128 MY FARM. 



I observe that Englishmen and Scotchmen are 

 disposed to slight our standard crop of maize. They 

 do not understand it. They fail of making a cred 

 itable show in comparison with the old-school native 

 farmers, who, by dint of long experience, have 

 acquired the habit (rather habit than capacity) of 

 making a moderate crop of corn with the least pos 

 sible amount of tillage and of skill. To turn over a 

 firm grass sward, and plant ,directly upon the in 

 verted turf, without harrowing, or ridging, or drill 

 ing, is contrary to all the old-country traditions. 



And yet the fact is notorious, that some of the 

 best corn crops (I do not speak now of exceptional 

 and premium crops), are grown in precisely this 

 primitive way ; given a good sod, and a good top- 

 dressing turned under with, perhaps, a little dash of 

 superphosphate upon the hills to quicken germina 

 tion, and give vigorous start, and the New England 

 farmer, if he give clean and thorough culture 

 which, under such circumstances, involves little labor 

 can count upon his forty or fifty bushels of sound 

 corn to the acre. And the Scotchman or Englishman 

 may tear the sod, or ridge the field, or drill it, or 

 torment it as he will, before planting, and the 

 chances are, he will reap, with the same amount of 

 fertilizers, a smaller harvest. And it is precisely this 



