1846.] Experiments on Sowing Corn for Fodder. 79 



EXPERIMENTS ON SOWING CORN FOR FODDER. 



It is not often, in these advancing days of knowledge in farm- 

 ing, that we find a series of experiments conducted with more 

 accuracy than were those which follow. I have procured them 

 from the son of the farmer who conducted them, and the notes 

 are the original ones, in the hand writing of the farmer himself. 

 I wish it were more common for our farmers to make accurate 

 memoranda of every thing they do. But to the experiments. 

 They are are as follows. 



1. On the 1st of June, 1828, S. B. sowed in a drill bird corn, 

 very thick, on account of its smallness. The kernels were sown 

 about one inch apart, or, in other words, one kernel to one inch 

 square. The size of the bed sown, was 9^- feet by 3 feet. The 

 produce was cut on the 25th of August, and weighed 50 pounds 

 in the green state. The proportionate produce per acre would 

 be 34 2 4 tons, green fodder. 



In a month after, say about the 20th of September, the product 

 weighed, when perfectly dry, 17| pounds, which would give per 

 acre about 12 tons, dry fodder. This kind of Indian corn is call- 

 ed bird corn, and half a pint contains 2400 kernels, or 307,200 

 to the bushel. One quart will sow 66 square feet, and it contains 

 9,600 kernels. 



Rhode Island corn is next best, and contains 566 kernels to the 

 half pint. One quart contains 2,264, and will sow 16 square 

 feet. 



Eight rowed corn is next, half a pint containing 580 kernels — 

 quart, 2,320 kernels, and will sow 16 square feet. 



■ Next is flour corn, half a pint containing 360 kernels — one 

 quart 1,440 kernels, and will sow 10 square feet. Southern or 

 gourd seed corn ranks the same as this exactly. 



2. Friday, May 29th, 1829. Sowed 19 quarts of flour corn 

 on 150 square feet of ground. It yielded 14 bundles of corn 

 fodder, which weighed 58 pounds. It was cut on the 8th of Sep- 



