AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



^ 



PUBLISHED BY JOSEPH BKKCK & CO., NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (A 



GBICULTUKAL WareHOCSE.) 



VOIi. X\I. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 6, 1838. 



A<3I^IS<21!'lS>1?i@'2SA3£.a 



(From the Commissioner's Report on Essex County.) 



INDIAN CORN. 



The next valuable crop in the county is Indian 

 i;oni. This plants deliglits in a warm, rich soil, 

 inclined to sand ; and no plant„ if properly niati- 

 sged, affords a better com[iensation of labor anil 

 3ost. A good deal of land iti the county is favor- 

 ible to it. The two last years are by no means 

 Droper test years of the value or amount of this 

 :rop. The .tcconnts, which I subjoin, are of crops 

 •aised in tiiany cases in former years, or the judg- 

 nent of the farmers of the average yield of a 

 own. 



Every statement which I prcsmt rests upon 

 :redible authority ; but it is not necessary to refer 

 o names. In Essex the yield is rated at 50 bush. 

 :1s to the acre. VVenharn and Hamilton 35 bs. 

 pswich 30 and 70 bs. ; Old Rowley .50 bs. ; New 

 lowley 40 bs. ; West Amcsbury 30 bs. ; Ames- 

 iury 40, 60, 6C bs. ; Salisbury 35, 50, 70, 80 bs. ; 

 fewbury 40, 60, 80 bs. ; Saugns 30, 75 bs. j i\Ian- 

 hesier 60, 72 bs. ; Gloucester 40, 60, 75 bs. ; Bev- 

 rly 40, 50 bs. ; Danvers 40, 85, 95, 110 bs. This 

 /ould give an average of 54 bushels to the acre, 

 'he price of corn in the comity has now for some 

 me exceeded one dollar (ler bushel ; and it may 

 e fairly estimated at one dollar when pork is 

 dued at 10 cents per lb. The best kinds of 

 iat corn weigh 60 lbs. to tlie bushel. 



I found corn in the county which was planted 

 le 10th of June and ripe the 7th of September, 

 any fields planted the middle of IMay were fit 

 r harvest the first week in September. A far- 

 er whose premises every where exhibit excel- 

 nt management writes me that a field of 2 1-2 

 ;res, which I visited, was sound and good, and 

 elded 280 bushels of ears, equal to 56 bushels of 

 'und corn, to the acre. The largest crop raised 

 ' which I have any return the present year on 

 ly one farm is 617 bushels. 



Of the expenses of cultivating an acre of corn 

 this part of the State I liave been fortunate 

 lOugh to obtain only three estimates ; these are 

 )ni farmers, whose lives have been devoted to 

 iriculture. 



Ploughing and harrowing' 



Furrowing 



Planting 



Hoeing 



Topping stalks 



Harvesting 



Manure 



NO. 48. 



Expense, 



43 60 



823 40 

 To this may be addeil without serious injury to 

 the corn crop three or fonrcart-loads of pumpkins 

 and fifty bushels of tmnips. 



The large charge above made for planting, it is 

 presumed, includes manuring in the hill. He 

 (considers the land improved to the amount of half 

 the manure, which would of course lessen the ex- 

 pense, ten dollars. 



Another fiirmer states: "I think ploughing an 

 acre of swarded land with two yoke of oxen and 

 two hands will take something short of a day, 

 cost f 3 ; to plough old ground, ons yoke of oxen 

 and one hand three fourths of a d.iy 1,60; har- 

 lowing an acre of new ground 1,00 ; old ground 

 50 cents ; furrowing or hoeing 50 cents ; planting 

 1.1-0; cultivation-, harrowing, or hoeing, three 

 times 4,50; topping stalks 1,50; gachering 2,00; 

 husking 3,00; if manured in the hills, say 20 loads 

 of manure, 20,00 ; making a total on' swarded 

 land of 36,50. I call a good crop of corn from 60 

 to 70 bushels. I have raised 80 bushels. 1 buy 

 good manure at 1,50 per load." If we rate the 

 crop at 60 bushels at 1,00 per bushel, it leaves a 

 profit of 23,50, and to this is to be added the value 

 of the corn fodder equal to three-fourths of a ton 

 of hay, say 12,00, making the whole profit 35,50. 

 Half the manm-e in this case shoulil be charged to 

 the next crop. 



The estimate of another farmer in Essex coun- 

 ty of the cost of cultivating an acre of corn is as 

 follows : 



Half thH corn raised in our neighborhood is 

 raised in a course of crops; first year, break up 

 grass land and plant with corn ; second year, 

 corn or ()otatoes ; third year, wheat, barley, or 

 oats, with grass seed ; then from three to foiu- 

 years in grass. We use from four to ten cords of 

 manure, average eight (;ords per acre ; but only 

 half should be charged to the corn or potatoes. 



but from light loams and sandy lands I should 

 put the potato crop at from 150 to 200 bushels." 



The statemcHUs above given are from a farmer, 

 who in his extreme concern lest he should make 

 an exaggerated estimate, lias certainly underrated 

 ihe produce of his own fields; and designs to give 

 the average of his vicinity. Jt is obvious how 

 greatly the increase of ten or*twenty bushels to 

 his corn crop, and one hundref bushels to his po- 

 tato crop per acre, by more liberal and skilful cul- 

 livaiion, would change the results, without increas- 

 mg the expense of manuring and cultivation in 

 proportion. With less than 50 bushels of corn to 

 the acre and three hundred bushels of potatoes no 

 farmer ought to rest contented. 



I add the estimates of a farmer in Middlesex 

 comity, whose yield of corn is 55 bushels to the 

 acre ; and wlio frequently gets 100 bushels of tur- 

 ni|isAiom his corn ground. 



55 bushels corn at 1 doll. 55 qq 



100 bushiils turnips at 12 cents, less ex- 

 pense of gathering, 6 dolls. 

 Corn fodder. 



Expenses 



Four cords of manure are 



Ploughing including teani, 3 days work 



Opening holes and putting in manure, 



days 

 Dropping and covering, 1 day 

 Hoeing three times, 5 days 

 Cutting and securing tops, 2 days 

 Gathering and husking, 4 days, 



$43 60 



!\n acre under his cultivation will generally 

 Id from 40 to 60 bushels. 

 Say, 50 bushels at $1, 50 00 



orn fodder on an acre 17 00 



$67 00 



$34 00 

 I He puts tlie produce at 40 bushels and values 

 it at $30, and the fodder at $8, making $38. 



In this case the produce is less than such culti- 

 vation ought to warrant ; and the value of the 

 manure is estimated at a high rate. 



This farmer states, likewise, that he estimates 

 the expense of (cultivating an acre of potatoes to 

 be the same as an acre of corn,.S34 ; and the pro. 

 duce 240 bushels, deducting 15 for seed, will 

 leave 225 bushels, at 20 cents, equal to $4.5.' The 

 above estimates he adds are for our stifl" loams ; 



$34 00 



J subjoin also the estimate made by one of our 



most skilful farmers, the .Superintendent of the 



Farm School, at Thompson's Island, Suffolk Co. 



One acre of corn or greensward : 



Ploughing with double team nearly one 



and a half day at 4 dolls, per day 5 00 



10 cords of compost manure one part ani- 

 mal, the other vegetable, well incor- 

 porated together, and which should 

 be in a state of decomposition, valued 

 any where within fifteen miles of Bos- 

 ton at 4 dolls, per cord ; one half of 

 which should be |)ut to the corn crop 20 00 

 Carting on manure with single team 2 days 4 00 

 Harrowing vvith single team half a day 

 Spreading manure 75 cents ; i-olling half 



day 1 doll. 

 Harrowing $1 ; furrowing one way with 



horse 75 cents 

 Planting 2 days 2 dolls. ; .seed 50 cents 

 Cultivating twice in one furrow 

 Hoeing first time, 2 ilays for a man 

 Cultivating 2d time, once in furrow 

 Joeing 2d time, one and a half day 

 Cultivating 3d time, once in furrow 

 Hoeing, 3d time 

 Cutting up, and carting in corn, two men 



and team one day 

 Husking and putting away corn, 

 Shelling by the machine, 



The product of such cultivation is estima. 

 ted at 70 bushels 



