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the line for the wall fence say two and a half or three feet deep, below the frost; then put in the large and quite small stone, making a strong and firm foundation for a single partition wall; in this way use as many of the surface stone as possible; then take the subsoil trenched out and grade up the whole to a smooth surface. This being well done makes a lasting wall.

Mr. Dodge's attention has been drawn mainly to the cultivation of root crops, fruit, and the grasses, in all of which he has prospered well. But little of the grain culture does he present; consequently he has made but little account of the fattening of pork, his farm being so well adapted to the grasses. From the knowledge the committee have of Mr. Dodge's farm, we think he is entitled to great merit for his untiring perseverance in noble and valuable improvements made upon it.

The committee award to Mr. Dodge the society's first premium, of twenty-five dollars, for his example upon similar soiled swells of land.

To those who have the good of the great whole at heart, it is gratifying to note the increasing interest manifested by the community in the truly noble occupation of farming, and our consequent rapid advancement in an agricultural point of view, and to observe that, while in manufactures and commerce we occupy a proud position, our agricultural interests are not forgotten or carelessly remembered. Although much has been done for the encouragement of agriculture, and notwithstanding many of our most intelligent and influential men are untiring in their exertions to elevate and render attractive the occupation of the farmer, much remains to be done; and it is to the young especially that we must look for the manifestation of that worthy ambition and honest pride, unwearied zeal and self-ennobling industry, which shall entitle our agriculturists to the foremost rank among us. It is upon the products of the soil that we depend for subsistence; and surely the tillers of the soil should not sink into insignificance. It is true that mankind are in a great measure dependent upon one another; but it is generally conceded that the yeomanry of our land may justly claim a larger share of social independence than any other class. And what employment can be more honorable?

Adam, the father of our race, was a husbandman; and history, both ancient and modern, furnishes us with a long catalogue of glorious names, among them heroes, statesmen and poets, who were also farmers. The noblest of them all, and the dearest to our hearts, was the farmer of Mount Vernon-our own WASHINGTON. Who can ask a nobler precedent?

Respectfully submitted by

Jos. A. REED, Chairman.

Statement of Harvey Dodge.

The farm which I offer for the Worcester County Agricultu ral Society's premium is located in the north-east part of Sutton, one-half mile from the Sutton station, on the Providence and Worcester Railroad, and an equal distance south from the Blackstone River as it passes at that place. Its situation is about two hundred feet higher than the bed of the river, and has a gradual descent to the north of an inch to the foot.

An accomplished surveyor and draughtsman was employed to make a survey of all my home lots by point and compass, and draw a plan of them on a map, solely for my own use and accommodation; so that by reference to this map I am able to speak with confidence, both in reference to the quantity of land each lot contains and to the distances and degrees of rise and fall. I mention this fact of survey, as I shall have occasion to refer to it frequently in this statement, as I have had in all my operations on the farm.

An accurate field survey is what no farmer should delay for a single year. It shows him at a glance how much he has in wood, in waste, in tillage, in pasture, and in mowing, and enables him the more readily to determine what he is able to plant to corn, potatoes, vegetables, as well as other grains and grasses, by the quantity of manure he may have in his barn cellar; besides, it will pay for itself each year, principal and interest, in laying out the work necessary to be done on the

farm.

This farm has been in the occupancy of the family, on my mother's side, for more than a hundred years. In 1816, at the

time my grandfather died, it was purchased by my father at different times, more to keep it in the family than for his own convenience; and as my father's residence was some two miles distant, he was compelled to rent the house to a tenant, and manage the land to the most profit, as was supposed, by selling off the hay and grain, or at least all that was salable, and spending only the poorer quality on the farm. This continued until the spring of 1828, twelve years, and I believe that hay and grain enough had been sold or carried from the farm to pay the original cost. I took the farm as a tenant in 1828, and then and for several years afterwards the barn was not more than half filled with all the hay that could be cut on the farm. From 1828 to 1843 I occupied this farm as a tenant. I spent all the hay and five times as much grain as could be grown on the place during these fifteen years, and still found it up-hill work to improve the condition of the land, much as I was engaged in other business.

I bought the farm in 1843, and claim to have improved itfirst, by under-draining; secondly, by irrigation; thirdly, by deep ploughing; fourthly, by more thorough tillage and better manuring; and fifthly, by removing a large quantity of surface stones, and old, useless partition stone walls, mostly by sinking or filling into under-drainage; and lastly, by setting some two hundred and twenty apple, one hundred and thirty-five pear, one hundred quince, several peach, cherry, grape, gooseberry, and other small fruit trees, nearly all of which have been set within the last five years, and have mostly fruited the past

season.

Your society's premium is offered "for the best managed farm, regard being had to the value and extent of its improvements and economy in its management in the last five years, a particular account of the expense of which, as far as practicable, must be given.”

My farm contains by measurement ninety-three and onequarter acres thirty-seven rods, divided as follows: ten acres of wood, ten acres of waste or not reclaimed, twenty-two acres of pasture, six acres more for corn, potatoes, and carrots, and the balance in mowing and orcharding. No other lands belonging to me do or have for the last five years contributed to the

support of this farm, by the products being brought home and spent, as sometimes is the case.

The road runs nearly east and west, and divides the farm into about equal parts north and south; and my buildings are situated nearly in the center of the farm, and stand a few feet higher than the east or west terminus of the road.

In September of 1849, twenty-four acres in front of the buildings, on the south side of the road, were in eight different lots, enclosed by more than two hundred rods of heavy, dilapidated stone walls, which had been thrown up from time to time from the adjoining lots, without any other apparent object than to get rid of the small stones. About equal portions of these eight lots were mowing and pasture alternately. The twelve acres of pasture had been covered with brush and stones, and were appraised by a former committee at seventeen dollars per acre, as its only value for agricultural purposes at that time.

In September, 1849, I caused a drain to be cut thirty-three rods in length by three and one-half feet in depth and three in width, and found the subsoil so very different in all respects that my attention was called to other portions of these pastures, until I finally determined to under-drain each of them. In three years we had cut six hundred rods of this drainage, and used all the surface stones, as well as the two hundred rods of inner wall, to fill the drains. Several hundred larger stones than could be used in the drains were sunk on the spot by digging a hole by the side of them and rolling them in; then small stones were used to fill the hole within twelve inches of the top; stumps and brush were put on to keep the dirt from falling down; then the soil that was thrown out was brought back with an ox shovel, and the ditches were filled. The balance of the subsoil was used to grade up between the ditches, which were principally cut six rods asunder. In this way all was left smooth for the plough, which was successfully passed through these lands. They were left to summer-till for one year by the aid of the harrow occasionally, and after this dressed with manure and sowed to turnips and grass-one part in 1850-51; the last was seeded this year. The old mowing part of this lot was ploughed ten inches deep with a Michigan

subsoil plough, the large stones sunk, and a liberal coat of manure spread on. At this time the whole twenty-four acres are in one lot, all in grass, so smooth and free from stones that it may be mowed with horse power, (if any land can,) and will produce in its present condition forty tons of hay per annum.

But some may still be inclined to ask, Why under-drain such land as this? It is no more moist than the most of our Worcester county hill-lands, which are very retentive of water. My answer is, In taking a thorough survey of these eight lots, enclosed by two hundred rods of ill-shaped old walls, running in all directions, enclosing them in unsightly forms, besides actually standing on two acres of virgin soil, and considering the waste. of headlands, which on each side of these walls were the receptacles of brush and noxious weeds, using up full another acre, and the damage to and time required in turning the plough, the mowing machine, and the horse rake, I thought these walls should be removed and all brought into one lot.

The drainage water on part of the lot is brought into an open ditch by the side of the road which runs east and west, and is carried on from thirty to fifty rods, thence across the road in three culverts, twenty rods apart, and used for irrigating some sixteen acres of dryer mowing land, having a greater fall than the above described. And the good effect of this water for irrigation is apparent to all who have witnessed its application. I have no doubt that the water alone has increased the hay on the first eight acres a full half ton to the acre annually. Besides these, a main under-drain is so constructed that it takes all the surplus water not wanted for the purpose of irrigation to an old, dry pasture, after taking in its way the drainage from the buildings, causing the pasture to produce more than twice its former crop.

The land on which my apple, pear, and quince trees stand has been under-drained to some extent, and a very large number of bowlders, or stones larger than could be used in the drains, was sunk on the spot. About six acres have been prepared and set to trees, as above described, within the last five years, and many of these trees have borne the past season. This land was all ploughed or spaded to the depth of fifteen inches before the trees were set out, and has been kept

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