Vol 6. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



87 



From the Cultivator. 



EXPERIMENTS IN THE CULTURE OF 

 INDIAN CORN. 



We are indebted to our friend Geo. Geddes, Esq., 

 of Onondaga county, N. Y., for the following de- 

 tailed account of several experiments made by him, 

 with great care, the past season, in the culture of 

 Indian corn. They will be read with interest, and 

 our readers will be glad to learn that these experi- 

 ments will be continued with the same exactness the 

 ensuing season. Mr. Geddes says: 



The soil is a deposit of gravel, mixed with sand 

 and clay, resting upon a gypseous shale. The pre- 

 vious course of cultivation has been as follows, viz: 

 In 1837, a crop of corn was raised on a heavy sod 

 turned under that spring, and slightly manured with 

 barn-yard manure. The yield was estimated at 65 

 bushels to the acre. In 1838, corn was again rais- 

 ed, and without any manure; estimated to yield 50 

 bushels to the acre. In 1839, it was sown with 

 oats, and yielded a very heavy crop. Grass seed 

 was sown with the oats, which succeeded well. — 

 The next four years it was pastured. Plaster was 

 put on both corn crops and on the oats, and once or 

 twice on the pasture. 



The ground was plowed about the first day of 

 May, six inches deep, and planted on the third and 

 fourth days of that month. 



The variety of corn was the improved Dutton; — 

 that is, Dutton that had been selected from the ear- 

 liest ears for a series of years. 



Experiment JYo. 1 — One acre was planted in hills 

 three feet apart each way, six kernels in the hill. — 

 Fifty loads of half rotted manure was put on this 

 acre after it was plowed, and harrowed in as well as 

 it could be done; it being so coarse that it piled up 

 a great deal before the harrow. The hills had a hoe 

 full of the best of the manure drawn in by the plan- 

 ter, and the corn dropped into it. It was hoed 

 twice, and a cultivator was run once along each row 

 both icays, at each hoeing. The account of the cost 

 of cultivation, is as follows, viz: 



To plowing and harrowing one acre, )$l 50 



" 50 loads of manure, drawing and spreading, 12 50 



" 2 days' work of one man planting, 1 50 



'■ cultivating for both hoeings, 50 



*' hoeing twice, 3 days' work, 2 25 



" harvesting, 3 J days' work, 2 63 



The product was 70 j^ bushels — at 4s.=$35 25 — 

 20 88=^14 37 for the use of the land; or the corn 

 cost, besides the use of the land, $0 29.6 per bushel. 

 Experiment j\'o. 2. — The other acre was cultiva- 

 ted as follows: One-tenth was planted in hills three 

 feet by two apart, six kernels in a hill, and without 

 any manure. The account of the cost of cultiva- 

 tion is as follows, reduced to acres. 



To plowing and harrowing one acre, $1 50 



" planting 2 days, 1 50 



" cultivating, 50 



" hoeing twice, 4^ days, 3 37 



" harvesting 3 days, 2 25 



$9 12 

 The product was 60J bushels to the acre, at 4s. 



=$30 12— 9-]2=$21 00 for the use of the land; 



or the corn cost besides the use of the land, $0 15.1 



per bushel. 



Experiment .'Vo. 3. — Another tenth waa planted 



the same distance apart, and the same number o^ 

 kernels in the hill as the last — and was manured, by 

 filling each furrow as it was plowed, full of barn- 

 yard manure, unfermented — the amount used being 

 at the rate of 150 loads to the acre. The cost of 

 production was as follows, reduced to acres: 



To plowing and harrowing one acre, $1 50 



" 2 men to fill the furrows with manure, • . 1 50 



" 2 days' work planting, 1 50 



" 4 J days' hoeing, 3 37 



" cultivating, 50 



" 3 days' harvesting, 2 25 



" 150 loads of coarse manure, 18 75 



$29 37 



The product was 70 bushels to the acre, at 4s. = 



$35 00—29 37=$5 63 for the use of the land; or 



the corn cost, besides the use of the land, $0 42 



per bushel. 



Experiment JYo. 4. — Another tenth was the same 

 distance apart, and the same number of kernels in 

 the hill as the last, and manured with coarse manure 

 in the same way, and had beside, a top dressing of 

 half rotted manure, at the rate of 25 loads to the 

 acre. The cost of production was as follows, re- 

 duced to acres: 



To plowing and harrowing one acre, $1 50 



" 150 loads of coarse manure, 18 75 



"25 » fine " 6 25 



" 2 days' work to put manure in furrows, • 1 50 



" 2 days' planting, 1 50 



" 4 J days' hoeing, 3 37 



" cultivating, 50 



" 4 days' harvesting, • • - 3 00 



$36 37 



The product was 80 bushels to the acre, at 4a. = 



40 00—36 37=3 63 for the use of the land; or the 



corn cost $0 45.5 per bushel, besides the use of the 



land. 



Experiment JVo. 5. — Another tenth was planted 

 in drills, three feet apart, the corn four inches apart 

 in the drills. It was manured with 25 loads cf half 

 rotted manure to the acre, put on after the plowing. 

 The cost of production was as follows, reduced to 

 acres: 



To plowing and harrowing one acre, $1 50 



" 25 loads of manure, 6 25 



" drilling in seed 4 days, 3 00 



" 2 hoeings, 3 days' work each, 4 50 



" cultivating, 50 



" harvesting (small ears) 4 days, 3 00 



$18 75 



The product was 55 bushels to the acre, at 4s.= 



$27 50—18 75=$8 75 for the use of the land; or 



the corn cost $0 34 per bushel, besides the use of 



the land. 



Experiment JVo. 6. — Theremainder of the ground 

 was planted in hills three feet by two feet, six ker- 

 nels in the hill, with a top dressing of 25 loads of 

 half rotted manure to the acre. The cost of pro- 

 duction was as follows, reduced to acres: 



To plowing and harrowing one acre, $1 50 



" 25 loads of manure, 6 25 



" 2 days' work planting, 1 50 



" 4i days' hoeing, 3 37 



" cultivating, 50 



" 3^ days' harvesting, 2 44 



$15 66 



