
very  desirable  that  the  digest  should  be  drawn  up  in  such  a 
form  as  to  be  creditable  to  the  State.  Any  gentleman  who  has 
examined  the  reports  of  the  state  agricultural  society  in  New 
York,  will  find  that  it  gives  a  fund  of  original  information, — a 
treasury  of  valuable  knowledge  every  year.  Constitute  this 
board,  and  Massachusetts,  though  far  inferior  to  New  York  in 
size  and  means,  would  still  come  into  respectable  comparison 
with  her  as  affording  useful  information  on  this  subject.  Until 
the  Legislature  shall  carry  out  the  more  general  recommenda- 
tion of  the  establishment  of  a  board  of  agriculture,  as  one  of 
the  departments  of  the  State,  it  seems  to  me  proper  that  the 
agricultural  societies,  who  are  now  the  foster  children  of  the 
State,  should  be  so  far  organized  as  to  do  this  as  well  as  they 
can. 

E.  K.  Whittaker,  of  Needham,  remarked  : — The  gentlemen 
who  have  addressed  the  convention  upon  the  resolution  which 
is  now  before  it,  have  very  properly  explained  what  is  the  ob- 
ject of  this  resolution.     But  they  have  not  said  what  I  think 
52 


410  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

may  very  well  be  said,  and  with  saying  that,  I  shall  take  my 
seat.  It  seems  to  me  that  what  is  proposed  to  be  carried  out 
in  this  resolution,  is  very  fully  exemplified  in  what  we  see 
here  to-day ;  and  that  is,  the  gratifying  circumstance,  that  on 
a  call  issued,  gentlemen  without  hesitation  have  come  up  here 
for  the  purpose  of  seeing  whether  we  cannot  do  something  for 
agriculture.  And,  in  accordance  with  that  desire,  it  is  proposed 
to  bring  the  active  minds  of  the  State,  who  want  to  see  im- 
provement, into  a  committee  who  shall  examine  in  detail  the 
matters  on  which  the  different  societies  are  interested,  and  see 
if  something  cannot  be  done  to  waken  the  people  to  more  in- 
terest in  this  department  of  industry,  which  seems  almost  to 
have  been  forgotten,  though  it  was  once  the  main  interest  of 
the  State.  We  may  accomplish  what  we  want  to  see  carried 
out  by  the  movement,  without  difficulty.  We  may  feel  satis- 
fied, from  what  we  see  here  to-day,  that  with  a  committee 
organized  as  is  proposed,  something  will  be  obtained  which 
will  create  the  new  interest  we  wish  to  secure.  I  think  that 
the  faces  we  see  here  to-day  are  the  best  proof  of  this  ;  and  I 
hope  that  not  only  will  the  resolution  be  passed,  but  that  gen- 
tlemen will  feel  that  that  is  not  the  last  of  it  ;  that  if  they  are 
to  carry  anything  into  effect  in  their  county  organizations,  they 
should  meet  at  once  for  the  purpose  of  selecting  out  the  most 
active  minds  they  have,  for  the  purpose  of  doing  something  in 
the  different  departments  of  agriculture. 

Remarks  of  Mr.  Sprague,  president  of  the  Plymouth  Soci- 
ety : — It  was  not  designed  by  the  committee,  that  the  resolu- 
tion should  at  all  reflect  upon  or  interfere  with  the  character  or 
operation  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society. 

The  State  society  have  done  much  for  agriculture  in  import- 
ing different  breeds  of  cattle,  and  distributing  them  gratuitously 
through  different  parts  of  the  Commonwealth.  They  have  done 
a  great  deal  for  agriculture  ;  and  gentlemen  who  have  been  emi- 
nent in  public  life,  who  have  now  gone  to  their  graves,  and  who 
were  devoted  to  agriculture  in  the  arduous  labors  they  per- 
formed in  connection  with  that  society,  deserve  our  highest 
acknowledgments.    But  the  State  society  cannot  make  arrange- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  411 

ments  for  the  time  of  the  agricultural  societies  to  hold  their 
meetings.  The  State  society  cannot  well  arrange  the  premi- 
ums and  the  details  of  the  operations  of  the  several  county 
agricultural  societies.  They  have  no  means  of  doing  it.  It  is 
utterly  out  of  their  power  to  do  it. 

Now  this  Board  will  be  composed  of  gentlemen  knowing  the 
wants  of  the  several  agricultural  societies  and  their  manner  of 
doing  business.  They  can  there  consolidate  their  views  and 
information,  and  carry  out  the  details  as  regards  the  premiums, 
the  reports,  the  publications,  and  the  various  operations  of  the 
different  societies.  Many  of  our  premiums,  as  given  by  our 
agricultural  societies,  do  very  little  good.  They  are  a  mere 
name.  We  give,  in  the  Plymouth  society,  a  premium  for  the 
best  milch  cow.  Now  we  have  no  report  of  the  sizes  or  dams 
of  those  cows.  We  have  no  report  of  their  blood ;  whether 
they  are  of  one  breed  or  another, — of  their  shape  or  their  size; 
but  we  have  merely  the  quantity  of  milk  and  the  feed  which 
they  have  had.  This  affords  us  very  little  opportunity  for  im- 
provement. It  is  so  with  our  working  oxen.  We  want  the 
information  that  some  gentlemen  in  the  Commonwealth  have 
acquired.  We  want,  as  the  gentlemen  have  said  before,  to 
know  something  of  what  they  have  learned.  And  if  we  have 
anything  to  communicate,  we  will  communicate  with  them. 
This  is  the  grand  object ;  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  might  be 
carried  on  without  interfering  with  the  State  society.  It  is  not 
intended  to  interfere,  and  if  it  should  be  thought  that  it  does 
reflect  on  that  society,  I  hope  that  it  will  be  so  managed  as  that 
it  will  not  do  so. 

Remarks  of  Mr.  Gray,  president  of  the  Stat-e  Society  : — I 
see  nothing  in  this  resolution  which  reflects  upon  the  State 
society.  While  I  say  that  the  State  society,  or  the  gentlemen 
who  have  had  the  administration  of  it,  have  done  all  in  their 
power  to  promote  the  interests  of  agriculture,  and  would  have 
been  happy  if  their  power  had  been  greater,  I  think  I  may  say 
for  them  that  they  will  feel  no  objection  to  this  resolution. 
The  State  society,  if  they  had  done  anything  for  agriculture, 
are  bound  to  say  that  their  labors  have  been  fully  appreciated. 
They  were  the  earliest  society  in  existence,  and  I  believe  that 


412  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

from  the  beginning  they  have  been  treated  with  the  utmost 
liberality  as  well  from  the  government  of  the  Commonwealth, 
as  from  the  county  societies. 

But  I  have  said  more  than  once,  that  if  the  State  society  has 
conferred  any  benefit  upon  the  Commonwealth,  one  of  the 
greatest  has  been  this, — that  by  the  impulse  which  they  gave 
to  the  study  and  practice  of  agriculture,  whatever  it  may  be 
deemed  to  have  been,  they  led  to  the  formation  of  the  county 
societies.  They  were,  if  they  may  be  allowed  to  call  them- 
selves, as  teachers,  in  the  situation  of  many  other  teachers,  who 
very  soon  taught  their  scholars  to  go  beyond  themselves.  The 
local  societies  have  advantages  which  no  board  of  a  State  soci- 
ety, or  of  any  one  society  can  well  have,  because  the  officers 
who  compose  any  one  board,  though  having  the  interest  of  the 
State  in  view,  cannot  well  be  collected  from  all  parts  of  the 
State,  because  they  cannot  well  meet  without  inconvenience. 
I  understand  that  this  resolution  contemplates  that  the  State 
society  shall  be  represented  as  well  as  the  local  societies  in  this 
board  which  it  is  now  proposed  to  establish.  I  have  only  to 
say  that  any  measure  calculated  to  bring  together  the  knowl- 
edge which  exists  in  the  agricultural  districts  of  the  Common- 
wealth in  this  way,  or  in  any  other  way,  in  my  opinion  ought 
to  meet  and  would  meet  the  full  concurrence  of  any  member 
of  the  State  society,  or  of  any  other  agricultural  society  in  the 
Commonwealth.  I  am  entirely  satisfied  that  we  have  one 
object,  and  I  cannot  see,  for  my  own  part,  anything  in  this  res- 
olution to  which  the  society  to  which  I  have  the  honor  to  be- 
long would  find  any  cause  to  object. 

The  question  was  then  taken  and  the  resolution  adopted. 

Mr.  Page  then  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
adopted : — 

Resolved,  That  the  President  and  Secretaries  of  this  Convention  be  a  com- 
mittee with  power  to  take  measures  for  the  organization  of  the  Central  Board 
of  Agriculture,  as  recommended  by  the  first  resolve,  and  that  such  Board  be 
authorized  to  petition  the  Legislature  for  an  act  of  incorporation,  if  they  shall 
think  it  expedient. 

The  question  was  taken  on  the  third  resolution,  and  it  was 
adopted. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  413 

The  sixth  resolution  was  taken  up,  on  which  B.  V.  French, 
of  Braintree,  spoke  as  follows  :— 

This  proposition  is  so  expedient,  and  commends  itself  to  the 
approbation  of  so  many,  that  perhaps  it  should  pass  without 
remark.  But  I  can  see  much  in  it  to  interest  every  mind.  We 
should  have  an  organization  which  can  combine  and  unite  the 
interests  of  the  several  societies,  by  means  of  which  communi- 
cations can  be  kept  up  between  them.  In  New  York  this  is 
left  with  the  secretary,  who  corresponds  with  the  other  organi- 
zations, and  looks  after  the  interests  of  the  various  societies.  A 
few  evenings  since,  this  proposition  was  suggested  to  me,  and 
it  struck  me  that  we  did  want  a  place  which  would  answer  for 
a  kind  of  head-quarters,  where  we  could  exhibit  agricultural 
implements,  models  of  everything  that  could  interest  the 
farmer,  such  as  a  committee  could  approve  of,  and  where  a  per- 
son could  go  and  see  the  instrument  which  is  most  valued  by 
the  committee.  I  think  this  is  a  resolve  that  is  calculated  to  do 
an  immense  amount  of  good  to  the  cause. 

George  Denny,  president  of  the  Westborou!9;h  Society  : — The 
resolve  was  considered  a  very  iimocent  one, — that  agriculture 
Avas  of  so  much  importance  that  it  demanded  the  same  stand 
among  the  people  that  the  other  branches  of  education  had. 
The  machinery  which  should  be  connected  with  it  was  not 
determined  upon,  but  was  left  to  the  future. 

Edward  L.  Keyes  : — These  resolutions,  it  may  have  occur- 
red to  the  gentlemen  who  have  seen  the  report  of  the  late  com- 
mission, are  all  based  on  that  report.  This  resolution  is  but 
one  of  their  recommendations.  It  is,  simply,  that  a  State  depart- 
ment of  agriculture  should  be  established.  Of  course,  the 
details  are  to  be  in  accordance  with  the  purposes  and  objects  of 
the  department.  The  department  of  the  militia  has  its  adju- 
tant-general and  its  arsenal.  The  educational  department  has 
a  board  of  education,  and  secretary,  and  agents.  It  is  proposed 
that  this  department  of  agriculture  shall  have  a  board,  and  a 
secretary,  who  shall  lecture,  collect  statistics  in  relation  to  agri- 
culture, make  digests  of  the  reports,  and  publish  such  facts  and 
statistics  as  will  be  necessary  to  promote  the  welfare  of  agri- 
culture.    This   resolution  simply  acknowledges  the  principle. 


414  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

The  details  are  to  be  arranged,  provided  the  principle  is 
adopted,  by  persons  having  charge  of  that  matter. 

Mr.  Page: — The  report  of  the  agricultural  commission  has 
not  fallen  into  the  hands  of  many  gentlemen  in  the  remote 
part  of  the  State.  How  fully  it  has  been  understo  .a  in  this 
part  of  the  Commonwealth,  I  am  unable  to  say.  But  I  beg 
leave  to  read  a  section  to  which  this  resolution  has  reference. 
The  section  refers  to  a  plan  for  the  promotion  of  agricultural 
education,  that  goes  before  it,  but  will  be  sufficiently  intelligi- 
ble by  itself: — 

Section  third  is  as  follows  : — "  The  undersigned  recommend 
the  establishment  of  a  State  department  of  agriculture,  to  con- 
sist of  a  board  of  commissioners  and  a  secretary,  whom  they 
shall  annually  appoint,  which  board  shall  sustain  a  similar  rela- 
tion to  agriculture  and  the  schools  connected  with  it,  as  the 
board  and  secretary  of  education  do  to  primary  schools." 

This  recommendation  of  the  commissioners,  has  reference  to 
a  previous  recommedation  of  theirs  for  the  establishment  of  an 
agricultural  school  or  a  system  of  agricultural  schools.  And  a 
part  of  the  recommendations  in  this  section  would  presuppose 
the  existence  of  such  institutions,  and  a  part  of  the  duties 
would  be  dependent  on  such  existence.  But  if  none  of  the 
institutions  are  ever  established,  there  are  duties  there  which 
would  be  profitable,  if  faithfully  performed,  in  my  part  of  the 
State,  and  I  apprehend  elsewhere  also. 

"  The  duty  of  the  secretary  shall  be,  under  the  direction  of 
the  board,  to  give  lectures  in  various  parts  of  the  Common- 
wealth, whenever  it  may  be  deemed  expedient,  on  the  science 
and  practice  of  agriculture."  That  subject  has  been  hinted  at 
again  and  again,  at  agricultural  meetings  for  years.  The  hint  is 
thrown  out  in  the  enthusiasm  of  the  moment,  when  the  people 
are  thought  to  be  more  agriculturally  inclined  than  at  any  other 
time,  and  then  is  forgotten. 

A  wise  man  going  among  the  people  would  do  undoubtedly 
a  vast  deal  of  good  to  the  farmers  and  to  their  sons.  I  am  of 
the  opinion,  that  the  establishment  of  such  a  secretaryship,  in 
efficient  hands,  would  be  as  effective  an  instrument  as  could  be 
established  for  the  improvement  of  agriculture. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  415 

Sir,  our  young  men  want  something  more  than  their  fathers 
know  how  to  teach.  What  is  known  now  by  the  farmer 
about  farming?  Precisely  what  was  known  about  it  fifty 
years  ago,  with  very  little  variation !  I  heard  an  anecdote 
from  one  of  the  committee  to-day  which  illustrates  the  position 
of  our  young  men.  A  wealthy  farmer,  with  a  large  farm,  died 
recently  in  this  vicinity.  He  left  five  sons,  ranging  from  ten 
years,  upward.  He  is  hardly  cold  in  his  grave  before  they  de- 
termine to  give  the  farm  up.  When  remonstrated  with,  they 
say,  "  We  want  to  know  something.  We  shall  know  just  as 
much  as  our  fathers  did,  and  we  wish  to  know  more."  Now 
it  is  a  fact  that  our  young  men  want  to  know  more  than  their 
fathers.  It  is  desirable  that  this  knowledge  shall  not  be  like 
the  Indians'  knowledge,  traditionary,  handed  down  from  gen- 
eration to  generation.  But  we  want  the  printed  page,  that  the 
farmer  can  take  in  his  hands  as  he  sits  by  his  fireside,  and  that 
his  sons  can  take  in  their  hands  in  their  leisure  hours, — the 
printed  page,  upon  which  are  the  results  of  the  practical  knowl- 
edge of  wise  men,  brought  to  bear  distinctly  upon  this  subject. 
Now  I  pray  to  ask,  if  you  do  nothing  else  here  for  this  vastly 
neglected  branch  of  industry,  how  you  can  do  a  better  thing 
than  to  say  that  you  will  send  out  in  into  the  community  just 
such  a  man  as  is  spoken  of  here.  He  will  not  only  carry 
knowledge  to  the  young  men,  but  he  will  create  a  thirst  for 
knowledge.  I  think  that  the  time  is  ripe  for  the  Common- 
wealth to  take  this  step,  at  least,  and  that  the  people  will  say 
amen  to  their  action,  however  liberal,  in  sending  them  such 
knowledge  as  that. 

Well,  sir,  that  is  one  thing  that  the  secretary  will  do.  He  will 
go  forth  as  a  scientific  and  practical  farmer,  to  enlighten  the  peo- 
ple throughout  the  Commonwealth.  He  will  carry  informa- 
tion and  he  will  gain  information.  But,  then,  it  is  proposed 
that  he  shall  "  receive  the  returns  of  the  incorporated  agricul- 
tural societies,  and  make  a  digest  of  the  same  in  the  form  of 
an  annual  report  to  the  Legislature,"  instead  of  having  it  the 
duty  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth,  who  has,  I  be- 
lieve, always  delegated  it  to  other  hands,  who  have  annually 
formed  an  abstract   and  thrown  it  through  the  press.     The 


416  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  has  enough  to  do.  He  never 
has  done  this  duty  personally,  and  I  think  he  never  will  do  it 
except  through  other  agencies.  It  is  proposed  to  place  it  in 
the  hands  of  a  man  whose  life  is  agricultural,  the  breath  of 
whose  nostrils  is  agriculture,  who  eats  it  and  drinks  it,  and 
who  is  given  up  to  agriculture,  accomplished  in  it  throughout. 
Make  it  his  duty  to  do  it,  and  I  v/ill  venture  to  say  that  it  will 
he  not  only  as  good  a  book  as  is  now  produced,  but  one  which 
will  be  read  throughout  the  Commonwealth.  He  will  con- 
tribute to  make  it  better  in  this  way.  He  will  suggest  to  the 
local  societies  what  are  the  subjects  to  which  their  minds 
should  be  directed.  He  will  have  the  elements  in  a  far  better 
condition  than  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  has  ever 
received  them  from  the  secretaries  of  the  agricultural  societies. 

The  secretary  is  required  "  to  collect  agricultural  statistics 
and  information  in  the  various  departments  of  this  science  ;  to 
correspond  with  local  societies  in  this  and  other  lands."  Here 
is  an  instrument  by  means  of  which  the  secretary  can  get  in- 
formation from  all  over  the  world,  and  this  little  report  will 
tell  him  where  he  can  get  his  information.  He  will  produce  a 
volume  which  will  be  valuable  to  the  practical  farmers,  and  not 
to  the  book-farmers  alone,  (though  I  speak  that  word  with  a 
great  deal  of  respect,  and  not  with  the  sneers  which  some  have 
used,)  applicable  to  all  farmers  all  over  Massachusetts. 

The  secretary  shall  have  it  a  part  of  his  duty  to  devise  the 
means  of  improving  agriculture  in  general  throughout  the  Com- 
monwealth. Well,  sir,  if  the  government  of  the  Common- 
wealth should,  in  their  wisdom,  see  fit  to  establish  an  agricul- 
tural school,  it  seems  to  me  that  this  thing  would  be  necessary. 
This  kind  of  organization,  this  bureau  of  the  government,  would 
be  necessary  in  order  to  carry  that  plan  into  effective  operation, 
and  to  bring  it  to  a  point  so  that  it  can  act  in  connection  with 
the  local  societies  that  now  exist.  If  those  schools  are  not  es- 
tablished, then  this  precise  thing,  so  far  as  it  can  be  applicable, 
is  needed  by  the  people  of  this  Commonwealth  in  order  to 
bring  to  a  focus  the  information  that  is  had  now  and  is  to  be 
had  all  through  the  State,  and  to  put  life  into  our  societies  and 
make  them  more  active  in  promoting  the  cause  of  agriculture. 


MASS.    BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  417 

John  Brooks,  of  Princeton  : — This  resolution  seems  to  squint 
towards  a  college.  If  it  has  that  tendency,  I  shall  be  opposed 
to  it ;  for  I  do  not  believe  that  the  farmers  are  prepared  to 
spend  money  in  instituting  a  college.  I  think  it  would  do 
them  no  good  whatever.  This  resolution  seems  to  interfere 
with  one  which  has  just  passed.  We  have  passed  a  resolution 
for  a  central  board,  making  it  their  duty  to  collect  this  very  in- 
formation and  compile  it  into  a  book.  It  seems  to  be  the 
same  duty  here.  If  that  is  the  case,  two  such  resolutions  are 
not  necessary.  As  for  lecturing  to  the  people,  I  doubt  whether 
that  is  advantageous  for  the  very  best  reason  to  my  mind  in 
the  world, — that  the  lecturer  will  not  know  what  to  say  ;  that 
he  has  no  data  on  which  to  make  out  any  speech,  because 
science,  as  I  understand  it,  is  based  upon  facts.  What  facts 
has  this  commissioner  that  are  applicable  to  agriculture  in  this 
State  ?  I  say,  sir,  generally  speaking,  no  fact.  And  why? 
Because  the  science  of  agriculture  has  not  yet  grown  up  in  this 
country.  We  are  dependent  entirely  upon  Europe,  as  I  under- 
stand it,  for  our  agricultural  science.  You  may  pile  this  room 
full  of  European  agricultural  books,  and  you  may  condense  all 
the  knowledge  which  they  contain  applicable  to  this  country 
into  a  primer.  Therefore,  if  this  gentleman  goes  out  to  lecture, 
he  has  nothing  to  found  his  lecture  upon.  And  to  be  depen- 
dent upon  Europe,  is  of  little  or  no  use  to  us,  inasmuch  as  our 
circumstances,  our  facts,  our  influences  are  entirely  different  in 
connection  with  agriculture  here,  from  what  they  are  in  Great 
Britain  or  in  Europe. 

I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  reading  the  report  of  the  com- 
missioners. But  I  understand  it  gives  an  accouut  of  a  vast 
number  of  agricultural  schools  in  Europe.  Suppose  we  take 
the  Prussian  system  ;  do  you  believe  it  can  be  carried  out  here  ? 
I  believe  that  the  farmers  will  not  agree  that  it  can  do  good. 
For  that  reason,  and  for  the  reason  that  I  have  said  that  we 
have  no  science  yet  formed,  it  seems  to  me  that  an  agricultural 
school  cannot  be  a  benefit. 

There  is  another  reason.     We  must  begin  at  the  end ;  that 
is,  we  must  begin  at  the   bottom.     We  must  create  ourselves. 
This  board,  so  far  as  it  might  be  made  useful,  is  a  very  good 
53 


418  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

thing  ;  and  if  it  does  not  squint  towards  a  college,  I  might  be 
in  favor  of  it.  It  might  be  useful  in  collecting  information  all 
over  the  State.  The  gentleman  says  that  young  men  abandon 
their  farms  because  they  cannot  improve.  Perhaps  that  may 
be  the  case.  If  so,  it  is  for  the  reason  that  I  have  said,  that 
we  have  no  science.  We  have  no  data  to  go  upon.  We  have 
only  our  own  experience. 

Remarks  of  Professor  Wm.  C  Fowler,  of  Amherst  : — Sci- 
ence is,  in  itself,  the  same  the  world  over.  In  its  applications 
it  may  be  varied  according  to  circumstances.  The  application 
of  science  to  agriculture  in  this  country  may  vary  from  its  ap- 
plication in  England,  in  consequence  of  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances connected  with  our  climate  or  soil.  We  must,  there- 
fore, first  determine  what  these  peculiar  circumstances  are,  and 
then  we  shall  know  how  to  employ  science  in  aid  of  agriculture 
in  our  own  country.  If  it  be  true,  as  the  gentleman  says,  that 
we  have  no  American  science  and  no  Massachusetts  science, 
then  upon  this  assumption  of  his,  the  very  first  thing  which 
we  ought  to  do  is  to  have  an  American  science,  and  a  Massa- 
chusetts science. 

But  leaving  the  ground  assumed  by  the  gentleman,  I  come 
back  to  the  true  ground,  namely,  that  science  is  the  same  all 
over  the  world.  It  is  our  business  to  see  that  its  applica- 
tions to  the  art  of  agriciilture  in  Massachusetts  are  such  as  they 
ought  to  be.  In  the  first  stages  of  civilization,  art  precedes, 
science  follows.  In  the  advanced  stages  of  civilization,  science 
precedes,  art  follows.  All  the  higher  processes  of  the  useful 
arts  are  dependent  on  science. 

There  have  been  immense  additions  made  during  the  last 
fifty  years  to  science  in  general,  and  to  those  particular  sciences 
which  relate  to  agriculture.  This  is  true  of  chemistry,  of  geol- 
ogy, of  mineralogy,  of  botany,  and  vegetable"^physiology,  of 
zoology,  and  animal  physiology.  Accordingly,  the  govern- 
ments of  Europe,  as  we  learn  by  the  excellent  report  of  the 
agricultural  commission,  lately  published,  are  extensively  tak- 
ing measures,  by  means  of  agricultural  colleges  and  schools, 
first  to  apply  these  sciences  to  the  art  of  agriculture,  and  next, 
to  communicate  extensively  a   knowledge  of  the  applications 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  419 

thus  made,  for  the  general  benefit  of  the  profession  of  agricul- 
ture. I  would  take  the  liberty  to  recommend  to  the  worthy 
gentleman  who  last  spoke,  to  read  this  report  before  he  makes 
objections  to  a  plan  for  the  improvement  of  agriculture  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, based  on  that  report.  You  need  only  to  read  this 
work,  or  one  of  the  reports  of  the  patent  office,  or  the  better 
class  of  agricultural  newspapers,  in  order  to  know  that  there 
have  been  immense  additions  to  agricultural  science,  strictly  so 
called,  and  to  those  sciences  in  general  which  may  be  applied 
to  the  art  of  agriculture. 

The  fact,  indeed,  seems  to  be  generally  admitted  that  there 
has,  in  one  quarter  and  another,  among  men  of  science  and  the 
cultivators  of  the  soil,  been  a  great  increase  of  knowledge, 
both  theoretical  and  practical,  on  this  subject.  But  the  light 
is  scattered,  not  concentrated,  and,  therefore,  not  effectual.  It 
is  light  such  as  has,  by  some,  been  supposed  to  exist  after  God 
said,  "  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light,"  and  before  the 
sun  was  created.  According  to  this  theory,  they  suppose  that 
the  light  thus  diffused  through  space,  thus  ineffectual,  thus  in- 
capable of  being  applied  to  any  useful  pviipose,  was  collected 
by  the  Creator  and  concentrated  in  the  sun,  which  he  "  set  in 
the  firmament  of  the  heaven,  to  give  light  upon  the  earth," 
so  that  "  the  greater  light  should  rule  the  day,  and  the  lesser 
light  the  night,"  and  order  thus  be  brought  out  of  chaos. 

Something  like  this  may  be  true  of  the  science  and  of  the 
practical  skill  which  is  scattered  over  the  land  and  the  world. 
What  we  need  is  an  organization,  under  the  authority  of  the 
State,  which  shall  collect  this  scattered  light,  whether  in  this  or 
in  another  hemisphere,  so  that  it  shall  become  effectual,  and  not 
any  longer  be  "  light  shining  in  darkness,  and  the  darkness  com- 
prehending it  not."  What  we  need,  is  an  organization  which 
shall  collect  the  light  of  science  and  of  practical  experience 
into  an  agricultural  institution,  as  into  a  focus,  from  which  it 
can  go  forth,  as  from  a  radiant  point,  over  the  Commonwealth 
and  the  country,  and,  if  you  please,  the  world. 

Remarks  of  Judge  Mack,  of  Salem  :— It  has  been  said,  sir, 
that  we  have  no  science.  It  is  too  true  that  we  have  not  much 
science  on  the  subject  of  agriculture  in  Massachusetts.    And  this 


420  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

fact  makes  it  imperative  that  we  take  some  means  by  which 
we  can  collect  facts.  All  science  has  been  built  up  upon  facts. 
And  unless  we  take  measures  to  collect  them  upon  the  subject 
of  agriculture,  we  never  shall  have  any  science  here.  There 
is  science  enough  upon  the  subject  of  agriculture  to  apply  these 
sciences  to  the  art  of  agriculture,  and  next,  to  communicate 
extensively  a  knowledge  of  the  applications  thus  made,  for  the 
general  benefit  of  the  profession  of  agriculture.  I  would  take 
the  liberty  to  recommend  to  the  worthy  gentleman  who  last 
spoke,  to  read  this  report  before  he  makes  objections  to  a  plan 
for  the  improvement  of  agriculture  in  Massachusetts. 

Remarks  of  Hon.  Amasa  Walker,  Secretary  of  the  Com- 
monwealth : — 

Before  we  admit  that  confusion  exists  in  relation  to  agricul- 
ture, and  all  this  chaos  which  the  learned  gentleman  from 
Amherst  supposes,  the  question  naturally  arises,  how  happens 
it  that,  at  this  late  period,  there  should  be  so  much  chaos  and 
confusion  with  reference  to  agriculture?  For  I  believe  that 
they  do  exist  ;  that  there  is  ail  this  chaos,  confusion,  uncer- 
tainty and  the  want  of  application  of  true  science  to  agricul- 
ture. And  why,  sir  ?  I  have  had  occasion  to  notice  recently 
some  very  good  reasons  why  all  this  should  be  true ;  and  the 
general  reason  is  this. 

We  have  a  great  number  of  agricultural  societies  in  different 
parts  of  the  Commonwealth.  Those  societies  carry  on  their 
operations  through  the  year.  They  have  their  exhibitions. 
They  offer  their  premiums.  They  have  their  reports.  And 
what  does  it  all  amount  to  ?  It  amounts  to  this, — that  all 
these  different  societies,  as  a  general  remark,  have  been  operat- 
ing upon  different  principles,  that  is,  without  any  well  estab- 
lished and  uniform  principle,  and  hence  they  do  not  arrive  at 
any  well  established  and  uniform  results. 

For  instance,  in  the  article  of  Indian  corn,  what  do  we 
ascertain  from  the  reports  of  all  the  agricultural  societies  in 
this  State  ?  We  ascertain  nothing  that  is  true  in  relation  to 
any  one  point  in  regard  to  the  raising  of  Indian  corn  in  this 
Commonwealth,  because  we  have  no  uniform  system  on  which 
statistics  arc  made.     For  instance,  in   one  society  they  have  it 


MASS.   BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  421 

weighed  and  in  others  measured ;  and  in  three  societies  that  I 
know  of,  they  include  the  cob,  allowing  seventy-five  pounds 
to  the  bushel.  Statistics  which  must  be  based  on  such  various 
methods  of  ascertaining  the  quantity  of  an  article  raised,  do 
not  establish  anything. 

Just  so  in  relation  to  the  product  of  milch  cows  !  We  have 
no  statistics  which  can  be  brought  together,  by  which  an 
average  can  be  made  of  the  product  in  different  parts  of  the 
Commonwealth.  My  learned  friend,  from  Amherst,  used  the 
right  figure,  "perfect  chaos."     It  proves  nothing. 

This  is  the  fact  in  relation  to  agriculture  so  far  as  I  under- 
stand the  matter.  What  then  must  be  done  ?  What  is  con- 
templated in  that  resolution  ?  A  central  board  !  A  board  of 
agricultural  education  !  A  board  of  agricultural  statistics  !  A 
board  which  shall  establish  a  uniformity  of  action  among  all 
the  societies,  so  that  their  statistics  will  be  valuable  !  We  all 
feel  the  vast  importance  that  has  been  given  to  the  cause  of 
education  by  the  establishment  of  the  Mr.ssachnsetts  Board  of 
Education,  and  the  great  improvement  that  has  been  produced 
in  our  common  schools  in  consequence  of  the  action  of  that 
board.  I  suppose  we  have  there  a  board  similar  to  what  is 
wanted  in  agriculture,  if  we  wish  to  accomplish  what  our 
friend  from  Worcester  County  desires, — a  board  which  shall 
establish  uniform  returns  from  all  the  counties. 

We  do  establish  such  regulations  with  regard  to  education. 
Every  district  school  in  this  Commonwealth  has  to  make  its 
returns  precisely  on  the  same  data  and  the  same  principle. 
Then  we  can  make  out  our  aggregates,  we  can  make  our  de- 
ductions, and  we  can  learn  lessons  of  wisdom  in  relation  to 
our  schools.  Now  I  suppose  that  precisely  this  is  wanting 
with  regard  to  agriculture.  And  since  this  State  makes  liberal 
grants  every  year  for  agricultural  societies,  would  it  not  be 
right,  would  it  not  be  expedient,  that  the  State  should  require 
systematic  and  regular  returns,  the  same  as  are  made  from  the 
common  schools  ;  and  unless  those  returns  are  accurately  made, 
according  to  the  prescribed  form,  that  the  society  should  not 
receive  the  bounty  of  the  State.  Without  that,  I  have  no  hope 
of  anything  being  done. 


422  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

From  the  position  in  which  I  stand,  I  have  had  this  subject 
brought  home  to  me.  The  returns  have  been  sent  to  me. 
They  are  all  chaos.  But  by  the  assistance  of  a  very  able  gen- 
tleman, a  sort  of  abstract  has  been  made  from  the  returns  of 
all  the  societies.  They  are  somewhat  interesting  at  least,  but 
they  do  not  prove  anything.  And  my  mind  has  come  to  the 
conclusion,  very  recently,  that  if  we  hope  for  any  progress  in 
agriculture,  we  must  have  a  central  board  ;  we  must  have 
everything  arranged  as  it  is  in  the  common  school  board  ;  ^nd 
we  must  have  one  mind  devoted  altogether  to  agriculture. 
Out  of  the  million  we  can  easily  spare  a  single  mind.  What 
person  in  the  Commonwealth  is  devoted  entirely  to  agriculture, 
I  mean  to  the  broad  field  of  agriculture,  to  the  theory  and 
practice  of  agriculture  ?  I  do  not  know  any  such  one.  Is  the 
president  of  any  of  our  agricultural  societies,  or  the  secretary, 
or  the  treasurer,  thus  devoted  ?  No  !  they  do  what  they  can, 
and  we  are  much  obliged  to  them  for  it.  But  we  want  one 
mind  devoted  to  the  subject. 

You  have  seen  what  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion accomplished.  It  surprised  us  all.  Yet  I  think  far  greater 
results  would  be  accomplished  if  we  had  a  Secretary  of  the 
Board  of  Agriculture,  who  should  lecture,  who  should  try  to 
ascertain  facts,  and  to  awaken  a  general  interest  in  the  subject 
of  agriculture.  If  this  were  the  case,  if  such  a  board  and  sec- 
retaryship were  established  and  sustained,  nothing  could  be 
more  gratifying  to  the  farmers  of  the  State. 

Remarks  of  Johnson  Gardner,  of  Seekonk  : — 

I  have  supposed  that  science  was  science  all  over  the  world  ; 
that  so  far  as  regards  chemistry,  geology,  and  all  other  sciences 
pertaining  to  agriculture,  what  they  had  learned  in  Europe  we 
might  learn  ;  that  a  chemist  there,  analyzing  air  and  finding  it 
contained  oxygen,  hydrogen,  &-c.,  would  merely  find  the  same 
article  essentially  which  a  chemist  analyzing  air  here  would 
ascertain.  I  suppose  the  same  with  regard  to  agriculture.  I 
would  establish  this  board.  I  think  it  would  be  one  of  the 
best  things  we  could  do.  I  do  not  precisely  agree  as  to  the 
eff'ect  of  the  local  societies.  I  believe  they  are  doing  a  vast 
good.     I  believe  every  town  in  the  county  of  Bristol  has  felt 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  423 

the  effects  of  the  Bristol  Agricultural  Society,  I  believe  if  you 
make  the  additional  appropriation  of  one  hundred  dollars  to 
every  society,  raising  a  thousand  dollars,  that  these  societies 
will  do  much  more  than  at  present. 

Simon  Brown,  of  Concord,  made  a  short  and  practical 
speech,  suggesting  that  if  the  secretary  should  only  present  a 
single  new  idea  to  his  auditors  in  each  of  his  lectures,  it  would 
prove  very  valuable  to  the  farmers ;  illustrating  his  position  by 
stating  that  if  he  should  only  teach  them  how  to  analyze  the 
soil  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  able  to  determine  what  are  the 
constituents  of  a  given  amount  of  earth,  and  what  parts  are 
wanting  in  order  to  make  it  yield  the  largest  crop  of  a  certain 
article,  an  incalculable  amount  of  good  would  be  derived  by 
the  community. 


Evening  Session. 

The  Convention  was  called  to  order  at  7  o'clock.  The  seventh 
resolution  having  been  taken  up  for  consideration,  the  chair 
called  upon  his  excellency,  Governor  Boutwell,  who  addressed 
the  convention  as  follows  : — 

This  resolution  has  reference  to  what  has  been  accomplished 
already  by  the  societies  which  exist  in  our  State.  They  con- 
stitute a  part  of  the  imperfect  system  of  agricultural  education. 
There  are  various  town  societies, — few  in  number  at  present, 
but  efficient  in  their  operation, — which  constitute  another  part 
of  this  system.  And  it  would  seem  expedient,  if  efforts  are  to 
be  made  to  extend  and  elevate  agricultural  education,  that  those 
means  which  exist  ought  to  be  employed. 

The  first  question  which  a  convention  of  this  character 
would  naturally  consider,  is,  whether  there  is  a  necessity  for 
improvement  in  agricultural  education  ?  And,  upon  this  point, 
I  suppose  there  would  not  be  much  difference  of  opinion ;  for 
it  cannot  but  be  as  true  of  agriculture,  as  of  any  department 
of  industry,  that  it  is  to  be  advanced  and  perfected  by  the 
operations  and  labors  of  intelligent  and  scientific  men. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  that  while  other  departments  of  indus- 


424  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

try  in  this  Commonwealth,  and  in  this  section  of  the  comitry 
to  a  considerable  extent,  have  had  the  benefit  of  scientific  edu- 
cation and  scientific  improvement,  agriculture,  in  this  respect, 
has  been  almost  entirely  neglected.  If,  then,  it  is  conceded 
that  there  is  a  necessity  for  agricultural  education,  and  for  im- 
provement in  it,  we  are  to  inquire,  who  are  to  be  the  teachers  ? 
What  are  the  means  to  be  employed  ?  and,  who  are  the  men 
or  individuals  in  the  community  to  be  taught  ? 

It  would  seem  proper  that  we  should  avail  ourselves,  so  far 
as  possible,  of  the  means  which  exist.  We  should  use  what 
we  possess,  if  it  be  efficient,  rather  than  attempt  to  create 
more  than  is  absolutely  necessary.  Now,  if  we  have  institu- 
tions that  to  any  considerable  extent  can  be  made  available  for 
these  purposes,  for  the  present, — even  though  they  should  be 
inadequate  for  the  future, — I  apprehend  it  vvould  be  regarded 
proper,  on  all  hands,  that  we  should  use  those  institutions  and 
those  means. 

In  some  countries,  science  may  be  in  the  possession  of  a  few 
individuals  in  the  community,  and  may  be  used  in  such  a  way 
as  to  control  and  give  direction  to  the  manual  labors  of  other 
men.  But  in  this  country,  science  is  not  in  that  way  to  be 
applied.  We  have  no  masters  controlling  large  bodies  of  labor- 
ing men.  But  if  we  are  to  educate  the  farmers  of  this  Com- 
monwealth, it  must  be  by  educating  the  great  mass  of  them. 
The  majority  must  in  some  way  be  reached.  It  will  not  do  to 
give  to  certain  individuals  the  science,  with  the  expectation  that 
certain  others  are  to  apply  that  science  without  knowing  some- 
thing of  the  reasons  which  exist  for  its  application. 

We  are,  then,  to  carry  the  knowledge  to  the  great  mass  of 
the  people.  And  the  question  is,  how  is  it  to  be  done  ?  If  we 
educate  a  few  men,  it  may  happen,  and  very  likely  will  hap- 
pen, that  from  the  nature  of  their  pursuits,  they  will  be  unable 
to  approach  and  communicate  with  the  mass,  so  as  to  make 
their  knowledge  available  in  this  department  of  industry. 

It  is  not  more  than  twenty  years  since,  that  we  had  two 
classes  of  teachers  in  our  public  schools.  And  it  is  not  too 
much  to  say  that  they  entirely  failed.  The  one  class  was  com- 
posed of  young  men  sent  out  from  our  colleges  into  the  interior 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  425 

towns  and  small  districts  of  the  State  ;  and,  as  a  general  thing, 
it  may  be  said  that  they  failed  to  produce  the  result  which  good 
teachers  ought  to  produce. 

We  had  another  class  which  acted  as  teachers.  They  came 
from  the  mass  of  the  people.  They  possessed  some  of  the 
qualifications  for  teachers,  bat  they  were  deficient  in  many  par- 
ticulars. Neither  of  these  classes  met  the  wants  of  the  com- 
munity. Now  it  may  happen  that  we  shall  constitute  a  class 
of  men  who,  in  some  respects,  will  resemble  the  young  men 
who  went  out  from  the  colleges  to  the  district  schools ;  and  if 
we  do,  they  will  most  certainly  fail  to  accomplish  the  results 
which  we  expect. 

We  have  instituted,  with  regard  to  our  common  schools, — 
and,  I  take  it,  we  can  reason  somewhat  from  analogy, — we 
have  instituted  Normal  Schools  to  furnish  instruction  to  young 
men  and  women  as  teachers.  They  go  there  for  the  purpose 
of  qualifying  themselves  as  teachers.  And,  I  take  it,  these 
institutions  have  accomplished  most  perfectly  the  object  which 
the  State  and  their  patrons  had  in  view  at  their  establishment. 

Now  we  are,  in  some  way  or  another,  to  connect  the  science  \ 
of  the  college  and  the  laboratory  with  the  labor  of  the  farm. 
And  the  great  question  I  apprehend  is,  how  is  this  to  be  done? 
It  was  said  here  the  other  night,  at  the  legislative  agricultural 
meeting,  that  if  you  take  young  men  and  send  them  to  college, 
for  the  purpose  of  instructing  them  in  science,  with  the  expec- 
tation that  they  would  go  out  and  instruct  the  farmers  of  the 
State,  they  would  fail.  I  thought  there  was  some  force  in  the 
remark. 

Now  we  want,  in  the  agricultural  system  of  education,  a 
class  of  men  who  shall  combine  the  science  of  the  school  with 
the  labor  of  the  farm.  Now,  to  my  mind,  it  is  apparent  that 
they  must  be  drawn,  in  the  main,  from  among  the  farmers 
themselves. 

You  must  begin  with  the  farmers,  and  work  up,— infusing 
into  the  great  mass  of  the  people  an  increasing  desire  for  scien- 
tific knowledge,  which  shall  enable  them  to  apply  agricultural 
sciences  to  agriculture  itself. 

In  what  way,  then,  can    you  reach   the    great    body  of  the 
64 


426  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

farmers  of  the  State  most  effectively  ?  I  think  we  may  do  it 
by  using,  to  some  extent,  the  agricultural  institutions  which 
exist, — thetown  societies  and  the  county  societies.  As  in  the 
common  school  system,  the  people  have  been  led  to  maintain 
it  voluntarily,  so,  I  take  it,  the  agricultural  system  of  education 
is  to  be  maintained  voluntarily  in  the  small  communities  of  the 
State.  You  cannot  establish  any  great  system,  which  shall 
act  upon  the  people  directly  and  exclusively.  You  may 
encourage  agriculture,  but  its  support  must  come  from  them. 

Hold  out,  then,  the  inducement  to  the  people  to  educate 
themselves,  and  you  will  succeed.  If  you  have  an  institution 
to  educate  men  to  go  among  the  people,  you  will  do  something 
in  that  way.  If  you  were  to  adopt  the  system  of  employing  a 
certain  number  of  scientific  men,  as  we  have  employed  com- 
mon school  lecturers,  you  might  create  an  educational  feeling 
which  would  be  efficient.  For  example,  if  there  are,  at  this 
moment,  fifty  town  societies,  and  if  you  were  to  employ  a  cer- 
tain number, — perhaps  five  scientific  men, — whose  duty  it 
should  be,  in  the  summer  season,  to  go  where  these  institutions 
exist,  (and  nowhere  else,  that  their  establishment  may  be  en- 
couraged,) to  receive  and  communicate  information  in  relation 
to  manures  and  crops ;  and  if,  in  the  winter,  it  were  their  duty 
to  give  lectures  adapted  to  the  wants  of  these  localities,  I  take 
it  you  would  do  a  great  deal  of  good. 

And  if  your  munificence  were  confined  to  the  towns  where 
these  associations  exist,  lecturers  would  increase  as  rapidly  as 
the  demand  ;  and  without  extraordinary  effort,  you  would  intro- 
duce a  system  of  agricultural  education  which  should  reach 
every  young  man,  give  him  information,  and  cause  inquiry 
among  the  great  body  of  agriculturists.  It  would  be  the  duty 
of  those  individuals' to  collect  and  distribute  information,  so 
that  you  would  have  a  great  system  of  lectures  and  experi- 
ments extending  over  the  whole  Commonwealth, 

Remarks  of  William  Buckminster,  editor  of  the  Massachu- 
setts Ploughman: — I  was  surprised  to  hear  the  assertion,  this 
afternoon,  that  we  had  made  no  improvement  in  agriculture  for 
forty  or  fifty  years  past.  If  there  is  any  useful  agricultural 
knowledge  in  the  country,  I  ask  you  where  it  is.     It  rests  with 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  427 

the  practical  farmers.  They  possess  all  the  practical  knowledge 
wiiich  is  of  any  value.  Chemists  may  talk  as  much  as  they 
please,  with  high  flown  language.  The  farmers  have  the 
practical  knowledge. 

The  word  science  has  been  used.  Science,  we  are  glad  to 
learn,  is  knowledge.  Farmers  understand  that.  There  was 
one  gentleman  a  little  alarmed  at  science.  He  would  not  have 
it.  Now,  what  is  the  use  of  telling  us,  farmers,  that  there  has 
been  no  improvement  for  a  dozen  years  past  ?  I  live  in  the 
vicinity  of  Worcester.  Forty  years  ago,  it  was  the  practice 
there,  among  all  farmers,  to  let  their  cattle  run  at  large,  saving 
none  of  the  manure ;  and  not  one  man  in  forty  attempted  to 
increase  his  manure  by  carting  in  substances  to  preserve  the 
essences.  Fifty  years  ago,  the  hogs  ran  in  the  road,  and  no 
manure  was  saved  from  them.  Have  not  we  made  improve- 
ment ?  Your  foreign  chemists  and  your  foreign  professors  will 
all  tell  you  that  manure  is  the  very  foundation  of  all  production 
connected  with  agriculture  ;  and  yet  gentlemen  will  tell  you, 
and  repeat  that  we  have  made  no  improvement  with  regard  to 
farming,  even  when  we  produce  four  or  five  times  as  much  on 
a  given  piece  of  land  as  we  used  to  make,  forty  or  fifty  years 
ago.  I  want  this  thing  well  understood.  We  have  been  led 
astray  ten  times  by  chemists  where  we  have  got  real  informa- 
tion from  them  once. 

But  I  would  not  undervalue  chemistry.  A  farmer  cannot  do 
anything,  unless  he  makes  more  from  his  farm  than  he  spends. 
What  we  want,  is  to  circulate  the  knowledge  we  possess.  I 
know  there  are  some  farmers  who  never  make  any  improve- 
ment. What  we  want  is  to  wake  these  gentlemen  up.  And 
the  way  to  do  it  is  the  very  mode  suggested  this  evening  by 
his  excellency,  the  governor. 

The  resolution  was  adopted. 

The  fourth  and  fifth  resolutions,  which  were  passed  over  in 
the  afternoon,  were  now  read  by  the  chair. 

The  President. — There  is  a  gentleman  present  who  made 
the  investigations  in  relation  to  these  schools  in  Europe,  Presi- 
dent Hitchcock,  of  Amherst.  I  have  no  doubt  the  convention 
will  be  pleased  to  hear  from  him. 


428  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

President  Hitchcock. — I  fully  agree,  sir,  with  the  remarks 
which  have  been  made  by  his  excellency,  and  other  gentlemen 
whom  I  have  heard  to-day,  on  the  importance  of  using  other 
means  for  promoting  agriculture,  besides  establishing  a  school  or 
schools.  I  hope  no  gentleman  will  imagine  that  the  establish- 
ment of  a  school,  however  judicious  a  plan  is  adopted,  is  going 
at  once  to  make  any  great  change  in  our  agriculture.  It  is 
only  one  of  the  means  which  are  employed  in  Europe  for  that 
pur[)ose.  I  am  not  going  to  compare  the  means.  I  do  believe 
that  agricultural  societies  are  indispensable.  It  is  one  of  the 
reasons  why  I  could  wish  to  see  schools  established,  that  they 
may  form  a  channel  by  which  we  may  communicate  with  the 
agricultural  world,  by  which  we  can  receive  information  of 
what  is  doing  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  of  what  is  doing  in 
the  cultivation  of  land,  in  the  raising  of  stock,  and  in  a  multi- 
tude of  subjects  connected  with  agriculture.  If  you  had  a 
school,  it  would  be  a  channel  through  which  there  would  come 
this  information  ;  and  it  would  be  a  sort  of  ordeal  to  pass 
through. 

Now  there  comes  floating  somehow  or  other  on  the  winds, 
an  account  of  an  improvement  in  agriculture.  An  individual 
farmer  hears  of  it,  and  undertakes  to  make  the  experiment. 
He  fails,  perhaps.  Then  he  is  disgusted  with  everything  of 
the  kind.  Now  one  grand  object  of  a  school  of  this  kind,  is  to 
try  experiments,  to  try  suggestive  experiments.  For  it  is  an 
indispensable  adjunct  of  all  the  schools  in  Europe  that  I  visited, 
with  the  exception  of  only  one  in  Edinburgh,  that  they  should 
have  a  farm  connected  with  the  school  ;  that  they  should  live 
upon  the  farm  ;  that  the  professors  and  officers,  at  least  a  part 
of  them, — those  who  have  the  management  of  the  whole  con- 
cern,— should  engage  in  actual  labor  on  that  farm.  Some  of 
them  do  not  do  it  for  wages,  and  some  do.  But  they  all  engage, 
more  or  less,  in  the  duties  of  the  farm,  in  the  work  on  the  farm, 
and  in  every  kind  of  work,  too.  Even  those  who  do  not  ex- 
pect to  labor  in  after-life,  but  who  expect  to  have  the  superin- 
tendence of  the  labor  of  others,  all  go  through  the  work. 

I  have  mentioned  in  this  report,  the  case  of  a  school  in 
France  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Paris,  where  the  director 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  429 

of  the  school,  a  scientific  man,  conducted  us  out  to  the  piggery ; 
and  there  we  met  the  young  men  connected  with  the  school, 
evidently  from  wealthy  families,  all  of  them,  including  the 
director  himself,  with  their  frocks  on.  But  I  noticed  that  all 
the  young  men  were  engaged  in  some  business  about  the  farm. 
Each  one  had  his  duty  to  perform.  One  was  to  attend  to  such 
a  thing,  and  another  to  such  a  thing.  There  was  one  young 
man  who  had  a  broom  and  a  pail  of  water,  and  who  was  clean- 
ing an  ox's  leg  in  a  stable.  The  director  whispered  to  us  that 
that  young  man  was  the  son  of  a  wealthy  banker. 

The  truth  is,  the  farm  is  considered  an  indispensable  adjunct 
to  the  school.  Unless  those  who  have  the  management  of  it, 
show  better  crops  than  others  in  the  neighborhood,  the  govern- 
ment withdraws  its  patronage.  And  they  do  show  better  crops. 
I  never  saw  better  ones  than  those  at  Glasnevin,  near  Dublin. 
There,  oats  were  raised  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre  ;  and  other 
crops,  wheat,  flax,  beans  and  potatoes  in  the  same  exuberance. 
This  removes  one  of  the  great  difficulties  about  these  schools. 
I  do  not  wonder  that  people  shrink  from  making  additional  ex- 
periments, when  they  hear  that  this  application  of  lime  is  going 
to  work  wonders,  or  guano,  or  something  else,  and  when  they 
have  already  made  the  experiment  once  and  failed.  A  great 
many  suggestions  which  are  made  by  chemists  are  tried  by  the 
farmers  with  failure.  I  do  not  wonder  that  they  fail.  And, 
after  all,  they  say,  this  science  does  not  answer.  We  would 
better  follow  our  fathers.     That  is  to  some  extent  true. 

The  first  object  of  an  agricultural  school,  as  I  understand  it, 
is  to  collect  together  the  experience  of  the  best  farmers  in 
Europe  or  in  the  world,  and  to  make  that  experience  the  basis 
of  their  operation.  For,  after  all,  the  principles  of  science, 
although  certain,  if  we  understood  them,  yet  are  not  well 
enough  understood  now,  to  be  in  all  cases  applied  with  cer- 
tainty to  the  growth  of  plants.  We  acknowledge  that.  And, 
therefore,  I  would  place  first  in  the  advantages  of  an  agricultu- 
ral school,  the  getting  together  all  the  experience,  the  important 
experience  which  farmers  have  had  on  tlie  subject  of  farming, 
and  testing  it  on  the  farm  connected  with  the  school,  and  then, 
if  it  proves  good  there,  to  recommend  it  to  the  public  generally. 


430  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

But  as  we  are  now  situated,  one  farmer  takes  one  method, 
and  another,  another;  and  it  is  difficult  to  ascertain  what  is  best, 
what  is  correct.  And  that  is  one  of  the  advantages  of  these 
societies  ;  that  they  serve  to  collect  these  scattered  rays,  to 
bring  them  together  to  a  focus,  and  to  make  out  what  is  the 
best  result  of  this  experience.  But,  after  all,  we  must  have  the 
sciences  tauglit  in  such  a  school,  and  we  may  hope  to  get  a 
great  deal  of  advantage  from  it.  For  no  man  will  deny  that 
the  plants  which  are  raised  upon  a  farm,  grow  according  to  the 
principles  of  botany  and  physiology,  so  far  as  those  principles 
are  understood. 

Now  botanists  and  physiologists  have  learned  some  things 
about  how  plants  grow,  what  they  require  for  food,  what  is  the 
best  mode  for  them  to  thrive.  There  is  a  great  deal  more  to 
learn,  and  we  want  these  schools  to  find  it  out.  The  chemist, 
too,  can  tell  us  something  about  the  composition  of  the  soil. 
He  tells  us  that  often  a  crop  fails,  because  there  is  not  a  half  per 
cent,  of  a  certain  ingredient.  There  are  a  great  many  other 
things  which  may  be  told  in  future.  We  may  hope  a  great 
deal  from  the  application  of  a  great  variety  of  the  principles  of 
science. 

But,  sir,  I  say  that  this  business  of  raising  plants,  as  men 
who  conduct  a  farm  do  it,  is  a  very  complicated  affair,  and  a 
very  delicate  one.  I  have  been  a  lecturer  on  chemistry  for 
twenty  years.  I  do  not  now  lecture  on  it.  I  have  tried  a  great 
many  experiments  during  that  time.  But  I  do  not  know  of 
any  experiments  so  delicate  as  the  farmer  is  trying  every  week. 
I  do  not  know  any  so  difficult.  The  experiments  of  the  lab- 
oratory are  not  to  be  compared  with  them.  Will  not  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  principles  of  chemistry  help  a  man  in  his  agricul- 
tural pursuit  ?  Knowledge  is  not  perfect  yet.  Will  not  such 
an  acquaintance  guide  him  somewhat  ?  You  have  half  a  dozen 
sciences  which  are  concerned  in  the  operations  of  a  farm. 
There  is  the  science  of  meteorology,  the  condition  of  the  at- 
mosphere, the  state  of  the  weather,  storms,  sunshine,  tempera- 
ture ;  all  these  things  have  to  be  taken  into  the  account. 
There  is  to  be  a  delicate  balancing  of  all  these,  as  every  farmer 
knows.     A  man  who  would  understand  the  delicate  operations 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  431 

of   farming,    must   know   something   about   chemistry.     The 
chemical  operations  are  constantly  going  on  in  a  plant. 

That  brings  in  another  science, — physiology.  He  must 
know  the  laws  of  life,  how  this  or  that  influence  will  affect 
the  growth  of  plants  ;  just  as  a  physician  has  to  learn  physiol- 
ogy, in  order  to  know  how  this  thing  or  that  thing  will  affect 
the  life  of  individual  men.  You  have  then  the  science  of 
physiology  to  be  applied  extensively.  And  so  I  might  speak  of 
botany  and  physiology,  which  are  very  much  concerned  in  agri- 
culture, the  character  of  the  soil,  and  a  number  of  other  sciences. 

To  suppose  that  a  man  is  going  to  be  able,  at  the  present 
day,  without  any  knowledge  of  these  sciences,  to  make  im- 
provements in  agriculture  by  haphazard  experiments,  is,  it 
seems  to  me,  absurd.  Now,  if  we  can  gain,  from  the  establish- 
ment of  a  school,  a  little  advantage  at  first,  we  shall  gain  a 
great  deal  in  time.  We  learn  one  thing  after  another,  so  as  to 
make  progress.  That  is  what  is  doing  in  Europe.  They  have 
found  there  unless  they  have  these  schools,  that  scientific  men, 
who  are  distinguished,  will  not  attend  to  the  matter  of  conduct- 
ing these  experiments,  so  that  benefit  will  result.  The  French 
government  have  just  established  a  school  at  Versailles,  at  the 
old  kingly  domain.  And  this  is  one  of  the  reasons  they  have 
given  for  it, — we  must  have,  they  say,  men  who  will  devote 
their  attention  to  this  subject,  who  will  push  their  discoveries 
to  get  some  new  thing,  not  expecting,  at  once,  to  obtain  any 
great  improvement. 

Now  these  principles,  the  principles  resulting  from  expe- 
rience, the  principles  resulting  from  these  sciences,  can  all  be 
taught  the  young  men  who  go  to  those  schools-.  And  it  takes 
a  great  while  to  learn  them.  They  are  not  applied  extensively 
in  our  country,  although  we  are  making  some  progress.  Only 
think,  sir,  this  whole  matter,  the  most  difficult  of  all  the  arts, 
depending  upon  experiments  the  most  delicate,  and  influences 
the  most  potent,  for  success  or  failure,  whose  dynamics,  if  I 
may  so  say,  being  such  as  to  require  the  most  acute  mind,  is 
all  left  for  each  individual  man  to  find  out.  The  wonder  is, 
that  the  farmers  of  New  England  have  done  so  much,  not  that 
they  have  not  done  more ;  because  they  have  one  of  the  most 


432  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

difficult  of  all  tasks  to  perform.  And  hence  it  does  seem  to  me 
that  a  school  is  important,  as  one  of  the  means  for  assisting  in 
obtaining  this  information ;  not  that  it  is  going  to  work  won- 
ders.    The  people  must  come  up  to  it. 

It  does  appear  to  me  that  the  question  about  the  establish- 
ment of  agricultural  schools  in  Massachusetts,  is  merely  a  ques- 
tion of  time  after  all. 

The  subject  has  made  such  rapid  progress  in  Europe,  within 
a  few  years,  that  I  was  perfectly  amazed  to  find  the  facts  de- 
velop themselves  as  they  did,  one  after  the  other;  to  discover 
such  a  multiplicity  of  facts  with  regard  to  them.  Gentlemen 
who  have  not  seen  this  report  will,  perhaps,  be  surprised  when 
I  tell  them  that  I  give  there  an  account  of  350  schools,  of  three 
ditferent  grades.  Though  some  of  them  have  been  in  opera- 
tion for  fifty  years,  the  most  have  been  recently  established. 
Gentlemen  there  did  not  seem  to  know  how  many  schools 
there  were. 

I  recollect  getting  acquainted  with  the  Chevalier  Bunsen.  I 
thought  I  should  know  from  him  all  about  the  number  of 
schools  in  Prussia.  He  gave  me  a  list  of  four  schools  in  that 
country.  When  I  went  there,  I  found  thirty.  Probably  he 
had  not  heard  of  them.  Some  of  them  were  small.  In  France 
there  are  seventy-five.  In  Ireland  they  have  fifty.  And  the 
Irish  schools  pleased  me  more  than  any  others  except  the 
French.  I  had  an  opportunity,  in  Ireland,  of  hearing  examina- 
tions of  the  young  men.  They  were  called  in  from  the  farm 
and  asked  questions  on  the  subject  of  practical  agriculture,  as 
to  draining,  and  how  to  adapt  crops  to  different  soils,  and  other 
matters  of  that  sort.  And  then,  as  to  agricultural  chemistry, 
they  were  asked,  What  would  you  do  in  such  and  such  circum- 
stances? What  does  a  soil  with  such  and  such  properties 
need?  and  so  on.  I  do  not  believe  there  is  a  class  of  students 
of  any  kind  in  our  country,  who  would  be  able  to  answer  one- 
tenth  of  the  questions  which  those  young  men  answered,  very 
readily.  And  going  out,  as  they  do,  to  take  charge  of  other 
schools,  they  will  accomplish  much  for  the  benefit  of  unfor- 
tunate Ireland  ;  and  being  concerned  with  their  own  hands  in 
raising  these  crops,  for  other  farms  applying  in  the  field  those 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  433 

principles  which  they  learn  in  the  school,  I  do  not  know  how 
it  strikes  others,  but  it  did  stiike  me  that  it  was  a  good  way  to 
promote  agriculture.  The  societies  are  doing  mucli,  but  it 
seems  to  me  that  these  schools  are  to  elevate  the  societies. 

The  remarks  of  his  excellency  are  very  proper.  The  people 
must  do  this  thing.  Such  is  the  nature  of  our  institutions,  that 
if  the  people  do  not  wish  a  school,  the  government  cannot 
sustain  one.  If  the  people  are  not  ready  to  force  the  govern- 
ment to  help  them,  it  will  do  no  good.  That  was  the  case  in 
Europe.  Individuals  there,  even  from  the  j'ear  1774,  strug- 
gled and  sacrificed  their  property  and  their  lives  in  this  cause. 
They  were  repelled  by  the  government  again  and  again  before 
they  could  get  any  assistance.  Then  they  would  start  a  pri- 
vate school,  and  would  find  it  a  heavy  affair,  as  any  such  school 
must  necessarily  be.  It  must  be  a  weighty  concern,  and  indi- 
viduals, one  would  suppose,  would  sink  under  it.  But  the 
thing  has  been  done  there,  and  the  government  has  been,  as  it 
were,  compelled  to  take  hold  of  it.  There  is  a  feeling  among 
the  people  which  makes  the  government  feel  as  if  it  must  act. 
And  availing  themselves  of  the  general  peace  in  Europe,  they 
have  been  trying  to  establish  schools  of  agriculture. 

Remarks  of  Richard  Bagg,  Jr.,  of  Springfield  : — Agricultural 
education  is  our  great  theme.  It  has  become  a  very  popular 
theme.  The  phrase  is  quite  familiar,  and  yet  we  hardly  know 
what  is  meant  by  it. 

Our  fathers  are  held  in  grateful  remembrance,  as  philanthro- 
pists, because  their  first  public  acts  were  to  lay  broad  and  deep 
in  the  virgin  soil  of  New  Kns,\3.nd,  foundatio?is  for  those  edu- 
cational and  religious  institutions  which  have  contributed,  more 
than  anything  else,  to  give  her  importance  and  her  sons  influ- 
ence. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  intelligence  is  a  nat- 
ural production,  indigenous  to  the  soil  of  New  England.  It  is  the 
result  of  that  educational  system,  whose  genial  influence  perme- 
ates her  every  nook  and  corner;  not  only  teaching  "the  young 
idea  how  to  shoot,"  but  teaching  also  the  great  lessons  of  self- 
reliance  and  self-control;  disciplining  New  England  mind  to 
55 


434  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

conflict,  to  patient,  persevering,  arduous  effort,  and  accustoming 
it,  by  these  means,  to  overcome  every  obstacle. 

Such  tnind  has  resources, — resources  flowing  at  every  step 
of  its  progress.  Such  mind  can  never  be  entirely  baffled;  it  is 
made  enthusiastic  by  difficulties,  and  is  never  enervated  by 
success.  Such  mind  viust  accomplish  its  purpose,  and  will, 
even  though  the  "iron  be  dull."  Such  mind,  applied  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  soil,  will  never  assume  the  garb  of  the  men- 
dicant and  "beg  in  harvest." 

Let  us  remember  that  if  the  State  provide  the  means  and  ap- 
pliances for  a  scientific  course  of  agricultural  study,  the  young 
man  must  "  wake  up  from  his  drowsy  nap,"  and  qualify  him- 
self "  to  go  up  higher." 

Remarks  of  William  S.  King,  of  R.  L  : — The  two  great  evils 
agriculture  has  to  contend  against,  are  torpor  and  prejudice. 
That  old  torpor  has  been  driven  away  by  the  persevering  efforts 
of  societies.  They  began  their  operation, — and  I  am  not  so 
young  but  what  I  remember  their  commencement, — and  have 
continued  their  exertions  faithfully  to  the  present  time.  Men 
found  that  the  secret  in  every  combat  was  combination. 

But  there  is  a  terrible  power  yet  to  encounter ;  and  that  is 
prejudice.  How  is  this  prejudice  to  be  encountered  ?  It  is  to 
be  encountered  by  education.  The  man  with  maturity  of  years 
has  grown  up  with  all  his  prejudices.  The  old  gnarled  oak 
must  stand  as  the  winter  of  its  youth  has  left  it;  but  the  young 
twig  remains  to  be  trained  in  the  way  it  should  grow. 

Let  the  young  farmer  learn,  at  the  start,  that  his  occupation 
is  the  noblest  of  all.  Let  him  remember  that  Washington 
called  it  "  the  most  useful,  the  most  healthy,  and  the  most 
noble  occupation  of  man."  We  want  nothing  stronger  than 
that.  Let  him  know  that  the  farmer's  path  can  be  the  path  to 
greatness.  There  are  men,  I  might  say,  perhaps,  within  the 
sound  of  my  voice,  who  have  passed  directly  from  behind  the 
plough  almost  to  the  pinnacle  of  political  honors.  ^ 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Denny,  , 

Voted,  That  the  Central  Board,  provided  for  in  the  second 
resolution,  consist  of  three  delegates   from   each    incorporated 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  435 

Agricultural   Society,  and  that  the  president  and  secretaries  be 
requested  to  inform  the  societies  of  this  resolution. 


First    Meeting    of    the    Massachusetts     Board    of    Agri- 
culture. 

This  association,  composed  of  three  delegates  from  each  of 
the  incorporated  Agricultural  Societies  in  the  Commonwealth, 
was  convened  September  3d,  1851,  at  the  State  House  in  Bos- 
ton. On  motion,  it  was  ascertained  that  delegates  from  all  of 
the  fourteen  County  Societies  were  present,  and  that  the  State 
Society  was  also  represented. 

The  following  list  of  officers,  for  a  permanent  organization 
of  the  board,  was  reported  and  accepted  : — 

Marshall  P.  Wilder,  President. 
Henry  W.  Cushman, 


_,,__.  .   Vice  Presidents. 

John  W.  Lincoln, 

Allen  W.   Dodge,  Corresponding-  Secretary. 

Edgar  K.  Whitaker,  Recording  Secretary. 

The  President  stated,  briefly,  the  objects  of  the  organization 
of  the  board,  and  especially  directed  attention  to  the  great  im- 
portance of  concert  of  action  on  the  part  of  the  different  so- 
cieties. 

John  C.  Gray,  of  the  State  Society,  recommended  that  a 
committee  be  chosen,  to  report  business  to  the  board,  and  that 
said  committee  be  constituted  from  the  local  societies.  The 
State  Society  had  set  the  example  of  instituting  .annual  shows, 
and  the  County  Societies  had  adopted  the  same  course,  and  had 
even  eclipsed  the  parent  society.  Mr.  Gray  gave  a  highly  in- 
structive statement  in  relation  to  the  movements  of  the  State 
Society,  and  the  efforts  it  was  now  making  to  obtain  from  Eu- 
rope the  most  valuable  kinds  of  slock  to  improve  our  own. 

On  motion,  voted,  that  Messrs.  B.  V.  French,  J.  W.  Proctor, 
and  George  Denny,  be  a  committee  to  report  business  to  the 
board. 


436 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


On  motion  of  Mr.  Denny,  it  was  voted  that  a  commiitee,  to 
consist  of  one  from  each  society,  be  appointed  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  time  of  the  several  societies'  exhibitions,  so  that 
they  may  not  interfere  with  each  other.  While  this  motion 
was  pending,  a  spirited  discussion  ensued  upon  the  indispensa- 
ble importance  of  systematizing  the  action  of  the  various  agri- 
cultnral  societies  in  the  Commonwealth,  so  that  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  farmer  might  be  promoted.  In  this  discussion, 
delegates  from  all  parts  of  the  State  participated,  and  the  com- 
mittee was  constituted  agreeably  to  the  motion. 

At  the  AFTERNOON  SESSION,  the  committee  on  recommending 
specific  days  for  the  annual  exhibitions,  submitted  the  follow- 
ing report : — 


For  Essex, 

"  Worcester, 

"  Worcester  (West,) 

"  Norfolk, 

"  Middlesex, 

"  Plymouth, 

"  Barnstable, 

"  Bristol, 

"  Hampden, 

"  Housatonic, 

"  Franklin, 

"  Berkshire, 

"  Hampshire,  Franklin 

"  Hampshire, 


last  Wednesday  but  one  in  September, 
last  Thursday  but  one  in  September, 
last  Thursday  in  September. 
last  Wednesday  in  September, 
first  Wednesday  in  October, 
first  Thuisday  in  October, 
second  Wednesday  in  October, 
second  Thursday  in  October, 
last  Thursday  and  Friday  in  September, 
last  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  Sept. 
last  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  Sept. 
first  Wednesday  and  Thursday  in  Oct. 
&L  Hampden,  second  Wednesday  and  Thurs.  in  Oct. 
third  Wednesday  in  October. 


Voted,  That  the  officers  and  delegates  to  the  board,  be  re- 
quested to  invite  the  cooperation  of  their  different  societies  to 
carry  into  effect  tiie  above  recommendation. 

Mr.  French,  from  the  business  committee,  reported  that  com- 
mittees of  three  be  appointed  on  each  of  the  following  subjects, 
including  the  premiums  to  be  offered,  and  the  principles  upon 
which  they  are  to  be  awarded,  viz.  : — on  Ploughing,  Milch 
Cows  and  Dairy  products,  all  other  Live  Stock,  Farms  and  im- 
provement of  lands,  Cultivation  and  Measurement  of  Crops, 
Agricultural  Implements,  Manufactures. 

This  report  was  accepted,  and  the  President  submitted  the 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  437 

following  list  of  committees,  who  were  requested  to  report 
upon  the  various  suhjects  referred  to  them,  at  an  adjourned 
meeting  of  the  board. 

PlodghixVg. — John  W.  Proctor,  Seth  Sprague,  and  Johnson 
Gardner. 

Milch  Cows  and  Dairy  Products. — George  Denny,*  B.  V. 
French,  and  Allen  W.  Dodge. 

All  other  Live  Stock. — Paoli  Lathrop,  Joseph  Howe,  and 
W.  A.  Gorham. 

Farms  and  Lmprovement  of  Lands. — J.  T.  Backmgham, 
John  Daggett  and  Horace  Collamore. 

Cultivation  and  Measurement  of  Crops. — J.  W.  Lincoln, 
Alfred  Baker,  Richard  Bagg,  Jr. 

Agricultural  Implements. — Simon  Brown,  S.  Reed,  and 
Charles  S.  Bursley. 

Manufactures. — Charles  C.  Sewall,  Samuel  Chandler,  and 
Samuel  Powers. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  French,  a  committee  of  five  were  chosen 
to  report  on  the  subject  of  agricultural  education,  and  the  best 
measures  to  be  adopted  for  the  encouragement  of  such  educa- 
tion. 

Upon  this  motion,  a  very  able  debate  followed.  The  speakers 
did  not  differ  as  to  the  necessity  and  propriety  of  legislative 
action  ;  but,  several  of  them  advocated  the  action  of  public- 
spirited  individuals  jointly  with  the  Legislature,  as  in  the  foun- 
dation of  the  State  Normal  Schools,  and  Reform  School,  at 
Westborough.  The  discussion  occupied  most  of  the  afternoon 
session. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  then  chosen  this  committee, 
viz.  :  the  President,  and  Messrs.  Proctor,  Fowler,  Page  and 
Reed. 

On  motion,  a  committee  of  one  was  chosen  to  visit  each  of 
the  agricultural  exhibitions,  the  present  year,  and  report  at  the 
adjourned  meeting  of  the  board.  The  names  of  the  delegates 
to  the  several  societies  or  those  who  were  substituted  in  their 
place,  will  appear  in  connexion  with  the  reports,  which  they 
respectively  submitted. 

*  John  W.  Lineolo  subttituted,  after  the  decease  of  Mr.  Denoj. 


438  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Voted,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  chosen  to  report  a  con- 
stitution and  by-laws,  and  what  further  measures  are  necessary 
to  organize  the  board.  Henry  W.  Cushman,  W.  C.  Fowler, 
and  James  H.  Knowles,  were  chosen  said  committee. 


Second  Meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agricul- 
ture. 

The  board  met,  according  to  adjournment,  at  the  State 
House,  Boston,  January  14lh,  1852.  The  attendance  was 
large,  and  nearly  every  county  society  in  the  State  was  repre- 
sented. 

Lieut.  Gov.  Cushman,  from  the  committee  appointed  for  that 
purpose,  reported  a  constitution  and  a  series  of  by-laws  for  the 
government  of  the  board. 

Constitution  and  By-Laws  of  the    Massachusetts    Board    of    Agri- 
culture. 

1.  The  objects  of  this  association  are  the  encouragement  of  agricultural  ed- 
ucation, and  the  improvement  of  agriculture  in  all  its  departments  in  this 
Commonwealth. 

2.  The  members  of  the  association  shall  consist  of  three  delegates  from 
each  of  the  incorporated  agricultural  societies  in  the  Commonwealth,  that  re- 
ceive a  bounty  from  the  State.  And  the  delegates  now  in  office  shall  continue 
as  such  until  the  2d  Wednesday  of  January,  1853. 

3.  The  officers  of  this  association  shall  be  a  president,  two  vice  presidents, 
a  corresponding  and  a  recording  secretary,  treasurer,  and  an  executive  com- 
mittee of  five,  of  which  the  foregoing  officers  shall  be,  ex  officio,  members ;  and 
said  officers  shall  perform  all  such  duties,  as  are  usually  incidental  to  their  re- 
spective stations. 

4.  The  officers  elected  on  the  3d  of  September,  1851,  shall  hold  their  re- 
spective offices  until  the  2d  Wednesday  of  January,  1853,  and  until  others  are 
chosen  in  their  stead. 

5.  The  annual  meeting  of  the  board  of  agriculture,  shall  be  held  at  the 
State  House  in  Boston,  on  the  2d  Wednesday  of  January  annually,  at  which 
time  the  officers  shall  be  elected :— and  meetings  may  be  held  at  such  other 
times  as  the  executive  committee  shall  determine. 

6.  Delegates  shall  be  annually  appointed  by  this  board,  to  attend  the  cattle 
show  and  exhibitions  of  the  several  incorporated  agricultural  societies  in  the 
Commonwealth,  and  said  delegates  shall  report  at  the  annual  meeting  of  this 
board. 

7.  These  by-laws  may  be  altered  at  any  annual  meeting  of  the  Board,  or  at 
any  special  meeting  called  for  that  purpose. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  439 

The  report  was  accepted,  and  the  constitution  adopted. 

The  President  nominated  the  following  gentlemen  to  consti- 
tute, with  the  officers  of  the  board,  the  executive  committee  : 
Edward  Everett,  John  W.  Proctor,  J.  H.  W.  Page,  B.  V. 
French,  W.  C.  Fowler,  of  Amherst ;  and  they  were  unani- 
mously elected. 

The  death  of  George  Denny,  of  Westborough,  having  been 
announced  by  his  colleagues  from  the  Worcester  Society,  the 
following  resolutions  were  submitted  by  Mr.  Dodge,  corres- 
ponding secretary,  and  adopted  : — 

The  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture,  having  learned  the  death  of  Hon. 
Goorge  Denny,  recently  associated  with  them  in  the  prosecution  of  the  objects 
of  the  board  :  therefore, 

Resolved,  That  this  Board  have  learned  with  deep  regret  the  decease  of 
their  late  efficient  and  intelligent  co-laborer,  the  Hon.  George  Denny,  of 
Westborough. 

Resolved,  That  whilst  we  bow  with  submission  to  the  Divine  will,  that  has 
removed  from  the  scene  of  his  earthly  labors  one  whose  life  was  so  useful,  we 
cherish  with  profound  respect  the  memory  of  his  valuable  services  in  the  cause 
of  progressive  agriculture. 

Professor  Fowler  submitted  the  following  resolution  : 

Resolved,  That  the  President  of  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture  be 
requested  to  enter  into  a  correspondence  witii  the  presidents  of  the  several  State 
societies  and  of  other  agricultural  associations,  on  the  subject  of  the  expedi- 
ency of  calling  a  national  convention  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  considera- 
tion the  interests  of  agriculture  in  the  United  States. 

It  was  discussed  and  unanimously  adopted. 
The  President  then  presented  the  following  report  on 
Agricultural  Education. 

The  undersigned,  in  behalf  of  the  committee  to  whom  was 
referred  the  subject  of  agricultural  education,  submits  the  fol- 
lowing preamble  and  resolves,  as  expressing  the  views  of  said 
committee  : — 

Whereas,  Agriculture  embraces  within  itself  the  elements  of  individual  and 
national  wealth  and  power ;  and  whereas,  this  most  important  department  of 
science  has  been  in  a  great  measure  overlooked  and  neglected,  while  other 
branches  have  received  the  attention  of  the  Leffislature  :  therefore,  be  it 


440  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Resolved,  That  Agriculture  is  paramount  to  all  other  interests  of  society, 
and  should  be  considered  an  object  of  special  regard  and  patronage  both  by 
the  government  and  by  the  people  ;  and  that  whether  acting  as  individuals  or 
representatives,  the  citizens  of  this  Commonwealth  are  bound  to  encourage  and 
sustain  every  laudable  effort  for  tlie  advancement  of  this  great  department  of 
human  industry. 

Resolved,  That  while  this  board  gratefully  acknowledge  the  pecuniary  aid 
hitherto  afforded  by  the  Commonwealth  to  local  agricultural  societies,  yet,  in 
the  judgment  of  the  board,  it  is  believed  that  neither  these,  or  any  other 
means  now  in  operation,  are  sufficient  for  the  full  development  of  the  agricul- 
tural resources  of  the  State,  or  the  continued  and  permanent  improvement  of 
this  time-honored  art. 

Resolved,  That  the  necessity  for  additional  State  patronage  appears  from  the 
low  condition  and  slow  progress  of  agriculture,  when  compared  with  the  thrifl, 
industry  and  intelligence  so  conspicuous  in  almost  all  other  departments  of 
labor ;  especially  does  this  necessity  appear,  from  the  rapid  increase  of  popu- 
lation and  the  decrease  of  agricultural  products  in  the  State,  and  from  the 
large  quantities  of  produce  brought  annually  into  Massachusetts  from  the 
southern  and  western  states,  much  of  which,  by  a  proper  knowledge  of  the 
constituents  of  soils,  crops,  and  manures,  and  their  proper  adaptation  to  each 
other,  might  be  raised  by  our  farmers  in  sufficient  quantity  for  home  consump- 
tion, and  at  a  profit  which  would  enable  them  to  maintain  a  successful  compe- 
tition with  cultivators  in  the  more  naturally  fertile  regions  of  the  West. 

Resolved,  That  the  necessity  for  this  improvement  is  apparent  from  the  re- 
port of  the  valuation  committee  to  the  last  Legislature,  and  by  which  it  will 
be  seen,  that  although  there  have  been  added  to  the  lands,  under  improvement, 
since  1840,  more  than  three  hundred  thousand  acres,  and  although  the  upland 
and  other  mowing  lands  have  been  increased  more  than  ninety  thousand  acres, 
or  nearly  fffeen  per  cent.,  yet  the  hay  crops  have  increased  only  about  three 
per  cent.,  showing  a  relative  depreciation  of  twelve  per  cent. ;  and  although 
the  tillage  lands  have  been  increased  more  than  forty  thousand  acres  in  the 
same  period,  yet  there  has  been  no  increase  in  the  grain  crops,  but  an  absolute 
depreciation  of  more  than  six  hundred  thousand  bushels ;  and  although  the 
pasturage  lands  have  been  increased  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  acres,  yet 
there  has  been  scarcely  any  augmentation  of  neat  cattle,  while,  in  sheep, 
there  has  been  a  reduction  of  more  than  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand,  and  in 
swine,  of  more  than  seventeen  thousand. 

Resolved,  That  to  prevent  a  further  dep  eciation  in  the  great  interest  of 
agriculture,  and  to  raise  this  most  important  pursuit  to  that  point  of  perfection 
which  lias  been  attained  by  most  other  arts,  a  knowledge  of  the  natural  sciences 
is  indisp(  nsable ;  for  if  there  are  scientific  principles  on  which  successful  cul- 
tivation depends,  then  no  effort  can  be  well  directed  unless  it  is  founded  on 
these  principles. 

Resolved,  That  M  issachusetts,  by  an  enlightened  policy  and  wise  legislation, 
has  rendered  her  system  of  education  worthy  of  her  exalted  reputation,  and 
that  this  board  most  earnestly  desire  her  to  complete  that  system,  by  providing 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  441 

kindred  institutions  for  the  scientific  education  of  the  farmer,  upon  whom  is 
levied  so  lar^e"  a  share  of  the  taxes  for  the  support  of  governmental  and  phil- 
antiiropic  objects. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  duty,  as  well  as  the  interest  of  the  State,  to  aid  in 
furnishing  the  means  for  such  an  education,  and  tliat  for  the  want  of  this  edu- 
cation, millions  of  dollais  and  a  vast  amount  of  time,  energy  and  money,  are 
annually  lost  to  the  Commonwealth,  by  the  misapplication  of  labor  and  capi- 
tal in  husbandry  ;  and  resolved,  further,  that  this  loss  is  mainly  to  be  attributed 
to  the  want  of  a  proper  system  for  the  acquisition  and  diffusion  of  correct  in- 
formation, as  to  the  most  approved  arts  of  cultivation,  and  the  best  means  of 
perfecting  this  unfailing  source  of  independence  and  happiness. 

Resolved,  That  a  thorough  systematic  course  of  education  is  as  necessary  to 
prepare  the  cultivator  of  the  soil  for  preeminence  in  his  calling,  as  to  secure 
excellence  in  any  of  the  schools  of  science  or  art ; — that  this  necessity  is  uni- 
versally acknowledged  when  applied  to  other  pursuits,  and  that  the  yeomanry 
of  Massachusetts  have  a  right  to  claim  from  the  government  the  same  foster- 
ing aid  which  is  extended  to  other  great  interests  of  the  community. 

Resolved,  That  inasmuch  as  agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation  of  her  citi- 
zens, the  Commonwealth,  in  the  organization  of  its  government,  should  be  pro- 
vided with  a  Department  of  Agriculture,  with  offices  commensurate  with  the 
importance  of  the  duties  to  be  discharged,  of  the  abilities  to  be  required,  and 
of  the  labors  to  be  performed. 

Resolved,  That  while  this  board  would  respectfully  refer  to  the  wisdom  of 
the  Legislature  the  maturing  of  a  system  by  which  the  wants  of  agricultiirista 
shall  be  supplied,  and  thereby  the  prosperity  and  wealth  of  the  people  of  the 
State  increased,  they  most  earnestly  invite  the  attention  of  legislators  to  the 
several  plans  and  recommendations  submitted  by  the  commiasioners  concern- 
ing agricultural  schools,  to  the  last  General  Court,  showing  the  advantages  of 
such  institutions  in  other  lands,  and  indicating  the  feasibility  and  practicability 
of  similar  establishments  in  our  own  country. 

Resolved,  That  this  board  respectfully  suggt^sts  to  the  Legislature  the  pro- 
priety and  expediency  of  reserving  a  portion  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of 
public  lands  of  the  Commonwealth,  in  accordance  widi  the  recommenlaiioii  of 
said  commissioners,  and  with  a  view  to  extend  tliat  aid  to  a  s\  stem  for  the 
promotion  of  agricultural  science,  which  the  importance  of  the  subject  so  im- 
peratively demands. 

Resolved,  That  Massachusetts  has  always  taken  a  leading  part  in  most  of 
the  great  enterprises  which  mark  the  progress  of  society  ; — that  she  is  woitny 
of  the  high  character  she  has  secured,  by  the  endoAvment  of  institutions  for  the 
diffusion  of  useful  knowledge  among  the  people,  and  that  by  the  adoption  of 
efficient  measures  for  the  professional  education  of  her  farmers  and  the  better 
development  of  her  agricultural  resources,  she  will  add  another  wreath  to  her 
renown,  for  the  elevation  of  her  sons  and  the  advancement  of  the  best  inter- 
ests of  society. 

MARSHALL  P.  WILDER,  Chairman. 

56 


442  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

An  animated  and  interesting  discussion  took  place  upon  these 
resolves,  in  which  A.  W.  Dodge,  Dr.  Gardner,  Mr.  Tower,  of 
the  Berkshire  Society,  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  Harvey  Dodge,  of  the 
Worcester  Society,  Mr.  Caldwell  of  the  Worcester  (West)  Socie- 
ty, Mr.  Daggett  of  the  Bristol  Society,  and  others,  participated. 
Strong  ground  was  taken  in  |avor  of  a  farm-school,  where 
experiments  in  tillage,  in  breeding  and  feeding  stock,  tests 
of  manures,  <fcc.,  should  be  made  by  practical  men,  and  report- 
ed for  the  general  good  ;  and  where  farmers'  sons  could  learn 
the  occupation  of  their  life  under  the  most  competent  farmers 
of  the  state  ;  aided  by  a  course  of  instruction  that  would  ena- 
ble them  to  analyze  their  soil,  learn  its  deficiencies,  and  pre- 
scribe remedies.  The  further  discussion  of  the  resolves  was 
postponed  till  the  next  meeting  of  the  board. 


Reports  of  Delegates. 

The  reports  from  the  delegates  appointed  to  attend  the  exhi- 
bitions of  the  different  agricultural  societies  in  the  State,  which 
took  place  during  the  past  autumn,  were  read  and  accepted. 
From  these  reports,  and  those  read  at  a  subsequent  meeting,  the 
following  extracts  are  made  of  such  portions  as  are  deemed  to 
be  of  general  interest,  and  as  embody  suggestions  valuable  to 
those  who  have  the  management  of  these  exhibitions. 


Exhibition  of  the  Essex  Society. 

The  Essex  Society  has,  in  many  respects,  been  the  model 
agricultural  society  of  Massachusetts.  It  has,  for  a  long  series 
of  years,  not  only  done^  but  has  had  the  wisdom  to  record  its 
doings.  Among  its  members  have  been  numbered  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  agriculturists  and  friends  of  agriculture  in 
this  country.  It  has  not  yet  failed  to  have  among  its  members 
those  who  worthily  wear  the  mantle  of  its  departed  prophets. 

In  attending  their  exhibition,  held  at  Salem,  the  25th  of 
September  last,  I  expected  to  learn  much  and  was  not  disap- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  443 

pointed.  The  change  to  this  from  the  young,  vigorous,  and 
enthusiastic  society  of  Norfolk,  whose  exhibition  I  had  attended 
the  day  previously,  at  Dedham,  was  remarkable.  Here  as 
there,  all  was  activity  and  life,  but  calm ;  and  while  the  spec- 
tator admired,  he  was  struck  with  the  apparent  unconscious- 
ness of  the  actors  that  they  were  doing  anything  out  of  the  or- 
dinary course  of  business.  You  would  think  that  they  had  been 
doing  the  same  thing  all  their  lives.  Another  striking  differ- 
ence was,  that  while,  in  Norfolk,  many  amateurs  took  part  in 
the  matter,  here  almost  all  were,  or  appeared  to  be,  practical 
farmers.  Salem,  like  Dedham,  was  full  of  people.  Here  as 
there,  all  were  intent  on  one  thing,  the  cattle  show;  all,  good 
natured  and  obliging ;  and  every  one  seemed  disposed  to  do  his 
share  to  make  the  day,  which  God  had  made  so  glorious,  agree- 
able to  his  fellow-men. 

The  cattle  pens  were  arranged  in  excellent  order  around  the 
public  square.  The  number  of  animals  was  not  so  great  as  I 
expected  to  see.  Essex  could  do  better,  if  she  would,  a'vi  she 
ought  to  do  better.  I  saw  none  of  those  long  strings  of  work- 
ing oxen,  such  as  the  western  counties  are  said  to  show.  Essex 
could  make  a  good  exhibition  in  that  way.  I  saw,  however, 
in  the  pens,  two  pairs  of  working  oxen,  owned  by  Richard  S. 
Rogers,  of  Salem,  which,  on  that  day,  were  "wisely  (?)  kept 
for  show."  They  were  noble  looking  animals — I  think  the 
handsomest  I  ever  saw.  They  ought  to  have  been  in  the  field, 
and  have  tried  their  strength  and  skill  with  some  dozen  other 
pairs  of  fine  animals,  well  trained,  who  may  well  "  stand  on 
tip-toe  when  that  day  is  mentioned.*' 

Of  cows  I  cannot  remember  any  that  struck  me  as  specially 
worthy  to  be  handed  down  in  history.  The  fat  cattle  were 
neither  numerous  nor  remarkable.  Of  bulls,  were  the  Devon, 
Ayrshire,  Native,  No-horns,  and  mixed  breed,  and  some  good 
animals  of  each  class.  There  were  some  fine  specimens  of 
swine,  and  the  show  was,  on  the  whole,  very  good. 

Horses  and  colts,  a  great  number  and  many  noble  animals. 
This  was  the  best  exhibition,  in  this  department,  that  I  have 
ever  seen  in  Eastern  Massachusetts.  The  breeding  mares  ex- 
hibited,  do  not  promise  well  for  the  next  generation. 


444  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

The  exhibition  of  pouhry  far  surpassed  any  that  I  had  ever 
seen.  If  any  of  the  domestic  feathered  tribe  was  unrepresented, 
I  know  not  what  it  was.  There  was  a  vast  congregation  of 
ducks,  turkeys,  geese,  and  hens  in  endless  variety,  and  some 
that  would  put  to  shame  old  Grimes's  hen,  of  classic  memory, 
if  their  owners'  reports  were  true. 

At  the  hall  the  show  was  good.  The  Horticultural  Society 
held  its  exhibition  on  the  same  day,  at  another  place,  and  I  was 
surprised  to  find  an  exhibition  of  fruits  only  second  to  that  at 
Dedham.  Articles  of  use  and  beauty,  of  domestic  manufacture, 
seem  to  be  abundant,  but,  alas !  this  crowd  and  this  hurry  pre- 
vent my  looking  at  them  as  I  would ;  and  the  fair  matrons  and 
maids  who  exhibit  them,  deserve  that  they  should  have  more 
time  bestowed  upon  them.  Of  manufactures  not  domestic, 
Essex  could  make  a  wonderful  show,  if  she  were  disposed;  but 
I  see  very  few  articles  exhibited. 

The  ploughing  match  was  well  contested.  The  entries  were 
not  numerous, — not  above  ten  or  fifteen,  I  think, — too  few 
surely  for  that  county.  How  quiet  the  men  are  !  how  well  dis- 
ciplined their  teams !  How  beautifully  smooth  the  furrows  are 
turned !  But  here  is  an  exception — here  is  a  strange  looking 
furrow  ;  how  came  such  a  bungler  to  enter  the  lists  ?  Ah,  ha  ! 
That  is  the  Double  Michigan  Plough,  is  it?  The  president  has 
got  hold  of  it  now.  Let  me  watch  it.  By  your  leave,  sir,  I  will 
step  on  here.  How  handsomely  it  turns  over  that  sod  and 
places  it  in  the  bottom  of  the  furrow,  and  then  the  other  share 
throws  six  inches  of  pulverized  earth  upon  it.  That  must  be  a 
great  implement.  Bravo,  Mr.  President — the  Emperor  of  China 
never  did  such  as  that. 

A  procession  was  formed  and  proceeded  to  the  church,  with- 
out music.  On  cattle  show  days,  men,  and  women  too,  are  in  a 
state  of  exaltation.  A  little  more  "  pomp  and  circumstance," 
would  be  better.  A  sound  and  interesting  address  was  deliv- 
ered, before  a  large  audience,  by  Rev.  Milton  P.  Braman,  of 
Danvers.  After  the  address,  we  proceeded  to  dinner.  It  was 
in  a  large  and  commodious  hall.  Some  four  or  five  hundred 
persons  at  table,  and  nearly  all  genuine  Essex  farmers,  is  a 
sight  worthy  to  be  seen  and  never  to  be  forgotten.     The  occa- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  445 

sion  passed  off  delightfully.  His  excellency  the  Governor  was 
present,  and  made  some  remarks.  Only  one  thing  was  want- 
ing. No  ladies  were  present.  The  Essex  Society,  which  has 
taught  others  so  many  good  things,  may,  in  that  particular, 
learn  a  good  lesson  of  others.  Here,  as  in  Norfolk,  two  days 
are  required  to  see  what  one  would  desire  to  see ;  to  transact 
the  business  properly,  and  to  do  justice  to  the  exhibitors. 

J.  H.  W.  PAGE. 


Exhibition  of  the  Middlesex  Society. 

This  exhibition  took  place  at  Lowell,  on  the  24th  day  of 
September  last,  and  the  undersigned  had  the  satisfaction  of  at- 
tending it,  in  company  with  Messrs.  John  C.  Gray  and  Edward 
Everett,  of  the  State  Agricultural  Society. 

Being  there,  however,  as  an  invited  guest  of  the  society,  and 
not  as  a  delegate  from  this  board,  and  having  no  expectation  of 
being  called  upon  for  an  account  of  the  exhibition,  the  under- 
signed did  not  pay  that  close  attention  to  its  details,  which 
would  enable  him  to  describe  them  with  anything  of  discrim- 
inating justice.  He  can  only  offer  to  the  board,  therefore,  a 
general  view  of  the  occasion ;  and  even  in  doing  this  at  so  late 
a  day,  he  must  be  allowed  to  borrow  from  the  accounts  which 
were  prepared  by  others  at  the  time. 

The  festival  was  opened  by  a  ploughing  match,  at  which 
twenty-two  teams  were  entered  for  the  prizes.  Of  these,  eight 
were  double  teams  of  four  oxen  each  ;  ten  single  teams  of  a 
pair  of  oxen  each ;  and  four  horse  teams  of  two  horses  each. 
In  the  language  of  one  well  able  to  judge  of  such  operations, 
"the  ploughmen  exhibited  great  skill  in  the  use  of  their  imple- 
ments, in  avoiding  stones,  and  in  the  nice  movements  and 
changes  of  the  plough  in  passing  nneven  places,  in  order  to 
leave  a  smooth  and  workman-like  furrow." 

Next  fallowed  a  drawing  match,  at  which  seven  teams  ap- 
peared on  the  ground.  Some  of  the  cattle  engaged  in  this  trial, 
were  of  great  strength  and  beauty,  and  seemed  under  excellent 
discipline.     They  performed  the  work  of  drawing  a  load  of 


446  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

8,512  pounds,  (wagcm  included,)  for  a  distance  of  40  rods,  up 
hill,  with  remarkable  steadiness. 

The  show  of  cattle  in  the  pens,  was  large,  and  of  a  high 
order.  Several  native  cows  attracted  attention  as  presenting 
the  best  points  of  the  animal.  Among  them,  was  one  belong- 
ing to  Samuel  Horn,  of  Lowell,  which  was  said  to  have  yielded 
twenty-six  quarts  of  milk  per  day,  during  the  months  of  June, 
July,  and  August ;  and  another  very  fine  cow,  belonging  to  Al- 
exander Wright,  of  Lowell,  which  was  said  to  weigh  1,400 
pounds.  There  were  also  a  number  of  good  specimens  of  the 
Durham,  Devon,  Alderney,  or  Jersey,  and  Ayrshire  breeds.  One 
yoke  of  fat  cattle  was  on  the  ground,  weighing  5,500  pounds. 

There  was  no  display  of  horses,  or  of  sheep,  the  society  not 
having  been  accustomed  to  offer  premiums  for  those  animals ; 
and  the  show  of  swine,  though  presenting  a  few  fine  Suffolk 
boars  and  breeders,  was  small. 

The  exhibition  of  fowls  was  extensive  and  of  the  highest 
character.  There  were  twenty-nine  competitors  in  this  branch 
of  the  show,  and  they  offered  for  the  prizes  excellent  samples, 
both  of  the  best  of  our  common  breeds  and  of  all  the  imported 
varieties. 

The  most  striking  peculiarity  of  the  occasion,  was  the  union 
of  this  agricultural  festival  with  the  exhibition  of  the  Middle- 
sex Horticultural  Society,  and  with  the  fair  of  the  Middlesex 
Mechanics'  Association.  Hitherto,  for  half  a  century  past,  the 
cattle  shows  of  this  oldest  of  all  the  county  societies  have  been 
held  at  Concord,  and  the  occasion  has  been  one  of  purely  agri- 
cultural interest.  The  late  festival  was  held  within  the  limits 
of  the  great  manufacturing  capital  of  New  England,  and  in  im- 
mediate connection  with  extensive  and  brilliant  displays  of  the 
products  of  other  branches  of  industry. 

There  was  felt,  however,  to  be  no  incongruity  in  the  scene, 
and  the  gratified  spectator  passed  along  from  one  part  of  the 
exhibition  to  another,  with  only  a  deeper  sense  of  the  mutual 
dependence  and  common  interests  of  all  departments  of  human 
labor. 

The  show  of  fruits  and  vegetables  was,  of  course,  left  to 
the   horticultural   halls,  in   which  all  that  taste,  skill,  cultiva- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  447 

tion  and  science  could  accomplish,  was  witnessed  in  ample 
measure. 

The  exhibition  of  farming  implements  was  confined  to  the 
mechanics'  fair,  where  they  were  displayed  in  connection  with 
every  variety  of  curious  machinery  and  exquisite  fabric,  which 
American  invention  and  American  industry  have  produced. 

An  address  by  the  Hon.  Linus  Child  admirably  illustrated 
the  great  lessons  of  the  day,  and  an  agreeable  meeting  at  the 
social  board  afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  expression  of  those 
sentiments  of  patriotic  interest  in  the  promotion  of  the  agri- 
culture and  the  arts  of  our  State,  and  of  our  whole  country, 
which  such  an  occasion  could  not  fail  to  inspire. 

The  day  was  most  propitious,  and  the  multitude  assembled 
evinced  the  interest  taken  in  such  shows  by  the  people  of  the 
county  and  of  the  neighborhood.  The  presence  of  a  larger 
number  of  those  interested  in  agriculture,  from  other  parts  of 
the  Commonwealth,  was  undoubtedly  prevented  by  the  fact, 
that  the  festival  of  the  Norfolk  Agricultural  Society  took  place 
on  the  same  day.  It  is  hoped  that  one  of  the  good  results  of 
the  organization  of  this  board,  will  be  such  an  arrangement  of 
these  festivals  hereafter,  as  will  prevent  them,  as  far  as  possible, 
from  interfering  with  each  other. 

ROBERT   C.  WINTHROP. 


Exhibition  of  the  Worcester  Society. 

In  obedience  to  the  appointment  by  this  board,  I  attended 
this  exhibition  on  the  18th  of  September  last.  As  on  all 
former  occasions,  within  my  observation,  here  was  presented 
much  to  interest  and  instruct.  No  county  society  has  done 
more  to  aid  and  enlighten  the  farmers  of  the  Commonwealth. 
For  thirty  years  or  more,  the  life-blood  of  information  has 
flowed  hence,  as  from  the  heart,  and  pervaded  all  the  extremi- 
ties, and  the  whole  community  has  been  greatly  benefited  by 
these  influences. 

By  the  kind  attention  of  W.  S.  Lincoln,  secretary  of  the  so- 
ciety, I  have  been  favored  with  a  complete  statement,  (for  four 


448  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

years  last  past,)  of  the  entries  made  and  animals  presented,  at 
their  shows.  This  statement,  which  is  appended  as  part  of 
this  report,  will  sufficiently  explain  all  inquiries  on  these  points, 
and  be  a  model,  worthy  to  be  imitated  by  other  secretaries.  A 
uniform  system  of  reports,  from  the  several  secretaries,  would 
greatly  facilitate  a  knowledge  of  the  comparative  condition  of 
the  societies,  and  afford  the  means  of  preparing  a  condensed 
view  of  the  exhibition  of  animals  and  products  throughout 
the  Commonwealth. 

The  ploughing  match  was  the  first  object  that  demanded 
attention.  Here  were  sixteen  teams  in  the  field,  all  single 
teams  of  one  pair  of  cattle,  without  a  driver.  On  inquiry  of 
the  chairman  of  the  committee,  whose  experience  is  equal  to 
that  of  any  other  man  among  us,  I  found  it  to  be  the  deliber- 
ate opinion  of  the  trustees  of  the  Worcester  Society,  that  one 
pair  of  cattle,  without  a  driver,  was  a  sufficient  team  for  ordi- 
nary ploughing,  and  that  it  was  not  necessary  or  expedient 
to  use  more.  If  this  be  so  it  should  be  known  A  large  part 
of  the  farmers,  so  far  as  my  observation  extends,  do  not  adopt 
this  rule  of  action,  in  the  ploughing  of  their  own  lands. 

Dry  and  hard  as  was  the  earth  in  this  field,  it  was  apparent 
that  the  labor  of  ploughing  was  quite  too  severe  for  the  team 
employed.  By  many  of  the  teams  the  work  was  done  with 
extraordinary  ability,  considering  the  disadvantages  under 
which  they  labored.  My  opinion  has  ever  been,  that  the  oper- 
ation in  the  ploughing  match  should  be,  as  far  as  possible,  an 
illustration  of  the  best  manner  of  operating  on  the  farm,  and 
that  the  work  should  go  on  in  such  manner,  as  it  might  be 
continued  for  three  hours  at  least,  without  special  incon- 
venience to  the  team  employed.  Because  of  the  over-exertion 
on  the  part  of  the  cattle  in  this  contest,  I  except  to  the  per- 
formance, and  not  because  the  work  was  not  done  with  signal 
ability. 

Among  the  ploughmen  on  the  field,  was  a  lad  of  fifteen 
years  only,  by  the  name  of  Stockwell,  from  Sutton,  who  de- 
servedly took  a  high  premium.  When  boys  can  thus  contend 
with  men,  it  is  time  for  men  to  stand  aside.  What  better  di- 
ploma can  the  farmer's  son  take   with  him,  than  a  certificate 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  449 

from  an  ex-governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  a  president  of 
an  agricultural  society  of  thirty  years'  standing,  that  he  is  one 
of  the  best  ploughmen  in  the  best  county  in  the  State  ? 

Of  the  stock  presented,  my  attention  was  particularly  drawn 
to  the  fine  specimens  of  Dinham,  Devon  and  Ayrshire  breeds, 
grown  in  this  county.  Very  early,  fine  animals  of  this  descrip- 
tion were  introduced  here,  the  traces  of  which  are  distinctly 
visible.  If  I  do  not  mistake,  there  is  no  county  in  the  Com- 
monwealth that  has  been  more  vigilant  in  this  matter  ;  and 
judging  from  the  general  appearance  of  the  stock  in  the  pens, 
there  has  been  no  mistake  in  their  partiality  for  these  breeds. 
1  forbear  to  extend  remarks  upon  particular  animals,  because  it 
will  be  done  with  so  much  more  discrimination  by  the  com- 
mittees whose  duty  it  was  to  compare  them.  It  is  with  farm 
animals  as  with  men,  the  traits  of  a  good  character  spread  far 
and  wide,  and  are  often  to  be  found  long  after  the  originals 
have  ceased  to  be  remembered.  With  the  fine  specimens  of 
young  stock,  presented  by  that  model  of  good  farmers,  John 
Brooks,  of  Princeton, — with  whom  has  been  stationed  the 
State  Ayrshire  bull, — and  which  were  understood  to  be  the 
offspring  of  that  animal,  I  was  particularly  pleased.  Equally 
well  pleased  was  I  with  the  specimens  of  stock  from  the  farm 
of  Harvey  Dodge,  of  Sutton,  who  has  in  keeping  the  Devon 
bull,  from  the  State  Society.  There  is  something  either  in  the 
animals  themselves  or  in  the  manner  of  keeping  them,  that 
ensures  superior  stock.  This  was  so  conspicuous  on  a  com- 
parison of  these  with  other  young  stock,  that  no  one  could 
mistake  the  fact.  I  would  not  say  that  there  were  not  single 
animals  present,  that  would  compare  well  with  any  of  the  off- 
spring of  these  bulls,  but  there  were  no  families  that  would 
compare  advantageously  with  them. 

The  exhibition  of  fruits  in  the  horticultural  department  of 
the  show  was  splendid  and  imposing.  Rarely,  if  ever,  have  I 
seen  a  finer  display  of  peaches.  Among  these,  the  Early  Craw- 
ford was  conspicuous,  some  of  the  specimens  measuring  thir- 
teen inches  in  circumference,  and  tinged  with  colors,  rivalling 
in  beauty  the  most  charming  objects  of  view.  Magnificent 
pears,  and  products  of  the  field  and  garden,  evincing  luxuri- 
57 


450  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

ance  of  soil  and  fidelity  of  culture,  were  exhibited  in  great 
profusion. 

The  products  of  the  dairy,  in  fine  specimens  of  butter  and 
cheese,  also  appeared  to  good  advantage.  In  no  part  of  the 
Commonwealth,  so  far  as  my  observation  has  extended,  is  the 
making  of  cheese  more  successfully  pursued  than  on  the  farms 
of  New  Braintree  and  the  towns  adjoining. 

This  society,  like  most  others  in  the  Commonwealth,  still 
continues  to  crowd  its  operations,  at  the  annual  exhibition,  into 
one  day.  The  thought  occurred  to  me,  when  passing  hastily 
from  one  object  to  another, — as  was  necessarily  done, — whether 
more  time  could  not  be  beneficially  used  at  these  exhibitions. 
What  is  worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  well.  This  con- 
sideration was  more  fully  impressed  on  a  subsequent  visit  at 
the  show  in  Bristol  County,  which  embraced  two  days,  where 
everything  seemed  to  be  done  to  the  best  advantage.  The 
conclusion  to  which  I  arrived  on  a  view  of  these  exhibitions, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  society  with  which  I  have  long  been 
connected  in  the  county  of  Essex,  is,  that  our  agricultural 
■societies,  under  a  proper  subdivision  of  duties,  can  advanta- 
geously make  use  of  two  days  at  their  exhibitions.  The  first, 
perhaps,  in  preparatory  arrangements  and  in  examinations  by 
the  committees  ;  the  second,  in  views  by  the  people  and  assera- 
■blies  for  mutual  instruction. 

A  reference  to  the  secretary's  return,  will  show  that  the 
number  of  animals  presented  was  quite  equal  to  that  of  former 
years.  This  is  highly  gratifying,  when  it  is  considered  that 
within  a  short  time,  several  new  societies  have  grown  up  within 
the  limits  of  the  original  Worcester  Society,  almost  rivalling 
this  in  magnitude  of  exhibition.  If  "  he  who  makes  two 
blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  but  one  grew  before,"  is  entitled 
to  be  considered  a  public  benefactor,  we  can  see  no  good  rea- 
son why  the  rule  should  not  apply  to  societies.  Still,  we 
should  regret  the  arrangement  that  would  essentially  mar  or 
impair  the  symmetry  and  completeness  of  any  of  our  time- 
honored  associations. 

JOHN   W.  PROCTOR. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  451 

Statement    of    Entries  at  the    Shows  of  the  Worcester 
Agricultural  Society  for  the  I<^our  last  Years. 

1848.     1849.     1850.    1851. 


Ploughing, 

13 

11 

13 

19 

Bulls, 

9 

18 

22 

17 

Bull  calves,*    - 

- 

6 

9 

9 

Cows,      -         -         - 

24 

19 

19 

17 

Heifers,    -         -         - 

51 

62 

69 

60 

Heifer  calves,  - 

16 

3 

6 

5 

Pairs  working  oxen. 

21 

30 

24t 

25 

Pairs  steers. 

31 

26 

30 

31 

Pairs  steer  calves, 

4 

2 

3 

5 

Fat  cattle,t 

33 

11 

20 

13 

Sheep,     -         -         - 

12 

13 

6 

12 

Swine,     -         -         - 

28 

24 

20 

15 

Poultry,  -         -         - 

10 

15 

30 

57 

Butter,     - 

9 

11 

11 

11 

Cheese,    -         -         - 

14 

15 

17 

15 

275  266  299  311 

The  entries  of  sheep,  swine  and  poultry,  are  of  the  distinct 
entries,  and  give  no  idea  of  the  number  of  animals  included 
in  each  entry.  As,  for  instance,  of  ewes  and  weaned  pigs,  the 
rules  require  that  there  should  be  not  less  than  four  in  each 
lot ;  of  poultry,  not  less  than  five  ;  in  reality,  the  number  in 
each  lot  of  pigs  frequently  exceeds  the  required  number,  per- 
haps as  high  as  ten  or  twelve. 

WILL.  S.  LINCOLN,  Recording  Secretary. 

*  No  premium  oflered  for  bull  calves  in  1848. 

t  Selli  Wyman  oflered  a  team  of  25  yokes  owned  by  himself,  in  this  year;  no  premium 
had  been  oflered. 

X  There  were  23  fat  oxen,  7  steers  and  3  cows  in  18t9,  but  subsequently  there  has  been 
no  premium  oflered  for  fat  steers. 


452  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Exhibition  of  Worcester  West  Society. 

The  couaty  of  Worcester  is  so  large  in  extent,  that  the 
outermost  towns  on  her  western  border  are  distant  from  the 
town  of  Worcester,  where  the  shows  of  the  county  society 
are  held,  more  than  twenty  miles.  The  roads,  too,  leading 
thither,  are  over  many  hills.  So  that  the  driving  of  animals, 
especially  fat  cattle  and  new  milch  cows,  was  a  matter  of  risk, 
of  expense,  and  of  loss  of  time.  Hence,  ten  towns,  Barre, 
Phillipston,  Petersham,  Dana,  Hard  wick.  New  Braintree,  Hub- 
bardston,  Oakham,  Dana,  and  one  other  town,  were  either  un- 
represented at  the  county  show,  or  appeared  at  great  disadvan- 
tage, beside  the  towns  less  remote. 

This  whole  region  of  country  is  celebrated  for  its  fine  fat 
cattle,  and  for  its  working  oxen  and  milch  cows  ;  its  farmers 
have  a  laudable  desire  to  exhibit  their  stock  for  inspection  and 
comparison,  and  they  determined  to  erect  a  new  society  within 
the  county  limits.  An  act  of  incorporation  has  been  procured  ; 
a  large  sum  of  money  has  been  subscribed,  enough  to  entitle 
them  to  the  bounty  of  the  Commonwealth;  a  fine  lot  of  land 
has  been  donated  by  an  enterprising  inhabitant  of  Barre,  and 
on  the  first  day  of  October  last  was  held  the  first  show  of  the 
new  society. 

At  an  early  hour,  long  lines  of  neat  kine  appeared  on  the 
ground  and  took  their  appointed  positions  for  the  day.  Swine 
grunted  their  gratification  that  they  were  to  be  pronounced 
upon,  unsalted  and  unboiled.  The  fowls  noisily  greeted  the 
assembling  crowd.  By  and  by,  to  the  sound  of  spirit-stirring 
music,  a  long  cavalcade  of  horsemen  and  led  horses  unrolled 
upon  the  plain.  The  Green  Mountain  Morgan  exhibited  his 
unequalled  face  in  the  van,  and  behind  him  appeared  his  pro- 
geny, fine  scions  of  an  illustrious  stock.  The  display  of  horses 
attracted  universal  attention  and  admiration.  At  ten  o'clock 
there  was  a  fine  trot  around  the  common,  open  to  all  comers. 
Ninety  yoke  of  cattle  in  fine  condition  appeared  to  compete 
for  the  premium  of  excellence  ;  and  of  these  there  were  but 
two  yoke  that  would  not  have  been  creditable  to  any  farmer. 
Of  swine  and  sheep,  the  show  was  very  select,  but  smaller  than 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  453 

it  should  have  been.     A  proper  enthusiasm  in  the  pouhry  line 
prevails,  and  good  specimens  were  exhibited. 

The  horticultural  exhibition  was  gratifying  to  the  most  san- 
guine friends  of  fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables.  In  apples,  the 
show  was  better  than  any  other  witnessed  by  your  delegate 
this  season.  Of  pears,  there  were  good  specimens  of  several 
varieties,  and  of  vegetables  the  collection  was  large  and  ex- 
cellent. 

One  great  object  of  the  appointment  of  delegates  to  visit  the 
shows  of  the  various  societies,  is  to  collect  whatever  may  be 
found  peculiar  and  praiseworthy  in  the  arrangements  of  the 
show  visited,  and  as  well  to  report  for  the  consideration  of  this 
board,  whatever  is,  in  the  opinion  of  the  visitor,  of  questiona- 
ble good. 

It  is  the  privilege  of  the  undersigned  to  have  seen  here  much 
to  commend,  and  little  to  condemn. 

1st.  The  show  of  fat  cattle  was  remarkable ;  and  nowhere 
else,  to  the  knowledge  of  your  delegate,  has  any  one  farmer 
equalled  the  display  of  Harrison  Bacon,  of  Parre,  who  exhibit- 
ed thirteen  steers,  that  weighed,  in  the  aggregate,  thirteen  tons. 

2d.  The  arrangements  for  the  show  of  horses,  though  not 
precisely  peculiar  to  this  society,  is  commended  for  general 
adoption.  A  course  was  laid  out,  encircling  the  cattle  pens, 
and  at  a  given  hour,  previously  announced,  and  well  known, 
the  committee  on  horses  took  their  stand,  after  having  exam- 
ined the  horses  in  a  state  of  rest,  to  judge  of  them  in  motion. 
The  contest  of  speed  at  no  time  degenerated  into  a  jockey- 
race,  although  the  competition  was  at  times  close. 

3d.  The  articles  of  butter  and  cheese,  for  which  this  coun- 
ty is  famous,  were  entered  by  numbers  on  the  secretary's 
books,  with  corresponding  numbers  attached  to  the  boxes  and 
tubs.  The  committee,  in  judging  of  these  articles,  were  thus 
uninfluenced  by  the  unacknowledged  but  often  potent  spell  of 
the  previous  reputation  of  an  exhibitor.  The  firmest  men  are 
swayed  by  trifles  more  than  they  themselves  would  desire; 
and  common  humanity  is  governed  considerably  by  fear  or 
favor;  and  will  be,  so  long  as  human  nature  continues  to  be 
human  nature. 


454  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

4th.  Your  delegate  finds  here  one  practice  that  is  growing 
to  be  an  evil,  though  himself  was  convulsed  with  laughter  at 
what  he  condemns.  The  report  on  swine  was  one  of  the  most 
irresistibly  ludicrous  performances,  that  it  has  been  the  lot  of 
your  delegate  to  hear.  The  report  was  replete  with  wit,  and 
was  delivered  in  a  most  creditable  style.  So,  also,  with  the 
report  on  poultry.  The  committee  on  swine,  also,  were  some 
five  or  six  gentlemen  of  the  amplest  dimensions,  and  were 
selected  with  a  view  solely  to  their  avoirdupois  weight  in  the 
community.  All  these  things  are  vastly  amusing,  but  the  con- 
dition of  our  swine  will  never  be  mended  by  smiles.  Our 
farmers  need  good  solid  information  on  this  subject,  and  that 
of  poultry.  In  these  two  divisions  of  stock,  almost  every 
farmer  is  a  breeder,,  and  the  best  instruction  and  advice  should 
be  afforded  to  him  by  the  reports,  which  are  frequently  the 
only  agricultural  intelligence  he  receives  from  year  to  year. 

WILLIAM  S.  KING. 


Exhibition  of  the  Hampshire,  Franklin,  and  Hampden 

Society. 

For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  this  was  the  only 
agricultural  society  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut.  There 
are  now  three  others,*  viz.,  the  Hampden  Society,  the  Franklin 
Society,  and  the  Hampshire  Society.  The  name  of  the  parent 
society  seems  almost  to  be  absorbed  by  her  young  and  vigorous 
offspring,  and  yet  it  is  so  ancient  and  honorable  that  it  may 
well  be  retained.  The  only  serious  evil  likely  to  arise  in  the 
case,  is,  that  as  the  parent  society  covers  the  same  ground  with 
the  other  societies,  it  may  happen  that  premiums  may  be  award- 
ed, from  year  to  year,  for  the  same  animals  or  products  by  two 
societies.  In  multiplying  agricultural  societies  in  the  Com- 
monwealth, it  could  not  have  been  the  intention  of  the  Legis- 
lature to  introduce  this  practice  ;  and  so  far,  at  least,  as  regards 
the  funds  given  to  them  by  the  State,  the  practice,  if  it  arise, 
ought  not  to  be  encouraged.  It  becomes  all  the  societies  re- 
ceiving the   State  bounty,  faithfully  to  dispense  it,  as,  apart 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  455 

from  the  duty  they  owe  themselves  and  the  State,  it  is  only  in 
this  way  they  may  expect  to  receive  it  for  the  future. 

The  thirty-third  anniversary  of  this  society  Avas  held  at 
Northampton,  on  the  8th  and  9th  days  of  October  last.  The 
undersigned,  appointed  as  the  delegate  of  the  board  to  attend 
this  anniversary,  regrets  that  he  was  unable  to  be  present  dur- 
ing both  of  these  days.  The  first  day  was  devoted  mainly  to 
the  show  of  cattle  and  the  ploughing  match.  The  latter  was 
contested  in  a  very  spirited  manner  by  thirty-three  teams,  and, 
as  your  delegate  was  informed,  all  horse  teams.  Indeed,  the 
use  of  horses  for  ploughing,  seems  to  be  far  more  common  in 
the  western  part  of  the  State  than  in  the  eastern,  and  is  more 
encouraged  at  their  ploughing  matches  than  with  us.  The 
show  of  cattle  was  said  to  have  been  better  than  that  of  several 
former  years,  but  not  so  good  as  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut 
should  present.  From  the  weight  given  to  your  delegate  of 
some  of  the  fat  cattle,  the  shows  are  decidedly  before  those  on 
the  seaboard  in  this  class  of  animals.  And  well  they  may  be, 
when  it  is  remembered  that  the  range  of  pasturage  in  Worces- 
ter county,  and  onwards  through  the  State  to  the  west,  is  far 
greater  and  better  than  that  which  is  to  be  found  in  the  east. 
The  middle  and  western  counties  are  grazing  counties,  whilst 
the  other  counties  have  but  little  to  depend  upon  in  the  grazing 
of  cattle.  And  here  it  may  be  remarked  that  the  old  pastures 
in  the  State  are  fast  becoming  exhausted  of  their  scanty  her- 
bage, and  demand  most  urgently  the  attention  of  our  farmers 
to  renovate  them,  and  the  liberal  encouragement  of  our  agri- 
cultural societies  to  aid  in  the  work.  Had  the  Legislature,  in 
the  general  enactments  in  regard  to  these  societies,  provided 
that  this  should  have  been  done,  it  appears  to  your  delegate 
that  more  practical  benefit  would  have  accrued  to  the  commu- 
nity than  from  the  encouragement  of  the  growth  of  forest 
trees,  which  is  the  only  specific  subject  taken  under  the  foster- 
ing care  of  the  Legislature. 

The  societies  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  have  given 
great  interest  to  their  shows,  by  offering  premiums  for  th« 
largest  number  of  working  oxen  from  any  town.  Three  of 
these  teams  v/ere  present   at   the    show  at  Northampton,   30 


456  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

yoke  from  South  Hadley,  25  from  Hadley,  and  25  from  East 
Hampton. 

With  regard  to  the  arrangement  of  the  cattle  pens,  the  plan 
here  adopted  has  decided  advantages;  not  that  it  is  peculiar  to 
this  society,  but  it  is  worthy  of  note  in  connection  with  the 
arrangements  for  a  cattle  show.  The  pens  are  placed  in  paral- 
lel lines,  a  couple  or  more  rods  apart,  and  the  space  between  is 
kept  clear,  in  the  first  place,  for  the  admission  of  the  animals 
entered  for  the  show,  and,  in  the  second  place,  for  the  commit- 
tees, officers  of  the  society  and  invited  guests,  that  they  may 
conveniently  exar^ine  the  animals.  The  masses  of  spectators 
have  the  outside  space  for  their  free  use  and  occupation.  In 
such  an  arrangement,  the  proper  course  would  be,  in  labelling 
the  pens  with  the  description  of  the  animals,  and  the  names  of 
their  owners,  to  affix  similar  labels  on  both  sides  of  the  pens, 
so  that  all  may  have  the  necessary  information.  Where  cattle 
pens  are  arranged  in  a  single  line — as  is  not  unfrequently  the 
practice — it  is  with  great  difficulty  that  the  committees  and 
those  who  wish  most  to  examine  the  merits  of  the  animals, 
are  able  to  effect  their  object. 

On  the  second  day,  it  was  the  privilege  of  your  delegate  to 
witness  a  fine  show  of  horses,  such  as  only  the  western  socie- 
ties in  the  State  are  able  to  present.  Nearly  100  specimens  of 
this  noble  animal,  which  Lawrence,  in  his  Treatise  on  the 
Horse,  says,  next  to  a  beautiful  woman  is  the  most  beautiful 
animal  in  creation,  were  here  assembled  as  competitors  for  the 
awards  of  excellence.  Assembled,  not  in  pens  crowded  and 
confined,  but,  as  they  passed  under  the  inspection  of  tlie  com- 
mittee, trotted  out  between  the  long  lines  of  spectators,  who, 
equally  with  the  committee,  had  a  full  and  fair  view  of  their 
gait  and  action,  as  well  as  of  their  different  points  of  merit. 
An  illustration  was  here  furnished  of  the  advantage  of  the  ser- 
vices of  the  military  forces  at  these  exhibitions.  By  their  aid, 
the  lines  of  the  spectators  were  kept  in  their  proper  places,  so 
as  to  give  ample  space  for  the  equestrian  evolutions.  In  gen- 
eral, however,  the  presence  of  the  military  on  these  occasions 
is,  in  the  view  of  your  delegate,  entirely  incongruous.  As  the 
day  is  the  farmer's  holiday,  devoted  to  the  arts  of  peace — to  the 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  457 

art  that  of  all  arts  most  conduces  to  peace,  and  flourishes  by 
peace,  it  is  difficult  to  see  the  propriety  of  associating  with  it 
the  art  of  war,  even  in  its  mildest  aspect. 

The  hall,  where  were  exhibited  the  fruits  and  domestic  man- 
ufactures, is  one  of  the  largest  and  best  adapted  for  the  purpose, 
your  delegate  has  ever  entered  on  such  occasions.  It  is  the 
Town  Hall  of  Northampton,  and  if  the  legal  voters  of  that 
town,  at  their  municipal  meetings,  bring  forth  fruits  as  rich 
and  rare,  as  were  here  displayed  by  its  farmers  and  horticul- 
turists, it  must,  indeed,  be  a  privilege  to  be  at  their  meetings. 
The  show  of  apples  was  superior  to  that  of  other  fruits,  and 
was  of  the  highest  order.  If  the  apple  can  be  generally  grown 
in  the  Connecticut  valley,  in  such  perfection  as  the  specimens 
here  exhibited,  the  farmers  in  that  region  should  engage  largely 
in  this  branch  of  husbandry,  and  with  proper  skill  and  care 
they  would  be  abundantly  rewarded.  The  premiums  on  fruit, 
were  awarded  in  sums  of  considerable  amount  to  the  best  col- 
lections and  the  largest  varieties.  The  practice,  so  common 
with  our  societies,  of  distributing  premium^  for  fruit  in  small 
sums — sums  less  than  a  dollar,  even  to  a  quarter  fraction  of  a 
dollar, — and  to  every  contributor,  seems  to  be  at  variance  with 
the  mode  of  bestowing  premiums  in  the  other  departments  of 
an  agricultural  show.  Fifty  dollars  awarded  in  ten  premiums,, 
would  accomplish  more  good,  than  if  it  M^ere  divided  into  fifty 
premiums,  or  one  hundred.  And  yet  the  latter  course  is  the 
most  prevailing  one,  and  thus  all  distinctions  among  fruit  grow- 
ers are  confounded,  and  competition  so  far  is  paralyzed. 

The  reports  of  the  diiferent  committees  seem  to  be  drawn 
with  care,  and  some  of  them  to  possess  not  a  little  merit,  as 
literary  .productions.  The  reports  on  fruits  and  vegetables, 
made  to  this  society  in  1847  and  1848,  by  the  lamented  Wood- 
ward, are  models  of  their  kind,  and  will  long  endure,  as  a 
perennial  wreath,  entwined  around  the  memory  of  their  gifted 
and  philanthropic  author.  Fine  writing  in  an  agricultural  re- 
port, merely  to  exhibit  the  author  rather  than  the  subject,  is 
not  desirable.  By  no  means  ;  and  yet  careful  attention  to  the 
drafting  of  a  report  ought  not  to  be  neglected.  It  is  indeed 
grateful  to  a  mind  of  any  perception  of  the  just,  and  true,  and 
58 


458  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

beautiful,  to  meet  with  well-executed  reports  on  agricultural 
topics.  The  writers  of  such  reports  deserve  all  thanks  for  the 
example  they  set  to  others  ;  and  it  is  worthy  of  consideration, 
whether  a  liberal  premium  might  not  be  awarded  by  all  our 
societies,  to  the  authors  of  the  fullest  and  best  reports  that  are 
presented  to  them.  The  same  remark  might  be  made  in  ref- 
erence to  the  best  statement  of  competitors  for  premiums. 

This  society  has,  for  a  series  of  years,  made  it  their  practice 
to  secure  gentlemen  of  rare  scientific  attainments,  to  deliver  the 
address  at  their  anniversary.  They  have  thus  been  enabled  to 
reap  a  rich  harvest  from  the  intellectual  seed,  which  is  annu- 
ally, and,  as  it  were,  broadcast,  sown  among  them.  They 
were  equally  fortunate  the  last  year  and  the  present,  in  having 
as  their  agricultural  teacher,  Dr.  Daniel  Lee,  of  the  agricultural 
department  of  the  Patent  Office,  at  Washington.  Fortunate 
will  it  be  for  all  our  societies,  when  they  can  obtain  such  men 
to  address  them ;  more  fortunate  still,  when  they  shall  feel  the 
want  of  such  men,  and  zealously  seek  after  them.  The  dignity 
and  independence  of  the  farmer  have  too  long  been  the  theme 
of  our  agricultural  addresses  ;  too  long  have  our  orators  flattered 
the  vanity  of  farmers,  and  persuaded  them  to  rest  satisfied  with 
the  improvements  already  efl'ected  in  their  husbandry.  The 
time  is  at  hand — if  it  has  not  already  arrived — when  agricul- 
ture, not  as  it  is,  but  as  it  may  be  ordered^  must  be  the  subject 
of  discourse  ;  when  the  means  of  advancing  it,  must  be  pointed 
out,  and  the  minds  of  thinking  farmers  excited  to  new  efforts 
and  higher  attainments. 

In  conclusion,  your  delegate  would  state  that  the  address  of 
Dr.  Lee  was  followed,  at  the  dinner  table,  by  remarks  of  a 
similar  purport, — illustrating  and  enforcing  the  necessity  of 
science  to  the  full  development  of  the  resources  of  our  soil. 
The  visit  of  your  delegate  was  to  him  most  interesting  and 
profitable,  and  he  can  only  regret  that  from  the  rich  field 
into  which  he  was  sent,  he  had  not  brought  home  to  you 
more  sheaves. 

ALLEN  W.  DODGK. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  459 

Exhibition  of  the  Hampden  Society. 

In  presenting  a  report  of  the  exhibition  of  this  society,  I 
have  to  offer  only  such  information  as  I  could  obtain  from 
others  who  were  present.  It  was  held  at  Springfield,  on  the 
first  and  second  days  of  October,  under  all  the  advantages  of 
pleasant  weather  and  facility  of  access  to  that  flourishing  town. 
Never,  it  is  said,  was  the  county  of  Hampden  better  repre- 
sented, at  any  former  exhibition,  in  number  or  quality,  by  men 
and  women,  and  animals,  vegetables  and  articles  of  domestic 
manufacture.  Young  men  and  maidens,  old  men  and  children, 
from  diff'erent  parts  of  the  county,  members  of  the  society  and 
transient  visitors,  spent  two  delightful  holidays,  in  a  manner 
appropriate  to  the  high  character  of  the  community,  and  to  the 
purpose  for  which  they  had  come  together. 

Thue  were  82  entries  of  horses  ;  17  of  bulls  ;  12  of  milch 
cows  ;  26  of  heifers  ;  49  of  working  oxen  ;  18  of  steers  ;  20  of 
fat  cattle  ;  20  of  sheep  ;  26  of  swine  ;  60  of  fowls  ;  16  for  the 
ploughing  match ;  35  of  butter,  cheese  and  honey ;  18  of 
bread ;  300  of  vegetables ;  298  of  fruits  and  flowers ;  76  of 
domestic  manufactures ;  28  of  mechanic  arts  ;  4  of  farming 
tools  ;  20  paintings  and  daguerreotypes ;  45  of  children's,  and 
fancy,  and  worsted  work ;  1  of  tobacco  ;  10  orchards ;  in  all, 
1179  entries. 

This  enumeration  is  of  itself  sufficient  to  show  that  the 
spirit  of  agricultural  improvement  is  awake  in  Hampden,  and, 
as  compared  with  past  years,  is  gathering  force,  promising,  in 
time,  to  possess  the  whole  county. 

The  arrangements  made  by  the  directors  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  the  numerous  animals,  and  the  articles  generally, 
appear  to  have  been  judicious  and  satisfactory.  The  oxen  and 
cattle  generally  were  excellent,  both  in  size  and  beauty  of  form, 
and  fully  sustained  the  credit  of  old  Hampshire  in  general,  and 
Hampden  in  particular,  distinguished  as  they  have  been  for  fine 
cattle.  One  pair  of  oxen  weighed  5000  pounds,  and  there  were 
twelve  head  that  weighed  each  from  2200  pounds  to  2500  pounds- 
each.  A  number  of  very  fine  cattle  were  from  Westfield. 
Some  of  the  milch  cows  were  uncommonly  good.     The  one 


460  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

entered  by  Amos  Carlton,  of  Chicopee,  in  twenty-six  weeks, 
gave  2266i|  quarts  of  milk,  exclusive  of  the  feed  of  the  oalf.  at 
a  net  profit,  including  $5  50  for  veal  and  skin  of  the  calf, 
of  $63  67.  The  show  of  horses  was  highly  creditable  to  the 
society.  This  was  especially  true  of  the  geldings  and  the  car- 
riage horses  generally,  both  in  respect  to  number  and  quality. 

Of  fruits,  there  were  208  entries,  while  last  year  there  were 
only  80.  Among  them  were  fine  varieties  of  the  apple,  the 
pear  and  the  peach.  It  is  extremely  gratifying  to  mark  the 
increasing  attention  that  is  paid  to  this  class  of  productions, 
beautiful  as  they  are  to  look  at,  delicious  as  they  are  to  the 
palate,  and  serving  as  they  do  to  make  home  attractive.  The 
vegetable  department  is  spoken  of  as  worthy  of  all  praise.  The 
vegetables  were  arranged  in  bushel  baskets,  in  triple  rows 
around  the  hall,  and  made  an  imposing  appearance.  Some  of 
the  parsnip  roots  were  said  to  be  about  three  feet  in  lengt'i.  A 
single  squash  vine  was  exhibited,  having  on  it  sixteen  squashes, 
weighing  in  the  aggregate  700  pounds.  Some  of  the  finest 
specimens  of  vegetables  were  furnished  by  cultivators  in  West 
Springfield. 

It  remains  for  me  only  to  add,  that  the  address  by  Professor 
Norton,  of  Yale  College,  was  worthy  of  the  occasion  and  of  the 
high  reputation  of  the  speaker. 

At  the  next  fair,  "  may  I  be  there  to  see." 

W.  C.  FOWLER. 


Exhibition  of  the  Franklin  Society. 

The  fair  of  this  society  was  held  in  the  beautiful  and  flour- 
ishing town  of  Greenfield,  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the  Connect- 
icut river,  on  the  15th  and  16th  of  October.  Both  days  being 
remarkably  fine,  thousands  were  attracted  to  the  scene.  At  10 
o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  first  day,  there  was  a  superior 
display  of  neat  stock,  on  a  beautiful  field  selected  for  that  pur- 
pose, in  the  vicinity  of  the  village.  The  number  of  large  and 
well-formed  bulls,  and  of  fat  oxen,  was  very  great,  whilst  farm 
stock  of  every  other  description  was  all  well  and  ably  repre- 
sented. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  461 

But  nothing  so  much  pleased  us,  or  attracted  from  others  so 
much  attention,  as  the  long  and  splendid  concatenation  of  ox- 
teams  from  Shelburne  and  Greenfield.  That  from  the  former 
place  being,  in  the  language  of  the  committee  on  that  subject, 
"the  finest,  heaviest  and  best  matched,  in  form  and  color,  of 
any  team  ever  shown  in  Massachusetts."  Concurring  most 
fully  in  this  opinion,  and  deeming  the  beautiful  and  majestic 
appearance  of  these  animals  as  presenting  one  of  the  finest 
features  of  the  exhibition,  we  cannot  refrain  from  earnestly 
recommending  the  example  of  these  towns  to  the  favorable 
consideration  and  adoption  of  other  agricultural  districts  in  the 
Commonwealth. 

At  the  trial  of  working  cattle,  on  the  same  day,  in  the  street 
leading  to  the  depot,  such  loads  were  drawn  as  very  clearly 
evinced  the  admirable  training  and  muscular  strength  of  the 
animals,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  a  multitude  of  spectators. 

The  ploughing  match  came  off  in  the  afternoon,  and  was 
uncommonly  successful.  The  field  selected  for  this  operation, 
was  of  a  stiff  clay  soil,  but  of  a  smooth  and  even  surface. 
Arriving  on  the  spot  with  a  number  of  other  gentlemen,  at  the 
appointed  hour,  we  were  detained  a  long  time  before  the  teams 
started.  To  many  of  the  spectators  this  was  not  agreeable, 
and  were  we  to  mention  any  circumstance  connected  with  this 
part  of  the  exhibition,  not  precisely  in  accordance  with  our 
own  taste  and  judgment,  it  would  be  the  fact  that  there  was 
too  much  delay  in  making  the  preliminary  arrangements,  after 
the  time  assigned  for  the  commencement  of  the  work.  But 
this  delinquency  is  not  uncommon  in  other  societies.  It  was 
probably  unavoidable  here.  Twenty-four  entries  for  the 
ploughing  had  been  made — eighteen  competitors  were  in  the 
field.  The  teams,  taken  as  a  whole,  were  by  far  the  finest  we 
ever  saw,  being  mostly  single  ox-teams,  of  great  size,  strength 
and  beauty.  The  committee  awarded  the  premiums,  irrespec- 
tive of  the  precise  depth  of  the  furrows,  the  same  being  from 
six  to  eight  inches  deep.  The  Michigan,  or  Double  Plough, 
was  also  operated,  and  received  many  encomiums  from  the 
farmers  present,  as  an  implement  likely  to  be  of  great  utility. 
And  to  crown  the  whole,  a  plough,  manufactured  by  Prouty  & 


462  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Mears,  was  found  to  work  well  without  the  aid  of  human 
hands,  and  finally  eclipsed  all  the  achievements  of  its  "  illus- 
trious predecessors." 

At  the  late  ploughing  match  of  the  Bristol  County  Society, 
it  was  observed  that  the  last  furrow  of  each  of  the  lands 
ploughed,  was,  by  the  direction  of  the  committee,  left  standing, 
without  being  cut  or  inverted  ;  while  here  in  Franklin  county, 
great  pains  were  taken  to  have  the  last  furrow  smoothly  and 
nicely  turned.  We  are  compelled  to  say  that,  in  our  judgment, 
the  practice  of  our  friends  in  Franklin  is  far  preferable  to  that 
referred  to  in  Bristol. 

On  the  second  day,  horses  were  the  only  stock  exhibited. 
The  display  was  on  Maine  street,  which  is  very  wide  and  spa- 
cious, and  no  part  of  the  exhibition  attracted  more  attention 
than  this.  Instead  of  being  confined  in  pens,  as  is  the  practice 
at  the  shows  of  most  other  societies,  these  noble  steeds  were 
driven  at  full  speed  by  their  owners.  As  they  were  of  all  de- 
scriptions and  colors,  we  were  quite  sure  that  no  one,  however 
fastidious  might  be  his  taste,  could  have  failed  to  be  pleased, 
and  to  exclaim  with  king  Richard  III,  "  A  horse  !  a  horse  ! 
my  kingdom  for  a  horse  !" 

In  contrasting  this  with  other  festivals  of  the  kind,  we  saw 
much,  very  much  to  approve  and  admire.  The  custom  of  the 
Franklin  Society  of  having  all  the  members  of  committees  des- 
ignated by  an  appropriate  badge,  we  highly  approve,  and  from 
what  we  saw,  we  are  also  convinced  that  where  it  is  deemed 
advisable  to  have  an  agricultural  fair  occupy  two  days,  it  is 
preferable  to  have  the  ploughing  match  on  the  first  day,  as  was 
the  case  here,  than  on  the  second,  as,  by  way  of  experiment, 
was  the  case  in  Bristol.  Persons  coming  from  a  distance  to 
attend  thg  show  of  stock  on  the  first  day,  can  thus  be  present 
at  the  ploughing  match,  also,  with  the  same  animals,  and  allow 
them  to  be  returned  home  on  the  same  or  succeeding  day. 

The  address  of  Professor  Norton,  at  the  church,  and  the  re- 
marks made  by  different  gentlemen  at  the  dinner  table,  seemed 
to  be  directed  to  the  discovery  of  the  best  means  for  the  pro- 
motion and  advancement  of  the  science  of  agriculture  and  agri- 
cultural education.     We  will  only  add,  in  conclusion,  that  our 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  463 

visit  to  the  county  of  Franklin  will  long  be  remembered  by  us 
with  pleasure,  as  among  the  most   agreeable  events  of  our  life. 

JOHNSON  GARDNER. 


Exhibition  of  the  Hampshire   Society. 

In  pursuance  of  the  duty  assigned,  to  visit  the  Hampshire 
Agricultural  Society,  your  delegate  proceeded  to  Amherst,  where 
he  met  with  a  cordial  reception  and  was  most  hospitably  enter- 
tained during  his  stay.  Every  facility  was  afforded  by  the 
government  of  the  association,  for  examination  of  all  depart- 
ments of  its  extensive  and  interesting  exhibition.  The  excel- 
lence and  variety  of  the  contributions,  were  gratifying  and  en- 
couraging. The  whole  show  was  honorable  to  the  society, 
especially  to  the  officers  and  committees,  upon  whom  devolved 
the  laborious  duties  of  superintendence. 

It  was  particularly  cheering  to  all,  who  have  at  heart  the 
advancement  of  agriculture,  to  witness  the  large  number  of  pro- 
fessional gentlemen,  for  which  Amherst  is  so  celebrated,  com- 
ing forward  with  a  helping  hand,  and  cooperating  with  the 
intelligent  farmers  of  Hampshire  county,  in  behalf  of  an  insti- 
tution for  the  promotion  of  that  most  important  and  useful 
pursuit,  the  culture  of  mother  earth. 

Located  as  the  Hampshire  Society  is,  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity of  one  of  the  colleges  of  our  beloved  Commonwealth, — 
a  college  celebrated  for  its  attention  to  the  natural  sciences, — 
and  in  the  valley  of  the  Connecticut  river,  where  the  soil  is 
remarkably  productive  and  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  cat- 
tle and  of  agricultural  products,  there  can  scarcely  a  doubt 
arise,  that  the  Hampshire  Society  will  at  once  take  and  easily 
maintain  an  elevated  rank  among  kindred  institutions.  In  truth, 
high  as  were  our  expectations,  the  society's  exhibition  very  far 
surpassed  them. 

It  was,  also,  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  notice  the  lively 
interest  manifested  by  the  ladies — not  only  the  wives  and 
daughters  of  the  farmers,  but  of  other  classes — who,   as  repre- 


464  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

sentatives  of  female  industry,  graced   the  exhibition  with  the 
beautiful  fabrics  of  woman's  skill  and  taste. 

At  the  various  points  of  interest,  the  number  of  visitors  was 
large.  The  halls  set  apart  for  the  display  of  fruits  and  flowers, 
the  dairy,  domestic  manufactures,  and  agricultural  implements, 
were  thronged  during  the  day ;  all  anxious  to  participate  in  the 
triumphs  of  art  and  in  the  success  of  the  society. 

The  first  object,  which  attracted  the  attention  of  your  com- 
mittee, was  the  long  procession  of  working  cattle,  composed  of 
"  town  teams,"  occupying  a  large  portion  of  the  spacious  com- 
mon. The  most  extensive  of  these  was  the  string  from  Bel- 
chertown,  mimhering;  ttvo  hundred  oxeyi  m  pairs,  and  attached 
to  a  car,  ornamented  with  banners,  containing  one  hundred  and 
eighty  intelligent  farmers  and  an  excellent  band  of  music. 
There  were  long  strings  from  the  towns  of  Granby  and  Lever- 
ett,  and  a  private  team  of  nine  yoke,  from  Hadley,  the  whole 
making  a  grand  display  of  nearly  four  hundred  working  oxen. 
These  were  generally  in  fine  order,  of  good  size,  and  well  pro- 
portioned. Some  pairs  were  nicely  matched,  a  pleasing  and 
important  feature,  whether  we  have  regard  to  fancy,  usefulness, 
or  value. 

Your  committee  noticed,  also,  about  sixty  steers  in  pairs,  some 
of  which  were  superior;  also  some  good  specimens  of  full  blood 
and  grade  stock  ;  and  a  very  respectable  delegation  of  bulls,  milch 
cows,  heifers,  and  calves,  Avhich  purported  to  be  of  "  Native 
American"  origin.  The  whole  number  of  tieat  cattle  on  the 
common,  was  five  hundred.  The  display  of  horses  was  exten- 
sive. More  than  one  hundred  specimens  occupied  the  stations 
assigned  to  them,  and  gave  general  satisfaction.  Although 
there  were  few  animals  of  high  grade,  yet  there  were  some  su- 
perior beasts  ;  which  indicated  that  attention  had  been  bestowed 
on  their  breeding,  and  that  commendable  efforts  are  in  pro- 
gress for  the  j'mprovement  of  the  noble  horse.  In  the  poultry 
department,  were  six  hundred  specimens,  many  of  them  of  im- 
proved varieties. 

The  pomological  department  was  very  well  represented,  par- 
ticularly with  apples.  The  display  consisted  of  more  than 
four  hundred  plates.     Many  specimens  were  of  the  most  popu- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  465 

lar  varieties  in  cultivation,  and  which,  for  size  and  beauty, 
could  hardly  be  surpassed  in  New  England.  We  were  happy 
to  learn,  that  an  increasing  interest  prevails  among  the  farmers 
of  the  Connecticut  valley  in  the  culture  of  fine  fruits.  The 
perfection  and  general  excellence  of  those  on  exhibition,  indi- 
cate that  Hampshire  county  could  make  this  branch  of  cultiva- 
tion successful  and  profitable. 

The  ploughing  match,  always  a  scene  of  interest  and  excite- 
ment, was  witnessed  by  a  large  number  of  spectators.  There 
were  about  twenty  teams,  which  entered  the  list  for  competi- 
tion. The  land  was  rather  stiff  and  stony,  well  adapted  to  try 
the  skill  of  the  teams.  The  work  was  remarkably  well  done 
under  the  circumstances  ;  some  of  the  ploughmen  managing 
with  great  ability  and  skill. 

We  noticed  here,  as  well  as  at  the  exhibitions  of  other  agri- 
cultural societies,  the  Michigan  sod  and  subsoil  plough.  It 
resembles,  if  it  is  not  identical  with,  the  plough  of  Morton,  de- 
scribed in  a  recent  French  publication,  in  possession  of  Presi- 
dent Hitchcock.  This  plough,  in  the  opinion  of  your  com- 
mittee, is  worthy  of  all  the  commendation  which  has  been 
bestowed  upon  it  in  this  country.  From  personal  experience, 
and  from  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  its  performance,  your 
committee  recommend  it,  as  worthy  of  adoption  by  every 
farmer.  The  Michigan  plough  is  constructed  with  two  shares ; 
one  in  advance,  turning  over  the  sod ;  and  the  other  covering 
it  with  the  lower  soil.  This  process  exposes  to  the  beneficial 
influences  of  the  atmosphere,  the  inorganic  substances  of  the 
subsoil  which  are  thrown  up ;  and  by  covering  the  sod,  pre- 
vents the  escape  of  the  fertilizing  gases,  during  its  decompo- 
sition. For  turning  in  of  grass  lands  and  stubble,  this  imple- 
ment is  considered  one  of  the  most  important  that  has  recently 
come  to  notice. 

Your  committee  would  not  omit  to  mention  that  indispensa- 
ble part  of  the  exercises  of  the  day,  the  annual  dinner.  This 
was  attended  by  about  three  hundred  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
who  sat  down  to  tables  abundantly  spread  with  the  fat  things 
of  the  land,  and  ornamented  with  the  offerings  of  Flora  and 
Pomona. 

59 


466  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Yonr  committee  is  convinced  that  this  society  is  destined 
to  maintain  its  prominent  position  among  kindred  societies. 
The  Hampshire  Society  has  many  natural  advantages ;  great 
facilities  for  the  acquisition  and  diffusion  of  scientific  informa- 
tion, and  its  members  display  remarkable  activity  and  enter- 
prise. 

Your  committee,  therefore,  congratulates  this  board,  on  the 
addition  of  this  promising  member  to  the  agricultural  family. 

MARSHALL  P.  WILDER. 


Exhibition  of  the   Berkshire  Society. 

According  to  appointment  by  the  Massachusetts  Board  of 
Agriculture,  the  subscriber,  in  September  last,  attended  the  an- 
nual agricultural  fair  of  the  Berkshire  Society,  at  Pittsfield. 
This  society  was  the  first  incorporated  in  this  Commonwealth, 
and  is  among  the  oldest  in  this  country ;  Pittsfield  and  the  ad- 
joining towns  may  be  reckoned  with  the  best  farming  districts 
in  the  State.  These  towns  are  surrounded  by  mountains,  giv- 
ing, in  a  clear  September  day,  a  fine  panoramic  view.  Your 
committee  was  induced  to  stop  by  the  way,  and  witness  part 
of  the  exhibition  of  the  Hampden  Society,  at  Springfield,  By 
this  delay,  he  regrets  that  on  his  arrival  at  Pittsfield,  he  found 
most  of  the  live  stock  had  left  the  show  ground ;  but  those 
which  remained,  oxen,  sheep,  swine,  and  fowls,  gave  evidence 
that  the  exhibition  in  this  department  must  have  been  excellent. 

The  ploughing  match  was  commenced  early  on  the  second 
day  of  the  exhibition.  The  morning  was  fine,  and  multitudes 
in  carriages  and  on  foot,  preceded  by  a  fine  band  of  music  in 
an  open  carriage,  repaired  to  the  field  appropriated  for  this  trial. 
The  teams,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were  fine  in  appearance, 
both  oxen  and  horses.  The  spectators  gave  ample  room  for 
the  trial.  The  marshal  of  the  day  preserved  excellent  order, 
and  gave,  in  a  clear  voice,  the  directions  to  be  observed.  There 
was  no  urging  of  teams, — no  noise, — all  was  done  by  old  whip- 
sters, or  without  the  lash.  The  ploughs  were  from  our  best 
manufacturers,  and  the  work  was  well  executed.     The  plough 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  467 

that  attracted  the  most  notice,  was  the  Michigan  sod  and  sub- 
soil plough,  held  by  Dr.  Reed,  of  Pittsfield.  Your  committee 
observed,  that  at  this  show,  the  judges  on  ploughing  were  se- 
lected from  out  of  the  county,  as  far  as  practicable. 

The  trial  of  single  and  matched  horses,  gave  quite  an  interest 
to  the  show  of  the  society. 

The  exhibition  at  the  hall,  of  household  goods,  of  fine  butter, 
cheese,  honey,  maple  sugar,  grass  seeds  and  agricultural  im- 
plements, together  with  the  excellent  display  of  fruits,  was 
much  admired. 

After  the  delivery  of  an  excellent  and  practical  address  by 
Marshall  P.  Wilder,  the  awards  of  premiums  were  read  and  paid 
off  on  the  spot  to  the  successful  competitors.  Your  committee 
would  remark  here,  that  in  front  of  the  desk,  on  a  table  gently 
elevated  on  one  side,  were  exposed  to  the  full  view  of  the  assem- 
bly, in  a  most  tempting  manner,  the  silver  plate  to  be  distributed 
to  the  numerous  winners. 

On  the  whole,  your  committee  found  much  here  to  admire, 
and  that  can  be  imitated  with  profit  by  other  societies.  He 
only  regrets  that  he  was  not  earlier  on  the  ground,  so  that 
he  would  have  been  able  to  make  a  fuller  report.  He  is 
strongly  impressed  with  the  belief  that  from  these  interchanges 
of  visits,  and  a  better  knowledge  of  the  practices  of  the  various 
societies,  together  with  a  free  interchange  of  opinions  at  such 
gatherings  and  at  all  meetings  of  our  farmers,  as  also  from  our 
new  bond  of  union,  the  Massachusetts  Board  of  Agriculture, 
much  may  be  expected  to  gladden  the  hearts  of  the  tillers  of 
the  soil.  BENJN.  V.  FRENCH. 


Exhibition  of  the  Hous atonic  Society. 
The  first  feature  presented  by  the  Housatonic  Society,  is 
the  ardor  and  enterprise  of  youth  tempered  by  the  judgment 
and  discretion  of  mature  years.  This  society  is  comparatively 
young,  but  many  of  its  members  have  been  for  years  active 
members  of  the  Berkshire  Society,  and,  as  would  have  been 
expected,  have  carried  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  old 
society  to  the  new. 


468  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Two  days  are  devoted  to  the  exhibition.  All  animals,  all 
agricultural  productions  and  fruits,  all  manufactured  articles, 
and  indeed  everything  oifered  for  premium,  are  presented  on 
the  first  day  and  examined  by  the  respective  committees.  At 
the  close  of  this  day,  all  animals  may,  if  their  owners  choose, 
be  taken  away. 

The  second  day  is  devoted  to  the  ploughing  match,  which 
is  held  in  the  morning,  and  subsequently  to  the  anniversary 
address,  reports  of  committees,  distribution  of  premiums,  &c. 
The  premiums  are  paid  in  silver  plate,  and  distributed  by  the 
marshals  of  the  day  to  the  successful  competitors,  as  their 
names  occur  in  the  reading  of  the  reports  by  the  secretary. 
This  method  of  presentation,  this  kind  of  public  coronation  of 
the  victor,  doubtless  has  its  legitimate  influence. 

This  society  always  presents  a  good  show  of  animals,  par- 
ticularly of  cattle.  The  exhibition  in  this  department  would 
not  suffer  by  comparison  with  those  of  former  years.  The 
fruit  department  is  rapidly  increasing  in  interest.  Until  one 
year  since,  it  had  not  been  considered  worthy  of  a  distinct 
committee,  but  was  made  an  appendage  to  the  duties  of  the 
committee  on  butter  and  cheese.  At  that  exhibition,  the 
amount  and  variety  were  so  large,  that  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed at  the  time,  and  at  the  subsequent  annual  meeting  in 
the  winter,  fruit  was  made  the  subject  of  a  distinct  committee- 
ship. At  the  present  show,  a  convenient  room  was  devoted 
exclusively  to  the  horticultural  exhibition.  The  display  of 
vegetables  was  finer  than  usual.  The  number  of  specimens  of 
seed  corn,  and  of  grain  and  grass  seeds,  was  large  and  the  qual- 
ity excellent.  This  is,  in  our  view,  one  of  the  most  important 
items  in  an  agricultural  exhibition,  and  one  which  the  Berk- 
shire Societies  would  do  well  to  encourage  by  increasing  both 
the  number  and  value  of  the  premiums.  We  would  make  the 
same  remark  in  reference  to  agricultural  implements,  whether 
manufactured  in  the  county,  or  purchased  out  of  the  county 
and  kept  in  it  for  sale.  The  progress  of  agriculture  is  deeply 
indebted  to  the  improvement  in  implements,  and  any  course  a 
society  can  take,  within  the  bounds  of  their  resources,  to  secure 
still  further  improvements,  will  bring  a  rich  reward. 


.      MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  469 

The  Berkshire  Societies,  as  it  appears  to  us,  deal  too  much 
in  results,  too  little  in  causes.  Their  reports  tell  us  who  has 
raised  the  best  corn,  and  who  the  best  wheat  and  rye;  who  has 
exhibited  the  best  cow,  and  who  the  best  oxen.  This  is  well, 
but  it  is  not  enough.  A  large  part  of  the  premiums  given  to  a 
successful  competitor,  is  given  for  diffusing  the  knowledge 
which  will  aid  another  person  in  producing  another  specimen 
like  it.  But  this  seems  to  be  forgotten.  The  "  what  kind  was 
it?"  and  the  "how  was  it  produced?"  are  left  out.  There  is 
nothing  tangible.  The  unsuccessful  competitor  and  all  the  rest 
of  the  world,  are  sent  back  to  their  farms,  to  feel  their  way 
with  such  lights  as  their  own  observation  and  experience  have 
given  them ;  whereas  they  are  entitled  to  all  the  light  the  re- 
cipient of  the  society's  bounty  can  give.  If  a  premium  is  of- 
fered for  an  essay,  not  only  must  the  successful  production  be 
given  up  and  become  the  property  of  others,  but  it  must  be 
published  to  the  world.  We  would  not  take  the  farmer's  wheat 
and  distribute  it  among  others,  but  we  would  take  the  knowl- 
edge by  which  it  was  raised,  and  scatter  it  broadcast  through 
the  land  ;  and  if  he  would  keep  his  knowledge,  we  would  keep 
the  silver.  In  reference  to  crops,  there  is  always  time  enough 
for  the  producer  to  make  his  statements,  and  the  committee 
their  report,  and  if  omitted  there  is  no  excuse  for  either. 

From  those  committees,  whose  work  is  on  the  show  grounds, 
where  the  entire  afternoon  must  be  spent  in  looking,  and  whose 
report  must  be  presented  to  the  secretary,  the  next  morning, 
not  very  much,  under  present  arrangements,  should  be  demand- 
ed beyond  the  award  of  premiums  and  the  grounds  on  which 
it  was  made.  Absence  from  home  and  books,  the  noise  and 
bustle  of  a  public  house,  and  all  the  concomitants  of  a  cattle 
show,  are,  to  the  quiet  farmer,  not  conducive  to  the  preparation 
of  documents  of  great  accuracy  ;  and  reports  prepared  before 
the  specimens  to  be  reported  upon  are  seen,  and  kept  on  hand. 
— as  Cicero  is  said  to  have  kept  the  introductions  to  his  ora- 
tions,— ready,  with  slight  modifications,  to  be  prefixed  to  an 
award  on  horses,  hogs,  or  hens,  are  esteemed  but  lightly.  They 
usually  deal  largely  in  "dewy  lawns,  and  sparkling  gems,  and 
meandering  brooks,  glowing  under  the  effulgence  of  the  pale 


470             MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  1 

I 

moon,"  and  are,  to  say  the  least,  no  better  than  moonshine,  to  1 

aid  the  farmer  in  raising  pigs  or  poultry.  i 

But  no  such  difficulties  attend  the  exhibitor,  and  every  entry  ] 

of  an  animal  for  premium,  should  be  accompanied  by  a  state-  ' 

ment  of  his  age,  breed,  and  manner  of  being  fed  and  used.    All  { 

such  statements,  with  those  on  crops,  fruits,  and  other  products,  I 
should  be  preserved  and  subsequently  printed  entire,  or  the  in- 

formation  condensed  and  given  in  a  tabular  or  statistical  form,  j 

By  this  course  much  valuable   information  would  be  elicited  I 

and  gathered,  to  be  scattered  far  and  wide.  i 

S.  REED.  ! 


Exhibition  of  the  Norfolk  Society. 

I  attended  this  exhibition  at  Dedham,  on  the  24th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1851.  When  I  arrived  there,  the  streets  were  filled 
with  people,  men,  women,  and  children,  all  moving  in  one  di- 
rection. Everything  indicated  that  the  day  was  one  of  great 
interest  and  excitement.  Upon  proceeding  to  the  scene  of 
action,  I  found  that  the  ploughing  match  was  nearly  ended, 
many  teams  having  already  accomplished  their  work.  From  a 
hurried  examination,  I  got  the  impression  that  much  of  the 
work  was  performed  with  a  creditable  degree  of  skill,  but  I 
have  seen  fields  which,  as  a  whole,  were  better  ploughed. 

The  pens  for  animals  were  admirably  arranged,  easy  of 
access,  and  being  erected  on  the  borders  of  the  lot,  afforded 
sufficient  space  for  the  circulation  of  the  immense  crowd  of 
eager  and  interested  spectators.  The  specimens  of  neat  stock 
were  numerous,  and,  in  many  cases,  of  excellent  quality.  The 
Alderneys,  exhibited  by  Thomas  Motley,  Jr.,  of  Roxbury,  and 
others,  were  to  me  a  new  and  most  interesting  feature  of  the 
exhibition,  and  attracted  general  attention  and  admiration.  A 
large  proportion  of  the  cows  at  the  show,  were  pure  blood 
stock.  The  horses  and  colts  were  neither  numerous  nor  re- 
markable. The  exhibition  of  swine  was  of  a  high  character ; 
among  them  were  many  superior  animals  of  the  Suffolk  breed. 
The  show  of  poultry  was  said  to  be  very  large,  but  I  had  no 
opportunity  to  examine  it. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  471 

The  fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables  were  exhibited  under  a 
vast  tent,  or  rather,  under  a  tent  which  would  have  seemed 
vast,  but  for  the  crowd  which  thronged  it.  There  were  vari- 
ous articles  attesting  the  taste  and  skill  of  the  fair  daughters  of 
Norfolk,  but  the  throng  of  visitors  and  lack  of  time  prevented 
a  particular  examination.  I  did  not  notice  many  articles  of 
manufacture  other  than  those  of  a  domestic  character.  The 
prominent  feature  of  the  exhibition  was  the  fruit.  The  presi- 
dent, at  the  dinner  table,  said,  in  substance,  that  in  several  re- 
spects, no  exhibition  of  fruits  in  the  world  could  surpass  theirs 
of  that  day.  That  was,  I  think,  no  vain  boast,  but  plain  prose, 
duantity,  variety,  and  quality,  all  considered,  I  have  never  seen 
it  equalled. 

At  the  appointed  hour,  a  procession  was  formed,  to  proceed 
to  the  church,  to  hear  an  address  from  George  R.  Russell,  of 
Roxbury.  The  procession  was  formed  and  marshalled  with 
greater  order  and  decorum  throughout,  than  I  have  ever  wit- 
nessed on  a  similar  occasion.  I  listened  with  deep  interest 
and  delighted  attention  to  words  of  wisdom,  seasoned  with 
most  polished  wit,  and  thought  the  hour  mi'St  pleasantly  and 
profitably  spent. 

After  the  address,  the  procession  was  re-formed,  and  the  so- 
ciety and  its  guests  repaired  to  the  appointed  portion  of  the 
tent,  where  about  one  thousand  persons,  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
with  merry  and  thankful  hearts,  partook  of  the  good  things  so 
abundantly  provided.  At  the  table,  as  elsewhere,  beaming 
faces,  good  cheer,  hearty  and  unceremonious  welcome,  and 
thankfulness  to  the  God  of  the  harvest,  prevailed.  Speeches 
were  made  by  the  venerable  President  duincy,  and  other  gen- 
tlemen. 

All  orders  of  men,  and  women  too,  seemed  to  conspire  to 
make  the  day  of  exhibition  an  occasion  of  real  improvement 
and  thanksgiving.  The  early  and  accomplished  pioneers  and 
fathers  of  husbandry  and  of  horticulture  in  the  county;  young 
agriculturists  and  horticulturists,  in  the  first  flush  of  enthusi- 
asm, pressing  forward  to  fill  the  places  of  their  seniors ;  profes- 
sional men  of  every  class,  as  well  as  out-and-out  farmers,  and 
their  wives,  and  all  their  lads  and  lasses,  seemed  to  enter  ear- 


472  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

nestly  into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion,  and  to  vie  with  each 
other  who  should  most  heartily  contribute  to  make  the  day 
one  of  pure  enjoyment. 

Time  only  was  wanting.  There  was,  in  some  things,  hurry, 
if  not  confusion.  That  society,  like  others,  needs  more  than 
one  day  for  its  exhibition.  The  youth  of  the  Norfolk  Society 
promises  excellently  well.  I  can  only  say  to  it,  in  Roman 
phrase,  "  Macte  virtute  esto  ;"  may  it  go  on  as  it  has  begun. 

J.  H.  W.  PAGE. 


Exhibition  of  the  Plymouth  Society. 

In  accordance  with  a  vote  of  the  board  I  attended  the  late 
annual  fair  of  the  Plymouth  County  Society,  and  transmit  to 
you  a  very  brief  account  of  such  parts  of  the  exhibition  as  fell 
under  my  observation. 

It  was  noon  when  I  arrived  at  Bridgewater,  where  the  fair 
was  held,  and  I  was  consequently  deprived  of  the  pleasure  of 
witnessing  the  proceedings  of  the  first  part  of  the  day.  Hav- 
ing no  further  time  to  lose,  I  immediately  visited  the  cattle 
pens,  and  was  much  gratified  to  see  a  handsome  collection  of 
native  stock,  which,  if  not  distinguished  by  the  marks  and 
superior  external  beauty,  which  are  peculiar  to  some  of  the 
imported  breeds,  impressed  me  with  the  belief  that  ihey  had 
not  suffered  for  the  lack  of  kind  care  and  good  feed.  The 
cows  looked  homely  in  shape,  but  that  they  were  cows  of 
"quality"  I  shall  have  occasion  to  show  further  on.  The 
working  oxen  performed  very  well,  and  were  in  fine  condition, 
but  I  despair  of  witnessing  anywhere  such  capital  performances 
as  are  usually  to  be  seen,  in  this  department,  at  the  Worcester 
exhibitions. 

The  extensive  show  o(  fruits  and  vegetables  quite  surprised 
me.  The  variety  of  garden  fruits  was  not  as  great  as  we  bring 
out  in  Norfolk,  but  the  apples  and  quinces  far  surpassed  my 
anticipations.  These  staple  fruits  are  evidently  in  high  estima- 
tion in  Plymouth  county,  and  the  specimens  exhibited  were  as 
free  from  blemish  as  the  best  New  York  varieties.     The  veg- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  473 

etables — especially  the  roots — were   fully  equal    to  the  same 
products  of  Roxbury  and  Brookline. 

But  there  was  one  feature  of  the  exhibition  which  is  worthy 
of  special  notice,  and  had  I  witnessed  nothing  else,  would  have 
fully  repaid  me  for  my  visit  to  Bridgewater.  I  mean  the  noble 
display  made  of  the  products  of  the  dairy.  In  this  department 
the  industry  and  skill  of  the  women  of  the  Old  Colony  were 
shown  to  the  highest  advantage.  In  no  truer  way  either  can 
the  good  management  of  the  farmer  be  tested  than  by  the  con- 
dition of  the  dairy.  If  the  exhibition  of  butter  and  cheese  of 
the  Plymouth  Society  this  year,  compares  with  the  average 
annual  show,  then  the  native  cow  of  Massachusetts,  with  huge 
head,  body  and  horns,  is  a  superior  producer,  and  can  be  made 
to  turn  out  butter  as  generously,  and  as  rich  in  color  and  quali- 
ty, as  is  brought  to  us  from  the  green  valleys  of  Vermont. 

The  display  of  ornamental  and  manufactured  articles  was 
very  extensive,  and  many  of  the  specimens  of  female  taste  and 
skill  were  equal  to  any  I  have  elsewhere  seen.  Doubtless 
much  of  the  success  of  our  agricultural  societies  is  owing  to 
the  share  taken  in  the  exhibitions  by  the  ladies;  and  the  Old 
Colony  Society  is  entitled  to  a  full  share  of  credit  in  this 
respect. 

The  annual  address  before  the  society,  by  our  distinguished 
fellow-citizen,  Mr.Teschemacher,  was  delivered  before  I  reached 
Bridgewater.  High  encomiums  were  passed  upon  it  by  several 
who  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  it. 

I  have  to  acknowledge  the  kindness  of  Hon.  Philo  Leach 
and  Jacob  Perkins,  Esq.,  who  accompanied  me  to  the  various 
divisions  of  the  show,  and  secured  to  me  every  facility  for 
deriving  pleasure  and  profit  by  my  visit. 

EDGAR  K.  WHITAKER. 


Exhibition  of  the  Bristol   Society. 

I  will  briefly  state  my  recollections  of  the  exhibition  of  this- 
society,  which  was  held  at  Taunton  on  the  9th  and  10th  days 
of  October  last. 
60 


474  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

The  first  peculiarity  was,  the  occupation  of  two  days.  On 
the  first  day,  all  animals  and  articles  were  presented  and  ar- 
ranged for  the  examination  by  committees.  The  society  met 
in  the  afternoon,  and  attended  to  the  usual  business  of  the 
annual  meeting.  Everything  went  on  with  order  and  pro- 
priety. The  only  thing  in  the  arrangements,  that  occurred  to 
be  amended,  was,  that  no  provision  was  made  for  keeping  the 
animals  on  the  ground,  over  night.  This  seemed  to  be  very 
desirable,  as  most  of  the  visitors  to  the  show  were  expected  on 
the  second  day ;  and  as  a  loss  of  a  view  of  the  animals  pre- 
sented, would  materially  detract  from  the  interest  of  the  show. 

On  the  second  day,  operations  commenced  with  much  activi- 
ty, on  the  ploughing  field,  there  being  thirty-six  teams  actually 
engaged.  Among  these  were  teams  of  two  pairs  of  oxen,  one 
pair  of  oxen,  one  pair  of  oxen  and  a  horse,  and  one  pair  of 
horses.  It  was  particularly  gratifying  to  witness  this  variety 
of  teams,  for,  so  long  as  teams  of  these  several  descriptions 
continue  to  be  employed  by  good  farmers,  it  seems  highly 
proper  to  give  each  of  them  a  chance  in  the  competition.  It 
was  pleasing  to  find  every  variety  of  plough,  as  well  as  of 
team  ;  and,  as  a  whole,  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a 
ploughing  match, — and  I  have  seen  many, — that  was  carried 
through  in  a  manner  more  instructive.  Without  knowing  the 
opinion  of  the  committees,  my  own  impression  of  the  best  per- 
formance on  the  field,  was  a  lot  in  the  extreme  eastern  part  of 
the  field,  ploughed  by  a  span  of  horses,  attached  to  a  Michigan 
sod  and  subsoil  plough,  and  guided  by  the  ploughman  himself. 
Rarely  is  seen,  work  more -thoroughly  or  expeditiously  done. 
This  plough  may  be  commended  to  the  notice  of  all  those 
farmers,  who  are  desirous  of  pulverizing  their  soil  thoroughly, 
in  the  least  time. 

Next  came  the  trial  of  working  oxen,  in  the  usual  manner. 
It  appeared  to  be  well  conducted,  but  not  witnessing  it  through, 
I  forbear  to  enlarge  upon  it. 

In  the  hall  for  manufactures,  fruits,  and  other  articles,  was  a 
highly  gratifying  display.  The  workshops  of  Taunton  and 
New  Bedford,  here  exhibited  almost  every  variety  of  mechanic 
industry,  many  of  which  would  have  shown  to  advantage,  even 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  475 

in  the  Crystal  Palace,  at  London.  Here,  for  the  first  time,  I 
saw  a  complete  display  of  the  apparatus  used  in  the  whale 
fishery,  by  the  aid  of  which  so  many  millions  are  annually 
added  to  the  resources  of  the  Commonwealth.  Herein,  we  see 
an  illustration  of  Yankee  ingenuity  and  perseverance  ;  what  it 
cannot  raise  from  rugged  rocks  and  sandy  plains,  it  will  not 
fail  to  command  from  the  depths  of  the  ocean.  So  true  is  it, 
where  the  spirit  of  freedom  prevails,  man  fails  not  to  go  ahead. 

In  the  halls  was  to  be  seen  a  large  variety  of  the  products  of 
the  dairy,  in  the  form  of  butter  and  cheese,  of  superior  quality. 
Where  the  feed  grew  that  produced  such  fine  products,  is 
better  known  to  those  familiar  with  the  county,  than  to 
those  who  have  observed  it  only  upon  the  line  of  their  rail- 
roads. The  tables  also  were  loaded  with  an  abundance  of  the 
various  kinds  of  fruits,  from  many  of  the  farming  towns,  and 
particularly  from  the  splendid  gardens  of  New  Bedford.  And 
what  is  worthy  of  all  praise,  these  fruits  were  offered,  on  con- 
dition that  they  should  be  used  at  the  dinner-table,  so  that  all 
might  taste,  as  well  as  see,  the  quality  of  the  fruits.  This 
being  done,  and  the  facility  of  growing  them  being  explained, 
at  the  same  time,  to  be  in  the  power  of  every  proprietor  of  the 
soil,  the  consequence  will  be,  that  many  of  these  proprietors 
will,  ere  long,  grow  a  sufficiency  of  such  luxuries  for  their  own 
consumption. 

The  formal  address,  the  usual  accompaniment  of  our  county 
agricultural  exhibitions,  was  wanting  on  this  occasion.  But  its 
place  was  well  supplied  by  appropriate  remarks  from  his  excel- 
lency the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  other  gentle- 
men of  distinction  present.  Nevertheless,  it  is  well  to  have 
an  annual  address  at  these  exhibitions.  It  gives  opportunity  for 
a  display  of  talent  and  a  condensation  of  information,  which, 
when  distributed  among  the  farmers,  in  connection  with  the 
reports  of  committees,  is  instrumental  of  much  good.  If  other 
counties  of  the  Commonwealth,  in  proportion  to  their  natural 
advantages,  would  do  as  well  as  Bristol  has  done,  they  would 
have  no  cause  to  be  ashamed  of  their  condition. 

JOHN  W.  PROCTOR. 


476  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Exhibition  of  the  Barnstable  Society. 

The  annual  cattle  show  and  fair  of  this  society  were  held  at 
Orleans,  low  down  on  the  Cape,  on  the  8th  of  October  last. 
The  weather  was  very  fine  and  a  large  concourse  of  people, 
some  from  all  the  towns  of  our  long  and  narrow  peninsula,  at- 
tended. About  600  persons,  one  half  of  them  ladies,  dined  in 
company  at  Higgins's  hotel ;  and  probably  1500  spectators  in. 
all,  were  upon  the  ground.  It  was  the  first  time  the  fair  had 
been  held  on  the  Cape,  below  Barnstable  ;  and  the  occasion 
showed,  that  among  the  people  of  the  more  sterile  portions  of 
the  county,  there  was  a  lively  interest  in  the  success  of  the  so- 
ciety, and  the  cause  of  agriculture. 

The  ploughing  match  was  the  first  thing  attended  to  in  the 
exercises  of  the  day.  The  number  of  ox  teams  was  not  so 
large  as  usual,  the  farmers  of  this  vicinity  depending  mostly 
upon  horse-labor  for  their  farm  work.  It  was  well  sustained, 
and  attracted,  as  usual,  much  attention.  The  exhibition  of 
stock,  particularly  of  colts,  was  more  extensive  and  better  than 
on  any  previous  fair,  and  such  as  would  do  credit  to  any  county 
in  the  Commonwealth. 

There  was  a  very  good  show  of  fowls,  which  was  a  new 
feature  in  our  exhibitions ;  among  these  the  Shanghae  and  Co- 
chin China  predominated.  Of  fruits  and  vegetables,  were  good 
specimens  of  almost  all  the  varieties  of  the  season.  The  dairy 
was  not  so  well  represented,  though  there  were  several  good 
samples  of  butter. 

The  articles  of  domestic  manufactures,  which  were  numer- 
ous and  received  the  greatest  share  of  attention,  were  displayed 
in  the  Rock  Harbor  Academy.  The  room,  as  on  other  occa- 
sions, was  quite  too  small  to  exhibit  the  articles  to  advantage. 
In  this  department  were  several  new  articles  introduced,  shell 
monuments  and  vases  of  very  tasteful  design  and  workmanship, 
crayon  and  other  drawings,  very  beautiful.  While  there  was 
no  lack  of  the  usual  quantity  of  fancy  articles,  of  worsted  work 
and  embroidery,  the  more  substantial  and  useful  products  of 
female  labor,  carpeting,  hearth-rugs,  coverlets,  counterpanes, 
blankets,  cotton  and  wool  cloth  and  hosiery,  occupied  a  promi- 
nent place. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  477 

Specimens  of  the  cranberry  exhibited,  deserve  particular  no- 
tice. It  may  be  doubted  whether  larger  or  better  specimens  of 
this  fruit  were  found  anywhere  in  the  State.  The  cultivation 
of  the  cranberry  is,  in  some  towns  of  the  Cape,  the  most  im- 
portant branch  of  agricultural  enterprise.  Fifty  bushels,  a 
sample  of  which  was  exhibited,  were  raised  on  a  quarter  of  an 
acre  of  land  in  Harwich,  and  were  sold  for  three  dollars  per 
bushel.  Large  tracts  of  peat  swamp  are  being  rapidly  convert- 
ed into  cranberry  lots  by  covering  the  turf  with  white  sand, 
and  setting  the  vines  in  hills,  one  and  a  half  feet  apart. 

There  is  on  the  whole,  an  increasing  interest  in  this  anniver- 
sary, and  the  cause  of  agriculture  generally,  upon  the  Cape, 
and  our  experience  seems  to  prove,  that  the  holding  of  the  fair 
in  different  places  in  the  county,  tends  to  promote  that  in- 
terest. 

The  address  by  Judge  C.  E.  Potter,  of  Manchester,  N.  H., 
was  delivered  at  two  o'clock,  in  the  open  air,  from  the  rising 
ground  in  front  of  the  Methodist  church.  It  was  a  very  sensible 
and  practical  discourse.  The  speaker  contrasted  the  early  days 
of  New  England  agriculture,  when  the  colonies  were  some- 
times obliged  to  obtain  corn  from  the  natives,  to  prevent  starva- 
tion, with  the  present  agricultural  operations.  He  went  into 
a  description  of  soils,  pointing  out  the  peculiarities  of  that  of 
Cape  Cod,  giving  some  of  his  own  experience  in  the  adapta- 
tion of  soils  to  certain  vegetables. 

He  spoke  of  the  farmers  of  our  country  as  ever  having  been 
the  true  patriots,  and  always  found  on  the  side  of  good  govern- 
ment and  opposed  to  outbreaks  of  passion,  pride  or  ambition, 
that  have  occasionally  disturbed   the   peace  and  prosperity  of 

the  country. 

OBED  BROOKS,  Jr. 


Third  Meeting  of  the  Massachusetts   Board  or  Agricul- 
ture. 
The   board    met,    according   to   adjournment,  at  the   State 
House,  in   Boston,  on  Tuesday,  February  3d,  at  lOi  o'clock. 
There   was  a  full  meeting  of  delegates,  all   the  societies  but 


478  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Berkshire,  being  represented.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  the  Presi- 
dent, in  the  chair;  William  S.  King,  Secretary,  jt)?-o  tern. 

The  several  committees,  appointed  at  a  previous  meeting  of 
the  board  to  report  on  ploughing,  stock,  farms,  crops,  and  man- 
ufactures, presented  their  reports,  which  were  accepted.  These 
reports  will  be  found  at  the  close  of  the  account  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  this  meeting. 

On  a  motion  to  print  the  reports  and  transactions  of  the 
board,  an  interesting  debate  ensued,  in  which  many  of  the  del- 
egates participated,  and  it  was 

Resolved,  That  the  executive  committee  of  this  board  be  instructed  to  confer 
with  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  in  regard  to  the  publication  and  cir- 
culation of  their  proceedings,  and  to  make  such  application  to  the  Legislature 
in  relation  thereto,  as  may  be  deemed  expedient. 

Resolved,  That  the  executive  committee  be  also  instructed  to  take  such 
measures  as  they  may  deem  expedient,  to  secure  a  more  general  circulation  of 
the  Abstract  of  Transactions  of  Agricultural  Societies,  published  by  the  State. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  King, 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  the  executive  committee  be  authorized  and  in- 
structed to  make  arrangements  with  Professor  Fowler,  a  member  of  this 
board,  who  is  about  to  embark  for  Europe,  to  procure  from  him  a  report  on 
the  agriculture  and  agricultural  institutions  of  the  countries  he  may  visit. 

The  President  presented  to  the  board  an  extract  from  the 
minutes  of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Agricultural  Society,  which 
held  its  session  at  Harrisburg,  January  20  and  21,  recommend- 
ing the  calling  of  a  convention  of  agriculturists  of  the  United 
States,  to  meet  at  Washington,  at  some  day  hereafter  to  be 
fixed,  and  the  choosing  of  a  delegate  from  each  Congressional 
district,  to  be  a  member  of  such  National  Society. 

The  following  preamble  and  resolution  were  offered  by  Mr. 
Daggett,  and  adopted  : — 

Whereas,  This  board,  at  their  last  meeting,  held  on  January  14th,  passed  a 
resolution  proposing  a  National  Convention ;  and  whereas,  they  have  received 
a  communication  from  the  State  Agricultural  Society  of  Pennsylvania  on 
the  same  subject : 

Resolved,  That  said  communication  be  referred  to  the  President  of  this 
board  for  further  consideration  and  correspondence. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Sprague, 
Resolved,   That  the  executive  committee  be  charged  with  the  duty  of 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  479 

making  such  recommendations  to  the  various  County  Agricultural  Societies, 
with  regard  to  premiums,  as  they  may  deem  expedient. 

Resolved,  That  the  matter  of  calling  a  future  meeting  of  this  board,  be  re- 
ferred, with  power,  to  the  executive  committee. 

Afternoon  Session. 

The  board  met,  according  to  adjournment,  at  a  quarter  past 
3  o'clock,  P.  M.,  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

The  President  read  an  interesting  letter  from  Dr.  Lee,  on  the 
subject  of  a  National  Convention  ;  warmly  commending  the 
project,  and  promising  the  concurrence  of  several  States. 

A  document  from  Hon.  Abbott  Lawrence,  Minister  to  London, 
regarding  the  National  Agricultural  Institution  of  Versailles, 
addressed  to  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  was  presented  to  the  board 
by  the  President.  The  document  was  ordered  to  be  accepted, 
and  referred  to  the  executive  committee,  and  the  President 
was  requested  to  convey  to  Mr.  Lawrence  the  thanks  of  this 
board  for  his  attentive  kindness,  and  for  tiis  sympathy  with 
the  objects  of  its  organization. 

The  resolutions  on  agricultural  education,  presented  at  the 
last  meeting  of  the  board,  were  read  and  offered  for  discussion. 

Mr.  Wilder,  in  submitting  these  resolutions,  remarked  that  it 
was  a  most  extraordinary  fact,  that  while  the  aid  of  science 
has  been  invoked  to  all  other  callings,  and  while  it  has  been 
extended  to  the  other  interests  of  the  State  and  country,  by  the 
National  or  State  governments,  to  this  day  not  a  dollar  directly 
has  been  contributed  by  our  National  Government  to  aid  this 
most  important  interest  of  agriculture.  What  we  want  now  is 
an  institution  to  educate  young  farmers  for  their  calling.  He 
closed  by  reading  an  extract  from  Dr.  Lee's  letter,  in  favor  of 
some  such  means  as  is  proposed  by  the  board,  for  the  promo- 
tion of  a  thorough  and  scientific  agricultural  education. 

Mr.  Wheeler,  of  Framingham,  spoke  of  the  low  ideas  which 
existed  in  his  younger  days,  in  regard  to  the  education  of  the 
farmer.  It  was  thought  if  a  boy  learned  to  read,  write,  cipher, 
and  spell,  he  would  make  an  excellent  farmer.  Too  much  of 
this  want  of  education  exists  at  the  present  day,  and  farmers 
are  too  willing  to  go  on  in  the  old  way  of  their  fathers.     He 


480  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

showed,  by  alluding  to  Belgium  and  other  European  countries, 
that  Massachusetts,  under  a  similar  system  of  scientific  agri- 
cultural practice,  might  be  made  to  produce  a  much  larger 
amount  of  breadstuffs  than  she  now  does.  He  was  decidedly 
in  favor  of  encouragement  to  agricultural  education. 

Mr.  Dodge,  of  Hamilton,  discussed  the  application  of  science 
to  agriculture,  showing  that  this  application  is  practicable.  Al- 
luding to  agricultural  science,  as  developed  in  Europe,  he  con- 
tended that  the  same  great  principles  are  applicable  in  this 
country.  In  England,  science  is  recognized  as  a  useful  ally. 
Chemists  are  employed  to  analyze  soils  and  to  recommend  treat- 
ment. They  err  sometimes,  but  the  balance  of  good  is  in  their 
favor.  The  English  are  a  wide-awake  people,  and  from  the 
fact  that  they  unanimously  adopt  scientific  agriculture,  he 
would  be  willing  to  follow  their  lead. 

The  science  which  answers  for  England,  it  is  said,  will  not 
answer  for  us.  Why  not  ?  The  same  sun  shines  on  land  there, 
and  the  same  rain  descends;  the  same  crops  grow  there,  and 
science  is  the  same  there,  as  here.  The  question  is,  then,  why 
is  not  this  science  shown  to  our  farmers  ?  The  great  reason  is, 
that  there  are  not  men  enough  here  to  teach  it.  There  are  a 
few  men  qualified  for  this  duty,  such  as  Dr.  Lee,  Professor 
Norton,  and  some  few  others,  but  they  cannot  be  expected  to 
•experiment,  uncompensated,  for  the  benefit  of  others.  Here, 
then,  is  seen  the  need  of  aid  from  the  State,  to  extend  the 
science  of  agriculture  to  the  farming  community.  He  hoped 
the  day  was  not  far  distant  when  Massachusetts  would  con- 
tribute at  least  a  pittance  to  carry  out  this  object. 

An  agricultural  bureau  at  Wasliington  should  be  established. 
Let  agriculture  go  up  before  the  Federal  and  State  Legislatures; 
— go,  though  reeking  with  sweat  from  the  plough, — let  com- 
merce stand  by  for  a  day,  and  manufactures  wait  awhile,  until 
agriculture's  voice  is  heard  demanding  this  aid.  But  he  would 
not  wait  for  this.  The  states  should  go  on  and  establish  agri- 
cultural bureaus  for  themselves,  in  order  that  they  may  collect 
statistics  to  be  forwarded  to  the  national  bureau  when  that  is 
established.  He  hoped  that  the  friends  of  this  movement 
would  persevere  in  their  work  until  their  claim  is  allowed. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  481 

Mr.  Gorham,  delegate  from  the  Hampden,  Hampshire  and 
Franklin  Society,  next  spoke.  He  said  he  saw  in  the  com- 
munity a  prevalent  apathy  in  regard  to  this  snbject,  in  the 
continuance  of  which  he  foresaw  great  evils  to  the  Slate,  if 
not  to  the  race.  The  dependence  of  all  other  interests  upon 
agriculture  he  dwelt  upon,  and  said  that  when  it  suffers  all 
others  suffer,  when  it  fails  all  others  fail.  And  yet  the  position 
of  this  cause,  in  a  national  point  of  view,  is  most  sad  and 
humiliating.  It  was  useless  to  say  that  this  cause  would  take 
care  of  itself.  It  would  not.  The  calling  has  to  do  with  the 
great  mysteries  and  laws  of  nature,  and  you  can  no  more  ex- 
pect agriculture  to  flourish  without  knowledge  than  you  can 
expect  religion  to  flourish  separated  from  the  practice  of  virtue 
and  morality.  What  science  has  done  for  commerce  on  the 
ocean,  she  has  yet  to  do  for  agriculture  on  the  land.  The 
ocean  was  once  a  hairier  between  countries.  Timid  voyagers 
crept  from  headland  to  headland.  Science  furnished  the  trem- 
bling needle  that  always  pointed  to  the  pole,  and  the  barrier 
became  a  highway.  Why  will  not  science,  if  permitted,  do  as 
much  for  agriculture.  The  American  farmers  are  looking  anx- 
iously for  some  guiding  star  to  direct  them  in  their  calling. 
He  believed  that  star  had  risen ;  that  its  glimmerings  can  be 
seen,  and  that  with  faith  in  it,  it  would  lead  to  glorious  results. 

Professor  Fowler,  of  Amherst,  inquired,  why  at  this  day 
there  should  be  any  doubt  of  the  value  of  education  as  applied 
to  agriculture?  Especially,  why  should  this  doubt  exist  in 
Massachusetts?  One  reason,  he  believed,  is  that  the  advocates 
of  agricultural  education  are  not  distinctly  understood  in  their 
principles  or  purposes.  It  was  not  true  that  science,  in  its 
application  to  agriculture,  was  independent  of  labor  and  capital. 
Mere  book  knowledge  is  not  better  than  practical  knowledge 
drawn  from  experience,  and  the  friends  of  this  movement  do 
not  entertain  or  sustain  any  such  theory.  Science,  without 
common  sense,  will  not  succeed.  What  they  mean,  is,  that 
science,  with  common  sense,  energy,  and  practical  experience, 
will  accomplish  the  desirable  results  at  which  they  aim.  He 
supposed  a  young  man  about  to  enter  into  a  partnership  with 
earth  and  nature,  in  his  profession  as  a  farmer.  To  enter  into 
61 


482  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

/ 
"this  partnership  profitably,  he  should  understand  the  elements 

of  the  soils,  the  laws  of  geology  and  of  the  vegetable  king- 
dom, in  order  that  he  may  adapt  the  one  to  the  other.  The 
laws  of  animal  physiology  it  is  also  necessary  for  him  to  un- 
derstand, in  order  to  adapt  his  stock  to  his  crops.  The 
laws  of  chemistry,  of  the  composition  of  soils,  of  mechanics, 
the  great  laws  and  agencies  of  nature,  all  should  be  known 
and  observed  by  him,  in  order  successfully  to  prosecute  his 
calling. 

The  great  improvements  in  other  arts,  by  the  application  of 
science,  were  alluded  to  in  this  cormection,  and  the  speaker 
asked.  Is  agriculture  the  only  art  that  is  to  receive  no  aid  from 
science  ?  Is  she,  the  oldest  daughter  of  nature,  after  having  fed 
her  sister  arts,  to  be  dismissed  without  any  dower  ?  This 
ought  not  so  to  be;  the  friends  of  agriculture  ought  not  to 
allow  this  so  to  be.  He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  the  friends  of  agriculture,  and  the  duty  of  the  Legis- 
lature, to  establish  an  institution  independent  of  all  others, 
from  which  this  knowledge  and  science  can  go  forth.  Estab- 
lish it  with  limited  means  at  first,  and  then  let  it  grow,  as  the 
occasion  may  demand,  and  its  usefulness  may  be  exhibited  in 
its  results. 

Mr.  Proctor  said,  I  concur  most  heartily  in  the  general  views 
of  the  resolutions  now  before  this  meeting.  They  say,  in  one 
■word,  that  it  is  the  bounden  duty  of  the  government,  both 
national  and  state,  to  do  something  for  the  encouragement  and 
protection  of  the  interests  of  the  farmer.  Is  not  this  so  ? 
Who  ar^  the  farmers?  Are  they  not  three  fourths  of  the  whole 
community  ?  How  are  they  rewarded  comparatively  ?  Look 
at  their  resources  exclusive  of  the  lands  they  occupy,  and  will 
it  not  be  found  that  the  one  fourth^  comprising  the  commercial 
and  the  manufacturing  interests,  have  more  than  the  other 
three  fourths  7  Is  there  any  equity  in  this?  Is  not  the  farmer 
as  useful  and  reliable  as  any  other  class  of  citizens  ?  On 
whom  has  the  State  ever  relied  in  time  of  danger,  if  not  on 
the  yeomanry  of  the  country  ?  Those,  then,  who  are  her 
main  stay  in  time  of  peril,  have  a  right  to  aid  and  encourage- 
ment in  times  of  prosperity.     How  can  this  aid  be  best  ap- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  483 

plied  ?  Will  it  not  be  best  done  by  educating  and  fitting  them 
to  pursue  their  employment  with  intelligence  and  success. 

But  first  and  foremost,  should  the  State  take  this  matter 
under  its  own  fostering  and  guardian  care.  Let  there  be  estab- 
lished a  department  of  agriculture,  analogous  to  that  of  educa- 
tion, to  whom  shall  be  entrusted  the  entire  supervision  and 
direction  of  all  matters  connected  with  this  subject,  and  soon 
will  it  occur  to  them  to  mark  out  the  path  of  improvement. 
Until  such  a  board  is  established,  no  appropriation  of  money  is 
asked.  And  when  established,  the  probability  is,  no  expense 
will  be  incident  thereto,  except  that  of  sustaining  a  competent 
secretary — all  of  whose  time  will  be  required,  in  connection 
with  the  operations  of  the  board.  Surely  no  valid  objection 
can  be  made  to  an  appropriation  so  trifling,  compared  with  the 
benefits  to  be  gained.  Much  has  been,  and  may  be  said  in 
relation  to  the  education  of  the  farmer.  Some  say  this  can  be 
done  best,  by  establishing  agricultural  teachers,  in  the  existing 
colleges  and  schools.  That  teachers  of  this  description  may 
be  advantageously  introduced,  no  one  will  for  a  moment 
doubt; — and  that  it  would  be  highly  useful  for  all,  whatever 
occupation  they  contemplate,  to  know  something  of  the  science 
of  agriculture,  will  be  readily  granted  ;  but  that  the  smattering 
of  information  there  attained  will  be  adequate  to  the  object  in 
view,  no  one  acquainted  with  it  can  for  a  moment  believe. 
Agriculture  is  a  science — a  science  most  complicated,  and  difli- 
cult  to  be  understood.  Its  perfect  comprehension  needs  a  com- 
bination of  all  the  other  sciences  ; — chemistry,  geology,  botany, 
and  mathematics,  are  all  involved  in  the  study  of  the  science 
of  agriculture.  No  one  can  hope  to  master  this  science,  with- 
out becoming  an  adept,  in  each  and  all  the  others.  It  is  not 
sufficient  to  learn  them  technically  and  formally — but  he  must 
enter  into  the  philosophy  of  them,  and  understand  the  reasons 
of  the  changes  brought  about. 

Mr.  Bagg,  of  the  Hampden  Society,  spoke  of  the  necessity 
of  the  appointment  of  a  body  of  men  competent  for  the  work — 
who  should  collect  and  embody  the  facts  which  exist  now 
among  farmers,  and  arrange  them  for  the  benefit  of  the  com- 
munity at  large.     Thrift,  he  said,  was  the  invariable  attendant 


484  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

upon  knowledge,  not  of  scientific  knowledge  alone,  or  of  practi- 
cal knowledge  alone;  but  of  both  combined.  It  was  the  duty, 
therefore,  of  (he  Legislature,  to  encourage  this  thrift  by  spread- 
ing knowledge  among  agriculturists. 

Mr.  Nash,  of  the  Hampshire  Society,  believed  that  common 
sense  and  experience  were  of  the  first  necessity,  and  to  these, 
science  would  lend  the  most  valuable  assistance.  He  did  not 
believe  that  practical  farmers  could  become  distinguished  chem- 
ists. But  there  are  principles  in  the  sciences  of  zoology,  of 
animal  physiology,  &:.c.,  which  any  person  may  acquire  readily, 
and  apply  in  his  every-day  experience.  Such  a  knowledge 
may  be  obtained  in  a  very  short  time — if  the  student  be  the 
farmer's  son,  or  the  farmer  himself  is  directed  to  the  right 
point.  He  would  recommend  a  course  of  study  from  which 
advantages  might  be  received  at  once.  In  these  requests  to  the 
Legislature  he  would  advise  the  friends  of  this  cause  to  ask  for 
a  small  sum  to  try  the  experiment,  and  then,  if  "  their  works 
did  not  praise  them,"  they  would  ask  for  no  more.  He  thought 
that  more  than  ^10  might  be  saved  in  each  one  of  the  100,000 
barn-yards  in  this  State,  by  knowledge  of  a  proper  management 
of  the  manure.  Even  at  one  dollar,  $100,000  will  be  saved  to 
the  State.  The  proposed  grant  of  the  Legislature  would  hasten 
this  result,  at  least,  several  years,  and  even  if  it  hastened  it  but 
one  year,  still  as  much  or  more  would  be  saved  as  is  asked  for 
by  the  friends  of  this  cause.  He  said  that  by  an  application 
of  new  treatment  to  a  piece  of  land  which  he  purchased,  from 
eight  acres  he  had  increased  the  crop  of  grass  from  three  tons 
to  fifteen  tons.  He  hoped  the  means  of  extending  this  knowl- 
edge would  be  granted  by  the  Massachusetts  Legislature  the 
present  session. 

Evening  Session. 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  at  7  o'clock.  Lieutenant 
Governor  Cnshman  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  he 
sustained  in  a  few  interesting  and  appropriate  remarks: — 

Resolved,  That  the  resolutions  now  under  consideration  be  adopted,  and  that 
the  executive  committee  be  directed  to  present  the  same  to  the  Legislature, 
and  to  urge  such  action  by  tliat  body  as  may  be  thought  most  expedient  to 
carry  into  practice  the  principles  contained  in  said  resolutions. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  485 

He  said  the  question  most  important  is,  what  shall  he  done? 
The  resolutions  have  been  ably  discussed,  and  the  unanimous 
opinion  seems  to  be  that  the  time  has  come  when  agriculture 
should  be  exalted  and  receive  from  the  government  that  atten- 
tion and  aid  which  is  her  right.  How  shall  this  be  done?  By 
the  establishment  of  a  Board  of  Agriculture  as  indicated  in  one 
of  the  resolutions.  Make  agriculture  one  of  the  departments 
of  the  government. 

Mr.  Clark,  President  of  the  Hampshire,  Hampden  and  Frank- 
lin Society,  was  called  upon.  He  said  the  word  science  had 
got  to  be  a  humbug.  Some  of  the  weekly  agricultural  papers  had 
held  this  word  up  as  a  source  of  terror  to  the  farmers,  threatening 
them  with  the  loss  of  their  farms.  Science  is  truth.  Knowl- 
edge is  science,  and  knowledge  is  power.  The  man  who  pos- 
sesses the  most  knowledge,  finds  it  all  useful  upon  his  farm; 
the  more  he  knows,  the  more  he  wants  to  know.  The  objec- 
tions to  this  subject,  he  believed,  arose  ^rom  ignorance,  and 
from  those  who  are  willing  to  abide  in  their  ignorance.  Farm- 
ers ought  not  thus  to  be  taught  to  break  down  their  own  in- 
terests. We  want  more  knowledge  to  prevent  the  misapplication 
of  labor — and  a  school  is  required  to  impart  this  knowledge. 

Mr.  Daggett,  of  the  Bristol  Society,  next  spoke,  and  ex- 
pressed his  gratification  at  Mr.  Nash's  renjarks,  but  thought 
they  did  not  go  far  enough.  Mr.  Nash,  he  said,  showed  that 
the  great  majority  of  farmers  could  not  be  thoroughly,  scientifi- 
cally educated.  Is  not  this,  Mr.  D.  asked,  an  additional  argu- 
ment why  a  school  should  be  established  ?  Suppose  a  school 
be  established  with  say  one  hundred  and  twenty  scholars,  and 
after  having  acquired  their  education,  they  distributed  them- 
selves through  the  towns  in  the  Commonwealth,  where  they 
put  theory  and  knowledge  into  practice.  Their  neighbors 
around  them  would  copy  their  example — and  thus,  hy  example, 
would  this  knowledge  be  disseminated  from  town  to  town 
throughout  the  State.  Why,  he  asked,  do  farmers  take  so 
little  interest  in  the  promotion  of  this  knowledge  ?  It  is  be- 
cause they  do  not  feel  its  importance.  The  great  object  of 
this  school  should  be  to  disseminate  knowledge  throughout  the 


486  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Mr.  Sprague,  President  of  the  Plymouth  Society,  spoke  of 
the  pleasure  he  had  experienced  at  these  meetings.  The 
opinion  was  expressed  by  farmers  from  all  parts  of  the  Com- 
monwealth that  more  agricultural  knowledge  is  needed  in  our 
own  State  ;  and  this  unanimity  of  opinion  strengthened  very 
much  the  hands  of  those  engaged  in  this  movement.  He 
believed  it  cost  more  to  raise  a  bushel  of  grain  in  New  England 
than  in  any  other  country, — owing  to  the  sterility  of  the  soil. 
This  disadvantage  is  to  be  overcome, — and  he  believed  it  could 
be  done  by  farmers  better  understanding  the  duties  of  their  pro- 
fession. It  was  difficult  to  fix  upon  a  plan  for  extending  this 
education.  Different  schemes  were  proposed.  He  was  willing 
to  begin  with  a  commissioner  of  high  scientific  attainments, 
who,  if  thought  advisable,  might  be  summoned  by  a  board 
composed  of  the  presidents  of  the  incorporated  agricultural  so- 
cieties. This  board  should  offer  premiums  for  experiments 
calculated  to  throw  light  upon  practical  farming;  these  experi- 
ments to  be  made  under  the  direction  of  the  commissioners, 
and  the  premium  to  be  paid  by  the  State.  In  this  way  much 
valuable  information  might  be  obtained. 

Dr.  Gardner,  of  Seekonk,  hoped  the  propositions  which  had 
been  advanced  might  be  carried  out.  He  would  like  to  see  an 
agricultural  school,  though  he  believed  the  better  course  would 
be,  to  disseminate  agricultural  information  by  means  of  the 
district  schools.  He  would  also  advocate  the  establishment  of 
an  agricultural  professorship  in  every  college  in  the  State. 
This  course,  he  thought,  would  reach  a  far  larger  number  of 
farmers  or  farmers'  sons,  than  one  exclusively  agricultural 
school. 

Rev.  Dr.  Choules  said,  the  suggestion  of  the  appointment  of 
a  commissioner,  as  made  by  Mr.  Sprague,  struck  him  favora- 
bly. Associated  with  such  a  commissioner,  there  might  be  ten 
or  twelve  persons  to  go  through  the  various  school  districts  in 
the  State,  and  lecture  upon  the  importance  of  scientific  educa- 
tion to  the  farmer.  Meetings  such  as  these  are  important,  but 
much  might  be  accomplished  by  going  right  among  the  farm- 
ers themselves,  in  their  school  districts,  and  talking  familiarly 
with  them  upon  the  subject.     This  course  would  make  an  al- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  487 

teration  in  the  feeling  of  the  masses  upon  the  subject,  and  that 
is  wliat  is  wanted.  He  believed  farmers  are  yet  to  be  taught 
that  they  must  "magnify  their  office."  A  practical  farmer  was 
very  well,  but  he  cannot  make  farmers.  He  cannot  educate 
others  to  be  farmers.  An  educated  man  is  a  powerful  man, 
whether  he  be  a  farmer,  a  mechanic,  or  an  artizan.  The  man 
eminent  in  his  profession,  whatever  it  is,  stands  before  a  third 
or  second  rate  man,  in  another  calling.  Power  is  what  is 
wanted  by  our  farmers,  and  this  must  be  got  by  knowledge. 
Dr.  Choules  alluded  to  what  he  observed  of  farming  in  his  re- 
cent tour  through  Europe.  He  was  astonished  at  the  results 
he  there  saw,  and  which  showed  the  most  extended  and  thor- 
ough system,  connected  with  the  most  rigid  economy.  He 
eulogized  the  exhibition  of  the  British  Royal  Agricultural  So- 
ciety, and  believed  $10,000  would  be  well  expended  in  send- 
ing a  delegation  of  our  practical  farmers  to  the  great  exhibition 
of  this  society,  and  then  let  them  come  home  and  tell  what 
they  had  seen.  They  would  confer  a  greai  benefit  upon  the 
farmers  of  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Bird,  of  the  executive  council,  did  not  agree  with  the 
general  ideas  which  had  been  presented.  He  did  not  believe 
a  society  like  the  Royal  Society  in  England  would  help  our 
farmers,  and  to  show  this,  proceeded  to  contrast  the  condition 
of  the  agricultural  population  there,  with  ours.  He  believed 
we  have  now  all  the  machinery  in  operation  which  is  necessary 
for  the  diffusion  of  agricultural  knowledge,  and  that  machinery 
is  our  system  of  common  schools.  He  did  not  believe  in  col- 
leges of  any  kind,  as  the  proper  place  to  impart  this  instruction, 
and  thought  the  common  school  system  is  all  that  is  needed. 
He  also  denied  that  the  State  had  afforded  assistance  to  other 
interests  to  the  neglect  of  agriculture. 

Professor  Fowler  replied  to  Mr.  Bird,  and  showed  that  other 
interests  had  been  better  cared  for  than  agriculture.  He  said 
the  interest  of  the  country  might  be  divided  into  three  great 
branches.  First,  the  agricultural  branch,  which  produces  the 
raw  material ;  second,  the  manufacturing  branch,  which  works 
the  raw  material  into  shape  for  the  various  uses  of  man ;  and 
third,  the  interest  which  conveys  these  products  to  different 


488  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

portions  of  the  country  or  the  world,  to  supply  the  demand  for 
them.  Now,  he  would  ask,  is  it  not  true  that  the  country  has 
done  much  for  manufactures,  and  for  commerce,  for  railroads, 
&c.  These  two  branches  have  received  much  aid  and  encour- 
agement, but  the  agricultural  branch  has  not  received  aid. 
There  was  another  way  in  which  this  might  be  shown. 
The  last  returns  show  that  the  number  of  native  Bay  State 
men  who  are  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil  in  Massachusetts  is 
gradually  decreasing,  and  their  places  are  being  filled  by  for- 
eigners from  all  portions  of  the  old  world.  Our  young  men  of 
talent  and  enterprise  are  forsaking  their  farms  and  going  into 
other  callings,  where  there  is  more  opportunity  for  exercise  of 
their  powers.  It  is  admitted  that  science  is  the  proper  basis 
for  all  the  arts.  It  is  important  that  the  want  of  the  applica- 
tion of  science  to  agriculture  should  be  felt,  and  then  we  should 
go  on  to  apply  it.  Common  schools  would  never  meet  the 
wants  of  the  farmers  for  agricultural  education.  It  must  be 
taught  in  a  substantial  independent  institution.  He  also  ob- 
jected to  the  idea,  that  there  is  an  antagonism  between  our  col- 
leges and  common  schools. 

Mr.  Putnam,  of  Roxbury,  said,  that  the  best  way  to  promote 
agricultural  education  is  to  teach  farmers'  sons  to  observe 
closely  the  laws  and  agencies  of  nature  in  their  relation  to  agri- 
culture. He  expressed  his  satisfaction  at  the  tone  of  the  debate 
during  the  meeting,  and  pledged  himself  to  use  all  his  efforts  to 
promote  agricultural  education  in  any  position  where  he  might 
have  the  opportunity.  His  own  idea  was,  that  there  are  few 
who  are  competent  to  teach  all  that  is  desirable — and  yet  a 
great  deal  of  knowledge  exists  in  the  community.  We  want 
some  spot  where  it  can  be  got  together.  Some  fifty  or  one 
hundred  men  to  go  round  to  the  various  towns  as  teachers, 
might  disseminate  much  knowledge.  We  must  have  some 
such  place  to  prepare  them.  He  did  not  wish  a  class  to  be  ed- 
ucated to  be  above  work.  It  would  be  dangerous  to  our  liber- 
ties. The  freedom  of  every  country  might  be  measured  by  the 
condition  of  the  actual  tillers  of  the  soil.  Let  them  be  intelli- 
gent but  hard  working.  His  own  views  were  in  favor  of  a 
school  where  farmers'  sons  can   be  taught  practically  in  their 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  489 

callings.  These  pupils  would  go  forth  as  school  teachers  and 
disseminate  this  knowledge.  He  would  have  a  farm  managed 
by  one  of  the  best  practical  farmers  he  could  find,  to  lead  the 
boys  through  the  field.  In  the  school  room  they  might  have 
lectures  from  the  most  thoroughly  scientific  men  who  could  be 
found. 

Mr.  King,  editor  of  the  Journal  of  Agriculture,  illustrated  the 
application  of  science  to  agriculture,  and  showed  the  good  results 
which  might  be  expected  to  follow  this  application.  He  closed 
with  an  appeal  for  a  suitable  school  to  teach  this  science. 

Remarks  were  also  made  by  Mr.   Nash,  of  the  Hampshire 
Society,  by  Mr.  Harvey  Dodge,  of  the  Worcester  Society,  and 
by  others,  of  which,  from  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  no  report 
was  made. 
The  resolutions  were  adopted,  and  the  meeting  adjourned. 


In  pursuance  of  the  resolution  adopted  by  the  board,  the  fol- 
lowing memorial,  with  the  resolves  on  agricultural  education, 
was  presented  to  the  Legislature  : — 

To  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  ef  the  Commonwealth  of  Mas- 
sachusetts in  General  Court  assembled,  the  subscribers,  officers  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Board  of  Agriculture,  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following  Memorial: 

At  a  late  meeting  of  the  board,  the  accompanying  resolutions  expressive  of 
the  sense  of  the  board  on  the  importance  of  agriculture,  and  of  the  adoption  of 
measures  for  its  improvement,  were  unanimously  passed ;  and  they  are  now 
respectfully  submitted  by  the  undersigned  as  a  part  of  their"  memorial,  and  in 
accordance  with  the  following  vote : — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  resolutions  now  under  considerall  on  he  adopted,  and  that 
the  offxers  of  the  Board  of  Jlgricidture  he  directed  to  present  the  same  to  the  Legis- 
lature, and  to  urge  such  action  hy  that  hody  as  may  he  thought  most  expedient  to 
carry  into  practice  the  principles  contained  in  said  resolutions^ 

The  general  subject  is  one  which  has  been  often  brought  to  the  considera- 
tion of  the  Legislature.  For  this  reason,  your  memorialists  deem  it  unneces- 
sary, at  this  time,  to  engage  in  its  elaborate  discussion.  They  would  particu- 
larly refer  to  the  report  of  the  commissioners  "  concerning  an  agricultural 
school,  and  other  subjects  relative  to  the  advancement  of  literature  in  this 
Commonwealth,"  which  was  made  to  the  General  Court  in  the  month  of  Janu 
ary,  of  the  last  year,  and  printed  among  the  documents  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, No.  13.  In  this  document  was  embodied  ^the  report  of  the  Rev. 
President  Hitchcock,  of  Amherst  College,  who  being  in  Europe  in  the  sum- 
62 


490  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

mer  of  1850,  was  requested  by  tlie  above-named  coinmissioners,  of  whom  he 
was  himself  one,  to  visit  as  many  of  the  institutions  for  agricultural  education  in 
Europe,  as  would  enable  him  to  understand  the  system  of  instruction  pursued  in 
those  schools,  and  the  mode  of  conducting  and  supporting  them.  The  com- 
missioners, in  presenting  to  the  Legislature  last  year  the  report  of  President 
Hitchcock,  expressed  the  opinion,  that  it  embraced  an  amount  of  information 
and  research  never  before  communicated  to  the  American  people  on  the  sub- 
jects referred  to.  Your  memorialists  concur  in  this  estimate  of  the  value  of 
President  Hitchcock's  memoir,  and  they  consider  it  as  superseding  the  neces- 
sity of  any  elaborate  argument,  on  their  part,  as  to  the  expediency  of  extending 
public  aid  and  patronage  to  agricultural  education. 

Without  entering  upon  any  general  views  of  the  importance  of  agriculture 
as  the  leading  pursuit  of  the  people,  and  of  the  expediency  of  adopting  some 
measures  hitherto  untried  in  this  Commonwealth,  to  promote  its  cultivation, 
your  memorialists  would  respectfully  ask  the  attention  of  the  Legislature  to 
the  two  practical  measures  which  have  been  proposed  for  this  end  : 

The  first  is  the  establishment  of  a  Board  or  Department  of  Agriculture,  as  a 
government  institution.  Among  the  resolutions  above  referred  to,  and  append- 
ed to  this  memorial,  is  the  following  : — 

'^Resolved,  That,  inasmuch  as  agriculture  is  the  chief  occupation  of  her  cit- 
izens, the  Commonwealth,  in  the  organization  of  its  government,  should  be 
provided  with  a  department  of  agriculture,  with  offices  commensurate 
with  the  importance  of  the  duties  to  be  discharged,  of  the  abilities  to  be  requir- 
ed, and  the  labors  to  be  performed." 

This  subject  engaged  the  attention  of  the  last  Legislature,  and  a  bill  was 
reported  from  the  joint  committee  of  agriculture,  providing  for  the  creation  of 
a  board  of  agriculture  analogous  to  the  board  of  education.  It  was  to  consist 
of  the  governor  and  lieutenant  governor  ex  officio,  and  of  members  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  agricultural  societies.  It  was  to  have  power  to  employ  a  secre- 
tary, and  to  prescribe  his  duties  ;  and  its  great  object  was  to  pursue  a  course 
of  measures  in  reference  to  the  agriculture  of  the  Commonwealth,  similar  to 
that  which  has  been  pursued  with  such  success  by  the  board  of  education  in 
reference  to  that  great  interest. 

Among  tliese  measures  may  b.e  enumerated  a  visitation  of  the  county  agri- 
cultur^il  societies,  and  attendance  on  their  annual  exhibitions ;  the  establish- 
ment of  an  annual  State  exhibition  to  be  held  successively  in  the  different 
counties,  with  a  distribution  of  premiums  under  tlie  autliority  of  the  board ;  a 
systematic  agiicultural  survey  of  the  State  once  in  ten  years,  with  a  view  to 
ascertain  the  progress  of  liusbandry  ;  a  full  register  of  agricultural  statistics  for 
the  Commonwealth ;  and  the  dissemination  of  information  valuable  to  the  far- 
mer, together  with  the  formation  of  a  State  agricultural  library. 

It  is  believed  that  the  organization  of  an  agricultural  board,  authorized  by 
law,  to  adopt  these,  and  all  other  appiopriate  measures  to  promote  the  improve- 
ment of  agriculture,  miglit  at  a  very  moderate  expense,  render  great  benefit  to 
this  important  interest. 

The  other  measure  above  alluded  to  is  a  School  for  Agricultural  Education. 
As  the  principal  object  of  President  Hitchcock's  report  is  the  collection  of  in- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  491 

fonnation  relative  to  institutions  for  this  purpose  in  Europe,  your  memorialists 
would  particularly  ask  the  attention  of  the  General  Court  to  his  statements  on 
this  subject.  It  will  appear  from  the  facts  therein  set  forth,  that  these  institu- 
tions have  greatly  abounded  of  late  years,  and  that  they  are  most  numerous 
in  those  countries  which  have  made  the  greatest  progress  in  husbandry. 

Your  memorialists  know  no  reason  why  such  an  institution  should  not  be  as 
much  wanted,  and  as  beneficial  in  Massachusetts,  as  in  any  country  of  Europe. 
We  possess  a  soil  of  that  medium  fertility,  which  makes  it  necessary  to  come 
in  aid  of  nature,  by  all  the  resources  of  art  and  science.  This  circumstance 
gives  peculiar  importance  to  the  dissemination  of  that  knowledge,  which  is 
necessary  for  the  greatest  possible  enrichment  of  the  soil,  the  invention  and 
improvement  of  implements  of  husbandry,  the  choice  and  perfection  of  breeds 
of  animals,  the  introduction  of  superior  varieties  in  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
and  in  a  word,  the  more  productive  management  of  a  farm  in  all  its  depart- 
ments. For  these  purposes  resort  must  be  had  directly  or  indirectly  to  almost 
every  department  of  knowledge;  and.  your  memorialists  know  of  no  way  by 
which  that  knowledge  can  be  attained  but  by  a  regular  course  of  instruction. 

If  it  is  said  that  this  knowledge  can  be  got  out  of  books  by  individual  and 
unaided  inquiry,  this  is  true  to  some  extent,  but  no  more  true  of  agricultural 
knowledge  than  knowledge  of  any  other  description.  Your  memorialists  are 
not  aware  that  it  is  any  more  easy  to  get  a  thorough  knowledge  of  husbandry 
by  individual  exertion  and  private  study,  than  it  is  to  acquire  in  that  way  a 
competent  knowledge  of  law,  medicine  or  divinity. 

Again,  your  memorialists  are  sensible  that  there  is  a  pretty  general  preju- 
dice against  what  is  called  "  book  farming,"  and  a  preference  as  general  for  a 
practical  knowledge  of  the  subject.  But  there  is,  your  memorialists  conceive, 
no  opposition  between  them.  If  there  were,  the  objection  would  hold,  not  so 
much  against  institutions  for  agricultural  education,  as  against  the  resort  to 
books  for  private  instruction  in  husbandry.  An  agricultural  school  would  be 
provided  with  an  experimental  farm  where  all  the  processes  of  husbandry 
would  be  performed  ;  with  collections  where  specimens  of  all  the  substances 
useful  in  farming  would  be  exhibited ;  and  it  would  be  provided  with  a  teacher 
or  teachers  practically  versed  in  the  art,  and  able  to  give  instruction  not  only 
in  the  lecture-room,  but  on  the  field.  The  proposition  that  practical  knowl- 
edge is  more  useful  to  the  farmer  than  book  knowledge,  certainly  furnishes  no 
argument  against  such  an  institution.  It  is  one  of  the  most  effectual  agents 
for  imparting  practical  knowledge. 

Mere  book  knowledge,  if  there  is  any  such  thing,  that  is,  knowledge  derived 
from  meditation,  without  any  experimental  acquaintance  with  facts,  must  of 
course  be  too  general  to  be  of  value.  But  knowledge  derived  from  experience 
does  not  cease  to  be  valuable  because  it  is  recorded  in  a  book.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  in  this  way  that  the  knowledge  of  one  man  becomes  available  to 
other  men.  In  institutions  for  education,  however,  still  a  further  step  is  taken. 
The  learner  is  guided  in  the  choice  of  books ;  and  the  instructions  of  the  dead 
letter  are  rendered  more  impressive  by  the  living  voice. 

Practical  knowledge  is  got  in  various  ways  ;  from  personal  observation  and 
experience,  from  the  study  of  books,  and  from  the  instruction  of  others.    In 


492  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

whatever  way  it  is  got,  it  is  better  than  ignorance.  Your  memorialists  are 
persuaded  that  a  good  foundation  in  useful  science,  especially  of  chemistry,  is 
the  best  foundation  for  the  enlightened  and  profitable  practice  of  the  art  of 
husbandry. 

Your  memorialists  do  not  feel  it  necessary,  on  this  occasion,  to  dwell  at 
length  on  the  details  of  such  an  institution  for  agricultural  education  as  it  may 
be  proper  to  establish.  These  details  may  be  properly  left  to  the  wisdom  and 
discretion  of  those  who  may  compose  the  board  of  agriculture,  should  the 
Legislature  think  it  expedient  to  establish  such  a  board.  The  most  important 
point  is  to  lay  the  foundation,  and  to  leave  the  development  to  time  and  expe- 
rience. It  may  only  be  observed  that  provision  for  instruction  by  lectures, 
and  the  use  of  the  best  text  books  on  the  one  hand,  and  for  practice  in  an  ex- 
perimental farm  on  the  other,  seem  to  be  the  two  great  features  of  an  institu- 
tion for  agricultural  education. 

For  further  views  relative  to  the  foundation  and  endowment  of  such  an  insti- 
tution, your  memorialists  respectfully  refer  to  the  report  of  the  commissioners 
above  alluded  to. 

MARSHALL  P.  WILDER,  President. 

HENRY  W.  CUSHMAN, 
JOHN  W.  LINCOLN, 

Vice  Presidents. 

EDWARD  EVERETT, 
JOHN  W.  PROCTOR, 
J.  H.  W.  PAGE, 
WM.  C.  FOWLER. 
BENJ.  V.  FRENCH, 

Executive  Committee. 

Allen  W.  Dodge,  Cor.  Secretary. 
Ed.  K.  Whitaker,  Rec.  Secretary. 

February  4,  1852. 


REPORTS  OF  COMMITTEES. 

Ploughing. 

Ploughing,  as  it  is  first  in  order  of  the  operations  on  the 
farm,  so,  when  viewed  in  all  its  bearings,  will  be  found  first 
in  importance.  It  is  a  science  imperfectly  understood  by  farm- 
ers. Thousands,  who  think  they  know  all  about  it,  will  laugh 
at  this  expression  ;  but  still  it  is  the  result  of  long  continued 
observation.  It  has  ever  been  a  leading  object  of  attention 
by  our  agricultural  societies,  and  shared  a  full  proportion  of  the 
premiums  awarded.     We  should  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  493 

$20,000  have  been  awarded  in  this  Commonwealth  alone, 
within  the  last  thirty  years,  for  experiments  in  ploughing. 
Certain  are  we  that  from  fifty  to  eighty  dollars,  annually,  have 
been  paid  by  the  Essex  Society ;  and  if  our  recollection  is 
right,  something  like  this  sum  has  been  paid  by  each  of  the 
other  societies. 

This  being  so,  it  is  fair  to  inquire,  what  benefits  have  ac- 
crued from  these  appropriations  ?  It  is  true,  that  very  great 
improvements  have  been  made  in  the  structure  of  the  plough. 
The  most  indifferent  farmer  would  be  ashamed  to  be  found 
using  ploughs,  such  as  were  used  by  his  fathers,  in  the  last 
century.  This  improvement  has  resulted,  in  a  good  measure, 
from  the  competition  and  diffusion  of  information  consequent 
upon  ploughing  matches.  The  natural  result  was,  to  intro- 
duce to  approbation  those  ploughs  that  did  the  work  in  the 
best  manner. 

It  is  impossible,  in  the  brief  remarks  in  our  power  to  submit, 
to  notice  all  those  points  that  demand  consideration.  We  can 
only  mention  a  few  of  the  most  prominent. 

1.  As  to  the  team  proper  to  be  used.  In  the  eastern  part  of 
the  Commonwealth,  as  far  as  our  observation  has  extended, 
oxen  are  preferred  to  horses.  Though  we  have  seen  very  fine 
ploughing  performed  by  a  well  trained  pair  of  horses,  when 
the  farmer  is  content  with  a  depth  of  about  six  inches,  the 
work  can  be  expeditiously  done  with  such  a  team,  perhaps 
more  so  than  with  any  other.  But  when  he  would  have  the 
earth  stirred  ten  or  twelve  inches  deep,  either  by  the  use  of  a 
subsoil  plough  or  otherwise,  more  team  will  be  required,  at 
least  two  pair  of  cattle.  We  have  seen  land  quite  well 
ploughed  by  the  use  of  one  pair  of  cattle  and  a  horse.  Such 
a  team,  trained  to  operate  without  a  driver,  we  consider  the 
most  economical  in  the  power  of  the  farmer  to  use.  Few 
farmers  can  get  along  without  a  horse,  and,  as  a  general  re- 
mark, no  one  in  New  England,  who  makes  farming  his  busi- 
ness, should  presume  to  carry  on  the  farm  without  owning  a 
pair  of  oxen.  Unite  their  power,  and  his  field  will  be  ploughed 
to  best  advantage. 

2.  The  practice  has  been  increasing  of  late  years,  of  turning 


494  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

the  farrow  slice  as  wide  as  possible, — say  from  14  to  18 
inches, — and  ploughs  have  been  adapted  to  this  end.  That 
plough  which  would  cut  the  widest  furrow  and  lay  it  flattest, 
has  been  deemed  the  best.  In  this  way,  an  acre  may  be 
turned  in  the  least  time,  but,  in  our  opinion,  not  in  the  best 
manner.  We  prefer  to  have  the  furrow  slice  no  wider  than  is 
necessary  for  the  complete  turning  of  the  sod.  What  is  gained 
in  time  is  lost  in  the  pulverization.  That  furrow  slice  is  best, 
both  in  width  and  position,  that  most  facilitates  this  process. 
In  this  respect,  we  admire  the  operation  of  some  of  the  Eng- 
lish and  Scotch  ploughs,  and  we  doubt  whether  yankee  inge- 
nuity has  gone  ahead  in  this  particular. 

In  some  counties  of  this  Commonwealth  we  have  noticed 
that  their  premiums  were  restricted  to  teams  of  one  pair  of 
cattle,  without  a  driver  ;  as  if  it  were  settled  that  such  teams 
are  adequate  to  all  ploughing  purposes.  In  Worcester  espe- 
cially, we  understand  it  to  be  "  the  settled  conviction  of  the 
trustees,  that  with  one  of  the  improved  ploughs,  and  a  single 
yoke  of  well  matched  and  well  trained  oxen  of  common  size, 
most  of  the  ploughing  on  a  New  England  farm  may  be  well 
executed ;"  that  is,  by  "  well  executed,"  as  here  used,  to 
better  advantage,  all  things  considered,  than  in  any  other  man- 
ner. If  this  be  the  idea  intended  to  be  conveyed,  we  respectful- 
ly say  it  does  not  accord  with  our  observation.  We  should  be 
willing  to  join  the  issue  on  this  question,  and  try  it  before  a 
jury  of  twelve  practical  farmers,  drawn  from  any  twelve  towns, 
even  of  Worcester  county,  with  or  without  the  arguments  of 
counsel. 

If  one  pair  of  cattle  are  adequate  to  all  ploughing  purposes, 
it  should  be  known.  But  that  it  is  not  generally  believed  to 
be  true,  is  established,  we  think,  by  the  fact  that  our  farmers 
do  not  generally  use  such  a  team  in  the  ordinary  performance 
of  the  work  on  their  farms.  They  would  not  be  likely  to 
use  any  more  power  than  they  believed  to  be  advantageous. 
Without  doubt,  very  good  work  can  be  done  on  common  field 
land  with  such  a  team ;  but  we  think  better  work  can  be  done 
with  a  team  of  more  power,  and  we  should  prefer  increasing 
the  strength  of  the  team  and  deepening  the  movements  of  the 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  495 

plough.  We  have  never  yet  witnessed  a  team  of  this  descrip- 
tion continue  to  labor,  day  after  day,  ploughing  the  furrow  so 
deep  as  it  ought  to  be,  without  encountering  too  much  fa- 
tigue. 

We  have  yet  to  learn  of  any  serious  disadvantages  accruing 
from  deep  ploughing,  but  are  fully  persuaded  of  many  advan- 
tages. If  we  do  not  mistake,  the  public  mind  is  fast  inclining 
to  deep  ploughing.  Scarcely  an  agricultural  paper  is  issued, 
that  does  not  contain  an  account  of  some  extraordinary  crop, 
almost  always  preceded  by  deep  ploughing.  So  often  have  we 
witnessed  its  benefits  in  the  growth  of  grass,  corn,  grain,  and 
vegetables,  that  we  should  be  false  to  our  duty,  if,  in  speaking 
of  ploughing,  we  did  not  in  this  manner  urge  upon  the  farmer 
the  importance  of  deepening  his  soil.  We  are  not  able  to 
name  the  crop  that  is  not  so  benefited.  Even  those  vegetables 
that  grow  apparently  upon  the  surface,  we  know  are  much  ben- 
efited by  stirring  the  earth  occasionally  to  the  depth  of  ten  or 
twelve  inches.  Of  this  we  can  bear  testimony  from  much  ob- 
servation. 

Of  late,  we  have  greatly  admired  the  operation  of  the  Michi- 
gan subsoil  plough,  and  we  believe  it  is  destined  to  have  a 
highly  favorable  influence  upon  our  culture.  By  laying  the 
tough-rooted  sod  underneath,  especially  when  fully  cut  and 
fairly  turned  flat,  as  it  should  be,  without  doubling  over,  it  is 
left  to  pulverize  as  the  roots  of  the  grass  decay,  and  the  ammo- 
nia thus  disengaged  comes  forward,  just  at  the  right  time,  to 
invigorate  the  tender  fibres  of  the  growing  vegetables.  The 
second  strata  of  the  soil,  thrown  uppermost  free  of  roots,  is 
readily  broken  and  commingled  with  the  compost  or  other 
dressing  that  may  be  applied.  Wo  have  heard  it  said,  by  men 
of  much  practical  experience,  that  by  the  aid  of  this  plough,  in 
one  season,  the  earth  can  be  as  well  pulverized  and  prepared  to 
be  lain  down  to  grass,  as  is  ordinarily  done  by  the  common 
plough  in  two.  This,  in  those  sections  of  the  country  where 
it  is  a  primary  object  with  the  farmer  to  keep  his  land  in  the 
best  condition  for  the  production  of  grass,  is  a  decided  improve- 
ment. Some  of  the  ploughs  of  this  description  have  not  cut 
the  upper  furrow  slice  so  fully  and  turned   it  so  flatly,  as  it 


496  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE., 

should  be  done.  This  is  a  defect  in  their  structure  that  can 
readily  be  remedied.  It  will  not  often  produce  any  practical 
inconvenience,  where  the  furrow  slice  is  limited  to  a  width  of 
about  ten  inches,  which  is  as  wide  as  we  prefer  to  have  it 
turned.  We  have  been  thus  particular  in  speaking  of  this  form 
of  the  plough,  because  it  has  been  among  us  but  a  short  time, 
and  because  we  would  not  say  anything  more  in  its  favor  than 
we  are  fully  persuaded  it  will  bear. 

With  many  cultivators,  the  side-hill  plough  has  of  late  been 
brought  into  general  use,  even  on  level  land.  It  has  the  ad- 
vantage of  leaving  the  field  in  a  more  finished  condition,  by 
avoiding  those  hollows  that  are  consequent  upon  the  turning  of 
the  last  furrow  of  the  land  ploughed,  and  by  producing  a  uni- 
formity of  appearance  at  the  end.  These  are  slight  considera- 
tions, but  still  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  deemed  material, 
by  those  who  would  have  work  done  in  the  best  manner. 

Every  section  of  the  country  has  its  favorite  form  of  the 
plough,  adopted,  often,  as  much  from  local  or  personal  consid- 
erations, as  from  any  peculiar  merits  in  the  structure.  For  a 
time,  after  the  introduction  of  Wood's  cast-iron  plough.  New 
York  took  the  lead  in  this  class  of  agricultural  implements. 
But  of  late,  since  the  ploughs  made  by  Ruggles  &  Co.,  Prouty 
&.  Co.,  and  Howard  and  Martin,  have  been  so  generally  spread 
abroad,  Massachusetts  has  a  ploughing  fame,  world  renowned. 

It  has  seemed  to  us  that  a  primary  object  with  this  board 
should  be,  to  ascertain  what  has  been  learned  for  certainty  in 
relation  to  ploughing,  and  to  mark  that ;  and  to  inquire  on 
what  points  information  is  most  needed,  and  the  best  manner 
of  obtaining  it.  For  this  purpose,  to  point  out  a  mode  of  offer- 
ing premiums,  with  more  distinctness  and  precision,  and  to  re- 
quire of  committees  corresponding  reports.  If  uniformity  in 
the  offer  of  premiums,  and  in  the  reports  of  societies,  could  be 
introduced,  this  would  afford  a  ready  mode  of  comparison.  A 
series  of  experiments  for  a  few  years,  probably  conducted  in 
this  manner,  would  go  far  towards  settling  all  those  points  which 
are  deemed  most  material.  We  are  not  unmindful  that  differ- 
ent soils  and  different  crops,  require  operations  as  different  as 
are  their  qualities.     Instance  the  rocky  lands  in  Worcester,  and 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE,  497 

the  sandy  lands  of  Plymouth,  which  are  to  be  moved  by 
different  machinery.  But  still,  there  are  many  points  of  com- 
mon utility,  in  both  these  regions. 

Much  has  been  said  of  late  of  the  advantages  to  accrue 
from  subsoil  ploughing.  There  are  few,  however,  who  can 
speak  with  confidence  from  their  own  experience  on  this  point. 
The  late  Mr.  Phinney,  than  whom  Massachusetts  has  had  few 
farmers  more  observing,  was  very  sanguine  as  to  the  benefits 
to  accrue  from  the  use  of  the  subsoil  plough.  Such,  too,  is  the 
lesson  to  be  learned  from  English  books  on  agriculture,  in 
which  instruction  of  great  utility  is  to  be  found.  Without  pre- 
suming to  speak  of  it  with  entire  confidence  arising  from  our 
own  experience,  we  think  it  worthy  of  the  continued  attention 
of  the  board,  and  would  commend  it  to  the  notice  of  all  our 
societies,  until  its  advantages  or  disadvantages  are  more  fully 
tested  by  actual  experiment. 

At  what  season  of  the  year,  can  grass  land  be  turned  over  to 
best  advantage  ?  Shall  it  be  done  in  the  spring  or  in  the  au- 
tumn ?  A  simple  inquiry,  and  one  that  must  present  itself  to 
the  mind  of  every  one,  that  has  work  of  the  kind  to  do ;  but 
still  an  inquiry,  on  which  very  few  are  able  to  give  a  satisfac- 
tory reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in  them. 

We  have  ventured  these  brief  suggestions,  as  specimens  of 
what  may  be  said  on  the  subject  of  ploughing.  We  have  for- 
borne to  expand  our  remarks,  through  fear  of  being  tedious. 
If  a  more  uniform  system  of  offering  premiums  shall  be  deemed 
by  the  board  desirable,  we  will  endeavor  to  prepare  it. 

J.  W.  PROCTOR,  Chairman. 


Milch  Cows  and  Dairy  Products. 
In  the  different  agricultural  societies  in  this  Commonwealth, 
there  exists  a  great  diversity  in  the  modes  of  testing  the  merits 
of  milch  cows,  and  of  awarding  the  premiums  for  butter  and 
cheese.  In  some  of  the  societies,  the  premiums  offered  for 
these  three  distinct  objects,  are  made  to  point  to  a  common 
result,  viz.,  the  ascertaining  of  the  merits  of  the  cow,  or  herd 
63 


498  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

of  cows,  kept  by  the  farmer.  The  yield  of  the  animal,  or  ani- 
mals, in  milk,  in  butter  and  in  cheese,  is  required,  for  a  given 
time,  as  a  condition  and  ground  of  awarding  their  premiums, 
evidently  with  a  view  of  effecting  improvement  in  the  milking 
properties  of  the  cow,  and  raising  the  average  standard. 

In  other  societies,  this  object  seems  to  be  wholly,  or  in  part, 
overlooked.  Premiums  are  offered  for  the  best  milch  cows,  but 
no  rules  are  prescribed,  nor  statements  required  to  determine 
their  yield  in  milk,  and  rarer  still  the  amount  of  butter  made 
therefrom.  The  decision  as  to  the  comparative  excellence  of 
the  cows  presented  at  the  shows,  seems  to  be  left  to  the  com- 
mittee's own  judgment,  formed  simply  from  an  inspection  of 
the  animals,  and  such  information  as  may  be  gained  on  the 
spot,  from  their  owners.  It  is  all  left  to  the  eye  and  the  ear  of 
the  committees ;  the  standard  varies  with  every  new  commit- 
tee, and  as  their  reports  seldom  give  the  grounds  of  their 
awards,  the  public  derive  but  little  or  no  valuable  information. 
Premiums,  too,  are  offered  for  the  best  butter  and  cheese,  of  a 
certain  number  of  pounds  in  the  sample  exhibited, — and  in 
some  instances,  is  also  required  the  process  of  the  manufacture 
of  the  article — but  no  certificates  are  required  of  the  amount 
manufactured  for  any  specified  time.  The  quality  of  the  butter 
or  cheese,  is  here  the  only  ground,  or  the  principal  one,  on 
which  the  decision  is  made ;  to  the  skill  of  the  dairy-maid  is  in 
effect  awarded  the  premium. 

There  can  be  no  question,  as  it  seems  to  the  committee,  that 
with  regard  to  milch  cows,  their  yield  in  milk  at  least,  should 
be  required,  and  for  such  a  length  of  time,  and  under  such  cir- 
cumstances of  feed  and  treatment,  as  to  test,  fully  and  fairly, 
their  character  as  milch  cows.  But  the  question  arises, — and 
it  is  an  important  one, — shall  premiums  continue  to  be  offered, 
as  heretofore,  for  single  cows,  or  for  a  number  of  cows  sufii- 
cient  to  constitute  a  dairy,  a  part  or  all  of  which  shall  have 
been  raised  by  the  competitor?  Besides  our  own  practice,  we 
find  that  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England,  the  High- 
land and  Agricultural  Society  of  Scotland,  the  New  York  State 
Agricultural  Society,  and  other  of  the  leading  societies  in  this 
country,  offer  their  premiums  for  the  best  single  cows.  The 
Worcester  Society,  in  this  State,  has  recently  adopted  the  plan 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  499 

of  oftering  premiums  for  the  best  dairy  of  cows ;  and  all  who 
have  read  the  reports  on  this  subject,  drawn  with  so  much 
sound  judgment,  by  the  lamented  Denny,  can  there  see  the 
reasons  for  adopting  it.  The  offer  of  premiums  by  this  society 
as  yet  requires  that  only  a  certain  number  of  the  herd  should 
have  been  raised  by  the  competitor.  It  is  stated  to  us  by  its 
secretary,  William  S.  Lincoln,  that  "  in  a  somewhat  continued 
correspondence  with  Mr.  Denny,  upon  this  subject,  the  expe- 
diency of  offering  a  proportionably  large  premium  for  the  best 
dairy  of  cows,  all  of  which  the  competitor  should  have  raised, 
was  discussed,  and  had  he  been  spared  to  the  society,  such  a 
proposal  would  have  been  offered  for  its  consideration." 

Mr.  Lincoln  adds,  that  "  he  thinks  himself  more  highly  of 
such  a  proposal  than  of  any  other  which  could  be  offered,  view- 
ing it  merely  with  reference  to  the  efiect  it  would  have  upon 
the  improvement  of  our  stock."  The  advantages  of  the  plan 
proposed,  are,  he  further  observes;  ''  that  you  compare  the  ac- 
tual yield  of  herds  of  cows  for  the  season,  instead  of  single  ones 
for  a  limited  period;  that  you  get  facts  enabling  you  to  deter- 
mine the  relative  profit  of  cheese  or  butter  making,  or  selling 
of  milk,  and  that  the  farmer  in  towns  at  a  long  distance  from 
the  place  o(  the  cattle  show,  with  his  forty  cows,  can  compete 
for  the  premiums  with  the  farmer  within  a  mile  of  the  show, 
with  the  only  difference  that  he  must  drive  one  cow  the  long 
distance,  instead  of  a  mile,  to  be  examined."  From  this  it 
would  appear,  that  one  cow  at  least,  would  be  presented  at  the 
show,  to  add  interest  to  it,  and  as  a  specimen  of  the  herd, 
whose  actual  produce  in  butter,  cheese,  or  milk,  is  to  be  certi- 
fied to  the  committee.  To  this  mode  of  proceeding,  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  offering  of  premiums  for  single  cows,  there  seem 
to  us  to  be  serious  objections.  So  far,  however,  as  it  may  tend 
to  encourage  the  breeding  or  selection  of  a  large  number  of 
good  dairy  cows,  we  hope  it  may  have  a  fair  trial ;  though 
these  advantages,  as  it  appears  to  us,  may  be  more  easily  at- 
tained, without  drivmg  any  of  the  herd  to  the  show,  as  we  will 
endeavor  to  make  appear  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this  report, 
when  treating  of  the  products  of  the  dairy. 

We  can  see  objections  tQ  oflfering  premiums  for  single  cows, 
more  easily  than  we  can  perceive  how  to  obviate  them.     It  is 


500  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

said  that  our  premiums  are  thus  bestowed  on  creatures  of  acci- 
dent or  feeding.  Still,  extraordinary  cows  are  rare  among  us, 
and  yet  it  is  desirable  that  they  be  seen  at  our  cattle  shows, 
and  that  their  good  points  and  marks  of  distinction  may  be 
witnessed  by  all  who  are  interested  in  these  animals.  And  as 
the  owner  of  a  good  cow  is  apt  to  believe  her  the  best  that  can 
be  produced,  a  large  number  of  such  cows  is  generally  found 
on  the  show  ground,  thus  adding  to  its  interest,  and  even  by 
the  display  exciting  a  laudable  emulation.  That  by  this  course 
encouragement  is  offered  for  the  breeding  of  improved  stock — 
for  the  improvement  which  would  follow  from  careful  selection 
and  raising  of  the  best  calves,  whether  from  native  or  foreign 
breeds,  we  will  not  undertake  to  determine.  To  some  extent 
this  may  be  the  effect,  but  we  have  serious  doubts  if  it  tend  di- 
rectly to  produce  this  result.  Where  the  breeding  of  animals 
is  the  business  of  the  farmer,  he  will  be  stimulated  to  breed 
only  the  best,  by  the  high  prices  obtained  for  them.  Let  the 
demand  for  good  cows  be  general,  let  there  be  quick  sales  and 
large  prices,  and  the  self-interest  of  the  breeder  is  excited  to 
endeavor  to  breed  and  raise  none  but  the  best.  Whatever, 
therefore,  goes  to  enhance  the  price  and  increase  the  demand 
for  good  cows,  tends  strongly,  as  we  conceive,  to  stimulate  the 
breeding  of  them.  The  exhibition  of  such  cows,  in  competi- 
tion with  one  another,  at  a  cattle  show,  adds  largely  to  their 
value,  both  in  the  mind  of  the  owner  and  in  that  of  the  public; 
— and  this  much,  at  least,  can  be  safely  said  in  favor  of  offering 
premiums  for  single  cows. 

But  that  the  average  standard  of  the  cows  in  Massachusetts, 
is  altogether  too  low,  both  for  her  interest  and  reputation,  and 
that  greater  and  more  systematic  efforts  should  be  made  to  raise 
it,  your  committee  cannot  entertain  a  doubt.  Some  intelligent 
farmers  have  expressed  the  opinion,  that  by  proper  care  in  the 
selection  of  cows,  the  average  quantity  of  milk  might  be  in- 
creased, equal  to  two  quarts  per  day,  for  nine  months  in  each 
year ;  and  that  by  a  like  regard  to  the  quality,  the  value  might 
be  enhanced  nearly  as  much  more ; — say,  that  by  this  attention 
to  selection,  an  improvement  may  be  made  equal  to  an  increase 
of  two  quarts  per  day,  for  274  days  in  each   year.     And  this 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  601 

must  be  considered  a  low  estimate,  if  some  of  the  farmers  in 
Berkshire  have,  as  the  board  have  recently  been  informed, 
raised  the  annual  average  of  the  cheese  made  by  them,  from 
200  pounds  to  500  pounds  per  cow,  by  careful  regard  to  the 
selection  and  the  care  of  their  stock.  Apply  this  to  the  county 
of  Worcester,  in  which  there  are,  as  appears  from  the  returns  of 
the  several  towns,  as  made  to  the  last  valuation  committee, 
35,591  cows  of  three  years  old  and  upwards,  and  at  three  cents 
per  quart,  (it  sells  for  four  and  five  cents,)  and  we  have  the 
amount  of  $585,116  04.  But  to  avoid  any  imputation  of  ex- 
travagance in  this  estimate,  reduce  the  two  quarts  to  one  quart, 
and  we  have  then  the  large  sum  of  $292,558  02.  No  deduc- 
tion has  been  made  from  the  number  of  cows  above-mentioned, 
for  barren  three-years-old  heifers,  or  for  older  cows  which  were 
dry  to  be  fatted,  as  it  is  believed  there  was  a  much  greater 
number  of  two-years-old  heifers  in  milk,  than  would  make 
good  any  deficiency  in  the  milch  cows. 

A  great  proportion  of  our  cows  are  said  to  be  of  the  native 
breed,  that  is,  of  a  mixed  breed.  All  are  called  native,  of 
which  the  proportion  of  blood  of  recent  importation,  is  not 
known.  It  is  very  much  to  be  regretted,  that  by  judicious 
breeding,  distinctive  breeds  have  not  been  formed,  which 
should  be  known  by  their  excellence.  In  this  case,  the  ofier- 
ing  of  premiums  for  the  best  single  cows,  would  afford  more 
encouragement  to  the  breeding  from  such  cows,  as  they  would 
be  more  likely,  than  our  cows  now  are,  to  transmit  their  good 
qualities.  As  yet,  however,  but  little  attention  has  been  paid 
to  the  improvement  of  our  stock,  by  the  selection  of  choice  an- 
imals, both  male  and  female,  and  raising  a  stock  from  them. 
With  too  many  of  our  farmers,  the  butcher  has  been  allowed 
to  select  the  best  calves  for  slaughter,  and  the  refuse  has  been 
raised.  With  these,  the  character  of  the  bull  is  of  little  con- 
sideration, and  an  ordinary  animal  is  often  used,  because  his 
services  are  to  be  had  at  a  reduced  price.  If,  as  is  believed  by 
many,  the  bull  transmits  to  his  female  progeny  his  own  char- 
acteristics, it  is  of  the  highest  importance  that  no  bull  should 
be  raised,  except  from  a  milking  breed.  If  the  selection  here 
recommended,  could  be  had,  and  the  calves  from  those  parents 


502  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

were  not  allowed  to  be  killed,  except  from  some  defect  in  their 
appearance,  we  might,  in  a  few  years,  expect  that  the  charac- 
ter of  our  milch  stock  would  be  greatly  improved. 

Among  our,  so  called,  native  cows  are  many  very  excellent 
milkers,  and  we  doubt  not  that  by  a  proper  selection  and  judi- 
cious breeding,  a  valuable  milking  breed  can  be  obtained.  The 
good  properties  of  the  cows,  at  the  commencement,  being  acci- 
dental, it  would  be  some  years  before  the  breed  could  be  so  far 
improved,  that  much  reliance  could  be  had  upon  the  future 
character  of  the  calves.  What  has  been  done  by  that  judicious 
breeder,  Col.  Samuel  Jaques,  in  getting  up  the  Cream  Pot  breed, 
can  be  done  by  others  for  the  same  object.  The  appearance  of 
many  of  our  native  cattle,  indicates,  with  much  certainty,  from 
what  foreign  blood  they  are  descended.  Many  of  them  show 
strong  marks  of  the  Durham  or  Short  Horn  blood ;  others  of 
the  Ayrshire,  of  the  Hereford,  and  of  the  Devon  family.  Of 
these  different  breeds,  as  well  as  the  Alderney,  of  which  the 
Massachusetts  Society  for  the  promotion  of  agriculture  have 
lately  made  an  importation  with  the  desire  to  improve  the  milk- 
ing character  of  the  neat  stock  of  the  Commonwealth,  we  will 
not  offer  any  opinion,  as  their  peculiar  traits  are  well  under- 
stood. We  would,  however,  recommend  to  every  farmer  to 
gain  such  a  knowledge  of  the  different  breeds,  as  to  be  able  at 
a  glance  to  distinguish  them ;  and  more  than  this,  to  observe 
carefully  the  marks  of  a  good  cow — whatever  these  marks  may 
be — so  as  to  make  a  good  selection  when  he  is  obliged,  in  pur- 
chasing, to  depend  upon  his  own  judgment. 

In  offering  premiums  for  single  milch  cows,  if  all  our  socie- 
ties would  require  a  return  of  their  yield  in  milk  and  butter,  for 
the  first  ten  days  in  June,  and  the  first  ten  days  in  September, 
with  the  age  and  breed  of  the  animals,  the  time  of  dropping 
their  last  calf,  and  their  feed  during  the  season,  a  rule  suffi- 
ciently general  would  be  established,  to  enable  us  to  institute 
somethhig  like  an  approximate  comparison  between  the  best 
cows  in  the  Commonwealth.  At  present,  however,  we  are 
not  sufficiently  advised  to  propose,  with  confidence,  any  uni- 
form conditions  in  such  premiums,  for  the  adoption  of  our 
societies. 


MASS.  BOARD  OP  AGRICULTURE.  503 

In  reference  to  butter  and  cheese,  where  premiums  are  special- 
ly offered  for  these  products,  it  appears  to  your  committee  that 
while  the  quality  of  the  specimens  presented  for  competition, 
should  be  an  element,  and  an  important  element,  in  making  up 
the  award ;  and  while  the  furnishing  of  a  statement  of  the 
process  of  manufacture,  should  be  required  as  a  condition  of  the 
award ;  there  should  also  be  given  in  the  statement,  the  quan- 
tity of  these  articles  made  by  the  competitors  during  the  sea- 
son, or  some  specified  time.  We  would  go  even  further  than 
this,  if  it  should  be  found  practicable.  We  would  require  as  a 
condition  of  receiving  a  premium,  that  a  certain  standard  in 
quantity,  during  a  given  time,  should  have  been  reached.  In 
awarding  premiums  for  grain  crops,  many  of  our  societies  pre- 
scribe the  number  of  bushels  per  acre  that  must  be  raised,  to 
entitle  any  one  to  be  a  competitor.  This  would  seem  to  be  a 
wise  rule.  Why  not  apply  a  similar  rule  in  respect  to  compet- 
itors for  the  premiums  for  butter  and  cheese  ?  Something  of 
this  kind  has  already  been  attempted.  In  the  premium  list  of 
the  Essex  Society  for  1823,  may  be  found  the  following  offer : 

"  For  the  greatest  quantity  of  good  butter,  in  proportion  to 
the  number  of  cows  producing  it,  (not  fewer  than  four,)  made 
on  any  farm,  from  the  20th  of  May  to  the  20th  of  November, 
26  weeks,  and  the  quantity  of  butter  averaging  not  less  than 
seven  pounds  per  week  for  each  cow,  $20  ;  for  the  second 
greatest,  f  15  ;  for  the  third  greatest,  $10.  The  kinds  of  food 
and  the  management  of  the  butter,  to  be  detailed."  Then  fol- 
low these  remarks,  written  undoubtedly  by  Timothy  Pickering, 
then  president  of  the  society  : 

"  The  object  of  agricultural  institutions  is  improvement ;  and 
in  Essex  none  seems  to  be  more  wanted  than  in  milch  cows. 
If  the  society  were  to  continue  their  premiums  during  any 
length  of  time,  merely  for  the  greatest  quantity  of  butter,  they 
would  not  enforce  any  improvement  in  the  quality  of  those 
animals.  Seven  pounds  of  butter  a  week,  for  each  cow,  is  less 
than  half  of  what  the  Oakes  cow,  of  Danvers,  produced  in  the 
same  time.  The  seven  pounds  a  week,  therefore,  are  very 
attainable  by  every  farmer  who  will  improve  his  breed  of  cows, 
and  feed  them  to  the  full  with  juicy  and  highly  nourishing 


504  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

food.  The  committee  trust  they  do  not  entertain  a  groundless 
hope  that  the  premiums  here  offered  will  have  claimants ;  and 
that  in  some  future  years,  the  trustees  will  be  justified  in  con- 
fining these  premiums  to  cows  yielding  10,  12,  and  14  lbs.  of 
butter  a  week,  for  26  weeks  in  the  year." 

How  mortifying  the  reflection,  that  after  the  lapse  of  nearly 
thirty  years,  since  this  hope  was  expressed,  it  has  failed  to  be 
realized  ;  and  for  the  reason,  that  the  milch  cows — not  in 
Essex  only,  but  throughout  the  State — have  not  been  im- 
proved, agreeably  with  such  sanguine  expectations.  We  may 
well  stop  to  inquire,  whether,  by  the  agricultural  community, 
sufficient  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  quality,  as  well  as  the 
quantity  of  milk  given  by  the  cows  ?  It  is  feared  that  too 
many  of  our  farmers — and  dairy  farmers,  too — have  no  other 
test  of  a  good  cow,  than  the  quantity  of  milk,  as  it  measures  in 
the  pail,  without  an  inquiry  whether  that  milk  is  of  much  more 
value  than  the  same  quantity  of  water,  which  he  could  pump 
from  his  well.  This  is  not  a  matter  of  mere  conjecture.  We 
are  frequently  informed  of  the  disappointment  of  the  owner  in 
the  estimate  he  had  formed  of  the  value  of  one  of  his  favorite 
cows ;  and  it  is  believed  that  a  careful  examination  would  dis- 
cover the  comparative  worthlessness  for  butter  of  many  cows, 
now  held  in  high  estimation. 

A  few  years  since,  one  of  the  committee  had  a  farm,  which 
was  leased  on  shares,  appropriated  to  dairy  purposes,  on  which 
25  cows  were  kept,  which  were  owned  in  common  by  himself 
and  the  tenant.  Accidental  circumstances  induced  a  compari- 
son between  a  cow  which  was  considered  the  most  valuable  in 
the  herd,  because  she  yielded  a  large  supply  of  milk,  and  a 
cow  which  had  been  purchased  at  a  small  price.  Repeated 
trials  were  had  by  the  lactometer,  and  the  result  was  that  the 
milk  of  the  cow  which  had  been  held  in  high  estimation, 
afforded  cream  of  only  4-10  of  an  inch  in  thickness;  and  the 
same  quantity  of  the  milk  of  the  low-priced  cow  gave  cream  of 
the  thickness  of  1  and  4-10  of  an  inch,  and  of  a  much  yellower 
color  than  that  of  the  other.  The  cheap  cow  was  in  reality 
the  most  valuable  animal.  The  cow  which  had  been  so 
highly  esteemed,   had  been   in  the  dairy  two  years  or  more, 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  505 

without  a  suspicion,  until  this  trial,  that  she  had  not  paid  her 
keeping. 

Dr.  Anderson,  the  distinguished  Scotch  writer  on  the  dairy, 
mentions  an  instance  of  one  cow,  from  whose  milk  no  butter 
could  be  made.  She  was  purchased  of  a  farmer  who  kept  a 
large  dairy,  by  a  person  who  had  no  other  cow,  and  thus  the 
discovery  was  made.  Thrown  into  the  general  mass,  her  milk 
had  been  useless,  and  her  keeping  a  dead  loss  to  the  farmer. 
Hence  the  Doctor  judiciously  recommends  the  setting,  in  a 
separate  pan,  the  milk  of  every  cow,  to  ascertain  its  quality, 
that  such  as  give  meagre  milk  may  be  fattened  and  sent  to  the 
slaughter-house.  And  we  would  urge  it  upon  every  farmer  to 
test  all  his  cows,  both  as  regards  the  quality  and  quantity  of 
milk  they  severally  yield,  confident  as  we  are  that  by  this 
simple  process,  and  disposing  of  such  cows  as  he  thus  finds 
cannot  be  profitably  kept,  the  profits  of  his  dairy  will  be  in- 
creased, and  the  character  of  his  cows  be  trausmitted  with  more 
certainty  to  their  offspring. 

By  adopting  a  mode  of  offering  premiums  for  butter  and  for 
cheese,  similar  to  the  one  formerly  made  by  the  Essex  Society, 
there  would  be  the  strongest  inducement, — so  far  as  agricul- 
tural societies  are  concerned, — held  out  to  the  farmer  to  keep 
only  the  best  of  milch  stock,  A  condition  might  also  be  in- 
serted, if  it  should  be  deemed  advisable,  that  the  cows,  whose 
butter  was  entered  for  premium,  should  be  of  the  competitor's 
own  raising ;  but,  as  in  some  of  our  counties  the  breeding  of 
neat  stock  is  practised  only  to  a  limited  extent,  a  uniform  con- 
dition of  this  kind,  for  all  the  societies,  would  not  seem  to  be 
advisable.  Let  the  quantity  of  butter  and  of  cheese  for  the 
dairying  part  of  the  year,  be  required  to  be  stated,  as  well  as 
the  process  of  making,  as  conditions  precedent  to  the  award, 
and  let  the  standard  be  so  high  as  to  encourage  only  the  keep- 
ing of  the  best  herds  of  cows,  and  we  believe  that  our  societies 
will  be  aiding,  most  effectively,  to  produce  an  improvement  in 
the  dairy  stock  of  the  State. 

In  conclusion,  the  committee,  being  instructed  to  ascertain 
and  report  whether  any  and  what  measures  for  milk,  are  pre- 
scribed by  statute,  would  say,  that  by  the  act  of  the  Legisla- 
64 


506  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

ture  of  1847,  the  wine  gallon,  wine  quart,  wine  pint,  and  wine 
half-pint,  are  enumerated  as  the  standard  liquid  measures  to  be 
used  in  this  Commonwealth,  and  that  any  person  who  shall 
presume  to  sell  by  any  other  liquid  measures  than  these,  and 
which  shall  be  sealed,  shall  forfeit  and  pay  a  sum  not  exceed- 
ing twenty  dollars  for  every  such  offence,  one  half  to  the  use 
of  the  town  where  the  offence  is  committed,  and  one  half  to 
the  complainant. 

The  statutes  of  the  Commonwealth  recognizing  no  liquid 
measures  but  wine  measures,  it  is  evident  that  no  others  can  be 
legally  used  in  the  sale  of  milk.  And  we  recommend,  there- 
fore, that  sealed  wine  measures  be  invariably  required  to  be 
used  by  the  competitors  for  premiums,  who  make  returns  of 
the  produce  of  their  cows  in  milk.  In  this  way  will  our  agri- 
cultural societies  exert  an  important  influence  in  introducing 
uniformity  in  the  admeasurement  of  milk,  and  in  aiding  to 
carry  into  effect  the  laws  of  the  Commonwealth. 

For  the  Committee,  ALLEN  W.  DODGE. 


Neat  Cattle. 

Your  committee  have  been  instructed  to  report  upon  all 
kinds  of  live  stock,  but  as  it  is  apparent  to  them,  that  they  can- 
not even  approach  towards  the  performance  of  their  duty,  where 
the  field  is  so  broad,  they  have  judged  it  best  to  confine  their 
remarks  to  a  single  race,  that  of  neat  cattle.  When  we  con- 
sider the  various  breeds  and  vast  number  and  value  of  cattle  in 
our  country,  it  is  apparent  that  much  more  might  be  said  upon 
this  subject  alone,  than  can  be  embraced  in  this  report. 

By  the  census  of  1840,  the  number  of  cattle  in  the  country, 
Avas  about  15  millions.  At  this  period,  their  number  must  be 
18  to  20  millions.  Let  us  consider  the  vast  augmentation  of 
agricultural  wealth  which  might  be  produced  by  an  average 
improvement  of  one  dollar  in  each  animal, — and  this  and  even 
much  more  may,  in  the  judgment  of  your  committee,  be  done, 
— a  small  portion  only  of  the  wealth  thus  gained,  would  suffice 
to  extend  that  agricultural  education  to  the  sons  of  the  farmer, 
which  they  need  and  require,  and  thus  exhibit  with  enlight- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  507 

ened  farmers,  improved  stock,  improvements  in  agriculture, 
and,  as  its  natural  consequence,  a  great  augmentation  of  the 
value  of  our  farms. 

The  question  obviously  suggested  is,  how  shall  this  im- 
provement in  cattle  be  attained  ?  We  answer,  bv  selecting  ju- 
diciously, and  with  great  care,  your  breeding  animals.  It  will 
not  suffice  that  you  have  a  good  cow  for  this  purpose,  the  bull 
must  also  possess  the  requisite  qualities;  for  it  is  to  him,  in  the 
opinion  of  many  of  the  most  enlightened  breeders  in  England, 
that  we  are  to  look,  more  than  to  the  dam,  for  an  improvement 
in  the  progeny.  In  breeding  and  rearing  cattle,  three  great  ob- 
jects are  sought  to  be  attained — cows  for  their  milk,  oxen  for 
the  yoke,  and  when  they  cease  to  be  valuable  for  these  pur- 
poses, to  be  devoted  to  the  shambles. 

The  remark  is  common,  "  why  not  select  the  best  of  our  na- 
tive cattle  to  effect  these  purposes  ?"  We  reply,  that  the  sound 
principle  that  "  like  begets  like,"  cannot  be  relied  upon  in  their 
produce.  They  greatly  vary  in  their  symmetry  and  other  char- 
acteristics ;  their  blood  has  not  become  inherent  in  them,  by  a 
long  course  of  breeding  in  a  direct  line  from  select  animals, 
and  hence  little  reliance  can  be  placed  upon  the  progeny  thus 
bred.  When  we  have  races  of  cattle  of  greatly  improved 
breeds,  already  within  the  reach  of  all,  and  some  of  them  bred 
in  a  direct  line  for  more  than  seventy  years,  why  is  it  needful 
to  discuss  this  subject?  Is  there  an  intelligent  breeder  of  cattle 
who  will  affirm  that  a  comparison  can  be  instituted,  except  to 
their  disadvantage,  between  the  native  cattle  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, (and  there  is,  unfortunately,  too  much  of  their  blood  still 
remaining,)  and  the  beautiful  and  highly  bred  Short-horns  and 
Devons  of  the  present  day? 

The  topics  which  we  here  discuss,  and  our  mode  of  treating 
them,  are  not  new ;  we  claim  for  them  not  originality,  yet  they 
cannot  too  often,  nor  with  too  much  force,  be  impressed  upon 
the  breeders  of  cattle.  In  a  long  course  of  breeding,  in  a  direct 
line,  no  intelligent  breeder  will  resist  the  conclusion,  whether 
it  be  in  cattle,  horses,  sheep,  or  swine,  that  the  characteristics 
of  the  sires  and  dams  will  be  imparted  to  their  progeny. 
Breeding  from  close  affinities  should  be  avoided,  for  the  result 


508  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

of  it  must  be  impaired  constitutions.  All  of  the  cows  of  any 
given  breed  cannot  be  expected  to  excel  as  milkers,  for  their 
ancestry  were  reared  to  too  much  extent  in  England,  as  they 
now  are  in  the  Western  States,  with  more  reference  to  their 
flesh  for  the  shambles,  than  for  their  milking  properties. 
Hence  it  is  obvious,  from  the  principles  here  laid  down,  that 
to  produce  a  superior  milking  herd,  we  must  select  for  breed- 
ers, such  animals  as  have  descended  from  tribes  which  have 
this  valuable  characteristic  rendered  inherent  in  them  by  breed- 
ing. When  cows  are  deficient  in  any  one  point,  (and  few  are 
entirely  perfect,)  care  should  be  taken  to  breed  them  to  bulls 
which  are  full  in  the  points  thus  defective  in  the  female,  so 
that  in  the  produce  the  defect  may  be  corrected.  The  great 
average  increased  weight  of  bullocks,  slaughtered  in  the  prin- 
cipal markets  of  England  and  this  country,  since  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century,  is  doubtless  to  be  mainly  attributed  to 
the  introduction  of  the  short-horn  blood.  Yet  this  is  not  the 
only  advantage  gained  by  this  improvement,  for  in  the  Smith- 
field,  as  well  as  our  own  markets,  up  to  the  close  of  the  past 
century,  animals  were  judged  of  almost  alone  by  their  bulk; 
whilst  since  that  period,  science  applied  to  breeding  has  so 
changed  the  structure  of  animals,  that  the  ofFal  and  less  valua- 
ble parts  of  the  beast  are  greatly  reduced,  and  in  the  same  pro- 
portion the  most  valuable  parts  of  the  carcass  are  augmented. 
The  late  Thomas  Bates,  of  Kirkleavington,  England,  one 
of  the  most  eminent  breeders  of  that  country,  said,  in  a  publi- 
cation a  few  years  since,  ''•  Nearly  fifty  years  ago,  I  adopted 
the  plan  of  weighing  my  cattle  and  their  food,  so  as  to  ascer- 
tain tlie  improvement  in  proportion  to  the  food  consumed,  and 
from  a  minute  and  close  attention  to  this  subject,  I  obtained 
that  knowledge  of  cattle  which  enabled  me  to  judge  of  their 
real  merits  by  their  external  character,  and  which  I  have  never 
known  to  fail,  in  my  experience  as  a  breeder,  for  about  forty 
years.  From  that  knowledge,  thus  acquired,  I  selected  the 
Dutchess  tribe  of  short-horns,  as  superior  to  all  other  cattle, 
not  only  as  small  consumers  of  food,  but  as  great  growers,  and 
quick  grazers,  with  the  first  quality  of  beef,  and  also  giving  a 
great  quantity  of  very  rich  milk." 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  509 

The  Scioto  (Ohio)  Gazette  says,  that  "  from  25  to  30,000 
head  of  their  best  beef  cattle  are  annually  driven  to  the  eastern 
markets,  from  the  Scioto  valley,  south  of  the  national  road; 
that  the  short-horn  stock  has  become  widely  disseminated 
throughout  this  state  in  all  the  grazing  and  feeding  regions. 
That  the  greatest  gain  is  to  be  found  in  the  increased  average 
weight  of  the  fat  cattle  driven  from  this  neighborhood,  which 
is  not  less  than  100  pounds  per  head,  above  that  which  pre- 
vailed twenty  years  ago,"  Now  assume  the  average  price  for 
such  beef  in  the  markets  to  which  these  cattle  were  sent,  to 
have  been  $6  per  100  pounds,  the  value  thus  gained  is  from 
$150  to  $180,000,  to  this  small  portion  of  the  state  of  Ohio 
alone. 

The  prevailing  breed  of  cows  employed  in  and  near  London, 
to  supply  that  great  metropolis  with  milk,  is  the  short-horn. 
Yet  it  is  not  alone  that  they  yield  more  milk  than  other  races, 
that  preference  is  given  to  them,  but  beca  "'se  the  carcass  is 
more  valuable,  after  they  have  ceased  to  be  profitable  as  milk- 
ers. It  is  simply  because  they  yield  more  value  in  milk  and 
flesh,  in  proportion  to  the  food  consumed,  than  other  breeds, 
that  they  are  adopted.  This  race  of  cows  must  have  been  used 
for  this  purpose  in  London,  to  at  least  some  extent,  for  half  a 
century;  and  it  is  difficult  to  believe  that  great  numbers  of  in- 
dividuals, after  so  long  a  period,  will  arrive  at  a  conclusion 
which  conflicts  with  their  own  interests. 

Much  of  the  soil  of  New  England. being  thin  and  sterile,  we 
would  not  advise  that  the  short-horns  be  adopted  in  such  lo- 
calities, nor  indeed  in  any,  except  they  be  well  cared  for  ;  for 
if  animals  must  have  short  feed,  a  small  race  is  more  desirable 
to  be  so  used  than  a  large  one.  Hence,  for  animals  so  to  be 
kept,  we  do  not  hesitate  to  recommend  the  Devons.  We  be- 
lieve them,  as  milkers,  to  equal  most  other  races,  whilst  their 
uniformity  of  color,  size,  and  sprightliness,  render  them  for  the 
yoke,  equal  to  any  other  race.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  where 
pasturage  is  luxuriant,  and  in  all  cases  where  animals  can  be 
well  kept,  in  summer  as  well  as  winter,  we  cannot  hesitate  to 
advise  that  the  race  of  short-horns  be  adopted. 

PAOLI  LATHROP,  Chairman. 


510  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Farms  and  Improvement  of  Lands. 

The  committee,  instead  of  indulging  in  general  remarks,  to 
which  the  subject  strongly  invites,  confine  themselves  to  a  few 
observations  on  two  or  three  particulars  respecting  the  condition 
of  our  farms. 

In  looking  at  the  farms  in  Massachusetts,  that  which  would 
most  strike  a  stranger  is,  t4ie  great  irregularity  not  only  in  their 
exterior  forms,  but  in  their  interior  subdivisions.  Look  at  a 
map  of  almost  any  of  our  older  farms,  and  you  will  be  struck 
with  this  fact.  Every  variety  of  angle  that  delighted  the  gen- 
ius of  Euclid,  could  be  matched  by  the  subdividing  lines  of 
our  farms.  Could  we  imagine  some  intelligent  being,  unac- 
quainted with  the  inventive  genius  of  a  Yankee  farmer,  look- 
ing, for  the  first  time,  at  the  map  of  a  New  England  farm,  he 
might  well  suppose  that  it  had  been  drawn  for  the  purpose  of 
solving  problems  in  geometry.  Our  fields  present  to  the  eye  all 
the  different  forms  of  obtuse  and  acute  angles,  and  specimens 
even  of  the  serpentine  and  the  curvilinear,  a  mighty  maze,  and 
all  without  a  plan  ! 

The  fields  of  our  farms  are  of  all  sizes,  as  well  as  of  all 
shapes,  from  the  small  enclosure  of  a  quarter  of  an  acre,  to  the 
rambling  pasture  of  twenty  acres. 

The  unseemly  and  inconvenient  shape  of  our  farms,  is 
owing,  in  great  part,  to  the  manner  in  which  our  lands  were 
originally  laid  out  in  the  settlement  of  the  country.  Compa- 
nies were  formed  who,  with  the  consent  of  government,  pur- 
chased townships,  or  other  large  tracts  of  unoccupied  land,  and 
made  divisions,  from  time  to  time,  of  small  quantities  of  the 
common  lands  among  the  proprietors,  leaving  each  one  to  se- 
lect and  locate  his  own  lot.  Of  course,  an  individual  having  a 
right  to  lay  out  in  the  undivided  lands  a  certain  quantity  at  a 
time,  say  ten  acres  more  or  less,  would  cause  it  to  be  surveyed 
in  such  shape  as  to  include  within  its  boundaries  the  greatest 
value,  without  regard  to  any  general  arrangement,  or  the  form 
which  his  tract  would  present  on  the  map.  We  feel  the  effects 
of  this  unfortunate  system,  (or,  with  more  truth,  this  total  want 
of  system)  in  the  division  of  the  public  lands,  at  the  settlement 
of  the  country.     Many,  if  not  the  most  of  these  lots  so  laid  out, 


MASS,   BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  511 

have  descended  to  us  iiuchanged  in  their  original  forms,  and 
will  continue  to  embarrass  for  generations  to  come. 

These  ill-shaped  subdivisions  are  owing,  in  some  degree,  to 
the  natural  diversity  in  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  differ- 
ences in  the  quality  of  the  soil.  Waste  lands,  (so  called)  were 
left  out  in  common  ;  the  poorer  soils  were  kept  for  pastures, 
while  the  richer  portions,  in  the  shapi  and  extent  in  which  they 
happened  to  exist,  were  inclosed  for  cultivation.  Much  im- 
provement in  this  respect,  may  be  made  in  the  interior  divis- 
ions of  our  farms,  but  their  outlines  will  probably  forever 
remain  more  or  less  irregular.  Compare  our  farms  with  those 
at  the  west.  How  different  is  our  plan  of  a  farm  from  that 
perfect  and  unif6rm  system,  under  which  the  public  lands  are 
surveyed  and  divided  into  squares  and  parallelograms.  These 
divisions,  we  understand,  are  generally  preserved  among  the 
farmers  at  the  west. 

The  increased  unnecessary  cost  of  fencing  in  this  State,  on 
this  account,  is  an  item  in  the  aggregate  of  vast  amount,  and  is 
well  worthy  of  our  consideration.  By  having  our  farms  prop- 
erly and  skilfully  laid  out,  we  could  save  seventy-five  rods  in 
every  hundred  of  fencing.  Any  one  will  be  convinced  of  this, 
who  will  barely  cast  his  eye  upon  a  map  of  one  of  our  farms, 
with  all  its  irregular  and  unnecessary  subdivisions.  The  addi- 
tional labor  of  cultivating  a  farm,  thus  irregularly  laid  out,  is 
another  and  an  important  item  in  the  expense  of  New  England 
farming.  The  difference  between  cultivating  a  field  of  a  large 
size  in  the  form  of  a  square  or  parallelogram,  or  the  same 
quantity  in  the  form  of  a  triangle,  or  divided  into  four  or  five 
lots  of  irregular  shape,  may  be  plainly  discovered  by  observing 
the  difference  in  the  temper  of  the  driver,  the  team,  and  the 
ploughman,  while  working  in  the  latter  and  in  the  former.  If 
it  takes  a  whole  day  to  plough  a  piece  containing  one  acre, 
twenty  rods  by  eight  rods,  lengthwise,  it  will  take  more  than 
one  day  to  plough  two  half  acres  the  same  way,  ten  by  eight 
rods.  If  a  team,  in  ploughing  the  former  piece,  turns  about 
132  times,  in  ploughing  the  latter  it  must  turn  about  twice  that 
number,  264  times.  We  have  been  informed  by  farm  laborers, 
who  have  worked  in  the  new  states,  that  they  have  ploughed 


512  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

furrows  a  mile  in  length  in  one  field.  In  such  a  case,  but  little 
time  is  lost  in  stopping  the  team  and  turning  about  at  the  end 
of  the  field. 

These  facts  may  seem  to  some  trifling,  but  they  are  of  prac- 
tical importance.  We  need,  therefore,  another  branch  of  sci- 
ence, which  might  be  called  the  "  geometry  of  farming."  The 
mode  of  laying  out  our  farms  into  lots  of  the  form  requiring 
the  least  length  of  fence  and  the  most  convenient  and  econom- 
ical for  cultivation,  is  deserving  of  attention,  and  seems  to  have 
been  almost  entirely  overlooked  in  New  England.  A  little 
examination  will  satisfy  any  one,  that  the  manner  in  which  our 
farms  are  laid  out  and  subdivided,  is  inconvenient,  expensive, 
and  the  cause  of  much  loss  of  time  and  labor  in  their  cultiva- 
tion. 

There  is  one  method  of  iruproving  our  farms,  and  rendering 
them  more  valuable  and  profitable,  which  should  receive  more 
attention  at  this  age  of  the  country,  that  of  the  appropriation 
of  waste  lands  to  the  growth  of  wood  and  timber.  This  re- 
mark is  intended  to  apply  particularly  to  the  southern,  eastern, 
and  central  portions  of  the  State.  In  these  parts  of  the  State, 
almost  every  farmer  has  large  quantities  of  waste,  or  unim- 
proved lands,  unfit  for  pasturage  or  cultivation,  from  which  he 
derives  but  little,  if  any  profit.  Such  lands  may  generally  be 
devoted  to  the  growth  of  wood  and  timber.  It  is  a  good  in- 
vestment. The  growth  of  a  v/ood  lot,  in  these  parts  of  the 
State,  will,  as  a  general  rule,  yield  the  farmer  more  than  six 
per  cent,  interest,  and  that  too  without  subjecting  him  to  a 
charge  of  usury.  There  are  many  fields,  which  have  been  al- 
most entirely  exhausted  of  all  fertility  by  constant  cropping 
without  manuring,  and  have  been  abandoned  for  years  to  hope- 
less sterility,  trodden  only  by  the  rambling  feet  of  the  cattle 
that  fed  upon  their  scanty  herbage.  These  fields,  if  cattle  are 
prevented  from  feeding  them,  will  usually,  though  gradually, 
become  covered  with  a  growth  of  some  species  of  wood,  to 
which  the  condition  of  the  soil  is  adapted.  In  the  southern 
part  of  Massachusetts,  the  first  growth  on  such  lands  will  con- 
sist principally  of  white  or  black  pine  and  the  white  birch. 
This  process  is  now  going  on  in  a  field  of  the  above  descrip- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  513 

^ion,  which  your  committee  have  carefully  observed  for  several 
years  past.     Cleared  lands  may  be  converted  into  woodlands, 
by  the  '-'let  alone"  process,  or  what  the  politicians  call  a  "mas- 
terly inactivity  ;"  in  other  words,  by  the  unaided  operations  of  i 
nature  ;  or  it  may  be  done  by  planting  or  sowing  the  seed,  or' 
by  transplanting. 

The  second  growth  will  consist  of  some  other  species  of  our 
native  forest  trees,  and  is  an  example  of  that  succession  of 
growths,  or  in  other  words,  of  that  rotation  of  crops  established 
by  the  laws  of  nature.  This  is  the  method  which  nature 
adopts,  to  restore  fertility  to  exhausted  lands,  and  is  an  instance 
of  that  wonderful  economy  of  the  Creator,  which  keeps  up  a 
continual  succession  of  vegetation  on  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
The  growth  and  decay  of  one  species,  but  affords  the  means  for 
another  and  different  species.  Hence,  we  have  but  to  discover 
and  apply  the  laws  of  nature  to  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  by 
the  hands  of  man.  This  is  the  business  of  the  science  of 
agriculture.  This  shows  also  the  restorative  powers  of  nature, 
evincing  her  ceaseless  efforts  to  renovate  the  exhausted  soil,  and 
to  preserve  it  in  a  condition  capable  of  production. 

Contrary  to  the  practice  of  man,  nature  is  constantly  strug- 
gling to  renovate  the  soil.  Decay  is  not  stamped  on  the  soil, 
as  it  is  on  the  works  of  human  hands,  but  so  far  as  our  obser* 
vation  extends,  eternal  activity  and  reproduction  are  its  charac- 
teristics. When  left  entirely  to  itself,  v/e  see  the  efforts  of 
nature  to  restore  a  soil  exhausted  and  impoverished  by  the  ava- 
rice and  imprudence  of  man  to  its  original  and  natural  fertility. 
By  this  admirable  provision  of  Providence,  the  efforts  of  nature 
are  continually  aiding  man  in  preserving  or  restoring  the  pro- 
ductiveness of  the  earth.  Where  fertility  is  not  totally  abstract- 
ed from  the  soil,  we  see  a  constant  tendency  to  a  growth  of 
some  form  of  vegetation.  Throw  up  earth  from  a  depth  of 
thirty  feet  beneath  the  surface,  and  in  a  brief  season  it  will  be 
clothed  with  vegetation. 

The  woodlands  in  the  southern  and  eastern  counties  of  the 

State,  are  insufficient  to  supply  the  present  population  with 

fuel.     This  species  of  land  has  been  gradually  diminishing  till 

a  recent  period,  when  farmers  became  convinced  they  were 

65 


514  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

attempting  to  improve  too  much  land.  Timber  of  much  size- 
as  is  well  known,  has  become  very  scarce.  In  this  part  of  the 
State,  woodland  is,  on  an  average,  of  more  value  than  cleared, 
or  improved  land  ;  and  by  appropriating  a  larger  quantity  of 
our  lands  to  the  growth  of  wood,  we  should  add  to  the  value 
of  our  farms.  We  cannot  only  do  this,  but  we  can  devote  such 
parts  of  our  farms  as  are  too  rocky,  rough  and  uneven  for  the 
plough  or  the  scythe,  to  this  purpose,  or  those  which  have  be- 
come poor  and  impoverished,  and  reserve  the  richest  and  best 
for  cultivation. 

The  labor  of  this  conversion  is  not  great.  Philosophers  may 
dispute,  as  they  long  have  done,  about  the  natural  state  of  man, 
but  no  intelligent  observer  can  doubt  that  the  growing  of  wood 
is  the  natural  state  of  the  earth.  Should  this  whole  continent 
be  abandoned  by  civilized  man,  and  left  to  the  uncontrolled 
but  solitary  operations  of  nature,  we  should  again  see  its  soil 
return  to  its  original  fertility ;  the  waste  places  would  be  cov- 
ered with  vegetation  ;  the  barren  would  become-prodactive,  and 
another  Columbus,  in  some  distant  age,  would  behold  its  hills 
and  vallies  and  plains,  covered  with  a  dense  forest  and  its  sur- 
face rich  with  the  accumulations  of  ages  ;  tenanted  by  the  wild 
beast,  and  perhaps  trodden  here  and  there,  as  of  old,  by  some 
other  race  of  men.  who  had  wandered  from  the  abodes  of  civil- 
ized life  and  become  lost  in  these  boundless  solitudes  of  the 
western  world. 

Thus  we  find  the  whole  tendency  of  natural  causes  is, 
through  the  growth  and  decay  of  vegetation  and  perpetual  re- 
production, to  renovate  the  earth,  and  to  co5perate  with  man 
in  adorning  its  surface  with  beauty  and  abundance.  We  have 
but  to  take  hints  from  these  suggestions  of  nature,  to  learn  the 
course  we  should  pursue  in  cultivating  the  soil. 

The  only  other  particular  to  which  your  committee  would 
direct  the  attention  of  the  board,  is  the  fi.xct,  that  our  agricul- 
tural science  is  mostly  of  foreign  origin,  and  the  effect  which 
that  has  in  retarding  the  progress  of  our  own  agriculture.  We 
need  an  agricultural  science  and  art  adapted  to  our  own  coun- 
try. This  country  was  settled,  as  we  all  know,  principally  by 
emigrant   husbandmen   from    England,     They   brought   with 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  515 

them  the  agricultural  implements  used  in  their  native  land,  and 
adopted  here  the  modes  of  cultivation  to  which  they  had  been 
bred.  These  implements  and  practices,  with  some  modifica- 
tions, have  descended  to  us.  We  are,  to  a  great  extent,  culti- 
vating our  lands  on  English  models.  Our  agricultural  works 
are  mostly  of  English  origin. 

We  ought  to  have  an  American  system  of  agriculture.  We 
are  practising  on  principles  and  theories,  originating  in  a  coun- 
try, in  some  respects  widely  different  in  climate,  soil,  products, 
and  the  social  condition  of  its  laboring  population.  England 
lias  a  moist,  humid  climate  ^  fog  and  rain  are  daily  features  of 
its  scenery — it  has  been  called  the  "  fog-wrapped  island  of 
Great  Britain."  We,  on  the  contrary,  are  subject  to  severe 
and  long-continued  droughts.  There,  the  watchful  farmer  is 
troubled  with  cloudy  and  dull  weather,  with  but  little  clear, 
steady  sunshine.  Here,  he  is  parched  by  scorching  suns, 
oftener,  than  is  supposed,  destructive  to  our  iiuits  and  vegeta- 
tion. There,  he  has  to  guard  against  an  excess  of  moisture  ; 
here,  he  has  to  guard  against  the  want  of  it.  There,  land  is 
dear  and  labor  cheap  ;  here,  labor  is  dear  and  land  is  cheap. 

We  need  a  system  so  modified  as  to  be  adapted  to  our  situa- 
tion. Practices  in  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  are  continued 
here,  originating  in  physical  causes,  which  do  not  exist  here. 
The  practice  of  hilling  and  ridging,  so  common  in  English 
husbandry,  and  so  useful  in  that  climate,  are  pertinaciously 
continued  by  New  England  farmers,-  as  if  it  were  applicable 
here,  when,  in  fact,  the  reverse  should  prevail.  It  is  an  old 
and  a  sound  maxim  in  the  law,  that  when  the  reason  on  which 
a  rule  is  founded,  ceases,  the  rule  itself  should  cease.  So,  in 
agriculture,  when  the  reason,  on  which  a  practice  was  founded, 
ceases  to  exist,  the  practice  itself  should  cease.  Nearly  all  our 
ideas  of  farming,  have  been  drawn  from  English  authors.  In 
order  to  a  successful  cultivation  of  our  soil,  and  the  permanent 
improvement  of  our  farms,  we  must  create  an  American  system 
of  agriculture.  We  must  see  v/ith  our  own  eyes,  and  decide 
with  our  own  judgment. 

We  must  adapt  our  system  of  culture  to  the  nature  of  our 
soil,  and  the  climate  in  which  we  live  to  the  products  we 


516  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

raise,  and  the  social  condition  of  the  laborer  of  the  country. 
It  is  not  true  economy  for  us,  in  a  comparatively  new  country^ 
to  indulge  in  the  luxuries  of  English  farming  ,•  to  follow  the 
example  of  some  wealthy  duke,  in  a  country  where  capital  is 
abundant,  and  labor  superabundant.  We  would  not  be  under- 
stood as  attempting  to  depreciate  English  husbandry,  for  we 
have  high  respect  for  the  science  and  skill  of  English  agricul- 
turists ;  but  merely  to  show  that  it  is  not,  in  many  respects, 
adapted  to  our  country ;  and  that,  while  studying  the  works  of 
British  writers,  and  attempting  to  reduce  to  practice  here  a 
foreign  system  of  agriculture,  we  need  the  power  of  a  wise 
and  careful  discrimination. 

For  the  Committee,  JOHN  DAGGETT. 


Cultivation   and  Measurement  of  Crops. 

The  committee,  understanding  that  the  duties  of  the  commit- 
tee were  not,  as  their  designation  would  in  part  imply,  to  con- 
sider the  best  mode  of  cultivation  of  crops,  but  to  provide  uniform 
rules  for  the  offering  and  awarding  of  premiums  in  relation  to 
crops,  have  attended  to  the  duty  assigned  them  as  they  under- 
stood it.  From  all  the  inquiry  the  committee  have  been  able 
to  make,  they  find  that  there  is  a  great  diversity  in  the  practice 
of  the  several  agricultural  societies,  as  to  the  information  to  be 
afforded  by  a  claimant  to  entitle  himself  to  a  premium,  whether 
for  a  grain  or  root  crop ;  and  in  most  cases  allowing  the  appli- 
cant to  ascertain  the  quantity  in  his  own  manner,  having  no 
evidence  of  his  correctness  save  his  own  declaration. 

The  committee  think  that  the  applicants  should  state  the 
general  character  of  the  land  in  the  spring  of  the  previous  year, 
its  condition  at  that  time,  with  a  detailed  statement  of  the  man- 
ner of  cultivation,  quantity  and  quality  of  manure,  and  the 
products  of  the  previous  year.  The  condition  of  the  land  at 
the  commencement  of  the  present  year  ;  and  a  detailed  state- 
ment of  the  quantity  and  quality  of  manure  used  the  present 
year,  when  and  how  applied ;  the  mode  of  cultivation  prepara- 
tory to  sowing  or  planting ;  the  quantity  and  quality  of  seed 
used  ,•  time  and  manner  of  sowing,  weeding,  cultivating  and 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  517 

harvesting  the  crop ;  the  amount  of  produce,  ascertained  by 
actual  measurement  or  weight,  after  the  whole  is  harvested ; 
the  expense  of  the  seed,  manure,  labor  and  cultivation ;  and 
the  value  of  the  product.  That  the  land  be  measured  and 
staked  out  by  a  practical  surveyor,  by  chain  and  compass,  to  be 
in  one  piece,  either  in  a  square  or  oblong  square  form,  if  the 
field  will  admit  of  it ;  and  in  all  cases  where  the  crop  is  grown 
in  rows  or  in  hills,  the  measure  shall  be  taken  from  the  centre 
between  the  rows  to  the  centre  between  rows ;  the  measure  to 
be  as  near  the  quantity  wanted  as  can  conveniently  be  had  ; 
the  measure  to  be  carefully  taken  by  the  surveyor,  and  to  be 
accurately  described  in  his  certificate,  which  should  be  sworn 
to.  In  addition  to  the  afiidavit  and  certificate  of  the  surveyor 
as  to  the  land,  each  applicant  should  file  his  own  certificate  (if 
the  harvesting  has  been  done  by  himself  in  person,)  under  oath, 
of  the  amount  of  products  grown  on  the  land  measured  and 
staked  by  the  surveyor ;  with  the  affidavit  of  a  disinterested 
person  who  assisted  in  the  harvesting,  of  the  amount  of  the 
crop  grown  on  the  land.  If  the  harvesting  is  done  by  others 
than  the  applicant,  the  affidavits  of  two  persons  who  performed 
the  harvesting,  should  be  required. 

In  relation  to  the  manner  of  ascertaining  the  quantity  of  the 
several  crops  grown,  with  such  accuracy  as  will  be  satisfactory 
to  the  agricultural  community,  much  difficulty  exists.  The 
society  which  has  adopted  apparently  the  most  definite  rule  for 
determining  the  amount  of  the  crops,  is  the  Plymouth  Society. 
They  have  provided  that  "  the  supervisor  will  visit  the  fields 
once  or  more,  while  the  crops  are  growing  ;  and  at  the  time  of 
harvest,  he  will  select  one  square  rod  regarded  as  an  average  of 
the  field,  see  it  harvested  and  weighed,  by  which  the  whole 
shall  be  estimated — 85  lbs.  of  corn  in  the  ear  computed  a  bush- 
el." This,  as  regards  corn,  might  be  considered  as  a  near  ap- 
proximation to  the  truth,  if  corn  of  different  fields  was  equally 
dry  ;  but  as  that  is  known  not  to  be  the  case,  it  appears  to  be 
desirable  that  the  examination  should  proceed  further.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  obligation  to  file  the  doings  of  the  societies,  in 
the  office  of  the  secretary  of  the  Commonwealth,  on  or  before 
the  10th  day  of  January,  the  statements  of  the  competitors  for 


618  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

premiums  should  be  made,  and  in  the  hands  of  the  appropriate 
committee,  before  the  first  day  of  December  previous,  to  allow 
their  transactions  to  be  seasonably  printed.  At  that  time,  corn 
is  not  in  a  merchantable  condition.  It  is  usually  harvested  the 
latter  part  of  October,  or  during  the  first  days  of  November,  and 
at  that  season  there  will  be  a  great  difference  between  different 
fields,  as  to  the  dryness  of  the  corn  and  the  cob.  Much  has 
been  occasioned  by  the  location  and  the  soil  on  which  it  was 
grown.  Corn  will  ripen  much  earlier  on  a  warm  sandy  soil, 
than  on  a  heavy  clayey  loam,  and  therefore  there  will  be  much 
more  shrinkage  on  corn  from  the  one  field,  than  on  that  from 
the  other.  It  is  suggested  that  the  supervisor,  or  committee  of 
examination,  should  take  away  some  of  the  corn  which  they 
had  weighed,  (say,  one  bushel,)  which  should  at  the  time  be 
both  accurately  weighed  and  measured,  from  each  field,  subject 
it  to  artificial  heat  until  properly  dried,  and  correct  their  former 
estimate  by  the  result. 

The  rule  of  the  Plymouth  Society,  as  applied  to  root  crops, 
may  not  operate  more  satisfactorily  than  in  relation  to  corn.  It 
will  be  extremely  difficult  to  select  a  square  rod,  which  shall 
prove  a  fair  average  of  the  field,  merely  by  inspection,  partic- 
ularly of  carrots.  The  appearance  of  the  tops  does  not  indicate, 
with  any  correctness,  whether  the  roots  are  long  or  short,  and 
on  this  fact  the  amount  of  the  product  must  greatly  depend.  It 
is  believed  that  root  crops  can  be  better  estimated  by  weight, 
than  by  measure. 

The  Legislature  having  determined  that  Indian  corn,  wheat, 
rye,  buckwheat,  barley,  oats,  and  potatoes,  shall  be  sold  by 
weight,  and  having  prescribed  the  number  of  pounds  which 
shall  be  taken  for  a  bushel,  there  seems  to  be  a  strong  propri- 
ety for  assuming  the  same  principle  in  ascertaining  the  amount 
of  those  crops,  and  extending  it  to  other  crops  for  which  there 
is  no  legal  provision.  The  law  says,  "  in  order  to  ascertain  the 
mean  or  true  weight,  each  vender"  [applicant]  "  shall  weigh 
ten  measures  at  least,  in  every  hundred  bushels." 

A  bushel  of  Indian  Corn  shall  be  deemed  to  be         -      56  lbs. 
«  '<    Rye  "  "  "  -      56    " 

«  "   Barley  "  "  "  -      46   " 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  519 

A  bushel  of  Buckwheat  shall  be  deemed  to  be 


Oats                        " 

u 

Wheat                    " 

a 

Potatoes                 " 

i( 

Carrots                  " 

(C 

Sugar  beets           " 

i: 

Mangel  wurtzel     ** 

a 

Riita  baga             '* 

u 

Parsnips                 " 

(f 

Common  or  English 

turnips 

White  beans  shall  be 

deemed 

Peas                        " 

li 

Onions                   " 

(( 

46  lbs, 

30 

60 

60 

55 

60 

60 

60 

45 

50 

60 

60 

50 

The  root  crops  to  be  free  from  dirt,  without  tops,  and  in  a 
merchantable  condition  at  the  time  of  the  measurement. 

Cranberries  do  not  seem,  so  far  as  the  committee  can  learn, 
to  have  an  established  weight  for  a  bushel.  Meslins,  not  being 
uniformly  composed  of  the  same  mixture  of  grains,  must  be 
measured  by  the  bushel ;  the  kinds  of  grain  should  be  stated, 
as  also  the  number  of  the  bushels,  and  the  weight  per  bushel, 
to  aid  the  committee  in  forming  an  opinion  of  the  value.  As 
to  broom  corn,  the  amount  of  seed  and  the  weight  of  brush  per 
acre,  should  be  stated,  when  prepared  for  market,  and  the 
method  of  preparing  it. 

In  all  cases  where  measure  is  required,  it  must  be  had  in  a 
sealed  half-bushel,  of  the  standard  of  Massachusetts. 

It  has  been  stated,  that  the  several  committees  are  usually 
required  to  discharge  their  duties  with  so  much  haste,  particu- 
larly on  the  day  of  the  society's  show,  that  they  have  not  op- 
portunity to  examine  the  certificates  required  by  their  society, 
to  entitle  the  claimant  to  a  premium,  with  sufficient  care  to  see 
that  all  the  requisitions  of  the  society  have  been  fully  complied 
with.  It  is  suggested,  that  each  society  should  appoint  a  com- 
mittee, whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  examine  all  certificates  re- 
quired by  their  rules,  see  that  they  are  correctly  made  out,  and 
that  all  the  information  wanted  has  been  fully  given,  and  if 
found  satisfactory,  certify  their  approval  thereon  to  the  appro- 
priate committee,  who  shall  not  be  at  liberty  to  award  a  pre- 
mium to  any  person  whose  certificate  has  been  disapproved. 


520  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

The  form  of  the  affidavits  may  be  as  follows  : — 

Affidavit  of  the  Surveyor, 
ss.  1852.  being  duly  swortij 

says  that  he  is  a  practical  surveyor ;  that  he  surveyed  with  a 
chain  and  compass,  in  the  manner  prescribed  by  the  rules  of 
the  society,  the  land  upon  which 

raised  a  crop  of  the  past  season,  and  at  the  same 

time  put  down  stakes  at  the  angles  thereof,  and  the  quantity  of 
the  land  so  measured  and  staked  out,  is  and  no  more. 

Surveyor. 
Sworn  before  me,  this  day  of  1852. 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Affidavit  of  the  Applicant, 
ss.  1852.  being  duly  sworn, 

says  that  he  has  raised  a  crop  of  the  past  season, 

upon  the  land  measured  and  staked  out,  by  sur» 

veyor,  and  that  the  quantity  of  was 

bushels,  measured  and  computed  in  the  manner  prescribed  by 
the  Agricultural  Society ;  and  that  he  was  as- 

sisted in  harvesting  and  ascertaining  the  quantity  of  said  crop, 
by  ;  and  that  the  statement  annexed,  subscribed 

by  this  deponent,  as  to  the  manner  of  cultivation,  expenses, 
&c.,  is  in  all  respects  true,  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and 
belief. 

Sworn  before  me,  this  day  of  1852. 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 

Affidavit  of  the  Assistant. 
ss.  1852.  being  duly  sworn, 

says  that  he  assisted  in  harvesting,  getting  out,  and  ascertain- 
ing the  amount  of  his  crop  of  referred  to  in  the  fore- 
going affidavits  ;  and  the  quantity  of  was 
bushels,  as  stated  in  the  affidavit  of  the  said 

Sworn  to  before  me,  this  day  of  1852. 

Justice  of  the  Peace. 
JOHN  W.  LINCOLN,  Chairman. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  521 


Average    Cost    of    Grain    and    Root    Crops,    in    Hampden 

County. 

Hon.  M.  P.  Wilder,  President  of  Mass.  Board  of  Agriculture. 

Dear  Sir : — Having  forwarded  to  you  a  copy  of  the  transac- 
tions of  the  Hampden  Agricultural  Society  for  the  past  year,  I 
am  induced  to  offer  some  further  statistics  connected  therewith, 
and  which  would  have  been  presented  in  connection  with  the 
other  details,  had  the  importance  of  them  been  as  apparent 
then  as  they  now  appear  to  my  mind.  Permit  me  to  inquire  if 
some  such  statement  is  not  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  made 
a  requirement  from  every  society  in  the  Commonwealth,  draw- 
ing funds  from  the  State  treasury,  in  their  future  reports?  It 
appears  to  me,  this  method  would  furnish  a  much  more  correct 
data  of  our  agricultural  products  and  of  their  actual  value,  than 
the  present  very  indiiferent  reports  furnish.  The  inquisitive 
mind  would  see  at  a  glance  the  results,  which,  under  the  pres- 
ent system,  are  ascertained  with  much  difficulty,  and  the  in- 
formation thus  furnished  to  the  commissioner  of  patents,  for 
the  national  government,  would  be  more  reliable  and  furnish 
more  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  real  state  of  our  agriculture, 
than  could  be  obtained  in  any  other  manner.  Other  reasons 
will  readily  suggest  themselves,  without  my  enumerating  them. 
I  have  made  a  full  detail  of  our  premium  crops,  so  that  if  any 
mistake  has  occurred  in  my  figures,  it  may  be  detected  readily. 

Expense  of  producing  Wheat  per  bushel,  in  Hampden  County. 

Horace  Smith,      236    bush.— entire  cost,  $128  81  per  bush.,  54  .3-10  ct.  ] 

Justus  Bagg,        223       "           "        "       159  74       «  71  2-10  " 

Walter  Cooley,       38       "           "         "         23  50       "  62            « 

John  Stiles,            37^      «           "        "         17  00       »  45  5-10  "      „ 

(Add  interest  on  land,  to  his  statement.)  f  ^ 

R.  H.  Barlow,       44    bush.— entire  cost,   $24  00       "  54  6-10  "       | 

Col.  Silas  Root,    914     "           "        "         60  50       "  GQ           "       t 

(Add  interest  on  land,  to  his  statement.)  j  "^ 

Corn,  per  bushel. 

Horace  Smith,     350    bush.— entire  cost,  $203  50       "  58  2-10  " 

Walter  Cooley,       82i      "  »         «         40  75       "  49  7-10  " 

Josiah  Hooker,     225       "  "        «       122  25       «  54  3-10  " 

66 


522  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Rye.  "i  ^ 


S.  Hooker, 

39 

bush.- 

—entire  cost. 

$25  55 

I.  M.  Merrick, 

95 

(( 

<(           a 

41  02 

F.  Brewer, 

23i 

u 

It           a 

Oats. 

8  54 

Horace  Clark, 

85i  bosh.- 

—entire  cost. 

$13  00 

J.  H.  DemoTjd, 

82 

il 

Carrots. 

22  28 

J.  Carlisle, 

538 

bush.- 

—entire  cost, 

87  50 

S.  Warner, 

237 

(( 

n           a 

31  00 

M.  Hitchcock, 

240 

(( 

(I           (I 

Turnips. 

26  75 

Hitchcock, 

160 

bush.- 

— entire  cost. 

8  31 

Hooker, 

500 

(( 

((               (C 

22  00 

Warner, 

450 

H 

((             u 

18  50 

43  2-10  « 

Z  1 

36  3-10  "  ^ 

< 

15  3-10  " 

27  2-10  » 

> 

< 

16  2-10  " 
13  " 

10  4-10  "  j 


^2' 


•> 


5  310  " 
4  5-10  " 
4  1-10  "  ^ 

If  the  facts  here  communicated  should  furnish  any  sugges- 
tions  of  interest,  my  purpose  is  fully  accomplished.  I  will  only 
add,  I  think  our  average  on  rye  would  not  he  sustained  by  our 
general  products.  My  opinion  would  suggest  forty  or  forty- 
two,  as  a  more  correct  average. 

Excuse  the  liberty  I  have  assumed  (as  a  stranger)  in  address- 
jng  these  remarks  to  you,  and  believe  me. 
With  much  respect, 

Your  humble  and  ob't  serv't, 

FRANCIS  BREWER, 

Springfield, 


Agricultural  Implements. 
In  the  progress  of  civilization,  in  the  advancement  of  the 
sciences  and  the  arts,  and  in  all  that  has  a  tendency  to  elevate  the 
condition  of  man,  there  have  been  certain  distinctly  marked 
periods  when  the  people  have  given  their  thoughts  to  some 
one  or  two  subjects,  and  made  them  prominent  beyond  others. 
Not  that  all  study  and  reflect  particularly  upon  these  topics, 
but  that  the  leading  minds  do,  and  through  their  researches  the 
whole  public  mind  is,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  imbued  with 
a  desire  for  more  knowledge  in  relation  to  them. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE,  523 

During  the  last  half  century,  no  subject  has  more  engaged 
the  attention  of  thinking,  practical  men,  than  the  improvement 
of  machinery.  Under  this  general  head,  may  be  properly 
classed  all  the  implements  of  farm  husbandry.  In  our  country, 
more  perhaps  than  in  all  the  world  beside,  has  this  spirit  of 
improvement,  this  constant  striving  for  something  better, 
wrought  out  results  useful  to  man.  Our  government  and  in- 
stitutions are  well  calculated  for  the  development  of  individual 
genius  and  enterprise ;  and  to  this  individual  thinking  and  act- 
ing, may  be  referred  the  glorious  results  which  have  been  at- 
tained. 

Genius  is  not  pent  up  by  arbitrary  rules,  edicts  or  censor- 
ships, to  break  out  here  and  there  like  an  impetuous  torrent, 
but  finds  vent  in  all  directions,  and  thus  every  department  of 
industry  is  benefited.  It  is  seen  in  works  of  art,  where  great 
natural  obstacles  are  to  be  overcome.  Combined  with  wealth, 
it  spans  rivers  whose  perpendicular  sides  and  deep  abyss,  have 
mocked  the  daring  and  skill  of  former  ages,  or  bids  the  moun- 
tain yield  a  passage  through  its  rocky  bosom!  The  old  machi- 
nery, both  of  sea  and  land,  stands  back  mute  and  motionless, 
in  astonishment  at  the  modern  queer  ways  of  grinding,  reaping, 
threshing,  pumping,  pulling  and  wheeling,  and  all  manner  of 
locomotion. 

Man's  inventive  genius  never  tires — the  inventions  of  one 
only  exciting  the  genius  of  another  to  supply  a  defect  or  add 
an  improvement.  It  is  this  stimulus  which  has  brought  the 
steam-engine  to  its  present  wonderful  state  of  perfection,  and 
produced  similar  results  with  other  machinery — with  our  reap- 
ers, ploughs,  harrows,  and  most  of  the  implements  of  the  farm. 

The  quality  of  any  work,  in  whatever  art,  depends  mainly 
on  the  tools  with  which  it  is  wrought.  The  most  skilful 
shoe-maker,  with  a  superior  piece  of  leather,  cannot  make  a 
good  boot,  unless  he  have  a  good  awl,  good  thread,  and  a  good 
knife ;  and  the  ship  builder  not  only  needs  the  right  kind  of 
timber,  but  the  right  kind  of  tools.  It  is  so  in  every  art.  In 
farming,  good  land  will  avail  but  little  with  a  plough  that  does 
its  work  in  an  imperfect  manner,  and  the  farmer  would  find 
that  he  was  far  behind  his  neighbors  both  in  quality  of  work 


524  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

and  time,  if  he  was  without  a  harrow,  or  if  he  shauld  use  the 
flail  or  horse's  hoof,  instead  of  the  threshing  machine,  upon 
large  quantities  of  grain. 

If  his  plough  turns  the  furrow,  so  as  to  preclude  the  atmos- 
pheric influences,  or  breaks  it  into  disjointed  masses,  his  crop 
is  materially  affected  by  it.  The  whole  action  of  the  plough 
depends  upon  a  shaping  so  precise,  that  a  very  accustomed  eye 
cannot  ascertain  without  trial  whether  a  plough  is  rightly 
turned  or  not.  Again,  the  operation  of  the  plough  depends 
upon  the  kind  of  soil  to  be  turned.  The  heavy  ploughs  made 
for  the  strong  and  hard  soils  of  New  England,  might  prove  of 
little  use  on  the  mellow  vegetable  mould,  that  constitutes  the 
prairies  of  the  West.  In  Massachusetts,  many  of  the  farms 
are  so  small  that  the  sickle  and  flail  may  still  be  used ;  while 
in  Illinois,  Iowa,  or  Missouri,  the  use  of  either  would  be  looked 
upon  as  strange,  and  excite  as  much  wonder,  as  would  Noah's 
ark,  with  its  inhabitants,  drifting  into  the  harbor  of  Chicago, 
or  working  up  stream,  against  the  current  of  the  Mississippi, 
into  the  port  of  St.  Louis. 

The  plough  is  the  implement  of  the  most  importance  on  the 
farm;  and  the  improvements  made  in  this  article,  within  a 
few  years,  especially  in  the  draft  and  in  the  adaptation  for  sub- 
soiling,  must  produce  great  and  beneficial  results  in  this  State, 
which  will  show  a  new  and  more  smiling  face  on  our  ancient 
mother,  in  the  latter  half  of  this  century. 

It  is  but  a  short  time  since  the  discovery  was  made  that  large 
portions  of  our  best  and  most  fertile  lands,  were  neglected  and 
unproductive.  Experiments  were  made  on  a  small  scale,  to 
reclaim  meadow  lands,  in  the  Irish  fashion,  with  the  hoe  ;  then 
the  common  plough  was  introduced,  but  both  proved  inade- 
quate to  the  labor.  It  was  found  that  the  cost  of  subduing  in 
this  manner,  was  so  great,  that  few  proceeded  in  the  attempt. 
But  enough  was  accomplished  to  reveal  the  fertility  of  these 
lands,  and  to  excite  an  inquiry  how  they  could  be  reclaimed 
at  a  remunerating  cost.  Methods  were  soon  devised  not  only 
to  plough  meadows  that  were  hard,  but  those  inaccessible  to 
the  team  on  account  of  their  softness.  The  pulley,  rackets, 
and  meadow  plough  with  double  share,  have  added  some  mil- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  525 

lions  in  value  to  our  New  England  soils.  This  plough  cuts  the 
entire  under  surface  of  the  furrow,  from  the  subjacent  soil,  and 
enables  the  mould  board,  with  the  aid  of  the  ploughman's  foot, 
entirely  to  reverse  it.  From  the  elasticity  of  the  meadow 
sward,  filled  as  it  usually  is  with  innumerable  roots,  no  other 
implement  has  been  found  equal  to  the  meadow  plough,  in  the 
work  of  reclaiming  our  meadow  lands. 

The  use  of  horse-power,  for  the  purposes  of  cutting  and 
harvesting  grain,  for  ploughing  and  other  operations,  may  very 
probably,  before  many  years,  be  superseded  in  a  measure  by 
steam  power.  The  idea  has  been  already  suggested,  and  some 
attempts  have  been  made  to  carry  it  into  practical  operation. 
It  would  seem  that  steam  power  could  only  be  applied  success- 
fully to  ploughing,  by  running  the  plough  on  wheels,  as  is 
done  in  some  parts  of  Europe,  and  in  the  prairie  plough  in  the 
West ;  and  then  that  it  could  not  be  used  to  advantage  except 
on  level,  or  nearly  level  lands,  free  from  stumps  and  large 
stones.  Some  experiments  were  recently  made  in  England 
with  the  plough,  subsoil  plough  and  harrow,  operated  by  steam 
power,  all  of  which  are  represented  as  fully  answering  all  rea- 
sonable expectations.  The  ploughing  took  place  on  old  lands, 
having  some  dips.  In  one  experiment,  four  acres  were  ploughed 
in  ten  hours,  and  might  have  been  subsoiled  at  the  same  time, 
making  the  amount  ploughed  nearly  an  acre  an  hour.  The 
relative  expense  of  ploughing  twenty-four  acres,  is  found  by 
that  trial  to  be,  by  horse  power,  $44-  23,  and  by  steam  power, 
$30  75,  making  a  difference  in  favor  of  the  steam  power  in 
ploughing  the  twenty-four  acres,  of  $13  48.  We  can  hardly 
realize  that  it  will  ever  be  of  practical  use  in  New  England. 

After  the  most  judicious  selection  of  a  plough,  the  work  will 
be  quite  likely  to  be  badly  executed,  unless  the  principles  of 
draft  are  understood.  "  So  great  is  the  difference  between  an 
awkward  and  skilful  adjustment  of  the  draft  to  the  plough, 
that  some  workmen  with  a  poor  instrument  have  succeeded 
better  than  others  have  with  the  best;  and  ploughs  of  second, 
quality,  sometimes  for  this  reason,  have  been  preferred  to  those 
of  the  most  perfect  construction." 

Perhaps  the  object  of  the  Massachusetts  State  Agricultural 


526  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Society,  in  instituting  the  ploughing  matches  at  Brighton,  was 
principally  an  improvement  in  the  breed  of  working  oxen. 
Yet  so  slow  were  the  competitors  in  those  honorable  and  use- 
ful contests,  to  allow  of  any  deficiency  in  their  animals,  and  to 
lay  upon  them  the  stigma  of  defeat,  that  they  were  led  to 
most  searching  examination  into  the  structure  of  their  ploughs, 
to  which  they  were  not  willing  to  charge  it.  The  result, 
therefore,  has  been  successive  improvements  in  the  plough. 
A  general  impetus  has  been  thence  communicated  to  the 
whole  art  of  agriculture.  Improvements  and  inventions  have 
abounded.  New  implements  have  been  invented,  old  ones  im- 
proved, and  thus  a  better  tillage  has  been  produced,  and  greater 
facilities  in  harvesting  have  enabled  the  farmer  the  better  to 
save  his  crops. 

Another  indispensable  implement  upon  the  farm  and  one  of 
great  practical  utility,  is  the  harrow.  This  instrument  natu- 
rally follows  the  plough  in  farm  operations,  and  although 
scarcely  less  important,  in  the  service  which  it  renders,  than 
the  plough  itself,  has  not  seemed  to  obtain  that  attention  which 
it  deserves.  Indeed,  while  constructed  in  the  manner  in  which 
are  most  of  them  now  used,  they  will  gain  few  golden  opinions 
from  intelligent  men.  Their  great  objection  lies  in  their 
weight.  They  are  too  heavy  and  are  moved  too  slowly.  In 
order  to  pulverize  the  soil  thoroughly  and  leave  it  in  fine  and 
delicate  tilth,  it  is  necessary  to  use  a  light  harrow,  with  sharp 
teeth,  and  to  move  it  quickly  over  the  ground.  "  If  we  exam- 
ine a  field,  one  half  of  which  has  been  harrowed  by  weak,  in- 
efficient horses,  and  whose  pace  was  consequently  sluggish, 
the  other  half  by  an  adequate  strength  and  swiftness  of  animal 
power,  we  shall  find  the  former  will  be  rough  and  unfinished  ; 
the  latter  comparatively  fine  and  level,  and  completed  in  what 
would  be  called  a  husbandry -like  manner."  On  meadow 
sward,  that  is  filled  with  roots  of  small  bushes  and  coarse 
grass,  a  light  harrow  with  sharp  teeth,  moved  rapidly  over  the 
surface,  cuts  the  roots  apart  and  brings  up  the  fine,  light  soil, 
admirably  prepared  to  receive  grass  seed  ;  while  a  heavy  in- 
strument, slowly  moved,  would  turn  up  innumerable  sods,  and 
do  little  towards  pulverizing  the  surface.     "  Many  would  be  sur- 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  52'r 

prised,  who  have  never  made  the  experiment,  at  the  amount  of 
reduction  of  which  seed  harrows,  at  least,  are  capable  ;  and 
where  land  is  clear,  to  see  how  effective  very  light  small 
toothed  harrows,  may  be  made."  In  an  experiment  made  be- 
tween a  pair  of  wooden  harrows,  and  a  pair  of  iron  ones,  con- 
structed alike,  although  the  iron  ones  were  twenty  pounds  the 
lightest,  yet  they  worked  decidedly  better  and  steadier  than 
those  made  of  wood.  It  seems  to  be  requisite  to  have  the  de- 
sired weight  in  the  most  compact  form ;  the  instrument  per- 
foims  its  work  easier  and  better,  while  it  is  more  conveniently 
handled  by  the  operator. 

The  horse  rake,  in  its  various  forms,  has  proved  itself  of 
great  service.  One  patented  by  a  Mr.  Delano,  of  Maine,  has 
been  considerably  used  in  this  State,  and  is  scarcely  excelled 
by  any  labor-saving  machine  in  use  on  the  farm.  Its  teeth  act 
independently,  thus  adapting  itself  to  all  surfaces,  and  the  op- 
erator rides  as  he  rakes.  The  process  of  ra':ing  is  rapid,  thus 
enabling  the  haymaker  to  leave  his  spread  grass  to  the  benefit 
of  the  sun,  until  a  late  hour  in  the  afternoon,  and  frequently  to 
get  it  in  on  the  same  day  in  which  it  is  cut.  It  is  cheap,  sim- 
ple in  construction,  and  durable. 

A  horse-mowing  machine,  and  a  machine  for  spreading 
swarths,  are  implements  much  wanted,  and  are  inviting  subjects 
for  the  inventive  genius  of  some  of  our  citizens. 

There  are  questions  of  great  importance  to  be  settled,  with 
regard  to  the  smaller  implements.  .  It  may  be  asked,  what 
weight  and  breadth  are  the  most  advantageous  for  the  hoe  ? 
Undoubtedly  they  should  be  such  that  the  person  using  it, 
could  make  the  greatest  number  of  effective  strokes  in  a  given 
time  with  the  least  fatigue.  Hoeing  is  a  laborious  work,  for 
the  reason  that  the  body  is  held  in  a  bent  position,  which  re- 
quires a  constant,  sustained  effort,  of  the  muscles  of  the  abdo- 
men and  back,  to  hold  up  the  great  weight  of  the  trunk, 
shoulders  and  head.  The  hoe  should  have  the  least  weight 
consistent  with  the  strength  and  size  required  for  good  work, 
and  in  order  to  be  as  light  as  is  convenient,  should  have  the 
least  width  that  is  sufficient  for  economical  use.  "  The  laborer, 
who  makes,  with  a  common  hoe,  two  thousand  strokes  an  hour, 


528  MASS.  BOARD  OP  AGRICULTURE. 

should  not  wield  a  needless  ounce.  If  any  part  is  heavier  than 
necessary,  even  to  the  amount  of  half  an  ounce  only,  he  must 
repeatedly  and  continually  lift  this  half  ounce,  so  that  the 
whole  strength  thus  spent,  would  be  equal  in  a  day,  to  twelve 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  which  ought  to  be  exerted  in  stir- 
ring the  soil,  and  destroying  the  weeds." 

The  same  principle  is  applicable  to  most  of  the  other  small 
implements  of  the  farm.  Great  improvements  have  been 
made  in  the  shovel  and  manure  fork.  It  is  probably  safe  to 
say  that  nearly  double  the  amount  may  be  accomplished  in  a 
given  time  with  a  six,  eight,  or  ten-tined  fork,  in  most  kinds  of 
work  where  a  shovel  has  formerly  been  used,  than  can  be  doiie 
with  the  shovel  itself,  and  this,  too,  with  greater  ease  to  the 
opeiator.  And  to  use  the  forcible  language  of  another,  "  in  no 
direction  can  we  grasp  more  aid  than  in  gathering  about  us  all 
good  and  necessary  tools.  Parsimony  here  is  ruin  ;  a  liberal 
and  judicious  expenditure  is  a  precursor  of  success." 

The  patent  laws  have  been  a  powerful  auxiliary  to  the  ef- 
forts of  the  agricultural  societies,  in  stimulating  the  ingenuity 
of  inventors.  By  securing  to  the  inventor  the  exclusive  ben- 
efit of  his  invention,  they  enable  him  to  enrich  himself,  while 
he  is  benefitting  the  public.  Agriculture  owes  many  of  the 
most  useful  inventions,  designed  to  facilitate  the  labors  of  the 
the  farm,  to  this  healthy  and  proper  stimulus  furnished  by  the 
laws. 

If  our  fathers  fifty  years  ago,  had  foreseen  the  amount  of  im- 
migration to  this  country,  instead  of  making  laws  to  protect 
patent  rights  from  infringement  in  order  that  ingenuity  and  la- 
bor might  reap  their  due  reward,  they  probably  would  have 
enacted  •"  stringent  laws  against  inventions,  in  fear  that  the  la- 
borer would  be  thrown  out  of  employment  and  come  upon  the 
parish  for  support.  Cotton  cloth  was  then  thirty  or  forty  cents 
a  yard  ;  a  girl's  wages  fifty  cents  a  week.  Now  a  girl's  wages 
are  often  three  to  five  dollars  a  week,  which  will  purchase  forty 
or  fifty  yards  of  cloth.  The  inventive  genius  of  the  country 
seems  to  be,  for  the  most  part,  concentrated  in  New  England, 
thougVi  some  of  the  most  beneficial  inventions  have  started  in 
other  parts.     And   the  inventive  power  of  the  people  of  New 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  529 

England,  has  been  turned  very  much  to  improvements  in  farm 
implements.  Since  our  great  political  revolution  which  made 
us  a  nation,  changes  almost  as  great  have  been  wrought  out  in 
the  field  of  agriculture.  Principles  in  vegetation  then  unheard 
of,  or  just  beginning  to  be  known  by  a  few  searching  minds, 
have  been  more  fully  established  and  published  to  the  world. 

No  subject  can  be  presented  to  the  notice  of  the  agricultural 
societies  and  of  this  board,  more  worthy  their  attention,  than 
the  construction  of  farm  implements,  and  improvements  therein. 
Even  the  form  and  weight  of  so  small  an  instrument  as  the 
hoe,  might  be  a  profitable  subject  of  earnest  and  mature  dis- 
cussion, and  a  series  of  experiments  like  those  of  the  ploughing 
matches,  which  have  brought  about  so  much  improvement  in 
the  plough.  The  adaptation  of  the  various  tools  and  machinery 
used  in  the  field  to  fulfil  their  design  most  thoroughly,  by  their 
capacity  of  doing  the  most  work  and  in  the  best  manner,  with 
the  least  fatigue  to  the  operator,  can  hardly  be  the  subject  of 
too  much  examination.  All  such  examinations,  though  attract- 
ing but  little  public  attention,  may  work  out  most  substantial 
benefits. 

The  whole  subject  of  farm  implements,  in  all  its  bearings 
upon  the  labors  of  the  field  and  the  effect  of  those  labors  on 
the  condition  and  improvement  of  the  art,  and  on  the  value 
and  beauty  of  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  State,  as  well  as 
upon  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  farmers,  cannot  be 
overrated. 

The  soil  of  Massachusetts  is  for  the  most  part  rather  forbid- 
ding, while  the  advantages  for  commerce  and  other  pursuits, 
have  held  out  to  our  citizens  inducements  to  engage  in  such 
employments,  as  would,  (in  their  imagination)  better  repay 
time  and  industry,  and  give  a  larger  profit  to  capital  invested. 
Those  who  have  staid  by  the  sod,  have  done  well.  They  have 
always,  when  industrious  and  skilful,  gained  a  competent  sup- 
port, and  some  have  saved  small  fortunes.  But  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil  here,  undoubtedly  requires  more  toil,  skill  and  ex- 
pense, than  in  some  other  states.  We  have,  however,  the  com- 
forting assurance  of  writers  on  political  economy,  that  a  hard 
soil  is  favorable  to  the  best  development  of  the  intellect,  and 
67 


530  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

that  good  morals  thrive  best,  where  the  products  of  the  land 
require  the  most  care.  In  proportion,  however,  to  the  ungenial 
quality  of  the  soil,  is  the  advantage  of  machinery  and  imple- 
ments adapted  to  lighten  labor  and  assist  the  work.  In  no 
part  of  the  country,  therefore,  is  this  subject  of  implements 
more  important  than  here  in  our  own  State. 

"  The  United  States  present  a  wide  field  for  the  operations 
of  skilful  artisans  in  all  useful  as  well  as  ornamental  articles  j 
as  their  wealth  increases  so  do  also  their  taste  for  the  elegant 
and  beautiful,  and  their  desire  to  possess  what  will  minister  to 
the  refinements  of  life.  This  is  ever  the  case  with  nations  as 
they  advance  in  intellectual  power,  and  in  the  first  appreciation 
of  what  confers  real  dignity  on  a  people  ;  and  their  moral 
strength  keeps  pace  with  their  progress  in  intelligence." 

During  the  last  fifty  years,  as  was  remarked  in  the  outset, 
the  mind  has  been  preeminently  active  in  seeking  out  new  in- 
ventions. It  has  also  had  its  period  to  soar  to  the  heavens  in 
search  of  new  planets,  mark  the  time  of  their  coming,  and  tell 
us  when  their  far-ofi"  light  shall  first  touch  our  earth  ; — to 
explore  fathomless  seas  and  penetrate  deep  bays  and  inlets 
of  frozen  zones ;  it  has  outstript  the  fancies  of  the  poet,  in 
passing  "  a  girdle  round  the  earth  in  forty  minutes."  Mar- 
vellous works  has  it  wrought  in  steam  and  electricity  ;  probed 
deep  into  animal  physiology,  given  us  new  limbs  in  surgery, 
and  finally  thrown  us  into  a  temporary  death  in  order  to  haul 
up  our  shattered  frame  for  repair  of  damages. 

But  at  present  the  mind's  popular  idea  is  agriculture.  The 
decrease  of  crops  on  most  of  our  old  lands,  with  the  rapid  in- 
crease of  population,  has  arrested  the  attention  of  many  ear- 
nest and  intelligent  persons.  The  inquiry  everywhere  is, 
What  shall  be  done  to  increase  the  fertility  of  our  impoverished 
acres,  and  bring  a  more  ample  reward  for  the  labor  bestowed 
upon  them  ?  Our  answer  is,  more  light, — a  more  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  laws  and  operations  of  nature,  and  a  more 
careful  and  skilful  cultivation  of  what  we  undertake. 

SIMON  BROWN,  Chairman. 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE.  531 


Manufactures. 

We  have  considered  this  subject  in  several  points  of  view, 
and  have  found,  in  each  of  them,  strong  reasons  for  the  en- 
couragement of  manufactures  by  the  agricultural  societies  of 
ihis  Commonwealth. 

There  is  an  obvious  and  necessary  connection  between  all 
the  arts  of  life,  and  the  interests  of  each  are  best  promoted  by 
sympathy  and  harmony  of  action  with  all  the  rest.  Manu- 
factures are,  in  a  very  important  degree,  linked  with  the  in- 
terests of  agriculture.  They  proceed  from,  stimulate  and 
recompense  the  labor,  skill  and  enterprise  of  the  farmer.  He 
must  produce  the  raw  materials,  to  be  converted  by  the  manu- 
facturer into  fabrics,  which  the  community  requires  for  com- 
fort and  health.  His  cattle-yard,  sheep-fold,  stye,  poultry-yard, 
•dairy,  orchards  and  fields,  are  all  needed  tributaries  to  the  gen- 
eral stock,  which  supplies  every  article  of  food  and  clothing,  of 
comfort  and  luxury.  Our  houses,  in  every  part,  and  in  all 
their  conveniences  ;  our  implements  of  labor,  and  our  means  of 
•conveyance,  remind  us  of  the  necessary  cultivation  of  the  soil. 
The  traveller,  and  he  v/ho  dwells  at  home,  the  manufacturer, 
the  mechanic  and  the  merchant,  have  all  frequent  occasion  to 
feel  their  indebtedness  to  those  interests,  which  it  is  our  imme- 
diate object  to  foster  and  encourage. 

Without  pursuing  this  obvious  thought,  we  proceed  to  re- 
mark, that  by  suitable  attention  to  manufactures,  and  a  gen- 
■erous  encouragement  of  every  effort  to  multiply  and  improve 
them,  we  shall  contribute  directly  to  our  own  advantage.  The 
aid  we  shall  lend  will,  of  necessity,  be  returned  in  the  large 
consumption  of  the  products  of  the  farm  and  the  garden,  and 
in  a  corresponding  increase  of  the  profits  of  cultivation. 

Nor  is  it  less  obvious,  we  conceive,  that  a  free  and  generous 
supply  of  those  articles  which  the  manufacturer  can  contribute, 
must  enhance,  in  a  great  measure,  the  attractiveness  and  the 
profits  of  our  annual  exhibitions.  There  are  many  who  usually 
attend  these  exhibitions,  to  whom  no  objects  can  be  presented 
more  gratifying  than  such  contributions.     We  have   noticed 


532  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

the  closest  and  apparently  gratified  attention  to  the  often  ele^ 
gant  specimens  of  cloths,  shawls,  hosiery,  carpeting,  &c.,  which 
have  graced  our  halls.  We  have  watched  the  diligent  inspec- 
tion of  the  implements  of  husbandry,  the  articles  for  the  dairy, 
the  labor-saving  machines  for  domestic  operations,  the  boots 
and  shoes,  the  hats  and  bonnets,  the  carriages  and  harnesses,-— 
the  curious  and  the  useful  inventions,  which  were  here  dis- 
played. We  have  seen  crowds  of  eager  spectators,  around  the 
table  laden  with  the  fruits  of  female  industry,  taste  and  skill. 
And  were  either  department  to  be  neglected,  or  but  meagerly 
supplied,  the  consequence  would  be  no  less  marked  and  inju- 
rious, than  if  the  products  of  the  dairy,  the  garden  and  the 
field  were  wanting,  or  but  scantily  collected.  It  would  seem, 
therefore,  to  be  at  once  the  duty  and  the  interest  of  our  socie- 
ties, to  increase,  by  suitable  attention  and  encouragement,  this 
important  feature  of  our  annual  exhibitions. 

Again,  we  conceive  that  the  industry,  skill  and  enterprise, 
which  are  necessary  to  the  production  of  such  manufactures  as 
we  would  desire  to  see  at  our  annual  exhibitions,  are  intimately 
and  largely  connected  with  the  general  education,  refinement 
and  happiness  of  society ; — an  object  most  worthy  of  all  en- 
couragement, and  most  likely  to  act,  with  reflex  influence,  upon 
the  interests  of  all  who  shall  aid  in  promoting  it.  In  the  facto- 
ry, in  the  workshop  and  at  the  fireside,  are  those  elements 
formed  and  put  in  exercise,  which  are  to  refine  the  character, 
and  swell  the  prosperity,  of  the  community,  by  which  our 
labors  are  to  be  appreciated  and  recompensed.  We  cannot  do 
less,  therefore,  than  ofler  every  suitable  inducement  to  multiply 
and  improve  the  productions,  to  which  such  elements  give  birth. 
The  neglect,  or  the  low  estimation  of  them,  would  be  alike 
unjust  and  detrimental. 

Observing  that  the  duty  assigned  the  committee,  excludes 
the  consideration  of  several  articles  of  manufacture,  in  which 
the  farmer  is  most  interested,  we  invite  attention  to  the  follow- 
ing table,  in  which  are  embraced  many  articles  not  hitherto 
common  at  our  annual  exhibitions,  but  at  all  times  a  desirable 
contribution  to  them.  The  premiums  which  ar3  ofl'-red  as  an 
encouragement  and  compensation  for  the  d 'splay  of  them,  will, 


MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE,  538 

of  course,  vary  in  amount,  with  the  pecuniary  resources  of  the 
respective  societies  that  offer  them. 

Manufactures  of  Cloth,  Hosiery,  (^'c. 

Best  piece  of  cotton  cloth,  not  less  than  30  yards. 

"         "      "  cotton  prints,  "     "       "      "        " 

"         "      "  cotton  chintz,  "     "       "      ''        '< 

"         "      "  cotton  flannel, "     '•'       "      "        " 

"         '•'      "  cotton  and  woolen  dress  goods,  not  less  than  30  yds. 

"         "      "  tapestry  carpeting,  not  less  than  30  yards. 
Brussels  carpeting,    "      "       "      "      " 
ingrain  carpeting,     "      "       "       "      " 
stair  carpeting,  "      "       ''      "      " 

"      hearth  rug. 

"      piece  of  broadcloth,  not  less  than  25  yards. 

u         u      i(  kerseymere,  "      "      "       "       " 

"         *'      "  woolen  dress  goods,  not  less  than  30  yards, 

"         "      '*  flannel,  not  less  than  30  yards. 

"      pair  of  woolen  blankets. 

"      woolen  shawl. 

"      specimen  of  woolen  shirts. 

"  '•'         ''  woolen  drawers. 

"      6  pairs  woolen  hose. 

"      "     "     woolen  half  hose. 

"      2     "     silk  hose. 

"      "     "     silk  half  hose. 

"      counterpane. 

"      bale  of  cotton  or  woolen  wadding. 
The  above-named  articles  must  have  been  manufactured  in 

the  county  within  one  year.     The  articles,  made  in  the  family 

of  the  person  presenting  them,  will  receive  particular  considera* 

tion,  and,  if  worthy,  an  additional  premium. 

Manufactures  of  Leather,  ^c. 
Best  pair  of  thick  boots. 
"      "     "  calf  skin  boots. 
"      "     "  thin  boots,  other  than  calf  skin. 
"      "     "  kip  boots. 


S34  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE, 

Best  pair  of  thick  brogans. 

£(  u     u  £f|g  brogans. 

u  a     a  ladies'  walking  shoes. 

''  "     "  ladies'  slippers. 

"  riding  bridle  and  saddle. 

"  single  chaise  or  carriage  harness. 

"  double  chaise  or  carriage  harness. 

''  specimen  of  finished  calf  skin. 

"  "         "        "       kip  skin. 

"  "         "        "       morocco. 

"  ^'         "        "       sole  leather. 


Miscellaneous  Articles. 

Best  specimen 

of  shell  combs,  not  less  than  six. 

u               u 

"  horn  combs,    "      "      '<      " 

((             ii 

"  men's  hats. 

li            (( 

"  children's  hats. 

ei              a 

"  men's  caps. 

a              (( 

"  children's  caps. 

u              u 

"  silk  umbrellas. 

a              (I 

"  gingham  umbrellas. 

u              u 

"  straw  bonnets. 

li            ii 

"  straw  hats. 

u              u 

"  straw  braid,  not  less  than  100  yards. 

"   collection 

of  wooden  ware. 

c(              a 

"  earthen  ware. 

a              a 

"  stone  ware. 

a              a 

"  tin  ware. 

a               a 

"  glass  ware. 

u               a 

"  iron  ware. 

"    specimen 

of  coopers'  work. 

(f           (( 

"  horse  shoes. 

((           (( 

"  ox  shoes. 

(<           (( 

"  sperm  candles,  not  less  than  10  Ibs^ 

ti               a 

"  stearine  candles, "     "       "      "     " 

li               ti 

"  tallow  candles,    «'     "       "      "     « 

a              « 

"  soap,  washing,    "     "       "      "     " 

t(              a 

"  soap,  fancy,        <«     "       "      "     " 

1 

MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


535 


Best  specimen  of  pleasure  carriages,  (single.) 
pleasure  carriages,  (double.) 
wagons,  (covered.) 
wagons,  (open.) 
starch,  corn, 
starch,  potato, 
starch,  wheat, 
farina. 

prepared  oats, 
prepared  barley, 
wheaten  groats, 
mustard, 
pickles, 
preserves, 
catchup. 
Indian  meal, 
rye  meal, 
wheat  meal, 
buck  wheat. 

Not  less  than  50  lbs,  of  each,  in  clean  bags, 
wheat  bread, 
rye  bread. 

Indian  and  rye  bread. 
Indian  and  wheat  bread. 
Not  less  than  2  lbs.  of  each,  (with  special 
regulations.) 
"         "  churns. 
"         "  butter  workers. 
"         "  butter  stamps. 
"         "  lard,  not  less  than  10  lbs. 
barrel  superfine  flour. 

"      rye  flour, 
specimen  of  glue,  not  less  than  10  lbs. 
cooking  stove, 
parlor  stove, 
farm  boiler. 

Any  specimen  of  work  performed  by  a  child  under  12  years 
of  age,  exhibiting  industry  and  ingenuity,  shall,  if  worthy, 
receive  a  premium  at  the  discretion  of  the  committee. 


536  MASS.  BOARD  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Any  specimen  of  embroidery,  or  other  fine  needle  work, — 
of  drawing,  etching,  or  painting, — of  ornamental,  or  of  useful 
work,  not  otherwise  provided  for,  shall,  if  worthy,  receive  a 
premium  at  the  discretion  of  the  committee. 

Every  article,  to  be  entitled  to  a  premium,  must  have  been 
produced  in  the  county  within  one  year.  And  no  article, 
which  has  received  a  premium  in  one  place,  shall  be  entitled 
to  the  same  in  another. 

For  the  Committee, 

CHARLES  C.  SEWALL. 


SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES 


AGRICULTURAL   SOCIETIES. 


Some  ot  the  Obstacles  which  have  Impeded  the  Progress 
OF  Agriculture,  and  the  Mode  in  which  its  Improvement 
CAN  Specially  be  Promoted. 

[Extract  from  an  Address  by  Rev.  Milton  P.  Braman,  at  the  last  Fair  of  the 
Essex  Agricultural  Society.] 

I.  The  situation  and  employment  of  the  farmer  have  not 
hitherto  furnished  him  with  that  stimuhis  to  mental  activity 
and  effort,  which  has  been  applied  to  many  other  classes.  Agri- 
cultural operations  are  so  simple  as  to  require  no  great  exercise 
of  ingenuity  and  length  of  practice  to  learn  to  perform  them. 
The  spade,  the  plough,  the  scythe,  the  sickle,  demand  no  long 
apprenticeship,  little  teaching  and  a  small  degree  of  dexterity 
to  acquire  a  competent  use  of  them.  The  modes  and  seasons 
of  planting,  sowing,  reaping,  gathering,  when  once  ascertained, 
can  be  comprehended  in  a  very  short  time  by  the  most  moder- 
ate capacity.  Every  boy  in  rural  places  learns  the  current 
practice  without  any  effort  of  attention,  or  direct  teaching,  by 
observing  what  he  cannot  avoid  seeing,  and  as  a  matter  of 
course,  just  as  he  acquires  the  knov/ledge  of  trees  and  stones, 
and  earth  and  water,  and  the  obvious  effects  of  sun  and  rain; 
and  the  most  common  objects  and  processes  about  him. 
Strength  of  muscle  and  bone,  and  the  power  of  hardy  endur- 
ance, are  more  essential  for  the  ordinary  processes  of  farm 
labor,  than  natural  ingenuity  or  skilful  training.  But  the  case 
68 


§38  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

is  quite  different  with  respect  to  the  mechanic  arts,  some  of 
which  demand  the  assiduous  and  well  instructed  preparation  of 
years  to  acquire  the  power  to  produce  the  most  ordinary  and 
usable  fabrics  which  it  is  their  appropriate  business  to  furnish 
to  the  community.  What  a  difference  between  the  mechanical 
ingenuity  necessary  to  frame  a  dwelling-house,  and  that  re- 
quired to  prepare  the  ground  for  planting  !  What  superiority  of 
mental  and  manual  pliability  is  employed  in  the  construction 
of  a  watch,  over  that  bestowed  on  the  use  of  the  spade  and  the 
sickle!  Those  wooden  clocks  which  New  England  pedlers 
sell  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  which  need  one  hand  and  a  crank  to 
turn  the  wheels,  are  specimens  of  workmanship,  which  exhibit 
the  results  of  a  much  more  lengthened  and  devoted  prepara- 
tion, than  the  use  of  any  implement  of  agriculture  whatever. 
There  is  scarce  any  branch  of  mechanic  art,  or  of  manufacture, 
the  training  and  practice  of  which  do  not  necessarily  call  into 
action  more  of  the  mental  attributes  of  man,  than  the  common 
operations  of  the  field.  Now  the  exercise  of  the  intellect  in 
one  direction  gives  strength  to  all  the  powers.  The  discipline 
of  the  understanding  in  any  form  adds  to  its  general  tone,  elas- 
ticity and  extent ;  and  thus  the  employment  of  those  engaged 
in  the  mechanic  arts,  has  given  them  an  advantage  over  those 
who  are  occupied  in  the  more  simple  labors  or  rural  industry. 
When  we  consider  the  difference  in  the  nature  and  mental  in- 
fluence of  these  two  classes  of  pursuits,  we  see  some  reason  fo? 
the  opinion  which  has  gained  prevalence,  that  those  who  be- 
stow their  attention  exclusively  upon  soil,  arc  less  active  in 
their  intellectual  habits,  less  inquisitive,  have  less  aptitude  for 
making  improvements,  or  adopting  those  suggested  by  others, 
than  those  who  have  devoted  themselves  to  other  branches  of 
manual  labor. 

There  are  some  kinds  of  manufactures  that  exert  the  same 
influence  in  a  more  indirect  form.  The  powers  that  move 
them,  render  their  operations  exceedingly  rapid  and  exciting. 
The  incessant  whirl  and  noise  of  the  machinery,  the  quick 
movement  on  the  part  of  those  who  exercise  superintendence 
to  supply  the  material  for  process,  and  regulate  the  work,  the 
close  attention  demanded,    the  regularity  and    precision  and 


MILTON  P.  BRAMAN'S  ADDRESS.  539 

despatch  with  which  every  part  of  the  fabric  is  elaborated  and 
brought  into  shape,  communicate  corresponding  impressions  to 
the  mind.  The  ideas  of  operatives  are  moulded  by  the  processes 
about  them,  and  acquire  an  energy,  order  and  quickness  which 
give  a  new  cast  to  the  intellectual  character.  Agricultural  op- 
erations  are  generally  of  a  slow  and  quiet  nature.  They  do 
not  admit  of  the  application  of  that  extensive,  complicated  and 
rapidly  moving  machinery,  which  is  made  use  of  in  the  manu- 
facturing arts.  The  force  of  steam  is  said  to  have  been,  in 
some  instances,  made  use  of  to  move  the  plough,  but  then  the 
celerity  with  which  it  is  drawn  through  the  furrows,  must  be 
limited  by  the  power  of  speed  in  the  person  who  follows.  Un- 
less an  apparatus  should  be  invented  which  should  sustain  and 
guide  itself,  or  admit  of  being  directed  by  a  person  to  whom  it 
should  at  the  same  time  serve  as  a  conveyance,  the  use  of  this 
wonderful  agent,  for  such  purposes,  is  of  questionable  practica- 
bility ;  and  even  then,  it  could  be  employed  only  in  those 
smooth  and  clear  soils,  where  no  fast  stones  and  other  impedi- 
ments cKist,  to  render  a  rapid  progress  destructive  to  the  im- 
plement. 

Now  the  mental  habits  of  the  farm  laborer,  take,  where  no 
counteracting  circumstances  exist,  the  cast  of  his  employment. 
The  slow  manner  in  which  it  is  conducted,  and  its  unexciting 
nature,  exercise  an  assimilating  influence  upon  his  tempera- 
ment. The  ox  has  little  elasticity  in  his  movements.  The 
farm  horse  has  a  reputation  for  spirit,  certainly  not  high.  The 
processes  of  vegetation  are  so  gradual  as  to  make  growth  im- 
perceptible, so  silent  that  they  emit  no  sound  to  the  acutest 
ear.  How  different  in  their  character  and  effects  on  those  with 
whose  pursuits  they  are  connected,  from  the  water-fall  and  the 
propelling  wind,  and  the  steam  engine,  and  the  swift  revolving 
wheels,  and  the  whirling  spindles,  and  the  unceasing  din  which 
turn  the  very  brain  into  a  locomotive,  and  strain  the  nevves  to 
as  high  a  tension,  as  the  thread  is  twisted  into  strong  and  tena- 
cious fibre,  from  the  loose  filaments  of  cotton. 

There  is  a  difference  between  agriculture  and  some  other 
employments,  derived  from  the  diverse  situation  in  which  they 
are  pursued.     A  large  portion  of  manufacturing  operations  is 


540  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES, 

conducted  in  places  of  compact  population,  where  men,  living 
in  close  connection,  act  powerfully  on  each  other's  sympathies, 
and  those  principles  of  imitation  and  emulation,  which  hold 
such  sway  in  the  human  breast,  and  impart  such  great  energy 
to  intellect  and  character.  These  observations  have  a  close  ap- 
plication to  trading  and  mercantile  pursuits.  They  are  neces- 
sarily carried  on  to  a  great  extent  in  large  and  crowded  places, 
where  human  passions  communicate  themselves  with  great 
rapidity ;  where  enterprise,  and  skill,  and  talent  are  awakened 
into  vigor  by  contact,  and  stimulated  by  the  keenest  competi- 
tion of  selfishness.  The  trading  establishments  in  small  vil- 
lages and  rural  districts,  bring  their  superintendents  into  con- 
stant communication  with  men  of  all  varieties  of  disposition 
and  intelligence,  from  places  more  or  less  remote  ;  where  sub- 
jects are  discussed,  ideas  are  exchanged,  information  communi- 
cated, and  the  mind  is  kept  in  a  state  of  excitement  and 
activity. 

The  political  affairs  of  the  nation  are  discussed  in  these 
places  of  village  resort,  with  more  good  sense  than  they  are 
sometimes  treated  in  higher  places,  and  the  business  which  it 
has  taken  a  whole  session  of  Congress  to  discuss,  and  another 
to  decide,  is  there  completed  in  one  evening's  debate,  quite  as 
well  in  some  cases,  if  not  so  authoratively,  as  in  the  spot  where 
the  supreme  power  of  the  nation  resides. 

But  the  operations  of  husbandry  require  an  open  space,  are 
conducted  in  a  more  sparsely  settled  region,  without  the  limits 
of  those  centres  of  congregation,  and  human  contact  and  com- 
petition, and  those  influences  which  quicken  ideas  and  rouse 
the  energies  to  action. 

2.  A  good  deal  of  talent  and  energy  are  withdrawn  from 
agricultural  employment  into  other  business,  which  holds  out 
inducement  of  quicker  and  larger  profit.  The  difference  which 
exists  between  agricultural  and  mercantile  occupations,  is  gen- 
erally conceded  to  be  this,  that  while  the  former  holds  out 
prospects  of  steady,  safe,  but  slow  and  moderate  returns,  the 
latter  invite  by  the  chances  of  sudden  and  splendid  fortunes^ 
united  with  a  very  large  proportion  of  entire  failures.  Now  it 
would  be  the  dictate  of  true  wisdom  to  prefer  generally  the 


MILTON  P.  BRAMAN'S  ADDRESS.  541 

safer  and  less  brilliant  path  to  that  which  proposes  a  few  mag- 
nificent prizes,  and  an  immense  number  of  blanks.  There  are, 
it  is  true,  those  who  possess  such  a  strong  aptitude  for  mercan- 
tile life,  whose  genius  for  trading  speculations  is  so  remarkably 
developed,  and  who  have  such  a  great  confidence  in  their  pow- 
ers, that  their  course  of  life  seems  to  be  pointed  out  by  indica- 
tions too  plain  to  be  mistaken ;  and  the  probability  of  success 
preponderates  manifestly  in  their  favor.  But  considering  the 
monitory  disclosures  which  have  been  made  on  this  subject, 
the  larger  portion  of  those  who  embark  in  the  pursuits  of  trade 
are  mere  adventurers.  They  hazard  their  fortunes  on  the  most 
uncertain  risks.  The  experiment  which  they  make  is  like  the 
purchase  of  a  ticket  in  the  lottery ;  it  is  worse  than  that  even, 
it  is  a  California  speculation. 

A  magnificent  prize  in  a  lottery,  a  successful  adventure  for 
gold  in  the  mining  regions,  will  awaken  the  aspiration  of  thou- 
sands ;  they  shut  their  eyes  to  the  vast  number  of  the  disap- 
pointed, and  are  overpowered  and  seduced  by  one  of  the  few 
instances  of  good  fortune.  So  the  comparatively  few,  who,  re- 
sorting in  early  life  to  the  cities  for  trading  purposes,  make 
their  way  up  to  the  golden  summits  of  ambition,  will  draw  after 
them  a  crowd  of  the  young,  ardent,  and  ambitious,  who  abandon 
the  less  perilous  and  less  fascinating  toils  of  rural  life,  to  plunge 
into  mercantile  uncertainties  in  which  so  many  are  overwhelmed 
to  rise  no  more. 

The  attractions  of  a  city  life  are  motives  of  powerful  opera- 
tion with  many,  whose  tastes  lead  them  in  that  direction. 
They  have  no  fondness  for  rural  scenes.  The  green  fields,  the 
winding  streams,  the  waving  trees,  the  flowers  of  spring,  hill 
and  dale,  and  all  the  majesty  and  beauty  of  nature,  have  no 
charms  in  their  eyes  equal  to  the  crowded  streets,  and  build- 
ings of  lofty  and  costly  proportions,  and  glow,  and  bustle,  and 
gaiety,  and  splendor  and  fashion,  and  social  enjoyments  of  a 
populous  city. 

The  wish  to  escape  the  manual  labor  of  the  field  is  a  strong 
passion.  Work  there,  is  work ;  it  is  disagreeable  on  account 
of  its  severity,  its  uncleanliness,  its  exposure  to  the  sun  and  air, 
and  those  various  influences  which  are  inconsistent  with  the 


542  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

desired  grace,  niceness  and  delicacy  of  personal  appearance. 
There  are  many  young  men  who  have  feminine  propensities. 
They  have  that  inclination  for  the  pretty,  ornamental,  and 
showy  in  person  and  dress,  which  nature  intended  should  be 
the  exclusive  property  of  the  other  sex.  They  interfere  with 
the  female  prerogatives,  as  much  as  some  of  those  whose  do- 
main they  invade,  do  in  their  aspirations  after  a  more  gentle- 
manly appearance.  Since  the  ladies  have  begun  to  wear  work- 
ing jackets  and  pantaloons,  and  have  exchanged  the  bonnet  for 
the  hat,  I  am  greatly  in  hopes,  as  the  only  advantage  which 
is  likely  to  grow  out  of  such  a  metamorphosis,  that  those 
young  men  who  have  such  pretty  tastes  will  permit  them  to 
take  a  more  rational  direction,  and  that  in  their  endeavors  to 
imitate  the  ladies,  they  will  become  as  manly  as  they  are. 

Agricultural  labor  has  not,  in  the  view  of  some,  the  requisite 
dignity  and  rank  to  satisfy  their  ambition.  The  fact  that  the 
mere  practical  operations  of  farming  demand  so  little  training 
and  skill  to  conduct  them,  places  the  occupation  in  a  lower 
grade  than  the  arts  which  require  long  apprenticeship,  and 
much  tuition  to  practise  them  with  the  necessary  degree  of 
success  and  profit.  The  skill  associated  with  the  exercise  of 
the  craft  gives  it  higher  association  and  a  loftier  position. 
When,  as  in  some  mechanical  employments,  you  have  great 
expenditure  in  preparation,  fine  and  costly  material,  extreme 
nicety  of  workmanship,  and  rich  and  valuable  products  destined 
for  ornament  and  elegant  use,  you  see  an  employment  which 
presents  much  higher  attractions  to  those  who  are  actuated  by 
aspiring  views,  than  belong  to  the  more  simple  and  rural  exer- 
cises. The  young  man  who  enters  upon  such  a  line  of  life, 
feels  himself  above  the  rustic  laborer ;  as  much  superior  in 
some  of  the  finer  attributes  of  humanity,  to  him  who  delves  in 
the  ground,  as  the  instruments  with  which  he  works,  surpass 
in  their  exquisite  and  delicate  structure,  the  heavy  plough ; 
and  the  gold  and  silver  which  are  wrought  into  forms  of  con- 
venience and  beauty  by  his  hand,  exceed  the  coarse  earth  be- 
neath his  feet. 

There   is  no  country  on  the  earth  where  this  ambition  to 
rise  to  higher  grades  in  life,  real  or  imaginary,  is  more  strong 


MILTON  P.  BRAMAN'S  ADDRESS.  543 

than  in  ours.  The  people  seem  to  have  the  same  convictions 
respecting  their  own  properties  that  Moloch  expressed  of  his 
compeers  in  Pandenionium,  that  "  in  their  proper  motion  as* 
cend." 

Every  man  feels  that  he  is  equal  to  every  other,  and  that 
nature  has  provided  for  him  some  high  position  which  it  is  the 
great  mission  of  his  life  to  find,  and  that  no  American  has 
found  his  right  place,  as  long  as  there  is  another  individual 
above  him.  Agriculture  pays  the  penalty  of  this  universal  and 
boundless  competition.  A  great  amount  of  ingenuity,  activity 
and  enterprise,  which  ought  to  bestow  their  benefits  upon  the 
soil,  are  forced  into  other  channels  of  industry  which  promise 
higher  rewards  to  the  impatient  aspirations  of  the  American 
mind. 

3.  Another  reason  for  the  slow  progress  of  agriculture,  in 
this  country  particularly,  is  the  immense  quantity  of  unculti^ 
vated  and  fertile  lands  which  have  held  out  constant  invitation 
to  emigrants  from  the  older  settlements.  The  stimulants  to  a 
more  inventive  and  vigorous  agriculture  are  withdrawn.  It  is 
found  easier  for  a  person  who  has  a  taste  for  the  labors  of  the 
field,  to  go  a  thousand  miles  and  reap  an  almost  spontaneous 
harvest  from  soils  that  have  been  growing  richer  since  creation, 
than  to  turn  the  stone  of  the  New  England  hills  into  bread. 
And  then  as  larger  proportions  of  waste  land  have  been  brought 
into  culture,  and  the  facilities  of  transportation  have  been  mul- 
tiplied, and  a  greater  quantity  of  surplus  products  has  been 
thrown  into  our  markets  to  compete  with  those  of  domestic 
culture,  every  year  has  laid  a  still  heavier  tax  on  the  ingenuity 
and  exertions  of  the  agriculturists  in  the  older  regions  to  ex- 
tract an  adequate  return  from  mould  of  stubborn  and  ungrate- 
ful qualities.  This  demand  in  other  circumstances  would  have 
operated  favorably;  it  would  have  called  forth  correspondent 
effort ;  it  would  have  developed  resources  equal  to  the  crisis  ; 
and  though  no  more  sunbeams  might  have  been  obtained  to 
warm  the  earth,  than  the  sun  is  pleased  to  dispense,  they  might 
have  been  put  to  more  economical  and  efficient  use  in  perfect- 
ing the  process  of  vegetation. 

But  to  those  having  the  migratory  propensities  so  strongly 


BU  SELECTIONS  PROM  ADDRESSES. 

infixed  in  the  minds  of  the  American  people,  the  possession  of 
new  and  rich  soils,  presents  irresistible  attractions.  It  is  to  no 
purpose  to  attempt  to  dissuade  them  from  their  enterprise,  by 
an  exhibition  of  its  difficulties  and  privations.  They  find  it 
more  easy  to  surmount  them,  than  to  call  into  existence  the 
skill  and  resources  necessary  to  obtain  such  a  livelihood  and 
position  as  they  are  ambitious  to  obtain  here.  When  a  person 
is  told  that  with  the  same  effort  he  can  arrive  at  as  good  a  con- 
dition in  Connecticut  and  Massachusetts,  as  on  the  western 
frontier,  it  does  not  satisfy  him.  He  acts  on  the  maxim  of 
Cassar,  that  it  is  better  to  be  the  first  man  in  a  village,  than  the 
second  in  Rome.  He  is  willing  to  live  in  a  log  house  where 
his  neighbor  lives  in  a  log  house  too.  But  to  occupy  such  a 
dwelling,  where  others  dwell  in  framed  and  ceiled  houses,  of- 
fends his  notion  of  republican  equality.  We  must  be  recon- 
ciled to  such  a  state  of  things.  The  feeling,  though  it  may  be 
extravagant  and  misdirected,  is  the  legitimate  offspring  of  our 
institutions.  It  is  a  feeling  which  tends  to  elevation  and  re- 
spectability of  character,  it  prompts  to  self-denying  eff'orts,  it  is 
a  preservative  from  degrading  vice,  and  one  of  the  great  safe- 
guards of  that  sense  of  dignity  and  the  virtuous  self-control, 
which  belong  to  the  foundations  of  American  liberty. 

4.  Another  circumstance  which  has  retarded  the  advance  of 
agriculture  has  been  a  want  of  chemical  knowledge.  It  is 
only  about  a  hundred  years  since  the  foundation  of  the  science 
of  modern  chemistry  was  laid  by  Dr.  Black,  of  Edinburgh. 
Previous  to  that  time  this  branch  of  natural  philosophy  was 
in  no  condition  to  render  any  service  to  the  tillage  of  the 
ground.  And  indeed  it  was  not  till  a  considerable  period  sub- 
sequent, that  application  was  made  of  its  newly  discovered 
principles  to  that  art  in  which  it  is  destined  to  effect  so  won- 
derful a  revolution.  Within  fifty  years  the  science  has  assumed 
an  exactness,  and  made  a  progress,  and  taken  a  prominence, 
to  which  nothing  in  its  previous  history  bears  any  comparison, 
and  upon  which  are  founded  the  highest  expectations  of  its 
future  development,  and  the  immense  benefit  which  it  will 
confer  upon  mankind.  Probably  no  important  interest  of  hu- 
manity will  receive  greater  advantage  from  this  department  of 


MILTON  P.  BRAMAN'S  ADDRESS.  545 

research  than  agriculture.  The  composition  of  soils,  the  ele- 
ments which  are  combined  in  vegetables,  the  requisite  ingre- 
dients for  fertilising  agents,  the  presence  or  deficiency  of  par- 
ticular qualities  in  the  earths,  which  rendered  them  adapted 
or  unadapted  to  the  production  of  certain  descriptions  of  plants, 
and  whose  very  existence  was  unknown  for  thousands  of 
years,  seem  so  essential  to  a  successful  tillage,  that  it  is  a 
matter  of  wonder  how  observation  was  so  well  able  to  remedy 
the  want  which  chemical  investigation  is  destined  to  supply. 
It  has  already  rendered  vast  benefit  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
earth ;  and  yet  agricultural  chemistry  is  still  in  its  infancy. 
It  is  just  laying  the  foundations  of  a  mighty  superstructure. 
What  then  will  it  not  effect  when  it  has  advanced  to  the  full 
maturity  of  improvement  ?  A  hundred  or  even  fifty  years  more 
of  progress  with  the  increased  activity  of  the  human  mind,  and 
the  increased  facilities  for  discovery  proportionate  to  that  which 
the  last  century  or  half  century  has  witne'^sed,  will  renovate 
the  face  of  the  earth,  and  produce  results  which  would  now 
«eem  almost  like  the  eifects  of  supernatural  power. 

The  contempt  with  which  some  interested  in  the  progress  of 
agriculture,  and  possessing  intelligence,  look  upon  the  preten- 
sions of  chemistry  as  an  assistant  to  the  farmer  is  quite  aston- 
ishing.    There  is  not  a  single  process  of  vegetation  that  does 
not  involve  chemical  laws  and  principles.     The  soil  and  the 
atmosphere  are  a  great  laboratory  in  which  nature  is  constantly 
performing  changes  that  professors  of  the  chemical  art  are  en- 
deavoring to  imitate  by  those  experiments,  in  which  the  laws 
of  science  are  attempted  to  be  set  forth  to  their  pupils.     Until 
a  person  can  prove  that  the  agriculturist  has  no  occasion  to 
ascertain  the  elements  and  qualities  of  the  soil  which  he   culti- 
vates, or  the  ingredients  which  enter  into  the  structure  of  the 
plants  he  rears,  or  the  nature  of  those  processes  by  which  the 
elements  contribute   to  the  growth  of  vegetation,  he  cannot 
prove  that  chemical  science  is  not  a  most  valuable  assistant  in 
the  art  of  tilling  the  ground.     Why,  all  the  practical  knowl- 
edge  which  centuries   of  observations  have  collected  on  the 
modes  of  tillage,  is  the  embodiment  of  so  many  facts  in  agri- 
cultural  chemistry,    upon  which  farther  investigation  in  the 
69 


546  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

science,  has  thrown  explanation.  Chemistry  as  applied  to  this 
art  is  a  collection  of  facts  and  explanation,  which  are  them- 
selves only  additional  facts,  relating  the  best  methods  of  se- 
curing the  greatest  quantity  of  the  most  perfect  products  from 
grounds  of  a  certain  quantity  and  quality,  and  it  is  nothing 
after  all,  but  an  increase  of  that  very  kind  of  knowledge,  with- 
out which  a  farmer  could  not  perform  a  single  operation  in  the 
line  of  his  employment.  Is  any  man  frightened  at  this  ?  then 
let  him  take  his  place  among  the  astrologers  and  star-gazers, 
and  regulate  his  tillage  by  the  almanac  and  the  moon. 

I  have  thus  mentioned  some  of  the  obstacles  which  have 
impeded  agricultural  progress,  and  the  list  might  be  enlarged. 
I  proceed  to  notice  one  of  the  modes  in  which  improvement  in 
agriculture  can  be  promoted. 

This  is  by  agricultural  schools,  taught  by  men  versed  in  all 
sciences  connected  with  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  to  which 
lands  are  attached  for  the  purpose  of  experimental  and  practical 
farming.  The  attention  which  this  subject  can  receive  in  the 
common  school  must  be  of  quite  an  elementary  and  general 
character.  Whilst  the  knowledge  gained  in  this  way  is  useful 
as  far  as  it  goes,  it  does  not  meet  the  present  demand.  The 
common  school  is  already  so  crowded  with  studies  which  are 
thought  to  be  indispensably  important  branches  of  education, 
that  there  is  a  strong  tendency  to  want  of  thoroughness  to,  and 
superficiality  in  the  manner  of  teaching,  those  which  are  of  the 
first  necessity  and  lie  at  the  foundation  of  all  knowledge  and 
mental  discipline.  Besides,  among  the  thousands  of  teachers 
who  resort  to  school  keeping,  as  a  mere  temporary  employment 
in  the  younger  period  of  life,  with  minds  comparatively  imma- 
ture and  unfurnished,  and  upon  whom  our  common  schools 
must  depend  for  an  indefinite  period,  how  many  are  qualified 
to  teach  any  more  than  the  mere  rudimental  and  general  parts 
of  the  science,  from  meagre  text  books,  prepared  for  the  pur- 
pose, without  the  aids  of  experiment  and  practice  which  will 
be  furnished  by  the  proposed  schools,  and  are  of  such  vast  im- 
portance, to  complete  the  preparation  of  those  who  are  destined 
to  the  employment  of  husbandry  ?  The  system  of  common 
schools  must  undergo  a  complete  revolution,  and  become  very 


MILTON  P.  BRAMAN'S  ADDRESS.  547 

different  from  what  it  is  now,  or  will  probably  become  within 
any  period  of  reasonable  computation,  before  it  will  meet  the 
exigency  of  the  case  and  satisfy  the  demands  of  agricultural 
education.  There  can  scarcely  be  conceived  anything  more 
impracticable  and  visionary  than  the  projects  of  some  who  pro- 
pose to  employ  our  present  system  of  free  schools,  as  an  instru- 
ment to  diffuse  the  necessary  degree  of  agricultural  science 
among  the  people.  They  might  as  well  be  metamorphosed 
into  colleges  and  universities,  into  schools  of  law,  medicine  or 
theology,  to  teach  the  whole  circle  of  the  sciences  and  prepare 
young  men  for  the  three  professions,  as  to  take  the  place  of 
those  agricultural  seminaries,  for  which  there  is  such  an  im- 
perative call  in  the  community. 

The  proposed  schools  offer  the  following  advantages : 
1.  The  teachers  will  be  men  exclusively  devoted  to  inves- 
tigations connected  with  an  improved  state  of  cultivation. 
We  have  few  or  none  of  this  description  among  us.  We  have 
learned  professors  of  chemistry,  mineralogy,  botany,  whose 
profound  researches  into  sciences  which  it  is  their  business  to 
illustrate,  have  been  of  inestimable  advantage  to  the  concerns 
of  agriculture.  But  if  we  could  have  gentlemen  of  equal  in- 
tellectual character  and  attainment,  placed  in  situations  whose 
duties  require  them  to  pursue  the  study  of  these  sciences,  with 
reference  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  they  would  contribute 
in  a  much  greater  degree  to  the  improvement  to  which  the 
present  occasion  is  devoted. 

There  is,  it  is  true,  great  complaint  that  the  recommenda- 
tions and  theories  of  scientific  men,  are  frequently  of  no  val- 
ue to  the  farmer,  because  they  will  not  stand  the  test  of  ex- 
periment ;  and  so  practical  agriculture,  as  it  is  called,  is  set 
infinitely  above  the  speculations  of  learned  theorists. 

Now  the  proposition  is  to  establish  schools  in  which  the  the- 
oretical and  practical  are  combined.  Every  new  deduction  of 
scientific  research  will  be  subjected  to  actual  experiment,  and 
tested  by  successful  results,  before  it  is  patented  for  the  public 
use  and  benefit. 

It  is  also  fair  to  put  the  question,  whether  the  recommenda- 
tions of  learned  men,  any  oftener  fail  in  experiment;  than  the 


548  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

suggestions  of  merely  practical  men.  A  person  has  only  to  read 
an  agricultural  paper,  containing  the  opinions  of  those  who  are 
fresh  from  the  field,  he  has  only  to  attend  a  meeting  for  dis- 
cussion, in  which  he  hears  modes  of  tillage  advocated  by  gen- 
tlemen who  confidently  lay  claim  to  have  put  them  to  the 
proof  of  successive  trial,  and  see  how  common  it  is  for  them  to 
be  in  direct  conflict  with  each  other ;  and  for  one  to  overthrow 
what  another  asserts  to  have  been  established  on  the  firmest 
foundations  of  experience,  to  be  convinced  that  practice  has  its 
uncertainties  as  well  as  science.  A  hundred  practical  men  wili 
earnestly  advocate  a  mode  of  agriculture  which  they  have 
proved  by  the  demonstration  of  experiment,  to  be  the  best  mode 
in  the  world,  which  a  hundred  other  men,  as  experienced  and  wise 
as  they,  will  in  the  same  manner  make  it  clear,  is  of  no  value 
at  all.  If  science  and  practice  often  disagree,  neither  does 
practice  agree  with  practice.  Practical  men  have  no  right  to 
throw  this  imputation  on  science,  until  they  have  wiped  the 
reproach  from  themselves. 

If  all  the  theologians  in  the  United  States  were  convened  in 
one  place  to  debate  their  points  of  faith,  and  all  the  agricultur- 
ists to  discuss  their  points  of  practice,  I  doubt  whether  it  would 
not  come  out,  that  there  was  nearly  as  much  disagreement  in 
the  one  assembly  as  in  the  other.  This  I  confess  to  be  a  strong 
assertion.  How  much  do  practical  men  differ  about  the  disease 
of  the  potato  ?  There  have  been  as  many  theories  about  ihe 
source  of  that  extensive  malady,  as  have  been  broached  re- 
specting original  sin,  and  what  one  recommends  as  an  infalli- 
ble specific,  another  declares,  on  the  faith  and  knowledge  of  a 
practical  man,  to  be  inert  and  powerless.  One  objection  to 
agricultural  schools,  which  some  assert  with  much  confidence, 
is,  that  they  will  afford  their  advantages  to  but  a  portion  of  the 
people.  They  will  not  be  democratic  and  diffusive  enough  in 
their  influence,  and  while  a  few  will  be  gathered  within  their 
walls,  to  reap  their  fruits,  the  great  mass  of  the  people  will  be 
left  unprovided  for,  and  unbenefited. 

In  reply  to  this,  it  may  be  said  that  the  number  of  schools 
of  this  description,  will  be  limited  only  by  the  patronage  which 
the  public  are  willing  to  afford  them.    They  may  be  multiplied 


MILTON  P.  BRAMAN'S  ADDRESS.  549 

to  as  great  a  number  as  the  demands  of  the  people  require,  and 
if  all  the  agricultural  class  choose  to  enjoy  the  advantages  of 
such  institutions,  they  can  provide  themselves  accordingly. 
The  additional  profit  which  they  would  soon  be  the  means  of 
conferring  on  tillage,  would  afford  the  amplest  means  to  erect 
and  sustain  them  in  sufficient  numbers  to  meet  all  the  wants 
of  the  community. 

But  it  is  not  to  be  expected,  for  the  present  at  least,  that  any 
more  than  a  portion  of  the  agriculturists  will  feel  an  inclination 
to  participate  in  the  superior  benefits  of  such  establishments. 
Nevertheless  the  whole  mass  of  the  people  will  be  as  really 
profited  by  comparatively  few  schools,  as  though  they  were 
multiplied  to  a  sufficient  number  to  include  every  individual 
within  their  limits.  Every  part  of  the  country  will  be  repre- 
sented by  those  who  resort  to  them,  and  when  they  have  com- 
pleted their  course  of  preparation,  and  retire  to  their  respective 
homes  to  enter  upon  the  pursuits  which  they  have  chosen, 
they  will  exhibit  an  example  of  correct  and  successful  tillage 
which  will  excite  curiosity,  attract  imitation,  and  raise  the 
standard  of  agriculture  in  all  their  vicinities.  Their  new  meth- 
ods of  cultivation,  their  communications  with  those  around 
them,  will  stimulate  inquiry,  gradually  diffuse  correct  and  use- 
ful ideas,  and  extend  the  influence  of  the  school  in  every  part 
of  the  community. 

It  is  probable,  also,  that  a  multitude  of  useful  publications 
will  issue  from  the  pens  of  those  who  are  devoted  to  teaching 
agricultural  science,  which,  popular  in  their  form,  will  have  ex- 
tensive circulation ;  and  thus,  in  one  form  or  another,  there  will 
emanate  from  these  institutions,  an  influence  which  shall  pene- 
trate among  the  masses,  and  beneficially  reach  thousands  who 
have  never  placed  themselves  within  the  sphere  of  their  imme- 
diate operation.  They  will  be  so  many  lights  which  will  shed 
their  rays  not  only  upon  those  who  are  brought  into  immedi- 
ate contact,  but  diffuse  their  beams  abroad,  illuminating  remote 
places,  finding  their  way  into  obscure  recesses,  and  in  a  thou- 
sand forms  of  direct  emanation,  reflection  and  refraction,  pour- 
ing out  their  splendor  to  the  utmost  limits  of  the  horizon. 

2.  Another  advantage  is,  that  they  will  give  new  attraction 


550  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

to  agriculture  as  an  employment.  I  have  alluded  to  a  class  of 
young  men,  who  seek  what  they  think  to  be  a  more  elevated 
|)ursuit  than  the  tillage  of  the  field.  They  have  an  ambition 
of  rising  in  life,  and  they  very  naturally  conclude  that  the 
further  they  get  from  the  ground,  the  higher  they  fly.  Those 
who  unite  a  thirst  for  knowledge,  with  aspiring  views,  and 
some  who  do  not,  are  inclined  to  betake  themselves  to  the  uni- 
versity ;  and  the  door  which  admits  them  within  its  walls,  shuts 
out  the  vulgar  toils  of  the  field  forever.  It  is  a  common  obser- 
vation, that  the  dullest  boy  in  the  family  is  selected  to  follow 
the  father's  pursuits,  on  the  ancestral  grounds,  while  the  one 
which  appears  the  most  vivacious  and  active  is  singled  out  for 
the  college,  or  some  more  tasteful  and  supposed  dignified  vo- 
cation. 

Now  let  the  road  to  the  best  conducted  agriculture  be 
through  a  scientific  institution,  let  classes  of  youth  go  out  an- 
nually from  the  tuition  of  learned  instructors,  versed  in  those 
sciences  which  are  connected  with  the  culture  of  the  earth,  let 
them  enter  upon  the  business  of  farming  as  young  men  enter 
the  professions,  after  graduation  at  the  college,  and  it  would 
contribute  much  to  raise  agriculture  to  that  position  which  it 
ought  to  hold  among  the  other  vocations  of  life  ;  and  many 
who  are  now  a  burden  to  the  professions,  and  are  wrecked  in 
the  fluctuations  of  merchandise  and  commerce,  would  be  found 
pursuing  a  safe,  happy,  and  useful  course  of  life.  President 
Hitchcock  saw  in  some  of  the  agricultural  schools  which  he 
visited  in  Europe,  young  men  from  families  distinguished  by 
their  opulence  and  position  in  life,  habited  in  frocks  and  per- 
forming cheerfully  some  of  the  most  coarse  and  uncleanly 
labors  connected  with  the  establishments.  Perhaps  these  indi- 
viduals were  drawn  thither  by  the  dignified  associations  which, 
in  their  view,  science  and  education  had  thrown  around  their 
employments,  and  in  other  circumstances  would  have  disdained 
such  menial  offices,  as  they  would  deem  them,  and  have 
crowded  into  more  elevated  and  congenial  pursuits. 

Another  desirable  effect  would  follow.  When  commercial 
men  in  our  large  cities  have  acquired  large  fortunes,  and  are 
possessed  of  taste  and  fondness  for  display,  they  seek  often  to 


MILTON  P.  BRAMAN'S  ADDRESS.  551 

gratify  their  inclinations  in  costly  equipages,  works  of  art,  and 
magnificent  architecture.  There  is  no  objection  to  such  ex- 
penditure, when  properly  directed  and  bounded  by  reasonable 
limits.  When  men  of  great  means  divert  a  portion  of  their  re- 
sources to  the  patronage  of  the  arts  of  statuary  and  painting^ 
and  other  products  of  genius  and  taste,  they  are  devoting 
wealth  to  some  of  its  noblest  uses.  They  are  counteracting  the 
tendency  which  a  close  application  to  commercial  occupations 
has  to  foster  contracted  and  sordid  propensities.  They  are  im- 
parting refinement  and  elevation  to  their  own  feelings,  and  con- 
tributing to  diffuse  through  a  community  sufficiently  devoted 
to  the  love  of  gain,  a  healthful  and  liberalizing  influence.  But 
the  taste  for  fine  arts  and  magnificent  display  may  become  ex- 
cessive and  misdirected. 

If  some  men  of  wealth,  who  now  expend  a  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  on  the  erection  and  fitting  up  of  a  dwelling,  would 
limit  the  outlay  to  fifty  thousand,  and  reserve  the  remaining 
half  to  purchase  some  unproductive  and  waste  land,  whose 
tillage  is  too  difficult  and  costly  for  persons  of  small  means  to 
undertake,  on  which  to  gratify  their  taste,  and  cover  it  with 
the  beauty  of  a  luxm'iant  and  ornamental  vegetation,  they 
would  contribute  to  the  promotion  of  agricultural  improve- 
ment, and  at  the  same  time  indulge  a  taste  as  much  nobler  than 
that  which  they  gratify  now,  as  the  beauties  of  nature  tran- 
scend those  of  human  device.  Why  is  not  a  fine  landscape  as 
worthy  an  object  of  admiration  as  the  painting  which  exhibits 
its  imitation  to  the  eye  ?  And  why  has  not  the  divine  skill 
which  exhibits  its  wonders  in  the  exquisite  structure  of  plants, 
and  the  ornaments  with  which  it  gilds  the  flowers  of  the  field, 
and  the  rich  forms  and  foliage  with  which  it  invests  the  trees, 
as  high  claims  to  the  homage  of  taste,  and  the  expenditure  of 
resources,  as  the  art  which  hews  the  rock  into  the  resemblance 
of  the  human  form,  but  can  confer  no  life  to  utter  its  expres- 
sion through  the  rigid  features  ?  To  a  person  whose  suscepti- 
bilities of  gratification  are  directed  by  right  principles,  the  pro- 
cess by  which  a  sterile  and  uninviting  surface  is  converted  into 
a  rich  and  waving  field,  which  causes  the  wilderness  to  blos- 
som, and  turns  the  foul  morass  into  a  smooth  and  verdant  lawn, 


00-2  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

conveys  as  much  pleasure  as  that  Vv'hich  causes  palaces  to  spring 
out  of  the  rough  stones  of  the  quarry.  There  are  those  whose 
well  directed  sentiments  lead  them  in  this  direction  :  and  the 
land  wiiich  they  have  subdued  to  tillage,  and  adorned  with  love- 
liness, whilst  it  has  been  a  noble  monument  to  their  taste  and 
masnificence,  has  excited  emulation,  diflused  more  correct  and 
useful  ideas,  and  has  been  a  subject  of  study  and  improvement 
to  surrounding  admirers.  Some  opulent  men,  of  extensive  in- 
formation aud  liberal  views,  have  by  their  intelligent  and  ad- 
vanced modes  of  cultivation,  conferred  immense  benefit  on  a 
large  region.  The  spot  which  they  have  selected  as  the  sub- 
ject of  their  operations,  and  upon  which  they  have  bestowed 
their  successful  skill,  has  been  a  school  of  instruction  to  a 
whole  community.  In  proportion  as  farming  assumes  a  higher 
rank  and  becomes  invested  with  new  attractions,  such  in* 
stances  will  be  multiplied  :  and  we  shall  see  those  splendid 
monuments  of  wealth  and  intelligence  adorning  the  surface  of 
the  country. 

Mr.  Webster  might  have  expended  the  funds  which  he  has 
devoted  to  his  farm  of  fifteen  hundred  acres,  at  Marshfield,  to 
the  erection  of  a  splendid  mansion  in  Boston.  But  the  farm  is 
a  nobler  monument  to  his  republican  and  old  Roman  taste, 
than  would  be  a  palace  in  the  metropolis,  whose  architecture 
should  surpass  all  Grecian  fame. 

Lastly.  As  a  necessary  consequence,  farming  would  become 
more  productive  and  profitable,  particularly  in  the  older  parts 
of  the  country. 

I  have  alluded  to  the  influence  of  slavery  in  this  country,  in 
producing  a  constant  deterioration  of  the  soil.  But  the  land 
has  become  much  exhausted  in  the  free  states  also.  If,  as  it  is 
confidently  asserted,  a  thousand  millions  of  dollars  are  required 
to  repair  the  effect  of  injudicious  and  wasting  culture,  and  to 
restore  the  lands  to  their  original  fertility,  it  is  high  time  that 
an  improved  system  should  be  introduced.  Be  it  remembered 
that  this  deterioration  has  arrived  at  its  present  point  under  the 
labors  of  practical  farmers,  so  called:  those  men.  of  whom  it 
has  been  said  that  they  possess  all  the  knowledge  which  is  of 
any  value  to  field  culture.     If  the  only  valuable  knowledge 


J.  S.  C.  ENO\\'LTONS  ADDRESS.  553 

which  we  possess  on  this  subject,  produces  no  better  effects 
than  these,  then  may  we  expect  that  the  older  regions  of  the 
country  will  cease  to  remunerate  the  cultivators ;  the  rural  dis- 
tricts of  New  England  will  become  a  wilderness,  and  be  aban- 
doned to  perpetual  sterility,  and  the  plodding  labor  which  has 
drawn  out  the  fine  gold  from  her  bald  hills,  will  be  exchanged 
for  a  search  after  the  dross  of  the  California  mountains.  But 
the  evil  admits  of  a  remedy.  The  downward  process  can  be 
arrested  and  stopped  at  the  point  which  it  has  reached.  It  is 
only  for  the  community  to  awake  to  the  nature  and  responsi- 
bilities of  the  crisis,  and  comprehend  the  right  source  of  relief. 
It  is  only  for  the  National  and  State  Governments  to  extend, 
in  suitable  ways,  their  fostering  and  efficient  care  to  this  great 
interest  of  the  country',  and  aid  in  bringing  the  lights  of  pro- 
found research  to  the  guidance  of  agricultural  labor :  and  the 
same  science  which  directs  the  track  of  the  mariner  in  remote 
seas,  and  almost  communicates  the  power  of  thought  to  the 
ponderous  and  ingenious  machinery  that  executes  the  labors  of 
millions  of  human  hands,  which  has  brought  the  poles  of  the 
earth  together  by  rapidity  of  motion,  and  transmits  ideas  on 
the  wires  of  lightning  along  nerves  of  steel,  will  cause  vegeta- 
tion to  spring  from  arid  sand,  and  convert  the  wilderness  into 
a  fruitful  field,  and  that  field  into  the  garden  of  the  Lord. 


Agricultural  Ecoxomt  and  Agricultural  Ethics. 

[Eztrad  from  an  address  ly  J.  S.  C.  K^f oirrToy,  Esq.,  at  the  last  Fair  of  the 
WorcfsUr  .isricultural  SocietyJ] 

It  is  a  wide  and  prolific  field  ;  and  we  can  do  but  little  more 
than  look  over  the  lowest  parts  of  the  hedge  that  surrounds  it, 
and  dwell  but  for  a  moment  on  the  more  prominent  points  that 
present  themselves  above  the  common  mass  of  facts  and  de- 
ductions with  which  it  is  filled  ;  all  of  which,  as  it  seems  to 
me,  merit  and  should  receive  from  the  farmer  a  thoughtful 
consideration.  They  are  the  elements  that  combine  to  make 
up  the  character  of  an  intelligent,  virtuous,  independent  yeo- 
manry— the  most  effective  combination  of  civil,  social  and 
70 


554  SELECTIONS   FROM  ADDRESSES. 

moral  power  the  world  knows  ;  a  power  that  existed  in  its 
full  development  in  the  great  struggle  of  our  country,  when 
every  farmer's  family  had  within  itself  all  the  means  of  sup- 
port, independent  of  commerce  and  manufactures,  and  every 
farmer's  hearth-stone  sent  forth  its  contributions  of  men  and  of 
supplies  to  the  invincible  cohorts  of  armed  yeomanry  that  won 
for  us  the  title  of  the  empire  of  freedom. 

It  is  not  for  me.  and  there  is  no  occasion,  to  speak  dispar- 
agingly of  other  classes  of  citizens — of  mechanics  and  manu- 
facturers— of  traders  and  professional  men.  They  have  their 
parts  to  sustain  in  the  great  drama  of  civilization.  But  when 
we  look  abroad  over  our  country,  and  see  more  than  seventy 
of  every  one  hundred  of  its  population,  quietly  devoting  them- 
selves to  the  peaceful  art  of  agriculture,  scarcely  aspiring  to 
any  honors  beyond  what  their  avocations  afford,  and  patiently 
submitting  to  every  variety  of  fortune  that  befalls  them,  the 
conviction  forces  itself  upon  us,  that,  as  a  class,  the  yeomanry 
of  our  country  is  a  giant  unconscious  of  his  strength.  It  is 
time  for  this  giant  to  awake  to  a  consciousness  of  his  capabil- 
ities. It  is  time  for  him  to  break  the  lilliputian  cords  with 
which  he  has  suffered  circumstances  to  bind  him  ;  and  cause 
his  power  to  be  felt  in  forming  and  directing  public  opinion 
upon  all  measures  that  involve  the  improvement,  the  progress, 
and  the  welfare  of  that  great  branch  of  the  human  race  that, 
under  one  government,  is  rapidly  spreading  itself  over  most  of 
what  there  is  of  this  western  continent  within  the  limits  of  the 
northern  temperate  zone ;  whose  great  leading  interest  is,  and 
will  be,  agriculture  ;  and  whose  capabilities  will  be  adequate 
to  feed  and  to  clothe  a  world. 

The  physical,  the  civil  and  social,  the  intellectual  and  moral 
power  of  the  country,  is  in  the  hands  of  the  yeomanry  ;  and  as 
a  class  they  should  be  prepared  to  bear  that  power  onward  with 
a  steady  nerve  and  a  lofty  purpose.  The  realization  of  this 
beatitude  of  rural  life  involves  several  forms  of  improvemeni 
and  of  progress. 

First :  Physical  Cultivation. 

The  organization  of  animal  life  in  man  is  too  delicate  to  ad- 
mit of  great  strength.     Consequently  ingenuity  has  been  sue- 


J.  S.  C.  KNOWLTON'S  ADDRESS.  555 

cessfully  tasked  to  invent  or  discover  compensating  substitutes 
for  this  physical  inability.  These  labor-saving  improvements 
take  innumerable  forms,  and  are  found  in  all  departments  of 
human  labor ;  upon  the  land — in  the  shop  of  the  mechanic — 
in  the  mill  of  the  manufacturer — and  indeed  wherever  man  and 
woman  are  required  to  work.  In  no  part  of  the  world  are 
1-abor-saving  facilities  more  essential  than  in  our  own  New 
England.  Compared  with  the  generous  soils  of  the  middle 
and  western  states,  ours  yields  its  products  grudgingly.  It 
therefore  becomes  the  New  England  farmer  to  have  a  better 
plough,  a  sharper  hoe,  and  a  keener  scythe,  than  can  elsewhere 
be  found.  And  as  he  has  the  power  to  compel  domestic  ani- 
mals to  aid  him  in  his  labors,  he  should  have  the  kindest  horse, 
the  most  vigorous  oxen,  and  the  most  generous  cows  ;  and 
treat  them  as  his  servants,  and  not  as  his  slaves.  Selecting, 
from  the  various  breeds,  the  best  that  can  be  found,  he  should, 
by  kind  and  generous  management,  make  the  farm  a  home  for 
them  as  well  as  for  himself 

In  the  erection  of  the  farm  buildings,  it  is  good  economy  to 
adapt  their  location  and  arrangement  to  the  various  parts  of  the 
farm,  so  that  there  shall  be  no  waste  of  strength  and  time  in 
the  carting  of  manures  upon  the  land,  in  harvesting  the  crops, 
and  in  going  to  and  returning  from  the  labors  of  the  field. 
The  farmer  who  builds  his  house  and  barn  upon  a  hill,  at  one 
corner  of  his  lands,  instead  of  some  position  that  is  central  and 
easy  of  access,  sacrifices  to  some  caprice  the  strength,  the  ener- 
gies, the  time,  that  should  be  husbanded  for  some  of  the  de- 
mands upon  each  that  spring  up  without  cessation. 

But  the  subjects  for  physical  cultivation  that  most  deserve 
the  farmer's  attention,  are  himself,  his  family,  and  the  persons 
in  his  employ.  Their  physical  power  is  an  essential  part  of 
his  capital.  It  is  active  capital.  The  dollar  may  employ  it  ; 
but  it  does  what  the  dollar  of  itself  cannot  do  ;  it  sets  the 
world  in  motion.  The  amount  of  this  capital  should  therefore 
be  carefully  tallied  by  the  farmer  ;  its  capabilities  for  service, 
judiciously  surveyed ;  its  exercise,  cautiously  guarded  from 
abuse ;  and  its  continuity  and  power  of  endurance,  secured,  as 
far  as  may  be,  from  the  multifarious  accidents  that  diminish  its 


556  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

quantity  and  impair  its  force.  To  do  all  this,  requires  some- 
study  of  the  organization  and  laws  of  animal  life.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  know  something  of  the  human  structure— -of  what  it  is 
capable,  and  the  accidents  it  is  liable  to,  in  the  several  periods 
of  its  existence.  Men,  like  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  have  their 
different  seasons  for  coming  to  maturity  ;  and  such  is  the  di- 
versity of  physical  development,  that  some  are  competent  to 
hard  labor  and  vigorous  exercise,  much  earlier  than  others. 
These  are  considerations  that  should  be  knov/n,  and  never  be 
disregarded.  You  have  pride  in  a  spirited  and  graceful  young 
horse  ;  and  you  say  to  your  son  : — "  Be  careful,  and  not  force 
him  beyond  an  easy  and  harmless  speed."  But  do  you  treat 
your  son  with  the  same  consideration  ?  If  he  is  growing  up 
with  a  sanguine  instead  of  a  lymphatic  temperament,  you 
should  remember  to  treat  him  with  as  much  tenderness,  at 
least,  as  you  treat  your  horse,  and  apply  the  curb  rather  than 
the  spur ;  for  by  forcing  an  ambition  that  needs  to  be  re- 
strained, you  may  impair  his  constitution,  and  incapacitate  him 
for  future  labor,  and  consequently  for  future  happiness.  There 
is  no  keener  misery  than  that  which  proceeds  from  physical 
inability  for  active  life.  The  amount  of  service,  therefore, 
which  the  farmer  requires  from  his  help,  should  ever  be  with 
him  the  object  of  a  watchful  supervision. 

Health  is  an  essential  contingent  of  physical  force ;  and  its' 
preservation  more  important  than  the  guarding  of  treasures  of 
gold ;  for  if  you  lose  your  gold  you  can  gain  more,  or  you  can 
do  without  it ;  but  if  you  lose  health,  you  lose  not  only  your 
best  treasure,  but  your  ability  to  gain  other  treasures.  The 
great  requisites  for  health  are  pure  air,  pure  water,  v/holesome 
diet,  and  regular  habits  of  living.  No  class  of  the  community 
has  such  control  over  these  accidents  of  life  as  the  yeomanry. 
Attention  to  them  is  an  important  branch  of  physical  culture. 
The  farm-house  costs  no  more  when  erected  upon  a  gentle  el- 
evation, where  the  pure  breezes  of  heaven  strike  it  on  every 
side,  than  when  built  by  a  bog  or  in  proximity  with  a  slough. 
It  should  be  thoroughly  ventilated ;  and  with  an  abundance  of 
pure  air  and  pure  water,  the  farmer's  house  may  be  made  his 
castle  of  health  as  well  as  of  safety.     But  little  occasion  has  he 


J.  S.  0.  KNOWLTON'S  ADDRESS.  557 

for  any  expenditure  for  ornament.  Indeed  the  chief  ornament 
of  a  farmer's  house  consists  in  the  absence  of  all  ornament, 
and  the  prevalence  of  an  unadorned  simplicity.  And  yet  by  a 
little  exertion  his  dwelling  may  be  made  attractive.  Success 
is  found  in  the  simple  rule  of  having  "  a  place  for  everything, 
and  everything  in  its  place."  A  few  trees,  shrubs,  and  flowerS; 
please  the  senses,  and  develop,  while  they  gratify  a  taste  for 
the  beautiful  in  nature  and  in  art.  These,  it  is  true,  are  the 
little  incidents  of  life  ;  but  in  connection  with  physical  and  so- 
cial enjoyment,  they  are  untold  wealth. 

But  as  Satan  scaled  the  walls  of  Eden,  and  turned  its  bliss 
into  woe,  so  may  the  paradise  of  the  yeoman  be  converted 
into  a  pandemonium  of  wretchedness,  by  opening  its  gates  to 
those  evil  habits  of  living  that  do  violence  to  man's  phys- 
ical  organization.  It  is  a  fact,  philosophically  established,  that 
every  infraction,  by  man,  of  the  laws  of  his  animal  life,  is  fol- 
lowed by  an  inevitable  retribution.  A  retribution  it  is,  upon 
intemperance  and  its  brotherhood  of  vices,  that  palsies  the 
physical  energies  j  prostrates  the  mental  powers  5  quenches, 
as  with  the  wave  of  oblivion,  the  moral  sensibilities  ;  dries  up 
the  fountains  of  social  life  ;  sweeps  away,  as  a  whirlwind,  the 
accumulations  of  years  of  thrift ;  and  blackens  its  pathway  like 
a  consuming  fire. 

The  ox  never  dies  of  intemperance ;  why,  then,  should 
man  ?  Animal  life  they  have  in  common ;  the  ox  obeys  the 
laws  of  his  nature,  and  is  safe  ;  while  man,  gifted  with  higher 
faculties,  perverts  his  nature,  and  sinks  to  a  depth  of  degrada- 
tion to  which  brutes  never  descend.  His  physical  organization 
and  life  should  therefore  be  man's  continual  study ;  and  the 
instincts  of  nature,  under  the  guidance  of  reason,  should  be 
his  '•'  cloud  by  day,  and  pillar  of  fire  by  night." 

I  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  another  branch  of  this 
subject. 

Secondly  i  Intellectual  Cultivation. 

Time  need  not  be  wasted,  in  such  an  assembly  as  this,  in 
speaking  of  the  utility,  importance,  necessity  even,  of  educa- 
tion in  its  largest  and  most  liberal  sense.  It  is  felt  and 
acknowledged   by  all  men.     Presumptuous  may  seem  the  sug- 


B5S  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES, 

gestion  from  me,  that  the  great  leading  idea  of  education  is 
capable  of  a  development  to  which  it  has  not  yet  attained  ; 
and  that  no  class  of  our  population  has  this  idea  more  in  its 
control  than  the  yeomanry.  Education,  as  now  conducted,  is 
too  much  upon  the  principle  of  accumulation.  We  dig  for 
knowledge  as  we  dig  for  gold — for  the  biggest  possible  pile  of 
facts ;  and  we  throw  the  grains  indiscriminately  into  our  treas- 
ure-house, instead  of  working  up  what  we  gather,  into  coins 
that  will  serve  us  in  any  emergency.  An  apothegm  of  truth  is 
the  saying,  that  "  Knowledge  is  power."  But  of  what  avail  is 
power,  unless  it  can  be  had  at  the  precise  moment,  and  in  the 
precise  mode  in  which  it  is  wanted  ?  The  great  purpose  of 
education  is  not  to  crowd  the  mind  with  accumulations  of  facts 
in  history,  geography,  the  sciences,  and  the  arts ;  but  to  devel- 
op, to  bring  out,  to  expand,  to  enlarge  all  the  faculties.  The 
true  end  and  aim  of  all  learning  was  forcibly  presented  by  the 
poet  Wordsworth,  in  one  of  the  few  public  addresses  which  he 
could  ever  be  induced  to  make.  It  was  at  the  founding  of  a 
school  in  his  neighborhood  that  he  said : — 

"  I  must  direct  your  attention  to  a  fundamental  mistake,  by 
which  this  age,  so  distinguished  for  its  marvellous  progress  in 
arts  and  sciences,  is  unhappily  characterized  ;  a  mistake  mani- 
fested in  the  use  of  the  word  education,  which  is  habitually 
confounded  with  tuition,  or  school  instruction.  This  is,  indeed, 
a  very  important  part  of  education  ;  but  when  it  is  taken  for 
the  whole,  we  are  deceived  and  betrayed.  Education,  accord- 
ing to  the  derivation  of  the  word,  and  in  the  only  use  of  which 
it  is  strictly  justifiable,  comprehends  all  those  processes  and  in- 
fluences, come  from  whence  they  may,  that  conduce  to  the 
best  development  of  the  bodily  powers,  and  of  the  moral,  intel- 
lectual, and  spiritual  faculties,  which  the  position  of  the  indi- 
vidual admits  of." 

I  would  not,  here  or  elsewhere,  speak  even  the  faintest  word 
of  disparagement  of  the  tuition  of  the  schools.  It  is  useful, 
eminently  so,  in  its  way.  But  schools  are  but  the  machinery 
of  education  ;  books  are  but  tools ;  and  masters  but  overseers 
to  point  out  their  character,  and  direct  their  use.  When  the 
youth  leaves  the  school  or  the   college,  he  has  but  taken  his 


J.  S.  C.  KNOWLTON'S  ADDRESS.  559 

first  step  in  the  never-ending  march  of  improvement.  He  has 
but  begun  to  learn.  It  will  not  matter  what  may  be  his  posi- 
tion in  life,  he  will  ever  find  something  to  learn,  and  a  way  to 
learn  it.  No  class  of  people  are  more  favorably  situated  than 
are  the  farmers,  to  make  this  self-improvement.  The  world  of 
facts,  in  which  they  move,  has  capacity.  It  is  filled  with 
ideas.  They  may  be  found  in  fields  and  woods,  on  the  hill-top 
and  in  the  valley,  in  stones,  and  trees,  and  running  brooks. 
Flowers  and  fruits,  the  starry  sky  and  the  viewless  winds, 
animate  and  inanimate  nature,  are  the  farmer's  untiring  preach- 
ers of  truth.  With  an  eye  and  an  ear  for  truth,  the  yeoman 
may  be  upon  his  farm  like  Adam  in  the  garden.  He  may  give 
a  name  to  everything  he  sees ;  and  not  only  name  it,  but  learn 
its  nature  and  properties  so  as  to  teach  them  to  others.  And 
this  is  education  ;  an  acquisition  more  precious  than  legacies  of 
wealth.  It  makes  every  man  his  own  philosopher.  It  gives 
him  mental  force  and  activity.  He  becomes  an  observing,  a 
thinking  man  ;  and  from  the  fountains  of  his  thought  there 
wells  up  a  wisdom  that,  to  his  practical  life,  is  worth  more  than 
books  contain,  or  lecturers  impart.  Like  the  rock  of  Moses, 
when  touched  by  an  inquirer's  wand,  his  mind  opens,  and 
knowledge  and  wisdom  gush  out.  It  is  practical  thought, 
never-ceasing  observation ;  and  with  lightning  speed  it  runs 
from  causes  to  consequences,  and  sees  the  end  from  the  begin- 
ning. Society,  thus  self-educated,  ever  acquiring  and  ever 
imparting  knowledge,  becomes  one  great  Lancastrian  school,  in 
which  all  are  teachers,  all  are  learners. 

There  is  still  another  branch  of  this  subject  which  should 
receive  a  brief  consideration. 

Thirdly :  Moral  Cultivation. 

That  I  may  not  trespass  too  far  upon  the  more  important 
departments  of  the  exhibition,  to  which  this  day  is  devoted,  I 
shall,  in  conclusion,  glance  at  one  only  of  the  aspects  of  this 
form  of  improvement.  It  is  that  of  right — the  foundation  of 
the  moral  sense — and  its  administration  by  Justice  ;  which 
iconology  has  embodied  in  the  form  of  a  goddess,  blind  to  all 
but  the  balance  she  holds  in  her  hand. 

We  live  in  the  midst  of  a  rabble  of  wrongs.     Yet  it  is  un- 


560  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

doubtedly  true,  that  in  no  part  of  the  world  has  the  sentiment 
of  right  taken  such  deep  root,  and  become  so  widely  diffused, 
as  among  the  masses  of  the  people  of  this  country.  Especially 
is  this  true  of  the  agricultural  population  of  the  great  rural  dis- 
tricts. How  exposed  to  open  trespass,  and  to  petty  aggressions, 
are  all  their  rights  !  And  yet  how  seldom  are  they  invaded ! 
And  this  in  a  country,  whose  government  rests  upon  the  popu- 
lar will,  indicates  the  existence,  in  the  broad  bosom  of  the 
population,  of  a  sensitive  and  all  pervading  sense  of  right  and 
of  justice. 

Our  rights  are  of  a  two-fold  character — of  person  and  of 
property.  The  former  hold,  in  their  comprehensive  embrace, 
life,  liberty,  and  happiness  ;  and,  as  republican  citizens,  these 
are  the  patrimony  bequeathed  to  us,  in  equal  measure,  by  a 
more  than  heroic  age.  Guarded  well  the  legacy  has  been  by 
the  generations  that  have  preceded  us.  Let  these  three  great 
properties  of  humanity  become  the  cynosure  of  every  man, 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  from  the  north  to  the  farthest 
south,  and  there  is  hope  that  this  heritage  of  freedom,  of  right, 
and  of  justice,  will  be  consecrated  to  a  duration  as  lasting  as 
the  pillars  of  time. 

Property,  in  the  catalogue  of  rights,  has  a  secondary  classi- 
fication. And  yet  it  is  so  mixed  up  and  blended  in  with  the 
rights  of  person  as  scarcely  to  admit  of  a  difference  that  is 
anything  more  than  an  abstraction.  Invasions  of  the  rights  of 
property  are  the  prolific  sources  of  the  accumulations  of  wretch- 
edness that  meet  the  eye  of  the  philanthropic  at  every  turn. 
"  Man's  INJUSTICE  to  man"  sustains  the  courts  of  law,  and  keeps 
running  the  machinery  of  justice.  And  the  mass  of  litigation, 
that  is  seen  on  every  side,  not  only  mars  the  happiness  of 
society,  but  imposes  an  immense  tax  upon  the  producing  ener- 
gies of  the  people  for  its  support.  Next,  therefore,  in  impor- 
tance, to  a  perpetual  observance  of  the  rights  of  person,  and 
the  amenities  of  life  that  should  ever  accompany  that  observ- 
ance, a  respect  for  the  rights  of  property  should  be  inculcated 
with  the  earliest  lessons  of  childhood,  that  it  may  grow  up  with 
the  man,  and  become  so  incorporated  with  his  very  being  that 
he  shall  ever  feel  that  an  injury  done  to  another,  is  an  injury 
done  to  himself. 


J.  S.  C.   KNOWLTON'S  ADDRESS.  561 

The  fanners  have  an  especial  interest  in  this  form  of  im- 
provement. Their  property  is  peculiarly  exposed  to  aggres- 
sions. Land  and  products,  trees  and  fruits,  stock,  yards,  and 
buildings,  are  all  open  to  depredations.  Their  security  materi- 
ally depends  upon  the  prevalence  of  a  sense  of  right  in  the 
great  body  of  the  people;  and  this  sentiment  should  therefore 
be  trained  np  to  a  quickness  to  perceive,  and  a  forbearance  to 
offend.  Besides  these  bold  invasions  of  the  property  of  others 
that  inflict  substantial  wrongs,  there  are  thousands  of  petty 
aggressions,  often  the  result  of  indiscretion  and  thoughtlessness, 
more  than  of  malice  or  evil  intention,  that  wound  the  possessor 
of  property  more  deeply  than  bold  infractions  of  right.  The 
fruit  upon  a  tree,  and  the  flower  or  shrub  in  the  yard,  that  may  be 
reached  and  rudely  torn  off  by  the  passer-by,  may  have  a  value 
in  some  idea,  association,  or  memory  of  their  rightful  owner, 
which  none  but  himself  can  appreciate,  and  whose  loss  cannot 
be  compensated  by  any  award  that  justice  could  make. 

But  there  must  be,  among  the  whole  people,  a  reciprocity  of 
right,  a  mutuality  of  justice.  Justice  must  be  rendered  as  well 
as  received.  The  laboring  classes  want  justice  more  than 
charity  ; — the  full  measure  of  reward  for  their  industry, 
promptly  acknowledged,  rather  than  an  ostentatious  charity 
that  has  been  extorted,  it  may  be,  from  their  scanty  and  ill- 
paid  earnings.  The  condition  of  the  laborer  needs  such  a 
modification  as  that,  in  time,  he  shall  not  be  dependent  upon 
wages;  but  shall  himself  become  a  proprietor.  In  this,  as 
in  other  departments  of  national  education  and  progress,  the 
great  agricultural  class  must  take  the  lead.  What  they  have 
the  power  to  do,  should  be  entered  upon  without  delay.  The 
past  may  be  looked  at,  but  cannot  be  touched ;  for  time 
closes  its  massive  doors  close  upon  our  footsteps.  The  pres- 
ent alone  is  ours.  The  future  must  perform  what  the  past  has 
failed  to  accomplish.  The  substantial  yeomanry  of  the  coun- 
try must  be  the  university,  if  I  may  so  say,  that  is  to  train  up 
a  nation  in  knowledge,  wisdom,  and  virtue.  And  just  in  pro- 
portion as  this  moral  grandeur  of  a  people  progresses,  shall  we 
see  advancing  that  golden  age,  that,  in  a  sort  of  apocalyptic 
71 


562  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

vision,  was  disclosed  to  the  poet,   as  a  millenial  condition  of 
society,  when 

"  All  crime  shall  cease,  and  ancient  fraud  shall  fail ; 
Returning  justice  lift  aloft  her  scale  ; 
Peace  o'er  the  world  her  olive  wand  extend ; 
And  white-robed  innocence  from  heaven  descend." 

God  speed   the  day  !    And  man  welcome  it  as  a  new  lieaven 
and  a  new  earth ! 


The  Advantages    of    Science    in   its   Application  to  Agri- 
culture. 

[Extract  from  an  Address  delivered  at  the  last  Fair  of  the  Havipden  County 
JIgricuUural  Society,  ir/  John  P.  Norton,  Professor  of  Jlgricultural  Chemis- 
try, Yale  College.] 

There  are  probably  few  of  those  here  present,  who  would  be 
willing  to  assert  that  the  agricultnre  of  this  county  is  just  what 
it  should  be.  I  venture  to  say  that  if  I  were  now  to  go  about 
among  this  audience,.aud  ask  each  one  of  you  who  is  engaged 
in  farming,  if  he  considered  this  district  cultivated  in  the  best 
possible  manner,  there  are  few,  if  any,  who  could  conscien- 
tiously answer  in  the  affirmative.  Here  would  be  pointed  out 
one  wrong  proceeding,  there  another,  and  I  should  be  directed, 
if  the  inquiry  were  pushed  still  farther,  to  farms  that  are  con- 
stantly running  down,  and  perhaps  to  some  fields  that  are  so 
exhausted  as  to  be  scarcely  worthy  of  cultivation.  I  should 
find  too  a  great  variety  in  the  product  of  what  is  usually  con- 
sidered well  cultivated  land  ;  even  in  the  same  township,  where 
the  original  character  of  the  soil  was  the  same,  we  find  farms 
whose  productiveness  is  entirely  different ;  one  bears  as  good 
and  perhaps  better  crops  now  than  it  ever  did,  while  the  other 
grows  worse  and  worse  every  year.  Is  it  not  worth  your 
while  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  these  differences?  Why  is  it 
that  one  of  these  fields,  or  farms,  bears  so  much  more  than  the 
other,  and  still  seems  susceptible  of  farther  improvement  ? 
When  will  it  reach  the  limit  of  improvement  ?  When  will  it 
produce  the  heaviest  crop  that  it  is  capable  under  any  circum- 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS.  563 

stances  of  producing?  Do  we  know  as  yet  how  much  of  any 
one  crop  an  acre  of  land  can  bear  ?  We  know  that  single  acres 
have  produced  between  60  and  70  bushels  of  wheat,  140  or 
150  bushels  of  Indian  corn,  500  or  600  bushels  of  potatoes,  3 
or  4  tons  of  hay ;  can  we  ever  hope  to  accomplish  anything 
like  this  with  the  majority  of  our  acres  ?  If  we  take  the 
average  crops  over  this  State,  we  shall  find  that  they  do  not 
amount  to  more  than  the  fourth  or  fifth  of  the  high  numbers 
that  I  have  mentioned  ;  it  becomes  clear  at  once  then,  that  the 
State  does  not,  great  though  its  aggregate  product  is,  yield 
more  than  a  third  or  fourth  of  what  it  might.  This  is  a  cir- 
cumstance which  demands  serious  consideration  ;  it  may  not 
be  possible,  by  any  profitable  outlay,  to  bring  all  of  our  culti- 
vated land  into  such  a  condition  as  to  bear  these  largest  crops, 
but  if  we  cannot  quadruple  at  once,  can  we  not,  after  a  time, 
double  our  crops?  This  question  I  answer  decidedly  in  the 
affirmative.  In  the  county  of  Seneca,  N.  Y.,  according  to  the 
elaborate  reports  of  Mr.  Delafield,  now  President  of  the  New 
York  State  Agricultural  Society,  the  average  wheat  crop,  some 
fifteen  years  since,  was  hot  more  than  from  10  to  12  bushels 
per  acre.  Last  year,  as  he  himself  assured  me,  it  averaged  25 
bushels.  There  is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  the  farmers  who 
have  brought  about  this  change,  will  pause  at  25  bushels — 
they  will  fix  their  mark  still  higher ;  indeed,  I  know  that  some 
of  them  are  not  now  well  satisfied  by  anything  less  than  30 
bushels.  And  still  in  the  face  of  this,  there  are  other  counties 
in  the  State  where  the  wheat  crop  is  decreasing  from  year  to 
year,  and  where  the  farmers  are  beginning  to  give  it  up  in 
despair  as  unprofitable. 

Do  not  such  facts  as  these  that  I  have  now  brought  before 
you,  show  very  decidedly  that  there  is  something  wrong  in  our 
farming  ?  If  they  were  mere  assertions,  resting  upon  my  own 
authority,  it  would  be  a  different  matter,  but  they  are  nothing 
of  the  kind.  You  all  know,  and  could,  I  doubt  not,  mention 
instances  in  your  several  towns,  of  farms  side  by  side,  entirely 
different  in  their  productiveness ;  the  one  of  which  is  going 
up,  the  other  going  down.  You  all  know  too  that  the  same 
features  of  difference  may  be  found  in  towns  that  adjoin  each 


564  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

other;  the  farmers  of  the  one  improving  their  lands,  while 
those  of  the  other  are  neglecting  and  injuring  theirs.  If  any 
donbt  that  many  of  our  counties  are  in  the  same  relative  posi- 
tion, you  can  assure  yourself  of  the  fact  by  consulting  statistical 
and  other  returns.  While  you  are  about  this  work  it  may  be 
well  to  go  even  farther,  and  compare  ourselves  with  England 
and  Scotland ;  such  a  comparison  will  make  manifest  the  mor- 
tifying conclusion,  that  on  their  old  land  which  has  been  cul- 
tivated for  many  centuries,  the  crops  are  far  gr.^ater  than  on 
our  new  and  virgin  soil,  where  the  stumps  of  the  original 
forest  have  scarcely  yet  disappeared.  I  am  then  right  in 
my  conclusion  that  the  state  of  our  agriculture  is  not  what  it 
should  be. 

But  we  must  not  be  satisfied  with  arriving  at  this  result ; 
let  us  inquire  into  the  causes  of  it  frankly,  and  without  preju- 
dices, and  if  we  find  that  we  have  been  wrong  in  our  course  of 
procedure,  make  up  our  minds  to  a  manful  confession.  I  have 
said  that  many  of  our  farmers  are  more  successful  than  their 
neighbors  ;  their  land,  originally  the  same,  is  better ;  their  crops 
are  better  ;  this  superiority  is  not  a  matter  of  chance,  or  of 
luck  ;  there  is  some  cause  for  it.  Let  me  illustrate  by  a  short 
story,  my  ideas  as  to  the  nature  of  this  cgiuse.  Some  years 
ago  I  made  two  voyages  between  New  York  and  Liverpool, 
with  a  certain  captain,  who  was  then,  and  still  is,  famous  for 
his  short  passages.  These  passages  became  quite  proverbial, 
so  much  so  that  his  arrival  in  advance  of  every  other  vessel 
was  considered  almost  a  certainty.  Some  of  the  other  captains 
said  it  was  luck  ;  others  said  that  he  was  reckless ;  and  nearly 
all  united  in  the  opinion  that  he  would  fail  some  day — would 
meet  with  some  misfortune,  and  periiaps  lose  his  vessel  with 
all  on  board,  in  urging  her  beyond  what  prudence  would 
warrant. 

Having  a  natural  fondness  for  the  sea  and  for  siiips,  I  was  at 
once  much  interested  in  his  management,  and  finally  became 
intimately  acquainted  with  himself.  Then  it  was  that  the 
whole  secret  of  his  short  passages  came  out  ;  he  was  ambitious 
to  excel,  and  studied  his  ship,  his  chart,  the  winds  and  waves, 
as  closely  and   constantly  as  ever  a  scholar  studied  his  book. 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS.  565 

He  knew  just  what  sail  his  ship  would  bear ;  he  calculated  and 
foretold  from  long  observation  every  change  of  wind  and 
weather,  took  advantage  of  every  current,  and  finally  was, 
while  at  sea,  a  perfect  model  of  sleepless  vigilance.  Thus 
what  some  called  luck,  was  the  natural  result  of  devoting  his 
whole  mind  and  every  energy  to  his  business.  His  luck  still 
continues,  although  he  tio  longer  sails  between  New  York  and 
Liverpool.  It  was  but  a  few  days  since,  that  I  saw  a  notice 
of  his  having  made  the  shortest  passage  on  record,  between 
NbW  York  and  a  well  known  Pacific  port. 

Thus  I  fully  believe  it  ever  is;  if  a  captain  "always  makes 
good  passages,  if  a  farmer  almost  uniformly  has  better  crops 
than  his  neighbors,  it  is  common  for  those  who  are  beaten,  to 
talk  about  luck,  but  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  one  hundred, 
luck  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter ;  success  is  the  reward 
of  sagacity,  sharpened  by  study  and  experience.  As  a  nearly 
invariable  rule,  we  shall  find  on  inquiry,  that  the  successful, 
thriving  farmers,  those  who  take  the  lead  in  their  own  districts, 
are  not  the  men  who  rely  entirely  on  their  own  knowledge,  and 
consider  themselves  to  have  attained  all  that  is  worth  knowing; 
but  those  who  read,  who  study  their  business  in  every  depart- 
ment, who  seek  information  from  every  source.  And  what  is 
quite  as  invariable  in  my  experience,  is  the  fact,  that  as  a  man 
reads  more  widely,  and  studies  more  closely  the  practical  appli- 
cations of  knowledge,  he  becomes  more  modest  and  more  con- 
vinced that  he  has  still  much  to  learn  ;  more  eager,  too,  in  the 
pursuit  of  every  new  acquirement. 

If  we  carry  our  comparisons  still  farther,  we  shall  find  that 
it  is  much  the  same  with  communities  and  districts  as  with  in- 
dividuals. Where  (he  farming  is  best,  where  the  crops  are 
largest,  where  the  stock  is  purest,  where  agricultural  societies 
are  best  sustained,  there  we  shall  find  most  agricultural  periodi- 
cals and  books,  and  the  most  earnest  desire  for  instruction. 
This  is  a  fact  which  admits  of  no  doubt,  and  of  which  any  one 
can  satisfy  himself  by  inquiry  and  observation. 

I  think  that  the  point  which  I  have  desired  to  place  before 
you,  is  now  coming  out  clearly.  It  is  this — that  our  farming 
needs  an  application  of  mind.      It  is  mind  which  has  always 


566  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

triumphed  over  matter,  in  the  whole  history  of  our  race,  and 
agriculture  is  no  exception  to  the  rule.  Every  year  is  making 
more  manifest  that  the  farmer  needs  to  study  for  his  profession, 
as  much  as  the  lawyer  or  physician  ;  and  that  he  who  studies 
most,  combining  at  the  same  time  practice  with  his  theory,  will 
be  most  successful. 

It  is  necessary  here,  however,  to  make  an  exception  to  those 
men  who  rely  wholly  on  theory,  and  on  books,  and  whose 
efforts  at  practice,  unsuccessful  for  this  reason,  have  disgusted 
many  working  farmers,  and  affixed  to  the  title  of  hook-farmer 
a  stigma  of  contempt.  Book-knowledge  is  extremely  valuable 
in  itself,  but  not  by  itself;  combined  with  practice  it  can  do 
wonders ;  separated  from  it,  the  results  are  those  blunders  of 
amateurs,  which  the  old  farmers  laugh  at  with  so  much  con- 
tempt. 

Practice  and  theory  must  go  together,  and  it  is  their  close 
connection  that  I  am  advocating  before  you  to-day.  I  do  not 
come  to  say  to  these  experienced  farmers  about  me,  that  I 
could  take  their  farms  and  carry  on  every  department  of  work 
better  than  they — if  I  attempted  this,  the  consequence  would 
certainly  be  a  failure,  at  least  until  the  every-day  practical  expe- 
rience of  my  younger  days  should  be  revived.  But  I  do  noth- 
ing of  the  kind ;  my  business  is  to  point  out  th"  connection  of 
your  practical  views  with  science  ;  to  find  where  are  the  points 
on  which  science  can  aid  you.  The  scientific  man  has  it  for 
his  vocation  to  study  the  composition  of  the  soil,  of  the  plant, 
of  the  animal,  of  manures ;  to  learn  what  are  the  links  which 
bind  them  together,  what  are  the  laws  of  the  changes  and 
transformations  which  occur  among  them ;  every  fact  that  he 
ascertains  in  his  researches,  is  a  direct  benefit  to  the  farmer, 
because  it  gives  him  increased  power  in  the  various  depart- 
ments of  his  business.  How  he  thus  obtains  more  power,  may 
not  seem  quite  clear  to  all  of  you ;  let  me  now  therefore  occu- 
py a  little  time  in  noticing  some  cases,  in  which  scientific  knowl- 
edge can  be  clearly  seen  to  be  productive  of  advantage. 

We  will  first  turn  our  attention  to  soils.  By  means  of 
chemical  analysis,  we  can  take  any  one  of  the  bodies  which 
we  see  around  us,  and  separate  it  into  its  component  parts ;  we 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S   ADDRESS.  567 

can  say  of  how  many  substances  it  is  made  up,  what  are  their 
properties,  and  how  much  there  is  of  each.  When  we  thus 
analyze  soils  chemically,  we  find  a  great  variety  in  their  com- 
position, but  are  soon  able  to  settle  down  upon  some  definite 
rules.  Very  fertile  soils,  when  we  collect  them  together  from 
all  parts  of  the  world  and  analyze  them,  are  found  to  have  an 
extraordinary  similarity  in  composition.  There  are  some  eleven 
or  twelve  substances  that  are  always  present ;  not  by  any 
means  in  the  same  proportion,  but  in  at  least  appreciable  quan- 
tities. We  thus  have  a  standard  of  fertility.  If  in  pursuing 
our  analyses,  we  come  to  a  soil  in  which  there  is  a  scarcity 
of  some  two  or  three  of  these  substances,  we  shall  invariably 
find  on  inquiry,  that  such  a  soil  needs  occasional  supplies  of 
manure.  If  we  come  to  another  in  which  a  number  are  ab- 
sent, or  greatly  reduced  in  quantity,  that  soil  will  certainly 
prove  barren. 

Thus  the  farmer  has  a  simple  rule  laid  before  him.  If  cer- 
tain substances  are  present  in  a  soil,  that  soil  when  properly 
cultivated  will  yield  him  heavy  crops ;  if  some  of  these  sub- 
stances are  wanting,  he  must  supply  them,  and  if  many  of  them 
are  absent,  he  must  consider  whether  he  can  profitably  make 
up  the  deficiency.  These  substances  must  be  in  the  soil  be- 
cause they  are  needed  to  form  the  plant ;  an  analysis  of  the 
plant  shows  this  fact,  and  makes  the  connection  between  the 
two  at  once  apparent.  The  plant  will  not  thrive  upon  one  or 
two  of  the  articles  that  it  requires  for  food,  it  must  have  all  j 
hence  the  necessity  of  them  all  in  the  soil.  The  absence  of 
only  one,  is  sometimes  fatal  to  a  crop.  1  remember  a  case  in 
point  as  to  the  straw  of  oats.  This  straw,  and  indeed  all  of 
the  straws,  owe  their  stiff'ness  and  elasticity  to  the  presence  of 
a  substance  called  silica,  which  usually  abounds  even  in  bar- 
ren soils.  In  this  case,  however,  the  oats  were  grown  upon  a 
reclaimed  bog ;  they  always  grew  up  stout  and  large,  but  in- 
variably broke  down  as  soon  as  the  grain  began  to  fill  out  and 
render  the  top  heavy.  An  analysis  showed,  as  compared  with 
a  strong  healthy  straw,  a  very  striking  deficiency  of  silica. 
For  want  of  this,  although  everything  else  seemed  to  be  pres- 
ent, the  crop  always  failed,  or  was  greatly  injured. 


568  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

The  connection  between  the  soil  and  the  plant  being  thus 
made  out  so  clearly,  the  question  of  fertility  or  barrenness 
becomes,  as  a  general  rule,  very  simple,  and  one  which  the  j 
chemist  can  determine  with  great  certainty.  The  valuable 
practical  conclusions  which  we  are  able  in  various  ways  to 
draw  from  this  knowledge  are  exceedingly  numerous  and  im- 
portant. 

In  the  first  place  we  are  able  to  supply  deficiencies,  and  to 
remedy  defects,  much  more  readily  than  ever  before.  Let  us 
suppose  a  farmer  to  have  some  land  which  is  deficient  in  lime, 
one  of  the  substances  absolutely  necessary  in  a  fertile  soil.  He 
adds  some  common  farm  yard  manure  ;  this  it  is  true  contains 
all  that  is  needful  in  the  soil,  and  partly  supplies  its  deficien- 
cies, but  in  the  present  case  there  is  a  special  defect,  and  iu 
order  to  supply  the  soil  properly,  a  large  quantity  of  special 
manure  should  be  added  ;  now  of  the  yard  manure  each  ton 
will  contain  perhaps  fifteen  or  twenty  pounds  of  lime — to  fur- 
nish half  a  ton  of  lime  then,  it  would  be  necessary  to  add  no 
less  than  fifty  tons  of  yard  manure  to  each  acre.  But  it  is  not 
at  all  uncommon,  to  apply  lime  at  the  rate  of  several  tons  per 
acre ;  and  this  is  no  more  than  a  proper  quantity  when  entire 
deficiency  exists.  It  is  then  quite  plain  that  a  heavy,  and  even 
an  excessive  addition  of  common  manure,  will  not  properly 
supply  a  special  deficiency.  Thus  a  knowledge  of  the  com- 
position of  his  soil,  would  save  the  farmer  not  only  expense, 
but  time  and  labor,  and  this  to  a  very  considerable  extent. 

Cases  of  this  kind  might  be  multiplied :  it  not  unfrequently 
happens  that  three  or  four  bushels  per  acre  of  sulphate  of  lime, 
that  is,  the  common  plaster  of  paris,  produces  more  efiect  than 
tons  of  other  manures,  and  will  continue  the  land  in  a  fertile 
condition  for  some  years.  This  too  is  a  case  of  special  de- 
ficiency. 

There  is  no  more  common  want  in  our  long  cultivated  soils, 
especially  where  much  grain  has  been  grown,  than  of  a  sub- 
stance called  phosphoric  acid.  You  may  not  many  of  yoji  know 
what  this  is,  nor  is  it  necessary  for  our  purpose  that  you  should; 
suffice  it  to  say  that  it  exists  more  largely  than  any  other  sub- 
stance in  the  ash  of  grain,  there  being  comparatively  little  in 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS.  569 

the  straw.  Now  the  grain,  as  you  all  know,  is  generally  sold 
off,  while  the  straw  is  made  into  manure,  and  returned  to  the 
soil.  A  constant  draft  upon  the  phosphoric  acid  of  the  soil  is 
thus  kept  up,  and  that  body  is  therefore,  in  a  great  number  of 
cases,  the  first  to  give  out ;  as  it  fails,  the  grain  crops  begin  to 
fail  also,  and  this,  although  there  may  be  quite  an  abundance 
of  all  save  this  single  substance. 

Much  has  been  said  of  late  years,  and  with  justice,  as  to  the 
remarkable  effect  of  bones  in  bringing  up  the  land  where  grain 
crops  are  cultivated.  A  few  bushels  of  bone  dust  per  acre,  in 
some  parts  of  Connecticut,  have  been  found  to  produce  as  large 
crops  of  Indian  corn,  as  the  soil  bore  when  it  was  first  ploughed. 
This  effect  is  owing  to  the  fact,  that  bones  contain  a  very  large 
proportion  of  phosphoric  acid  ;  they  supply  therefore  just  the 
substance  of  which  the  soil  has  been  more  particularly  ex- 
hausted in  the  course  of  cultivation. 

For  want  of  such  knowledge  as  this,  plaia  and  simple  as  it 
appears  when  once  explained,  thousands  upon  thousands  of 
tons  of  bones  are  annually  thrown  away  or  neglected.  In 
some  districts  they  are  collected  to  go  to  Europe,  for  the  Brit- 
ish farmers  well  know  their  value  ;  in  other  places,  they  are 
gathered  to  make  glue,  or  bone  black,  but  scarcely  anywhere 
for  the  most  valuable  purpose  of  all,  their  application  to  the 
soil.  The  farmer  sees  his  grain  crops  diminishing  every  year, 
and  the  ordinary  dressing  of  manure  no  longer  produces  the 
effect  that  it  formerly  did  ;  in  order  to  get  a  heavy  crop  he  has 
to  use  so  much  of  it,  as  to  take  away  a  large  share  of  his  profits. 
If  he  knew  that  on  such  land,  in  nine  cases  out  often,  there  is 
a  special  deficiency  which  can  be  supplied  by  the  addition  of 
eight  or  ten  bushels  of  bone  dust,  he  would  be  able  to  obtain 
large  crops  again,  and  at  the  same  time  could  not  fail  to  give 
credit  to  science,  for  the  information  which  enabled  him  to  pro- 
duce such  satisfactory  results. 

Every  farmer,  by  taking  a  little  trouble,  can  collect  a  consid- 
erable quantity  of  bones  on  his  own  premises.  Bone  mills, 
however,  are  scarce,  and  the  best  way  is  to  dissolve  them  in 
common  oil  of  vitriol,  that  is,  sulphuric  acid,  and  thus  apply 
them  in  a  state  of  fine  division.  Sulphuric  acid  is  a  cheap  sub- 
72 


570  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

stance,  and  is  of  itself  a  good  manure.  You  are  not  very  far 
from  one  of  the  most  valuable  localities  of  mineral  phosphate, 
on  Lake  Champlain.  I  have  examined  some  of  the  mineral 
veins  from  which  it  comes,  and  consider  it  worth  far  more  than 
a  gold  mine  to  the  state  of  New  York.  The  supply  that  it  will 
afford  is  very  large,  and  the  mineral  obtained  when  dissolved 
in  sulphuric  acid,  as  bones  are,  will  form  a  most  excellent  ma- 
nure ;  from  one  to  two  hundred  pounds  of  this,  will  be  suffi- 
cient for  an  acre,  if  applied  in  connection  with  about  half  the 
usual  quantity  of  yard  manure. 

Manuring  with  a  view  of  supplying  particular  defects,  or,  as 
it  is  called,  special  manuring,  will,  doubtless,  gradually  find 
favor  here,  as  it  has  done  in  England  and  Scotland.  It  has,  in 
many  cases,  produced  truly  remarkable  effects,  and  has  brought 
whole  districts  into  a  satisfactory  state  of  fertility,  that  were 
before  only  cultivated  with  great  difficulty  and  expense.  As  our 
knowledge  of  the  true  action  of  manure  increases,  we  may  ex- 
pect to  make  still  further  advances  in  this  department;  but 
even  from  what  I  have  said  at  present,  it  is  easy  to  perceive 
that  our  knowledge  as  to  the  composition  of  the  soil,  and  of 
the  plant,  becomes,  in  its  relations  to  the  application  of  manures, 
exceedingly  valuable  and  practical.  The  above  illustrations 
are  not  more  remarkable  than  a  hundred  others  that  might  be 
given.  But  I  must  endeavor  to  give  you  glimpses  of  one  or 
two  other  points. 

You  have  seen  that  some  knowledge  as  to  the  nature  and 
number  of  the  substances  in  the  soil,  is  highly  desirable.  But 
when  by  means  of  analyses  we  have  attained  full  information 
in  this  respect,  both  as  to  the  soil  itself,  and  then  as  to  its  rela- 
tions with  the  plant,  and  with  fertilizing  agents,  we  have  even 
yet  fulfilled  but  a  small  part  of  our  duty  in  this  department. 
The  substances  of  which  the  soil  is  made  up,  are  not  simple, 
but  compound,  all  united  one  with  the  other,  forming  what  are 
-called  combinations ;  thus  carbonic  acid  combines  with  lime, 
forming  our  common  limestone, — it  is  easy  to  prove  this.  Now 
these  combinations  are  constantly  changing  and  interchanging. 
We  are  accustomed  to  look  upon  the  soil  as  dead,  and  inert,  as 
almost  unchangeable,  but  we  are  greatly  mistaken  in  this  view. 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS.  571 

There  is  no  shower  of  rain,  no  change  of  temperature,  or  of 
season,  that  does  not  have  some  direct  or  indirect  influence  on 
the  soil  ;  it  is  a  species  of  laboratory,  where  silently  and  invis- 
ibly, but  constantly,  transformations  are  going  forward  which 
prepare  materials  for  the  living  and  growing  plant.  The  causes, 
and  the  nature,  and  the  end  of  these  changes,  are  all  objects 
for  careful  and  persevering  study ;  they  combine  to  affect  the 
farmer's  operations  and  his  success. 

Let  us  take  the  influence  of  water  upon  the  soil,  as  an  exam- 
ple, and  show  how  much  is  to  be  learned  under  this  single 
head.  A  shower  of  rain  falls  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth,  and 
sinks  down  till  it  comes  to  some  impervious  layer,  or  water 
level.  If  this  impervious  layer,  or  water  level,  be  at  a  consid- 
erable distance  below  the  surface,  then  the  effect  of  the  rain  is 
beneficial ;  there  is  merely  enough  left  in  the  upper  layer  of  soil 
to  moisten,  but  not  to  wet  it ;  air  can  consequently  also  find 
access,  and  the  whole  mass,  to  a  considerable  depth,  is  warmed 
by  the  rays  of  the  sun.  All  of  these  conditions  are  requisite, 
as  they  are  necessary  to  cause  fertility  by  the  regular  and  pro- 
gressive occurrence  of  those  changes,  which  fit  the  soil  to  be- 
come a  part  of  the  plant.  If  the  land  is  too  dry,  such  changes 
will  not  occur,  and  even  all  that  is  already  soluble  cannot 
enter  the  roots ;  in  a  dry,  parched  soil  then,  the  plant  fails, 
because  it  has  no  means  of  conveying  its  food  up  from  the 
earth.  Thus  far,  the  action  of  water  seems  to  be  always  ben- 
eficial. I  might  go  at  length  into  remarks  on  its  good  efl"ect  in 
the  forms  of  rain,  dew,  vapor,  ice,  and  snow  ;  but  will  at  pres- 
ent only  speak  of  the  evil  influence  which  it  sometimes  exerts. 
Suppose  a  soil  in  which  the  water,  in  place  of  sinking  too  deep, 
finds  its  level  near  the  surface,  or,  as  it  does  in  some  cases,  im- 
mediately upon  the  surface  ;  it  now  acts  in  a  different  way 
from  that  which  I  have  described.  In  the  first  place,  air,  and 
secondly,  warmth  is  excluded  ;  the  soil  then  must  remain  cold, 
and  shut  off"  from  the  influences  of  the  atmosphere.  Wherever 
this  state  of  things  exists,  the  formation  of  certain  acid  vegeta- 
ble compounds  commences,  and  if  no  steps  are  taken  to  remedy 
the  evil,  goes  on  until  the  whole  track  is  converted  into  a  bog. 
These  vegetable  compounds  are  black  or  deep  brown,  and  are 


572  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

well  known  to  all  who  have  ever  seen  much  of  swamp  land. 
The  material  of  which  they  are  formed,  contains  all  the  ele- 
ments of  fertility,  but  in  such  a  state  that  they  are  entirely 
locked  up,  for  no  valuable  plant  will  grow  upon  them  in  their 
unaltered  condition.  Lay  the  swamp  dry,  however,  or  draw 
some  of  the  earth  out  and  mix  in  a  compost  heap,  and  it  will 
in  almost  all  cases  support  a  luxuriant  vegetation.  The  process 
of  decomposition,  arrested  by  the  constant  presence  of  too  much 
water,  goes  forward  again  as  soon  as  this  is  withdrawn,  and  the 
elements  of  fertility  which  are  present,  are  thus  enabled  to 
exert  their  action  on  the  plant. 

Such  is  the  state  of  things  when  the  water  level  is  at  the 
surface  ;  the  evil  action  of  the  water  is  here  perfectly  obvious; 
but  there  are  other  cases  where,  in  concealment,  it  does  a 
scarcely  less  injurious  work.  If  you  remove  the  level  at  which 
water  constantly  stands,  to  six  inches  below  the  surface,  the 
same  consequences  result  that  I  have  before  described,  as  to  the 
formation  and  accumulation  of  deleterious  mineral  and  vegeta- 
ble compounds.  They  do  not  appear  on  the  surface,  however, 
except  perhaps  in  spring,  and  it  appears  quite  dry.  This  dry- 
ness is  not  exactly  what  it  should  be,  for  the  class  of  plants 
produced  naturally  on  a  soil  in  this  condition  are  poor.  If  a 
pasture,  or  meadow,  the  grass  is  harsh  and  wiry,  and  ill  adapted 
for  food;  if  ploughed,  the  crops  are  scanty  and  uncertain.  The 
land  is  called  by  farmers  cold  and  sour ;  no  doubt  every  farmer 
among  my  audience,  can  think  of  some  such  land,  for  I  find  it 
abundant  in  all  parts  of  the  country. 

Now  all  of  this  land  is  thus  rendered  cold  and  sour  by  the 
presence  of  too  much  water;  the  terms  exactly  express  its  qual- 
ities ;  it  is  sour  because  of  the  abundance  of  certain  vegetable 
acids,  and  it  is  cold  because  of  the  constant  evaporation  of 
water  from  its  surface.  Many  practical  men  will  disclaim  in- 
dignantly, the  idea  that  such  a  soil  is  really  suffering  from  too 
much  water,  at  least  in  such  a  degree  as  to  render  drainage  ne- 
cessary. It  is  true,  they  will  acknowledge  that  it  is  rather  wet, 
and  therefore  backward  in  spring,  but  it  dries  up  very  well  later 
in  the  season,  and  even  in  some  cases  suffers  from  drought. 
The  fact  is,  that  this  being  wet  in  spring,  is  one  of  the  chief 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS.  573 

difficulties.  The  evaporation  of  water  is  its  conversion  into 
vapor;  during  this  conversion,  a  certain  amount  of  heat  is  ab- 
sorbed from  the  atmosphere  and  surrounding  objects.  You  all 
know  that  if  you  dip  your  finger  into  water,  and  hold  it  up,  it 
will  feel  cool,  and  particularly  on  the  side  from  which  the  wind 
blows ;  it  is  possible  to  tell  the  direction  of  the  wind  in  this 
way,  when  all  other  means  fail ;  the  reason  is,  that  where  there 
is  the  most  air,  there  is  the  most  evaporation  of  the  water,  and 
consequently  a  greater  withdrawal  of  heat  from  the  fingers.  If 
you  take  ether,  or  any  fluid  that  evaporates  much  more  readily 
than  water,  you  may  obtain  quite  a  degree  of  cold,  even  in  the 
hottest  weather.  It  is,  by  means  of  some  chemical  substances 
that  evaporate  very  fast,  possible  to  freeze  water  in  a  red  hot 
vessel.  All  that  is  necessary  is  to  pour  a  substance  that  will 
evaporate  almost  instantaneously,  into  the  dish,  and  immedi- 
ately afterwards  a  little  water,  from  which  the  heat  is  all  so 
quickly  withdrawn  by  the  evaporation  of  the  first  liquid,  that 
it  instantly  becomes  a  solid  mass  of  ice,  capable  of  being  turned 
out  and  handled.  This  is  a  mere  chemical  trick,  but  it  illus- 
trates the  great  power  of  evaporation  in  producing  cold. 

How  must  it  be  then,  in  spring,  with  two  adjoining  fields, 
one  of  which  is  well  dried,  either  artificially  or  naturally,  and 
the  other  saturated  with  water,  because  its  constant  level  is  but 
a  few  inches  beneath  the  surface.  From  the  latter  field  a  far 
greater  evaporation  is  constantly  going  forward,  than  from  the 
former,  and  it  is  consequently  much  colder ;  the  bulb  of  a 
thermometer  immersed  in  the  soil  of  two  such  fields,  will  show 
a  difference  of  temperature  ;  a  difference  that  must  continue  far 
into  the  season.  The  sun's  rays  then,  instead  of  warming  the 
earth,  as  they  should  do  at  this  genial  period  of  the  year,  are 
mostly  expended  in  evaporating  a  surplus  of  water;  the  field  is 
consequently  backward  and  cold ;  grass  grown  upon  it  is  thin, 
wiry,  and  sour;  crops  planted  there  come  up  straggling,  yellow 
and  sickly. 

Thus  much  for  the  ill  effects  of  this  water  in  spring.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  explain  why  this  same  land  resists  drought  so 
poorly,  although  at  first  sight  it  seems  a  paradox  that  land, 
which  suffers  in  the  early  part  of  the  season  from  too  much 


574  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

water,  should  afterwards  suffer  equally  under  a  prolonged  period 
of  dry  weather.  This  is  however  undoubtedly  the  fact  in 
many  cases.  The  cause  is  this — as  the  surface  dries  with 
drought,  the  plants  are  obliged  to  push  their  roots  downward 
in  search  of  moisture,  but  in  this  case  they  cannot  go  far 
without  coming  in  contact  with  the  injurious  acid  substances, 
that  are  so  apt  to  accumulate  at  and  beneath  the  water  level, 
especially  when  that  level  is  near  the  surface  where  vegetable 
matter  abounds  ;  thus  the  plant  forced  to  receive  food  into  its 
roots,  and  finally  into  its  circulation,  that  is  injurious,  and  even 
noxious,  begins  to  droop,  and  if  the  drought  continues,  dies._ 
I  have  seen  land  of  this  sort  ridged  up  quite  high  for  grain 
crops  ;  in  a  dry  season  it  was  curious  to  observe  that  on  the 
tops  of  the  ridges,  where  of  course  the  soil  was  dryest,  the  crop 
was  best,  while  in  the  hollows  between,  where  was  most  ready 
access  to  moisture,  the  plants  were  yellow  and  small.  On  the 
top  of  the  ridge  they  had  a  considerable  depth  from  which  to 
draw  supplies  before  getting  to  the  noxious  subsoil,  while  in 
the  hollows  they  were  but  a  few  inches  removed  from  it. 

This  is  a  complete  explanation  of  the  observed  fact,  that 
well  drained  land  generally  withstands  drought  better  than  wet 
land ;  and  it  shows  too  that  much  of  the  land  which  is  now 
considered  by  our  farmers  nearly  dry  enough,  is  really  suffering 
from  the  presence  of  too  much  water.  The  introduction  of 
drains  would  lower  the  water  level  to  a  point  where  vegetable 
matter  does  not  often  abound,  and  where  hurtful  compounds 
would  therefore  seldom  form ;  the  surface  soil  would  at  the 
same  time  be  warmed  by  the  sun,  penetrated  by  the  air,  and 
rendered  wholesome  for  plants  to  a  considerable  depth.  In 
accordance  with  those  principles,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  say- 
ing, that  the  uses  of  the  drain  are  as  yet  but  imperfectly  appre- 
ciated in  this  country.  It  will  be  applied  over  a  breadth  of 
land  of  which  our  farmers  at  present  have  little  conception, 
although  in  many  districts  the  subject  is  now  receiving  a  great 
and  increasing  degree  of  attention. 

This  topic  of  draining  might  be  made  to  occupy  your  time 
for  many  hours.  The  mere  sketch  that  I  have  given  of  the 
eflfect  of  water,  opens  up  at  once  a  great  field  of  inquiry  ;  if  to 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS.  575 

these  effects  we  were  to  add  those  which  it  produces  in  the 
soil  as  a  solid,  when  frozen  into  ice,  or  snow,  or  as  a  solvent 
dissolving  and  carrying  away  some  substances,  and  often  in 
turn  depositing  others,  we  enter  another  extensive  line  of  inves- 
tigation, without  even  then  touching  upon  the  fruitful  and 
most  important  theme  of  its  relations  to  plants,  in  their  forma- 
tion, growth,  and  modes  of  nutrition.  I  have  I  think  already 
said  enough  to  show,  that  even  in  this  one  department  there  is 
much  already  made  out  by  scientific  research  that  is  extremely 
valuable  to  the  practical  farmer. 

And  yet  this  is  but  a  mere  commencement  on  the  subject  of 
the  soil,  for  many  points  regarding  it  have  not  even  been 
named  or  alluded  to.  But  I  think  that  my  object  has  been  at- 
tained if  I  have  been  able  to  show  that  there  is  something  to 
be  learned  by  scientific  investigations,  that  is  of  direct  practical 
value.  I  have  made  no  statements  to  you  that  are  merely 
theoretical,  that  may  or  may  not  be  true — that  are  nothing 
more  than  probable  speculations.  I  know  them  to  be  all  true, 
and  entirely  susceptible  of  proof  In  fact  what  is  most  to  be 
desired  is,  that  farmers  would  institute  the  most  searching  in- 
vestigation into  these  matters,  would  set  themselves  sternly  at 
work  to  ascertain  if  such  stories  as  I  have  told  you  to-day,  are 
mere  inventions  or  not.  If  I  can  once  see  a  man  brought  to 
this  point,  once  see  him  resolved  to  use  every  means  in  his 
power  to  get  at  the  truth,  I  feel  sure  of  him :  he  will  as  cer- 
tainly become  more  and  more  a  scientific  farmer,  as  the  sun 
will  rise  to-morrow, — there  is  no  help  for  him ;  the  whole  sub- 
ject of  the  advantage  in  applying  science  to  agriculture,  be- 
comes so  self-evident  under  examination,  becomes  so  exceed- 
ingly attractive  as  well  as  practical,  that  I  have  never  yet 
known  a  case  in  which  each  accession  of  knowledge,  has  not 
served  to  increase  the  thirst  for  more. 

What  is  it  then  that  I  am  advocating  before  you  here  to- 
day ?  It  is  simply  the  application  of  the  full  powers  of  your 
minds  to  your  own  business.  The  time  is  passing  away  when 
a  man  can  plod  through  life,  ploughing  and  hoeing,  sowing 
and  reaping,  feeding  and  breeding  stock  just  as  his  fathers  have 
done,  without  a  thought  of  improving  or  of  reasoning.     There 


576  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

is  no  other  class  of  men  in  our  land  that  do  this  at  the  present 
day.  The  merchants,  the  manufacturers,  the  mechanics,  have 
every  sense  alive ;  they  never  stop  to  say,  my  father  or  my 
grandfather  did  so  and  so,  and  I  guess  it  is  good  enough  for 
me  ;  they  look  at  a  machine,  or  a  process,  or  a  mode  of  doing 
business,  and  say,  how  can  we  improve  upon  this,  how  can  we 
obtain  a  more  thorough  insight  into  its  nature.  This  should 
be  the  spirit  of  the  farmer  ;  this  is  his  spirit  in  some  respects,  I 
am  thankful  to  say. 

In  implements,  probably  no  nation  has  made  greater  im- 
provements within  a  few  years  than  our  own.  Our  plouglis, 
and  our  reapers,  are  at  this  moment  calling  forth  the  admira- 
tion of  the  world  in  London.  The  energies  of  the  mind  have 
been  elevated  to  their  construction ;  the  plough  in  its  present 
most  improved  form  is  not  the  result  of  some  happy  blunder, 
but  of  real  study  ;  its  best  shape  is  found  by  the  application  of 
abstruse  scientific  principles  ;  the  line  of  its  draft  is  in  the 
most  advantageous  direction  ;  every  part  is  light  and  yet  strong 
enough  for  the  work  it  has  to  do.  Economy  of  material,  per- 
fection of  shape,  and  the  greatest  possible  ease  of  draft,  consis- 
tent with  a  due  performance  of  its  purposes,  have  been  all  at- 
tained by  study  and  perseverance. 

In  the  department  of  stock  too,  there  has  been  an  evident 
increase  of  real  study  within  the  past  few  years.  The  improve- 
ment of  our  stock,  the  introduction  of  the  best  foreign  breeds, 
and  the  peculiar  excellencies  of  each,  have  engaged  a  great  de- 
gree of  general  attention,  and  farmers  have  discussed  every 
point  in  relation  to  this  subject  with  a  real  determination 
worthy  of  all  praise.  Everything  has  combined  to  show,  that 
the  agricultural  mind  has  been  fully  awake  on  this  subject ; 
and  what  has  been  the  result  ?  Just  such  an  improvement  as 
might  have  been  expected.  We  have  now  not  merely  indi- 
viduals, but  whole  herds,  and  flocks,  equal  to  the  best  stock  of 
Europe,  and  our  shows  all  bring  out  samples  of  pure  blood  in 
the  various  departments,  which  indicate  the  deep  conviction 
that  rests  upon  the  mass  of  the  community,  as  to  the  impor- 
tance of  attending  to  this  matter. 

Thus  we  have  before  our  eyes  in  improved  implements,  and 


JOHN  P.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS.  677 

improved  stock,  examples  of  what  may  be  done  by  devoting 
the  mind  to  any  department  of  business ;  for  it  must  be  ob- 
vious to  the  most  prejudiced,  that  these  improvements  are  only 
due  to  an  exertion  of  the  mind.  The  farmer  who  stands 
highest  among  you  for  improved  stock,  did  not  go  blindfold 
into  the  market  and  select  the  first  animal  upon  which  he  hap- 
pened to  lay  his  hand ;  he  studied  the  subject  until  he  felt 
competent,  and  then  made  his  selection. 

In  these  two  respects,  according  to  my  opinion,  the  farmers 
of  this  country  stand  far  higher  than  in  any  other.  Their  im- 
plements and  their  stock  are  in  some  points  better  than  their 
land,  or  their  general  principles  of  cultivation,  or  the  general 
produce  of  their  crops.  We  often  see  good  stock,  and  good 
implements,  where  the  land  is  running  down,  and  the  crops  are 
poor.  This  state  of  things  ought  to  be  changed,  but  it  can 
only  be  done  by  the  same  means  that  have  brought  about  the 
other  changes.  When  the  farmer  becomes  convinced  that  a 
knowledge  of  the  composition  of  his  soil,  of  his  crops,  of  the 
food  which  he  feeds  to  his  animals,  and  of  the  best  methods  of 
improvement  in  all  these  particulars,  is  necessary  ;  and  when 
he  bends  the  energies  of  his  mind  to  the  acquirement  of  that 
knowledge,  then  and  not  till  then,  shall  we  see  a  decisive 
change  in  the  general  character  of  our  agriculture. 

No  one  I  think  can  deny,  that  information  upon  the  points 
to  which  I  have  adverted  to-day  would  be  highly  valuable, 
but  these  are  only  selections,  taken  almost  at  random  here  and 
there  from  among  the  great  number  of  subjects  that  should  be 
familiar  to  every  farmer.  In  a  brief  hour  like  this,  all  that  I 
can  aim  at  is  to  give  you  an  idea  that  there  are  things  em- 
braced within  the  province  of  scientific  agriculture  that  you 
ought  to  know,  and  that  would  be  highly  useful  to  you. 

If  I  came  here  and  told  you,  as  has  been  intimated  by 
some  writers,  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  farming  would 
be  reduced  to  a  mere  pastime  ;  that  by  means  of  chemistry 
your  crops  would  be  quadrupled  with  no  expense  ;  that  enough 
manure  for  an  acre  of  land  could  be  carried  in  my  vest  pocket ; 
that  agricultural  schools  would  bring  about  all  this,  and  make 
your  boys  chemists  in  six  or  eight  weeks,  then  you  would  cer- 
73 


578  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

tainly  be  justified  in  hesitating  in  your  belief  of  my  words,  and 
in  looking  upon  me  as  either  an  untrustworthy  enthusiast,  or  a 
designing  impostor.  There  are  men  of  both  these  classes  in 
this  country ;  men  who  are  constantly  injuring  the  cause 
which  they  claim  to  serve.  But  I  have  held  out  to  you  no  ex- 
travagant expectations,  have  not  uttered  a  word  that  is  not 
capable  of  proof,  have  in  short  only  urged  you  to  the  necessity 
of  studying  for  yourselves.  There  are  courses  of  instruction 
now  within  your  reach,  where,  by  means  of  lectures  and  books, 
you  can  obtain  such  a  general  knowledge  of  this  subject,  as  will 
enable  you  to  understand  much  that  now  seems  dark  ;  to  apply 
many  scientific  principles  in  practice  ;  and  to  read  intelligently, 
accounts  of  valuable  improvements  by  scientific  means. 

Why  should  the  farmer  be  the  only  man  in  the  world  who 
is  injured  by  studying  his  own  business,  and  using  every  means 
in  his  power  to  get  a  better  knowledge  of  it  ?  Is  it  not  ob- 
vious that  information  upon  such  points  as  I  have  so  briefly 
sketched  before  you  would  be  advantageous  ?  Why  then  do 
we  hear  the  cry  against  book  farming  raised,  whenever  a  step 
in  progress  is  proposed  ?  It  is  unworthy  of  New  England  ; 
it  is  unworthy  of  the  Old  Bay  State,  that  state  which  has  al- 
ways been  foremost  in  every  educational  movement.  Cannot 
the  farmers  of  Massachusetts  bear  instruction  in  the  theoretical, 
as  well  as  the  practical  part  of  their  profession  ?  We  know 
that  education  and  intelligence  give  power,  for  it  is  this  general 
education  and  intelligence,  so  prevalent  among  you,  that  has 
made  the  name  of  Massachusetts  known  and  honored  over  all 
the  civilized  world.  I  refuse  then  to  believe,  that  you  will  be 
long  affected  by  any  objections  of  this  class ;  it  is  in  fact  easy 
to  see  that  year  by  year  their  force  is  lessening. 

The  farmer  will  no  longer  be  compelled  to  find  his  mental 
employment  in  themes  apart  from  his  own  profession,  for  in 
the  various  problems  connected  with  the  phenomena  of  vege- 
table and  animal  growth  and  nutrition,  that  occur  in  the  every- 
day experience  of  his  own  fields,  he  will  perceive  attractions  of 
a  most  novel  and  beautiful  kind,  sufficient  to  occupy  all  of  his 
powers,  and  exercise  his  highest  faculties. 

I   do  not  profess  to  say  that  ycu  will  ever  be  able  to  earn 


:   JOHN  p.  NORTON'S  ADDRESS:  579 

your  living  without  work.  The  tiller  of  the  soil  must  always 
get  his  bread  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow ;  it  is  doubtless  a  wise 
ordinance  of  the  Almighty,  that  all  who  gain  their  own  liveli- 
hood must  do  it  by  labor  and  toil ;  if  it  is  not  of  the  body  it 
is  of  the  mind,  and  the  latter  involves  far  more  inquietude  and 
uncertainty,  and  ill  health,  than  the  former.  The  farmer  has 
in  his  everyday  toil  the  secret  of  health  and  strength,  and  if 
his  profits  are  smaller  they  are  surer,  while  his  life  is  on  the 
whole  happier  and  longer.  If  now  by  the  moderate  exercise 
of  his  mind  he  can  increase  the  rewards  of  his  bodily  labor, 
his  general  condition  will  be  improved,  and  he  will  have  that 
just  union  of  mental  and  physical  exertion  which  tends  most 
decidedly  to  secure  health,  happiness  and  competence. 

His  gains  are  not  so  large  as  those  of  the  merchant,  or  the 
manufacturer,  but  they  are  far  more  certain,  for  his  bank  can- 
not break,  nor  his  factory  burn.  His  reputation  and  his  aims 
may  not  be  so  high  as  those  of  the  lawyer,  or  the  politician, 
but  his  sleep  is  sweet,  and  his  conscience  untroubled ;  he  suf- 
fers no  gnawings  of  disappointed  ambition,  nor  feels  the  hol- 
lowness  of  that  success  which  has  been  purchased  by  years  of 
ceaseless  anxiety  and  mental  struggles,  by  a  worn-out  body, 
and  a  satiated,  wearied  soul. 

His  success  comes  direct  from  that  Ruler  of  all  things,  who 
sends  his  rain  and  his  sunshine  in  their  season  and  succession, 
who  has  promised  that  seed  time  and  harvest  shall  never  fail. 
His  life  is  spent  among  the  genial  influences  of  that  season 
when  his  fields  grow  green  with  lip-springing  grass  and  grain, 
when  the  air  is  filled  with  singing  birds,  and  the  trees  with 
fragrant  blossoms ;  in  the  glowing  radiance  of  summer,  when 
the  city  pours  forth  its  weary  denizens  to  seek'  relief  in  the 
deep  shade  of  his  trees,  and  by  the  side  of  his  clear  streams  ; — 
in  the  softened  skies  of  autumn,  when  the  yellow  harvest  is 
waving  in  readiness  for  his  garner,  when  the  clear  tinkle  of  the 
mower's  scythe  is  heard,  and  when  each  tree  bends  heavily 
with  its  burden  of  ripening  fruit ;  and  in  the  calm  retirement 
of  winter,  with  his  work  well  done,  his  barns  well  filled,  his 
cattle  in  their  stalls,  his  family  and  friends  around  the  social 
fireside. 


580  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

Is  not  this  of  itself  a  desirable  life,  and  does  it  not  become 
most  exceedingly  attractive,  when  the  farmer  possesses  that 
knowledge  which  I  have  advocated  before  you  ?  When  he 
can  look  upon  his  soil  as  the  great  laboratory,  in  which  his  in- 
telligent skill  shall  direct  and  control  the  preparations  for  the 
benefit  of  his  plants  ;  when  he  knows  of  what  those  plants 
should  consist,  and  with  what  he  must  furnish  them ;  and  when 
he  sees  clearly  their  connection  with  the  animal  economy,  so 
that  he  can  intelligently  direct  every  operation  in  feeding  and 
fattening,  his  occupation  assumes  an  engrossing  interest,  and 
with  his  pure  air  and  bright  green  landscape  around  him,  he 
need  envy  no  other  mortal  being. 


The  Importance  of  Agriculture  and  the  Means  and  Mo- 
tives roR  ITS  Promotion. 

[Ext7'ad  from  an  Address,  hy  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  at  the  last  Fair  of 
the  Hampshire  Jlgricidtural  Society.] 

The  importance  of  Agriculture  appears  from  its  paternal 
relation  to  other  employments.  It  is  the  central  wheel  of  the 
great  industrial  machine.  Accelerate  or  retard  its  motion,  and 
you  change  the  action  of  all  the  rest.  Agriculture  is  industry's 
eldest  child,  the  primary  element  of  social  organization,  and 
the  foundation  of  property,  order  and  civil  institutions.  Twice 
in  the  history  of  the  world,  has  the  human  race  consisted  of 
a  single  family  conducting  all  the  arts  of  life,  and  depending 
exclusively  upon  this  primeval  pursuit  for  support.  In  every 
period,  its  praises  have  been  celebrated  both  in  poetry  and 
song.  Scripture  also  abounds  in  illustrations  and  scenes  from 
pastoral  life.  The  rewards  of  this  art  have  blessed  the  past 
and  its  promises  gild  the  future.  It  is  the  almoner  of  heaven's 
bounty,  distributing  to  all  with  a  liberal  hand.  How  has  it 
converted  the  noxious  bog  and  barren  waste  into  highly  culti- 
vated fields,  and  made  the  dreary  wilderness  to  bud  and  blos- 
som like  the  rose  !  How  have  its  benign  influences  illumined 
the  dark  abodes  of  want  and  misery  !  Oft  has  it  fed  the  hun- 
gry, clothed  the  naked,  and  caused  the  desolate  heart  to  shout 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  581 

for  joy  !  How  have  its  blessings  clustered  around  the  social 
fireside,  making  the  domestic  altar  vocal  with  praise  and 
thanksgiving ! 

Well  did  the  muse  of  our  lamented  Fessenden  sing : 

"  Hail  Agriculture  !     Heaven  ordained, 

Of  every  art  the  source, 
Which  man  has  polished,  life  sustained. 

Since  time  commenced  his  course. 
Where  waves  thy  wonder-working  wand. 

What  splendid  scenes  disclose ! 
The  blasted  heath,  the  arid  strand. 

Out-bloom  the  gorgeous  rose  !" 

Agriculture,  as  an  art,  relates  to  the  successful  cultivation  of 
the  soil,  to  such  care  of  the  field  and  herd,  as  will  enable  the 
husbandman  to  realize  the  largest  and  most  perfect  products 
with  the  least  labor  and  expense.  The  science  of  agriculture 
treats  of  the  rationale  of  these  processes,  and  of  the  principles 
which  govern  practice.  In  different  localities  and  climates, 
the  art  may  vary,  but  science  is  the  same  here  and  everywhere, 
to-day  Sind.  forever,  immutable  like  its  Wise  Author.  Art  may 
mistake,  and  give  a  particular  soil  the  crop  which  its  constitu- 
ents disqualify  it  to  produce.  But  science  never  errs,  for  she 
understands  the  constituents  of  both,  and  therefore  can  decide 
upon  the  adaptation  of  one  to  the  other. 

The  difference  between  them  appears  from  the  course  that 
each  would  pursue  in  the  examination  of  the  soil. 

Art  regards  its  external  appearance,  and  discovers  its  adapta- 
tion to  a  given  crop,  often  by  doubtful  experiment,  by  tradition- 
ary knowledge,  or  by  mere  conjecture.  Science  adopts  a 
different  course.  She  takes  a  portion  of  that  soil,  and  puts  it 
in  her  crucible,  and  by  analysis  ascertains  its  constituents. 
She  learns  also  the  constituents  of  the  desired  crops  and  of 
manures,  and  by  a  comparison  of  these  results  decides  at  once 
upon  their  mutual  adaptation,  or  what  changes  must  be  made 
to  produce  fertility. 

Let  us  illustrate  the  importance  of  scientific  knowledge  to 
cultivation.  A  farmer  in  New  Hampshire  had  heard  of  the 
value  of  peat  as  a  manure.     He  applied  a  large  quantity  fresh 


'683  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

from  its  native  bed  to  his  arable  land,  in  expectation  of  an 
abundant  harvest  ;  but  to  his  great  disappointment  the  crop 
was  an  entire  failure.  Why  ?  It  contained  a  large  percentage 
of  sulphate  of  iron  (copperas),  fatal  to  his  crops.  To  this, 
chemistry  would  have  applied  lime  as  an  antidote,  and  thus 
converted  the  sulphate  of  iron  into  the  sulphate  of  lime,  a 
deadly  poison  into  a  substance  valuable  to  his  soil  and  condu- 
cive to  its  fertility.  Again,  a  sea  captain,  who  understood  Nep- 
tune's dominions  rather  better  than  those  of  Ceres,  purchased 
a  farm  in  Massachusetts.  He  determined  henceforth  to  plough 
old  ocean's  wave  no  more,  but  that  he  would  enjoy  comfort 
and  tranquillity  in  the  evening  of  his  life,  in  ploughing  the  soil. 
He  had  heard  of  the  mistake  of  the  New  Hampshire  farmer, 
and  resolving  to  avoid  it,  rushed  to  the  opposite  extreme,  and 
thought  lime  as  a  fertilizer  must  be  valuable.  Having  four 
hundred  loads  of  excellent  barnyard  manure,  he  determined  to 
make  his  debut  in  farming  by  turning  it  to  the  highest  prac- 
tical account.  He  therefore  purchased  two  hundred  casks  of 
lime,  and  mixed  it  with  the  manure.  At  first,  his  expectations 
were  raised  to  the  highest  pitch.  He  beheld  his  manure  heap 
smoking  like  a  coal-pit.  Judge  then  of  his  disappointment 
when  his  scientific  neighbors  informed  him  that  he  had  ruined 
the  whole.  The  lime  had  disengaged  the  ammonia,  and  nearly 
destroyed  the  fertilizing  properties  of  the  mass.  The  facts  to 
which  we  have  referred,  may  be  extreme  cases,  but  many  of 
similar  character  have  fallen  under  our  observation,  all  teaching 
lis  the   dependence  of  art  on   science,  and  the  connection   of 

-these  is  nowhere  more  intimate  than  in  agriculture. 

We  hear  much  said  of  the  superior  advantage  of  practice  and 

practical  knowledge.  But  we  rejoice  that  the  science  of  our 
day  is  eminently  "practical."  Here  lies  the  great  superiority 
of  modern  chemistry  over  ancient  alchemy.  The  former  works 
for  the  farmer  and  facilitates  the  various  processes  of  the  useful 

.arts;  the  latter  occupied  itself  in  the  vain  attempt  to  discover  a 
universal  elixir,  and  the  philosopher's  stone.  Science  will  be 
to  the  farmer,  what  the  safety  lamp  is  to  the  miner,  enabling 
him  to  explore  the  otherwise  hidden  treasures  of  mother  earth, 
and  to  bring  them  up  for  the  benefit  of  mankind ;  aye,  as  the 
pole-star  to  the  mariner,  a  sure  guide  to  the  haven  of  hope. 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  683 

It  might  naturally  be  expected,  that  an  art  of  such  paramount 
importance  to  society,  an  art  coeval  with  the  origin  of  the  hu- 
man race,  transmitted  through  past  generations,  destined  to  de- 
scend through  the  long  vista  of  future  ages,  and  yielding 
support  to  the  myriad  millions  of  all  time,  would  long  ago  have 
reached  its  culminating  point,  and  have  received  whatever  aid 
science  and  legislation  could  bestow.  But  how  diiferent  is  the 
fact.  Progress  has  indeed  been  made,  yet  experience,  hoary 
with  age,  is  to  be  systematized,  and  the  deductions  of  science 
are  still  to  furnish  uniform  rules  for  successful  practice. 

How  a  result  so  desirable  is  to  be  secured,  and  agriculture 
made  to  occupy  the  position  in  the  great  family  of  arts,  which 
the  God  of  Nature  assigned  it,  and  Avhat  are  the  means  to  such 
an  end,  are  our  next  objects  of  inquiry. 

The  chief  of  these  is  scientific  education,  an  instrumen- 
tality powerful  in  its  operation,  certain  in  its  results,  and  which 
should  be  accessible  to  all.  The  farmer  needs  something  more 
than  physical  strength  and  practical  skill.  If  he  would  elevate 
himself  and  his  calling ;  if  he  would  rank  with  the  Cobb^tts, 
Tulls,  Loudons,  Johnstons,  Liebigs,  Thaers,  of  Europe,  or 
with  our  American  Eliots,  Pickerings,  Lowells,  Cohnans,  Phin- 
neys,  and  other  renowned  agriculturists,  he  must  be  a  man  of 
large  and  varied  learning ;  nor  must  he  ever  account  his  edu- 
cation finished,  but  be  forever  growing  in  experience  and  wis- 
dom. Let  us  not  be  misunderstood;  far  be  it  from  us  to  charge 
our  intelligent  and  virtuous  yeomanry  with  any  deficiency  in 
natural  endowments.  We  have  always  affirmed,  and  desire 
heie  to  repeat,  the  contrary.  Our  farmers  are  among  our  most 
benevolent  and  patriotic  citizens,  ardently  devoted  to  our  free 
institutions,  reliable  for  the  support  of  the  same,  and  for  the 
preservation  of  our  American  Union.  They  are  the  ballast  of 
our  national  ship,  keeping  her  upright  and  steady  amidst  the 
winds  and  waves  which  agitate  the  political  ocean,  and  as  con- 
servators of  the  republic,  they  hold  with  unwavering  hand  the 
balance  of  political  power.  As  a  class,  they  have  intelligence 
and  talent ;  many  of  them  possess  genius  which  would  improve 
and  adorn  any  vocation  or  station  in  society.  What  they  need, 
is  a  wise  direction  of  their  energies  to  their  profession,  and  this 
it  is  the  object  of  scientific  education  to  furnish. 


584  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

It  is  not  the  energy  that  wields  the  spade,  guides  the  plane, 
or  reefs  the  sail,  that  is  capable  of  demonstrating  or  improving 
these  arts.  It  is  a  higher  power,  the  culture  of  the  mind  ;  and 
this  in  agriculture,  as  in  every  other  pursuit,  must  ever  go  hand 
in  hand  with  the  culture  of  the  soil.  Such  has  been  the  rela- 
tion of  science  to  the  progress  of  art,  and  such  it  will  forever 
continue  to  be : 

"  Survey  the  globe,  through  every  zone, 

From  Lima  to  Japan, 
In  lineaments  of  light  'tis  shown 

That  CULTURE  makes  the  man. 
All  that  man  has,  had,  hopes,  can  have, 

Past,  promis'd,  or  possess'd, 
Are  fruits  which  culture  gives  or  gave 

At  industry's  behest." 

The  science  of  agriculture  has  been  defined  a  knowledge  of 
the  principles  which  govern  judicious  cultivation ;  but  in  truth 
it  is  an  aggregation  of  sciences.  A  youth  may  soon  learn  the 
construction  of  a  steam  engine,  the  principles  of  its  action,  to 
take  it  apart  and  put  it  together,  and  to  direct  its  fearful  en- 
ergy with  his  puny  arm.  But  if  its  mechanism  is  to  be  im- 
proved, and  its  utility  increased,  greater  attainments,  original 
and  independent  thought  are  requisite.  So  in  agriculture,  the 
farmer  may  soon  learn  sufficient  of  the  natural  sciences,  to  un- 
derstand the  common  arts  of  cultivation,  but  their  highest  im- 
provement requires  a  profound  knowledge,  not  merely  of  one 
branch,  but  of  many  sciences,  mutually  related  and  reciprocally 
dependent. 

In  confirmation  of  this  opinion,  we  cite  a  few  facts  of  un- 
doubted authority.  We  have  been  favored  by  a  gentleman*'  of 
large  attainments  and  celebrity  in  the  various  departments  of 
science,  with  the  results  of  the  analysis  of  the  soil  of  more  than 
one  hundred  farms  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey.  Some  of  these 
may  not  be  uninteresting  as  felicitous  illustrations  of  the  ad- 
vantages of  science  applied  to  agriculture.  He  analyzed  the 
soil  of  a  field  for  J.  J.   Scofield,  Morristown,  on  which  he  de- 

•  Professor  Mapes. 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  585 

sired  to  raise  ruta  baga  turnips.  It  was  found  deficient  of  the 
following  constituents  of  that  crop,  phosphate  of  lime,  potash, 
organic  substances,  including  a  slight  quantity  of  animal  or  ni- 
trogeneous  matter.  These  being  supplied,  the  result  was  four- 
teen hundred  bushels  to  the  acre,  as  per  certificate  to  the  Leg- 
islature. He  also  analyzed  the  soil  of  a  field  for  Dr.  John 
Woodhull,  which  he  had  appropriated  to  the  growth  of  wheat, 
and  from  which  he  obtained  on  the  preceding  year  less  than 
fifteen  bushels  to  the  acre.  After  supplying  the  deficient 
constituents,  he  obtained  the  succeeding  year  fifty-seven  bush- 
els to  the  acre.  Another  instance  was  on  the  farm  of  Robert 
Rennie,  certified  to  before  the  committee  of  the  Legislature, 
showing  the  great  advantage  of  subsoiling  and  thorough  culti- 
vation. It  was  discovered  by  chemical  analysis,  that  the 
surface  soil  was  deficient  in  constituents  which  abounded  in 
the  subsoil.  He  prescribed  subsoiling  and  a  thorough  mixture 
of  the  upper  and  lower  soils.  Some  gentlemen  who  came  to. 
witness  the  operation,  went  away  in  disgust  at  the  great  depth 
of  the  ploughing,  but  the  success  of  the  experiment  at  length 
changed  their  disgust  to  admiration.  The  preceding  crops 
were  fifteen  bushels  of  corn  and  sixty  bushels  of  potatoes  to 
the  acre ;  but  the  succeeding,  one  hundred  and  fifty  bushels 
of  cars  of  corn,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty  bushels  of  pota- 
toes. Such  facts  have  been  obtained  by  other  scientific  men,, 
both  in  America  and  Europe.  They  might  be  multiplied  in- 
definitely.    We  have  space  for  only  one  more. 

A  gentleman  in  Maryland,  whose  cornfield  appeared  to  be  in- 
the  last  stages  of  consumption,  yielding  less  than  one  bushel  to 
the  acre,  applied  to  a  distinguished  chemist,  who,  upon  an 
analysis  of  the  soil,  discovered  that  it  contained  sufiicient  lime, 
potash,  magnesia,  and  organic  matter  duly  mixed  with  alumina 
and  sand.  One  requisite  for  fertility  only  was  wanting.  This  was 
phosphoric  acid,  which  was  supplied  at  an  expense  of  ten  dol- 
lars per  acre,  and  the  result  was  a  crop  of  twenty-nine  bushels 
of  wheat  to  the  acre. 

Thus  science  teaches  the  secret  of  successful  farming,  the 
multiplication  of  products,  without  the  increasing  expense  of 
adding  field  to  field ;  in  other  words,  the  importance  of  scien- 
74 


586  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

tific  cultivation,  the  economy  of  labor  and  capital,  of  small 
farms,  but  of  large  crops  and  profits.  The  truth  is,  in  New 
England,  where  labor  is  expensive,  there  are  but  two  kinds  of 
farming  which  will  pay.  One  is,  gathering  the  products  which 
a  kind  Providence  sends  without  cultivation  ;' and  the  other, 
that  which  is  guided  by  intelligence  and  science.  No  man  can 
afford  to  cultivate  a  large  farm  poorly,  nor  to  gather  a  small 
crop,  when  he  might  harvest  a  large  one. 

Science  has  already  improved  our  agricultural  productions, 
and  will  continue  to  improve  them.  How  much  she  has  done 
for  the  potato.  Compare  the  original,  small,  black,  and  acrid, 
with  our  numerous  fair,  mealy,  palatable  varieties  !  How  dissim- 
ilar in  quality,  flavor  and  size  !  Compare  our  luscious  peaches 
with  the  original  species,  the  almond,  tough,  dry,  and  bitter; — 
our  magnificent  apples  with  the  sour  crab; — our  plum  with  the 
parent  sloe  !  The  Bartlett  and  the  Seckel  pear,  the  Green  Gage 
plum,  and  the  Baldwin  apple  were  produced  from  accidental 
seed ;  but  science  teaches  how  to  obtain  new  and  rare  varie- 
ties, by  hybridization,  or  crossing  the  existing  varieties.  This 
art  depends  on  the  sexual  character  of  plants,  which  was  de- 
veloped by  Linnaeus,  one  century  ago,  amidst  that  ridicule  and 
scorn  which  so  often  attach  to  discoveries,  inventions,  and  new 
theories  in  our  day.  Our  farmers  are  familiar  with  facts  which 
develop  the  principles  on  which  this  art  depends.  They  are 
aware  of  the  necessity  of  keeping  their  varieties  of  corn, 
squashes,  grains,  and  fruits,  separate,  lest  they  should  intermix 
and  produce,  not  each  after  its  kind,  but  other  sorts,  unlike  the 
original,  sometimes  as  speckled  as  Jacob's  cattle.  But  science 
alone  can  teach  them  how  to  turn  this  law  of  nature  to  the 
highest  practical  account ;  and  how  by  it  to  produce  new  and 
valuable  varieties,  adapted  to  their  particular  location  and  cli- 
mate. 

By  a  corresponding  law  in  the  animal  kingdom,  we  already 
have  ornithologists,  who  pretend  to  breed  fowls  to  order,  in 
respect  to  size,  plumage,  and  other  qualities;  and  also  among 
our  experienced  stock  breeders,  some  who  profess  to  breed 
domestic  animals  with  similar  exactness.  Infinite  Wisdom  has 
fixed  these  laws  and  given  us  faculties  to  comprehend  them, 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  587 

and  they  must  be  thoroughly  understood  before  farming  can  be 
raised  to  its  legitimate  and  rightful  position.  Witness  an  ap- 
proximation towards  this  general  result,  in  the  improved  breeds 
of  our  cattle,  swine  and  horses,  and  in  the  endless  number  and 
variety  of  fruits  and  flowers,  produced  the  last  twenty-five  years 
by  artificial  impregnation.  Thus  Mr.  Knight,  President  of  the 
London  Horticultural  Society,  produced  the  Black  Eagle  and 
Elton  cherry,  the  Dunmore  pear,  and  other  new  and  valuable 
fruits,  perfectly  suited  to  that  latitude  ;  and  this  process  is  as 
applicable  to  the  production  of  new  grasses,  grains,  and  vege- 
tables, as  to  animals,  flowers  and  fruits.  This  principle  also 
teaches  the  art  of  raising  the  most  valuable  seeds,  to  avoid  the 
immense  ainiual  loss  of  labor  and  money,  from  the  use  of  that 
which  either  never  germinates,  or  if  it  does,  produces  an  inferior 
crop.  Age,  which  improves  some  seeds,  destroys  others ;  and 
the  art,  and  importance  of  procuring  the  best,  are  but  imper- 
fectly understood  by  most  of  our  practical  cultivators.  We 
have  room  but  for  a  single  fact.  An  association  of  scientific 
cultivators  exists  within  our  knowledge,  whose  object  is  to 
raise  seed  for  each  other.  The  cabbage  seed  which  they  raise 
for  themselves,  they  sell  for  ten  dollars  a  pound,  but  that  which 
is  raised  without  this  care,  is  sold  for  one  dollar  a  pound ; 
hence  the  former  which  is  really  the  cheaper,  will  not  pay  a 
profit,  because  its  superior  worth  is  not  understood  by  our 
farmers. 

We  cannot  refrain  from  another  suggestion  which  we  deem 
equally  important  to  the  art  of  cultivation.  We  refer  to  the 
necessity  and  the  utility  of  a  proper  division,  and  individualiza- 
tion of  labor.  The  importance  of  this  in  other  pursuits  is  gen- 
erally admitted.  It  is  not  less  necessary  for  the  farmer.  Some 
have  already  practised  upon  this  principle  with  the  greatest  ad- 
vantage. It  has  relieved  those  fears  which  many  entertained, 
lest  the  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  our  large  commercial  cities, 
would  be  ruined  by  railroads  which  have  only  changed  the 
crops  and  arts  of  cultivation.  They  have  induced  the  owners 
of  those  farms,  to  devote  them  to  a  single  crop,  or  at  most  to  a 
few  products  for  which  their  soil  was  especially  adapted,  or 
which  their  proximity  to  the  market  rendered  profitable.     For 


588  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

instance,  look  at  Westborough,  in  this  State,  or  many  other 
towns  in  the  vicinity  of  cities  which  formerly  raised  a  great 
variety  of  crops,  but  which  are  now  almost  entirely  devoted  to 
the  production  of  milk  or  vegetables.  Other  cultivators  near 
the  market  have  devoted  their  attention  to  the  apple,  the  pear, 
the  grape,  the  strawberry  and  other  fruits,  which  they  raise  in 
great  perfection,  and  with  satisfactory  profit ;  and  from  the 
exhibition  of  to-day,  we  see  no  reason  why  Hampshire  county 
may  not  make  the  cultivation  of  fruit  as  profitable  as  any  other 
branch  of  farming. 

A  gentleman  of  our  acquaintance  raises  and  sells  annually  in 
the  market  of  one  of  our  commercial  cities,  a  large  quantity  of 
native  grapes,  at  prices  so  satisfactory,  as  already  to  have  in- 
duced in  him  a  resolve  to  plant  vineyards  near  all  the  principal 
cities  of  our  country.  The  cultivation  of  foreign  grapes  is 
carried  on  extensively  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston.  One  cultiva- 
tor produces  annually  five  thousand  pounds;  another  four 
thousand,  and  the  whole  crop  in  that  neighborhood  is  estimated 
at  more  than  forty  thousand  pounds,  or  twenty  tons.  The 
fame  of  the  domestic  wine,  manufactured  from  native  grapes 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Cincinnati,  is  co-extensive  with  the 
land.  From  the  Secretary  of  the  American  Wine  Growers  As- 
sociation, Dr.  Warder,  we  have  been  favored  with  the  following 
information.  There  are  about  one  thousand  acres  now  devoted 
to  the  culture  of  the  grape  for  wine  within  twenty  miles  of  that 
city.  The  profits  are  estimated  at  one  hundred  dollars  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  acre  in  a  series  of  ten  years, — 
the  present  crop  at  fifty  to  seventy-five  thousand  dollars  annu- 
ally ;  and  the  prospective  crop,  at  one  hundred  to  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  per  annum.  The  President  of  the  Cincinnati 
Horticultural  Society  writes  us,  that  the  cultivation  of  the  vine 
is  no  longer  confined  to  that  region ;  but  is  extending  with 
rapidity  up  and  down  the  Ohio,  and  in  the  interior,  and  is 
attracting  the  attention  of  their  most  enterprising  and  intel- 
ligent citizens ;  some  in  the  hope  that  it  will  be  the  means 
of  lessening  intemperance,  and  in  which  hope  I  most  sincerely 
concur. 

A  gentleman  who  makes  the  cultivation  of  the  strawberry 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  589 

his  special  business,  raises  on  five-eighths  of  an  acre,  more  than 
three  thousand  boxes.  These  he  sold  by  contract  for  the  sea- 
son, at  twenty-five  cents  per  box,  or  about  twelve  hundred  dol- 
lars per  acre.  Who  has  not  heard  of  Mr.  Pell's  apples  ?  He 
has  an  orchard  of  several  thousand  trees,  consisting  of  two  va- 
rieties, to  which  he  has  specially  adapted  his  soil  by  scientific 
cultivation,  most  of  which  he  ships  to  Liverpool,  and  receives 
in  return  a  very  large  sum.  These  are  not  chimeras  of  the 
imagination  but  incontrovertible  facts,  selected  from  a  multi- 
tude, all  bearing  concurrent  testimony  to  the  utility  of  a  proper 
division  of  labor,  and  a  wise  appropriation  of  soils  to  the  crops 
for  which  they  are  best  adapted.  In  other  words,  they  prove 
the  utility  and  indispensable  necessity  of  a  scientific  education 
of  farmers,  for  all  these  arts  of  cultivation  depend  upon  science, 
and  of  course  progress  in  them  must  depend  on  scientific 
knowledge. 

But  time  forbids  us  to  multiply  illustrations  of  the  farmer's 
need  of  a  professional  education.  Give  him  this,  put  into  his 
hand  the  means  of  knowledge,  and  by  an  economy  of  time  and 
mental  energy,  his  course  will  be  onward  and  upward,  towards 
that  proud  eminence  which  he  ever  ought  to  occupy.  Give 
him  this,  and  our  most  enterprising  young  men  will  no  longer 
forsake  the  home  of  their  childhood  to  seek  their  fortune  in  the 
city,  and  in  the  end  to  be  driven  back  like  Lot  by  the  fiery 
storm  that  oft  infests  the  place,  to  the  country,  in  poverty  and 
disgrace.  Give  him  this,  and  you  turn  the  tide  of  emigration 
from  the  auriferous  mines  of  California,  to  the  more  hopeful 
"diggins"  of  our  native  soil. 


Agricultural  Education. 

[Extract  from  an  Address  hy  the  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder,  at  the  last  Fair 
of  the  Berkshire  Agricultural  Society.] 

The  remark,  that  progress  is  the  watchword  of  the  age,  is  as 
true  as  it  is  common ;  many  of  the  useful  arts  of  life  having 
advanced  during  the  present  century  with  a  rapidity  unparal- 
leled in  the  history  of  the  world. 


590  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

What  astonishing  improvements  have  taken  place  in  the 
manufacture  of  cloth,  since  the  inventions  of  Arkwright  and 
others  ! — in  the  art  of  printing  and  electro-magnetism,  since 
the  days  of  our  Franklin  ! — in  the  application  of  steam,  since 
the  discoveries  of  Fitch  and  Fulton  !  To  what  vast  regions 
of  illimitable  space,  our  solar  system  has  been  found  to  extend, 
since  the  discoveries  of  La  Place  and  Newton,  several  new 
worlds  having  been  added  to  the  sisterhood  of  planets.  And 
what  splendid  triumphs  of  art  over  nature,  in  almost  every 
branch  of  natural  history,  have  distinguished  the  age  in  which 
we  live. 

What  has  wrought  these  wonders  ?  Education,  or  the  appli- 
cation of  science  to  the  useful  arts. 

By  these  means,  man  seizes  upon  the  elements  of  nature,  and 
subordinates  them  to  his  will.  Look  for  illustration  to  the 
benefits  resulting  to  our  own  country  from  the  application  to 
these  arts,  of  that  invisible  agent  which  already  drives  our  cars 
over  ten  thousand  miles  of  railroad,  and  when  present  contracts 
are  completed,  will  compass  ten  thousand  more, — which,  de- 
spite wind  and  wave,  storm  and  tide,  propels  the  thousands  of 
steamboats  that  plough  our  navigable  waters,  and  which  turns 
the  machinery  of  the  world.  Its  magic  power  gives  new 
direction  to  energy  and  capital,  brings  distant  places  into  prox- 
imity, and  unites  them  together  by  bonds  which  no  party  ani- 
mosity, no  sectional  prejudice,  and  no  vandal  barbarity  shall 
ever  sunder. 

But  why  should  not  its  fearful  energies  assist  the  farmer,  as 
well  as  the  manufacturer,  the  mechanic  and  the  navigator? 
Why  not?  It  already  does  aid  him  in  the  use  of  the  imple- 
ments of  husbandry.  Why  should  it  not  assist  him  in  the 
manufacture  of  manures  and  in  many  of  the  arts  of  cultiva- 
tion ?  especially  in  the  decomposition  of  rocks,  from  which  our 
soils  are  primarily  formed,  and  the  production  from  them  of 
fertilizing  matter.  It  is  already  beginning  to  do  this,  if  we 
may  credit  the  statement  of  Professor  Tighlman,  who,  by  the 
aid  of  water  at  a  very  high  temperature,  has  decomposed  feld- 
spar, a  common  stone,  and  obtained  sulphuric  acid  and  the  salts 
of  potash. 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  591 

And  why  should  not  chemistry  yet  convert  the  undeveloped 
ingredients  of  the  mineral  kingdom  into  rich  elements  of  fertil- 
ization ?  Of  this  we  have  an  illustration  in  a  phosphorite  re- 
cently discovered  in  New  Jersey  and  New  York,  which  by  the 
action  of  sulphuric  acid  is  transformed  into  one  of  the  richest 
fertilizers  known,  and  to  obtain  which  the  English  have  ex- 
pended four  hundred  thousand  pounds  sterling  in  a  year,  not 
only  sending  their  ships  to  our  own  and  other  shores,  but  have 
dug  over  the  battle-field  of  Waterloo,  and  carried  off  the  bones 
of  slaughtered  thousands. 

We  may  be  deemed  visionary,  but  who  can  be  surprised  at 
any  discovery  or  triumph  of  genius  ?  Improvement  succeeds 
improvement,  and  the  invention  of  to-day  supplants  that  of 
yesterday.  No  project  is  too  bold  for  the  enterprise  of  the 
present  generation.  Our  railroads  spread  out  their  net-work, 
drawing  in  closer  communion  the  members  of  the  body  politic, 
and  binding,  as  with  bands  of  iron,  countries  and  states  in 
firmer  compact.  The  press  throws  off  its  impressions  with 
the  rapidity  of  thought  :  the  fire-horse,  impatient  of  restraint, 
stands  ready  to  convey  them  to  the  remotest  hamlet  of  the 
land;  and  the  mystic  wire,  as  if  reproaching  the  sluggish  pow- 
er of  steam,  threads  its  way  to  encompass  the  globe,  and  to 
urge  on  with  electric  force  the  progress  and  improvement  of 
the  age. 

Thus  we  see  what  science  has  accomplished  for  other  arts. 
She  has  also  made  some  valuable  contributions  to  the  art  of 
agriculture,  and  needs  only  a  wise  direction  of  thought,  enter- 
prise and  capital,  to  work  out  still  greater  results,  and  to  raise 
this  much  neglected  calling,  not  only  to  a  par,  but  above  all 
other  pursuits. 

But  without  detracting  from  the  merit  which  so  justly  be- 
longs to  the  pioneers  in  agricultural  improvement,  the  fact  is 
undeniable  that  this  art  has  not  progressed  proportionally  with 
the  other  great  departments  of  human  labor.  In  all  other 
trades  and  professions,  a  thorough  education  is  essential  to 
correct  practice  ;  an  apprenticeship  must  be  served ;  but  in 
farming,  where  it  is  most  necessary,  it  has  too  often  been  omit- 
ted, or  left  to  chance,  or  rather  w?s-chance. 


592  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

There  are  established  institutions  for  the  education  of  men 
for  the  pulpit,  the  bar,  the  healing  art,  for  engineering,  manu- 
facturing and  the  mechanic  arts  ;  but  agriculture,  on  which  de- 
pends our  national  prosperity,  has  too  often  been  left,  like  a 
ship  at  sea,  without  rudder  or  compass.  We  have  colleges  to 
educate  men  for  the  learned  professions,  nearly  four  thousand 
common  schools,  but  at  present,  not  an  institution  for  the  pro- 
fessional education  of  our  farmers'  sons,  who,  with  their  worthy 
sires,  constitute  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  population  of  our 
Commonwealth,  and  upon  whom  is  levied  so  large  a  share  of 
the  taxes  for  the  support  of  other  institutions. 

What  the  farmer  needs  is,  the  scientific  education  which  the 
mechanic,  the  manufacturer,  and  the  artizan  receives,  to  enable 
him  to  become  master  of  his  calling.  He  must  understand 
the  processes  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  ;  by  what  agents  they 
are  conducted,  by  what  laws  regulated,  and  how  the  whole 
may  be  turned  to  the  best  account  with  the  least  labor  and  ex- 
pense ;  and  for  this  knowledge  of  his  art,  he  must  depend  on 
the  light  of  science. 

The  thrift,  industry  and  intelligence  of  other  classes,  have 
been  conspicuous  for  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  ;  yet  the 
tillers  of  the  soil,  not  a  whit  behind  any  other  class  in  natural 
talent  and  virtue,  great  in  everything  which  pertains  to  per- 
sonal worth,  are  left  to  toil  on  without  receiving  their  proper 
share  of  scientific  aid,  and  as  though  the  All-Wise,  who  has 
promised  that  seedtime  and  harvest  shall  not  fail,  had  pre- 
scribed no  laws  for  them  to  study,  no  rules  to  govern  their 
practice,  and  as  though  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise  did  not 
depend  upon  compliance  with  his  immutable  laws ;  for  if  there 
are  scientific  principles,  upon  which  successful  cultivation  is 
based,  then  no  effort  can  be  well  directed  unless  it  is  founded 
on  these  principles. 

There  is  no  department  of  human  industry,  in  which  the  aid 
of  science  is  more  absolutely  necessary  ;  but  the  impression 
has  too  frequently  been,  that  farming  is  purely  mechanical^  re- 
quiring muscular  rather  than  mental  power  to  ensure  success  ; 
and  this  opinion  has  so  generally  prevailed,  that  if  a  man  at- 
tempted to  educate  himself  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  693 

a  farmer,  he  has  been  invidiously  styled  a  "  hook  farmer,''^  or 
**o  man  of  zeal,  laithout  knowledge." 

But  what  is  agricultural  education?  It  is  that  system  of 
training  which  teaches  the  application  of  science  to  the  art  of 
agriculture.  But  what  is  the  science  of  agriculture  ?  It  relates 
to  the  principles  of  successful  cultivation.  For  instance,  it 
teaches  that  "all  plants  live  and  grow  by  eating," — what  their 
appropriate  food  is, — where  it  may  be  found, — in  what  quan- 
tity, and  how  it  should  be  administered. 

But  how  shall  this  be  attained  ?  By  guessing  ?  by  protract- 
ed and  doubtful  experiments  ?  or  by  the  clear  light  of  science, 
which  can  solve  these  problems  at  once  ?  Science  says  to  her 
chemist,  tell  me  of  what  that  plant  is  composed, — then  ana- 
lyze that  soil,  and  tell  me  if  the  plant  will  flourish  in  it ;— and, 
if  it  will  not,  tell  me  what  ingredients  are  wanting  for  the 
healthy  development  of  its  functions — whether  it  is  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  wheat,  Indian  corn,  of  tho  pear,  the  plum,  or 
the  apple.  Tell  me  what  ingredients  the  growth  of  these  will 
abstract,  and  what  kind  and  quantity  of  manure  must  be  applied 
to  restore  the  productive  energies  of  the  soil. 

Now  the  analysis  of  the  chemist  may  settle  all  these  points 
as  satisfactorily  as  the  longest  and  best  practical  experience  of 
the  farmer,  and  by  which  knowledge  he  may  ascertain  the  ap- 
propriate food  for  his  crops  and  for  his  stock. 

Education  increases  power ;  and  this  is  as  true  in  agriculture 
as  in  any  other  pursuit  or  profession  ;  and  reflection  will  con- 
vince any  one  that  such  is  the  necessity  for  science  in  this  vo- 
cation, that  a  long  life  of  study  and  experience  would  leave 
the  most  intelligent  far  short  of  perfection.  In  fact,  there  is 
no  pursuit  which  requires  more  intelligence ;  first,  because  the 
principles  on  which  it  depends  are  more  difficult  to  understand 
than  almost  any  other;  and  secondly,  because  some  of  the 
sciences  which  develop  these  principles,  and  their  application, 
are  yet  in  their  infancy. 

The  farmer  should  have  a  scientific  knowledge  of  his  soils, 

and  their  adaptation  to  the  growth  of  his  crops  ;  the  preparation 

and  constituent  parts  of  the  fertilizers  he  applies  ;  the  influence 

of  his  crops  on  the  soil,  and  if  exhausting,  how  its  reproductive 

75 


594  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

energies  may  be  restored.  He  should  also  understand  the  laws 
of  the  various  chemical  changes  which  take  place  in  manures 
and  soils,  and  their  influence  on  vegetation,  from  the  germina- 
tion of  the  seed,  to  the  maturity  of  the  crop;  the  nature  and 
remedy  of  the  diseases  of  animals  and  vegetables  ;  the  breeding 
and  rearing  of  stock  ;  the  habits  of  insects,  and  how  their  rav- 
ages may  be  prevented.  These  are  indispensable ;  but  how  is 
he  to  obtain  this  knowledge  ?  They  are  but  slowly  and  im- 
perfectly learned  by  observation  and  experience  ;  and  we  need 
schools  in  which  they  shall  be  taught. 

But,  whether  this  knowledge  shall  be  acquired  in  a  college, 
an  academy,  or  a  common  school,  we  will  not  at  present  stop 
to  inquire ;  that  it  is  requisite  to  the  highest  success,  no  en- 
lightened cultivator  of  the  soil  will  deny ;  for  although  some 
men  make  good  farmers  vvithout  these  acquisitions,  yet  who 
doubts  that  they  would  make  far  better  with  them. 

Facts  substantiate  this  reasoning.  For  instance,  at  present, 
the  average  yield  of  milk  per  day,  through  the  year,  from  a 
stock  of  common  cows,  is  not  supposed  to  be  more  than  four 
quarts.  But  by  the  application  of  science  to  the  selection  and 
improvement  of  the  breed  of  our  milch  cows,  this  quantity  has 
heen  in  many  instances  doubled,  without  additional  expense 
for  keeping,  a  result  which  in  a  stock  of  fifteen  cows  would 
add  a  net  profit  to  their  owners,  at  ten  cents  per  gallon,  of  more 
than  five  hundred  dollars  per  year,  of  more  than  five  millions 
of  dollars  annually  to  the  productive  capital  of  the  State. 

An  old  and  experienced  farmer  of  this  Commonwealth  gives 
it  as  the  result  of  his  experience,  that  cows  yielding  four  quarts 
per  day,  will  pay  but  little  more  than  the  expense  of  keeping ; 
all  above  that  is  net  profit.  Hence  he  considers,  that  a  cow 
which  gives  eight  quarts  per  day,  yields  as  large  a  net  profit  as 
four  cows  giving  five  quarts  each  per  day,  making  no  allow- 
ance for  the  difference  of  keeping ;  and  hence  the  profit  on 
such  stock  depends  on  the  milk  properties  of  the  breed.  But 
the  quality  of  the  milk  of  different  cows  varies  as  much  as  the 
quantity.  A  distinguished  farmer  of  Massachusetts,  who  keeps 
sixteen  cows,  churned,  separately,  the  cream  on  one  gallon  of 
milk  from  each.  The  quantity  of  butter  varied  from  three  to 
pight  ounces. 


MARSHALL  P.  WILDER'S  ADDRESS.  595 

Is  it  not  then  economically  a  question  of  great  importance, 
whether  such  an  improvement  can  be  produced,  particularly  in 
this  county,  so  celebrated  for  the  raising  of  stock  ?  Whether, 
by  any  system  of  breeding,  we  can  improve  our  milch  cows  so 
that  all  shall  be  as  valuable  for  dairy  purposes,  as  the  best  we 
now  possess  ?  Doubtless  we  can,  if  any  reliance  is  to  be  placed 
on  the  laws  of  animal  physiology  or  the  deductions  of  science. 
Guided  by  these  to  successful  practice,  it  is  already  the  boast 
of  the  pigeon  fanciers  of  Europe,  that  they  can  breed  out  the 
last  tip  of  black  from  the  wing,  and  of  the  herdsman  that  he 
can  breed  stock  to  a  pattern. 

Who  cannot  appreciate  the  difference  between  the  clean, 
smooth,  small-boned,  beautifully-formed,  quiet,  and  easily-fatted 
Suffolk  pig ;  and  the  long  pike-nosed,  roach-backed,  porcupine 
grunter,  continually  eating  and  squealing,  but,  like  Pharaoh's 
lean  kine,  never  full  ?  And  why  may  not  all  the  swine  in  the 
Commonwealth  be  of  the  former  class  ?  If  they  were,  their 
worth  would  be  increased  twenty  per  cent,  not  to  speak  of  the 
great  saving  of  expense  in  fattening. 

On  these  and  other  points  we  want  a  system  of  experiments 
directed  by  scientific  knowledge.  Are  they  not  important  to 
our  farmers  ?  But  how  shall  this  information  be  derived  ?  At 
whose  expense  ?  By  whose  instruction  ?  They  who  are  to 
produce  from  mother  earth  the  grain  and  grass,  the  beef  and 
pork,  and  other  products  for  the  sustenance  of  our  race,  should 
of  all  men  have  the  aid  of  governnient  to  provide  for  them  the 
means  of  knowledge  and  success. 

True,  we  have  agricultural  papers  and  periodicals,  and  they 
have  wrought  wonders  in  the  dissemination  of  knowledge. 
Where  there  was  only  one  ten  years  since,  there  are  now  a 
dozen,  urged  on  in  their  noble  cause  by  a  generous  rivalry  and 
competition,  and  it  is  estimated  that  in  New  England  alone, 
there  are  sent  out,  weekly,  more  than  fifty  thousand  copies. 
These  are  cheering  omens.  Their  rapid  increase  and  exten- 
sion evince  the  growing  interest  of  the  community  in  this  de- 
partment of  literature.  Where  they  were  once  ridiculed  as 
chimerical  and  visionary,  they  are  now  hailed  as  the  welcome 
messengers,  and  as  the  best  friends  of  the  farmer.     Let  then 


\ 


696  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

no  farmer  deny  his  sons  the  advantage  of  at  least  one  paper, 
which  is  either  wholly  or  in  part  devoted  to  this  subject. 

Agricultural  societies  have  also  contributed  largely  to  the 
progress  and  diffusion  of  agricultural  information.  By  their 
exhibitions  and  reports  and  other  instrumentalities,  they  have 
scattered  broadcast  the  seeds  of  knowledge,  and  propelled  on, 
the  car  of  improvement. 

But  neither  these,  or  any  other  agents,  now  in  operation,  are 
deemed  sufficient  for  all  that  is  desirable.  We  have  materials, 
but  they  need  system,  and  encouragement.  Where  shall  the 
farmer  look  for  this,  but  to  the  Commonwealth,  whose  right 
arm  is  significantly  upheld  in  her  insignia  for  the  protection  of 
all  classes  of  her  sons?  We  have  no  such  agricultural  schools 
as  abound  in  other  countries.  It  appears  from  the  report  of 
President  Hitchcock,  one  of  the  agricultural  commissioners  of 
Massachusetts,  that  there  are  in  Europe  three  hundred  and 
fifty-two  such  institutions,  many  of  which  he  visited,  and  all 
of  which  exert  a  powerful  and  salutary  influence,  by  the  diffu- 
sion of  intelligence,  and  by  the  improvement  of  this  time- 
honored  art.  In  republican  France,  there  are  seventy-five  un- 
der government  patronage.  To  one  of  these  she  made  appro- 
priations in  1849  of  half  a  million  of  dollars.  Another  has 
already  graduated  six  hundred  well-educated  agriculturists,  who 
immediately  found  honorable  and  lucrative  situations  at  the 
head  of  their  professions.  Monarchical  Russia  has  sixty-eight 
of  these  schools,  some  of  which  are  of  a  high  order,  and  su- 
perior to  those  in  other  lands.  Ireland,  down-trodden,  poor 
and  miserable,  has  sixty-three  of  various  grades,  many  of  them 
of  recent  origin,  all  striving  for  the  resuscitation  of  her  soil  and 
for  her  restoration  to  pristine  wealth  and  prowess.  The  result 
is  certain ;  she  is  destined  to  rise  ;  aye,  is  rising  already ;  for  in 
the  neighborhood  of  these  institutions,  where  sterility  lately 
abounded,  are  now  highly  cultivated  fields.  One  instance 
shall  suffice.  At  the  Glasnevin  college,  the  scholars  by  request 
came  in  from  the  fields,  and  recited,  in  a  manner  that  would 
have  been  creditable  to  any  New  England  college,  in  those 
natural  sciences  upon  which  their  practice  depended,  and  their 
cultivation  evinced  their  skill  in  the  art. 


GEORGE  R.  RUSSELL'S  ADDRESS.     597 

And  shall  youthful  America,  the  school  of  freemen,  the  home 
of  enterprise,  the  birth-place  of  invention  and  genius,  the  land 
where  every  son  is  a  king,  and  every  daughter  a  queen,  long 
behold  these  successful  experiments  and  remain  inactive  ? 

The  existence  of  such  institutions  is  only  a  question  of  time. 
New  York,  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  and  other  states,  are  deliberat- 
ing on  the  best  methods  of  action.  Foreign  schools  may  not 
be  congenial  to  our  soil  ;  but  they  will  serve  as  models  ;  they 
will  prove  suggestive.  If  they  have  been  successful  there,  they 
will  prove  more  so  here,  where  all  enjoy  the  advantages  of  edu- 
cation, and  where  the  institutions  of  our  country  and  every 
circumstance  favor  their  success. 

We  make  no  objection  to  what  the  Commonwealth  has  done 
for  other  institutions  ;  but  we  would  most  respectfully  ask, 
why  it  is,  that  her  funds  have  been  so  liberally  bestowed  for 
educational  and  charitable  purposes,  and  for  internal  improve- 
ments, when  no  appropriation,  7iot  even  on-^  dollar,  has  been 
granted  for  the  professional  education  of  the  farmer  ? 

Our  common  school  fund  amounts  to  nearly  one  million  of 
dollars ;  but  great  as  are  the  blessings  which  have  flowed  and 
will  continue  to  flow  from  it,  yet  why  should  not  a  portion  of 
the  State  income  from  this  resource  be  appropriated  for  agri- 
cultural education.  Let  the  thousands  of  our  farmers  weigh 
well  the  subject,  and  decide  the  question.  We  have  said  other 
states  are  deliberating  on  the  best  modes  of  action ;  and  the 
sooner  Massachusetts  moves  in  the  cause,  the  more  will  she 
save  of  the  renown  for  which  she  is  so  justly  celebrated  in  all 
that  pertains  to  knowledge,  philanthropy  and  virtue. 


The  Progress   of  Agriculture,  and  the  Necessity  for  its 
further  progress. 

{Extract  from  an  Address  by  George  R.  Russell,  LL.  D.,  at  the  last  Fair  of 
the  JVbrfolk  Agricultural  Society.] 

Although  agriculture  was  the  first  regular  occupation  of  the 
human  race,  and  has,  without  interval  or  cessation,  employed  a 
large  portion  of  it,  giving  the  highest  civilization  in  proportion 


598  SELECTIONS   FROM  ADDRESSES. 

to  its  progress  and  perfection,  and  raising  to  power  and  opu- 
lence the  people  who  most  assiduously  pursued  it,  yet  it  has 
not  made  that  advance  which  might  have  been  expected,  even 
in  those  countries  usually  quoted  as  evidences  of  the  most 
successful  cultivation. 

It  has  been  customary  to  speak  of  China,  as  the  most  extra- 
ordinary instance  of  elaborate  and  economical  culture  ;  and  it 
is  so,  to  a  certain  extent.  Nothing  can  surpass  the  indefatiga- 
ble perseverance  and  industry  of  the  Chinese  husbandman. 
He  omits  nothing  and  he  wastes  nothing.  He  collects  every- 
thing that  can  increase  the  productiveness  of  the  soil,  and  ap- 
plies it  with  the  utmost  care  and  attention.  His  crops  are  the 
only  things  seen  on  his  land  ;  a  useless  plant  is  a  horror  to  him, 
and  the  growth  of  dock  and  pigweed,  often  mingled  with  our 
corn  and  potatoes,  would  put  him  into  convulsions.  His  farm 
and  his  garden  are  one  and  the  same  thing.  He  considers  agri- 
culture and  horticulture  synonymous  terms,  it  being  as  difficult 
for  him  as  for  us,  to  define  where  the  one  ends  and  the  other 
begins.  He  tills  his  land  as  his  father  tilled  it  before  him  ;  he 
knows  that  certain  applications  produce  certain  results,  and  that 
is  all  he  does  know.  He  takes  no  farmer's  periodical,  to  bother 
him  with  novel  notions;  has  no  new  implement  forced  upon 
his  notice  ;  is  ignorant  of  any  other  stock  than  the  unwieldy 
animal  that  wallows  before  his  wooden  plough ;  belongs  to  no 
agricultural  society ;  has  never  heard  of  a  cattle-show  ;  and 
his  patience  is  not  subjected  to  the  ordeal  of  hearing  an  annual 
address. 

Centuries  ago,  the  same  looking  man  could  have  been  found, 
working  on  the  same  field,  with  the  same  clumsy  utensils  ; 
and,  in  all  probability,  he  will  be  found  there  ages  hence,  with 
unaltered  garb,  without  change  of  accompaniment,  and  with 
precisely  the  same  amount  of  skill  and  information. 

There  are  sometimes  impediments  to  making  acquaintance 
with  the  minutias  of  Chinese  husbandry.  The  foreign  investi- 
gator is  liable  to  interruptions,  which  entitle  the  inhabitants  to 
more  credit  for  conservatism  than  courtesy,  they  occasionally 
evincing  a  disposition  to  supply  him  with  more  specimens  of 
the  mineralogy  of  the  country  than  he  has  leisure  or  inclina- 


GEORGE  R.  RUSSELL'S  ADDRESS.     599 

tion  to  examine.  They  have  little  partiality  for  the  "  white 
devil,"  whose  presence  drives  the  affrighted  buffalo  over  the 
rice-fields,  and  the  frantic  women  and  children  screaming- 
through  the  villages. 

Though  high  cultivation  is  peculiar  to  parts  of  China,  there 
are  extensive  tracts  yet  unproductive.  The  agricultural  re- 
sources of  the  land  are  not  fully  developed,  and,  it  is  supposed, 
might  be  made  to  sustain  even  her  over-estimated  population. 

We  look  to  England,  France,  Belgium,  Italy,  for  that  progress 
which  is  worthy  of  imitation.  There  is  much  to  be  learned 
from  all  of  them,  and  the  adaptation  of  crops  to  soils,  regularity, 
order,  and  neatness,  shame  our  more  slovenly  management.  In 
some  respects  they  seem  to  have  attained  perfection,  and  yet 
they  are  continually  making  advances.  In  Great  Britain, 
especially,  there  has  been,  for  the  last  two  hundred  years,  an 
amazing  improvement.  There,  the  wealthy,  intelligent,  and 
influential,  devote  themselves  to  the  earth  ;  not  for  mere  pur- 
poses of  display,  in  the  exhibition  of  their  magnificent  domains, 
but  from  a  generous  feeling  for  a  pursuit  which  they  both  love 
and  understand.  Fondness  for  rural  life  is  a  strong  character- 
istic of  that  country.  It  pervades  all  classes  of  society,  is  in- 
stilled into  them  from  infancy  by  all  the  influences  around 
them,  is  encouraged  by  the  story  books  of  childhood,  and 
deepened  into  more  intense  devotion  by  the  genius  of  romance 
and  the  inspiration  of  poetry.  It  may  be  traced  to  every 
region  of  the  globe.  Wherever  the  Briton  plants  himself, 
whether  in  the  temperate  zone,  or  under  the  burning  sun  of 
the  distant  East,  he  carries  with  him  the  taste  which  has 
clothed  his  native  land  with  beauty.  If  climate  will  not  con- 
form to  his  wishes  and  give  him  the  productions  of  his  well- 
remembered  home,  he  carves  out  a  space  from  the  forest  or  the 
jungle,  domesticates  the  wild  flower  and  trails  the  strange 
creeper  of  the  wilderness  about  his  new-made  dwelling.  Nor 
has  his  government  been  satisfied  in  patronizing  the  most  use- 
ful of  the  arts  within  the  limits  of  its  own  jurisdiction  only. 
The  early  navigators,  who,  under  its  direction,  first  ploughed 
the  waves  of  the  Pacific,  took  with  them  the  germs  of  a  vege- 
tation which  covers  the  islands  of  that  now  frequented  ocean, 


600  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

and  gives  to  the  mariners  of  all  nations  renewed  health  and 
refreshment.  Its  expeditions  have  interchanged  the  produc- 
tions of  different  climes,  equalizing  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  and 
scattering  variety  and  plenty.  Even  by  the  icebergs  of  the 
Northern  pole,  have  its  providence  and  watchfulness  been  ex- 
tended. Wherever,  in  those  scenes  of  desolation,  a  bare  spot 
shows  itself,  for  a  brief  space,  amid  the  eternal  snows,  the  re- 
luctant sun  warms  into  doubtful  life  the  seeds  which  have  been 
left  by  friendly  hands,  that  succeeding  wanderers  may  be 
cheered  by  these  kindly  tokens  of  sympathy. 

Great  as  has  been  the  progress  of  agriculture  in  England,  it 
has  not  reached  that  point  of  culmination  from  which  every 
movement  is  descending.  There  seems  yet  much  to  be  done. 
A  distinguished  writer*  of  that  country  says,  "  the  single  alter- 
ation of  substituting  the  kitchen  garden  husbandry  of  Flanders 
in  our  plains,  and  the  terraced  culture  of  Tuscany  in  our  hills, 
for  the  present  system  of  agricultural  management,  would  at 
once  double  the  produce  of  the  British  islands,  and  procure  am- 
ple subsistence  for  twice  the  number  of  their  present  inhabit- 
ants." And  another!  states,  that  "at  least  three-fourths  of 
the  whole  arable  land  in  the  country  is  under  very  indifferent 
culture." 

What  is  said  of  England,  equally  applies  to  the  other  highly 
cultivated  countries  of  Europe,  it  being  conceded  that  there  is 
no  one  whose  productiveness  might  not  be  increased  to  the 
necessities  of  its  population.  Yet,  worn-out  civilization  broods, 
despondingly,  over  the  apparently  exhausted  elements  of  fertil- 
ity, and  covering  the  seas  with  the  superabundance  of  the  old 
world,  extends  an  unbroken  line  of  emigration  towards  the  set- 
ting sun.  It  comes  to  spread  itself  over  this  new  land  of  prom- 
ise. It  comes,  with  the  antiquated  usages  of  past  generations, 
to  renew,  on  a  virgin  soil,  the  hopes  which  have  withered  in 
ceaseless  and  unrequited  labor.  It  comes  to  demand,  from  the 
reclaimed  earth,  food  and  raiment  and  shelter;  to  seek  comfort, 
independence,  protection ;  to  trust  to  an  unknown  land  for  the 
peace  and  subsistence  denied  in  the  much-loved  places  of  its 
nativity.     It  comes  to  clear  the  forest,  drain  the  morass,  open 

"  Al'iKon's  Principles  of  Population.  f  James  SmiiJi. 


GEORGE  R.  RUSSELL'S  ADDRESS.  601 

the  dark,  dank  face  of  nature  to  the  breath  and  light  of  heaven. 
It  comes,  Avith  limbs  accustomed  to  delve  and  burrow,  to  do  the 
rough  work  of  this  young  country — to  build  her  cities — to  con- 
struct her  railroads  and  aqueducts — to  level  her  hills,  fill  her 
valleys,  tunnel  her  mountains,  span  her  rivers.  It  comes  to 
unfold  the  resources  of  this  vast  continent,  to  people  its  recesses 
with  active  life,  and  to  disturb  the  silence  of  its  solitudes  with 
the  hum  of  industry.  It  comes  to  carry  out  the  designs  of  the 
Creator,  a  predestinated  agent  to  work  His  will  and  take  its 
allotted  ])art  in  the  great  drama  enacting  on  this  new  stage  of 
human  destiny.  Let  Europe,  then,  pour  out  her  population 
upon  us  if  she  will.  There  is  room  for  all.  Room  in  the 
primeval  forest,  on  the  boundless  prairie,  on  farm  and  in  work- 
shop. Room  in  the  schoolhouse,  where  the  children  of  ig- 
norance may  be  qualified  for  the  duties  and  objects  of  life, 
preparing  for  future  usefulness  by  a  process  of  regeneration  that 
sliall  atone  for  the  neglect  and  degradation  of  the  past.  With- 
hold not  from  others  the  privileges  we  possess.  They  come  as 
our  fathers  came.  Grudge  them  not  a  portion  of  this  ample 
inheritance,  which  is  for  all  the  sons  and  daughters  of  God 
who  need  a  home. 

There  are  obstacles  to  excellence  in  Massachusetts  agricul- 
ture, independent  of  any  moral  agency  of  the  farmtn-,  and 
against  which  he  can  only  oppose  discretion  and  continual 
watchfulness.  Our  climate  barely  allows  sufficient  space  be- 
tween seed  time  and  harvest.  Our  northern  winter  lays  his 
cold  hand  upon  the  earth,  and  it  is  locked  in  such  deep  sleep 
that  the  vernal  sun  can  scarcely  waken  it.  We  botuid  from 
snow  to  scorching  heat,  having  summer  upon  us  while  we  are 
yet  expecting  spring.  Work,  in  all  its  variety,  is  crowded  into 
a  period  so  limited,  that  one  thing  presses  on  another  with  dis- 
couraging rapidity.  Our  rough  soil,  though  requiring  to  be 
coaxed  by  all  the  appliances  our  resources  can  muster,  before 
it  can  be  prevailed  upon  to  start  a  potato  or  push  up  a  blade 
of  corn,  yet  manifests  an  amazing  alacrity  in  producing  weeds; 
as  though  that  were  its  legitimate  occupation  and  it  took  pride 
in  doing  it  well.  At  last,  when  by  perpetual  entreaty  and  un- 
remitted warfare,  the  right  things  grow,  and  the  useless  are  re- 
76 


602  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

lieved  from  immediate  duty,  there  "comes  a  frost,  a  killing 
frost,"  like  a  straggler  from  the  rear  guard  of  a  retreating  army, 
taking  a  last  shot.  Then  arrive  catterpillar,  canker  and  cut- 
worm, bugs  "  too  numerous  to  mention,"  every  genus  and 
specits  that  can  crawl  or  fly,  amateurs  of  various  tastes,  but 
uniform  appetite,  hastening  to  appropriate  whatever  portion  of 
the  banquet  may  best  suit  each  particular  palate,  as  though  the 
sole  object  of  planting  was  to  set  a  table  for  their  special  ac- 
commodation. As  regards  these  numerous  families  of  visitors, 
which  appear  yearly  to  increase,  the  only  alternative  left  may 
be  suggested  by  quoting  the  brief,  but  comprehensive  and  very 
intelligible  address  of  a  colonel  to  his  regiment,  when  leading 
it  into  action,  "there's  the  enemy;  if  you  don't  kill  them> 
they'll   kill  you." 

It  is  believed  that  these  devastators  augment  in  numbers  as 
the  birds  diminish,  and   that  it  would  be  well  to  have  patience 
with  the  latter  in  cherry  time,  and  let  them  pick  even  more 
than  their  fair  share,  in  consideration  of  the  good  service  they 
render  us.     On  the  score  of  prudence,  it  may  be  questioned 
whether  it  is  not  equally  economical  to  lose  part  of  the  fruit, 
as  to  endanger  the  whole  tree  by  grafting  lead  into  every  limb. 
Hostility  is  declared  against  birds  of  such  tameness  and  confi- 
dence that  they  build   their  nests  on  the  boughs  which  over- 
hang our  houses,  make  their  home  in  our  gardens,  and  seem  to 
claim  from  man  companionship  and  protection.     Persecution, 
which,  directed  against  them,  looks  very  much  like  civil  war 
or  family  quarrel,  does  not  destroy  their  trusting  nature.    They 
cannot  be  driven   from   human  society,   but  return   with   the 
spring  to  the  old  familiar  places,  appealing  to  our  kindness  and 
forbearance.     An  agricultural  writer,*  to  whom  Massachusetts 
is  much   indebted,  once  intimated  that  a  young  child  would 
not  be  quite  safe  with  a  man  who  could  shoot  these  gentle 
creatures.     He,  doubtless,  felt  such  an  act  to  be  a  violation  of 
the  sacred  duty  of  hospitality,  a  desecration  of  the  hearth-stone 
which  assimilated  it  to  murder.     There  are  beautiful  supersti- 
tions all  over  the  world,  which  most  effectually  protect  certain 
birds.     They  are  sometimes  founded  on  utility,  but  more  fre- 

*The  laic  Henry  Column. 


GEORGE  R.  RUSSELL'S  ADDRESS.     603 

quently  on  a  generous  feeling  growing  from  accustomed  asso- 
ciation. They  are  more  powerful  than  law,  for  they  enlist  the 
sympathy  of  all,  and  create  a  rnle  of  government  which  is  too 
popular  to  be  broken.  Would  that  our  household  friends  had 
such  a  shield;  relying  for  security,  not  on  the  statutes,  but  the 
clemency  of  men. 

However  far  we  may  fall  below  excellence  in  our  farming, 
we  have  certainly  reason  to  congratulate  ourselves  on  the  ad- 
vance that  has  been  made.  Besides  the  more  solid  advantages, 
such  as  adaptation  of  manures  to  soils,  rotation  of  suitable 
crops,  draining  and  reclaiming  land,  which  turn  impassable 
swamps,  covered  with  bushes,  into  ornamental  and  fruitful 
fields,  there  has  been  that  attention  to  outward  appearance 
which  indicates  taste,  system,  order,  and  an  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful,  which  is  a  valuable  auxiliary  to  well-regulated  judg- 
ment. There  is  an  improvement  in  rural  architecture;  a  care 
for  the  comfort  of  animals,  some  solicitude  about  planting  trees 
and  repairing  fences,  and  a  laudable  desire  to  do  well  and  look 
well  has  become  general.  We  have  found  out  that  it  is  as  easy 
and  as  economical,  to  erect  a  habitation  with  some  pretension  to 
elegance,  as  to  disfigure  the  side  of  the  highway  with  a  pine 
box,  an  ugly  clump  of  clapboards  and  shingles.  We  begin  to 
think  it  is  not  profitable,  or  becoming,  to  allow  the  worm  to 
spin  his  web  in  our  apple  trees,  till  the  orchard  looks  like  the 
ruins  of  a  wasting  conflagration.  The  practice  is  growing  less 
frequent  of  suffering  our  cattle  to  carry  about  them  a  proportion 
of  the  barn-yard,  solidly  caken  on  for  a  winter  over-coat,  while, 
in  regard  to  such  remnant  of  the  hide  as  is  visible,  a  course  of 
exposure  and  low  diet,  like  the  tale  that  Hamlet's  father  could 
have  told,  causes  "each  particular  hair  to  stand  on  end."  It 
has  also  been  discovered,  that  however  appropriate  the  fur  of 
the  beaver  may  be  for  the  head,  it  has  a  marked  incongruity 
when  protruding  through  a  broken  window.  This  peculiarity 
to  our  landscape,  might  once  have  elicited  some  expression  of 
surprise  at  the  unusual  number  of  hatters'  shops,  were  it  not 
corrected  by  the  conviction,  that  no  sane  mechanic  would  ever 
exhibit  such  specimens  of  his  handicraft.  On  the  whole,  wo 
have  arrived  at  the  rather  reasonable  conclusion — that  trees, 


604  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

like  other  things,  require  some  attention  after  being  planted, — 
that  cleanliness  is  about  as  essential  to  animals  as  good  food, — 
and  that  the  fashion  of  glazing  with  old  hats,  goes  out  with 
the  rum  bottle. 

The  advance  of  our  cultivation  is  often  retarded  by  the  in- 
difference of  the  cultivator.  There  are  to  be  found  those  who 
scoff  at  book-farming  as  useless,  maintain  that  there  can  be 
no  improvement  in  the  management  of  the  soil,  and  look  at  a 
newly  invented  implement  as  an  insult  to  their  ancestors. 
They  would  go  on  as  the  latter  have  done,  not  reflecting,  that 
if  successive  generations  did  not  add  something  to  the  stock  of 
knowledge,  we  might  get  back  to  that  patriarchal  period  when 
the  broadest  branched  tree  was  the  best  house,  and  red  paint 
the  most  fashionable  garment ;  when  the  economy  of  the 
kitchen  consisted  in  robbing  the  hoard  of  the  squirrel,  and  the 
ten  fingers  were  the  only  tools  that  scratched  the  face  of 
mother  earth. 

A  blind  reverence  for  the  past,  is  the  great  stumbling  block 
of  the  present,  and  flagrant  injustice  to  the  future.  Do  as  our 
fathers  did  !  It  is  well  we  should,  when  we  can  do  no  better; 
but  man  has  been  made  a  progressive  creature,  is  endowed 
with  aspirations  after  excellence,  has  implanted  in  him  a  rest- 
less energy  that  is  continually  urging  him  onward.  He  could 
not  stop  if  he  would.  He  partakes  of  that  law  of  motion 
which  governs  all  things,  from  the  smallest  particle  of  ani- 
mated dust,  up  to  the  infinite  worlds,  which,  cluster  on  cluster, 
system  within  system,  whirl  in  endless  revolution  round  the 
throne  of  God. 

The  fanatic,  who  threw  a  stone  at  the  Earl  of  Rosse's  tel- 
escope, because  it  pried  into  mysteries,  intended,  as  he  be- 
lieved, to  be  concealed  from  human  curiosity,  was  a  type  of 
that  conservatism  which  would  have  no  new  farming.  It 
would  not  encourage  the  undutiful  longings  of  children,  who 
strive  to  know  more  than  their  parents.  It  would  level  the 
schoolhouse,  entertaining  Jack  Cade's  opinion  of  men,  "that 
usually  talk  of  a  noun  and  a  verb  and  such  abominable  words." 
Of  what  use  is  education,  but  to  engender  self-conceit  and  en- 
courage wasteful   expenditure?     Why  buy  volume  on  volume, 


GEORGE  R.  RUSSELL'S  ADDRESS.  COS 

and  cover  blackboards  with  cabalistic  characters,  when  "  our 
forefathers  had  no  other  books  but  the  score  and  the  tally  ?  " 

Advancement  is  the  destiny  of  man.  He  who  stops  in  the 
race  is  run  over,  and  left  behind,  crippled  and  forgotten.  What- 
ever may  be  the  limit  to  human  attainment,  it  has  not  yet 
been  discovered.  We  press  forward  to  an  eminence  from 
which  we  hope  to  behold  all  created  things,  but  it  is  reached 
only  to  fnid  heights  to  be  climbed  and  difficulties  to  be  sur- 
mounted. 

While  learning  has  rarely  called  in  vain  for  assistance,  when 
its  object  has  been  to  swell  the  already  overcrowded  ranks  of 
what  is  generally  understood  by  professional  life,  there  has 
been  little  or  nothing  done  to  educate  young  men  as  farmers. 
The  most  important  and  the  most  honorable  occupation,  which 
is  coextensive  with  civilization,  which  employs  millions  of 
men  in  daily  labor,  and  on  which  the  whole  population  of  the 
globe  depends  for  subsistence,  has  not  a  single  institution  de- 
voted to  it  in  all  this  broad  land.  It  is  left  to  help  itself  as  it 
can,  without  government  protection,  and  with  only  such  en- 
couragement as  can  be  derived  from  societies  formed  by  farmers 
themselves.  The  exertions  which  have  been  made  to  es- 
tablish an  agricultural  school  in  this  State,  have  not  yet  been 
successful,  but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  be  renewed  and 
persisted  in,  until  this  great  branch  of  industry  shall  receive 
the  care  and  attention  it  demands.  It  is  not  supposed  that  an 
institution  will  turn  out  ready-made  practical  husbandmen  to 
order,  from  the  mere  learning  of  books.  There  is  no  sncli  in- 
tention or  expectation.  But  it  is  believed  that  a  course  can  be 
followed,  which  will  combine  theory  with  practice,  and  pro- 
duce young  men  of  intelligence  and  activity,  whose  hard  hands 
and  bronzed  faces  will  bear  honorable  testimony  that  they  have 
seen  as  much  of  the  field  as  the  study-room. 

It  was  a  saying  of  Napoleon,  that  "battles  make  soldiers." 
It  is  equally  true,  that  hard  work  makes  farmers.  He  who 
would  "  thrive  by  the  plough,"  must  leave  his  gloves  with  his 
Sunday  coat.  He  must  not  expect  to  walk  daintily  over  the 
earth,  in  holiday  garb,  and  have  her  productions  spring  up  in 
his  footsteps.     He  who  courts  her  favors,  must  go  manfully  to 


606  SELECTIONS   FROM  ADDRESSES. 

the  work.  She  is  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and  does  not  yield  to 
coy  wooing.  The  badges  of  her  succpssfnl  suitors  are  the  dust 
of  the  ploughed  ground,  the  sweat  of  the  hay-field,  the  marks 
of  honest  industry  wrought  out  in  shirt  sleeves.  She  loves 
the  pressure  of  the  cowhide  boot,  smiles  on  the  tanned  counte- 
nance, and  the  sinewy  limbs,  on  which  the  insignia  of  man- 
hood liave  been  ingrained  by  the  elements.  But  she  does  not 
look  less  winningly,  if  the  calculating  head,  which  guides  the 
laboring  hand,  has  drawn  information  from  recorded  wisdom, 
gathered  hints  from  the  periodical,  interchanged  opinions  with 
fellow  workers,  and  brought  thought  to  bear  on  the  great  mys- 
tery of  nature.  Excellence  in  agricultiu'e  is  neither  the  result 
of  closet  study  nor  of  assiduous  labor.  It  can  be  effected  only 
by  a  union  of  both.  May  the  sagacity  of  government  consult 
the  best  interests  of  this  people,  by  establishing  the  means  of 
producing  that  as  yet  unknown  prodigy,  a  perfect  farmer. 


The  Mechanical  Propetities  of  the  Soil,  and  the  Consol- 
idation AND  Protection  of  Manures. 

[Extract  from  an  address  by  James  E.  Teschemacher,  Esq.,  at  the  last  Fair 
of  the  Plymouth  County  Agricultural  Society.] 

In  selecting  a  farm  for  cultivation,  an  iutelligent  man  would 
begin  by  attentively  examining  the  levels  of  the  land,  for  the 
purpose  of  ascertaining  how  its  various  parts  might  be  drained 
if  requisite  ;  for  where  water  rests  on  the  surface  or  a  few 
inches  under,  or  where  it  washes  down  in  gullies,  all  good 
farming  is  useless;  and  also  which  portion  would  receive  the 
most  permanent  part  of  the  manure  he  would  spread  on.  For 
it  is  very  possible  that  a  necessity  would  arise  to  put  fifty  per 
cent,  more  manure  on  one  part  than  on  another,  to  raise  crops 
of  the  same  value.  The  farmer  who  manures  all  kinds  of  land 
and  all  parts  of  a  farm  with  equal  quantities  of  the  same  ma- 
nure, would  make  serious  mistakes,  and  the  economy  of  ma- 
nures if  pursued  with  judgment  is  of  vast  importance.  His 
next  step  should  be  if  possible  to  ascertain  by  sinking  pits  of 
various  depths  or  otherwise,  the  nature  and  character  of  his 


J.   E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  C07 

subsoils,  the  depth  and  qualities  of  his  surface  soils.  On  this 
last  I  shall  dwell  at  some  length,  as  it  is  a  point  of  chief  impor- 
tance in  a  farm.  'I'his  examination  of  course  includes  that  of 
the  extent  and  probable  solid  contents  of  his  peat  bogs,  or  any 
other  isolated  deposits  either  of  sand  or  clay,  and  of  the  quan- 
tity of  decomposed  vegetable  matter  in  his  wood  land  from  the 
annual  decay  of  leaves,  &c. 

Now  by  this  examination  of  soils  I  do  not  mean  a  chemical 
analysis,  although  if  properly  made  this  would  be  very  useful, 
but  a  close  inspection  of  the  mechanical  capacities  of  the  soil, 
and  chiefly  of  those  most  important  ones  of  absorbing  and  re- 
taining the  most  valuable  parts  of  the  manure  with  which  it  is 
annually  dressed,  for  on  the  knowledge  of  this  quality  will  de- 
pend much  of  the  success  of  any  system  of  farming  adopted. 
We  plough  manure  into  the  land,  down  come  floods  of  rain  by 
which  the  most  valuable  parts  thereof  are  rendered  liquid,  and 
it  is  only  in  this  liquid,  dissolved  and  moist  state  that  they  can 
enter  into  the  structure  of  plants.  It  is  therefore  absolutely  of 
the  greatest  consequence,  if  the  crops  are  to  be  fed  and  nour- 
ished in  a  time  v/hen  rain  is  scarce,  that  there  should  be  some 
substance  in  the  soil,  capable  of  absorbing  and  retaining  these 
valuable  liquids  in  store,  and  of  preventing  them  from  being 
washed  and  drained  or  evaporated  away.  I  believe  I  need  not 
insist  on  this  view,  before  gentlemen  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  where  the  soil  generally  is  so  light  and  stony.  But 
the  consideration  and  thorough  understanding  of  the  mechan- 
ical properties  of  all  soils,  from  the  pure  sand,  which  allows 
every  liquid  to  filter  through  unaltered,  to  the  stifl"  clay,  which 
allows  no  liquid  at  all  to  pass  through,  are  of  the  greatest  con- 
sequence to  the  farmer. 

Fill  three  filter  jars,  (common  green  bottles  without  a  bot- 
tom, reversed,  will  answer,  first  placing  a  piece  of  thin  cloth 
over  the  hole  of  the  neck,)  within  an  inch  of  the  top  with  soils 
containing  first  about  one-sixth  pulverized  clay,  and  five-sixths 
clean  sand,  well  mixed  ;  second,  about  one-third  charcoal  and 
two-thirds  clean  sand,  also  well  mixed  ;  third,  all  clean  sand  ; 
then  fill  up  all  three  with  drainings  from  the  dung  heap.  The 
»  liquor  through  the  pure  sand  will  come  out  nearly  as  it  went 


608  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

in  ;  the  other  two  will  have  left  much  of  their  color  and  nearly 
all  the  smell  with  the  clay  and  the  charcoal  which  have  ab- 
sorbed them.  Experiments  have  been  made  showing  that 
soils  containing  even  moderate  portions  of  clay,  mixed  with 
thin  sanJ,  would  absorb  all  the  alkalies  and  their  salts  which 
are  put  0!i  as  manure,  and  that  tliis  absorbent  power  resides 
entirely  in  the  clay.  Professor  Way,  of  England,  affirms  that 
clay  will  even  decompose  the  salts  of  ammonia,  potash  and 
soda,  so  that  the  plant  may  use  them  as  wanted  ;  so  far,  how- 
ever, my  experience  does  not  go.  The  absorbent  powers  of 
charcoal  are  thus  shown  to  be  also  great  and  of  immense  im- 
portance in  absorbing  and  retaining  the  vast  quantity  of  am- 
monia which  comes  down  in  the  annual  snow  and  rain,  as 
well  as  what  is  put  on  the  ground  as  manure — and  as  an  absor- 
bent in  the  compost  heap  it  is  invaluable.  It  is  not  at  all 
improbable  also  that  it  undergoes  in  the  soil  an  extremely  slow 
natural  combustion,  furnishing  thereby  carbonic  acid  to  dis- 
solve many  inorganic  substances  insoluble  without  its  acid. 
But  this,  like  a  thousand  other  momentous  questions  in  agri- 
culture, will  only  be  truly  tested  when  a  more  general  liberal 
education  throws  open  the  door  of  investigation  to  thousands 
of  young  and  inquiring  minds. 

It  appears  from  this  and  many  other  practical  experiments 
that  there  arc  two  substances  which  possess  in  a  high  degree 
this  important  power  of  absorbing  and  retaining  for  the  use  of 
vegetation,  the  most  valuable  portions  of  manure,  charcoal  and 
clay. 

Now  charcoal,  in  an  agricultural  sense,  means  not  only  wood 
charcoal  but  carbonized  animal  or  vegetable  fibre  of  any  kind; 
it  forms  therefore  the  chief  mass  of  peat  muck,  of  leaf  mould, 
of  the  manures  of  animals,  which  has  been  carbonized  by  un- 
dergoing gradual  and  slow  close  combustion  in  a  dung  heap, 
by  the  action  of  the  oxygen  of  the  atmosphere,  just  as  wood  or 
animal  matter  (bones)  is  artificially  burnt  into  charcoal  by  a 
more  rapid  close  combustion  with  fuel.  The  extraordinary 
powers  of  absorption  and  retention  of  the  valuable  salts  of  ma- 
nure of  both  kinds  of  charcoal  are  the  same — but  all  kinds,  ex- 
cept artificial  wood  charcoal,  are  generally  found  mingled  with 


J.  E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  609 

other  substances.  Peat  muck,  for  instance,  is  usually  accom- 
panied by  acids  injurious  to  vegetation,  either  ready  formed,  or 
by  substances  which,  on  exposure  to  the  external  influences  of 
the  air,  form  these  acids. — this  renders  sweetening  or  neutrali- 
zation of  these  acids  necessary  previous  to  using  it. 

The  manures  of  various  animals  are  also  mixed  with  phos- 
phates and  other  salts,  often  of  ammonia,  which  are  very 
beneficial  to  vegetation,  but  the  chief  mass  is  vegetable  fibre, 
which  by  proper  management  becomes  this  powerfully  absorb- 
ent charcoal.  I  wish  much  to  impress  very  strongly  on  your 
attention  this  character  of  absorption  by  charcoal,  as  it  is  the 
chief  groundwork  of  the  subject  of  this  address. 

The  other  absorbent  of  the  valuable  portions  of  manure  is 
clay.  This  I  shall  not  undertake  to  describe  to  those  whsD^ 
know  so  well  what  it  is,  but  will  state,  that  its  powers  of  ab- 
sorbing and  retaining  the  important  alkalies,  potash,  soda, 
ammonia,  and  the  salts  of  these  alkalies,  exceed  those  of 
charcoal.  As  a  large  proportion  of  the  clay  of  this  globe  ex- 
isted originally  in  the  shape  of  feldspar,  a  constituent  of  granite 
and  other  rocks  from  which  it  has  been  separated  by  natural 
grinding  down  and  disintegration,  and  then  becoming  a  portion 
of  other  rocks,  it  of  course  formerly  entered  into  the  compo- 
sition of  many  soils.  From  the  more  coarse,  sandy  and  stony 
of  these,  it  has  been  washed  away  in  the  lapse  of  ages  ;  still 
many  of  them  have  a  considerable  proportion  left,  and  in  the 
trials  made  to  ascertain  the  absorbing  and  retaining  power  of  a 
soil,  the  amount  of  this  power  observed  will  probably  be  more 
due  to  the  clay  remaining  therein  than  to  any  natural  char- 
coal, which  is  not  often  found  in  sandy  or  loamy  soils,  but 
which  is  a  large  ingredient  of  the  rich  bottom  lands  and  prai- 
ries of  the  fertile  west,  they  being  chiefly  formed  of  decom- 
posed animal  and  vegetable  matter.  The  finest  and  most 
productive  loams,  the  marls  which  in  some  places  are  used  for 
manure  with  good  eff*ect,  when  there  is  not  too  much  lime  in 
them,  are  valuable  on  account  of  the  absorbent  power  of  the 
clay  and  of  the  salts  of  potash  and  soda  then  in  its  grasp. 
In  the  estimation  of  the  value  of  land,  then,  the  quantity  of 
clay,  if  appreciable,  forms  a  most  important  item.  Three  or 
77 


610  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

four  per  cent,  of  clay  in  a  soil  renders  it  extremely  productive, 
and  thus,  where  the  depth  of  usual  cultivation  can  be  taken  at 
eight  inches,  a  covering  of  this  absorbing  clay  on  the  surface, 
spread  only  one  quarter  of  an  inch  thick  and  ploughed  in,  would 
be  an  essential  permanent  improvement,  more  so  indeed  than 
an  equal  amount  of  usual  barnyard  manure. 

This  absorbing  and  retaining  power  of  clay  has  quite  re- 
cently been  published  in  England  as  a  new  and  very  important 
discovery  in  agriculture,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  just  credit  belongs  to  the  claimant  there ;  but  it  is  equally 
certain  that  the  same  discovery  was  made  here,  after  several 
years'  investigation,  and  published  in  Massachusetts  some 
months  previous  to  the  publication  in  England,  and  without 
the  slightest  knowledge  of  what  was  passing  there.  But  the 
beneficial  character  of  clay  has  long  been  known  to  the  intel- 
ligent farmer  and  horticulturist,  although  unacquainted  with 
scientific  reasons  for  it,  and  even  the  precise  mode  of  its  absorb- 
ing action  is  yet  confessedly  beyond  the  reach  of  science  itself. 
I  have  studied  the  subject  a  little  and  think  that  this  absorbing 
action  is  partly  mechanical,  dependent  on  the  power  of  con- 
traction which  is  eminently  possessed  by  clay  (alumina)  and 
which  power  it  begins  to  exert  almost  immediately  after  its 
chemical  separation  from  a  solution,  and  still  exerts  under  the 
most  powerful  heat  of  the  furnace.  By  this  it  absorbs  and 
grasps  any  substance  with  which  it  may  be  in  contact  ;  its  mode 
of  action,  however,  is  a  question  still  in  doubt,  and  requires 
careful  scientific  investigation  ;  this  it  will  no  doubt  receive  at 
the  hands  of  those  professors  of  agriculture  who  have  charge 
of  these  subjects  in  European  countries,  and  I  can  only  express 
my  regret  that  we  have  no  institutions  here  where  subjects  of 
like  importance  can  be  studied  and  investigated  for  the  benefit 
of  the  largest  and  really  the  most  valuable  class  of  our  com- 
munity, but  we  must  be  content  to  leave  them  to  other  coun- 
tries. 

Having  endeavored  to  explain  the  inestimable  value  of  char- 
coal and  clay,  in  consequence  of  their  powers  of  absorption,  it 
remains  for  me  to  show,  that  although  clay  cannot  be  manu- 
factured and  may  be  too  expensive  to  be  hauled  as  a  manure 


J,  E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  611 

from  any  great  distance,  yet  that  charcoal  is  entirely  within 
the  reach  of  every  industrious  and  intelligent  farmer,  and  can 
easily  be  manufactured  by  him  in  such  quantity  and  of  such 
quality  as  will  enable  him  to  render  the  poorest  soil  as  perma- 
nently and  luxuriantly  productive  as  the  richest. 

To  this  subject  I  shall  therefore  devote  the  chief  part  of  the 
time  which  remains,  and  I  have  chosen  it  as  one  of  the  greatest 
interest,  and  as  practically  applicable  to  the  farms  of  this  sandy 
and  stony  county. 

There  is  but  one  way  of  permanently  enriching  this  soil  and 
putting  it  into  such  good  heart  as  to  enable  it  to  afford  con- 
stant remunerating  crops ;  and  this  is,  to  use  artificial  manure 
for  several  consecutive  years,  and  carefully  to  accumulate, 
manage,  and  preserve  all  the  manure  and  refuse  that  can  be 
collected  on  the  farm  during  this  period,  and  when  this  is 
properly  manufactured  into  a  rich  charcoaly  mass,  saturated 
with  all  the  valuable  salts,  to  apply  it  in  such  quantity  that  it 
shall  form  a  permanent  absorbing  mass  with  the  soil,  which 
cannot  be  blown  or  frittered  away,  or  washed  out  or  rendered 
useless  by  the  hot  sun  for  years.  As  on  the  mode  of  carrying 
this  operation  properly  into  effect  depends  its  entire  success, 
I  must  detain  you  a  short  time  for  the  purpose  of  entering  into 
its  practical  working  details  and  calculations ;  but  I  wish  first 
to  make  two  broad  assertions.  One  is,  that  any  soil  which  is 
soil,  that  is  to  say,  which  is  not  entirely  sand,  entirely  clay,  or 
entirely  stones,  can  be  made  to  produce  constantly  and  eco- 
nomically fine  crops  of  vegetation  of  almost  any  kind  that  the 
climate  will  allow. 

The  other  assertion  is,  that  the  exhaustion  of  well-tilled  soil 
by  crops  alone,  is  a  complete  fallacy;  it  may  be  exhausted  by 
putting  on  lime  or  other  injurious  substances,  but  not  by  crop- 
ping if  properly  worked.  The  various  soils  of  England  have 
produced  wheat  for  many  centuries,  and  they  are  now  less 
exhausted  than  ever,  for  the  average  produce  per  acre  has  risen 
successively  from  15  to  22  bushels,  and  within  the  last  seven 
years,  from  which  period  we  may  date  the  great  improvements 
in  agriculture,  it  has  reached  the  high  figure  of  32  bushels  to 
the  acre,  but  40  to  50  bushels  is  a  common  yield.     More  than 


612  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

this,  the  price  has  fallen  from  70s.  sterling  per  quarter  of  eight 
bushels,  to  45s.,  and  yet  it  must  be  very  profitable  to  raise 
wheat,  as  the  land  there  has  to  pay  high  rents  and  taxes  out 
of  this  produce,  charges  from  which  we  here  are  happily  free. 
Let  us  then  hear  no  more  of  the  idle  story  of  exhausted  lands 
or  of  soils  unable  to  bear  crops  of  wheat  or  of  any  other  vege- 
tation. We  are  deficient,  not  the  soil,  and  if  we  are  unable  to 
make  the  earth  fruitful  for  want  of  knowledge,  let  us  at  least 
take  care  that  our  children  shall  not  want  it ;  let  us  establish 
institutions  where  a  sound  agricultural  education  can  be  ob- 
tained. With  our  increasing  population  we  may  ere  long 
absolutely  want  here  all  we  can  raise,  especially  if  the  western 
lands  are  cultivated  for  many  years  longer  in  the  reckless  way 
they  now  are. 

But  to  our  question.  The  scheme  I  propose  to  lay  before 
you,  as  1  have  said,  is  that  the  farmer  shall  properly  store  up 
all  the  manure  he  can  raise  on  his  farm  for  several  years,  con- 
vertir]g  it  into  this  charcoal,  with  the  addition  of  all  the  inor- 
ganic sails  requisite,  and  that  when  applied,  it  may  be  in  such 
quantity  that  it  shall  form  a  permanent  soil  and  be  a  kind  of 
sponge,  lasting  forever  to  absorb  for  the  use  of  vegetation  the 
rich  juices  of  the  manure  annually  put  on  afterwards,  which 
juices  are  now,  on  light  lands  especially,  either  washed 
through,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  roots,  or  evaporated  away 
by  the  hot  sun. 

It  will  be  necessary,  however,  for  me  to  enter  into  the  val- 
ues of  the  various  substances  the  farmer  must  use  in  his  heap, 
how  this  must  be  stored,  and  in  what  way  managed,  com- 
posted and  carbonized,  and  how  he  must  work  to  obtain  remu- 
nerating crops  while  this  is  going  on.  I  fear  this  plan  may 
appear  to  many  of  you  as  absurd,  but  you  should  hear  before 
you  come  to  this  conclusion,  for  I  am  only  recommending  to 
you  what  nature  herself  teaches  in  the  plainest  terms. 

What,  I  ask,  are,  or  rather  were,  the  fertile  lands  of  the 
west,  or  those  of  the  rich  valleys  in  New  York,  but  heaps  of 
vegetable  matter  converted  into  a  black  carbonaceous  or  char- 
coal soil,  by  slow  natural  combustion,  accumulating  and  be- 
coming consolidated,  untouched  by  the  plough  for  centuries? 


J.  E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  613 

There  it  has  annually  absorbed  the  ammoniacal  malter  from 
the  rain  and  snow  for  ages,  and  all  its  good  qualities  have  been 
condensed  into  the  charcoal.  Here  is  a  specimen  of  this  soil  pre- 
sented to  me  by  Dr.  Lyman  Bartlett,  of  New  Bedford,  from  his 
brother's  farm  in  northern  Illinois.  No  one  can  fail  to  observe 
that  it  is  a  black  charcoal y  mass,  and  rich  crops  are  raised  an- 
nually from  it,  yet  it  is  found  to  be  much  improved  by  barn- 
yard manure,  because  it  is  like  an  excellent  sponge,  absorbing 
all  the  rich  juices  thereof.  On  close  examination,  I  find  it 
rather  deficient  in  the  phosphates,  and  ammonia,  which  it  ob- 
tains from  barnyard  manure  ;  a  very  little  more  lime  in  the 
shape  of  plaster  would  also  be  beneficial.  [This  specimen 
was  obtained  by  pushing  this  tube  down  into  the  soil,  and  is 
therefore  a  true  sample.]  It  will  be  seen  that  a  bed  of  clay 
underlies  the  black  mass,  and  under  the  clay,  a  bed  of  gravel 
composed  of  stones  like  this  sample.  These  are  masses  of 
quartz  (silica)  and  of  a  siliceous  limestone.  This  soil  has 
therefore  been  formed  by  decomposing  vegetable  matter  proba- 
bly in  a  pulpy  liquid  state,  and  is  held  in  large  basins  of  clay, 
through  which  knolls  or  hillocks  of  the  gravel  stones  rise  up, 
often  appearing  above  the  black  soil  in  little  clumps  ;  these 
have  formed  natural  drains  for  the  water.  These  clay  basins 
often  extend  fifty  to  sixty  miles  or  more  in  diameter.  It  is 
very  possible  that  a  careful  examiiiation  of  these  charcoaly  de- 
posits may  throw  light  on  the  formation  of  the  immense  beds 
of  coal  in  this  country,  under  each  of  which  there  is  a  bed 
of  clay,  and  below  the  whole  formation  a  hard  coiiglomerate 
rock  with  just  such  pebbles,  indurated  by  enormous  pressure 
for  long  periods. 

Such  accumulations  of  black  vegetable  matter  in  New  Eng- 
land are  much  smaller  and  are  usually  formed  in  basins  of  the 
granite  rock;  although  of  smaller  extent  they  are  of  very  fre- 
quent occurrence,  are  what  are  termed  om*  peat  bogs,  but  be- 
ing formed  of  dilFerent  vegetable  matter,  are  by  no  means  so 
valuable  are  those  in  the  West. 

It  is  precisely  such  a  black  carbonaceous  mass  as  this,  only 
much  more  lhoro\ighly  saturated  with  ammonia,  the  phos- 
phates, and  all   the  other  valuable  ingredients  of  manure  that 


6rMi  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

should  be  manufactured,  that  I  will  endeavor  to  show  you  how 
to  manufacture,  as  well  as  my  knowledge  will  enable  me,  and 
which  it  is  recommended  you  should  apply  in  large  quantities 
at  a  time,  in  hopes  permanently  to  enrich  your  sandy  soil.  It 
is  equally  beneficial  on  other  soils,  and  enables  it  to  absorb  and 
hold  the  beneficial  juices  of  the  manure  of  future  years,  which 
are  necessary  for  the  support  of  a  constant  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion. Some  here  may  have  seen  districts  where  there  are  five 
to  ten  inches  of  black  surface  soil  resting  on  many  feet  depth 
of  gravel,  sand,  clay  or  rock,  and  these  few  inches  are  all  there 
is  to  depend  on  for  raising  annual  crops.  I  have  seen  large 
districts  in  Europe  where  the  solid  chalk  was  covered  by  six 
or  eight  inches  of  yellow  or  black  earth,  as  it  consisted  of  loam 
or  vegetable  matter,  on  which,  by  careful  tillage,  the  finest  crops 
were  annually  raised.  It  is  these  few  inches  of  highly  reten- 
tive soil  into  which  you  should  convert  the  surface  of  your 
sandy  plains,  and  from  which  you  may  raise  remunerative 
crops. 

The  first  prominent  idea  to  impress  on  your  minds,  is  the 
importance  of  the  consolidation  or  concentration  of  your  ma- 
nure, that  is,  of  making  it  occupy  the  smallest  possible  space. 
Why  is  guano  so  much  superior  to  any  other  artificial  manure, 
however  scientifically  composed  ?  It  is  because  its  ingredients 
have  lain,  in  immense  masses,  one  or  two  hundred  feet  deep, 
for  centuries,  under  the  pressure  of  constant  accumulations,  un- 
til all  its  virtues  have  become  condensed  into  the  smallest  pos- 
sible bulk ;  observe  also,  it  has  been  well  stored  and  protected. 
On  the  guano  islands  it  never  rains,  but  there  are  heavy  dews 
which  moisten  the  top ;  the  hot  sun  bakes  this  damp  portion 
into  a  hard  crust,  which  completely  protects  it  and  prevents 
the  exhalation  of  any  of  the  valuable  gases  from  the  under- 
neath layers ;  and  I  name  this,  because  I  mean  to  insist  also 
on  the  principle  of  this  protection  as  an  absolutely  requisite 
part  of  the  process  for  storing  manure.  No  doubt  the  night 
soil,  which  is  now  deodorized  and  manufactured  into  poudrette 
and  other  artifical  manures,  would  be  much  improved  if  it  could 
be  left  for  years  in  large  masses  to  concentrate,  under  proper 
protection  j  and  probably  this  want  of  concentration  by  time, 


J.  E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  615 

is  one  of  the  reasons  why,  bulk  for  bulk,  it  is  so  much  in- 
ferior to  guano. 

In  Europe  they  have  a  plan  of  box-feeding  cattle ;  one  of  the 
great  benefits  of  this  is  stated  to  be,  that  the  manure  is  only 
taken  out  of  the  boxes  once  in  three  or  four  months,  and  that 
it  thereby  becomes  trodden  into  a  hard  consolidated  mass; 
now,  although  it  appears  to  me  a  preposterous  idea  that  cattle 
should  thrive  well,  always  living  over  their  own  manure,  (in- 
deed this  practice  has  been  clearly  decided  against  in  an  exper- 
iment in  New  Jersey,  conducted  by  Professor  Mapes,  with  his 
usual  skill  and  care,)  yot  it  shows  that  experience  has  given  a 
verdict  in  favor  of  consolidating  the  manure,  the  benefit  of 
which,  in  point  of  permanence,  it  is  one  object  of  this  scheme 
to  exhibit. 

Experiments  have  been  recorded  years  ago,  made  with  long 
fresh  manure  against  old  rotted  manure,  in  which  the  results 
were  in  favor  of  the  fresh  manure,  and  why  I  Because  the  old 
rotted  manure  had  been  left  unprotected,  and  the  wind  and 
rain  had  completely  exhausted  it  of  the  gases  and  soluble  salts, 
or  in  fact  of  its  chief  virtues  ;  but  I  have  made  experiments 
where  the  result  was  much  in  favor  of  the  old  manure,  because 
it  had  been  properly  protected  and  consolidated.  Here  is  a 
specimen  of  guano  of  which  I  procured  a  box  full,  five  years 
ago,  from  the  coast  of  California;  my  experiment  with  it  failed, 
as  I  expected,  because  for  want  of  protection  the  virtue  had 
been  washed  out  of  it  by  the  rains  and  evaporated  by  the  sun; 
it  still,  however,  contains  phosphate  of  lime  and  some  other 
valuable  ingredients,  but  not  enough  to  pay  freight.  So  then 
proper  consolidation  and  proper  protection  are  main  points  in 
this  scheme.  The  object  then  in  view, — permit  me  this  repeti- 
tion,— is  to  pile  up  a  manure  heap  for  several  years,  in  such  a 
way  that  not  a  particle  of  the  useful  gases  shall  escape ;  be- 
sides this,  gradual  additions  shall  be  made  of  all  the  phos- 
phates and  other  inorganic  salts  necessary  for  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion ;  the  mass  must  also  be  kept  moist  enough  for  gentle  fer- 
mentation to  carbonize  it,  yet  be  sufficiently  protected  against 
washing  rains.    The  following  are  my  ideas  of  the  best  way  of 


616  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

effecting   this  object,  although  it  is  probable  that  many  good 
practical  farmers  may  improve  very  much  upon  it. 

Choose  a  spot  as  well  sheltered  as  possible  from  the  wind 
and  rain,  dig  a  trench  eight  to  twelve  feet  wide,  four  to  six 
feet  deep,  and  in  length  according  to  the  manure  expected 
to  be  made.  Throw  the  soil  from  the  trench  on  the  sides;  if 
loamy  it  will  form  a  portion  of  the  compost,  and  if  turfy  it  will 
be  an  excellent  protection  to  the  sides  from  rain  or  wind,  when 
the  heap  rises  above  the  surface  ;  floor  the  bottom  of  the  trench 
with  the  stifllest  soil  the  farm  affords,  and  beat  it  pretty  hard  ; 
(if  no  stiff  soil  is  to  be  had,  with  sweetened  bog  muck,  about 
eight  inches  or  one  foot  thick,)  slope  the  trench  to  one  end  so 
that  the  drainings  flow  into  a  couple  of  bogheads,  one  at  each 
corner,  which  should  have  a  slight  covering.  These  drainings 
should  be  emptied  on  the  top  at  each  addition  ;  on  this  foun- 
dation begin  to  lay  the  manure  two  feet  thick,  strewing  it 
plentifully  with  sweetened  bog  earth  ;  now  if  rockweed  is  at 
hand,  put  on  one  or  two  inches  thick;  if  none,  strew  a  very 
small  quantity  of  salt,  then  a  little  bone  dust,  or  the  ground 
bones,  or  phosphate  of  lime,  after  it  has  been  prepared  with  sul- 
phuric acid;  then  add  an  inch  of  loam,  or  of  pulverizid  clay, 
half  an  inch,  as  there  must  not  be  any  impediment  to  a  free 
circulation  of  heat  through  the  mass;  now  strew  over  a  little 
powdered  gy[)sum,  which  will  be  better  if  it  has  absorbed  the 
moisture  from  cattle  ;  lay  over  this  about  two  or  three,  or  even 
six  inches  bog  muck  as  a  finish,  and  a  few  boards  to  protect 
from  lieavy  rain.  When  you  have  enough  manure  to  make  an 
addition,  rake  off  three-quarters  of  the  covering  of  peat  muck, 
put  on  the  two  feet  manure,  arid  proceed  as  before,  always 
covering  up  with  muck  and  boards;  let  the  heap  dish  a  little 
towards  the  middle. 

The  following  are  good  ingredients  for  the  heap: — All  kinds 
of  animal  maniu'c,  including  contents  of  vaults,  which  should 
first  be  mixed  with  sweetened  bog  muck,  with  well  washed 
charcoal  of  refineries,  or  with  powdered  gypsum  ;  all  vegetable 
refuse  of  whatever  kind,  leaves,  weeds,  &.c.,  and  diggings  of 
ditches  and  drains;  plaster,  well  ground  up,  in  very  moderate 


J.   E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  617 

quantities;  salt,  strewed  in  small  quantity, — this  kills  insects, 
prevents  fire  fanging,  and  is  generally  beneficial ;  loamy  or 
clayey  earth,  in  quantities  dependent  on  the  stiffness  owing  to 
the  proportion  of  clay,  and  this  should  always  be  rendered  pul- 
verized by  frost ;  all  brick  rubbish,  pounded  fine  :  all  hair,  old 
woolen  rags  and  refuse  of  woolen  manufactories ;  ground  or 
pounded  cores  of  horns,  and  all  animal  matters  and  offals;  if 
dead  animals  are  at  hand,  they  should  be  divided  and  dispersed 
about  in  the  heap ;  if  they  cannot  be  cut  up,  they  should  be 
opened  and  three  or  four  quarts  of  quick  lime,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  animal,  put  inside — they  should  then  be  covered 
well  with  bog  muck  or  charcoal ;  the  lime  will  soon  be  very 
efficient  in  decomposing  them  and  driving  out  the  ammonia 
which  will  be  absorbed  by  the  charcoal ;  with  fish,  add  lime 
in  moderation,  for  the  same  purpose,  as  well  as  for  neutralizing 
the  oil  with  which  it  will  form  a  saponaceous  soluble  com- 
pound, and  which  oil  is  not  of  much  value  as  manure.  Guano 
is  nothing  but  fish,  which  has  been  decomposed  in  passing 
through  the  stomach  of  birds,  and  the  bones  of  fish  are  rich  in 
phosphates.  Phosphate  of  lime,  either  in  the  shape  of  ground 
bones,  or  very  finely  ground  crystalized  phosphate  of  lime, 
such  as  has  been  lately  discovered  in  various  parts  of  this 
country  and  elsewhere — this  is  preferable  after  it  has  been 
treated  by  oil  of  vitriol,  in  the  method  described  in  books,  for 
making  vitriolized  bones ;  only  25  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  oil 
of  vitriol  would  be  better  than  a  larger  quantity,  as  it  then 
would  leave  a  portion  of  the  phdsphate  of  lime  to  be  naturally 
decomposed  in  the  soil  and  come  into  play,  after  the  more  sol- 
uble phosphates  had  been  used  up,  one  great  object  being  to 
render  this  compost  as  permanently  valuable  as  possible. 

There  exists  some  difference  of  opinion  respecting  the  quan- 
tity of  sulphuric  acid  to  be  added  to  bone  or  powdered  phos- 
phate of  lime  ;  some  thinking  40  per  cent.,  others  30,  and 
others  20  per  cent,  the  proper  amount.  It  is  easy  to  show  that 
the  decision  on  this  point,  as  well  as  on  many  other  disputed 
points  respecting  manures,  depends  on  the  subject  we  are  now 
discussing,  that  is,  the  important  one  of  the  mechanical  qualities 
of  the  soil.  The  object  of  adding  sulphuric  acid  to  bones  or 
78 


618  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

phosphate  of  lime  is,  to  produce  a  phosphate  which  is  soluble 
in  water  and  can  be  immediately  used  by  the  plant,  whereas 
ground  bones  alone  dissolve  so  slowly  that  plants  can  hardly 
obtain  enough  from  them  each  year.  Now  40  per  cent,  of  sul- 
phuric acid  will  produce  the  largest  quantity  of  soluble  phos- 
phate, and  if  this  be  used  on  a  sandy,  gravelly  soil,  that  part 
not  used  by  the  plant  will  be  soon  washed  through  and  lost, 
and  this  loss  is  serious  ;  whereas  on  a  highly  absorbent  soil, 
this  portion  would  be  retained  for  future  crops.  Consequently, 
according  to  the  retentive  power  of  the  soil,  40,  30,  or  20  per 
cent,  would  be  the  right  quantity.  In  these  light,  sandy  soils, 
20  or  25  per  cent,  would  be  enough,  as  thereby  the  remaining 
slowly  soluble  phosphate  of  lime  would  be  brought  into  a  state 
of  the  finest  division,  and  be  permanently  useful  after  the  sol- 
uble portion  had  been  taken  up  by  the  crop  or  washed  away. 
In  a  prize  essay  on  this  subject,  read  before  the  Royal  Agri- 
cultural Society,  in  London,  Spooner  says  :  "  I  may,  however, 
observe,  that  in  an  experiment  during  the  last  season,  in  which 
one  portion  of  the  land  was  manured  with  bones  and  acid,  in 
different  proportions,  that  which  had  more  bones  and  less  acid, 
proved  a  somewhat  better  crop  than  that  where  fewer  bones 
and  more  acid  were  used,  the  expense  being  the  same  in  both 
instances."  Here  all  reference  to  the  absorbent  qualities  of  the 
soil  are  overlooked,  when  probably  they  were  the  chief  ele- 
ments by  which  the  question  was  resolved. 

I  do  not  advocate  mixing  lime,  except  as  before-mentioned, 
or  in  particular  cases,  or  leached  ashes,  or  sulphate  of  iron,  in 
the  heaps.  Lime  and  ammonia  are  antagonists ;  they  cannot 
exist  together,  and  lime  being  the  strongest,  always  drives  am- 
monia away.  It  is  true  that  the  contact  of  the  atmosphere  and  of 
rain  converts  lime  into  carbonate  of  lime,  a  much  less  injurious 
substance,  but  this  is  a  tedious  operation.  The  benefit  which 
sometimes  arises  from  liming  is,  that  it  lightens  the  soil,  and 
the  lime  and  lime  water  coming  into  contact  with  old  lumps 
of  concentrated  manure,  or  with  the  ammonia  left  in  the  soil, 
sets  it  free  for  the  use  of  the  crops,  but  too  often  liming  pro- 
duces barrenness  afterwards,  by  driving  nearly  all  the  ammonia 
put  of  the  soil,  and  herein  consists  the  danger  of  using  it.     Dr. 


J.  E.  TESCHEMAOHER'S  ADDRESS.  619 

Bartlett  states,  that  several  farmers  in  his  brother's  vicinity,  in 
Illinois,  had  nsed  lime  and  thereby  reduced  their  land  to  a 
sterile  state.  The  other  actions  of  lime  on  soils,  are  unsettled, 
even  in  the  chemist's  laboratory ;  practically,  in  the  field  they 
amount  to  little  else  than  probable  surmises.  Lime  is  advan- 
tageous when  used  judiciously,  but  this  requires  considerable 
knowledge  and  practice;  it  should  always  be  put  on  the  land 
very  sparingly.  Where  lime  is  wanted  for  a  crop,  such  as 
clover,  and  there  is  none  in  the  soil,  the  form  of  plaster  appears 
a  more  safe  way  of  applying  it.  Leached  and  inileached  ashes 
containing  potash  or  soda,  are  nearly  as  antagonistic  to  ammo- 
nia as  lime.  Potash  is  more  valuable  in  the  arts  than  as  ma- 
nure j  not  so  soda;  they  should  be  used  even  on  the  land  in 
very  moderate  quantities  at  a  time.  On  sandy  soils,  leached 
and  unleached  ashes  will  much  assist  a  good  growth  of  grass, 
because  the  ingredients  of  the  ashes  help  to  dissolve  the  silex 
of  which  the  land  is  composed,  and  silex  is  one  of  the  main 
builders  up  of  the  stem  and  leaf  of  all  grasses  and  grains, — they 
cannot  grow  without ;  but  yet  it  is  questionable  whether  grass 
made  of  unusual  growth  by  containing  a  large  quantity  of  silex, 
is  good  for  cattle ;  and  at  all  events,  the  other  ingredients,  par- 
ticularly those  to  form  the  seeds,  should  be  abundantly  sup- 
plied at  the  same  time,  as  there  is  no  nourishment  in  silex. 

After  a  heap,  formed  in  this  manner  of  about  ten  or  twelve 
feet  high  and  well  protected,  has  lain  three  or  four  years,  it 
will  of  course  have  sunk  to  about  half  this  height ;  in  other 
words,  the  manure  will  have  become  condensed  and  consoli- 
dated ;  it  will  cut  through  like  a  dark  compact  black  heavy 
saponaceous  mass  ;  all  the  vegetable  matter  will  be  thoroughly 
carbonized,  and  saturated  with  ammonia  and  other  alkalies, 
with  the  phosphates  and  all  the  richest  elements  of  manure. 
It  may  now  be  ploughed  deep  into  the  soil  in  liberal  quanti- 
ties at  a  time,  and  unlike  the  light  manure  usually  put  on  the 
land  which  is  soon  dried  up  into  powdery  particles  and  blown 
all  over  the  country,  it  will  retain  moisture  and  all  its  other 
valuable  qualities  with  the  utmost  tenacity  ;  it  will  after  some 
years  form  a  stratum  several  inches  thick  of  rich  retentive  soil, 
well  adapted,  with  annual  properly  selected  dressings,  to  pro- 


620  SELECTIONS   FROM  ADDRESSES. 

duce  almost  any  crop  iii  abundance.  It  will  of  course  require 
occasional  additions  of  phosphates  and  other  inorganic  salts, 
without  which  it  would  soon  share  the  fate  of  the  formerly  rich 
Western  lands. 

Before  proceeding  to  the  consideration  of  the  artificial  manure 
to  be  used  during  the  time  of  storing  these  heaps,  I  will  discuss 
a  few  of  what  I  think  errors  in  the  preparation  of  manure  as 
practised  at  present.  The  usual  method  is  to  throw  every 
vegetable  refuse  into  the  hog  pen  with  a  quantity  of  bog  muck 
to  absorb  the  moisture  and  gases  and  to  be  thoroughly  in- 
corporated by  the  treading  and  rooting  of  the  animals.  Now 
notwithstanding  the  addition  of  the  muck,  much  of  the  very 
valuable  portion  of  the  manure  is  evaporated  in  the  atmos- 
phere, during  the  time  that  this  turning  over  and  incorporation 
by  the  animals  is  going  on.  The  smell  of  such  a  hog  pen  is 
just  this  rich  portion  evaporating,  and,  as  hog  manure  is  the 
poorest  of  all  animal  manure,  there  is  not  much  to  spare.  I 
will  say  nothing  of  the  health  of  the  animals  breathing  this 
atmosphere.  All  manure  from  animals,  particularly  the  liquid 
part,  commences  decomposition  in  ten  or  fifteen  hours  after  it 
has  left  them  ;  it  then  begins  to  form  various  gases  which  escape 
into  and  mix  with  the  surrounding  air.  These  are  the  most 
valuable  parts  of  the  manure,  and  although  a  portion  of  them 
is  absorbed  by  the  carbonaceous  muck  thrown  in,  yet  a  large 
portion  escapes.  When  hot  stable  manure  is  taken  out,  much 
of  the  vapor  arising  is  a  great  loss  to  the  quality  of  the  manure. 
As  a  general  rule  therefore  all  animal  manures  should  be  taken 
to  the  heap  as  often  as  the  quantity  amounts  to  sufficient  to 
make  it  worth  while  to  carry,  and  then  put  under  protection  as 
before  mentioned.  If  there  be  a  deposit  of  peat  muck  on  the 
farm,  it  becomes  an  essential  and  important  ingredient  of  the 
heap,  and  requires  some  study  in  order  to  avoid  error  here  also. 
All  peat  muck  is  a  carbonaceous  matter  arising  from  the  de- 
conipobitiou  and  concentration  during  ages  of  vegetable  matter, 
chiefly  of  such  plants  as  thrive  in  wet  and  watery  situations. 
This  muck  is  mixed  with  such  acids  as  arise  from  the  decom- 
position of  the  juices  of  vegetables  of  this  nature  and  from 
stagnant  water,  and  they  are  generally  injurious  to  the  growth 


J.  E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  621 

of  many  crops.  The  chemist's  advice  is  often  followed  to 
neutralize  these  acids  by  lime  or  by  other  alkalies,  potash  or 
soda  salts  if  cheap  and  at  hand,  or,  when  put  in  the  hog  pen, 
by  the  ammonia  from  the  excrement.  Now  this  neutraliza- 
tion, which  in  other  words  is  the  making  of  the  acids  inert  or 
no  longer  acid  and  injurious  by  these  additions,  does  not  get 
rid  of  them ;  they  are  taken  into  the  soil  in  this  neutralized 
state,  and  are  either  washed  out  by  rain  in  this  state,  combined 
with  the  neutralizers,  or,  if  the  growing  crops  use  up  the  neu- 
tralizing alkalies,  the  acids  appear  again  and  must  again  be 
neutralized. 

Now  these  acids  are  generally  soluble  in  water  ;  the  best  way 
therefore  to  treat  the  peat  muck  is  to  wash  it  as  well  as  can  be 
done.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  best  plan  would  be,  where  there 
is  no  fall  of  land,  to  drain  such  a  peat  bog  by  cutting  a  trench 
through  the  middle  and  allowing  a  natural  washing  by  rain,  to 
cart  it  on  to  a  piece  of  land  where  there  L  a  gentle  fall,  lay  it 
out  in  layers  or  winrows  with  gutters  between,  so  as  to  drain 
away  the  water  impregnated  with  the  acids,  and  let  it  be  ex- 
posed to  the  rains  of  spring  and  autumn.  If  properly  managed 
one  season  would  thus  sweeten  it,  and  leave  a  residue  of  nearly 
pure  charcoal  fit  for  incorporation  with  the  manure  heap  and 
requiring  no  neutralization.  I  leave  out  of  question  the  idea  of 
decomposing  and  rotting  this  muck  by  admixture  with  hot  lime 
or  any  other  substance ;  it  is  wanted  in  its  present  state  of  a 
carbonaceous  mass,  only  sweetened  as  I  call  it  and  as  you  will 
better  understand  it,  by  washing  out  and  getting  rid  of  these 
injurious  acids  forever. 

In  justice  to  science  I  must  again  remark  that  by  charcoal  in 
this  address  is  not  meant  pure  scientific  charcoal,  but  merely 
such  substances  arising  from  decompositions  of  organic  matter, 
whether  of  animal  or  of  vegetable  origin,  as  absorb  the  valuable 
portion  of  manure.  The  more  intimately  this  sweetened  muck 
is  incorporated  with  manure  the  better ;  although  to  this  there 
is  this  limit,  the  manure  must  not  be  turned  over  again  and 
again  for  the  purpose  of  this  incorporation,  for  by  so  doing  the 
valuable  parts  are  lost  in  the  atmosphere.  This  is  a  great 
error  with  those   who    use  guano ;  they  insist    that  it  is  too 


622  SELECTIONS   FROM  ADDRESSES. 

strong,  and  will  mix  it  with  loam  or  other  substances,  and  turn 
it  over  and  over  until  one  half  the  ammonia  has  evaporated  in 
the  air,  as  I  shall  presently  show  you ;  it  is  then  weak  enough, 
and  they  have  got  rid  of  one  half  the  substance  without  any 
return,  on  the  quantity  of  which  in  the  original  guano  its  mar- 
ket value  depends.  You  will  now  I  hope  see  the  reason  why 
it  is  proper  to  finish  off  each  addition  to  the  manure  heap  by  a 
few  inches  of  this  sweetened  peat  muck;  it  absorbs  and  retains 
the  gases  arising  from  the  manure. 

It  is  no  longer  necessary  for  me  in  1851,  as  it  was  in  1845, 
to  detail  the  advantages  of  guano.  Its  use  is  reviving  the  worn 
out  lands  of  the  southern  sections  of  the  States.  In  several 
parts  of  Virginia,  land,  which  but  a  few  years  since  was  in  vain 
offered  at  five  dollars  the  acre,  is  now  worth  and  selling  for 
fifty  dollars  per  acre,  this  change  solely  arising  from  the  crops 
produced  by  the  application  of  this  manure.  In  these  northern 
sections  we  have  been  quite  behind  hand  on  this  subject,  al- 
though I  believe  that  those  who  have  judiciously  applied  guano 
here  have  had  no  reason  to  repent.  In  England,  where  its  use 
is  best  known  by  the  practical  experience  of  twelve  years,  the 
importation  for  the  first  seven  months  in  1849  was  51,481 
tons;  first  seven  months  in  1850  was  69,937  tons ;  and  the 
importation  for  the  first  seven  months  in  1851  was  131,009 
tons,  in  value  about  six  millions  of  dollars,  or  nearly  double. 
These  are  from  late  official  documents.  So  that  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  efficacy  of  this  manure,  no  doubt  can  exist.  It  is 
even  coming  into  use  in  China,  where  it  is  sure  to  find  its  true 
value.  The  cost  at  which  it  can  and  will  be  sold  here,  and  in 
the  other  large  ports  of  the  United  States,  is  about  $45  per 
ton,  or  two  cents  a  pound.  Now  350  pounds  is  ample  for 
one  acre ;  consequently  the  cost  will  be  %7  per  acre  for  the 
manure. 

The  only  trouble  that  remains  is  the  method  of  its  applica- 
tion, and  although  more  maybe  learned  by  practical  experience 
than  any  other  way,  yet  some  assistance  may  be  afforded  by 
verbal  information.  I  have  read  with  surprise  the  various 
recommendations  for  its  application,  in  the  periodical  publica- 
tions of  the  day.     Some  recommend  ploughing  in  the  autumn 


J.  E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  623 

that  it  may  become  mellow  by  the  spring.  In  this  sense  I  do 
not  know  what  melloiv  means.  Others  advise  mixing  it  with 
different  substances,  and  turning  it  over  until  thoioughly  in- 
corporated, and  thus  much  of  the  ammonia  is  evaporated  in  the 
atmosphere.  Now  the  most  beneficial  method  of  using  guano 
depends  again  on  the  very  principle  we  have  been  discussing, 
viz.,  the  mechanical  properties  of  the  soil.  On  a  moderately 
stiff  clay  it  might  perhaps  answer  to  plough  it  in  during  the 
autumn  ;  the  clay  would  absorb  the  ammonia  and  soluble  salts, 
and  the  phosphate  of  lime  remain  unaltered ;  but  the  work 
must  be  thoroughly  done,  as  every  particle  of  guano  exposed  to 
the  atmosphere  would  be  rendered  nearly  useless  to  vegetation, 
and  on  light  lands  this  practice  would  result  in  the  total  loss  of 
the  most  beneficial  parts  of  this  manure.  Here  the  most  eco- 
nomical way  would  be  to  make  two  applications  during  the 
spring,  when  feasible,  say  one-third  under  the  seed  when  sown, 
but  without  touching  it,  and  two-thirds  just  under  the  surface, 
when  the  plant  is  one  month  old.  This  method  is  easy  with 
Indian  corn.  One-third  may  be  used  in  the  hill,  and  two- 
thirds  with  the  cultivator,  afterwards.  With  other  crops,  how- 
ever, it  is  not  so  practicable.  But  every  soil  should  be  thor- 
oughly examined  as  to  its  absorbing  properties  before  the  best 
method  can  be  put  into  practice.  I  have  no  objection  to  mix- 
ing it  with  very  moderately  damp  charcoal,  with  dry  plaster 
of  Paris  or  dry  loam,  turning  over  as  little  as  possible  and  cov- 
ering up  immediately  with  guano  bags,  a  layer  of  charcoal  or 
plaster  being  on  the  top  ;  all  moist  mixtures  are  improper — the 
ammonia,  when  moistened,  becomes  like  hartshorn  or  liquid 
ammonia,  and  evaporates  in  the  air.  You  will  observe  when 
I  hold  this  glass  rod  thus,  moistened  with  muriatic  acid,  over 
this  dish  of  hartshorn  (ammonia)  a  white  cloud  arises;  this 
proves  the  escape  of  ammonia.  On  holding  the  same  glass 
rod  over  this  guano,  you  observe  the  same  white  cloud  ;  hence 
it  is  clear  that  ammonia  is  always  escaping  from  guano  at  com- 
mon temperatures,  when  exposed  in  the  atmosphere.  There- 
fore, when  mixing  your  guano,  a  glass  rod,  with  a  little  muriatic 
acid,  held  half  an  inch  or  less  from  the  heap,  will  show  you  if 
you  are  losing  the  ammonia,  which  is  the  part  that  costs  the 
most  money,  and  is  the  most  valuable. 


624  SELECTIONS  FROM  ADDRESSES. 

This  is  often  a  good  test  to  know  if  yonr  guano  has  been 
properly  ploughed  in  ;  go  over  the  land  with  such  a  stick,  and 
observe  if  it  produces  fumes  anywhere.  For  Indian  corn,  for 
wheat,  rye  and  other  cereals,  for  grass,  for  potatoes,  and,  above 
all,  for  turnips,  guano  is  a  most  excellent  manure,  and,  with  an 
outlay  of  ^8  per  acre,  all  charges  included,  will  give  as  large, 
and  a  more  nutritious  crop  than  any  other  manure,  and  will 
amply  repay  the  expense.  Permanently  therefore  to  improve 
light  lands,  I  strongly  advise  a  course  of  three  or  four  years' 
action  with  guano,  and  during  this  period  a  careful  accumula- 
tion and  consolidation  of  manure,  to  be  then  put  on  to  the  land 
in  large  quantities  at  a  time,  but  always  to  keep  on  hand  a 
back  stock  for  future  use,  and  never  to  apply  it  until  three,  four 
or  more  years  old. 

I  am  entitled  to  give  this  advice,  as  I  have  used  guano  alone 
on  a  miserable  soil  for  six  consecutive  years,  and  have  had 
at  least  as  good  crops  as  those  who  have  used  barnyard  ma- 
nure. I  have  a  letter  from  England  dated  19th  September, 
from  a  gentleman  whose  position  enables  him  to  possess  inti- 
mate knowledge  on  this  subject,  in  which,  after  noticing  the 
arrival  of  cargoes  of  guano  from  Shark's  island,  Australia,  and 
Seychelles  islands  in  the  China  sea,  and  giving  me  the  relative 
values  compared  with  the  Peruvian,  he  observes ;  "  Guano  is 
quite  established  here  now,  and  farmers  know  for  certain  that 
it  doubles  their  profits."  And  with  respect  to  the  manner  of 
storing  manure,  others  may  probably  adopt  better  ways  ;  my 
chief  desire  has  been  to  point  out  the  principles,  leaving  the 
practice  to  more  experienced  hands. 

It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  men  who  like  myself  have 
passed  much  time  in  cities,  should  be  acquainted  with  all  the 
practical  details  of  the  agricultural  profession ;  but  this  I  may 
with  certainty  affirm,  that  of  those  points  of  husbandry  to 
which  I  have  paid  any  attention  there  is  not  a  single  one,  but 
what  may  be  considered  as  susceptible  of  very  great  improve- 
ment by  the  application  of  the  powers  of  the  cultivated  mind, 
and  it  is  the  want  of  practical  faith  in  this  assertion  which  has 
hitherto  been  the  greatest  bar  to  the  dissemination  of  more 
knowledge  on  agriculture  by  education  ;  as  if  agriculture  could 


J.  E.  TESCHEMACHER'S  ADDRESS.  625 

stand  still,  while  knowledge  on  all  other  subjects  is  progressing 
at  a  railroad  pace. 

It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  the  movements  of  the  large 
agricultural  bodies,  representing  the  most  intelligent  of  this 
class,  are  slowly,  but  surely,  indicating  daylight  on  this  mo- 
mentous subject  of  agricultural  education,  and  also  that  this  is 
the  most  propitious  moment  for  making  a  strong  move  in  the 
community.  With  all  my  zeal  in  this  business,  however,  I 
cannot  too  much  recommend  caution,  cool  deliberation,  and 
above  all  singlemindedness  in  the  prosecution  of  this  important 
work  ;  a  failure  in  any  part  of  it  would  cause  infinite  regret,  as 
well  as  a  postponement  for  years  of  any  further  efforts. 


79 


POTATO  ROT.  627 


REPORT  ON  THE  POTATO  ROT. 


The  Joint  Standing  Committee  on  Agriculture,  to  whom  was 
referred  the  various  communications  which  have  been  re- 
ceived by  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonweahh,  concerning 
the  Potato  Rot,  having  attended  to  the  communications, 

REPORT: 

That  fifty-two  different  persons,  from  various  parts  of  this 
Commonwealth,  and  fifty-one  others  from  other  states  and  the 
British  Provinces,  have  communicated  their  views,  or  proposed 
questions.  Very  many  of  them  are  of  no  value,  and  do  no 
credit  to  their  authors.  But  others  have  been  prepared  with 
great  care,  evince  careful  observation,  sound  reasoning,  and 
much  good  sense.  As  a  whole,  the  treatises  are  believed  to 
embody  nearly  all  that  is  known  upon  the  subject  to  which 
they  relate,  and  to  contain  many  valuable  suggestions  and 
recommendations.  These  papers-have  been  called  forth  by  the 
reward  offered  by  the  Legislature,  and  common  courtesy  re- 
quires, through  us,  an  acknowledgment  of  their  reception ; 
while  justice  to  both,  the  State  which  may  be  called  upon  to 
pay  for  a  valuable  discovery,  and  to  discover  who  is  entitled  to 
the  privilege  of  having  the  soundness  of  his  theory  and  the 
efficacy  of  his  remedy  put  to  the  test  by  cultivators  everywhere, 
make  it  highly  proper  that  the  substance  of  each  communica- 
tion should  be  published.  Your  committee,  therefore,  recom- 
mend that  the  Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth  cause  a  synopsis 
to  be  made  of  the  contents  of  the  several  communications 


628  POTATO  ROT. 

which  he  has  received,  relating  to  the  potato  rot,  and  he  cause 
the  same,  with  the  name  and  residence  of  each  writer,  to  be 
published  as  a  part  of  his  collections  from  the  transactions  of 
the  Agricultural  Societies  of  the  Commonwealth. 

For  the  Committee, 

March  13,  1852.  ALLEN  PUTNAM, 


THE  SEVERAL  COMMUNICATIONS  ON  THE  CAUSE  AND  CURE 


POTATO    ROT 


aECEIVED    BY    THE    EXECUTIVE    OF    MASSACHUSETTS. 


rEEPARED   AND  PUB1I3HED  UNDER  THE  AUXH0RIT7   OF  THE  LEGISLAIUEE, 

BY     AMASA     WALKER, 

SECEETAEY  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH. 


BOSTON: 

DUTTON  &.  WENTWORTH,  STATE  PRINTERS, 

No.  37,  Congress  Street.' 

1852. 


The  communications  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  made  were  sent  to 
the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  in  consequence  of  the  following  Kesolve  of 
the  Legislature,  approved  March  22,  1851  : — 

Resolved,  That  a  reward  of  tea  thousand  dollars  be  offered  to  any  person, 
within  this  Commonwealth,  who  shall  satisfy  the  Governor  and  Council,  that,  by 
a  test  of  at  least  five  successive  years,  he  has  discovered  a  sure  and  practical 
remedy  for  the  Potato  Rot,  and  that  a  warrant  be  drawn  therefor  accordmgly. 


ABYEETISEMENT. 


€ommonti3caltl)    of   Mas3ac[]ii3tii3, 

Secretary's  Office; 
March,  1852. 

The  object  of  the  following  compilation  is  to  present 
the  views  of  a  great  number  of  persons  in  a  form  so  con- 
densed as  to  render  them  available  and  useful.  To  pub- 
lish them  at  full  length  would  make  a  volume  too  for- 
midable in  size.  Few  would  have  the  courage  to  under- 
take, and  fewer  still  to  accomplish  the  reading;  while 
the  expense  of  publication  would  render  it  inexpedient. 

Much  time,  labor,  and  patient  research,  have  been  ex- 
pended by  many  of  the  writers,  and  by  some  of  them 
from  purely  unselfish  and  praiseworthy  motives ;  while 
the  task  of  reducing  the  whole  to  a  small  compass,  and 
yet  retaining  the  views,  principles,  and  chain  of  reason- 
ing of  each,  in  such  manner  as  not  to  give  reasonable 
offence  to  the  writers,  has  been  attended  with  no  trifling 
amount  of  labor. 

Although  these  communications,  an  abstract  of  which 
is  here  given,  may  not  furnish  any  perfect  cure  or  pre- 
ventive of  the  potato  disease,  yet  they  agree  in  so  many 
important  points,  and  offer  so  many  valuable  hints,  re- 
lating to  the  nature,  cultivation,  preservation  and  im- 
provement of  the  potato,  that  they  cannot  fail  to  be  of 
great  public  utility. 

The  similarity  of  views  expressed  by  the  most  intelli- 


632  ADVERTISEMENT. 

gent  and  experienced  writers,  relating  to  the  nature,  cul- 
tivation, disease  and  cure  of  the  potato,  is  truly  remark- 
able, and  we  think  auspicious. 

Among  the  principal  points,  relating  to  which  there  is 
a  general  concurrence,  are  the  following : — 

The  Soundness  and  Vitality  of  the  Seed.  Renew- 
ing the  seed  from  the  ball  of  healthy  vigorous  plants, 
every  few  years, — even  resorting  to  the  native  place  in 
South  America,  and  taking  the  seed  from  the  wild  potato, 
is  considered  important.  When  potatoes  are  to  be  raised 
from  the  tuber,  sound  healthy  whole  potatoes  are  recom- 
mended for  planting.  Cutting  potatoes  is  decidedly  con- 
demned. Anything  which  im_pairs  the  vitality  of  the 
seed  increases  the  liability  to  disease. 

Quality  or  kind  of  Soil.  A  dry,  light,  loose,  warm 
soil,  is  considered  necessary  to  the  soundness  and  health 
of  the  vegetable,  as  well  as  to  its  richness  and  flavor ;  the 
latter  depending  quite  as  much  on  the  quality  of  soil,  as 
on  the  variety  of  seed.  A  wet,  heavy,  compact  soil,  di- 
rectly promotes  the  disorder.  Far  up  on  the  side  of  a 
mountain  or  hill  is  a  favorable  location  for  the  growth 
of  the  potato ;  and  new  land  contains  more  of  the  qual- 
ities requisite  for  its  nourishment  and  health,  than  old 
or  worn  out  soils. 

Influence  of  Atmosphere.  Potatoes  should  be  as 
little  exposed  to  the  air  as  conveniently  may  be.  Their 
natural  place  is  under  ground.  By  too  much  exposure 
they  become  poisoned  and  turn  green.  Some  recommend 
depositing  them  for  the  winter  in  holes  under  ground  in 
a  dry  soil ;  or  if  kept  in  a  cellar,  to  preserve  them  dry, 
in  small  quantities,  in  sand ;  and  to  keep  them  cool. 
Keeping  large  quantities  in  a  body  in  the  cellar  is  by 
some  supposed  to  promote  heat  and  putrefaction.  Plant- 
ing in  the  fall  is  recommended  by  some,  as  potatoes  left 


ADVERTISEMENT.  633 

in  the  field,  over  winter,  are  observed  to  come  forward 
earlier  in  the  spring,  to  grow  more  vigorously,  to  get 
ripe  earlier  and  before  the  blighting  rains  in  August,  and 
to  be  more  sound,  fair  and  healthy.        \ 

Manures.  All  antiputrescents,  such  as  lime,  wood 
ashes,  pulverized  charcoal,  plaster,  salt,  nitrogen,  &c.,  are 
believed  to  contribute  directly  to  the  health  of  the  potato, 
as  well  as  to  add  to  its  richness  and  flavor;  and,  of 
course,  to  prevent  putrefaction  and  disease.  Of  other 
manures,  well  rotted  compost  is  preferred.  Stable  ma- 
nure is  too  strong  and  heating,  and  produces  ill-flavored, 
unhealthy  potatoes,  and  is  decidedly  condemned. 

Disease — Contagion — Old  Age  and  Death.  These 
are  common  to  vegetables  as  well  as  animals.  All  are 
liable  to  disease,  some  more,  some  less,  according  to  cir- 
cumstances, predisposing  causes,  and  preventive  means. 
Some  vegetable  diseases  are  believed  to  be  contagious. 
The  present  disease  is  thought  by  many  to  be  of  that 
class.  One  field  of  potatoes  is  liable  to  take  the  disorder 
from  another  field.  Potatoes  are  predisposed  to  disease, 
by  bad  cultivation,  old  age,  bad  soil,  bad  manures,  sud- 
den changes  of  weather,  warm  rains,  &c. 

Ravages  of  Insects,  Fungi,  &c.  The  best  writers 
consider  the  ravages  of  insects  as  at  most  but  a  predis- 
posing cause,  rendering  the  potato  more  liable  to  disease 
by  enfeebling  the  plant.  By  many  writers  insects  are 
considered  as  remotely  affecting  the  potato ;  by  others,  as 
having  no  efl'ect  at  all.  The  fungus  on  potatoes  is  not 
the  cause  of  the  rot.  It  finds  the  potato,  previously  dis- 
eased, a  fit  subject  for  its  operation. 

The  general  conclusions  to  which  the  facts  presented 
in  these  various  communications  seem  to  lead  us,  are — 

1.  That  the  disease  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to 
the  cholera,  and  probably  exists  in  the  atmosphere. 
80 


634  ADVERTISEMENT. 

2.  That  it  is  doubtful  if  any  specific  cure  has  been,  or 
ever  will  be  discovered ;   but 

3.  As  in  cholera,  certain  preventives  are  well  ascertain- 
ed, by  the  application  of  which,  the  liabilities  to  disease 
may  be  greatly  lessened. 

4.  That  by  obtaining  the  soundest  seed,  by  planting 
in  the  most  favorable  soils,  and  by  using  the  most  suita- 
ble manures,  we  may  have  a  good  degree  of  confidence 
in  the  successful  cultivation  of  this  useful  vegetable. 

5.  That  we  may  expect,  that  like  the  cholera,  the  po- 
tato rot  will  become  less  and  less  formidable  from  year  to 
year,  and  eventually  subside  into  a  mild  and  manageable 
epidemic,  if  that  term  may  be  used  in  such  a  connection. 


POTATO  ROT,  635 


COMMUNICATIONS  ON  THE  POTATO  ROT, 


FROM  CITIZENS  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 


NAMES  ALPHABETICALLY  ARRANGED. 


Adams,  Ichabod,  Duxbury.  Potatoes  half  grown  when  dug, 
would  produce  earlier  potatoes  than  those  full  grown.  Best 
time  for  planting.  May  25  to  June  28.  Dig  as  soon  as  the 
vines  fail. 

Barber,  Jos.  S..  Gloucester.  Thinks  mildew  the  cause  ; 
early  planting  the  remedy. 

Bassett,  Samuel,  Taunton,  having  had  twenty  years'  expe- 
rience, believes,  like  others,  that  the  potato  has  run  out  by  age, 
and  recommends  planting  potatoes  that  bear  plenty  of  balls, 
and  renewing  the  seed  from  the  balls  often,  and  at  a  distance 
from  the  diseased  ones. 

Bradford,  Wm.  J.  A.,  Boston,  in  a  printed  pamphlet  of  46 
pages,  evincing  extensive  reading  and  deep  research,  and  writ- 
ten with  fluency  and  ability,  expresses  nearly  the  same  senti- 
ments as  to  the  nature  of  the  potato,  its  discovery,  cultivation, 
kind  of  soils  and  manures  best  adapted,  the  causes  of  its  decay 
and  disease,  with  the  means  necessary  for  its  renewal  and  res- 
toration to  health,  which  have  been  expressed  by  Mr.  Dawson 
and  other  able  and  experienced  writers.  Those  who  have 
leisure  and  inclination  to  read  these  opinions  at  large,  would 
do  well  to  procure  the  pamphlet.  Here,  only  a  condensed  ac- 
count, or  brief  abstract,  can  be  given. 

The  authorities  quoted  by  Mr.  Bradford  represent,  that  the 
potato  was,  for  a  long  time,  used  only  as  a  delicacy, — cultivated 


636  POTATO  ROT. 

in  gardens,  by  a  few  persons,  for  almost  a  century.  The  year 
1663  is  mentioned  as  the  date  when  it  began  to  be  more  gen- 
erally cultivated — i7i  gardens.  It  did  not  become  an  article  of 
field  culture  till  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  1730, 
in  Scotland ;  soon  after,  more  at  large  in  England ;  probably 
not  earlier  in  this  country. 

The  flavor  of  the  potato  is  said  to  depend  on  the  quality  of 
the  soil.  The  same  variety  of  potatoes  "  will  have  a  strong, 
unpleasant  flavor  in  one  soil,  that  has  a  sweet,  agreeable  one  in 
another.  In  a  heavy,  wet  soil,  or  a  rank,  black  loam,  though 
the  crop  is  often  abundant,  it  is  scarcely  ever  palatable.  Si- 
liceous soils,  even  approaching  to  gravel,  are  always  to  be 
planted  in  preference  to  the  above.  A  dry,  mouldy,  fresh  and 
moderately  rich  soil,  is  unquestionably  the  best  for  every  vari- 
ety of  the  potato.  The  black  skinned  and  rough  red  thrive 
better  than  any  in  moist,  cold  soils." 

There  is  a  marked  difi"erence  in  the  nutritive  quality  of  pota- 
toes, which  was  supposed  to  be  depending  on  the  variety, 
though  quite  as  likely  on  the  soil. 

The  common  mode  of  cultivation  by  the  tuber,  or  eyes  of 
the  tuber,  being  the  only  profitable  and  convenient  mode,  has 
aff'orded  a  temptation,  when  a  good  variety  was  obtained,  to 
continue  to  cultivate  that  variety,  by  the  tuber,  too  long — till 
the  decay  of  old  age  had  manifestly  affected  them.  Varieties 
obtained  from  the  seed  of  old  plants  will  sooner  feel  the  debility 
and  decay  of  old  age.  When  resort  has  been  had  to  seed,  it 
has  generally  been  from  those  varieties  which  had  long  been 
in  popular  favor, — that  is,  the  oldest.  A  greater  mistake  could 
not  be  made.  The  seed  should  be  selected  from  the  most 
vigorous  plants. 

Mr.  B.  condemns  the  practice  of  planting  cut  potatoes,  in- 
stead of  whole  ones. 

The  question  of  locality,  or  native  place  of  the  potato,  is 
becoming  one  of  interest,  as  it  may  become  necessary  to  resort 
to  the  wild  stock  again  to  replenish  and  renew  our  own. 
Humboldt  says  the  potato  is  not  indigenous  in  Peru,  and  not 
to  be  found  wild  in  any  part  of  North  America,  but  on  the 
western  side  of  South  America  only.     This  is  controverted  by 


POTATO  ROT.  63? 

Mr.  Smee,  another  author.  "  Don  J.  Pavon  says,  that  Solarium 
tuberosum  (the  potato)  grows  wild  in  the  environs  of  Lima, 
and  fourteen  leagues  from  Lima  on  the  coast ;  and  I  have  found 
it  in  the  kingdom  of  Chili ;"  and  Mr.  Lambert  adds,  "  I  have 
lately  received  from  M.  Pavon  very  fine  wild  specimens  of 
Solanum  tuberosum,  collected  by  himself  in  Peru.  In  Chili, 
it  is  generally  found  in  steep,  rocky  places,  where  it  could 
never  have  been  cultivated,  and  where  its  introduction  must 
have  been  almost  impossible.  It  is  very  common  about  Valpa- 
raiso, and  Cruikshank  has  noticed  it  along  the  coast  for  fifteen 
leagues  to  the  northward  of  that  port  j  how  much  farther  it 
may  extend  he  knows  not."  From  all  accounts  of  the  native 
place  of  the  potato,  it  must  be  supposed  that  a  mountain  coun- 
try is  most  congenial  to  its  habits. 

The  varieties  of  the  potato  are  very  numerous.  A  list  of 
160  kinds  has  been  seen  in  England  ;  and,  in  this  country, 
they  are  believed  to  be  not  less  numerous,  Mr.  Cole,  late 
editor  of  the  New  England  Farmer,  is  said  to  have  raised  forty 
new  varieties  from  the  seed. 

The  reproductive  power  of  plants  is  in  the  seed  only.  It  is 
only  by  the  development  of  the  embryo  contained  in  the  seed, 
that  a  new  life  can  be  produced.  This  embryo  of  life  is  not 
fully  developed  at  once,  but  continues  gradually  to  be  developed 
in  the  production  of  new  parts, — of  buds  especially,  which  are 
embryo  branches  springing  forth,  multiplying  the  limbs,  ex- 
tending the  plant,  and  changing  its  form.  These  buds,  if 
suffered  to  remain  and  vegetate  on  the  parent  stock,  become 
new  branches  only ;  but  if  removed  from  the  stem  and  placed 
in  the  earth,  in  a  condition  to  grow,  become  a  full  and  perfect 
plant  instead  of  a  branch  of  the  parent.  In  this  case,  however, 
it  is  merely  the  extension  or  multiplication  of  the  form  of  the 
life  already  in  being,  and  not  a  new  life, — not  a  new  individual. 

This  principle  is  considered  important,  as  being  the  basis  on 
which  the  author's  ideas  of  the  disease  rests,  and  he  gives  some 
authorities  in  confirmation. 

Dr.  James  E.  Smith,  a  scientific  writer  on  botany,  says : — 
"  By  buds,  as  we  well  know,  plants  are  propagated,  and  in  that 
sense  each  bud  is  a  separate  being,   or  a  young  plant  in  itself^ 


638  POTA'JHJ  ROT. 

hut  such  propagation  is  only  the  extension  of  an  individual^  and 
not  a  production  of  the  species,  as  by  seed.  Accordingly,  all 
plants  increased  by  buds,  cuttings,  layers  or  roots,  retain  pre- 
cisely the  peculiar  qualities  of  the  individual  to  which  they 
owe  their  origin."  He  further  says :  I  cannot  but  assent  to 
Mr.  Knight's  opinion,  that  ^'- each  individual  thus  propagated 
has  only  a  determinate  existence,  in  some  cases  longer,  in  others 
shorter;  from  which  cause  many  valuable  varieties  of  ap- 
ples AND  PEARS,  KNOWN  IN  FORMER  TIMES,  ARE  NOW  WORN  OUT, 
AND   OTHERS   ARE  DWINDLING  AWAY  BEFORE   OUR  EYES. 

"  Gardeners  know  how  many  of  the  most  hardy  perennial 
herbs  require  to  be  frequently  renewed  from  seed,  to  exist  in 
full  vigor ;  and  though  others  appear,  to  our  confined  experi- 
ence, unlimited  in  that  respect,  we  have  many  reasons  to  be- 
lieve they  are  not  so.  Propagation  by  seeds  is  therefore  the 
only  true  reproduction  of  plants,  by  which  each  species 
remains  distinct." 

Again  this  author  says — "  Having  examined  the  general 
structure  and  external  forms  of  plants,  we  now  come  to  more 
important  and  even  essential,  though  more  transitory  organs — 
the  flower  and  fruit.  By  these,  each  species  is  perpetually  re- 
newed without  limits — while,  as  already  mentioned,  all  other 
modes  of  propagation  are  hut  the  extension  of  an  individual, 

AND    SOONER    OR    LATER    TERMINATE    IN   ITS    TOTAL    EXTINCTION. 

Those  apple  trees  which  have  been  continually  propagated  for 
above  a  century  by  ingrafting,  are  now  become  so  diseased 
that  though  the  fruit  retains  the  same  flavor,  the  trees  are 
worthless ;  and  grafts,  inserted  in  other  trees,  are  only  an  elon- 
gation of  the  original  tree,  and  must  feel  the  effect  of  age,  like 
the  tree  they  were  taken  froni.^^ 

The  natural  place,  or  native  place,  of  the  potato  seems  to 
have  been  about  latitude  35°,  but  being  a  hardy  plant,  it  has 
become  naturalized  throughout  Europe  and  this  country — from 
the  equator  to  70°  north.  The  tuber,  in  its  native  state,  is 
said  to  be  very  small,  about  the  size  of  a  nutmeg;  its  present 
enlarged  size  being  caused  by  cultivation. 

The  Disease.  That  which  has  life  must  experience  decay 
and  death.      Unless  endowed  with  immortality,  there  must  be 


POTATO  ROT.  639 

a  dissolution  of  the  physical  organism,  and  of  course,  there  must 
be  disease.  The  theory  v/hich  Mr.  B.  intends  to  establish  is, 
that  if  fungi  are  present  in  the  diseased  potato,  they  are  there 
because  the  tubers  are  previously  in  a  condition  suited  to  aftbrd 
them  aliment — that  is,  they  are  already  in  an  unhealthy,  en- 
feebled condition.  That  condition  is  old  age.  The  potato 
has  for  the  most  part  been  propagated  from  sets  or  buds,  for  a 
long  course  of  years.  Occasionally  some  have  been  raised 
from  the  seed,  but  mostly  from  the  eyes  of  the  tuber,  which  is 
only  an  extension  of  the  same  individual  life,  not  a  produc- 
tion of  new  life.  In  addition  to  this,  it  has  been  subject  to  a 
forced  cultivation,  in  a  climate  not  indigenous.  These  con- 
ditions would  be  likely  to  have  much  effect  in  shortening  life. 
Though,  therefore,  the  immediate  disease  may  be  connected 
with  fungi,  the  ultimate  cause  is  old  age — the  disorder  to  be 
remedied.  This  opinion  the  author  published  in  an  agri- 
cultural paper  in  the  year  1845-6.  Since  then,  statements 
have  been  published  to  show  that  some  potatoes  recently  from 
seedlings  have  taken  the  disease.  This  does  not  invalidate 
the  above  opinion,  though  at  first  it  might  seem  to  have  that 
effect.  For  if  a  plant  is  raised  from  a  seed,  which  was  pro- 
duced by  a  diseased  or  very  aged  parent,  it  would  be  almost  as 
liable  to  disease,  as  a  bud  taken  from  the  old  stock.  The 
theory  here  advanced  is  founded  in  an  immutable  law  of  na- 
ture, attached  to  all  forms  of  life,  and  all  organized  matter ; 
and  that  law  is  dissolution. 

In  the  Farmer's  Encyclopedia,  1844,  art.  Canker,  it  is  said, 
although  young  trees  are  liable  to  this  disease,  yet  old  age  is 
the  period  most  obnoxious  to  its  attacks.  Notice,  it  is  not  a 
young  tree  which  has  been  lately  grafted.  If  the  tree,  from 
which  the  scion  has  been  taken,  is  an  old  variety,  it  is  only 
the  multiplication  of  an  aged  individual.  The  scion  may,  for 
a  few  years,  exhibit  signs  of  increased  vigor,  owing  to  the 
abundant  supply  of  healthy  sap  from  the  stock,  but  tha  scion 
will  afterward  become  as  decrepid  as  the  parent  tree.  The 
unanimous  experience  of  naturalists  agree  in  testifying  that 
every  organized  creature  has  its  limit  of  existence.  In  plants 
it  varies  from  a  few  months  to  as  many  centuries  ;  but  of  all, 
the  days  are  numbered. 


640  POTATO  ROT. 

Some  frnit  trees  are  affected  with  the  canker,  especially  the 
apple  tree,  Mr.  Knight  asserts,  from  his  own  experience  and 
observation  within  the  last  twenty  years,  that  this  disease 
becomes  progressively  more  fatal  to  each  variety,  as  its  age 
increases  beyond  a  certain  period,  and  that  all  the  varieties  of 
the  apple  which  he  has  foimd  in  the  catalogues  of  the  middle 
of  the  seventeenth  century,  are  unproductive  of  fruit,  and  in  a 
state  of  debility  and  decay.  Those  are  most  exposed,  which 
had  an  excessively  vigorous  growth  in  their  early  years. 

The  potato  disease  appears  in  three  forms.  The  first,  a 
shrinking  internally,  leaving  a  hollow  in  the  centre,  called  gan- 
grene. Another,  where  the  tuber  becomes  soft,  pulpy  and 
moist,  like  a  rotten  apple.  This  is  the  moist  gangrene.  This 
is  the  disease  which  has  caused  such  loss  to  the  farmer,  such 
detriment  to  the  State,  and  deprived  both  man  and  beast  of 
much  wholesome  food,  which  was  formerly  a  source  of  much 
wealth.  A  third  form  is  distinguished  by  a  collection  of  black, 
dry  matter,  in  the  body  of  the  tuber.  This  prevailed  to  some 
extent,  a  few  years  since,  but  whether  a  distinct  disease,  may 
admit  of  doubt. 

Remedy.  At  an  early  stage  of  the  disease,  when  its  ravages 
were  more  confined  to  old  subjects,  in  a  state  of  debility  and 
decay,  Mr.  B.  thinks  it  might  have  been  arrested  by  resorting 
to  seed,  instead  of  raising  from  the  tuber.  Such  a  practice, 
even  now,  he  thinks  might  be  of  great  benefit,  and,  if  gener- 
ally followed,  would  reduce  the  disease  from  an  epidemic  to  a 
sporadic  character,  and  might  possibly  effect  a  cure.  And  this 
is  the  remedy,  which  it  was  the  writer's  purpose  to  propose. 
Two  auxiliaries  are  suggested  by  him. 

Planting-  the  potato  in  the  fall  has  been  considered  in 
England  and  France  a  useful  practice.  It  was  adopted  in 
England  at  the  begiiming  of  the  present  century,  when  the 
disease  called  the  curl  was  very  prevalent.  It  has  been  lately 
recommended  in  France,  as  a  cure  for  the  present  disease. 

The  application  of  salt  is  the  other  auxiliary.  This  has 
been  used  with  effect  as  a  preventive  and  cure  of  the  mildew  ; 
and  if  the  disease  in  the  potato  is  in  part  owing  to  fungus,  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  it  may  be  fatal  to  this  also.     The  mode 


POTATO  ROT.  641 

of  using  salt,  is  to  sprinkle  on  a  solution  with  a  waterpot,  or  to 
spread  it  on  with  a  plasterer's  brush,  in  proportion  of  one  pound 
to  a  gallon  of  water.  But  Mr.  B.  has  more  faith  in  new  land, 
the  application  of  salt  and  wood  ashes  as  a  dressing,  and  the 
avoiding  of  all  stable  manures. 

The  application  of  copperas  has  proved  very  effective  in 
France  in  restoring  debilitated  plants.  This  is  applied  in  solu- 
tion by  watering,  or  by  reducing  it  to  powder,  and  sowing  it 
mixed  with  fine  soil.  Its  effect  has  been  very  speedy.  Where 
healthy  plants  are  attacked,  the  use  of  salt  or  copperas  may  be 
expedient,  with  the  use  of  new  land  and  fall  planting.  But  all 
these  cannot  give  immortality  to  the  plant.  In  length  of  time 
it  must  decay.  To  many  varieties  which  have  been  long  cul- 
tivated, that  time  has  already  come.  The  ravages  of  disease 
may  therefore  be  continued,  so  long  as  these  old  varieties,  long 
from  the  seed,  are  continued ;  and  even  a  remedy  in  this 
respect  will  not  in  all  cases  prove  effectual  ;  for  the  child  may 
be  attacked  as  well  as  the  old  man.  No  period  of  life,  either 
animal  or  vegetable,  is  absolutely  exempt  from  disease.  But  a 
conclusion,  that  the  disease  is  not  in  consequence  of  old  age, 
because  young  plants  are  sometimes  attacked,  would  be  very 
erroneous. 

The  long  continued  practice  of  raising  from  the  tuber,  how- 
ever, may  have  affected  all  the  varieties  now  in  use  with  such 
a  morbid  predisposition,  that  no  healthy  seed  can  be  obtained 
without  resorting  to  the  wild  plant  in  its  native  place. 

Mr.  B.  does  not  propose  the  use  of  salt,  or  fall  planting,  or 
copperas,  as  distinct  remedies,  but  renewing  from  the  seed. 
The  former  may  be  useful  as  aids  in  certain  cases. 

There  has  been  too  much  forcing,  stimulating  and  heating, 
in  the  cultivation  of  potatoes,  producing  a  bad  flavor,  as  well  as 
weakening  and  shortening  the  vitality  of  the  plant.  He  would, 
therefore,  recommend  renewing  from  the  seed — new  land,  with 
the  use  of  salt,  and  soot,  or  wood  ashes. 

Brooks,  Elisha,  New  Ashford.     Recommends  a   mode   of 
cultivation  not  unlike  that  ordinarily  pursued — planting  1st  of 
81 


642  POTATO  ROT. 

May,  on  old  land — spreading  manure  on  the  surface,  hoeing  it 
under — cutting  large  potatoes — placing  the  pieces  a  foot  apart. 

Beaman,  C.  C,  Wellfleet.  Remedy. — Plant  sprouts  instead 
of  the  bulb,  three  inches  under  ground.  A  lady  has  tried  this 
successfully.  She  believes  the  disease  is  in  the  bulb,  affected 
only  by  the  soil  and  climate. 

Burke,  P.  B.,  Boston.  Preventive. — Take  equal  parts  of 
hen-manure  and  loam,  mixed,  one  quart  in  each  hill  at  planting. 

Ohard,  Granville,  Gloucester.  Cause. — Mildew.  Remedy. 
— "  When  the  blossoms  begin  to  fall,  cover  them  with  earth." 

Dadd,  G.  H.,  Boston.  Essay  of  twenty-two  pages.  He 
thinks  the  causes,  like  those  of  the  cholera,  are  involved  in 
much  doubt  and  uncertainty.  He  believes  the  disease  conta- 
gious, and  may  be  transmitted  by  atmospheric  agency  from 
one  region  to  another.  Vegetables  are  capable  of  receiving 
into  their  organization  infectious  matter,  and  of  respiring  pois- 
onous miasmata  as  readily  as  animals.  Both  require  atmos- 
pheric food."  A  knowledge  of  the  similarity  between  vegeta- 
ble and  animal  nature  enables  us  to  preserve  their  identity  and 
prevent  diseases.  He  compares  the  commencement  and  growth 
of  vegetables  with  animals — the  diseases  of  one,  with  those  of 
the  other — the  potato-rot  with  the  cholera.  Diseases  may  be 
hereditary  or  acquired.  The  same  laws  of  propagation  and 
improvement  apply  to  vegetables  and  animals.  "  Like  be- 
gets like."  An  unhealthy  plant  cannot  produce  good  fruit. 
Due  care  should  be  observed  in  the  selection  of  seedlings,  as 
well  as  preserving  them  in  their  purity.  The  vital  principle 
must  not  be  compromised  by  mixing  good  seed  with  inferior 
varieties.  Potatoes  may  be  affected,  as  grapes,  wheat,  &c.,  are 
known  to  be,  by  soil  or  manure. 

Many  theories  have  been  suggested,  all  of  which  have  been 
more  or  less  conflicting  and  unsatisfactory ;  as  the  "  Fungus 
theory,"  "  Insect  theory,"  &c.  &c.,  many  of  which  are  effects 
which  require  a  cause.     Fungi  are  not  found  in  healthy  veg- 


POTATO  ROT.  643 

etables.  Fungus  growth  is  slow  in  its  developments.  The 
small  vessels  of  the  tuber  which  lead  from  centre  to  surface  be- 
come obstructed,  or  partly  paralyzed,  and  its  power  of  throwing 
off  excrementitious  matter  impaired.  Fungi  are  only  symptoms 
of  a  loss  of  vitality,  mere  effects.  Preceding  these  were  other 
manifestations  of  disorder ;  such  as  soapy  taste,  &c.  "  I  con- 
sider fungi  to  be  of  hereditary  origin,  although  at  first  acquired." 
The  changes  have  been  so  gradual  as  not  to  be  suspected. 
Many  of  the  external  morbid  growths  on  vegetables  originate 
within,  while  they  are  supposed  to  be  external  causes. 

The  insect  theory  could  have  but  a  secondary  effect  in  pro- 
ducing or  extending  the  rot,  for  many  of  the  insects  found 
about  the  plant  result  from  the  decomposition  of  the  tuber. 
Although  these  cannot  produce  the  rot,  they  act  in  conjunction 
with  other  causes  in  producing  disease.  The  vitality  of  the 
potato  may  have  been  compromised  by  transplanting.  It  is 
supposed  to  be  indigenous  to  South  America.  How  far  it  may 
have  suffered  by  transplantation  is  difficult  to  decide.  The 
Almighty  made  the  races  of  animals  and  vegetables  to  be 
healthy,  but  if  his  laws  respecting  them  are  violated  by  an  in- 
ferior cross  fecundation,  or  want  of  due  care  in  the  selection  or 
preservation  of  seedlings,  or  any  other  extraneous  circumstances 
or  agents,  we  may  expect  to  find  them  involved  in  general 
ruin. 

To  preserve  the  identity  and  life  of  the  potato — 

First.     Plant  a  perfect  germ — largest  potatoes  are  best. 

Secondly.     Plant  ripe  seed. 

Thirdly.     The  soil  and  climate  must  be  congenial. 

Lastly.  The  different  varieties  must  be  either  planted  sep- 
arately ;  or,  if  improvement  be  designed,  it  must  be  accom- 
plished through  the  congress  of  superior  plants.  With  the 
first  requisite  there  is  no  compliance.  With  the  second,  the 
practical  farmer  will  not  contend.  The  third  requires  a  knowl- 
edge of  agricultural  chemistry.  The  fourth  is  too  often  violated. 
The  varieties,  like  the  different  breeds  of  animals,  are  so  amal- 
gamated as  to  render  it  difficult  to  find  pure  stock. 

From  these  remarks  it  is  evident  that  the  causes,  hereditary 
or  acquired,  are  various,  operating  directly  or  indirectly  in  de- 


644  POTATO  ROT. 

stroying  the  vitality  of  the  potato.  The  disease,  the  last  sea- 
son, was  of  a  putrid  type,  capable  of  communicating  itself  not 
only  by  contact  or  proximity,  but  of  sending  its  specific  and 
active  poison  "  on  the  wings  of  the  wind,"  over  a  wide-spread 
territory. 

These  remedies  may  be  rendered  available  in  a  great  majority 
of  cases,  by  care  and  attention, — not  without.  Old  woodlands, 
abounding  in  small,  loose  stones ;  elevated  situations,  and  hill- 
sides sloping  to  the  south,  are  the  most  favorable  locations. 

DiMOCK,  S.  R..  Springfield.  ''Believes  the  cause  to  have 
been,  that  the  potato  has  been  so  long  produced  from  the  root 
instead  of  the  seed — the  cure  will  be  to  propagate  from  the 
seed  contained  in  the  balls."  Reasons  at  least  plausible  are 
contained  in  this  communication. 

DiNGLET,  Isaac,  Marshfield,  thinks  this  the  remedy: 
"  Dry  the  seed.     Take  potatoes  weighing  an  ounce  or  little 
more ;  cut  them  as  you  please,  and  dry  them  two  days  of  fair 
weather,  in  the  open  air,  without  freezing,  before   planting." 
His  opinion  of  the  cause  will  be  given,  if  called  for. 

Eastman,  R.  R.,  Granby,  concludes  from  an  experiment, 
that  charcoal,  ploughed  under,  will  prevent  the  rot  in  potatoes 
planted  on  such  ground. 

Evans,  Thomas  L.,  Brookline.  Cause. — Atmosphere — same 
as  that  of  cholera.  "  Remedy. — The  day  before  the  first  hoe- 
ing, spread  six  to  eight  bushels  of  good  wood  ashes  to  the 
acre."  These  will  be  drawn  around  the  plant  at  hoeing.  As 
to  atmosphere,  it  must  be  cleansed  by  fire  and  smoke.  Build 
fires  in  the  middle  of  the  field,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  even- 
ing, when  there  is  no  wind,  twice  a  week,  from  middle  of  July 
to  time  of  ripening.     Cleanse  the  cellar  also  by  fires. 

Farwell,  Grata,  Lancaster.  Cause. — A  striped  bug  feeding 
on  the  leaf.  Remedy. — Sprinkle  slack-lime  and  ashes.  Plough 
in  the  fall, 


POTATO  ROT.  645 

Farmer,  J.  B.,  Concord.  Cause. — Atmosphere.  Cure,  (dis- 
covered by  accidental  experiment.)  Before  planting  spread 
the  potatoes  on  the  surface,  in  the  sun  several  days,  until  they 
turn  green. 

Flanders,  Phanuel,  Lowell,  (four  papers.)  Cause. — Dark- 
colored  bug  feeding  on  the  leaf.  Remedy. — Plant  early. 
When  the  vine  is  attacked,  spread  on  the  vines  slack  lime,  or 
lime  wash. 

Fessenden,  a.  F.,  Lexington,  having  had  considerable  ex- 
perience in  raising  potatoes,  gives  it  as  his  decided  conviction, 
that  scientific  gentlemen  who  have  written  on  the  cause  and 
cure  of  the  potato  rot,  have  entirely  overlooked  the  simple  laws 
of  nature  in  which  the  cause  is  to  be  found.  By  accident,  he 
has  been  confirmed  in  an  opinion  he  has  long   entertained. 

In  1860,  in  digging  his  field  of  potato  s  carelessly,  he  left 
some  potatoes  in  the  ground,  which  field  in  1851  he  planted 
with  corn.  Finding  at  hoeing  time  some  scattering  plants  of 
potatoes,  he  carefully  preserved  and  cultivated  them,  which  at 
the  time  of  digging  produced  sound,  healthy,  fine  looking  po- 
tatoes, which  continued  free  from  any  appearance  of  disease 
whatever.  This  suggested  to  him  the  benefit  of  burying  po- 
tatoes, designed  for  planting,  in  a  light,  loose  soil,  at  a  sufiicient 
depth  to  be  free  from  the  frost,  and  letting  them  remain  till 
wanted  for  planting.  In  this  way  they  will  retain  their  gen- 
erative qualities  and  produce  healthy  plants.  Drying  potatoes 
in  the  sun  after  digging,  and  then  depositing  them  in  large 
heaps  of  fifty  to  one  thousand  bushels,  in  bins,  causes  them  to 
take  heat,  partially  destroys  their  vitality,  and  of  course,  injures 
them  for  planting.  The  practice  is  a  violation  of  the  laws  of 
vegetation,  and  has  been  continued  till  the  crop  has  become  a 
failure.  Potatoes  should  be  buried  in  the  ground  below  the 
operation  of  the  frost — not  in  large  heaps,  but  in  such  manner 
as  to  preserve  the  generative  qualities  of  the  plant,  and  the 
laws  of  nature  will  work  their  own  cure.  The  result  of  further 
experiments  will  be  given  hereafter. 


646  POTATO  ROT. 

Gale,  Geo.  W.,  Lowell.  Cause. — At  a  certain  growth  of 
the  vine,  "  a  copious  dew  or  fog  condenses  upon  the  tops,  for 
two  or  three  nights  in  succession,  which  moisture  being  sud- 
denly evaporated  by  the  powerful  rays  of  the  sun,  causes  par- 
tial death  to  the  leaves  and  small  branches,  by  some  called 
rust,  causing  the  sap  to  descend  from  the  diseased  tops  to  the 
potatoes,  generating  the  rot. 

Remedy. — Procure  northern  seed,  spread  them  on  the  sunny 
side  of  the  fence,  cover  them  with  horse  manure  to  sprout. 
Plant  early.  After  the  death-dew,  mow  close  to  the  ground. 
Dig  late. 

Hale,  Joshua,  Lowell.  Cause. — Atmospheric  influence — 
"  an  extra  supply  of  nitrogen  and  some  ammonia,  that  rises  from 
the  earth  like  a  dew  upon  the  leaves  and  branches,  penetrating 
and  mixing  with  the  moisture  of  the  vines,  causing  putrefaction. 
Cure. — Spread  dry  slack-lime  over  them  once  a  week,  not 
enough  to  injure  the  vines,  till  it  whitens  the  ground.  It  will 
moisten  sandy  land,  and  dry  and  warm  the  cold,  wet  land." 

Hartshorn,  Jacob,  Dover,  "  believes  the  disease  is  in  the 
air,  as  the  cholera  is  supposed  to  be,  and  generally  makes  its 
appearance  about  the  last  of  July  or  first  of  August,  when  I 
cut  the  tops  off  even  with  the  ground,  without  injury  to  an 
early  crop  ;"  and  before  late  potatoes  send  up  new  tops,  the 
disease  will  have  passed  away. 

Hastings,  Theodore,  of  Adams,  thinks  a  sure  and  practical 
remec?y  consists  of  a  mixture  o(  ground  sand  and  pitch.  The  sand 
must  be  pure  silex,  such  as  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  flint 
glass.  The  pitch,  (or  resin  can  be  used)  must  be  finely  pul- 
verized and  mixed  with  the  sand,  in  the  proportion  of  one  part 
pitch,  in  bulk,  to  two  parts  sand,  applied  at  the  time  of  plant- 
ing, three  table  spoonfuls  to  each  hill.  On  wet.  rich,  or  old 
soils,  two  spoonfuls  more  may  be  applied  when  the  plant  has 
acquired  the  height  of  six  or  eight  inches. 

Hatch,  E.  F.,  Dorchester.    Remedy. — "  Resort  to  the  original 


POTATO  ROT.  647 

seed  and  commence  anew."  In  the  mean  time  pursue  the  fol- 
lowing course,  to  prevent  the  disease  with  the  present  seed. 
"  Let  ground  charcoal  and  sulphate  of  lime  (gypsum  or  plaster 
of  Paris)  be  mixed  in  proportion  of  two  to  one  of  the  former, 
and  applied  according  to  the  quality  of  the  soil.  On  rich  land, 
put  one  quart  in  each  hill  at  planting  ;  on  light,  sandy  soil,  one 
half  that  quantity.  Two  or  three  weeks  before  the  potatoes 
ripen,  prune  them  of  half  their  branches,  and  throw  a  handful 
of  this  compound  on  each  hill. 

Honey,  S.,  Lowell.  Prevention. — About  the  time  of  plant- 
ing, strew  120  pounds  of  salt  on  the  acre. 

Horner,  Andrew,  Georgetown.  Cause. — A  bug  depositing 
poison  in  the  blossom,  which  enters  the  sap  and  flows  into  the 
potato,  hence  some  stalks  are  affected  sooner,  some  later,  and 
some  not  at  all.  Cure. — Crop  the  vines  when  full  in  blossom, 
for  as  soon  as  the  poisoned  sap  enters  the  potato,  it  inoculates, 
and  will  cause  rot  sooner  or  later. 

IsLEY,  A.  B.,  Cambridgeport.  Remedy. — Plant  under  the 
manure  between  20th  and  25th  of  April.  Between  the  middle 
and  last  of  July  pull  the  vines  out  so  as  to  leave  the  potatoes 
in  the  hill.     Dig  between  20th  and  30th  of  August. 

Kelly,  James,  Boston,  proposes  that  government  employ 
him  to  try  experiments. 

Kenrick,  E.  B.,  Cambridgeport,  has  satisfied  his  own  mind 
that  the  cause  of  the  potato  rot  is  an  excess  of  positive  electri- 
city in  the  potato  itself.  The  disease  therefore  may  be  pre- 
vented by  negative  electricity,  applied  to  the  potato  while 
growing.  The  best  and  cheapest  remedy  is  a  manure,  con- 
taining a  due  proportion  of  black,  meadow  mud — not  peat,  nor 
marsh,  nor  pond  mud,  nor  salt  meadow  mud — which  will  grad- 
ually and  continually  supply  the  potato  with  negative  electricity 
during  the  growing  season.  Allowing  sixteen  hills  for  a  bushel 
of  potatoes,  one  heaped  peck  of  mud  is  sufficient,  but  before  it 


648  POTATO  ROT. 

is  applied,  it  should  be  well  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
stable  manure,  by  "  forking  over"  the  same  twice  during  the 
month,  immediately  preceding  the  planting. 

King,  S.  B.,  Sutton.  Thinks  the  cause  atmospheric.  South 
winds  with  excessive  heat  overpowers  the  plant,  which  is 
feeble  for  want  of  those  substances  which  formerly  gave 
strength  of  resistance.  This  power  to  resist  heat  and  cold  he 
thinks  the  exhausted  state  of  the  land  of  late  years  has  failed 
to  supply.  The  use  of  wood  ashes  and  oat  straw,  he  thinks, 
would,  in  a  few  years,  furnish  the  requisite  nourishment. 

Legg,  William,  Blackstone.  Remedy. — After  the  potatoes 
have  grown  as  long  as  they  will  before  the  blast  strikes  the 
vines,  cut  close  to  the  ground  all  that  are  designed  for  planting 
the  next  year,  keeping  and  planting  them  separately  from  the 
other  potatoes. 

MoNTo,  Louis,  Boston,  asks  one  or  two  questions. 

Morse,  Aaron,  Petersham.  Cause. — Planting  too  closely — 
leaving  not  sufficient  space  between  the  hills,  the  tops  are 
blown  down  by  storms,  and  left  to  rot.  Hence  the  remedy. 
Plant  in  hills  four  or  five  feet  asunder. 

Newell,  Austin,  Monson.  Preventive. — Plant  seed  free 
from  disease,  on  land  not  wet.  Change  place  and  kind  of  soil 
each  year  of  planting. 

NicKERSON,  Samuel,  South  Dennis,  thinks  the  remedy,  or 
preventive,  may  be  found  in  a  free  use  of  lime.  He  says — 
"  Last  year  (1850)  my  potato  crops  went  by  the  board;  they 
were  not  dug,  because  they  were  not  worth  the  labor.  This 
year  (1851)  I  limed  the  land  heavily  on  the  surface  while 
planting  the  crop,  and  during  its  growth,  kept  the  vines  well 
white-washed,  frequently  stirring  the  soil  between  the  rows, 
and  the  result  was,  that  not  more  than  a  dozen  rotten  potatoes 
were  found  in  the  whole."     In  1851,  Mr.  N.  again  tried  the 


POTATO  ROT.  649 

same  experiment  with  the  same  success,  incUiding  his  neigh- 
bors, who  had  before  lost  all. 

O'Kane,  Thomas,  Boston.  Preventive. — Put  a  small  quan- 
tity of  lime  and  rock  salt  in  the  hill  at  planting.  When  the 
potatoes  are  out  of  the  ground,  sprinkle  over  them  a  mixture  of 
common  ashes  and  chimney  soot. 

Proctor,  John  W.,  Danvers,  incloses  a  communication  from 
Thaddeus  William  Harris,  which  concludes,  that  "  insects  have 
no  concern  or  connection  with  the  potato  disease." 

Reed,  Lyman,  Waltham  (four  papers).  Presents  a  communi- 
cation purporting  to  contain  his  investigations,  sealed  up  and 
addressed  to  the  governor  of  a  future  year. 

RiDGEWAY,  T,  S.,  (geologist)  Mansfiold,  furnishes  a  histor- 
ical account  of  the  potato  from  its  original  discovery  in  Co- 
lumbia and  Peru,  in  South  America,  where  it  was  found  wild 
in  its  native  soil  on  the  slopes  of  the  Andes,  several  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Thence  it  was  taken,  some 
250  years  ago,  into  Spain  and  England ;  and  from  the  last 
named  country  it  was  introduced  into  Ireland,  where  the  field 
cultivation  became  so  general,  that  it  gave  rise  to  the  name  of 
"Irish  potato."  He  believes  that  the  primary,  or  true  cause  of 
the  disease,  is  owing  to  the  removal  of  the  plant  from  a  rarefied 
atmosphere,  several  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  to  a  dense  one 
containing  a  superabundance  of  hydrogen  near  the  sea. 

The  condition  of  the  atmosphere  in  which  a  majority  of  the 
potato  crops  have  been  raised  for  the  last  eighty  years  is  totally 
uncongenial  with  the  plant.  Secondary  causes,  generating 
curl,  rust,  stem  rot  and  wet  rot,  are  sudden  transitions  of 
weather,  over  cultivation,  by  the  application  of  too  much  ma- 
nure in  the  shape  of  dung,  ammonia,  alkali,  &c. ;  also  inferior 
planting  localities,  such  as  compact  soils,  low  lands,  &c. 

Cure. — •''  Get  the  tuber  or  seed  from  its  indigenous  soil, — 
Columbia  or  Peru,   South   America."     The  potato  requires  a 
rarefied  atmosphere,  containing  less  moisture  than  that  near  the 
82 


650  POTATO  ROT. 

sea  ;  also  circulation  of  air  between  the  tubers ;  hence  the  ne- 
cessity of  porous  soils. 

RoBBiNS,  L.  T.,  Plymouth,  thinks  he  has  discovered  a  sure 
remedy  in  the  following  "  Recipe. — Turn  two  quarts  of  boiling 
water  to  half  a  pint  of  coal  tar  ;  mix  with  one  bushel  slacked 
lime,  or  in  that  proportion  for  a  greater  or  less  quantity  ;  put 
one  gill  of  this  mixture  in  the  hill  at  planting,  and  when  the 
bloom  appears  on  the  plant,  sift  a  small  quantity  over  the  plant 
and  round  near  the  root." 

RoDGERS,  T.  P.,  Boston.  Prevention. — "  Take  potatoes  un- 
infectedj  and  whose  ancestors  were  uninfected ;  plant  on  com- 
mon mowing  without  manure,  or  on  land  no  richer,  and  have 
them  covered  nine  inches  during  the  warm,  wet  weather,  about 
harvest  time.  This  method  I  have  seen  tried  in  this  and  other 
states  many  times  without  fail, 

SouLE,  JoNA.,  Middleborough  (four  papers).  Cause. — Owing 
partly  to  soil.  A  black  heavy  soil  will  be  more  disposed  to  the 
rot,  than  a  light,  porous  soil.  He  recommends  coarse,  strawy, 
barn  manure.  He  thinks  the  rot  is  occasioned  by  rain  about 
the  time  the  potato  is  maturing  in  August. 

Spooner,  Alden,  Athol.  An  able  essay  of  ten  pages.  He 
supposes  the  cause  to  be  in  the  atmosphere  and  soil  acting  on 
the  root  and  branch  simultaneously,  and  most  powerfully  dur- 
ing the  humid  and  pestilential  month  of  August.  By  actual 
experiment  he  recommends  bringing  the  subsoil  over  the  top 
soil  for  cultivation.  He  says,  "  I  made  two  trenches  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  my  field,  twenty  feet  long  and  two  feet  wide.  I 
drew  off  the  surface  soil  on  one  side,  and  threw  up  the  subsoil  on 
the  other,  to  the  depth  of  five  or  six  inches  below  the  bottom 
of  the  surface  soil.  I  then  drew  into  the  bottom  the  surface 
soil  and  drew  over  it  the  subsoil  taken  from  the  bottom,  to  the 
depth  of  five  or  six  inches.  I  then  spread  over  some  good,  fine 
manure,  mixed  with  some  plaster  and  ashes,  causing  the  whole 
to  be  well  incorporated  with  the  earth,  making  a  wide,  flat  hill, 


POTATO  ROT.  651 

and  cultivating  as  usual.  The  potatoes  on  these  beds  were  all 
sound  and  of  medium  size,  while  those  in  the  other  parts  of 
the  field  were  all  diseased." 

Thomas,  Hines,  Monroe,  thinks  "  the  potato  rot  begins  by 
fermentation  of  the  water  in  the  vine  or  plant ;  and  when  fer- 
mentation ends,  putrefaction  begins  ;"  the  disease  passing  from 
the  tops  to  the  potato.  Remedy. — Plant  good  sized,  healthy- 
potatoes,  in  dry  rich  soil.  Different  kinds  of  potatoes  should 
not  be  mixed,  or  planted  near  each  other,  and  not  be  suffered 
much  to  sprout  before  planting. 

TowLE,  Thomas,  Newburyport,  purifies  his  seed  potatoes 
with  the  fumes  of  brimstone  in  this  manner.  "  I  took  a  tight 
barrel,  and  made  a  frame  across  the  middle,  and  put  a  roll  of 
brimstone  four  inches  long,  in  a  hot  skillet  under  this  barrel. 
The  seed  potatoes  being  on  the  frame  ab  ve,  and  the  lower  head 
of  the  barrel  having  been  previously  removed,  I  bored  two  augur 
holes  in  opposite  sides  of  the  barrel  for  the  purpose  of  ventila- 
tion, and  in  that  situation  let  it  remain  about  six  hours,  till  the 
smoke  had  evaporated." 

Tucker,  Mary,  Neponset.  From  experiments  actually  made, 
thinks  the  cause  is  in  the  depredations  of  certain  insects,  and 
that  she  has  discovered  the  only  true  remedy. 

Tucker,  Sidney,  Middleborough,  gives  notice  that  he  is 
trying  experiments — believes  the  disease  is  caused  by  an  insect, 
and  may  be  cured  by  pulverized  brimstone,  applied  in  small 
quantities  to  the  vines,  in  different  stages  of  their  growth. 

Tucker,  C.  T.,  East  Marshfield,  transmits  what  he  terms  "  a 
recipe  for  the  improved  culture  of  potatoes,  amounting,  as  he 
believes,  to  a  sure  and  practical  remedy  for  the  potato  rot,"  but 
differing  in  no  wise  from  the  usual  mode  of  culture,  except 
planting  in  October,  November,  or  December,  instead  of  the 
fore  part  of  the  year ;  thus  keeping  them  in  the  ground  over 
winter,  and  digging  late  in  the  fall. 


652  POTATO  ROT. 

Tufts,  Marshall,  Lexington  (four  papers).  Seems  to  think 
this  disease  like  the  cholera,  "  a  scourge  for  the  sinful  in  order 
to  amendment;"  and  the  remedy,  simply  nipping  the  disease  in 
the  bud. 

TuTTLE,  Francis,  Acton,  says, — "The  weed  called  Roman 
wormwood  is  the  sole  cause  of  the  potato  rot.  The  blossom, 
or  flower  of  that  weed  lodges  on  the  leaf  of  the  potato,  making 
a  sore,  which  mortifies.  This  mortified  juice  of  the  leaf  con- 
nects with  the  healthy  part  of  the  leaf,  which  circulates  through 
the  vine  to  the  potato,  and  causes  the  rot  in  the  potato.  Now 
for  a  sure  and  practical  remedy — Keep  this  weed  with  all  other 
weeds,  out  of  your  field." 

Wells,  Chas.  A.,  Boston.  Cause. — Certain  animalculae  on 
the  potato,  so  small  as  to  be  invisible  to  the  naked  eye,  and  in- 
numerable. Cuj'e. — "  Put  a  table-spoonful  of  sulphur,  or  brim- 
stone as  it  is  called,  in  each  hill,"  before  putting  in  seed.  This 
gradually  undergoes  decomposition,  and  evolves  gases  which 
keep  the  potato  free  from  this  destructive  animal.  Then  plant 
and  cultivate  in  the  usual  way. 

White,  Williajvi,  F.,  Framingham.  Cause. — A  very  small 
black  bug  feeding  on  the  vines  in  their  early  growth,  leaving 
the  leaf  completely  perforated  with  small  holes.  A  blight  or 
rust  follows,  descending  to  the  tuber  and  causing  its  decay. 
Remedy. — Select  new  land,  manure  lightly,  putting  a  small 
portion  of  wood  ashes  in  each  hill  before  planting  ;  then  dust 
ashes  thoroughly  upon  the  upper  and  under  sides  of  the  leaves 
of  the  vines  during  their  growth.  Lastly,  should  the  blight  or 
rust  appear  when  the  potato  is  full  grown,  mow  the  vines. 

Winchester,  Jonathan,  Ashburnham,  having  thought  much 
on  the  subject  from  the  commencement  of  the  potato  disease, 
gives  the  result  of  his  experience,  which,  in  one  respect,  at 
least,  is  like  that  of  many  others ;  that  a  dry,  light  soil,  is  much 
more  congenial  to  the  soundness  and  health  of  the  potato,  than 
low,  moist,  heavy  land.     He  says: — "  In  the  spring  of  1844,  I 


POTATO  ROT.  653 

planted  two  pieces  of  land  with  potatoes ;  one  was  a  low,  na- 
turally moist  piece  of  land  ;  the  other  a  dry,  loamy,  somewhat 
light  soil.  On  the  former,  I  hardly  realized  my  seed,  so  ex- 
tensive was  the  disease  ;  while  on  the  latter,  there  was  no  ap- 
pearance of  disease  at  the  time  of  digging  or  afterward,  the 
potatoes  looking  as  well  in  the  spring  as  at  the  time  of  digging." 
Since  then  he  has  followed  the  same  practice  in  the  choice  of 
soil  for  planting,  with  uniformly  the  same  success,  always  be- 
ing careful  to  incorporate  the  manure  well  with  the  soil  in  the 
hill  before  planting. 

Wright,  T.  K.,  Westhampton,  thinks  the  cause  to  be  too 
much  exposure  to  the  air.  The  natural  place  of  the  potato  is 
under  ground  where  it  should  be  kept  as  much  as  possible. 
Remedy,  and  explanation. — "  1.  Potatoes  kept  in  the  ground 
will  come  up  about  ten  days  sooner  than  those  kept  in  the  cel- 
lar, and  will  look  much  more  vigoro  ■'s  through  the  season. 
2.  They  yield  more.  3.  They  will  not  rot.  4.  The  disease 
is  contagious,  and  will  spread  through  the  whole  patch." 


654  POTATO  ROT. 


FOREIGN  COMMUNICATIONS. 


Adams,  Stephen,  West  Newfield,  Me.,  merely  inquires  if  a 
non-resident  can  obtain  the  reward. 

Billings,  S.  X.,  Knoxville,  Pa.,  oifers  the  following  ^jreven^- 
ive : — "  Take  three  pounds  of  alum  dissolved  in  water  suffi- 
cient to  cover  one  bushel  of  potatoes.  Let  the  potatoes  remain 
in  this  water  twenty-four  hours  before  planting.  Then  plant 
and  cultivate  as  usual."  This  experiment  has  been  tried  two 
years,  and  the  potatoes  at  digging  were  found  to  be  perfectly 
sound,  while  others  planted  in  the  same  field,  would  be  rotten, 
or  have  the  appearance  of  disease.  The  author  thinks  potatoes 
produced  from  this  experiment,  will  remain  sound,  or  not  need 
a  repetition  of  this  experiment  for  four  years. 

Bkewster,  William,  Somersworth,  Great  Falls,  N.  H.,  thinks 
the  cause  of  this  disease  is  a  severe  rust,  taking  place  in  the  po- 
tato top  or  stalk,  and  descending  through  that,  to  the  potato, 
which  becomes  affected  thereby.  The  larger  the  stalks  of  the 
potatoes,  the  more  exposed  will  they  be  to  the  rust;  of  course, 
rich  land  producing  an  abundance  of  top,  is  less  favorable  to 
the  health  and  soundness  of  the  bulb.  His  remedy  is  cutting 
the  tops  off  close  to  the  ground,  as  soon  as  the  rust  begins  to 
appear,  which  may  be  ascertained  by  watching  them  daily. 
Pulling  the  tops  from  the  potatoes  will,  it  is  true,  prevent  the 
further  growth,  but  so  will  the  rust.  Digging  the  potatoes 
while  the  tops  are  green,  and  depositing  them  in  small  quan- 
tities in  a  cool  cellar,  may  preserve  their  soundness.  He  rec- 
ommends early  planting,  so  that  the  potatoes  can  get  their 
growth,  if  possible,  before  the  rust  makes  its  appearance  :  but 
if  the  rust  should  overtake  them,  cut  them  immediately,  close 
to  the  ground,  as  before  mentioned. 


POTATO  ROT.  655 

Brittain,  John,  Newark,  N.  J.,  contends  that  the  disease  is 
inherited  by  the  potato,  which  may  preserve  the  appearance 
of  soundness  before  planting,  from  year  to  year,  and  that  in 
the  great  variety  of  soils,  all  of  which  contain  more  or  less  of 
the  ingredients  which  corrupt  the  potato,  much  attention  is  re- 
quisite. The  unfavorable  qualities  in  the  soil  should  be  neu- 
tralized. 

His  remedy  is  one  table  spoonful  of  common  soot,  same 
quantity  of  pulverized  flower  of  sulphur,  and  as  much  carbon- 
ate of  ammonia  or  hartshorn,  as  can  lay  on  a  ninepenny  piece, 
applied  to  the  top  of  the  manure  in  each  hill. 

BoGERT,  Mrs.  Thomas  L.,  Utica,  N.  Y.  Experimeni. — In 
1S46,  several  potatoes  much  affected  with  the  rot,  having  a 
few  sound  eyes  remaining,  were  found,  on  examination  by  a 
microscope,  to  be  covered  with  innumerable  living  creatures. 
The  potatoes  were  preserved,  and  at  plnting  time  well  washed 
and  well  sprinkled  over  with  air-slacked  lime,  as  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  wheat,  and  then  planted  about  three  feet  from  the  main 
field,  after  throwing  into  each  hill  a  handful  of  lime.  When 
dug,  every  potato  was  sound,  fair  and  smooth.  Since  then  the 
potato-fields  have  been  manured  with  lime,  to  destroy  the  grub, 
and  found  to  be  much  improved,  while  neighboring  fields  were 
not  v/orth  digging. 

Remedy. — Wash  the  potatoes,  throw  over  them  slacked  lime 
so  as  to  cover  them,  as  in  the  preparation  of  wheat,  then  plant. 

Croft,  Thomas,  New  Orleans,  La.,  claims  to  have  discovered 
a  remedy,  but  refers  to  his  manuscript,  at  the  Patent  Oflice,  in 
Washington,  for  the  particulars. 

Dawson,  J.  W.,  Pictou,  N.  S.,  Superintendent  of  Education 
in  Nova  Scotia,  &c.,  furnishes  a  very  able,  interesting,  scien- 
tific, and  carefully-written  essay,  which,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
public,  it  would  be  well  to  publish  entire  ;  but  important  parts 
of  which,  in  this  limited  abstract,  it  is  necessary  to  omit.  His 
treatment  of  "  the  nature,  causes,  and  prevention  of  the  failure 
of  the  potato  crop,"  is  more  full  perhaps,  than  that  of  any  other 


656  POTATO  ROT. 

writer,  embracing  substantially  all  that  has  been  said  on  secon- 
dary and  predisposing  causes,  by  the  most  sensible  writers, 
while  it  confirms  their  suggestions  and  opinions.  The  similar- 
ity in  the  views  of  all  these  writers,  as  far  as  they  are  expressed, 
is  a  striking  confirmation  of  their  correctness. 

After  many  pertinent,  but  general  remarks,  by  way  of  intro- 
duction, Mr.  Dawson  proceeds  to  consider  the  nature  of  the 
disease. 

1.  The  general  difi"usion  and  simultaneous  occurrence  of  the 
disease  over  extensive  regions,  is  a  remarkable  fact ;  and  the 
exceptions  arising  from  the  differences  of  soil  and  other  causes, 
are  also  very  instructive  in  suggesting  remedial  measures. 
Some  of  these  exceptions  will  be  considered  subsequently. 

2.  The  disease  has  usually  attacked  the  crop  at  that  stage  of 
the  growth,  when  the  tops  are  fully  formed,  and  the  formation 
and  filling  up  of  the  underground  tubers  are  most  rapidly  pro- 
ceeding. Yet  early  potatoes  often  pass  this  critical  period  in 
safety,  while  those  which  are  late  are  attacked  ;  showing  that 
the  weather  or  temperature  acts  with,  or  against  the  predispo- 
sition at  this  particular  stage  of  growth,  and  modifies  its  influ- 
ence. 

3.  The  disease  has  usually  first  made  its  appearance  in  the 
leaves,  and  descended  from  these  to  the  stems  or  roots.  The 
remainder,  under  this  head,  containing  a  minute  description  of 
the  whole  process  of  the  disease,  better  adapted  to  scientific 
men  than  to  common  readers,  is  necessarily  omitted. 

As  to  causes,  two  important  truths,  deducible  from  the  facts 
already  stated,  at  once  meet  us. 

1st.  A  disease  so  general  and  widely  spread,  probably  prima- 
rily depends  on  some  great,  and  generally  operating,  predispos- 
ing cause.  2ndly.  Nothwithstanding  this,  it  is  locally  induced 
or  prevented  by  the  action  of  a  great  number  of  secondary 
causes,  which  favor  or  arrest  its  development,  and  which  yet 
cannot  be  considered  as  the  primary  causes  of  its  appearance. 
Let  us  inquire  first,  into 

2.  The  inducing  or  secondary  causes  of  the  disease,  and  rem- 
edies or  palliatives  founded  oti  their  study. 

Most  of  these  causes  it  will  be  necessary  merely  to  name,  as 


POTATO  ROT.  657 

the  greater  number  of  practical  men  are  well  acquainted  with 
them.  The  principal  are  wet  and  undrained  soils,  wet  seasons, 
wet  weather  after  warm,  dry  weather,  when  the  tops  are  fully 
grown ;  chilly  nights  succeeding  hot  days,  rank  manure  in  con- 
tact with  the  sets,  want  of  attention  to  keeping  the  crop  well 
tilled  and  free  from  weeds,  run-out  seed  long  cultivated  on  the 
same  farm.  These  and  similar  causes  have  evidently  had  an 
important  influence  in  locally  developing  the  disease,  but  7ione 
of  them  can  he  its  general  cause,  since  the  disease  often  appears 
where  all  are  absent,  and  these  causes  were  quite  as  general  as 
now,  in  former  times,  without  producing  any  such  consequence 
as  the  potato  blight.  Some  valuable  hints,  however,  as  to  the 
best  palliatives  or  temporary  remedies  for  the  disease,  can  be 
derived  from  these  causes,  in  connection  with  the  experience 
of  farmers.     Of  these,  the  following  are  very  important 

Remedies  or  Palliat  ves. 

1.  Early  planting,  and  planting  early  roots  ;  because  this 
gives  greater  probability  of  avoiding  the  effects  of  autumnal 
chills  and  rains.  This  remedy  has  been  found  very  effectual 
in  Nova  Scotia. 

2.  Change  of  seed,  especially  from  poor  and  cold  localities, 
to  richer  and  milder  situations.  The  Scottish  low  country 
farmers  have  obtained  excellent  results  by  importing  seed  po- 
tatoes from  the  bleak  and  poor  highland  districts. 

3.  Selecting  those  varieties  which  have  proved  least  liable 
to  the  disease ;  and  these  will  generally  be  found  to  be  such  as 
have  been  recently  introduced,  or  lately  procured  from  the  seed. 

4.  Planting  in  dry  soils,  and  underdraining  more  moist 
soils,  if  necessary  to  plant  in  them.  The  dry,  sandy  uplands 
of  King's  County,  in  Nova  Scotia,  have  almost  entirely  escaped 
the  disease,  when  the  crop  has  been  put  in  early. 

5.  Applying  well-rotted  mamire,  and  plowing  it  i7i,  instead 
of  putting  it  with  the  seed  in  the  drills.  Guano  and  composts 
made  with  liquid  mayuire,  have  proved  themselves  better  than 
stable  manure.  This  and  the  two  last  remedial  agents  act  by 
giving  the  plants  a  greater  degree  of  healthy,  general  vigor, 

83 


658  POTATO  ROT. 

than  they  could  derive  from  run-out  seed,  in  wet  soil,  or  in 
contact  with  rank  manure. 

6.  Planting  in  new  soil  and  the  use  of  mineral  manures. 
It  is  generally  observed  that  the  potato  has  been  most  healthy 
when  planted  in  new,  virgin  soil,  before  the  unskilful  agricul- 
turist has  extracted  from  it  the  stores  of  alkaline  and  other 
mineral  manures  remaining  in  it  from  the  ashes  of  the  forest. 
The  composition  of  the  ash  of  the  potato  at  once  explains  the 
reason  of  this,  as  the  following  table,  talien  from  Johnson,  will 
show : — 

Ashes  in  10,000  lbs.  of  the  roots  and  stems  of  the  potato. 

Potash,      -  .  -  - 

Soda,         _  _  -  _ 

Lime,         -  _  _  . 

Magnesia,  _  _  _ 

Alumina,   -  -  -  - 

Ox.  iron,    _  -  -  - 

Silica,        -  -  -  - 

Suphuric  acid,  -  -  - 

Phosphoric  do.  -  -  - 

Chlorine,   -  -  -  - 

82.83         308.4 

Here  we  have  very  large  proportions  of  lime  and  potash  : 
the  latter  forming  nearly  50  per  cent,  of  the  ashes  of  the  roots. 
Now  these  substances,  potash  especially,  are  plentifully  sup- 
plied to  the  soil  by  the  ashes  of  the  woods,  and  arc  usually  de- 
ficient in  exhausted  lands.  Hence,  if  we  apply  to  run-out,  or 
long  cultivated  soil,  lime,  wood-ashes,  gypsum,  (sulphate  of 
lime,)  common  salt,  (chloride  of  sodium,)  bone  dust,  (phos- 
phate of  lime,)  we  supply  it  with  some  or  all  of  the  more  im- 
portant substances  in  the  above  table,  and  thus  assimilate  it  to 
the  virgin  soil  in  which  experience  proves  the  potato  to  thrive 
best.  1  have  found,  by  experience,  that  healthy  potatoes 
(though  not  a  large  crop)  could  be  obtained  by  planting  with 


Roots. 

Tops. 

40.28 

81.9 

23.34 

0.9 

3.31 

129.7 

3.24 

17.0 

0.50 

0.4 

0.32 

0.2 

0.84 

49.4 

5.40 

4.2 

4.01 

19.7 

l.GO 

5.0 

POTATO  ROT.  659 

no  other  manure  than  a  pint  of  unleached  wood  ashes  in  each 
hill,  in  seasons  when  potatoes  planted  with  ordinary  manure 
were  blighted. 

For  the  same  reasons  it  is,  of  course,  unwise  to  raise  succes- 
sive crops  of  potatoes  on  the  same  soil.  Whenever,  on  old  land, 
a  proper  rotation  of  crops  is  not  attended  to,  there  is  much 
greater  likelihood  of  failure. 

7.  Storing  in  dry  cellars  is  of  the  first  importance,  when  the 
crop  is  infected.  I  have  found  that  potatoes  in  which  brown 
spots  of  disease  were  already  formed,  had  the  progress  of  the 
change  arrested  by  being  kept  dry ;  and  that  the  diseased  spots 
dried  up  and  lost  their  putrescent  character. 

8.  Where  there  is  no  hope  of  otherwise  raising  a  crop,  the 
rotting  potatoes  may  be  grated  or  ground  up,  and  the  farina  or 
starch  saved.  With  a  little  extra  washing,  it  will  be  nearly  as 
good  in  quality,  though  usually  less  in  quantity,  than  that  from 
sound  potatoes. 

All  the  above,  and  probably  other  expedients,  have  been  al- 
ready approved  by  experience,  as  useful  palliatives.  In  short, 
anything  that  tends  to  place  the  plant  in  a  natural  and  healthy 
condition,  appears  to  give  it  a  much  greater  power  of  resisting 
the  cause  of  disease,  whatever  that  may  be. 

None  of  these  secondary  or  partial  remedies,  however,  can 
be  expected  to  eradicate  the  disease.  They  may  temporarily 
prevent  it ;  or,  when  present,  mitigate  its  violence,  or  diminish 
the  loss  resulting  from  it.  But  I  shall  presently  show.,  that  we 
have  no  reason  to  suppose  that  any,  or  all  of  them,  can  effect  a 
perfect  cure. 

We  proceed  then,  in  the  next  place,  to  inquire  into  the 

Primary  or  p-edisposing  cause  of  the  Disease  and  its  remedies. 

Almost  every  fact  that  can  be  collected,  seems  to  indicate 
that  there  must  be  some  general  cause  of  this  nature,  which 
began  to  operate  only  in  modern  times ;  and  which  has,  during 
the  last  few  years,  been  almost  universally  active,  but  modified 
by  the  influence  of  the  secondary  causes  above  referred  to. 

The  ordinary  popular  resource  in  seeking  for  the  origin  of 
the  wide-spread  epidemic,  is  to  refer  them  to  the  atmosphere. 


660  POTATO  ROT. 

"It  is  in  the  air,"  appears  often  to  be  thought  a  satisfactory  ex- 
planation. If  we  ask  for  proof,  none  can  be  obtained  either 
from  chemistry  or  meteorology.  If  atmospheric,  then  the  cause 
of  the  evil  is  likely  at  once  to  be  beyond  our  cognizance  and 
control  ;  besides,  we  are  at  a  loss,  on  this  hypothesis,  to 
account  for  the  apparently  almost  entire  limitation  of  the  dis- 
ease to  one  cultivated  plant. 

On  the  contrary,  every  point  in  the  nature  of  the  disease,  and 
the  means  hitherto  found  useful  in  counteracting  it,  indicate 
that  the  defect  is  in  the  plant  itself;  that  from  some  cause  its 
vital  force  has  been  weakened,  so  that  putrefactive  processes 
lay  hold  on  the  substances,  which  in  a  healthy  state  it  could 
retain  unchanged ;  and  that  these  putrefactive  changes  can  be 
arrested  only  when  the  circumstances  are  in  all  respects 
healthy  ;  while  unfavorable  circumstances,  which  in  former 
years  produced  no  eifect,  are  now  speedily  fatal. 

Is  there,  then,  anything  in  the  past  history  or  present  condi- 
tion of  the  plant,  likely  to  produce  such  an  effect?  I  have 
long  thought  that  there  is  such  a  cause,  and  shall  now  proceed 
to  explain  it,  in  connection  with  the  only  means  of  counterac- 
tion which  have  suggested  themselves. 

Of  all  our  crops,  the  potato  alone  has  been  continuously 
propagated  by  natural  or  artificial  division  of  the  plant.  The 
tuber  of  the  potato  is  a  sort  of  underground  stem,  with  eyes  or 
buds  intended  to  produce  young  shoots  in  the  year  following 
the  formation  of  the  tuber,  and  with  a  store  of  starch,  albumen, 
&c.,  to  nourish  these  young  shoots  in  the  early  stages  of  their 
growth.  These  tubers,  then,  in  the  natural  state  of  the  plant, 
must  serve  to  continue  its  existence  from  year  to  year,  and  to 
extend  the  individual  plant  into  a  group  or  bed  of  greater  or 
less  extent.  But  this  process  is  not  intended  to  be  perpetual. 
The  longest  lived  forest  tree  must  eventually  die,  and  so  must 
the  group  or  stool  of  the  potatoes,  which,  originally  founded  by 
a  single  seed  from  a  ball,  is  only  one  plant  increased  in  extent 
by  a  spontaneous  division  of  its  roots  into  detached  tubers.  It 
gradually  exhausts  the  neighboring  soil,  and  its  own  vital  en- 
ergy diminishes,  and  at  length  it  will  die  out ;  and  if  a  new 


POTATO  ROT.  661 

plant  occupy  its  place,  it  must  be  a  seedling  produced  from  the 
balls  which  have  fallen  on  the  spot. 

If  then,  since  the  potato  was  introduced  into  Europe  about 
250  years  ago,  we  have  been  continuing  its  cultivation  solely 
by  division  or  separation  of  the  tubers,  we  have  been  perpetu- 
ating the  life  of  one  individual  plant ;  and  we  must  have  now 
potatoes  that  are  the  descendants  of  those  imported  by  Raleigh, 
not  by  natural  generation  through  the  seed,  but  by  indefinite 
division  of  the  plant,  a  sort  of  infinitesimal  fractions  by  a  per- 
petual division  of  that  now  extremely  aged  individual  potato. 
Have  we  a  right  to  expect  that  such  plants  should  be  healthy? 
We  may  not  know  the  minute  changes  which  bring  about 
the  debility  of  age,  but  we  know  that  such  debility  does  over- 
take plants,  as  well  as  animals.  Fine  varieties  of  carnation 
propagated  by  cuttings  or  layers,  in  a  few  years  degenerate,  and 
must  be  abandoned  by  the  florist.  The  same  happens  to  other 
florists'  flowers,  though  in  some  more  slowly.  Grafting  and 
budding  fruit  trees,  is  but  continuing  the  lives  of  individuals, 
and  despite  the  vigor  of  the  new  stock,  grafts  from  very  aged 
trees  of  old  varieties,  show  the  debility  of  the  parent.  Hence, 
most  of  the  finest  fruits  of  a  century  or  two  ago,  have  degener- 
ated and  become  less  worthy  of  cultivation,  and  have  been  re- 
placed by  new  varieties  from  the  seed.  This  seems  to  be  one 
of  the  great  laws  of  vegetable  life,  and  accordingly  even  those 
plants  which,  like  the  potato,  have  been  furnished  with  tubers 
to  provide  for  the  continuance  ofindividual  life,  have  also  been 
provided  with  seeds  to  produce  new  individuals,  and  thus  per- 
manently continue  the  species. 

Taking  this  view  of  the  matter,  we  should  rather  wonder 
that  the  potato  has  lasted  so  long,  than  that  it  now  fails.  We 
can,  in  truth,  account  for  its  long  duration,  only  by  taking  into 
consideration  the  varieties  of  soils  and  climates  in  which  it  has 
been  cultivated,  the  frequent  changes  of  seed,  and  the  occa- 
sional raising  of  new  varieties  from  the  ball. 

If,  however,  this  cause  has  had  any  real  influence  on  the 
plant,  why  has  it  not  merely  run  out  or  died  of  old  age,  instead 
of  contracting  a  malignant  and  fatal  disease.  In  answer  to  this, 
I  may  remark  that  the  disease  in  question  is,  in  fact,  merely 


662  POTATO  ROT. 

the  death  and  consaqnent  putrefaction  of  parts  of  the  tissues  of 
the  plant.  Further,  the  analogy  of  other  vegetables  leads  us 
to  believe  that  plants  do  not  always  simply  die  out,  under  the 
influences  of  degeneracy  or  old  age.  The  worn  out  carnation 
loses  the  size  and  brilliancy  of  its  flowers;  the  old  varieties  of 
fruit  trees  lose  their  vigor  of  growth,  degenerate  in  their  fruit, 
and  become  very  liable  to  the  attacks  of  parasitic  fungi  and  an- 
imals ;  the  ancient  forest,  its  trees  decaying  at  the  heart,  and 
overgrown  externally  with  lichens,  mosses,  fungi,  and  excres- 
cences, usually  perishes  by  tempests  or  fires,  before  it  undergoes 
the  slow  process  of  natural  death.  So  with  the  potato.  Under 
high  cultivation,  its  starchy  and  albuminous  parts,  those  which 
are  valuable  for  human  food,  have  been  increased,  while,  by 
constant  reproduction  from  the  roots,  the  vitality  of  the  living 
buds  has  been  diminishing.  The  potato,  at  one  time  the  most 
certain  and  hardy  of  crops,  has  gradiially  become  tender.  The 
"  curl"  and  "  dry  rot"  began  twenty  years  ago  to  cut  ofT  the 
young  shoots  and  the  planted  tubers,  apparently  because  there 
was  not  sufficient  vegetative  life  to  enable  the  living  bud  to 
control  and  use  the  abundant  nutriment  for  it  in  the  cells  of 
the  tuber.  This  difficulty  was  overcome  in  part,  by  changes 
of  seed,  planting  whole  tubers,  and  other  expedients ;  and  the 
life  of  the  plant  v/as  protracted  a  little  longer,  as  might  have 
been  expected,  to  be  attacked  only  by  some  worse  disease. 
And  now  we  have  to  contend  with  a  mortification  of  the 
tissues,  not  in  the  infant  stage,  but  in  the  period  of  the  plant's 
fullest  vigor  and  strength. 

It  may  be  objected,  however,  that  even  renewal  from  the 
ball  has  not  been  effectual,  the  seedling  varieties  having  suf- 
fered as  well  as  others.  It  must  be  observed,  however,  that 
seedling  varieties  have  generally  resisted  the  disease  longer 
than  others,  and  that  there  seems  good  reason  to  believe  that 
the  disease,  like  most  others  that  originate,  whether  in  plants 
or  animals,  from  long  exposure  to  debilitating  influences,  is 
more  or  less  contagious.  It  is  quite  probable  also,  that  the  seed 
of  plants  which  have  already  contracted  the  disease,  may  be 
itself  not  quite  free  from  hereditary  taint.  Renewal  from  the 
seed  cannot,  therefore,  be  assumed  to  have  been  fairly  tried. 


POTATO  ROT.  663 

unless  the  seedlings  have  been,  at  all  stages,  completely  sepa- 
rated from  the  old  varieties,  and  unless  they  have  been  derived 
from  healthy  plants,  or  are  separated,  by  a  sufRcient  number  of 
removes,  from  their  unhealthy  progenitors. 

I  come  now  to  the  method  which  t!ie  above  views  would 
lead  us  to  consider  the  only  certain  one,  with  a  view  to  the 
final  extirpation  of  the  disease  ;  and  it  is  one  requiring  the 
means  at  the  command  of  the  government  of  a  state,  or  some 
public  body  or  institntion,  devoted  to  agricultural  improvement. 
It  is  to  cultivate  the  potato  from  the  ball,  for  several  genera- 
tions continuously,  until  the  hereditary  taint  is  removed,  and 
then  to  distribute  the  healthy  tubers  to  such  agriculturists  as 
will  pledge  themselves  to  abandon  entirely  the  culture  of  the 
present  exhausted  and  diseased  varieties. 

To  succeed  in  the  experiment,  it  should  be  conducted  on  a 
well  managed  model  farm,  or  horticultural  garden,  from  which 
the  culture  of  the  old  varieties  should  be  entirely  excluded, 
and  seed  should  be  obtained  from  the  balls  of  the  most  healthy 
potatoes. 

The  ground  should  be  light  and  dry,  and  manured  with  a 
mixture  of  old  compost,  lime,  gypsum,  and  wood  ashes. 

The  seedlings  should  be  carefully  tended  and  kept  very 
clean  from  weeds,  and  any  plant  in  which  the  first  signs  of 
blight  appears,  should  be  at  once  destroyed. 

A  part  of  the  seedlings  should  be  carefully  covered,  and  al- 
lowed to  remain  in  the  ground  all  winter.  The  remainder 
should  be  carefully  packed  in  dry  sand,  in  a  cool  cellar,  keep- 
ing the  various  sorts  separate. 

In  the  second  year,  the  same  precautions  should  be  used  as 
to  the  culture  of  the  best  varieties  obtained  in  the  first  year,  and 
some  of  the  plants  should  have  the  soil  washed  away  from 
their  roots,  and  the  young  tubers  picked  off,  in  order  to  ensure 
the  production  of  balls.  After  picking  off  the  tubers,  the  plants 
should  be  carefully  earthed  up  again. 

The  seed  from  the  balls  of  the  second  year,  should  be  sown 
in  the  third  year,  and  the  whole  process  repeated,  as  before. 
The  tubers  obtained  from  the  first  sowing,  should  not  be  dis- 
tributed as  seed  potatoes ;   but  those  from  the  second  sowing 


664  POTATO  ROT. 

might,  if  no  disease  had  appeared  in  the  course  of  the  experi- 
ments. If  disease  had  appeared,  the  process  should  again  be 
repeated. 

Tiie  best  varieties  obtained  from  the  produce  of  the  third  or 
second  sowings,  should  be  planted  out,  to  furnish  seed  tubers, 
with  the  same  precautioiis  as  to  manure,  &c. 

The  sound  tubers  should  be  given  or  sold  to  farmers,  who 
would  pledge  themselves  to  cultivate  no  other  varieties,  so  as 
to  secure  them  against  contagion. 

A  national  nursery  for  new  varieties  of  potatoes,  on  the 
above  plan,  should  be  kept  up  in  every  agricultural  country,  so 
as  continually  to  supply  new  and  sound  varieties.  Independ- 
ently of  the  prospect  of  gradually  restoring  the  potato  culture, 
the  improvement  of  the  sorts  cultivated,  would  amply  repay 
the  expense.  In  the  same  farm,  or  garden,  experiments  might 
be  tried  in  the  culture  of  wild  varieties,  obtained  from  the  na- 
tive country  of  the  potato. 

The  above  suggestions  are  submitted  as  probably  far  supe- 
rior to  any  founded  on  the  belief  of  any  one  method  or  sub- 
stance being  effectual  as  a  cure.  Such  partial  remedies,  though 
they  may  be  temporarily  successful  in  particular  soils  or  seasons, 
never  can  effect  the  general  or  permanent  removal  of  the  evil. 

Frenciier,  Smith,  Broome  County,  N.  York,  believes  the 
cause  a  fly,  secreting  itself  under  the  top  leaves,  laying  in  the 
stalk  a  nit,  which  becomes  a  small  worm,  descending  in  the 
stalk,  which  soon  begins  to  turn  black  and  die.  Cure. — Scat- 
ter plentifully  over  the  leaves,  while  they  are  covered  with  a 
heavy  dew,  in  dry  weather,  slacked  lime;  and  repeat  the  same 
if  necessary.    Frequent  experiments  have  proved  this  unfailing. 

Flournoy,  J.  F.,  "Nigh  Athens,''  Georgia  (two  communica- 
tions). Cause. — "Moist  soils."  Cure. — Take  1  bushel  slacked 
lime,  5  bushels  soot,  1  quart  alum,  1  pint  ammonia,  mix  and 
apply  a  due  proportion  to  each  hill,  on  a  quarter  or  an  eighth 
of  an  acre,  according  to  the  moisture  or  dryness  of  the  soil. 

Franz,  J.   Hahn,   Kutytown,   Berk  County,   Pa.,  seems  to 


POTATO  ROT.  665 

agree  substantially  with  Mr.  Dawson,  that  propagating  from  the 
bulb  or  tuber  continuously,  for  a  great  length  of  time,  will 
cause  a  degeneracy  and  failure  in  the  health  and  soundness  of 
the  plant,  the  seed  of  which  should  once  in  a  few  years  be 
renewed  from  the  ball ;  and  once  in  many  years,  if  possible, 
from  the  native  place  of  the  plant,  in  South  America.  Mr.  F. 
recommends  planting  on  dry,  sandy  soil  ;  or  if  moist  soil  only 
can  be  obtained,  on  layers  of  chopped  straw,  in  the  hill.  The 
straw  will  protect  against  excess  of  wet,  make  the  soil  better, 
and  contribute  to  the  nourishment  and  health  of  the  potato. 

Freeman,  G.  M.,  York,  Me.  Remedy. — Charcoal  dust,  two 
parts ;  wood  ashes,  two  parts  ;  slacked  lime,  One  part  ;  apply 
one  quart  per  hill,  which  is  manure  sufficient  in  any  virgin 
soil  suitable  for  the  potatoes ;  viz.,  two  thirds  under  the  seed 
and  top  of  the  hill  at  planting  :  the  remainder  (without  the 
lime),  around  the  plants  when  fully  grown. 

Gale,  N.  H.,  New  York,  N.  Y.  Essay  of  eleven  pages,  con- 
taining some  good  common  sense.  He  supposes  the  rot  to  be 
a  disease  in  the  potato,  as  the  cholera  is  in  the  human  race  ; 
"  and  that  the  awful  ravages,  in  each,  result  from  like  causes  ; — 
in  the  potato,  from  its  weak,  sickly,  exhausted  condition,  aris- 
ing from  erroneous  cultivation  ; — in  man,  from  his  intemper- 
ance, debauchery,  and  a  like  broken  constitution."  He  supposes 
the  rot  in  a  measure  contagious,  affecting  the  neighboring 
vines ;  and  recommends  procuring  the  seed  for  planting,  as  far 
distant  as  possible  from  the  place  of  disease  ;  and  then  to  plant 
none  but  large,  fair,  whole  potatoes,  Like  Mr.  Dadd,  he  abhors 
the  practice  of  planting  cut  potatoes,  or  pieces,  as  well  as  whole 
ones,  of  an  inferior  quality. 

Grothie,  Charles,  Milwaukie,  (German).  Is  lost  in  gener- 
alities. He  is  too  little  acquainted  with  the  English  language 
to  be  intelligible. 

Haines,  Herman,  Cannonsburg,  Pa.,  asks  for  information  but 
conveys  none. 

84 


POTATO  ROT. 

Hawes,  Dwight  H..  Honesdale,  Pa.  Cause. — Sudden,  warm 
rains  on  the  growing  plant,  where  it  has  been  predisposed  by 
careless  and  insufficient  cultivation  to  take  the  disease.  Want 
of  a  sufficient  depth  of  earth  in  covering  and  hoeing,  the  au- 
thor considers  a  prominent  predisposing  cause.  Remedy. — Re- 
new the  seed  from  the  balls  to  avoid  the  present  predisposition. 
Plough  thoroughly.  Plant,  cover  and  hoe  the  potatoes  with 
much  earth. 

HooKE,  H.  M.,  Pelham,  N.  H.,  (more  recently  of  Lowell, 
Mass.)  offers  a  communication  of  great  length,  ably  written, 
evidently  embodying  the  result  of  much  mental  labor  and  deep 
research.  And  it  is  because  many  of  the  facts  and  arguments 
here  presented  have  been  traversed  by  others,  already  recorded, 
and  not  because  these  are  less  interesting,  that  it  is  deemed 
necessary  in  this  brief  abstract,  already  extended  to  greater 
length  than  first  calculated,  to  omit  to  notice  some  important 
parts  of  this  essay,  which  would  otherwise  have  been  recorded 
at  full  length.  The  original  place  of  discovery,  for  instance, 
Avas  given  in  the  communication  of  T.  S.  Ridgeway ;  and  the 
formation  of  the  plant,  more  fully,  in  that  of  J.  W.  Dawson. 

Mr.  Hooke  notices  the  striking  fact  that  the  disease  occurred 
in  different  parts  of  the  globe  about  the  same  time,  which  seems 
to  prove  some  deficiency  in  the  atmosphere,  or  that  the  atmo- 
sphere contains  a  specific  poison  so  subtle,  as  hitherto  to  have 
eluded  our  senses.  If  indeed  an  aerial  element,  necessary  to 
the  growth  of  the  potato,  is  withdrawn,  the  sequence  will  be  a 
partial  or  total  decomposition  of  the  root,  caused  by  the  inter- 
ruption of  that  process,  by  which  the  various  parts  of  the  root 
are  developed.  If  it  be  then  asked  why  all  fields  are  not  equally 
diseased,  it  may  be  asked,  in  turn,  why  all  individuals  are  not 
equally  affected  by  atmospheric  epidemics.  We  do  answer  that 
some  fields  have  the  proper  preventive  agent.  Then  it  will  be 
asked  what  fields  ?  Experience  answers,  those  best  supplied 
with  carbon,  and  in  condition  to  supply  the  potato. 

(Omitting  a  minute  description  of  the  formation  of  the  po- 
tato,) it  should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  part  first  diseased  is 
composed  of  24  parts  of  carbon,  21  of  oxygen,  and  21  of  by- 


POTATO  ROT.  667 

drogen.  Therefore,  when  there  are  carbonates  in  the  soil,  or  a 
due  supply  of  carbonic  acid  in  the  air,  the  potato  plant  takes 
the  carbon,  and  sets  the  carbonic  acid  free. 

The  cause  of  the  decay  or  rot  therefore  must  be  a  deficiency 
of  the  carbonic  acid  in  the  air.  Why  ?  1.  Because  of  the 
decrease  oi  the  carbonic  acid  which  has  been  goi7ig  on  for  ages., 
in  consequence  of  the  growth  of  the  whole  vegetable  kingdom. 
2.  Because  the  disease  has  been  prevented  just  so  far  as  the 
root  and  plant  have  been  supplied  with  carbon — by  charcoal, 
carbonate  of  lime,  or  any  substance  rich  in  carbon. 

The  carbonates,  or  preventives,  to  be  eifectual,  must  be  so 
applied  that  the  potato  can  draw  from  it. 

The  deficiency  of  the  carbon  (the  cause  of  the  disease)  is 
both  in  the  soil  and  atmosphere.  But  a  newly  cleared  and 
burnt  piece  of  ground,  it  is  said,  will  produce  sound  potatoes. 
Now  if  vegetation  absorbs  carbonic  acid,  why  this  result,  since 
there  was  so  recently  a  large  growth  of  wood  on  the  land  now 
cleared  ?  The  reason  is  obvious.  There  is  a  supply  of  carbon 
from  the  charcoal  and  ashes  left  on  the  ground  after  burning, 
as  well  as  in  the  soil,  which  has  not  been  overworked  and  ex- 
hausted, but  has  rather  been  supplied  from  the  falling  and  de- 
cay of  the  carboniferous  growth  of  ages  before. 

During  the  earlier  periods  of  the  earth's  history,  the  atmo- 
sphere was  much  more  highly  charged  with  carbonic  acid,  than 
at  the  present  time.  Of  this  there  is  abundant  proof;  and  to 
this  redundancy  of  carbonic  acid  may  be  attributed  the  luxuri- 
ant growth  of  vegetation  peculiar  to  those  periods  ;  which 
growing  up  and  falling  down,  have  produced  those  vast  beds 
of  coal,  or  disintegrated  vegetable  matter,  which  remain  to  the 
present  time,  and  fully  indicate  a  much  larger  growth  of  for- 
ests, than  are  at  present  known. 

Coal  is  composed  of  vegetable  matter,  transmuted  by  petre- 
faction  of  a  peculiar  kind,  beneath  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  in  the  absence  of  air.  Many  species  of  plants  which  grew 
luxuriantly  then  are  now  extinct.  They  passed  away  with 
the  decrease  of  carbonic  acid  gas  that  supported  them.  They 
lived  till  they  fulfilled  the  important  work  assigned  them,  viz., 
clearing  the  atmosphere  of  a  redundance  of  carbonic  acid — a 


668  POTATO  ROT. 

matter  in  excess  noxious  to  animal  life,  though  highly  important 
in  a  due  proportion,  and  in  storing  up  mineral  masses,  destined 
in  process  of  time  to  be  of  great  service  to  man. 

At  a  later  period  more  dry  land  appeared,  and  the  earth  be- 
came covered  more  with  trees  and  other  vegetable  growth,  by 
which  the  carbonic  acid  became  so  exhausted  as  to  become  fit 
for  the  inhabitation  of  man. 

This  exhaustion  from  various  causes,  has  been  going  on 
more  or  less  rapidly,  until  even  man  is  being  affected  by  the 
great  absorption  of  carbonic  acid  gas,  as  appears  by  the  increase 
of  disease  in  the  respiratory  and  nervous  system  of  man,  one  of 
the  first  symptoms  in  consumption  being  a  loss  of  fat,  caused  by 
a  deficiency  of  carbon.  The  blood  too  of  consumptive  patients 
is  very  thin  and  florid,  showing  a  highly  oxygenated  condition 
and  deficiency  of  carbon  ;  and  the  best  remedies  are  those  rich 
in  carbon,  as  cod-liver  oil,  naptha  and  the  like;  and  the  respira- 
tory tube  acts  beneficially,  by  retaining  carbon  in  the  lungs. 

But  to  return  ;  it  may  be  asked,  why  the  potato  rot  begins 
in  the  cell  wall  ?  Answer,  because  this  part  is  required  to  hold 
its  contents  during  growth,  and  if  deprived  of  its  carbon,  which 
gives  it  firmness,  it  will  burst,  and  from  the  breach  arise  the 
fungi. 

Again,  it  may  be  asked,  if  the  disease  arise  from  defective 
growth,  why  it  ever  attacks  the  potato  after  taken  from  the 
ground  ?  Answer,  the  rot  might  be  expected  from  a  watery 
potato  of  imperfect  growth,  or  contagion  might  communicate  it. 

Why  sliould  not  species  of  vegetables  pass  away  at  this  age, 
as  well  as  at  a  former  one?  They  do  and  will,  unless  means 
be  applied  for  their  preservation. 

But  vegetables  are  not  alone  in  passing  away.  Whole  races 
of  animalSj  of  enormous  growth,  have  become  extinct,  as  the 
mammoth,  the  mastodon,  &c..  of  whose  former  existence  in  our 
own  country  there  is  abundant  proof. 

Much  carbonic  acid  has  been  abstracted  by  the  growth  of 
vegetation,  but  more  by  carboniferous  deposits.  Every  cubic 
yard  of  lime  is  supposed  to  contain  10.000  cubic  feet  of  car- 
bonic acid  gas.  The  quantity  also  in  coal  beds,  containing  64 
to  75  per  cent,  carbon,  must  be  enormous, 


POTATO  ROT.  669 

An  atmosphere  charged  with  carbonic  acid  gas,  as  high  as  8 
or  12  per  cent.,  would  not  support  land-animal  life,  but  would 
help  forward  a  luxuriant  growth  of  land  vegetables.  The  at- 
mosphere now  does  not  contain  ^^V^  of  this  gas. 

HosKiNs,  Cheney,  Bel  Air,  Maryland,  wants  further  informa- 
tion. 

Irish,  H.  D.,  Turner,  Me.,  thinks  he  has  discovered  the 
cause  of  the  disease  in  a  small  worm,  half  an  inch  long,  which 
he  found  in  the  stock,  by  cutting  it  off  below  where  it  was 
withered.  He  is  confident  that  the  decay  thus  caused  in  the 
stock  descends  to  the  tuber,  and  produces  the  disease,  the  rem- 
edy of  which  may  be  quick-lime,  if  applied  so  as  to  touch  the 
worms.     Or  lime  water,  or  dry  lime  will  answer. 

Johnson,  Micajah,  T.,  Short  Creek,  Ohio,  makes  some  good 
suggestions,  but  they  have  been  made  substantially  by  others 
— are  well  understood,  and  generally  agreed  upon  ;  such  as 
that  the  ground  selected  for  planting,  should  be  high  and  dry, 
of  a  light  quality  and  light  color,  where  it  is  exposed  to  con- 
stant or  frequent  breezes,  and  the  heat  is  never  excessive.  Lo- 
cations are  unfavorable,  where  the  sun  is  very  hot  by  day,  and 
the  nights  are  cool.  These  sudden  changes  from  heat  to  cold 
rupture  the  small  vessels  in  the  tuber,  and  cause  the  rot. 

Kentish,  Charles  A.,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  "  manufactures  an 
agricultural  fertilizer,"  which  he  terms  "  prepared  or  artificial 
guano,"  one  of  the  virtues  of  which  is  to  kill  all  insects  and 
prevent  rot  in  potatoes.  To  prove  its  efficacy,  he  offers  a  certi- 
ficate from  G.  Preant,  White  Plains,  N.  Y.,  saying : — "  I  have 
used  '  Kentish's  prepared  guano,'  this  season,  on  potatoes. 
My  crop  was  large  and  all  sound.  Where  I  did  not  use  it,  the 
potatoes  were  all  rotten  and  worthless.  My  neighbors  also, 
who  have  not  used  this  fertilizer,  have  not  raised  a  saleable  po- 
tato." 

Mr.  K.  proposes  to  furnish  three  or  four  barrels,  enough  for 
an  acre  of  potatoes,  as  a  test. 


670  POTATO  ROT. 

Lambourn,  Isaac  E.,  Cassapolis,  Mich.,  professes  to  be  *'  in 
possession  of  the  information  required  ;"  and  makes  proposals. 

Lazelere,  a.  De,  Columbus,  N.  J.,  by  way  of  preventive 
uses  slack  lime  and  salt  on  stable  manure,  in  proportion  of  one 
bushel  of  lime  slacked,  and  one  bushel  of  salt,  in  a  cask  of 
liquid,  large  enough  to  make  a  whitewash,  to  four  loads  of 
stable  manure.  Then  saturate,  and  use  one  fork-full  to  each 
hill. 

Lewis,  Abner,  East  Poultney,  Vt.,  "  has  found  a  new  way 
of  raising  potatoes,  free  from  rot  or  rust,  of  a  much  better 
quality  and  more  abundant  crop.  Plough,  harrow,  and  furrow, 
lightly.  Plant  early,  covering  the  potatoes  first  with  a  hand- 
ful of  leaves,  then  lightly  with  dirt.  Hoe  the  plant  when 
small,  then  plaster." 

Probably  the  leaves  and  plaster  have  a  tendency  to  preserve 
the  soundness,  and  improve  the  quality  of  the  potatoes. 

Morrison,  Thomas  D.,  believes  the  cause  to  be  overheating, 
which  commences  in  the  tops  and  descends  to  the  roots — occa- 
sioned by  the  south  winds.  He  planted  an  acre  of  potatoes,  a 
part  of  the  field  being  near  to,  and  north  of  a  shed  50  feet  long, 
and  when  the  storms  came  and  the  wind  blew  and  beat  upon 
that  field,  that  part  protected  by  the  shed,  stood  its  ground  un- 
molested, while  the  remainder  withered  and  perished.  Remedy. 
— Plant  three  or  four  kernels  of  corn  one  side  of  each  hill,  to 
protect  from  the  wind.  This  experiment  has  proved  perfectly 
successful  two  years. 

Moore,  John,  Candia,  N.  H.,  like  several  others,  believes  the 
cause  a  small  fly  or  bug,  which  perforates  the  leaf  and  stalk, 
causing  the  virus,  thus  introduced,  to  descend  and  poison  the 
potato.  He  believes  that  the  remedy  is  in  tobacco  juice,  lime 
and  salt,  sprinkled  upon  the  tops  repeatedly  during  their  growth, 
in  proportion  of  one  pound  of  tobacco,  (or  all  its  strength  in 
juice)  two  quarts  of  unslacked  lime,  and  one  quart  of  salt,  to 
half  a  barrel  of  water.  Sprinkle  and  wet  the  tops,  especially 
after  rains,  three  or  four  times  during  growth. 


POTATO  ROT.  671 

Morrill,  Philip,  Glenburn,  Me.,  in  a  printed  communica- 
tion, makes  several  inquiries,  as  to  residence  required,  &c.,  and 
professes  to  have  discovered  the  cause,  but  does  not  state  it. 

Morrow,  John  S.,  Newville,  Pa.,  in  a  wel]  written  and  in- 
teresting communication,  seems  to  agree  in  sentiment  with 
Mr.  Dawson,  and  some  other  sensible  writers,  that  one  great 
cause  of  the  failure  in  the  potato  crop,  is  want  of  renewal  of 
the  seed.  Too  long  a  production  from  the  same  stock  has 
caused  the  plant,  like  an  old  tree,  or  ingraftings  from  old  trees, 
to  become  worn  out  by  age.  As  to  remedy  he  says, — ''  The 
only  way,  therefore,  to  avoid  the  potato  rot  is  to  renew  the 
vigor  of  the  plant,  which  is  all  that  is  wanted,  by  growing 
fresh  seed  taken  from  the  potato  apple,  and  the  writer  will 
vouch  for  th2  experiment. 

"  In  the  summer  of  1848,  I  grew  some  small  potatoes  from 
the  apple,  (or  natural  seed,)  and  in  the  Sj.ring  of  1849  I  planted 
the  neio  seed  in  my  lot,  in  a  row  parallel  with  and  adjoining 
other  rows  planted  with  old  seed.  When  the  product  of  the 
old  seed  was  uncovered,  the  rows  presented  a  mass  of  decom- 
posed matter,  which  emitted  a  very  offensive  smell.  On  open- 
ing the  row  in  which  the  new  seed  was  planted  the  potatoes 
were  found  to  be  matured,  healthy  and  vigorous.  In  1850  I 
made  a  similar  experiment  with  the  same  seed,  and  found  a 
similar  result." 

Nicholson,  Joseph,  Millerstown,  Pa.,  writes  to  obtain  infor- 
mation. 

OsTRANDER,  R.  T.,  Gcncva,  Walworth  County,  Wis.,  recom- 
mends planting  on  the  top  of  the  soil,  and  covering  with  straw, 
without  hilling  or  ev3n  stirring  the  ground  more  than  to  keep 
down  the  weeds.  "  Never  plant  in  a  hollow,  or  with  loose  soil 
beneath,  and  your  crop  will  be  certain." 

Page,  Benjamin,  near  Massilon,  Ohio,  recommends  the  use 
of  plaster  of  Paris,  or  gypsum,  as  a  preventive.  He  says : 
"In    1850,  while  planting  my  potatoes,  I  tried  lime,  charcoal. 


672  POTATO  ROT. 

ashes,  soot,  salt,  and  gypsum,  each  separately.     The  last,  alone, 
entirely  prevented  the  disease." 

Application. — At  the  time  of  planting,  scatter  a  little  over 
the  potatoes,  say  a  gill  on  each  hill,  and  as  much  more  about 
the  plant,  when  a  few  inches  above  ground. 

Parker,  Isaac,  Potsdam,  N.  Y.,  requests  information. 

Parlee,  a.  R.,  Skeneateles,  N.  Y.,  thinks  the  disease  is 
caused  by  a  small  insect,  which  commences  its  ravages  in  hot 
weather,  the  latter  part  of  June. 

Remedy. — Drop  a  small  handful  of  salt  on  the  potatoes  in 
each  hill  before  planting.  About  the  first  of  July  scatter  a 
handful  of  lime  on  the  plants  of  each  hill,  in  proportion  of 
three  bushels  to  the  acre.  Repeat  the  same  about  20th  July 
and  10th  August. 

Perley,  Nathaniel,  Ottaway,  Illinois,  found,  when  the  rot 
commenced,  a  small  insect  in  the  pith  of  the  stock,  head  down- 
ward, going  down.  This  insects  enters  under  a  large  branch 
of  the  main  stock,  which  begins  to  decay — sooner  or  later,  ac- 
cording to  the  weather.  The  insect  becomes  a  worm  or  mag- 
got, as  it  nears  the  ground. 

Remedy. — Cut  the  vines  by  a  scythe  within  four  inches  of 
the  ground,  on  the  appearance  of  decay,  and  sow  broadcast 
from  two  to  three  bushels  of  air  slacked  lime  to  the  acre,  leav- 
ing the  vines  on  the  ground.  He  has  found  this  effectual  in 
preserving  his  potatoes  in  a  sound  state,  for  three  successive 
years,  while  his  neighbors'  crops  have  been  damaged  by  the 
rot. 

Q,DiNBY,  JosiAH,  Readiugtou,  N.  J.,  requests  information. 

Randall,  Bryant  W.,  Middle  Island,  (L.  I.,)  N.  Y.,  has 
found  by  experiment  a  remedy  in  cutting  off  the  vines,  when 
they  first  begin  to  die,  within  two  inches  of  the  ground. 

Riley,  James,  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  writes  grandiloquently,  but 


POTATO  ROT.  <*      673 

declares  that  t?ie  "paltry  reward"  of  $10,000  would  be  no 
inducement  to  him  to  make  known  the  cause  and  remedy  of 
the  disease. 

Root,  Charles,  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  professes  to  have 
found  a  remedy,  and  makes  a  proposal  for  its  revelation. 

RoTiLOM,  Jean,  Chicago,  Illinois,  goes  into  the  sublime,  and 
believes  the  disease  is  "  caused  by  an  atmospherical  influence 
of  a  planet,"  and  "  will  gradually  discontinue  in  the  lapse  of 
five  years,"  in  1856. 

RuGGLES,  John,  Duncansville,  Pa.,  thinks  the  disease  is 
caused  by  an  insect,  which  deposits  its  eggs  in  the  blossom — 
works  its  way  to  the  roots,  and  attacks  the  potato.  In  culti- 
vating, he  selects  dry  land,  overspread  with  rotten  manure,  and 
plants  cut  potatoes. 

Trabue,  E.,  and  Sledge,  John  P.,  Oakland  Farm,  3  miles 
east  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  recommend  for  manures,  straw, 
leaves,  grass,  or  vegetable  manures,  and  to  avoid  all  strong 
manures ;  and  for  seed  they  recommend,  contrary  to  the  ex- 
perience of  all  the  best  writers,  the  planting  of  small  potatoes. 
They  also  recommend  frequently  renewing  the  seed  from  the 
ball. 

Smith,  G.  W.,  Glen  Aubra,  N.  Y.,  thinks  the  disease  has 
been  caused  by  a  violation  of  the  laws  of  nature  in  our  mode 
of  cultivation.  His  plan  is  to  leave  in  the  ground  over  winter 
that  portion  of  the  crop  intended  for  seed,  in  the  place  where 
they  grew,  taking  away  only  the  surplusage,  or  what  remains, 
in  the  spring,  more  than  what  is  necessary  for  seed.  This 
experiment  has  been  tried  successfully  four  years.  Mr.  S. 
grew  his  potatoes  on  a  sandy,  loam  soil,  under  a  high  state  of 
cultivation,  where  the  potatoes,  kept  in  the  ground  for  the  next 
year's  crop,  needed  no  extra  covering  to  protect  them  from  the 
frost.  In  a  more  exposed  situation  he  thinks  it  might  be  neces- 
sary to  cover  the  ground  with  chaff,  straw,  or  other  convenient 
8.5 


674       ^  POTATO  ROT. 

material.     The  same  experiment,  substantially,  has  been  tried 
with  success  by  others. 

Smith,  J.  Lee,  Milwaukie,  Wis.,  condemns  the  practice  of 
planting  small  potatoes,  and  also  of  cut  potatoes,  which  will 
cause  the  seed  to  run  out  and  become  exhausted.  One  of  his 
neighbors,  at  his  suggestion,  four  years  ago,  commenced  the 
practice  of  planting  his  fairest,  soundest,  best  potatoes  ;  and  the 
consequence  has  been,  as  might  naturally  have  been  expected, 
his  crop  every  year  has  been  fair,  sound,  and  abundant. 

Snyder,  John  T.,  Franklin,  N.  J.,  thinks  one  cause  of  the 
potato  disease  is  a  small  bug,  which  enters  the  stock  near  the 
ground  and  penetrates  to  the  root.  By  pulling  up  the  vines 
from  the  ground,  standing  with  the  feet  on  each  side  and  close 
to  the  vine,  leaving  the  potatoes  in  the  ground,  will  save  thep. 
Scattering  a  handful  of  ashes  or  a  handful  of  plaster  about 
the  vines,  on  the  first  days  of  June,  July,  and  August,  he  has 
found  to  be  useful.  He  thinks  insects  more  numerous  and  de- 
structive, of  late  years,  than  formerly,  owing  to  the  killing  of 
the  birds,  which  he  thinks  ought  to  be  prevented  by  law. 

Stanley,  John  E.  Jr.,  New  Ipswich,  N.  H.,  thinks  he  has 
discovered  a  cheap  and  sure  remedy,  but  does  not  yet  commu- 
nicate it. 

Thompson,  Green  B.,  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo.,  is  very  confi- 
dent he  has  found  a  certain  remedy,  which  he  is  willing  to 
make  known  to  our  legislative  body,  if  they  accept  of  his  terms. 

Trabue  &  Sledge,  Nashville,  Ten.  Second  commuication. 
See  first  communication,  under  letter  S. 

Washington,  Benjamin,  Newport,  N.  J.,  offers  the  following, 
as  a  certain  remedy  or  preventive  : — 

Take  one  bushel  of  ground  plaster  of  Paris,  mixed  with  half 
a  bushel  of  wood  ashes.  In  planting,  put  a  common  teacup 
full  on  each  potato,  and  no  disease  can  take  place. 


POTATO  ROT.  675 

Watendyke,  C.  a.,  Newton,  N.  J.,  has  tried  the  following 
experiment  three  years,  with  unfailing  success,  while  his  neigh- 
bors have  lost  almost  their  whole  crops  of  potatoes  by  the 
disease. 

As  to  the  ground  for  planting,  care  should  be  taken  to  select 
dry,  loamy  soil,  and  to  avoid  low,  wet  ground. 

"  Prepare  the  ground  in  the  nsual  way  for  planting  in  hills ; 
put  in  the  potatoes  and  sprinkle  in  every  hill,  over  the  pota- 
toes, one  gill  of  lime,  (if  the  ground  is  very  rich,  a  little  more 
can  be  used,)  then  cover  over  the  potatoes  with  ground  as 
usual.  Then  take  five  bushels  of  lime,  one  bushel  of  ashes,  half 
a  bushel  of  fine  salt,  and  half  a  bushel  of  ground  plaster,  mix  well 
together ;  and  of  this  composition  sprinkle  over  every  hill  one 
large  table  spoonful.  Plant  early.  This  experiment  costs  but 
little  time  and  expense,  and  will  add  richness  to  the  soil." 

The  mode  adopted  by  many  of  trying  to  save  the  crop,  after 
the  vine  begins  to  die,  Mr.  W.  considers  futile  in  the  extreme, 
the  poison  having  already  done  its  work,  and  will,  sooner  or 
later,  appear.  The  only  way  is  to  commence  right,  by  making 
the  ground  healthy  with  such  articles  as  have  a  purifying  ten- 
dency. 

Wild,  Robert,  Montello  Falls,  Wis.,  writes,  requesting 
further  information. 

Wood,  J.  C,  New  York,  N.- Y.,  believes  that  his  experience 
will  entitle  his  suggestions  to  consideration.  He,  like  Messrs. 
Dawson,  Hooke,  and  other  sensible  writers,  believes  that  the 
power  of  reproduction  from  the  tuber  of  the  potato,  is  not  per- 
petual, but  may  be,  and  has  been,  exhausted  by  length  of  time. 
He  says,  the  potato  plant  in  its  healthy  state  produces  abun- 
dance of  seeds.  The  plant  blossoms,  the  blossoms  fall,  and  are 
succeeded  by  small  white  balls,  full  of  seeds,  which,  if  planted, 
produce  small  potatoes  the  first  year  and  full  sized  ones  the 
third  year.  Nature  having  thus  provided,  in  the  seeds,  a  nat- 
ural power  of  reproduction,  it  is  evident  that  the  plant  is  per- 
petuated by  the  root,  or  without  resorting  to  the  seed ;  nor  can 
a  healthy  plant  exist  from  the  seeds  produced  from  a  sickly 


676  POTATO  ROT. 

plant.  The  plant  failed  to  produce  its  balls  or  seed,  long  be- 
fore the  root  commenced  to  rot,  and  then  the  agriculturist 
ought  to  have  known  that  the  plant  was  failing,  and  to  have 
renewed  from  the  seeds  of  the  wild  plant,  or  the  root  from  the 
native  country.  The  only  matter  of  surprise  is,  that  the  plant 
should  so  long  have  been  propagated  from  the  root.  He  is 
fully  convinced  that  the  only  true  remedy  is  obtaining  the 
seed  or  root,  in  a  wild  state,  from  South  America. 

WooLSEY,  J.  Wm,,  (Quebec,  L.  C,  has  been  informed,  by  one 
who  had  tried  it,  that  pulverized  gypsum  applied  upon  the  po- 
tato in  the  hill,  before  covering,  was  a  sure  remedy.