146 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOVEMBER 20, 1S33. 



most ardently rejoice, in the abundant rewards she 

 is now realizing for these efforts — in the intelli- 

 gence, industry and enterprise, in the prosperity 

 and happiness of her sons and daughters. In the 

 enjoyment of these blessings she is not surpassed 

 by any. She has expended annually $1200 (one 

 half from the state treasury) in rewards for agri- 

 cultural and household skill and industry ; and this 

 expenditure has been to her like seed sown in a 

 good soil, yielding ill return its fifty and its hun- 

 dred fold. May her example yet have its influence 

 upon the country around her. 



From the New York Fanner. 

 QUANTITY OP INDIAN CORN TO THE ACRE. 



Meadowbdnks, Dccrficld, Mass. Sept. D, 1333. 

 Mr. Fleet: Your New York Farmer for this 

 month was received last evening, and I make no 

 delay in replying to the inquiry of your correspon- 

 dent E. The farmer to whom I referred whose 

 crops of corn for the last ten years, have averaged 

 more than one hundred bushels to the acre, is 

 Earl Stimpson, Esq. of Gal way, Saratoga co. N. Y. 

 On a visit to his extraordinary and admirable es- 

 tablishment, in July of the last year, where every 

 agricultural operation seems to be conducted in the 

 most skilful and systematic maimer, he gave me 

 this assurance, as I find noted in my journal at the 

 time ; and I beg leave to inform your correspond- 

 ent, that to any gentleman of agricultural taste and 

 science, a visit to this farm cannot fail to yield in- 

 struction and great pleasure. 



Mr. Stimpson's success, however, in the cultiva- 

 tion of this valuable crop is not singular. Exam- 

 ples of crops as abundant, are on record in your 

 correspondent's own state ; and to these, and to 

 some others, as extraordinary, it may be useful and 

 gratifying to refer. I ask leave, therefore, to men- 

 tion a few, which have been submil\ed to the most 

 careful examination, and the results established by 

 the fullest proof. 



John Stevens, of Hoboken, N. J. produced on 

 on one acre, 118 bushels, 2 quarts. " Mr. S. was 

 confident that he would have had considerably 

 more corn, had not his crop suffered very greatly 

 by a thunder storm, which laid the greater part 

 of it down at the time the ears were setting." On 

 this crop a bet of fifty guineas was pending. The 

 motives to exact measurement were such, there- 

 fore, as to secure accuracy. This was some 

 years since ; the particular date I am not able to 

 ascertain. 



Dr. Steele, of Saratoga, in giving an attested ac- 

 count of the crops of Earl Stimpson, in 1821, says 

 that he had eight acres of Indian corn, which yiel- 

 ded 112 bushels to the acre, 896 bushels ; 10 do. 

 do. 90 bushels to the acre, 900 bushels. (Memoirs 

 of New York Agricultural Society, vol. 2, page 73.) 

 The following individuals applied to the Agri- 

 cultural Society in Washington county, Penn. in 

 October, 1823, for premiums, with authenticated 

 evidence of the quantity raised per acre, on not 

 less than five acres ; Joseph Evans, 136 bushels 

 per acre — John Wolf, 127£ do. do. — Samuel An- 

 derson, 123 bushels, 12 quarts do. — Isaac Van- 

 vookens, 120 do. do. — Isaac Buckingham, 118 

 bushels 1 quart, do. do. — James Clakey, 113 do. 

 do. — Jesse Cooper, 108 do. do. — Ue Gross Jen- 

 nings, 120 do. do. 



In the same year the following individuals ap- 

 plied to the Alleghany County Agricultural Soci- 

 ety, for premiums on their crops: James Ander- 

 son of Ross township, 103 bushels, 17 quarts, on 



one acre — John Snyder, of do. 103 per acre, on 

 five acres — John Irwin of do. 105 bushels 20 qts. 

 per acre, on 3J acres — Win. M'Clure, 129 bshls. 

 per acre, on five acres. (Memoirs of Pennsylvania 

 Agricultural Society, vol. 6, page 228.) 



In 1821, J. & M. Pratt, of Eastou, Madison co. 

 N. Y. obtained from one acre, 172J bushels — do. 

 do. 161 do. — do. do. 161 do. 



In 1824, the same gentleman obtained from 4 

 acres 6S0 bushels, or 170 to the acre. 



From public and private testimony I know that 

 the respectability of these gentlemen is such as to 

 justify entire confidence in their statements ; and 

 their crops were subjected to the particular exam- 

 ination of committees for a premium. The Messrs. 

 Pratt say they have no doubt of being able to ob- 

 tain 200 bushels to an acre. 



In 1823, Benj. Bartlett of Easton, Madison co. 

 N. Y. obtained from one acre 174 bushels. The 

 veracity of this gentleman is equally unquestioned ; 

 and his, too, was a premium crop. 



In 1S31, Benjamin Butler, of Oxford, Chenan- 

 go co. N. Y. states that he raised on one acre, 130 

 bushels, at 60 lbs. per bushel. (New England 

 Farmer for Nov. 1831. 



We will now come to some crops which have 

 been produced in Massachusetts, on our cold, and 

 rocky, and despised soil. The evidence of these 

 crops is ample and of undoubted character. 



In 1820, J. Hunnewell, of Newton, produced 

 1111 bushels to an acre. 



Iu 1822, J. Valentine of llopkinton, produced 

 116 bushels, 28 quarts, to an acre — D. Burnliam, 

 of Newbury, 117 bushels, 8 quarts do. — T. & H. 

 Little, of do. 116 do. — P. Williams, of Fitchburg, 

 116 bushels, 12 quarts, do. — W. Hull, of Newton, 

 at the rate of IIS bushels, on 7-Sihs of an acre. 



In 1823, Fitch Winchester, of Southboro', 103 

 bushels per acre — John Lees, of Newbury, 113 

 bushels, 16 quarts, do. — T. & H. Little of do. 115 

 bushels do. — Thaddeus Howard of West Bridge- 

 water, 122 bushels, 23 qts. do. 



In 1824, — Wilmarth of Taunton, 142 bushels 

 per acre. 



1825, S. Longley, of Shirley, 112 buhls. 21 qts. 

 per acre. 



1827, John Andrew, Danvers, llObhls. per acre. 



1831, Charles Bugbee, of Palmer, in Hampshire 

 county, states that he has produced, on five acres, 

 540 bushels, or 108 bushels to the acre. (New- 

 England Farmer, for Nov. 1831.) 



I might produce many other examples of crops 

 approximating a hundred bushels, and some as 

 large as those which are above referred to. The 

 above are fully attested by the examination of com- 

 mittees; and are, in most cases, certified under 

 oath, with the exception of the last, which rests 

 upon the personal declaration of the gentleman 

 named, whose integrity I have no reason to dis- 

 trust, though I have not the pleasure of knowing 

 him, excepting through the communication abote 

 referred to. 



Another gentleman, whose name has escaped 

 me, residing in Windsor, Berkshire co. Mass. on 

 the very ridge of the Green Mountain range, ii a 

 spot whose aspect was particularly propitious, pro- 

 duced a few years since, 240 bushels of corn on 

 two acres, lying in one piece, for which he receiv- 

 ed the premium of the Berkshire Agricultural So- 

 ciety. This, however, I state from recollectbn 

 only, and not from any documents in my posses- 

 ion. I have, likewise, the assurance of his neigh- 

 bors, who profess to know the facts. , 



lu the communication to which your corres- 

 pondent refers, I there stated, that Jesse Bue!, 

 Esq. President of the N. Y. Agricultural Society, 

 rated his corn crop, from the measurement of a part 

 of it, at 103 bushels to the acre; and deemed it 

 practicable to obtain 154 bushels to the acre. The 

 above measurements are all understood to lie of 

 ripe and shelled corn. 



I am perfectly aware that these are extraordi- 

 nary statements; but I have not a doubt of their 

 correctness. I have not, myself, been able, with 

 the best cultivation that I could apply, though 1 

 have never had a very favorable opportunity, to 

 obtain nearly one hundred bushels ; though, in 

 one case, I gathered eighty-six from an acre ; but 

 I do not, on that account the less doubt that it has 

 been done. I know, likewise, very well, the utter 

 incredulity of many persons on this subject, who 

 say, " they never can, and never will believe it 

 possible to obtain one hundred bushels of Indian 

 corn from an acre of ground." In such cases, I 

 ask them if they would make such statements un- 

 der oath, if they were not true ; and if they did 

 make them, whether they would not expect to he 

 believed, or feel that they ought to be believed ; 

 and then, if they are not willing to render equal 

 justice to others, or if they regard themselves as 

 the only honest people in the world ? 



I consider the crop of Indian corn as of the 

 highest importance to the country. There is, I 

 believe no farm, in which an acre of ground can 

 be made to yield so much of food for animal life, 

 as by the produce of Indian corn ; and no crop 

 by which, where the offal is well managed, so 

 much is returned to the ground to repair the ex- 

 haustion, to which the crop has subjected it. Rye 

 and oats are very inferior crops, compared with it. 

 Wheat is much more precarious ; and with good 

 cultivation we may reasonably calculate upon two 

 bushels of corn to one of wheat. The superior 

 value of corn fodder, where it is well saved, is, in 

 many cases, a full equivalent for the extra expense 

 of cultivation. 



The average amount of this crop, even on the 

 rich alluvions of the Connecticut, is, I apprehend, 

 not more than forty bushels to the acre ; and 

 throughout the State of Massachusetts, it does not 

 exceed thirty. It is my opinion, that not one fifth 

 of the extent of land is devoted to this cultiva- 

 tion, which might be advantageously applied. — 

 Many a farm of one and two hundred acres, has, 

 perhaps, a patch of Indian corn of from four to 

 six acres. This is nothing and scarcely deserves 

 the name of farming. 



The culture of this crop admits, certainly, of 

 very important improvements. The great things 

 which have been done, show us what may be 

 done ; and present the most emphatical encourage- 

 ment to experiment and enterprise. I have seen 

 fine crops of this vegetable growing in those parts 

 of Jersey through which I have passed, and the 

 soil seemed tome particularly favorable to its cul- 

 ture. Indian corn will bear to be cultivated lon- 

 ger in succession, on the same land, than almost 

 any other crop; but its productiveness would be 

 greatly favored by a judicious rotation. It is al- 

 most the only crop which cannot be too highly 

 manured ; and lands of a warm aspect, and 

 which have a large proportion of siliceous sand, 

 intermixed with loam, are peculiarly favorable to 

 its growth. The durability of the grain is greatly 

 in is favor ; as, if well saved and housed, it may 

 be kept in our climate for au indefinite period 





