ESSAY ON INDIAN CORN. 163 



tation of crops, in some measure ; as the corn roots decay, tliey 

 furnish food for the grass ; and it is not so liable to be winter killed. 

 There are hundreds of acres of land in this county, not exactly pine 

 plain land, which produce but little hay, as they have usually been 

 cultivated. When the manure for corn is all put in the hill, and the 

 grass seed is so^vn among the grain the next year, it is either in- 

 jured by the dry weather of summer or the frost of winter ; or else 

 it is so poverty-stricken, that it does not grow. Such land will yield 

 a good crop of hay, if we apply a good dressing of well composted 

 manure, and sow the grass seed among the corn, the latter part of 

 July. 



If we wish to put a part of the manure in the hill, we should fur- 

 row it deep, so that the manure may be below the surface. This 

 will keep the land level, and without any hills about the corn. When 

 the corn is harvested, the stalks should be cut near the ground. 

 The following spring, when the frost is out about an inch on the sur- 

 face, with a sharp hoe cut them off, while the roots are held fast by 

 the frost. As soon as the ground is dry, so that it will not be in- 

 jured by the cattle, it should be rolled. It is much better mowing 

 on a corn stubble than it is on a grain stubble, for the old grain stub- 

 ble injures the edge of the scythe. 



When we sow the grass seed, it is well to count the rows — then 

 we may know how much seed we have to sow in each row ; then 

 take one half of the seed and go through the rows one way, then go 

 the other way with the remainder. 



The cultivation of roots for feeding stock, is by some writers 

 highly recommended ; but I think it not best for the farmers of this 

 county to depend so much upon roots for their stock, as English 

 farmers do, who cannot raise corn. Our cattle will do better when 

 fed upon different kinds of food, than vfhen confined to one sort. 



Every farmer ought to raise some roots to feed to his stock, when 

 he is using his coarse fodder. 



From the first view of the staiements published in the Transac- 

 tions of the Society, it would seem that the carrot crop was much 

 more profitable than corn. But it may not, under all circumstances, 

 be best for the farmer to apply so much of his manure to one acre 

 for carrots, and to neglect the rest of his farm. The question is not, 

 how we can raise the most from one acre of land, but how Ave ^an, 

 with the least expense, keep the most stock upon the farm ? If we 



