276 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



MARCH 13, J S3*. 



From the Geitesee Farmer. 

 INDIAN CORN. 

 (Concluded from p. 2G9.> 



Further to illustrate this subject, I beg leave to 

 state the result of an examination in 1827 of sev- 

 eral different kinds of corn of the best that 1 

 could obtain. The ears were all selected ears, 

 and well cured. The eight rowed, excepting one 

 sample, of a very large kind : 



Ab. I. — 12 roivs. oz. One ear weighed . . . 7\ 

 One ear shelled, the One . . do . . do . . . . 6^ 



grain weighed ... 9 One . . do . . do . . . . 6 J 

 One . . do . . . do . . . 7i One . . do . . do . . . . 6 

 One . . do . . . do . . . 7| Ab. IV. — 8 rows. oz. 

 One . . do . . . do . . . fi;| One ear weighed ... 8 



Ab. //. — 12 rows. oz. One .. do ... do ... 6^ 

 One ear weighed . . . 7 J One .. do ... do ... 74 

 One . . do . . do . . . . (iji One . . do . . . do . . . fi^ 

 One . . do . . do . . . . 7£ Ab. V. — 8 rows. oz. 



Ab. ///. — 8 rows. oz. One ear weighed ... 4 

 One ear weighed ... 8 One . . do . . do . . . . 4? 



No 5 had been recommended as a remarkable 

 corn for its productiveness. It yielded with me 

 about forty bushels to the acre. The above corn 

 was shelled and weighed with great care and ex- 

 actness. 



3. Your correspondent asserts in the third place, 

 that " Of the eight rowed there are generally two 

 ears on each stock (stalk ? ;) while upon the twelve 

 rowed there is rarely more than one ; so that on an 

 acre of ground, the number of bushels will be 

 rather in favor of the eight rowed, though the ears 

 are less in size." 



After repeated examinations of my fields the 

 last summer in reference to this very point, and 

 in the autumn with a view to selecting seed from 

 double stalks, I cannot say that my eight rowed 

 corn had any advantage over my twelve rowed, 

 the double ears being as numerous on the latter as 

 the former. Success in raising double ears, or ob- 

 taining a seed which has this propensity, must 

 depend, there is reason to believe, much more up- 

 on the selection of the seed for a succession of 

 years from stalks bearing twin ears, than upon 

 the circumstance of its being of the eight or twelve 

 rowed kind. I believe that the low and small 

 kinds are in general more likely to produce dou- 

 ble than the large kinds; but corn weighing only 

 four or four and a half ounces to the ear, must 

 yield double the number of ears on a stalk to 

 equal the crop giving ears weighing eight or nine 

 ounces a piece of grain, though having but one 

 ear to a stalk. When two ears are found on a 

 stalk, they are seldom both perfect ; hut one of 

 them is commonly smaller than the other, and 

 only partially filled. 



It is said that the smaller kinds hear closer 

 planting than the large. This is true — but the 

 largest kind of eight rowed corn requires as much 

 room as the largest twelve rowed, and the twelve 

 rowed, which I planted at the distance of about 

 three by two and a half feet, has Yielded at the 

 rate of 70, 80, 84, and 90 bushels to the acre. 

 The twelve rowed corn raised by Judge Buel, 

 and yielding at 60 lbs. to a bushel at the rate of 

 108 bushels to the acre, was planted in hills at three 

 by two and a half feet apart. These are certainly 

 good crops, and this must be considced as close 

 planting for any kinds. I doubt if fight rowed 

 corn, in order to yield a similar amount of crop, 

 would bear to be more closely set. I Jin in favor 

 of rather close plantiug, though many >f our best 

 farmers insist that nothing is gained In it, as the 

 closer the planting, they say, the smalltr the ear. 



There may be an extreme on either side, and a 

 good deal must depend on the kind of corn, and 

 the quality and condition of the soil. 



4. Your correspondent assumes in the next 

 place, " That the eight rowed corn comes to ma- 

 turity a fortnight sooner, than the twelve rowed." 

 ., I presume from this remark that he is very for- 

 tunate in his variety. The very small Canadian 

 corn soon arrives at maturity ; but it is with us 

 worth very little for field cultivation. I procured 

 the last and the previous year, some eight rowed 

 corn from a friend in Vermont, represented as 

 very early and productive; but though planted at 

 the same time, it was not earlier ripe than mj 

 twelve rowed on land of the same quality and 

 aspect. The richer the soil is made by manure, 

 the later in all cases is the ripening of the corn, 

 as the foliage becomes more luxuriant and succu- 

 lent. The corn of G. S. was very early ripe — 

 but it was early planted. Still I believe it to be 

 more than a fortnight earlier than the large eight 

 rowed corn planted in this vicinity. But. it cer- 

 tainly had no advantage of mine excepting in the 

 planting. Judge Buel says of his corn, (which 

 is twelve rowed) "it is earlier than the common 

 eight rowed yellow, or any other field variety, 

 which I have seen, and at the same time gives the 

 greatest product. I have invariably cut the crop 

 in the first fourteen days of September, and once 

 in the last week of August." He adds, what is 

 particularly applicable in this discussion, " The 

 cob is large, but the grain is so compact upon it, 

 that two bushels of sound ears have yielded five 

 pecks of shelled grain, weighing 62 lbs. the bush- 

 el." * An intelligent farmer in Northampton, 

 Mass., 6ays his corn, the golden Sioux, twelve 

 rowed, is three weeks earlier than that of his 

 neighbors generally, who plant, I believe a huge 

 eight rowed variety. The corn obtained from Ver- 

 mont by E. Phinney, Esq. of Lexington, Mass , 

 was planted in the backward season of 1832, on 

 the 21st of June, by Mr. Chandler, of Lexington, 

 Mass., (as Mr. C. assured me,) and marketed ripe 

 in Boston to go to New Orleans the first week in 

 September. I met with a very early ripe fieh! 

 corn in Conway, N. II., near the White Mountains, 

 which though planted very late, was gathered and 

 put in crib before the middle of September. The 

 particular dates I do not remember. This was 

 twelve rowed. There is a great difference in tin 

 time of ripening of different kinds of corn, but this 

 I bejieve does not mainly depend on the number 

 of its rows. Great advantage is gained by select- 

 ing the earliest ripe for seed. The Rev. Dr. Free- 

 man, of Boston, one of the most exact and intelli- 

 gent observers, in an experiment on case knife 

 beans continued five successive years, by selecting 

 the most perfect and earliest ripe, actually for- 

 warding the ripening of the same variety in the 

 same garden twenty-six days.f This was a most 

 valuable experiment ; and the method may be ap- 

 plied to other seeds beyond a doubt with a similar 

 effect, 



I submit these statements, Mr. Editor, not with 

 any ambition of controverting the opinions of your 

 correspondent, hut as materially connected with 

 the subject of his remarks. How far they are de- 

 cisive as to the comparative merits of the two 

 kinds of corn under discussion, I submit to the 

 judgment of others. I go fur that corn which 



gives the largest number of the largest ears on the 

 same land. If the eight rowed will do this, I am 

 for that. If the twelve rowed, for tliat. The sub- 

 ject . yet open to the true test, actual experiment. 

 Nothing is more prejudicial to the cause of agri- 

 culture than unfounded hypotheses, however in- 

 genious; or positive assertions, made upon insufr 

 ficieut or slight examination. Hardly any thing is 

 less to he relied on than " hearsay" testimony. 

 Your correspondent is pleased to compliment the 

 Yankees. The Yankees may learn much from 

 your intelligent cultivators. Being a true Yankee, 

 I am anxious to obtain that seed for corn which 

 will give me the best crops at the least expense. 

 But having suffered much from my credulity, I 

 can hardly be persuaded to believe any thing in 

 these matters upon mere assertion, nor without 

 the fullest and most exact experiment, and upon 

 evidence which is incontrovertible. 



Respectfully yours, II. C. 



Meadowbanks, Deerfield, Mass. Jan. 31, 1834. 



* Proceedings of N. Y. Suite Agricultural Society, 1833, p. 

 57. [Gen. Far. vol. 3, p. 98.] 

 t Paper ot Mass. Agr. Soc. for 1C0G, p. C8. 



From the American Farmts. 



[We publish the following suggestion with much 

 pleasure because we think it a good one. The 

 thought is not new to us. We have cogitated a 

 good deal of late on the publication of a series of 

 "Treatises," such as here suggested, in the man- 

 ner of " Harpers' Family Library," and other of 

 the " Libraries" of the day, to be compiled or con- 

 densed from all accessible sources, chiefly from 

 those here suggested, to he issued in periodical 

 numbers or volumes, and disposed of by subscrip- 

 tion ; and when the series of treatises should be 

 complete to arrange them with additions in the 

 form of a dictionary, to be called "the American 

 Farmer's Encyclopedia." We are quite confident 

 as to the utility of such a work, but much less so 

 as to the expediency, in respect to remuneration, 

 of the enterprise. We are glad, however, to see 

 the subject brought before the public, and shall be 

 happy to forward the views of Mr. Lapham, in any 

 way in our power.] 



AMERICAN FARMER'S LIBRARY. 



Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 20, 1834. 



Mr. Hitchcock — Sir, I take the liberty of send- 

 ing you, for publication, (if you think it worthy of 

 that honor,) the following outline of a project, 

 which I should like to have carried into effect, and 

 which could not fail to he highly beneficial to the 

 citizens of the United States. 



For many years the agriculturists of our coud- 

 ti y have been in the habit of recording the results 

 of their observations and experience in short and 

 desultory articles which are now dispersed through 

 a great many volumes of agricultural papers. 

 These essays are in many instances well written, 

 and highly valuable, — and, taken together, they 

 form a body of information whose value is beyond 

 all calculation. Being mostly from the pens of 

 practical men, who write from experience, and 

 who know the facts they state ro be true, they can 

 be relied upon with perfect confidence. We have 

 now fifteen volumes of the American Farmer, 

 twelve of the New England Fanner, and perhape 

 sixty or seventy volumes of other papers of the 

 same kind, all of which are full of information, 

 anil essays of this description. But as this matter 

 is dispersed through so many volumes, without 

 order or system, the different subjects treated of 

 being divided, and disconnected, it is almost imc 

 possible to trace it out. Much valuable infurma- 



