121 



STATEMENT OF LUTHER GILBERT, OF GRANTVILLE, 

 NEEDHAM. 



To the Committee on Grain Crops : 



Gentlemen — The Field of Corn entered by me for premium, 

 contains two acres : the soil is a black loam generally, and part of it 

 mixture of gravel. The condition of the field was poor ; it was sowed 

 down to grass in the fall of 184G without any manure ; it has been 

 in grass ever since, until September, 1852, when I had it broke up 

 about ten inches deep. The manure used on this field was a compost 

 made entirely, between the 18th of November, 1852, and the last of 

 April, 1853, from one horse, one cow, and sods taken from the above 

 field and composted in my barn cellar by my hogs. As the bulk of 

 the manure was taken from the same field to which it was returned, 

 I shall only estimate the value of the horse and cow manure, the use 

 of the hogs for composting, and the carting the sods into the cellar, 

 as that was the only cost to me. The compost was carted directly 

 from the barn cellar, (without turning over,) about the last of April, 

 and spread as even over the whole field as it could well be, and im- 

 mediately ploughed in. The quantity spread in this way was about 

 sixteen cords to the field, (or eight cords to the acre ;) it was then 

 harrowed and furrowed both ways, three feet four inches one way, 

 three feet the other. There were about two cords of scrapings of the 

 cellar put in the hill ; on such parts of the field as the soil was 

 poorest, one shovelful in the hill. On the 10th and 11th of May I 

 planted it with the Plymouth County corn, putting six to eight 

 kernels to each hill ; cultivated and hoed it twice, taking out all 

 but five, and sometimes four, stalks at hoeing time. 



On the 18th of October, the Society's Committee, after examining 

 the whole field, selected two places in separate parts of the field, and 

 measured one square rod in each, which the Committee considered 

 to be a fair average of the whole. They measured from the centre 

 between two rows, and gathered, shelled, and weighed each rod 

 separately : the first rod weighed 44 1-4 lbs., the second 46 1-4 lbs., 

 making the average 45 1-4 lbs. to the rod ; reckoning 56 lbs. to the 

 bushel, as per rule of the Society, and it gives me 129 16-56 bushels 

 to the acre. The corn was well ripened, and I commenced on the 

 same day to harvest it. 



