g4 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



plant; blight, rot, rust or mildew, it scarcely kno'n-s, and the fly 

 weevil, midge, bug or worm, rarely touches it so as to damage 

 the hopes of the cultivator. 



There is ample evidence that it is gaining in appreciation, 

 and already it would be exceedingly difficult to do without it- 

 Not only would we be loth to dispense with our delicious corn- 

 cakes and puddings, or the homelier, but most excellent mush, 

 hominy and brown bread, on our tables, but our farmers would 

 be very unwilling to substitute anytliing in its })lace in their 

 rural economy out of doors, and for the simple reason that it 

 has not its equal. 



Its cultivation is increasing. The census returns for 1840 

 state the crop in Maine at 950,528 bushels, and for ISoO it is 

 placed at 1,750,05G. Thus, while in the same years the wheat 

 crop by the same authority had diminished sixty five per cent. 

 the production of Indian corn had nearly doubled. The impres- 

 sion received from the replies to the circular, is, that the increase 

 is onward still. From one town on the shores of the Bay of 

 Fundy, with little either of very warm or very cold weather, but 

 abundance of fog and mist, we learn that ''corn raising is not 

 attempted here, except back from the seaboard, not being 

 deemed a safe or profitable crop." Here and there another, 

 (only three in all,) say its culture is diminishing, and these are 

 easily to be accounted for. Four say, '-about the same as hitli- 

 erto," — this from some of the older towns, where it has hereto- 

 fore been largely cultivated. All the rest state it as "increas- 

 ing," or "largely increasing," "rapidly increasing," &c. 



The tenor of reply to the inquiry as to the estimation in which 

 it is held as a crop for general cultivation, and how it compares 

 with other crops, may be easily anticipated from the answers 

 above. One complains that it won't succeed without manure 

 and good cultivation! (A most excellent fault this; pity oats 

 wouldn't do so too, for then we would have less starved or ex- 

 hausted land.) Some three or four towns say, "not so good as 

 hay," one, "not so good as wheat." Some reply "good," "well,'' 

 "favorable," — more say,""high," "quite good," "preferable to other 

 crops," "first in estimation," "best," "indispensable," "must have 

 it," and tlie like. Some statements are here appended: 



