Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-10-06

The Sturbridge Fair.
The fair at Sturbridge was brought TO
close yesterday by a market-day, in which
some sales and some exchanges of property
were effected.
In our report, yesterday, we were Obliged to
omit any account of the discussions by the So
ciety, at the church. There were four ques
tons propounded to each of which, only one
half hours time was allowed. Dr. Fiske, the
president of the society, opened the exercises
and read the questions. The first one was as
follows Can the raising of wheat be made
the most profitable crop of the small grains
Capt. d. Wright, ir., the secretary of the so.
ciety, thought it could, ard went on to show
the great value of wheat for family purposes.
We now have to depend upon the West for
our supply, but farmers are becoming conyinc-
ed that it will be more profitable to cultivate
wheat here, than other small grains. Ten
years ago, it was the opinion that wheat could
not be cultivated on our thin and sandy SOIL
but that had been proved to be mistake, and
it is found that the strongest soil is not neces-
sary, in order to produce wheat. The aver.
age of rye, he said, was about 20 to 25 bush
els to the acre, and oats, 80 to 40; and from
this and other data, he reasoned that wheat
would yield Is or 20 per cent. more to the
acre than rye, and even better than other
grains.
Mr.. Gardner, of Nantucket, a delegate for
the state board of agriculture, said he had
raised "A bushels of oats to the acre. but rye
and barley were the crops he preferred. He
had plowed the ocean for many years, and had
not had much experience in blowing the land,
Rev. Mr.. Holmes of Charlton said it seemed
hardly proper for him to address an agrcultu-
raj society, but he had experimental some
what in gardening. His observation had sat
isfied him that good wheat could be raised in
this county, and almost anywhere in New
| England, The wheat we get near home
seemed to him the better for that very reason.
He alluded to the recent establishment of mills
at Southbridge and Charlton for boiling wheat,
as giving encouragement to its cultivation.
The fact that the land we raise our v heat on
however, was generally extra good, should
enter into the estimate of its value.
Mr.. Howe OF Brooktield, an old farmer,
spoke OF a kinsman OF his living in Michigan,
who had moved from Connecticut. He said
that lime was very important item in the
soil where wheat had been raised, and advised
its use, and they had used it in Woodstock
and other places with good results. He had
mixed oyster shells with his muck and found
- III l,o Il, l. NIL
lime, but never with green manures Our
most profitable crops being grasses, we make
it our object to prepare land for that purpose,
and there was no better preparatory crop than
wheat Oats were not good to come before
grasses, though rye was somewhat better
He spoke with pride of the specimens of wheat
which were exhibited, and was rejoiced to see
so good specimens.
The second question for discussion was this
Is sufficient attention given to the raising
OF root crops?
Dr. l.. w. Curtis of Southbridge was the
first speaker. He thought good variety of
root crops tended to decrease the percentage
of disease and sickness in both ourselves and
our animals. He had formerly experimental
on raising carrots, and now he planted mangel
wurtzels. 1t took, he thought, less trouble
than to produce corn, and their tops were just
the thing for cattle during the dry season in
August taking the place of after feed His
crop this year, aside from the tops, was twenty
tons to the acre ia bushel weighing 40 lbs. J,
and that he thought worth more than corn at
fifty bushels to the acre.
Hon. Freeman Walker Of North Brookfeld
took different view of the subject, though he
was glad to see 50 decided opinions expressed.
His experience had shown him that the value
of root crops TO feed out to cattle was greatly
over estimated. The carrot was perhaps the
most valuable of the roots, and its value is
varionsly estimated by agricultural writers at
from 40 to rs cents per 100 pounds. But the
question is, what are they really worth to feed
out to cattle 2 and he thought eight or ten dol
lars per ton to be fair estimate. They con.
tain about So or 80 per cent. of water-thus
leaving but 10 or 10 per cent. of nutritive
matter. He thought that was rather hard
way to water cattle. If they were worth 40
cents the LOG pounds, they would be worth
more than corn at 81 per bushel, or 2 cents a
pound. An average crop Of carrots is about
427 bushels--12 tons to the acre, or about one
and hall ton Of nutrtive matter thus 80
bushels Of corn to the acre would give as
many pounds Of corn as Of carrots. One
bushe of corn, in his opinion was worth as
much as eight bushels Of carrots. The real
value of carrots is about 12g cents per busle
as good practical farmers will say. In Wor-