154 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



partly with the Michigan plough, which I prefer — manured 

 with about twenty loads of compost per acre and harrowed as 

 well as possible without disturbing the sod — planted about 

 three feet each way — applied a little guano and bone, mixed 

 with plaster of Paris, to the hill — but, together with the bad con- 

 dition of the seed, (smutty white, or, as it is sometimes called, 

 the Whitman, I believe,) worms and unfavorable weather, the 

 average was about one kernel to the hill that matured, not- 

 withstanding it gave a yield far beyond my expectation, of 

 about thirty-five bushels to the acre. This land for years pre- 

 vious produced about three-quarters of a ton of hay to the acre. 

 In the fall of 1852, the land was ploughed about eleven inches 

 deep, harrowed in the spring of 1853, and forty loads of good 

 compost manure, made by cattle and hogs, mixed with dry 

 muck, were spread on the whole field and ploughed in about 

 six or seven inches deep, harrowed and furrowed about 

 seven or eight inches deep — running the plough twice in each 

 row. By the deep furrowing it allowed the hills to be rather 

 below the surface, allowing the water from showers to set- 

 tle about the hills, and also favoring the flat cultivation; 

 manured about thirt3^-five loads of good compost on whole field, 

 so that the hills would average a little inside of three feet 

 apart (the rows being three feet three inches distant). 

 Planted the smutty white corn, (selected from the field of last 

 year, about three weeks previous to gathering it, by taking 

 the ears that matured first, and best filled out,) about four and 

 five kernels to the hill, the second week in May. Run the 

 plough between rows for the first hoeing, and the cultivator 

 for the two last. It appeared to sufi"er very little by the 

 drought and ripened all of two weeks earlier than last year, 

 which I think is in consequence of selecting the seed as above 

 mentioned. 



The second field, containing one acre and sixty-eight rods, 

 mentioned in the annexed report, I did not intend to have 

 named, as we did not suppose the yield would be equal to the 

 first, although it was manured quite as well and closer planted, 

 but it was a yellow corn, very large growth of stock, which I 

 supposed would be small, consequently it was seeded too 

 highly, and the result was tlie greatest profusion of stalks that 



