INDIAN CORN. 249 



HAMPSHIRE. 



From the Report of the Committee. 



The Hampshire Agricultural Society offers premiums for the 

 best crops — not to encourage farmers to raise great crops, regard- 

 less of expense, on their best lands, but rather with economy, 

 to raise the best and largest crops, at a reasonable cost of land, 

 labor and manure. No premium is offered for crops raised on 

 new lands which contain, usually, all the elements for large 

 crops. This agricultural association offers premiums on crops, 

 with reference the value and condition of the land ; the mode of 

 husbandry ; the time of ploughing ; the depth and the number 

 of times; the kind and cost of manures, and how and when 

 applied ; time of planting and sowing, variety of seed used, 

 mode of culture, when and how harvested, the whole cost, and 

 value of the crop, and requires a full and faithful statement from 

 each competitor. A medium crop, grown on not the best soil, 

 by economical and skilful husbandry, may justly obtain a higher 

 premium, than a very large crop, raised on the same, or on very 

 valuable land, at a great cost of labor, foreign manures, &c. 

 Some lands are so rich, and so well adapted to particular crops, 

 that neither skill, nor manure, and but a moderate amount of 

 labor, is needed to make them bring forth abundantly. No 

 premiums should be awarded, where Nature does all the work, 

 and throws up from her own bosom a spontaneous and abundant 

 growth. 



What benefits will the farmer derive, by thus endeavoring to 

 raise large crops? In the first place, if successful, he will most 

 certainly be the possessor of the large crop itself, and may secure 

 a premium from some agricultural society, by conforming to its 

 rules and requirements. Again, he will have all the benefit of 

 his experience and experiments, in selecting, preparing, manur- 

 ing and planting ; also, in seeding and harvesting. He will 

 learn how to adapt the crop to the particular piece of land most 

 fit for it ; — how to prepare with the least expense the most val- 

 uable and fertilizing manures. He will find that home made 

 manures may be more economical than the imported. He will 

 learn what kind of manure each crop requires, and when and 



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