1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



403 



Mr. CiiAKLES Lawrence has three acres of] 

 corn which is well manured broad-cast, and has 

 a table-spoonful of superphosphate in each hill. 

 The corn is of good size for the season, and its 

 color as good as can be. Here, too, Coe's su- 

 perphosphate was used, and there are occasion- 

 ally hills where it came too near the corn, delay- 

 ing its growth at first, the same as in Mr. Brad- 

 ley's field ; but the roots have at length got 

 good loot hold, and the corn in these hills is now 

 growing well. 



I next looked at Mr. RuFUS Pratt's corn- 

 field, which also is manured well broadcast, and 

 on a part of the field the hills are each dressed 

 ■with a shovelful of rotten manure, and on the re- 

 mainder with a table-spoonful of a mixture of 

 Mapes's superphosphate with plaster, about half- 

 and-half of each. Here the corn planted on the 

 compost manure is the tallest as yet, but that 

 planted on the superphosphate and plaster has 

 rather the deepest green color. As a whole, Mr. 

 Pratt's corn stands remarkably even, and gives 

 promise of a fine crop. 



I next examined Mr. RuFUS Clark's corn. 

 He has several pieces which are dressed in the 

 hill Vv-ith a compost of Mapes's superphosphate 

 with old rotten muck, a handful to each hill, and 

 about a tal)le-spoonful of superphosphate includ- 

 ed in each handful. The land is also manured 

 broad-cast. He has also one or two pieces with 

 a shoveliul of manure in each hill, instead of 

 the superphosphate and muck. As a general 

 thing, the corn planted on the superphosphate 

 and muck has a deeper green color than that on 

 the manure, but there is little or no difference 

 between the two as yet as to size of stalks. On 

 one of the fields the superphosphate and muck 

 mixture was omitted in two of the rows of corn, 

 while the remaining rows had a handful in each 

 hill. The corn in these two rows is quite small 

 and pale, as compared with the rest of the piece, 

 and shows one, at a single glance, the value of 

 the dressing in the hills, for starting the young 

 corn forward vigorously. 



Mr. Clark's practice of mixing superphosphate 

 with dry finely pulverized muck, appears to me 

 to be an excellent one. The superphosphate, thus 

 diffused and modified by mixture with the muck, 

 is not likely to cut ofl' the young tender corn- 

 roots in the hill ; and the muck, which is a superior 

 absorbent, imbibes enough from the superphos- 

 phate to sweeten and prepare it for use, and thus 

 furnishes a little finely pulverized vegetable food 

 to nourish the young corn, and makes a little 

 mellow hill or place for the roots to work in. 

 The proportion of muck to superphosphate may 

 be such as to enable one to use say a large hand- 

 ful of the compost in each hill, and not include 

 more than about a moderate tabh-spoonful of su- 

 per])hosphate in each handful of the compost. Per- 

 haps even a smaller quantity of superphosphate 

 would have a marked effect on the corn, espe- 

 cially if the mixture was made up a week or two 

 previous to planting time, and the compost kept 

 in a dry place, under cover. The older, drier 

 and more finely divided the muck is, the better 

 the superphosphate will mingle with it, and the 

 better, every way, the quality of food the com- 

 post will make for the young corn. 



I noticed, to-day, a field of corn which last 

 year produced root-crops — a part potatoes, a 



part carrots, and the remainder turnips The land 

 is of uniform quality, and well and equally man- 

 ured, broadcast, this spring. There is not much 

 diflference in tlie growth and color of the corn on 

 the portions of the field which last year produced 

 potatoes and carrots, though perhaps the corn 

 after carrots looks rather the best. The corn af- 

 ter turnips, however, is small and pale as com- 

 pared with that on the other portions of the 

 piece ; and from former experience, I should in- 

 cline to expect that this inferiority may be seen 

 throughout the season. So far as I know, corn 

 does not follow either turnips or buckwheat very 

 well. Manure the land ever so well for corn, the 

 year after it has produced either of these two 

 crops, and you will not get as large a crop of 

 corn as though the land had not borne tl;e tur- 

 nips or buckwheat. 1 shall not attem])t to give 

 the philosophy of the thing, but have found the 

 fact as now stated. 



I have been looking at Mr. Bradley's fine 

 field of oats of six acres. Last year the land 

 produced a light crop of corn. This spring it 

 was plowed and two hundred pounds of guano, 

 and two bushels of oats were sown on each acre 

 and harrowed in each way of the field. Then th- 

 land was stocked with sixteen pounds of red 

 clover seed to the acre, and the surface smoothed 

 with the roller. 1 have not seen so good oats 

 for size and color, nor so thick and perfect a 

 catch of clover, on any other land this season. 

 So far as one can now judge, the guano will 

 prove a very profitable investment. On a few 

 rods at one corner of the field, the guano was 

 omitted, and the oats and young clover here 

 look very inferior, every way, as compared with 

 the growth on the rest of the field, where the 

 guano was applied. The design in thus treating 

 this field, is to get a good crop of grain this year, 

 if possible, and to fill the soil well with clover 

 roots; then to mow oft' the first crop of clover 

 next year, and plow under the second crop, the 

 roots and stems of which, together with a good 

 coat of manure, to be applied the following 

 spring, it is thought Avill enrich and enliven the 

 land, and bring it at once into a high state of 

 cultivation for a crop of corn. I shall, perhaps, 

 have something further to say of this experiment, 

 by-and-bye. 



I have a piece of land, of a light, loose, sandy 

 soil, which formerly bothered me a good deal 

 when I wanted to lay it down to mowing after it 

 had been taken up, well manured, and planted a 

 year or two. It would bear great corn, and good 

 oats or other grain, but the grass would not catc^ 

 well. Finally, the last time it was seeded down, I 

 sowed two hundred and fifty pounds of guano, and 

 one and a half bushels of oats to the acre, and 

 harrowed them in ; then sowed grass seeds liber 

 ally and rolled them in. The oats made a grea- 

 growth, and the catch of grass was perfect. 



If one wishes to seed a rather uncertain piecr 

 of land to grass in the spring, with an oat crop 

 let him put on, say two hundred pounds of guan. 

 to the acre, harrowing it in well with the oats, 

 and sow the oats thin, so as to give the young 

 grass a chance to breathe, and he will be pretty 

 sure of a great crop of oats and a good stand or 

 grass. I should not sow over seven pecks ol 

 oats to the acre, on such land, and it is quite 

 likely that six pecks would be still better. Th 



