VOL. XI. NO. 39. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



307 



liavc been obtained. I have assumetl in the estimate 

 that each stock produces one ear of corn, and that tiie 

 ears averauc one gill of shelled grain. This is estimating 

 the product low ; for while I am penning this (October) 



1 find that my largest ears give two gills, and 100 fair ears 

 half a bushel of shelled corn. The calculation is also 

 predicated upon the supposition that there is no deficien- 

 cy in tlie number of stocks, a contingency pretty sure 

 on my rnetliod of planting. 



hills, bush. qts. 

 1. An acre in hills, 4 feet apart, each 



way, will produce 27ii2 42 16 



2 The same, 3 by 3 feet, 4840 75 20 



3. The same, 3 by 24 feet, 5808 93 28 



4. The same in drills, at 3 feet, plants Sialics. 



6 inches apart, in the drills, 29,040 113 14 



5. The same in do. 2 rows in a drill, 



6 inches apart, and the plants 9 

 inches, and 3 feet 9 inches from 

 centre of drills thus, 30,970 120 31 



C. The same in do. 3 rows in a drill, 

 as above, 3 feet from centres of 

 drills 43,.560 170 



The fifth mode 1 have tried. The ground was highly 

 manured, the crop twice cleaned, and the entire acre 

 gathered and weighed accurately, the same day. The 

 product in ears was 103 baskets, each 84 lbs. net, and 65 

 ibs. over. The last basket was shelled and measured, 

 which showed a product on the acre of 118 bushels 10 

 quarts. I gathered at the rate of more than 100 bushels 

 the acre, from four rods planted in the third method, last 

 summer, the result ascertained in the most accurate man- 

 ner. Corn shrinks about 20 per cent after it is cribbed. 

 The sixth mode is the one by which the Messrs. Pratts, 

 of 'Madison county, obtained the prodigious crop of 170 

 bushels per acre. These gentlemen, T am told, are of 

 opinion, tliat the product of an acre may be increased to 

 200 bushels. 



(f) I am told the Messrs. Pratts, above alluded to, used 

 seven bushels of se«d to the acre, the plants being sub- 

 sequently reduced to the requisite number. 



{g) The cultivator is made in the form of a triangular 

 harrow, with two bulls ; or if intended to be graduated 

 to different widths, a centre bull is added, to which the 

 exterior ones are attached by hinges. Iron slats, fixed 

 to the exterior bulls, pass tlirough a mortice in the centre 

 one, perforated with holes, through which an iron pin 

 passes to hold them at the graduated width. Tlie teeth 

 may be in any approved form, or reasonable number. — 

 The cultivator I use has five teeth, two in each of the 

 outward, and one upon the center timber. The teeth 

 have a stout shank, with a duck's foot termination, four 

 inches broad, somewhat cylindrical, rounded atthe point 

 and inclined forward in an angle of 30 or 40 degrees. — 

 This implement is useful for other purposes ; and may be 

 used, like Beatson's, as a substitute for the plough, in 

 preparing light soils for a crop. The handles are attach- 

 ed to the centre piece. The teeth have a shoulder on 

 the under side of the timber, and are fastened with 

 screws and nuts above. 



(A) Some entertain, a mistaken notion, that it is pre- 

 judicial to stir the soil among corn in dry weather, and 

 others that weeds serve to prevent the evaporation of 

 moisture by a hot sun. The reverse of these opinions 

 is true. Tlie exhaustion of moisture by a plant is in the 

 ratio of the surface of its leaves and stocks presented to 

 the sun and air. 



(i) The leaves are necessary organs for elaborating the 

 food of plants, and when these are taken away the plant 

 must cease to grow. The sap is useless until it under- 

 goes elaboration in the leaves. Hence, when corn is top- 

 ped in the usual way, the supply of food is cut off from 

 the grain, except what may be elaborated in the husks. 

 On comparing corn gathered by the first and second 

 modes, it was the opinion of those who assisted in husk- 

 ing, that first was soundest, brightest, and heaviest. The 

 third mode I have not tried. But it seems probable that 

 the grain might acquire an increase of volume, though it 

 would lose again by depredation and waste. The first 

 method has these further advantages that it preserves the 

 cob frombeing saturated with rains, and secures the fod- 

 der,! when it is in its highest perfection and greatest 

 quantity. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The Committee of tlic Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society for offering and awarding premiums 

 upon the products of the kitchen garden, vegeta- 

 bles, &c., submit the following list of premiums 

 for the ensuing season, viz : — 



Asparagus, the two hest bunches, - §4,00 

 Blood beets one dozen, the earliest and 



best, ----- 3.00 



Beans, Lima two quarts, tlie best, - 3.00 



" Cranberry, two quarts, best, - 3.00 



Cucumbers, best pair forced, - - 4.00 



Celery, two roots the earliest and best, 4.00 

 Cauliflower, two the earliest and best, 4.00 



Corn, sweet for boiling, ears, one dozen 



best, . - - . . 4.00 



Lettuce, two heads tlic best, - - 2.00 



Melons, Water the largest and best, - 3.00 



" Musk, ... - 4.00 



Peas, one peck, the earliest and best, on 



or before the 1st Saturday in June, 4.00 



" one peck of the best, having regard 



to the quality and yield, - - 4.00 



Potatoes, one peck the earliest and best, 



raised in the open ground, - - 4.00 



" a sample two years from the 

 seed ball, the largest best, - - 2.00 



Squashes, crook'd necked, two, the larg- 

 est best, .... - 4.00 

 " Canady, two the largest, best, 4.00 

 Savoy cabbage, two heads the best, - 2.00 

 Ptr order, D. CHANDLER Chairman. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 COCKROACHKS. 



Now is the proper season to clear houses of 

 Cockroaches, else, they will soon swarm, and 

 then it will seem almost futile to attempt to do it 

 effectually. 



Take a deep plate or dish, and nearly fill the 

 bottom part of it with molasses and water ; set it 

 near their haunts, with some chips from the shelf 

 to tiie edge of the plate or dish, for a rail-tvay-free- 

 briiige, for these nimble footed beauties to travel on 

 to this sweet batli, and the next morning, a very 

 goodly number of the last generation will be found 

 up to their backs indolently revelling in this 

 charming liquid — now, they are not dead but 

 sleepeth, and if thrown out of doors, I will bet 

 my " Cremona to a Jewsharp" that the chance is 

 is equal for their reviving again and appearing in 

 all their hideous deformity, "hobgoblin and all" — 

 but another death will stop their swift race — 

 viz. the tire, whatever number may be caught 

 scoop them out of the plate, and lodge them safe- 

 ly in the fire, and you make good their retreat, and 

 nothing short of that will do it. E.kperience. 



.ipril 5th, 1833. 



From the Boston Courier. 

 ■WmSHIPS' NURSERY. 



We have just inspected the catalogue re- 

 cently published by the Messrs. Winships, 

 Brighton. It comprises a list of fruit and forest 

 trees, shrubs and flowers, for sale at their nursery 

 among which are 120 Apples, 120 Pears, SS 

 Peaches, 54 Plums, 18 Apricots, 39 Grapes, and 

 numerous v»neties of Apricots, Nectarines, Quin- 

 ces, Fi-gs, Almonds, Mulberries, Raspberries, 

 Gooseberries, Strawberries, and Currants. The 

 names of Ornamental Shrubs, Evergreens, Vines, 

 and Creepers, and Honeysuckles, fill about ten 

 pages. Of Roses, there are no less than 288 va- 



rieties, beside those placed in separate classes as 

 Scotch and China Roses, of which there are 64 

 Scotch and 25 China. To this magnificent assort- 

 ment of Roses succeeds 41 varieties of the Peony 

 — a brilliant collection, by their friend Admiral 

 Coffin. The collection of Carnations, Pinks, Chry- 

 santhemums, Lillies, and Herbaceous Perennial 

 Flowering Plants, occupies about a dozen pages 

 of the catalogue. From this abstract it will be 

 seen that agriculturists may find a beautiful sup- 

 ply of the useful and profitable, while ladies and 

 gentlemen of taste can be equally well accomo- 

 dated in their choice of the mere beautifid and or- 

 namental. The nursery is five miles from Boston, 

 over the Western Avenue — a pleasant ride. 



ORIGINAL! ANECDOTE. 



During the passage down the Sound of one 

 of our elegant steamers says a correspondent, the 

 last summer, a gentleman not much accustomed 

 to polished society, came so late to the dinner table 

 that he found it difficult to obtain a seat. He 

 stood some time with his hands in his pockets, 

 looking wishfully at the smoking viands. He was 

 at last noticed by the Captain, who relinquished 

 to him his own chair and plate, when he com- 

 menced carving a pig that lay before him. Hav- 

 ing finished, he passed portions of the dish to all 

 the ladies in his immediate neigborhood, and then 

 heaped a plate for himself He soon perceived 

 a lady who had not been served, and inquired if 

 she would be helped to some pig. She replied 

 in the affirmative, and he accordingly handed her 

 the plate which he had reserved for himself. — Her 

 ladyship feeling her dignity somewhat offended at 

 so bountiful a service, observed with protruded 

 lips, loud enough to be heard all around, " I don't 

 want a cartload!" The gentleman, at her remark, 

 became the object of attention of all his end of the 

 table, and deternnned to retort upon her for her 

 exceeding civility, watched her motions, and ob- 

 served that she had despatched the contents of 

 the plate with little ceremony. When this was 

 accomplished, he cried out, " Madam, if you'll 

 back your cart up this way, I'll give you another 

 loadr—J\r. Y. Gazette. 



IVALiKENG THROUGH FIRE. 



Being invited by the Hindoos to see the cere- 

 mony of walking through fire, I went and found 

 an oblong pit prepared, eighteen feet by twelve. 

 It was full of red hot coals. A procession then 

 arrived on the opposite side, and every one in it 

 either walked or danced deliberately through the 

 fire lengthways. This fire was so intense that we 

 could not approach it. I had heard much of this 

 strange feat, but never had such positive proof of 

 it before. The ceremony was in honor of the 

 small pox deity, to whom they sacrifice a cock be- 

 fore they venture into the furnace. Then, be- 

 smeared all over with some yellow stuft', they go 

 backward and forward through the fire, both 

 quickly and slowly, without any apparent suffer- 

 ing; and one man carried an infant on his shoulders 

 which did not even cry. The people in this ex- 

 traordinary show were of all ages. — I saw a fine 

 boy slip down and the others pulled him up unin- 

 jured immediately. I have now stated the fact 

 from ocular demonstration ; it remains for chem- 

 ists to explore the nature of the stuff" with which 

 they are besmeared. — I never could get a native to 

 explain it ; and I suspect that the Mussulmans are 

 quite as ignorant of the means used as we are. 

 — Col. French E. I. Magazine. 



