114 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



counted five well-developed ears. I did not intend to have 

 but three stalks in a hill ; but, owing to the drive in busi- 

 ness, I was not able to thin it out. 



Question. I would like to ask Mr. Bowditch this ques- 

 tion : Do you feel fully convinced in your own mind that an 

 acre that has produced a hundred bushels of shelled corn 

 this year can next year be made to produce, by the applica- 

 tion of thirtj'-thrce dollars' worth of Stoekbridge fertilizer, 

 another hundred bushels, under favorable circumstances, and 

 so on through a series of yenTH ? 



Mr. Bowditch. I have no reason to supjx>se to the con- 

 trary. I have raised magnificent crops of Stoekbridge fer- 

 tilizer, generally with great success. This year has been a 

 very uncommon corn year. We may not see one again for 

 a good many years ; we have not before for a good while. 

 But it has been my custom, after taking my corn-crop off, 

 to raise a crop of wheat or barley stover, or something of 

 that sort, without any other manure, and I have always got 

 a large crop. There I put my manure on, and seed down 

 to grass. I shall do the same with this field, and I expect 

 to get from a ton to two or three tons to the acre of dried 

 fodder from it. 



Question. Will Mr. Bowditch state the condition of this 

 land? 



Mr. Bowditch. The land was worn-out grass-land. It 

 is nearly fifteen years since it had a cultivated crop on it. 

 It has been turned over once, and slightly manured, but did 

 not get a good stand of grass. It yielded only three-quarters 

 of a ton to the acre, and that was the reason it was ploughed 

 up. It is what would be called river-bottom, very light 

 bottom-land ; naturally very good soil. 



Capt. MooKE. I have only a few words to say in regard 

 to some of the propositions of Dr. Sturtevant. One is tliis : 

 You know, Mr. President, and every one knows who knows 

 me, that I believe in thorough cultivation. He says that he 

 goes just as far in that direction as profit will carry him ; that 

 is, in keeping down weeds. Now, the fact is, that, in these 

 crops of corn grown as he grows them, the weeds are stand- 

 ing in the rows more or less, — large weeds up nearly as high 

 as your head occasionally in the row, — perhaps all clean 

 between the rows, except in the hills. I should say those 



