114 INDIAN CORN. 



different treatment, but deep, thorough, and repeated 

 ploughing is the great general rule, and the exceptions 

 are comparatively few. 



Land that is naturally sandy and porous, with 

 a subsoil of like structure, rendering it incapable of 

 retaining manure, requires, of course, another meth- 

 od. It demands, in fact, not so much a different 

 mode of culture, as an entire change in its con- 

 dition. A liberal addition of clay, ashes, and marl 

 of the right kind, either or all in due proportions, fol- 

 lowed with stable-manure and green crops ploughed 

 under, would in time reconstruct such a soil, and 

 would probably pay well for the process. But apart 

 from such instances as this, it is perfectly safe to ad- 

 vise a more frequent, careful, and accurate use of the 

 plough than that commonly practised. 



If, on the other hand, the soil intended for corn is 

 naturally wet, with a subsoil impermeable to water, it 

 must be under-drained. This treatment is simply a 

 matter of necessity, and cannot be superseded by any 

 other. Even in most of the ordinary soils, it is the 

 opinion of many farmers that under-draining pays 

 well in the long run. But, in such a case as the one 

 under consideration, it is not merely advantageous, it 

 is indispensable ; and to attempt to raise corn, or any 

 other important crop without it, is a criminal waste 

 of time and labor. 



The Working Farmer, for May, 1861, has some 

 useful suggestions for the treatment of the ground in 

 corn culture. In reference to the first breaking up of 

 the soil, the writer remarks : 



