No. 105.] 295 



CORN. 



The committee awarded the first premium on corn of $15, to 



George Vail of Troy. 



GEORGE GEDDES. 



GEORGE VAIL. 



To the committee appointed to award premiums on corn crops : 



Gentlemen — In the fall of 1844 I caused about four acres of 

 ground to be plowed on my farm, about two miles from this city. 

 The field had been appropriated to meadow, seven or eight years 

 preceding ; the sod was turned over about seven inches in depth, 

 with an iron plow, manufactured in Union Village, Washington co., 

 and the furrow laid as smooth as it could be done. The soil is a 

 black vegetable mould, averaging about three feet in depth, based 

 upon a clay bottom. 



In the winter and spring of 1845, I had about twenty-five ordinary 

 two horse wagon loads of unfermented slaughter house and barnyard 

 manure, carried on two acres, designated in the surveyor's report 

 hereunto attached, and piled in small heaps ; about the 9th of May, 

 the manure was evenly spread over the surface, and twice dragged, 

 first length ways and then across the furrow. On the 13th of May, 

 commenced furrowing the ground shallow, with a one horse plow for 

 planting about two and a half feet apart north and south, and about two 

 feet apart east and west. Previous to dropping the corn, put into 

 each hill a handful of compost manure, composed of two ordinary 

 wagon loads of fermented slaughter house manure, about three loads 

 of fermented barn-yard manure, one load of old plaster mortar taken 

 from a house repairing, the scrapings of a hen house, and 12 bushels 

 of unleached ashes. These materials when thoroughly mixed, made 

 about seven ordinary wagon loads, and when applied as above stated, 

 did not hold out to supply each hill, there being seven or eight rows 

 in which the composit was not used. 



But on these rows, a handful of unleached ashes was applied to each 

 hill, after the corn was hoed the second and last time. Six to eight 

 grains of Dutton corn was dropped in each hill, except about eight 

 rows which was planted with a variety of eight rowed yellow corn. 



About two-thirds of the field was planted on the 13th and 14th of 

 May, and the balance on the 26th of May, the ground being too wet 

 for planting, when the first part was done. The corn previous to 

 dropping was rolled in plaster and unleached ashes, and not steeped ; 



