170 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



Value of crop : — 



Stalks and husks, $30 00 



258-^ bushels shelled corn, at 90 cents, . 232 20 



Increased value of land, benefited by manure, 14 00 



$27fi 20 



$172 U 



Gr-Vntville, Needham, Nov. 11, 1853. 



Statement of J. R. Dow. 



The one and five-eighths acres of land which I ofi'er for pre- 

 mium, were broken up and planted to corn in 1852, and then 

 manured with five cords of piggery manure to the acre. In 

 1853, the same land was treated in precisely the same way. I 

 finished planting 8th of June, as follows : — 



25 rows were planted 18 inches apart both ways. 



50 " " 24 " " " 



50 " " 30 " « " 



And the result was as follows : — 



336 baskets of sound merchantable corn. 

 20 " " very good pig corn. 



356 baskets. 

 Equal to one hundred and nine bushels shelled corn to the acre. 

 Twenty baskets were shelled and weighed, which yielded ten 

 bushels, or five bags, each weighing one hundred and eleven 

 and three-quarter pounds to the bag. The corn planted 

 twenty-four inches apart yielded the best. After having tried 

 the experiment of close planting, I have come to the conclusion 

 to plant in future twenty-four inches apart, feeling satisfied I 

 have the best crop and the largest yield when my land is ma- 

 nured as above. The land is a moist, loamy soil, originally 

 very rockj'-. 



Estimated cost and expenses : — 



Piggery manure, $48 75 



Ploughing, harrowing and spreading manure, 15 00 



Furrowing and planting, . . . . 8 00 



Cultivating and hoeing, . . . . 6 00 



