618 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 10 



equally well, or better by running only eight or 

 ten furrows between every two rows, provided the 

 double, instead of the single plough was used; 

 such asserter would assuredly have been treated 

 with unbounded ridicule. Yet the practice, I be- 

 lieve, is now common; although I am satisfied that 

 a still better may be, if it has not already been 

 adopted by some farmers. I myself had hoped lo 

 exhibit to you, on this occasion, some implements 

 for the culture — not only of corn — but of all crops 

 planted in rows, which, unless I am deceived by 

 that partiality tor our own contrivances — so com- 

 mon to us all, will prove superior, especially in sa- 

 ving labor, to any I have yet seen. But I have 

 been disappointed in procuring all the necessary 

 castings, and therefore can only show two of them 

 at present, with a drawing of the third. 



The first is a jointed, expanding harrow, so 

 contrived as to cut any distance from three to five 

 feet, and designed in the first place to open the 

 lists for planting corn, at the same time that it har- 

 rows each side of the bed on which the lists are 

 formed; secondly, to work the beds between the 

 rows, which it does by once passing from end to 

 end — the coupling bolts enabling the ploughman 

 to raise or depress the sides so as to work either a 

 convex or concave surface equally well. It is in- 

 tended for two horses. 



The second is a single horse cultivator, with 

 cast iron hoes of a new construction, which, un- 

 less I am much deceived, will be found superior to 

 any now in use. Of these small hoes there are 

 four, so fixed in a diagonal bar as to cut about 

 twenty-one inches, and each to throw the earth 

 moved by itself into the furrow opened by the one 

 before it. Another advantap-e in it is, that it will 

 throw the earth either to or from the corn, cotton, 

 or tobacco, &c. which it may be used to culti- 

 vate. 



The drawing represents a jointed cultivator 

 for two horses, with seven such irons as those 

 above described, with six harrow-teeth so fixed as 

 to run in the intervals between the cultivator irons. 

 < The whole will cut four feet, some few inches. 

 For these irons and the expanding harrow, I shall 

 probably apply for a patent — not, I assure you, to 

 enable me to sell them at an extravagant price, 

 but. merely to secure to myself the making of them 

 at the usual fair profits made on agricultural imple- 

 ments, by fair dealers in such articles. 



But let me not omit to give you the result of my 

 corn experiment, to ascertain the most productive 

 variety. 



Having planted nearly my whole crop with se- 

 lected seed from the Maryland twin-corn, and so 

 arranged it as to guard it in the best practicable 

 manner, acrainst mixture, T resorted to the follow- 

 ing method of comparing it, as to productiveness, 

 with two other kinds, each of which has a high 

 character. The produce in the number of ears 

 and quantity, from thirty stalks of each kind, as 

 they stood in a row, on land judged to be equal in 

 every respect, was as follows: 

 Maryland twin-corn, 59 perfect years and 19 do. of 

 short corn, - \\ gallons. 



Richardson's, or Spotisylvania corn, 



27 do. do. and 10 do. do., 3£ do. 



Peg-corn, 33 do. do. and 4 do. do. 3^ do. 



The weight of each kind, after drying for some 

 time, in our common sitting-room, as ascertained 

 by the pocket chondrometer, the little brass cup, 



of which was well and equally shaken in 

 each case, turned out to be — 

 Twin-corn, 60 lbs. per bushel. 



Richardson, do. 61 do. do. 



Peg-corn, 58 do. do. 



Now although some, perhaps, may question the 

 accuracy of this little implement, for determining 

 the actual iveight, per bushel, of any thing; yet, 

 none who know what it is, can possibly doubt its 

 being a perfect standard for testing relative weight 

 — which is all that I mean to vouch for, in the 

 above statement. 



Another test to which I have subjected two of 

 the above mentioned varieties of corn, has been 

 to ascertain how much grain the same measure of 

 each in the ears, equally heaped and shaken 

 would produce. The result was, that two flour bar- 

 rels full of years of the twin-corn yielded of shelled 

 grain, four bushels, which was five gallons more 

 than the barrel held; and of course, more than 

 one measure of shelled grain for two in the ears. 

 The other variety, (Richardson's corn,) overrun 

 only two gallons. It is proper here to remark, 

 that 1 made a second trial between the twin, and 

 the Spottsylvania, or Richardson's, and the peg 

 corn, by gathering and measuring the produce of 

 thirty stalks of each kind, where the distances 

 were alike in all — that is, five and five and a half 

 each w r ay — two stalks in a hill. The result was — 

 From 30 stalks of the twin-corn, 57 perfect ears, 



and 10, short corn; produce, 4 gallons 3 quarts. 

 Richardson's, 35 perfect ears, 12 short do., 4 gal- 

 lons. 

 Peg corn, 33 long ears, 5 short do., 3 gallons, 2 



quarts and 1 pint. 



The peg corn was gathered and measured, in 

 both instances, on a neighboring farm, by a disin- 

 terested person, who selected a spot of ground of 

 the same quality with mine, which he knew per- 

 fectly well — and the corn on which he had very 

 frequently seen during the, summer and fall. He 

 was apprised, too, of my wish to make the trial 

 as fair as possible; my only desire being to ascer- 

 tain the productiveness of the two kinds, that I 

 might hereafter cultivate the best, and recommend 

 if to others. 



My conclusion from the whole experiment is, 

 that the twin-corn is decidedly superior to the pop- 

 ular varieties with which I have tried it, in every 

 respect before stated, and in two others not yet 

 mentioned, in ripening earlier — for it is the dryestl 

 have seen this season; and in producing much small- 

 erstalks, and, of course, drawingless from the land. 



In regard to experiments made by others — of 

 which I promised to say something — I have heard 

 of two which I deem worth presenting to your no- 

 tice. Two gentlemen have informed me that the 

 best corn they made this year, wascultivated, after 

 it came up, entirely with harrows, skimmers and 

 cultivators, with the usual hand hoeings. The other 

 experiment, said to be successful, was, to deslroy 

 sassafras bushes, by sprinkling the leaves with 

 brine, so as to make cattle brouse on them. 



Before closing my remarks on the present occa- 

 sion, let me entreat you my agricultural brethren, 

 to encourage, more than you heretofore have done, 

 the practice of reporting your annual experience. 

 Be not deterred from this by any fear of ridicule; 

 lor you may rest perfectly assured, that those who 

 indulge the .disposition to laugh at your labors, 

 will never of themselves be the discoverers of any 



