CORN. 141 



a clover sod on which to plant corn, by keeping more stock and 

 saving more manure, and by the more thorough preparation of 

 the soil, and cultivation of the crop, we might easily increase 

 this average one-half, and possibly it might be doubled. 



In the chapter on " Farm Management," I show the differ- 

 ence in the cost per bushel between a light and heavy yield of 

 this crop. In the spring of 1877, when conducting the agricul- 

 tural department of the Cincinnati Enquirer, I offered several 

 premiums for the largest yields of corn. We organized what we 

 called " The Hundred Bushel Club," consisting of about seventy 

 members, and I here give in full the reports of nearly a score 

 of them: 



MUNCIE, IND., November 2, 1877. 



The following is a report of my one-hundred-bushel acre of corn : It was 

 black burr-oak land ; it was a very stiff blue-grass sod. I plowed it in April, 

 and planted it in choice white corn on the 7th of May. Plowed it five times. 

 Just cultivated it the same as the balance of my crop (ninety-five acres). 

 Did not hoe, use any manure, or any thing else but the common two-horse 

 cultivator. Now for the result: The first "choice acre" made 102 bushels; 

 the second made 98 bushels ; the entire field averaged 78 bushels. 



GEORGE NISWANGER. 



MILLGROVE, BLACKFORD COUNTY, IND.,) 

 November 3, 1877. j 



I, to-day, have gathered my "Club acre," which yielded 98 bushels and 

 31 pounds. The variety of corn planted was the Martin yellow. It was 

 planted on new, black, loamy soil, it being the second crop, and planted May 

 16. Breaking the ground, $1.50; harrowing and rolling, $1; furrowing and 

 planting, $1; plowing five times, $3; husking and cribbing, $3; total, $9.50. 

 The greatest yield from a single grain was two ears from one stalk, which 

 yielded 2,326 grains, and weighed one pound and ten ounces shelled corn. I 

 have selected a bushel of ears of the Martin yellow field-corn which just took 

 fifty-nine ears to make the bushel, or seventy pounds. 



HENRY S. McFERREN. 



GIBSONBURG, SANDUSKY COUNTY, O.,| 

 November 26, 1877. j 



The following is the report of my choice acre of corn, grown on black, 

 sandy land, clover and timothy sod : I plowed it the 1st of May with the 

 Oliver chilled plow, from ten to twelve inches deep; harrowed twice. Planted 

 on the 17th of May with a one-horse drill, 3^ feet apart. Cultivated as fol- 

 lows: Harrowed the corn with two-horse harrow once; plowed with double- 

 shovel plow twice; did not hoe; used no manure. Now for the result: 



