108 



GENESEE FARMER. 



May, 



Cultivation of Indian Corn. 



Editor (tex. Farmer : — Enclosed I send you 

 a communication from a gentleman of R. I., 

 whose name has gone the rounds of the news- 

 papers, upon the suhject of cultivating corn, &c. 

 As. it is accompanied with a wish tliat it may prove 

 serviceahle to myself and others, I send it to you 

 that you may insert it, or such portions of it as 

 you may deem of interest to the readers of your 

 valunble journal. If you do not publish any of 

 it, of course no objections will be taken by 



Yours respectfidlv, Agricola. 



West Bloomficld, March, 1846. 



Portsmouth, R. I., March 3, 1846. 

 I. P. Jenks, Esq. — Dear Sir: Yours of the 

 29th Jan. was received yesterday. You say tl at 

 the New York Courier & Enquirer states that I 

 raised from eight acres a crop worth -^695 66. 

 There are two mistakes in the statement. The 

 quantity of land planted was 8 acres and 18^ 

 rods; the amount $005 65, as printed in the 

 Herald of the Times, published at Neport, R, I., 

 as folloM's : 



593 bushels of shelled corn, at 80 els. per bushel, $47|1 40 

 50 do cars refuse com,, at 15 cts. do 7 50 



3 large ox cart loads tweeds turnips, 12.^ do 38 75 



20 tons of stalks and fodder, at $4 50 per ton, 90 00 



5 large ox wagon loads of .sweet pumpkins, $3 a load, 15 00 



$(305 65 



The Qftovs T^ei-C ■'ri-t^bfiblf t'c:?i:!:'iiiitt*i-'d bv some 

 editor in copyinsr from another paper. 



The amount of corn was ascertained by shelling 

 average baskets. The field was planted on shares, 

 and the crop divided by baskets. Every basket was 

 filled and tallied in presence of both parties, — the 

 field averaging73 bushels and 2 i quarts per acre of 

 soimd corn. One selected acre, 13i by 12 rods, 

 yielded 89 bushels and 18^ quarts. The seed 

 used wao the small species of cap corn, planted 

 scarcely 3 feet apart each way. The stalks were 

 not so large as some other kinds produce, but 

 producing more ears than the large generally do, 

 and better filled, with a small cob. The soil was 

 rather wet. The west end of the field, I should 

 say, was a gravelly clay, the gravel quite small ; 

 as we proceed eastward, less gravel, with a bluish 

 clay. About two acres at the east end was a 

 gravelly loam, which produced the smallest corn. 



The field was spread over with Menhaden or 

 bony fish, in 1841, at the rate of about .50 bar- 

 rels to the acre, and since been used for a sheep 

 pasture until last spring when I spread about 20 

 loads of barn-yard manure, mixed witii sea weed, 

 on six acres, [)revi</us to plowing. The remain- 

 der was planted without being manured; it was 

 the best part of the lot, and the corn was an ave- 

 rage. The manure was di-awn on the field be- 

 fore the first of March, when it was dug over 

 and left until the first of April, and then again 

 dug over. I then deposited it in small heai)s for 

 convenience in spreading, and spj-ead it no faster 

 than 1 plovred it in, that the different salts and 



ga.ses might not evaporate and thus lose their nu- 

 tritive infiuence. 



I plow about 5 inches deep, with the furrow 

 slice as narrow as it will turn over and lay flat, 

 1 harrowed about six acres with a heavy ox har- 

 row, three times in a place. The remainder I 

 rolled with a heavy roller. I could discover no 

 difierence in the corn on the harrowed or rolled; 

 but I think it was one third more work to tend 

 the rolled than the harrowed, of equal quantity, 



I manured about one acre of the dampest of it 

 in the hill. In preparing the seed I soaked it in 

 a strong solution of copperas water, 12 or 15 

 hours, and then, after draining, mixed air slacked 

 lime with it until the grains would separate, and 

 covered it as soon as dropped to prevent it from 

 shrinking. It was not troubled by the birds or 

 worms. 



My manner of attending to com is, as soon as 

 it is up sufficient to discover the rows, to com- 

 mence harrowing or using the cultivator, and 

 generally go over it four or five times in a row 

 each way. In weeding I am careful to loosen 

 the ground around the plants, and remove all 

 hard substances from the corn, and put a little 

 fine mold around the plants. The second hoe- 

 ing I make a small flat hill, and leave the hill 

 lowest aro\md the plants as much as I can conve- 

 niently, in order to conduct the rain to the roots. 

 About the time the plants begin to put forth for 

 cars, 1 go over my fields and j)ull up the weeds 

 that are in the hills, and chop the others off just 

 under the sui-face of the soil. I prefer letting 

 the tops remain until the tassel begins to curl. — 

 I think by cutting them sooner the stalk will 

 bleed and take some nourishment from the ears. 



I have followed the above mode of cultivating 

 Indian Corn for a number of years, and have al- 

 ways been successful. I came to the decision in 

 iavor of small flat hills, from exjierience.* A 

 number of years ago I had a field of about si.x 

 acres; I hoed one half of it the old way, by ma- 

 king large hills — the other part as above descri- 

 bed. The result was, 1 harvested nearly one 

 fourth more from the small than the large hills, 

 the tillage being the same on the whole lot. — 

 My neighbors, seeing my success, have generally 

 adopted the same plan, and express themselves 

 fully satisfied with the result. 



I have thus given you a true account of our 

 estimate of the crop raised, and my manner of 

 cultivation, — hojjing it may be useful to yourself 

 and others, as I consider agricultural pursuits the 

 most honorable as they are the main support of 

 all our free institutions. 



Respectfully yours, Lawton Taylor. 



P. S. The estimate of the crop would fall 

 short of the amount it would command, as corn 

 has been selling on the Island for 8.5 cents per 

 bushel, and corn fodder from 8 to -SlO per ton. 

 The turnip crop was very much injured by the 

 drouth, in July. 



