32 [Senate 



manner and process practiced by Mr. Belts. The statement which 

 refers to the corn, is as follows: 



" The soil was a very tough greensward, having been several years 

 laid down to grass and occupied for pasturage. From the 4th to the 

 8th of February last, the ground being then entirely free from frost, the 

 whole field was thoroughly plowed. In the second week in May, 

 two bushels of salt and fifteen wagon loads of manure per acre, were 

 spread broadcast over the field, and it was then thoroughly cross- 

 plowed and harrowed, and the corn was planted in hills, (the hills 

 being between three and four feet apart,) each hill being covered 

 with about half a shovel full of manure. The only subsequent culti- 

 vation was plowing and hoeing twice, and going once through it with 

 the cultivator. On the 19th September, the corn w^as cut up close to 

 the ground, and put up in shocks of an equal size upon the field; 

 and as it is not yet husked, the only practicable mode of ascertaining 

 the quantity of the product has been fairly and justly pursued by me, 

 as follows, to wit: I have husked twelve of the shocks, from differ- 

 ent parts of the field, taken indiscriminately, and averaged the whole 

 crop according to the quantity produced from them, and find that the 

 field, (containing by accurate measurement four acres, two roods, and 

 twenty-three perches of land,) has produced nine hundred and fifty 

 and two-thirds bushels of ears of corn; equal to two hundred and 

 five and a half bushels of ears of corn per acre. As a portion of the 

 field was injured by the frost in June last, the best acre, no doubt, 

 exceeded in product the foregoing average." 



And the statement which refers to the field of oats, is as follows: 

 " The soil had, for many years previous to 1841, been laid down to 

 crrass, and the field occupied for pasturage. In the spring of last 

 year, the field was planted in about equal proportion with potatoes 

 and corn, and had then applied to it about twelve loads of manure, 

 (a compost of muck and barn-yard manure,) per acre. About the 

 23d of April last, the field was well plowed, and the oats on the same 

 day were sowed at the rate of three bushels to the acre, and were 

 harrowed in, which was the only labor expended upon the field until 

 the crop was harvested. An acre of the field was accurately mea- 

 sured, before the crop was harvested, and the grain therefrom has 

 been kept and threshed by itself, and produced seventy-seven bush- 

 els of clean oats. The whole field contained about three and three- 

 quarter acres, and the grain thereupon w^as about equally good 

 throughout the whole of it." 



In respect to the field of corn which belonged to Mr. Carman, the 

 undersigned not finding that gentleman at home, are unable to give 

 any of the details respecting its cultivation, except what they learned 

 from a laborer who had assisted in working the field: that it had not 

 received any extraordinary manuring or attention. They computed 

 the product of this field, at eighty bushels of shelled corn to the acre. 

 The farm of Mr. Carman appeared well arranged and in good condi- 

 tion, and merits particular notice. 



But the undersigned cannot close this report without calling pub- 

 lic attention to the judgment and good taste which Mr. Betts has 



