16 Naturalization of Plants ^ ^c. 



est number of good sizeable ears, of the best quality ; 

 let it dry speedily, and from this corn, plant your main 

 crop, and if any hills should miss, replant from that first 

 gathered, which will cause the crop to ripen more re- 

 gularly than is common : this is a great benefit. 



The above method I have practised many years, and 

 am satisfied it has increased the quantity, and improv- 

 ed the quality of my crops, beyond the expectation of 

 any person who had not tried the experiment. The 

 distance of planting corn, and the number of grains in 

 a hill, are matters many differ in ; perhaps different soils 

 may require a difference in both these respects ; but in 

 every kind of soil I have tried, I find planting the rows 

 six feet asunder each way, as nearly at right angles as 

 may be, and leaving not more than four stalks on a hill, 

 produces the best crop. The common method of sav- 

 ing seed corn, by taking the ears from the crib or heap, 

 is attended with two disadvantages, one is, the taking 

 the largest ears, which have generally grown but one 

 on a stalk. This lessens the production ; the other is, 

 taking ears that have ripened at different times, which 

 causes the production to do the same. 



A striking instance of plants being naturalized, hap- 

 pened by Colonel Matlack sending some water melon 

 seed from Georgia, which, he informed me by letter, 

 were of superior quality : knowing that seed from ve- 

 getables, which had grown in more Southern climates, 

 required a longer summer than what grew here, I gave 

 them the most favourable situation, and used glasses 

 to bring them forward, yet very few ripened to perfec- 

 tion ; but finding them to be as excellent in quality as 

 described, I saved seed from those first ripe ; and by 



