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edly be growing better till the stalk 

 below the ear is perfectl) sapless, 

 and the cob dry ; receiving contin- 

 ual nourishnjent from the sap, un- 

 less the frost or some accident 

 should happen to prevent it. Squir- 

 rels and other animals drive peo- 

 ple to early harvesting ; but there 

 is commonly more los^t than saved 

 by it. When corn stands tolerably 

 safe from the attacks of tanie and 

 wild animals, harvesting early is an 

 unpardonable error. See Harvest. 



This plant is so luxuriant in its 

 growth that it impoverishes the soil 

 faster than almost any other crop. 

 Therefore it is not good husbandry 

 to plant it more than two years in 

 succession. It would be better still 

 to grow it but one year in the same 

 place. 



European writers say, the land 

 should be ploughed as soon as the 

 crop is off, to prevent the stalks 

 from drawing the moisture out of 

 the ground. But the reason of this 

 is not so evident as to carry con- 

 viction, unless the steins are quite 

 in a green state. It is, however, a 

 good method to plough all fields in 

 tillage, as soon as the crop is off. 



The following remarks on the 

 culture of this valuable vegetable 

 are extracted from a letter, written 

 by S. W. Pomeroy, Esq. to John 

 Lowell, Esq. Corresponding Secre- 

 tary of Massachusetts Agricultural 

 Society, and published in the Agri- 

 cultural Repository, vol. VI. No. 2. 

 " Indian corn forms the basis of 

 our bread stuff, and gives deserved 

 reputation to two great staples. 

 Beef and Pork ^ without corn you 

 get none of the latter ; — and a far- 

 mer who has no pork in his tubs, 



may be considered as fairly on the 

 roaa to ruin, as a Bank with its 

 vaults destitute of specie, for it is 

 well known that Ruta Baga, pota- 

 toes or carrots, a/one, will not fatten 

 such pork as our farmers or fisher- 

 men have been accustomed to, or 

 that will be found profitable for 

 consumption." 



" it is admitted, that on most 

 farms near sea-ports, where corn 

 and manure can be purchased, the 

 system of potatoe and root culture, 

 to the exclusion of corn, may be 

 found profitable ; nor would I be 

 understood other than an advocate 

 for such a system, in a regular rota- 

 tion, upon an extensive scale ; but 

 1 wish at the same time to hold up 

 to view the golden fleece found 

 by our Pilgrim Fathers on their 

 first landing ; and which, had it not 

 existed, or continued with their de- 

 scendants nearly a century after, 

 the fair inheritance we now possess, 

 in the opinion of many sound po- 

 litical economists, could not liave 

 been transmitted to us." 



" On suitable soils, well tilled and 

 manured, an average crop may be 

 estimated at forty bushels, weigh- 

 ing 2-^00 pounds of the most nutri- 

 tious substance to be fou. d in the 

 vegetable kingdom, north of the 

 latitude of the sugarcane — and 

 which can be preserved with ease, 

 for a number of years. You have 

 the/ofWer, which, if seasonably and 

 well cured, is, in the opinion of ju- 

 dicious farmers, equal to half a ton 

 of good hay — then comes three or 

 four tons of pumpkins, should the 

 season favour, fifty or an hundred 

 bushels of turnips — and, not unfre- 

 quently, a comfortable supply of 



