50 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



raised two hundred and four bushel baskets full of ears from 

 an acre. I do not say that that gave me a hundred bushels 

 of shelled corn, but I think it came very near it. It was 

 the most splendid crop I ever saw, and presented to the 

 eye one of the most beautiful of objects ; and I believe that 

 by raising corn, we can not only obtain a profitable crop, 

 but we diversify our fields with one of the most beautiful 

 crops we can possibly raise. I happened to have a Lon- 

 don physician visiting me in August, who had never seen 

 a field of Indian corn. I took him over my farm, and when 

 we came to a patch of corn, he was so delighted with the 

 appearance of the crop, that he fairly clapped his hands 

 with joy. It certainly is a beautiful crop. I cannot con- 

 ceive why it is so neglected. In riding fifteen miles into 

 the country the past season, I counted only three fields of 

 corn. For some reason or other, our farmers neglect to 

 raise this crop. I have kept an accurate account of the cost 

 of corn raised by chemical fertilizers on my own premises. 

 I believe I have no desire to cheat myself or my neighbors, 

 and I estimate the cost of that corn at forty-one cents a 

 bushel. I did not put so high a value upon the fodder as 

 I think I ought to. 



Now, the secret of raising corn profitably, is this. In the 

 first place, you waiit a proper fertilizer ; you want to make a 

 proper application of the fertilizer ; and then you want to 

 spare yourself all the expense possible in the cultivation of the 

 crop. I intend next year — but perhaps I may be obliged to 

 defer it until the following one — to plant a field of corn on 

 about eight acres of pasture which I have upon one of these 

 lakes, and I do not mean to allow a hoe to be applied to it. 

 I believe we can raise corn without the application of the hoe. 

 It is the labor which is bestowed upon corn which makes it 

 cost so high. We cannot afford to expend so large sums in 

 paying our workmen, and then sell our corn at a low price. 

 Then, again, we must raise large crops upon small pieces of 

 ground. I remember my father used to think he got a good 

 crop of corn if he got twenty bushels to the acre. Now, 

 twenty, thirty, or forty bushels of corn to the acre will not 

 pay ; but eighty or a hundred bushels will pay. 



I do not think that I could go quite as far as some of my 



