170 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



=tj 



manure for flax. The quantity of salt should 

 S>e double that of the seed u-ed, and at the same 

 lime. It is pi-oliable that all oily seeds should 

 be trPated in the same manner. 



" Hilt the most important circumstance is the 

 hencticial effects of salt, in preventing mildevv. 

 In the course of a most extensive inquiry into 

 the causes of that disease in nheat, and the 

 means of its prevention, it appeared that a far- 

 mer in Cornwall was accustomed to manure his 

 turnip land with the refuse salt from the pilch- 

 ard fishery; and that ground thus treated was 

 never liable to mildew, though it infested all 

 the neighborhood. This is a hint, which may 

 prove of incalculable value, if in all cases it 

 should prove equally effectual." 



The Farmer's .Journal, an English paper, 

 states, in ojiposition to the theory, that salt will 

 •prevent milileiv that a correspondent of the F.di- 

 tor had tried an experiment by sprinkhng salt 

 water on a small patch of wheat '• hut it had no 

 effect in preventing the progress of the disease, 

 and eventually the straw became quite black." 

 See .Yew Englcxnd Farmer, vol. i. page 113. 

 (to be continued.) 



Massachusetts Ao-ricultural Societv. 



FOR TUE KF.W Ei\GI.A.\D FARMER. 



REPORT No. IX. 



The Committee on AgricuUaral ExperiraPnts submit 

 . lor the consideration of Ihe Board of Trustees the fol- 

 lowing, in addition to their Report dated the 16lh of 

 October last, to wit : 



That Col. Joseph Valenthie, of Hopkinton, 

 in the County of Middlesex, is entitled to the 

 Society's premium of jjJ.'W, for having raised tha 

 greatest ([uantity of Indian Corn, being 127 bu- 

 shels and 29-32 of a bushel, on one acre of land. 

 Col. Valentine's description of his culture is as 

 follows : — '• The quality of the soil is a deep yel- 

 low loam, situaleil on a western declivity, and 

 naturally moist. The land has been improved 

 ibr mowing six years last past, and until the last 

 year it has yielded very heavy crops. In July, 

 1!j22, the crop of hay falling below the produce 

 of former years, I thought it expedient to stir 

 the ground ; in August following the ground 

 was broken up, and in November it was harrow- 

 fid, and cross ploughed. In the spring of 1823, 

 it was again ploughed, and harrowed, and twenty 

 loads of green barn manure spread equally over 

 i(,and ploughed in. It was then furrowed in rows 

 about three feet and sis inches apart, with a 

 large horse plough, the plough going twice in 

 each row to make a deep channel tor deposit- 

 i.ag the compost manure, and also to leave the 

 seed when planted lower than the general sur- 

 tace of the ground. The rows thus prepared, 

 were filled with twenty loads of barn, hog-yard, 

 nnd night manure, well mixed, and pulverized 

 with Smithfield lime ; the manure was then le- 

 velled, and the kernels of seed placed about ten 

 inches apart widtbwise, and four inches length- 

 wise in the row, and covered lightly with fine 

 mould. The seed was the yellow twelve row- 

 ed corn, which was soaked in a strong salt pe- 

 tre brine twenty-four hours, and then spread, 

 sprinkled with quick lime and raked over un- 

 til completely coated with lime — it was plough- 

 ed twice, and hoed three times at the last hoeing, 

 the first of July, the suckers were pulled out, 

 and in the fore part of August the suckers were 

 again pulled out, and the false stalks cut away. 



In hoeing the corn I was particularly careful to 

 loosen the soil and remove the weeds without 

 raising the earth about the stalks, as I had usu- 

 ally done — the stalks would average from nine 

 to ten feet high, and were cut the first week in 

 September. The first week in October the 

 corn was harvested, and carefully measured in 

 baskets by two of my men who had assisted in 

 cultivating the crop. I directed the same men 

 to take each of them a basket and fill it with 

 cars in the same manner as when they measured 

 the whole, and to shell and measure Ihe quan- 

 tity of shelled corn obtained from a basket of 

 ears; the amount of shelled corn from each bas- 

 ket of ears was the same, viz., nineteen quarts; 

 and when turned together and measured the re- 

 sult was one bushel and six quarts and a fraction 

 over, from the two baskets. By computing the 

 produce of the whole acre from Ihe (juantily of 

 ears as measured in the basket, and the amount 

 of shelled corn contained in a basket of ears, the 

 result will be one hundred and twenty-seven bu- 

 shels and twenty-nine quarts of shelled corn, 

 weighing between sixty and sixty-two pounds to 

 the bushel. The field in which the above acre 

 was measured contains three acres; one half of 

 which was planted with seed prepared as above 

 stated ; the other half was planted with seed pre- 

 pared in its natural state. The corn in every part 

 of the field came up well ; and as the ground was 

 all manured and cultivated alike, Iberccnuld be 

 no difference in the quality of ihe soil, to invil 

 ro repel insects and vermin. But in that par. 

 which was planted with seed in its natural stale, 

 at least one sixth part of the blades were eaten 

 offan<l destroyed by Ihe worms, wiiile in the 

 part planted with seed soaked in brine and coat- 

 ed ftith lime, not a single blade was discovered 

 that had been attacked by ihem. This is the 

 first experiment I ever attempted to prove the 

 utility of securing corn against the ravages of 

 the worm by any process applied to the seed. 

 Perhaj)s the mode above described and pursued 

 by me, may not always bo attended with the 

 like success. It may, however, be the means 

 of exciting the attention of others who have 

 more leisure and ability than myself to discover 

 and apply a certain remedy for so great a hin- 

 drance to the farmer. The value of the stalks 

 and fodder 1 consider equal to one ton and a 

 half of English hay — the entire exjiense of cul- 

 tivating this acre of corn, including thirty dol- 

 lars for the 40 cart loads of manure was fifty-live 

 dollars and seventy-five cents." Col. Valentine 

 is also entitled to the premium of ^20, for hav- 

 ing raised the greatest quantity of wheat, being 

 thirty-seven bushels and one fourth of a bushel 

 on one acre. " In the spring of 1822, it was 

 ploughed and planted with Indian corn, forty 

 loads of manure were S[)read and laid upon il, 

 and the crop produced was one hundred and 

 sixteen bushels and twenty-eight quarts of corn, 

 well dried and fit for lise. In the spring of 

 182:3, as soon as the grouLid was fit for plough- 

 ing, 1 had it ploughed twice and harrowed ; 

 three bushels of Oilman wheat were sowed on 

 one acre and a few rods, and ploughed in ; I 

 then sowed twelve pounds of clover, and half a 

 bushel of herds grass seed, spread one hogshead 

 of slacked lime upon the land, and harrowed it 

 well twice with an iron harrow. The wheat be- 

 fore sowing was washed clean in clear water, 

 then soaked forly-eight hours in strong lime 

 water, then laid on a dry floor and slacked lime 



3 



sprinkled upon.it, and frequently stirred untit h 

 was covered with lime. Such ivas my pract* ii 

 with the seed. In the month of July I empla 

 ed a Surveyor to measure the land on wh| 

 the three bushels of wheat were sowed, i 

 found it to contain one acre and a few rods o 

 — the number of rods exceeding one acre w< 

 staked off, and the wheat growing thereon 

 reaped and threshed by itself; the produce 

 belween one and two bushels — the acre was re 

 ed and bound with long rye-straw, and louiid 

 be seven hundred and sixty-two bundles roali 

 fifty shocks and twelve sheaves ; when thre 

 ed, winnowed and measured, the produce of | 

 acre was found to be thirty-seven bushels j 

 one fourth of a buslicl--the quality of the gn i 

 was e.vcellent, not a kernal of smut or bull' 

 grain could be found, and the straw was pe 

 Cecily clear and bright ; the kernal was vai 

 large and full. Many persons have examii 

 il who have been acquainted with the cultur 

 wheat in the western country, and they 

 nounce it equal to the produce of the new Jig 

 growth-its weight is sixty pounds to the bushel. 

 That Silas Pearson, of Newbury, in the Com 

 ty of Essex, is entitled to the Society's preo 

 um of §20, for having raised the greatest quai 

 tity of Barley, being fifly-two bushels and eigl 

 teen quarts upon one acre of land. " I'he eiitir 

 lot contains one acre and fifty-three rod-: ; lb 

 soil is a gravelly loam; in 1822, it was planlt 

 u'ith polatoes,and manured with about twontvc 

 cart loads of compost manure to the acre, whit/ 

 pi'oduced a handsome cs'op — in April, 1823,i 

 Wi's ploughed plain and harrowed, the set 

 was flien sowed and covered wiib a luuro* 

 which took four bu.shcis of the t>vo rowed klH 

 ihe crop was mowed and threshed out in Augo? 

 and the amount was seventy bushels, at fif: 

 |>o<inds per bushel." 

 That John Prince, Esq. of Roxbury, is entitle, 

 to the Society's premium of;j20, for having r» 

 ed the greatest quantity of Mangel VVurtzel, be- 

 ing 762.i bushels, on oae acre. " The landm 

 cultivated in 1822 with corn, potatoes, and wb 

 ler squashes, in alternate rows, and 16orl 

 cart loads of compost manure (one half meadct 

 mud) to the acre ; — it is almost on the lopo: 

 my hill, is gravelly loam, or a hard pan bolton 

 inclining to the S. S. E, ; this season 24 car 

 loads of the same kind of compost manure ntv 

 spread on the whole flat, and ploughed in, then 

 harrowed flat, and a common marker made the 

 furrows about two inches deep, and two fee; 

 apart, the seed was dropped about 5 or G in«lift 

 apart, and covered up on the third of .May,- 

 from the 11th to the IGth of June, they wer* 

 hand hoed, weeded, and thinned out to 10 or 1. 

 inches apart — on the 1st of'July a second Mii 

 last hoeing and weeding — in August and Stf- 

 tember were too thick, some were drawn fci 

 hogs — and in October, by measurement, one Jiot 

 dred and twenty bushels were drawn on oiif 

 end of the field: — and on the -lib and jtbo: 

 November the whole crop was drawn and carl 

 ed to the barn cellar, and part were pittedii 

 the field, as described in the Massachusells Ag- 

 ricultural Repository, No. 3. vol. vi. particular- 

 ly those intended for seed the next seaMU 

 Eight rows on one side, and the whole leogtikitf 

 the field, was the sugar beet,from seed I impojl'l 

 ed two years since from France, and am mocli 

 pleased with them ; I think they produce full/ 

 as much as the mangel wurtzel, weigh 6 or 6 



