402 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



SePT: 



eter, — and at the end of the week, more so, as 

 they serve as a fresh mess for poor Jack. 



Most of the papers, particularly agricultural 

 ones, abound in advertisements of artificial ma- 

 nures — they are well enough for use in the vi- 

 cinity of large cities, where manures, proper, can- 

 not be so well made ; but for the country, where 

 farming is pursued as a business, to make it 

 profitable, the fertilizers used must be made up- 

 on the premises. Agricola. 



Augusta, Maine, July 10, 18^»9. 



jr Fur the New England Farmer. 



CULTIVATION OF CORN AND OATS. 



BY FREUERICK HOLBROOK. 



Benefits of Cross Cultivating — Effects of different Fertilizers — 

 Corn not calculated to follow Turnips or Buckwheat — Guano 

 for Oats — Oats and Grass — Guano on Grass. 



My Friend Mr. Brown : — I have been look- 

 ing about in the fields here to-day, observing the 

 modes of cultivation, c^-c, and now send you a 

 few notes about such things as most interested 

 me in the course of my tramp. 



In passing through five or six cornfields, I was 

 impressed anew with the advantages one derives 

 from having the rows of corn marked out both 

 ways of the field, so as to use the horse and culti- 

 vator each way between the rows, at hoeing time. 

 Indeed, if the land gets foul with grass and 

 weeds, or is at all inclined to be heavy and to 

 pack close, or to crust over after a rain, the horse 

 and cultivator may be advantageously used twice 

 in a row, each way, at each hoeing. 13y using the 

 horse and cultivator thus thoroughly, the land is 

 worked up fine and mellow, the labor of hand- 

 hoeing is very much lessened, and the young 

 corn grows ail the more rapidly, and is more 

 "stocky" and healthy, for having the soil thus 

 completely stirred up and its particles changed 

 about and mixed anew, or if the manure is near 

 the surface, within reach of the cultivator, having 

 that stirred about and brought in contact with 

 other or diflFerent particles of the soil. The horse 

 and cultivator can do very much more for the 

 crop, in the way of mellowing and enlivening the 

 soil, and effectually rooting up grass and weeds 

 between the hills, than can be done by man with 

 the hand-hoe. The hand-hoe is indeed quite 

 necessary for dressing out the hills and shaping 

 the earth properly about the young corn-plants, 

 out beyond that the horse and cultivator are the 

 most serviceable to the crop. So far as I can 

 form an estimate, from considerable particular 

 observation of the effects of cultivating or thor- 

 ougl ly stirring the ground, I am inclined to 

 think one may realize from five to ten bushels 

 more of corn to the acre, by the thorough use of 

 the horse and cultivator between rows running 

 each way of the field, than he would obtain if he 

 worked the land only one way, all other things, 

 as to land, manure, Ike., being equal. The gain 

 in the crop by thoroughly working both ways, 

 over what could be realized by working only one 

 way of the field, will be somewhat in proportion 

 to the natural tendency of the land to pack close- 

 ly and crust on the surface, or to bear weeds and 

 grass between the hills. In any case, however, 

 let the character of the land be as it may, the 

 saving of expense in cultivation will be consider- 



able by working the land both ways, with the 

 horse and a good sharp cultivator, rather than by 

 digging so much between the hills of corn with 

 the hand-hoe, as must necessarily be done if the 

 cultivator is used only one way of the field. 



I have repeatedly observed in my own corn- 

 fields that where they happened to run out at 

 either end in a long triangular point, so that the 

 narrowest part was too narrow to bother with 

 so short rows crosswise the field, and therefore 

 this end was only worked with the horse and 

 cultivator the long way, while the rest of the field 

 was worked in rows both ways, the corn on the 

 narrow end would not grow so fast the first ol 

 the season, nor yield so large ears at harvest, as 

 that on the rest of the field. 



Notwithstanding the fine theory that may be 

 stated as to the advantages of level cultivation of 

 the ground for the corn crop, I must still say that 

 I do like good broad hills, — especially, if the 

 land is inclined to pack, or to crust over. A well 

 shaped, mellow hill, not raised too high and 

 peaked, operates to send the corn forward rapid- 

 ly, and make it stocky and stout. 



Several corn-fields have been examined to-day, 

 which have a dressing of superphosphate of lime 

 in the hills. My neighbor, R. Bradley, Esq., 

 has several acres of corn, dressed v.ith a heavy 

 coat of manure, broad-cast, and a table-spoonful 

 of superphosphate in each hill. His corn is large 

 and vigorous for the season, and of splendid col- 

 or. On one field he used superphosphate in a 

 part of the hills, unleached ashes in another part, 

 and plaster in the remainder. That portion of 

 the corn dressed with tlie superphosphate is de- 

 cidedly superior in size and color to those por- 

 tions dressed with ashes and plaster ; and it ap- 

 pears now as if this superiority might hold out 

 through the season. Coe's superphosphate was 

 used. It seems to be a very strong manure, and 

 needs a good covering of earth before dropping 

 the seed-corn over it. Occasionally, in a hill, 

 where the superphosphate did not happen to get 

 well covered before planting the seed, the corn 

 was dilatory about coming up and growing, a^ 

 first, — the superphosphate being in too close con- 

 tact with it and eating off the little tap roots as 

 fast as they shot out. But at length the lateral 

 roots pushed oat beyond the superphosphate, 

 and the ground also absorbed and modified its 

 qualities, so that the downward tending roots 

 could run through it, and now the corn in these 

 hills is growing well, and may perhaps catch up 

 in size with that which had a more favorable 

 starting. 



I next came to a corn-field of my own, well 

 manured broad-coast, and in addition dressed 

 with a shovel-full of manure in each hill, on half 

 of the field, and a table-spoonful of superphos- 

 phate in each hill on the remainder. The corn 

 has been cut pretty hard by frost at three differ- 

 ent times ; but it has survived all hindrances, and 

 is now growing fast. On the half that has su- 

 perphosphate in the hills, the corn is taller and 

 of a deeper green color than that which has the 

 manure in the hills. This goes to show that the 

 superphosphate has the quality certainly of forc- 

 ing the corn along fast through the first of the 

 season. Whether it will hold out in good works 

 as well as the manure, can be better determined 

 by-and-bye. 



