153S] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



765 



between the rows, ami 9 inchos- between ilie lii'ls, 

 and in rows 1 liioi apurl iind 1 lool between the 

 hill?, wiih a spare of 3.'t feet lielween every iliird 

 row, (:ilterllir nio.le descrihed liy I\lr. Cainak in 

 the 7(33rd i>;iLn*k4ili vol., F. R j This corn re- 

 ceived no afer I'.nlinre; but wjien a!)out one fjot 

 hi^h, 32 loads oi'pine leaves were si-aitered on the 

 ground, which ihey then covered lo the (iepih of 

 nearly 4 inch;-s, bm airerwar is seitleil down to less 

 than 2 inches; and. as I ;dr.erwardslbnnd, this eov- 

 crinix was not suffivient to resist the elleds of the 

 severe droiiirhis which occurred durin;Lr the season. 

 Oil the 2;:d DeceiTilier, tlie coin from this experi- 

 ment wa= •^hacked and carefully iDeasin'ed; ihe re- 

 sidi was 20^ liiisht'ls ol' sound corn, beinif at the 

 rare of nearly 75 biisliels to Ihe acre. Lar^e as is 

 this return. J have no doubt that had the coveriuir 

 of leaves iieeri sulfi.'ienilv thick to jiave withstood 

 thecHects of liie chou^rhts, the results u'ould liave 

 been much irreater. The corn planted was the 

 Marvlami twin corn. It may proliably be worth 

 mentionmir, that the number of black sponcry 

 ears so frequently found amoiii,rst corn, was unu- 

 sually numerous even amonifst this ihickly-filani- 

 ed paicli. 



Oi'aiiout 30 acres planted of this kind of corn, I 

 would also remark that the result was below the 

 averaije of the ^'encral crop of common corn; ^he 

 principal stems irenerally [)rniluc.ed two. sometimes 

 three small ears; ihw of tl;e suckers produced 

 any. I also find that in this ease at lee.st, this corn 

 does not turn out so well in tnea!; the bread made 

 from it appears to me lo be less sweet, also drier 

 and iiarsher to the taste, than that made I'rom our 

 common corn. On at least one farm in this neigh- 

 borhood, similar resuhs have been observed. I 

 mention this (without supposinff that such are the 

 general results,) fir the purpose of ascertainin.'j^ 

 whether such results have been ol)servea by others 

 who cultivate this variety of corn. 



Experiment 2iid. On the llih September, 24 

 rows of corn, 150 yards in lengih, as nearly alike 

 as possible, were selected for a fodder-pulling ex- 

 periment. On the same day the Ibdder was strip- 

 ped Iram 18 of these rows, to two Itlades above the 

 ear; on the 20!h, the totis were cut fi'om the first 

 6 rows; ilie second 6 rows were cut over by the 

 ground; the third 6 rows wen;, together with the 

 first 6 rows from which the tops had been cut, 

 left standing until the cutting down of the genera! 

 crop; the fourth and last 6 rows, from which neither 

 fodder was pu led nor (ops cut, was on the same 

 day (2Dth September) cut off by the ground, and 

 set up in small shoid.cs. The corn fi'oni eticli was 

 gathered, shucked and carefully nieasured on the 

 2nd December; and on the 7th of this month 

 shelled and accuraicly weighed. The following 

 are the results, in measure and weight: 



Ist 6 rows measured 8 buF., weiiiht per bus. 58 lbs. 

 2nd 6 do. 74 "^rio. 57 



3rd 6 do. 7^ do. 66| 



4th 6 do. 8| do. 59| 



This experiment has been made as carefully a= 

 possible, and the results ascertained accurately, as 

 above Plated. So fiir, it certainly afiords [nol] evi- 

 dence ofthe injury sustained by thensual [)ractice of 

 pulling f()dder and cutting tops. I leave yonr 

 readers to draw their own deductions; merely re- 

 marking, that the results appear to me i»ome'.vhat 

 curious. The diminution m weJght per liushel 



appears to bear a relative proportion lo (he dimi- 

 nuiion in quantity. The result from that part of 

 the ex|)eriiuciit from which the to|is were not cut 

 (No. 3rd) and leli standing, until ;hecutliniidown 

 of the general croi), is the Icasi; being less than 

 that from No. 2, which was cut over by the 

 ground, (having ihe Ibdder also stripped,) and 

 shocked when the lops were cut li'orn No. 1. 



In conclusion, I would also stale that a portion 

 of Ihe corn crop of last season was left unsiickered, 

 l()r ihe purpose of ascertaining the prol>able ad- 

 vantages or disadvantages of ihe usual mode of 

 suckering. Without liaviiig had recour.se to ac- 

 tual measurement, ihe resuli, in this case, at letist, 

 was sufTic,;enily obvious in fivor of that which had 

 been suckcred; very few suckers produced ears; 

 Ihe ears on the main stems were small, and the 

 number of barren stalks unusually great. In 

 making ihis experiment, my atienlion was directed 

 to ail ariicle in the 5ih No. of the current volume 

 ofthe Reirister, from l he 'Gcrmantovvn Telegraph,' 

 in which the theory is held forth, that nature in- 

 tended the suckers to "fiimisli a better supply of 

 lecundatini; pollen to the silks, or female flowers. ' 

 This experiment furnished no evidence in favor of 

 this theory. Corn is a munasceous plant, and as such, 

 nature doubtless intended that each stalk should of 

 itself be inde[)endont; the fact that female flow- 

 ers, whosej^alks have been deprived of the male 

 flower, willWe fecundated from a neighboring plant, 

 notwithstanding, 



Andrew Nicol. 



DEKP PLOUGHIXG INJURIOUS ON CERTAIN 

 KINDS OF SOILS. 



To the Editor of tlie Farmers' Register. 



The fToneral tendency of the views ofthe agri- 

 culturists ot'lhe present day, seems to be decidedly 

 in lavor of very deep ploughing. The adverse of 

 this position, seems to have but few supporters. 

 The aposile Paul says, "try all things, and hold 

 fast to that which is best;" we try all things, but 

 hold fast to that which is of most recent date. 

 "^rhe poet says, that "nought beneath the sun is 

 new: but still fi'om chanire to change we run !" 



There are lands very much improved by deep 

 ploughing; such as the red lands of Goochland, 

 Albemarle, and some of the adjacent counties. 

 'J'he basis of the loam consisting of red aluniine 

 and silex, in 'be form of sand or coarse gravel. 

 The admixture of this alumine, in a large propor- 

 tion will) the siliceous mailer of ilie surface, ren- 

 ders the soil thus formed, greatly more productive 

 in wheat, clever, and, when the seasons are wet 

 enouL'-h, in corn also. 



I reside in a section of the state, for the n>ost 

 part, very diflerenf ll'om the red lands to which I 

 have referred, and in an extensive tobacca-gro wing 

 county. A large proportion of the larnfe in the 

 northern section of this county, assume the char- 

 acter, on the surf ICC, of a very sandy irrey soil; the 

 Rubslratum of sand, and the stra1un> 'fuinealh this, 

 a f5of"i porous rock. Upon .=uch land' as this, it 

 vvoulil be worse than usele.=s, it would be mis- 

 chievous, to lurn the surface deep and bring up in 

 lieu thereof a sand perf^'ctly s'eril. I have tried 

 the experinipni of deep nbugiiing in such land, 

 and have lived long enoutjh to see the deleterious 



