330 PLYMOUTH SOCIETY. 



strong terms, pronounced the report of a crop raised in this 

 county, the last year, altogether incredible. My impression 

 was, that more might be obtained than was reported in 1849. 

 Accordingly, a field was prepared, and planted last spring ; and, 

 notwithstanding the season has been, in several respects, unfa- 

 vorable for this field, the result proves the correctness of my 

 impressions. 



The soil of a part of the field is a brown mould, and the 

 residue black. A small portion of it was sward land last year ; 

 about half of it was sown with millet, and the remainder 

 planted with corn. The whole was ploughed late last fall, and 

 twice last spring. Fifteen cords of manure were evenly spread 

 before the spring ploughing. It was taken from heaps at the 

 barn, without any other moving than shoveling into the cart, 

 and spreading on the field. My object was to apply the manure 

 in such a manner, that its most vigorous action would take 

 place late in the season. The field was furrowed one way, a 

 little less than three feet wide, and planted from the 10th to 

 15th of May, three kernels in a place, from fifteen to eighteen 

 inches apart in the furrows. It was expected the field would 

 prove hard to dress, otherwise the kernels would have been 

 placed singly, about eight inches apart in the furrows. 



This may appear to some persons very excessive seeding, 

 but the appearance of the field does not indicate any such er- 

 ror. On the rod harvested by the supervisor, there were one 

 hundred and ninety-two main stalks, besides numerous suckers, 

 and the ears were, I believe, as large and well filled out as are 

 commonly found in well cultivated fields. The quantity of 

 seed should doubtless be regulated according to the strength of 

 the soil, and the amount of manure applied. But my observa- 

 tions have led to the conclusion, that far more farmers err in too 

 scantily seeding with Indian corn, than fall into the opposite 

 extreme. My seed corn was selected in the husking of the last 

 crop, well ripened ears on the most productive stalks being 

 chosen. It may be something better to select seed corn in the 

 field, before harvest ; but as 1 plant thick, and do not cut the 

 top stalks, it is difficult to walk much in the fields. The kind 

 of corn planted was named by me. Whitman corn, in reference 



