40 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



stalks in the hill. It is obvious, that if every stalk bears an 

 ear of corn, the more stalks that can be obtainetl upon an 

 acre, the more ears, and if the ears are of the proper size, 

 and in proper condition, the greater the yield. Therefore it 

 is desirable to get as many stalks upon an acre as your land 

 and good culture will allow you. Our com was planted in 

 hills thirty-eight inches apart, and we dropped from three to 

 five kernels in a hill. In the condition of our land the larger 

 number of kernels furnished better results than the smaller, 

 and in most of the hills almost every stalk produced an ear, 

 and many two ears. 



The next thing to which I will refer as being taught, is the 

 influence of cultivation ; and this brinirs me to the most 

 important lesson which can be drawn from the whole culture, 

 — the influence of cultivation. And now, if you will excuse 

 me, and bear this statement in mind, I will go back a little, 

 and take up the fertilizer. When we apply our fertilizer to 

 the field, we know absolutely that that fertilizer is capable of 

 raising a crop. The Professor has stated it here very 

 strongly. I might add strength to his statement by referring 

 to the experiments of Stohman, in Germany, who cultivated 

 corn by water-culture. The corn was first germinated, and 

 after the roots had obtained all the nutriment from the seed, 

 they were transferred to water containing the ash of the corn- 

 plant, and double the amount of nitrogen that there was of 

 phosphoric acid in the ash. The ammonia was applied in 

 sufficient quantities to give three parts of solid substance to a 

 thousand parts of water. These plants were grown to the 

 height of seven feet, and ripened their crop, which shows con- 

 clusivel^s beyond argument, that these materials — the ash 

 element of the crop, and nitrogen — are capable of yielding a 

 crop ; and it also brings out another point : that if the ele- 

 ments are brought in contact with the roots, the crop can be 

 grown from those elements. There can be no question about 

 that. Here the Professor's theory and my statements agree ; 

 but the great question in raising all our crops is, how to bring 

 the elements of fertility into contact with the roots. There 

 is the practical question which underlies chemical farming, 

 and if the Professor had taken more time, and had given you 

 more careful details of the culture which he proposes, I 



