The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-09-18
SOME SPECIMENS NEW ENGLAND
FARMS

Apropos to the question of the pros
poets of New England farmers, and tho
flee trade clamOr about the alleged
decline of New England agriculture, we
find some facts in one or two of our
cOntem DOraries which show how impor-
tant the personal factor is in these
equations. For example, the Springfield
UniOu mentions the case of a farmer
who went to Nebraska from Franklin
county, and who has among his rel
atives an energetic young farmer in
North Sunderland. The latter, in ans
wer to his Cousins boast over the sup
riOr advantages of Western farming,
offered a wager that he would rake
more out of a given number of acres on
his farm than the Nebraska man could
on his. The competition was tried and
was .ctory for the North Sunderland
man. He was obliged to make more
generous use of fertilizers than the
other, but the nearness of n market and
the opportunities for vegetable garden
ing gave such resurns that the New
Englander was considerably ahead after
paying for his fertilizers.
In like manner, the Hartford COurdnt
gives the account of the results secured
by Frederick Ellsworth of Hartford on
a farm of about 1856 acres in East Wind
sOr, Conn. The COurGnL says:
Every year since he began, the farm
has yielded more than the cost of con-
ducting it, Last year Was about the
worst. This year promises to be one of
the best. The tobacco crop is very
fine. He has seven acres of Havana seea,
emery leaf of which is now hanging
under cover 1t is estimated TO yielu
1900 to 1900 pounds TO the acre. The
corn this year will be the envy of West
ern farmers. 1t is already glazed and
practically safe from frost, and in large
| abundant ears. 1t will run from 100 to
l2j bushels on the ear to the acre,
equivalent to from 80 to Gj bushels
shelled. POtates are doing something
better than 200 bushels to the acre. He
has Beauty of Hilson, Early Rose aud
New Queen. Thirty acres of grass has
put little more than - tons of hay in
the barns aud in stack, and one expert
mental acre gave four tons. Mr.. Ellis
wOrSh keeps an account with each lot,
aud he knows what results come from
different processes and where the profit
is"
His principal crops this year are as
TO lows:
Potatoes .............. 5000 to $500 bushels;
| Wi OIn..s''''' '.'''..%i " DuSutls Ol tHe euI
| Hay ...... ................75 tons,
Havana seed tobacco, acres 49, zoo to "A, 900 lbs
These are the principal products.
Eight hundred healthy peach trees fur
nished no fruit this year. OF course
there are cows, pigs, etc, on the farm,
aud there is an ample chicken yard in
closed in wire fence.
Yet when Mr.. Ellsworth bought this
farm it had been worked over year after
"ear and not renewed, and people
aughed at the idea of makinU anything
out of it, So at North Sunder and there
is land as good as that on which the
results described have been secured
which lies unprOduct;ye, waiting for
some one with energy and Knowledge
sufficient to yet the most ont of it.
Similarly Ie Berkshire County Edgie
of Pitlslicld saws:
Although Zee tade newspapers are
haV ,ug great deal to say about the
dec iue of agriculture in New England,
the people who are best informed about
it know that there is nothiG, in such
talk There is an instance righU at hand.
The Smith farm at Lee produced a crop
OF hay this season estimated at Il } tons.
1t was all gathered by machinery in 30
days with l6 men. In one day 20 loads
were harvested, That is a I sat record,
even in these days OF machine work
Think what an army of men with
scy shes, hand-rakes and forks and OK
carts would have been required to gather
such crop 80 or 10 years a"O, and what
quantities of ginger pop, ciLer and New
England rum would have been con-
sumed. The Smith farm did not begin
to have storage for its crop, aud stacked
great quantities, making stacks % feet
wide and 100 feet long"
The same paper also reports that
several farms have recently been sold to
city people in Washington, cket and
Monterey, and that the farms taken up
during the year at New Marlboro al 9
undergoing extensive improvements.
l-BOsiOn Journal