334 On Corn and Potatoes. 
had been occupied by corn planted in the usual way, but 
of this the experiment has fallen short nearly one half, 
for 118 bushels of shelled corn has been grown per acre; 
this was a wager crop, perhaps too highly manured for 
wheat to follow, yet from my observations on the ridged 
rows of corn last year. I did not expect to be far behind 
that very superior crop. The ears of my present crop 
have been generally larger than any I have grown here- 
tofore, two of the largest size which have been laying 
four or five weeks on a shelf close by a stove and are 
perfectly dry, have been shelled, and measure full a 
quart, or a pint each, but it is impossible to determine 
whether the ears of this crop would have been dimi- 
nished in size, or if so, to what extent, had the re-plant- 
ed been able to contend for their share of nutriment, 
and had the number of clusters originally designed been 
planted, thts remains to be determined hereafter: but 
the result of this crop clearly determines, that this mode 
of planting will produce large crops of corn, while it 
reserves one half the ground for other valuable purposes, 
provided the quantity of plants do not exceed the num- 
ber of fruitful plants in this field, to wit, about 33 with- 
in the length of every perch on each ridge ; and also, if 
topping and blading be omitted, and the plants are not 
cut off until the grain has nearly arrived to perfection, 
and the effect of storms are left with nature to repair ; 
and although re-planting is frequently beneficial to crops 
planted in the usual way, in the case under considera- 
tion it proves injurious, and every possible precaution 
should be used to render it unnecessary. I once suc- 
ceeded by planting eight grains where only three were 
designed to stand, and a boy of eleven years old, with 
