36 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



longest cars. This diflference in the lonijest and the averaofe 

 length I have found to exist almost to a certainty in all my 

 observations on the yield of the corn-crop. 



If the rows iu the field are three and a half feet apart each 

 way, we have about twenty-three hills of corn to the rod of 

 land, and, with four good ears to the hill, we have ninety-two 

 ears. But the large varieties of corn will not averaofe four 

 ears of corn to the hill ; three ears of corn to the hill, eleven 

 inches long, will make a bushel of corn to two rods of land, 

 or eighty bushels to the acre. 



Here are three of the largest ears from a field of two acres 

 in my neighborhood. These measure ten inches long, and 

 the average length of ears in this field will certainly be about 

 three inches shorter, which will make the yield one-third 

 less than if the longest ears were fourteen inches long, or fifty 

 to fifty-five bushels to the acre. 



This sample was grown on sod-land, ploughed in the 

 spring, on which was spread about twenty-five two-horse loads 

 of stable manure, and ploughed under six inches deep or 

 more ; then it was dressed with a compost of hen-manure iu 

 the hill. I disapprove, decidedly, of spreading manure on 

 grass-land, and ploughing it under. I have never seen, in a 

 single instance, a large crop of corn raised by that mode of 

 tillage. The variety of seed-corn planted is a very important 

 consideration. It is not possible to raise a large yield of corn 

 from a small variety of seed ; and yet many New England 

 farmers persist in raising these small varieties, which, with 

 high cultivation, will produce scarcely more than fifty bushels 

 to the acre ; when, with a large variety of corn, and at the 

 same cost, they might raise eighty bushels or more to the 

 acre. They claim that their corn has many stalks with double 

 ears ; but the proportion of stalks with two good ears is not 

 ver}' large that I have ever seen. Then the}" argue that small 

 corn has a small cob, and is filled out well ; it makes good 

 meal, and they like it; that big, coarse corn has a great 

 cob, and they do not like it. Some farmers stick at the cob, 

 as if that was the first object, without regard to the corn. 

 After all, there is but little difierence in the weight of cob to 

 a bushel of corn, in the large or small varieties. 



Seventy-two pounds of ears of my corn will make a bushel, 



