1854. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



101 



Agricultural Societies have not, for years past, 

 given a premium for corn to l&ss than from 70 to 

 100 bushels to the acre, and no good farmer will 

 be satisfied Avith less than 50 bushels. We will 

 therefore take 50 bushels for the gi-ound of our 

 calculation. Johnston adopts GO lbs. to the bushel 

 as the stiindard weight. This is 4 lbs. more than 

 our stiindard weight, but Massachusetts corn will 

 weigh GO lbs. as often as 50. We will therefore 

 take 60 lbs. 



50 bushels of corn at GO lbs. the bushel ,will weigh 

 3000 lbs. One bushel of corn by his analysis 

 yields 53| lbs. of nutritive matter. The nutritive 

 matter in one lb. then will be represented by 

 161-180 of a lb. or 14^ ounces nearly. 



The nutritive matter in 1 lb. of meal is by the 

 sjime analysis 11 2-10 oz. nearly. 25 bushels of 

 wheat at GO lbs. the bushel, is 1,500 lbs. Then 

 we have 3000 lbs. of corn at 14^ oz. to the lb., 

 and 1500 lbs. of wheat at 11 2-10 oz. to the lb. 

 Now if we multiply the number of pounds of corn 

 by the ounces of nutritive matter in a pound, and 

 the number of pounds of wheat by the number of 

 ounces of nutritive matter in a pound, we 

 shall have the amount of nutritive matter yielded 

 by the two crops respectively. 



3000 X 14.5 = 271Si lbs. 

 1500 X 11.2 = 1050 lbs. 



Difference, 1668 



in favor of the corn, or considerably more than 

 double the amount of nutritive matter in the acre 

 of wheat. We call the wheat straw equal to the 

 com straw, which we think about a fair estimate. 



There is another view of this matter which we 

 ought also to present. 



25 bushels of wheat at $1,65 per bushel will 

 amount to $41,25. 50 bushels of corn at 90 cents 

 will be $45,* leaving a balance of $3,75 in favor of 

 the corn — which will just about pay the addition- 

 al expense of cultivation. 



Thus if the crop is to be sent to market, the 

 wheat crop, considering the smaller cost of trans- 

 })ortation, is quite as valuable as the corn crop. 

 For the feeding of stock or hogs the corn crop is 

 worth more than double the wheat crop. 



If we institute a similar comparison between 

 the corn crop and the turnip crop, wo shall ascer- 

 tain their comparative value. We will take half 

 of Johnston's estimate, 15 tons to the acre, as data, 

 and we shall have 3600 lbs. of nutritive matter 

 from the acre. Now if we add to the nutritive 

 matter in the corn that which is contained in the 

 stover — viz. 1020 lbs., we shall have 3738 lbs. of 

 nutritive matter in the corn crop,whichis 138 lbs. 

 more than that in the turnip crop. Carrying on 

 the same analj'sis, we find that a pound of tur- 

 nips contains 1 11-16 ounces of nutritive matter 

 to the pound, while a pound of corn contains 14^ 

 ounces. Then one pound of corn is equal in nutri- 

 tive matter to 8| lbs. of turnips nearly. 



If we reckon turnips at 50 lbs. to the bushel, 

 we shall have one bushel of corn equal to 10 

 bushels and 20 pounds of turnips. If corn is 

 worth 90, then turnips arc worth a fraction less 

 than 9 cents a bushel, for consumption. Turnips 

 have been worth from 25 to 30 cents a bushel 

 this winter in this market. If we take 12 tons of 

 turnijjs to the acre, which we think a truer basis 

 for our calculation, we shall have 858 lbs. of nu- 

 tritive matter in favor of the corn crop. If wc 

 allow 15 tons of turnips to the acre, the oil in the 

 corn will be more than double that in the turnips, 

 and on this the fattening property essentially de- 

 pends. 



If we compare clover hay, at 2 tons to the acre, 

 we shall have 2420 lbs. of nutritive, to 3738 lbs. 

 of nutritive matter in the corn crop. We find that 

 1 lb. of clover hay yields 8g ounces of nutritive 

 matter to the lb., nearly, making 120 lbs. of clo- 

 ver hay fully equal to a bushel of corn. Then 

 when corn is 90 cents a busliel, clover hay should 

 be worth $15. For as 120 lbs. of hay are to 90 

 cents, so are 2000 lbs. to $15. 



I know it has been said that 1 lb. of meal ig 

 equal to 4 lbs. of good hay. If so, yankee farmers 

 would not use hay worth $20 per ton, when the 

 nutritive matter which it yields is worth but $7,50 

 compared with corn. The fact is, that 2 lbs. of 

 good hay is about equal to 1 lb. of meal. This 

 makes hay worth $15, when 60 lbs. of corn is 

 worth 90 cents. At the present prices, we had 

 better use more corn than wc do. Meadow hay, 

 at one ton and a half per acre, by which, I sup- 

 pose, Johnston means other kinds of cultivated 

 hay than clover, yields 1720 lbs. of nutritive mat- 

 ter, less than half the nutritive matter contained 

 in 50 bushels of corn, including the stover ; mead- 

 ow hay yields 8 4-21 ounces of nutritive matter to 

 the lb. — a fraction less than clover. 



Johnston makes the oat crop yield more nu- 

 tritive matter than the wheat crop ; but he calcu- 

 lates from oats at 42 lbs. to the bushel. If we 

 take oats at 32 lbs. to the bus'icl, we find that the 

 nutritive matter contained in 50 bushels, including 

 the straw, is 2183 lbs., something more than one 

 half the value of the corn. I have not spoken of 

 the potatoes, from the uncortainty of the crop ; 

 could wo be sure of 27,000 I'ls. or GOO bushels to 

 the acre, we should have 5385 lbs. of nutritive 

 matter — 1G47 lbs. more than in the corn crop. 



Major Wheeler, of Framingham, considered 

 corn, at the present prices, 95 cents to $1,00 i>er 

 bushel, as a very profitable crop, for almo.-jt any 

 farmer can raise 50 bushels to the acre, and tliG 

 stalks are excellent for cattle, bettor than hay. 

 He thought it best to cultivate corn on a flat sur- 

 face. The land should be plowed deep, and the 

 corn planted two feet apart one way and three 

 the other. 



Mr. Brown, of Concord, expresaod the belief 



