166 ESSAY ON INDIAN CORN. 



On turning Uie furrow slice Jlat at the. time of breaking up. 

 I am aware that there is a difference of opinion on this subject. 

 Some say that the furrow slice should be lapped, or set obliquely, so 

 that the land may lie lighter and be more easily cultivated. Expe- 

 rience has tauglit me, that land turned flat can be cultivated the 

 easiest, and will produce the best crop. If we have a foe to contend 

 with, we can usually manage him best if we lay him flat upon his 

 back. When we plough tough swarded land, abounding in witch 

 grass, eight inches deep, and turn it flat, we shall have four or five 

 inches of soil on top without any roots in it ; but if it is set obliquely, 

 we shall have part of the roots on top, and they will be growing up, 

 between the furrow slice, all the season. Our aim in breaking up 

 land, should be to place the grass and roots in that position where 

 they will decompose the soonest ; if set obliquely, the harrow brings 

 many of them to the surface, so that they will not rot. I do not 

 want a breaking up plough to pulverize the soil, but to turn it over, 

 and put the grass and roots out of the way, so that I can pulverize 

 it with the harrow and horse plough. 



On Preparing and Applying the Manure for the Corn crop. 



It has ever been my lot to do a full share of this part of the work 

 upon the farm. Perhaps my remarks will smell more of the manure 

 fork and shovel, than of the oil of the student, or the elaborate ex- 

 periments of the chemist. 



Formerly it wast he custom to apply all the manure in the hill. 

 For some years past, many have spread all their manure. It is an 

 important question for the farmer to settle, how he can best apply 

 his manure so as to supply the growing corn with the proper nutri- 

 ment at the right time. If the manure is well rolled, and all put in 

 the hill, it will produce too great a growth of stalks, and fail of af- 

 fording proper nourishment when the corn is filling. 



If we use new manure, and spread all of it, the corn does not 

 start soon enough to get fully ripened. We have succeeded well in 

 some fields, by ploughing a part of the manure under the sod at the 

 time of breaking up ; in other fields, we could see but little advant- 

 age from green manure thus ploughed under. Why this difference ? 

 The top soil was nearly alike, but the sub-soil was different. My 

 view of this is, that where the soil and sub-soil are warm, so that a 

 decomposition soon takes place, it is well to plough under a part of 



