On Indian Corn, Potatoes^ ^c. 323 



your society, did not discover the impropriety of such 

 close planting, for the failure in corn plants, reduced 

 their number very considerably. But more experi- 

 ence and observation have taught me, that the pota- 

 toes planted in that crop, were much too thick, and if 

 two single, instead of two double rows, had been in- 

 troduced, and planted deeper, the crop would have 

 been much more productive. 



My mixed crop of corn and barley, for 1811, clear- 

 ly discovered the error of too many corn planes. The 

 barley was sown at the rate of three bushels per acre, 

 on six feet beds, and the corn planted on ridges of the 

 same width ; the produce in barley at the rate of 36 

 bushels per acre, and of shelled corn, 138 1-2 bushels 

 per acre. The corn in the ridges was certainly too 

 thick, about 64 plants within the length of one perch, 

 planted triangularly, in double rows. Many plants 

 were entirely barren, nubbins numerous, and the ears 

 generally very short, and badly filled. Although one 

 of the best ridges, husked and shelled under my own 

 inspection, measured at the rate of 152 1-2 bushels per 

 acre, and another ridge, ordered in the same way, at 

 the rate of 149 1-2 bushels per acre, still, every per- 

 son who saw the crop matured, joined in opinion with 

 me ; that half the plants would have produced much 

 more corn. What might have happened, if the soil 

 had not been generally very thin, previous to manur- 

 ing, for those crops, or if a sufficient quantity of ma- 

 nure had been introduced to supply this defect, I can- 

 not determine ; but where the soil was good, evident 

 marks of the injudicious practice, of this close, hedge 

 row planting appeared. 



