No. 10. 



Experiments in the Culture of Indian Corn. 



319 



From the Cultivator. 



Experiments in the Culture of Indian 

 Corn. 



We are indebted to our friend George 

 Geddes, Esq., of Onondaga county, N. Y., 

 for the following detailed account of several 

 experiments made by him, with great care, 

 the past season, in the culture of Indian 

 corn. They will be read with interest, and 

 our readers'will be glad to learn that these 

 experiments will be continued with the 

 same exactness the ensuing season. Mr. 

 Geddes says : 



The soil is a deposit of gravel mixed with 

 sand and clay, resting upon a gypseous shale. 

 The previous course of cultivation has been 

 as follows, viz : In 1837, a crop of corn was 

 raised on a heavy sod turned under that 

 spring, and slightly manured with barn-yard 

 manin-e. The yield was estimated at 65 

 bushels to the acre. In 1838, corn was 

 again raised, and without any manure; esti- 

 inated to yield 50 bushels to the acre. In 

 1839, it was sown with oats, and yielded a 

 very heavy crop. Grass seed was sown with 

 the oats, which succeeded well. The next 

 four years it was pastured. Plaster was put 

 on both corn crops and on the oats, and once 

 or twice on the pasture. 



The ground was ploughed about the first 

 day of May, six inches deep, and planted 

 on the third and fourth days of that month. 



The variety of corn was the improved 

 Button; that is, Button that had been se- 

 lected from the earliest ears for a series of 

 years. 



Experiment No. 1. — One acre was planted 

 in hills three feet apart each way, six ker- 

 nels in the hill. Fifty loads of half rotted 

 manure was put on this acre after it was 

 ploughed, and harrowed in as well as it 

 could be done; it being so coarse that it 

 piled up a great deal before the harrow. 

 The hills had a hoe full of the best of the 

 manure drawn in by tiie planter, and the 

 corn dropped into it. It was hoed twice, 

 and a cultivator was run once along each 

 row both ways, at each hoeing. The ac- 

 count of the cost of cultivation, is as fol- 

 lows, viz : 



To ploughinff and harrowing one acre, $1 50 



50 loafis of manure, drawine and spreading, 12 50 



2 days' work of one man planting, 1 50 



cultivating for both hoeings, 50 



hoeing twice, 3 days' work, 2 25 



harvesting, Sj days' work, 2 63 



$20 88 



The product was 70^ bushels — at 4s.— 

 $35 2.5— 20"88r=:$14 37 for the use of the 

 land; or the corn cost, besides the use of the 

 land, f 29.6 per bushel. 



Experiment No. 2. — The other acre was 

 cultivated as follows: One-tenth was planted 

 in hills three feet by two apart, six kernels 

 in a hill, and tcithout any manure. The 

 account of the cost of cultivation is as fol- 

 lows, reduced to acres. 



To ploughing and harrowing one acre, $t 50 



planting 2 days, 1 50 



cultivating, 50 



hoeing twice, 4^ days 3 37 



harvesting 3 days 2 25 



$9 12 



The product was sixty and one-quarter 

 bushels to the acre, at 4s.=$;30 12—9.12= 

 f 21 00 for the use of the land ; or the corn 

 cost besides the use of the land, $0 15.1 per 

 bushel. 



Experiment No. 3.— Another tenth was 

 planted the same distance apart, and the 

 same number of kernels in the hill as the 

 last — and was manured, by filling each fur- 

 row as it was ploughed, full of barn-yard 

 manure, unfermented — the amount used 

 being at the rate of 1.50 loads to the acre. 

 The cost of production was as follows, re- 

 duced to acres: 



To ploughing and harrowing one acre, $1 50 



2 men to fill the furrows with manure, 1 50 



2 days' work planting 



4^ days' hoeing 



cultivating, 



3 days' harvesting, 



150 loads of coarse manure, 



50 

 2 25 

 18 75 



$29 37 



The product was seventy bushels to the 

 acre, at 4s.=^35 00—29 37=f5 63 for the 

 use of the land ; or the corn cost, besides 

 the use of the land, 80 42 per bushel. 



Experiment No, 4. — Another tenth was 

 the same distance apart, and the same num- 

 ber of kernels in the hill as the last, and 

 manured with coarse manure in the same 

 way, and had beside, a top dressing of half 

 rotted manure, at the rate of twenty-five 

 loads to the acre. The cost of production 

 was as follows, reduced to acres : 



To ploughing and harrowing one acre, SI 50 



],50 Toads of coarse manure, 1« '^ 



o- u fine *' b -iO 



2 days' work to put manure in furrows, 1 50 



2 days' planting 150 



4i days' hoeing, •* ^^ 



cultivating, . „ .. 



4 days' harvesting • -^ "" 



$36 37 



The product was eiffhty bushels to the 

 acre, at 4s.=$40 00-36 37=^3 63 for the 

 use of the land ; or the corn cost .fO 45.5 

 per bushel, besides the use of the land. 



Erperiment No. 5.— Another tenth was 

 planted in drills, three feet apart, the corn 

 four inches apart in the drills. It was ma- 

 nured with 25 loads of half rotted manure 



