DOWN ON ASA'S FARM 1880

While Hiram West had abandoned farming by 1880 in favor of the
lumber and mill business, brother Asa West was still at it, albeit at a
smaller scale than in 1870. Sometime over that decade, Asa's farm
shrank by 35 acres, 20 of it farmland and the other 15 woodland.
Consequently the total value of the farm was down over a thousand
dollars to 2600 dollars.The flock of ten sheep was gone. Asa still grew
corn and oats but no longer buckwheat but he had made more use of
his woodland, drawing 30 gallons of maple syrup and cutting 10 cords
of wood valued at 10 dollars.


He'd also cut back on expenses by not hiring any help, a savings of
300 dollars from 1870.By now daughter Lizzie and son C. Scott were
teenagers and able to help out around the farm.If Asa was working
for Hiram at the sawmill, the pay or profit there would more than
makeup the monies that might have been made by growing more crops.

So here's my transcription from the 1880 Schedule 2-Productions of
Agriculture for Andover, Oxford, Maine, page 9:




Tenure:
Owner:yes
Rents for fixed money rental:
Rents for shares of crops:


Acres of Land:
Improved:
Tilled, including fallow and grass in rotation (whether pasture or meadow):30
Permanent meadows, permanent pastures,orchards, vineyards:50

Unimproved:
Woodland and forest:50
Other unimproved, including "old fields" and growing wood:


Farm Values:
Of farm, including land, fences and buildings:2200(dollars)
Of farming implements and machinery:100(dollars)
Of livestock:300(dollars)

Fences:
Cost of building and repairing in 1879:


Cost of fertilizers purchased in 1879:


Labor:
Amount paid for wages for farm labor during 1879, including value of board:
Weeks hired labor in 1879 upon farm (and dairy),excluding housework:


Estimated value of all farm productions (sold, consumed or on hand) in 1879:400(dollars)


Grass Lands:
Acreage 1879
Mown:30
Not Mown:
Products Harvested in 1879:
Hay:30(tons)
Clover seed:
Grass seed:

Horses of all ages on hand June 1, 1879:2

Mules and asses all ages on hand June 1, 1879:

On hand June 1, 1879:
Working oxen:2
Milch cows:2
Other:

Meat Cattle and Their Products:
Calves dropped:1
Movement 1879:
Purchased:3
Sold living:
Slaughtered:
Died, strayed and at (indecipherable word)and not recovered:
Milk sold, or sent to butter and cheese factories in 1879:
Butter made on the farm in 1879:100(lbs.)
Cheese made on the farm in 1879:

Sheep:
On hand June 1,1879:
Lambs dropped:
Movement 1879:
Purchased:
Sold living:
Slaughtered:
Killed by dogs:
Died of disease:
Died of stress of weather:
Clip, Spring 1880, Shorn And To Be Shorn:
Fleeces:
Weight:

Swine:
On hand June 1, 1880:2


Poultry On Hand June 1, 1880, Exclusive Of Spring Hatchlings
Barn-yard:8
Others:

Eggs Produced In 1879:30(doz.)


Cereal:
Barley 1879:
Acres:
Crop:
Buckwheat 1879:
Acres:
Crop:
Indian Corn 1879:
Acres:1
Crop:15(bushels)
Oats 1879:
Acres:3
Crop:100(bushels)
Rye 1879:
Acres:
Crop:
Wheat 1879:
Acres:
Crop:

Pulse:
Canada Peas (Dry) in 1879:
Beans (Dry) in 1879:9 (bushels)

Fiber:
Flax-1879:
Area in crop:
Seed:
Straw:
Fiber:
Hemp:
Acres:
Tons:
Sugar:
Surghum-1879:
Area in crop:
Sugar:
Molasses:
Maple-1879
Sugar:
Molasses:30(gallons)

Broom Corn-1879
Acres:
Lbs.:

Hops-1879:
Acres:
Crop:

Potatoes(Irish)1879:
Acres:1
Crop:200(bushels)

Potatoes(Sweet)1879
Acres:
Crop:

Orchards-1879:
Apples:
Acres:2
Bearing trees:100
Bushels 1879:200
Peaches:
Acres:
Bearing trees:
Bushels 1879
Total value of orchard products of all kinds sold or consumed:24(dollars)

Nurseries:
Acres:
Total value of produce sold in 1879:

Vineyards:
Acres:
Grapes sold in 1879:
Wine made in 1879:

Market Gardens
Value of produce sold in 1879:

Bees:
Honey:
Wax:

Forest Products:
Amount of wood cut in 1879:10(cords)
Value of all forest products sold or consumed in 1879:10(dollars)


I'll have some thoughts about what I've learned from all this in another post.