Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-11-20
aMiseellameous.
A NEW FARM OUT OF AN OLD ONE.

Amidst the rciterations that farming is
improbable" the frequent unskilful man.
agement of the soil, and the fight of the
young from their ancestral acres, it is
pleasant occasionally to find the reverse
of all this; to see new buildings take the
place of old and dilapidated ones; snug,
instead of ipconvenient barns substan-
tial and tidy fences instead of sprawling
walls, Iskirted by ages of accumulated
weeds and brush and broad and smooth
fields which yield two and three tons OF
hay per acre annually, instead of rough,
moss-grown "mowings."
When Mr.. r. w. Emerson delivered an
address before the Middlesex Agricultural
Society several years ago, he said. ''there
is a Concord under Concord conveying
the idea that under the surface so long
scrapped and robbed there are large and
fertile farms which have not vet been cul-
tivated.
1t was our good fortune few days since
to find that one of these farms had been
discovered, and it required about half II
day to examine it, and learn how new
farm had been made out of an old one!
The farm to which we refer, lies in the
western part of Concord, Mass, is the
property of Mr.. Joseph A. Smith, and
twenty years ago was one of the toughest
and most unpromising. 1t abounded with
small stones in some places, land boulders,
large loose stones and lodges in others.
The "balance" walls had changed their
centre Of gravity, so that it would be diff
ticult to decide where it was intended to
be originally. Their sides were flanked
by lines of bushes and briars, affording
convenient retreats for woodchucks, from
whence to issue to feed upon the beans or
| clover in the fields, and for hosts of squir-
rels to emerge into the Indian corn hills
| Six cows, pair of oxen and one horse,
was the usual stock kept upon the farm.
The hay upon which they fed, was mostly
swale, that is, from the wet ruris among
the unlands, or from meadows that We're
never ploughed. And this, fifty years
ago was the usual style of farming, and
was thought to be pretty good. In great
many cases, the amount of stock kept was
less than on this farm The idea of i'm
proving the farm so as to feed double the
amount of stock, and raise double the
amount of vegetables, fruits and grains at
the same time, did not seem to have come
into the calculations of the owners.
Out of this condition of things, is it any
wonder that the idea became popular, that
farming is Improbable, and that the pop
ulation of the rural districts in New Eng
land, has and is constantly growing lessp
At present, on this new farm, which
consists of about IS acres, are kepttwenty-
five cows, young and old, every one of
which have been raised on the farm They
are grades of Ayrshire and the old red
cattle. Six horses are also employed in
farm work, taking milk to the station, and
TOR a portion of the year in the delivering
of ice.
All this. stock is fed upon fodder cut upon
the farm, and some $500 to $500 worth of
hay annually sold besides. Ten cans, or
about eighty quarts, of milk per day are
sold through the year. This year, between
the 10th of August and the 10th of Sep
tember, Mr.. Smith sent to Boston, by cars
325 barrels of green corn, pickles and
potatoes.
Last year on about one and half acres
of orchard, he gathered 500 barrels of
apples, for which he received SLY per
barrel in Boston. This year he had twelve
barrels, and of very poor quality
In addition to these products, he raises
vegetables, grapes, Strawberries, aspara-
gus, and some of the small grains, and is
raising a pear orchard. The dwelling
house has been improved, large and
convenient barn erected, together with
carriage and other needed out-buildings.
Besides these, he has purchased as much
land ae makes up the home farm, which is
devoted to pasture and wood.
On the old farm, the annual products
were in Il ratio with the amount of stock
kept, and about the same condition exists
at this time. For instance, the stock has
been increased four fold, and so have all
the other products of the farm.
The secret of this great Improvement,
was in gradually finding the Concord
under Concord" and giving it an oppor-
tunity to ''bud and blossom as the rose !"
and the leading steps in the work, were =
/. To draw off the surplus water that
stood under some of the best land. This |
was done over eighteen acres, where some
of the grass was cut which went to feed |
the nine head of cattle on the old farm.
2. On other portions of these swamp
lands were alders, birches, and a variety
of water-bush common to such places. |
These were torn out, piled and burnt. The
plough followed, some portions were
planted with potatoes, and others, not yet |
sufficiently dry for cultivation, sowed at |
once with seeds of the best upland grasses
Through drainage preceded all this.
Without that, nothing could have been
done towards reclaiming and finding the |
farm that lay ''under Concord"
5. These reclaimed lands have been |
kept in such condition as to produce from
two to three tons of hay annually. The
Oldest of them having been ploughed once
or twice, manured and re-seeded, without
being cultivated for any other crop than
grass, so that these eighteen acres in their
first and second crop give about fifty tons
of hay each year; enough to fill a good
sized barn.
4. All the reclaimed meadows have been
dressed with sand. First, as soon as the
water had subsidized so as to leave thessur-
face hard enough to bear the team and
load; and again as opportunity permitted,
q slight coating at each time.
5. In addition to these, they have re-
ceived an occasional top-dressing of COM
posted manures, old and fine, and aided
by small applications of ashes, bone-dust,
OF some other reliable commercial fertil-
bA Lot