BKOWN CORN. 



John Brown, Esq., of Long Island, Lake Winnipisscogee, 

 gives, l»y request of the Secretary, a statement of his efforts 

 in corn growing. . 



J. O. Adams, Esq., Secretary State Agricultural Society : 

 Dear Sir : — Having promised to give j-ou a true state- 

 ment of my success in raising Indian corn, the past season, 

 I now attempt to redeem my promise. It is a fact that 

 cannot be denied, that a large majority of our farmers 

 content themselves by raising what tliey call a decent crop 

 of corn, say twenty-five to thirty bu;;hcls to the acre, and 

 are hard to believe that any more can be raised. They go 

 on in the old way, planting the rows four feet apart, or 

 nearly that, and the hills three feet apart, putting from 

 four to six kernels in the hill, and after the blades of the 

 corn get a fine start, and the roots spread in all directions, 

 instead of going to work as they should do with a hoe, and 

 giving it a light brushing to stir the ground and keep the 

 weeds down, they take a horse and cultivator or a plow, 

 and cut off half the roots, and by making a large mound or 

 hill, give the corn such a check that it never recovers from 

 it. To manage as above stated no farmer can expect a 

 large crop of corn even if the ground is well manured. 



When I first went to farming for myself in 1817, I was 

 hoeing my corn about the first of July, and making a hill 

 as all farmers then did; the ground was not weedy, but I 

 found that I was cutting off a great many little roots which 

 I ascertained to be the corn roots, and it struck me that I 

 was hurting the corn by making the hill, and from that 



