NEW ENGL.ANI> FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY J. B. RUSSELL. AT NO. SS NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agbicultoral Warehouse.)— T. G. FESSENDEiN, EDITOR. 



TOT.. IX. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 18, 1831. 



NO. 44. 



(Bc&saaawsritvSii't^a '^srQa 



The tollonins aiiicle was received soci.e time since, 

 ind should have had an curlier inserlioii h.id ii not been 

 nislaid. It appears to be the production of a practical 

 ultivalor who lias tested his theories by actual experi - 

 ncut. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



= f 



plougli an acre smooth, liy iiloiigliiiig ovitj' furrow, 

 tliaii cut new furrows, and leave one half iiii- 

 ploughcd : besides, its b(;ing much harder for the 

 team, it requires twice the attention in laying the 

 furrows even, and there is the lialk to plough be- 

 tween the rows. The advantage in harrowing, 

 pulverizing, levelling and lightening the cracks of 

 the level-ploughed above the ridge-ploughed, I 

 consider very great. I had rather tend 4 acres 

 of the level than one of the ridgc-ploughed. Mr 

 B. snys his neighbor almost lost his crop. I?nt 

 lid not plough 



ON THE CULTURE OF INDIAN CORN. 



I observed a piddication in your piiprr, vol. i.\ 



). 33, dated Plymouth, Con. March 7, 1831, i this must have been because he 

 ibscrihed B. in which the writer states his method right, not because he did not ridge up his ground. 2 



r raising Corn on green swanl, and he plants no 



'.her with corn. I understand him that it is not 



Ivisable to plant any other ground with corn. 1 



n opposed to this opinion for the following rea- 



I will endeavor to show the advantages, 



hich result from not planting green sward with 



diau Corn. If potatoes are planted on green 



ard there is little or no danger of worms inju- 



ig them ; and if well managed, the crop is likely 



be as good the second year. The ground of 



urse will be more clear, and better 'vorked over, 



,n by tillage for corn. The groimd after the 



;ato tops are taken away for manure, is free 



m obstructions for cross-ploughing and mixing, 



1 with common usage well fitted for a crop of 



ID, without the least hazard of being injured by 



grub worm, which too often disappoints the 



mer of his crop. It is certain that corn will 



gwwell after potatoes, though they are very 



-m ?h against the growth of many vegetables. By 



'ir^ corn after potatoes the farmer obtains 



!\ a more sure but a much larger crop of 



lid afterwards much better wheat and gr.tss.l 



ir B. stales that he feeds his ground intended 



I curn as close as possible. For this he gives 



at reason ; but I think there is great reason 



nst it. I am confident there is great benefit 



ved from ploughing in vegetable substances, 



especially if green. I have known good crops 



orii without any manm-e, except those sub 



ces ploughed in. In one instance I doubled 



side by side, by ploughing one piece a 



th later than the other, from the benefit of 



n vegetable manure. 



r B. says bespreads his manure and ploughs 

 round into ridges, leaving a path between 

 idges unploughcd. I observed his manure 

 leen spread from before plonshing until hoeing 



In |)loughing most level ground for tillage, be 

 sure to plough in a direction to drain, and iu small 

 lands. 



The ordinary mode of tilling low level land 

 with corn is to enter on one side, and ])lough a 

 large flat land ; having no reference to draining 

 it, and paying little or no attention to the depth of 

 loughing. Consequently in this moist and soft 

 round it is ploughed one foot deep. If the man- 

 ure is spread and ploughed in, without any addition, 

 say ten fifty-bushel cart loads, the probable crop, 

 with good attendance is ten bushels of corn to the 

 acre. If four loads of old yard manure is put in 

 the hills in addition, it is twenty bushels. It is 

 seen that I allow but little in this mode of tillage. 

 But my experience teaches me that it is full enough. 

 Now this seems to be discouraging in tilling low 

 ground with corn. But I tell you not to be dis- 

 couraged ; I am sure those soils are the richest on 

 our fartns, and they can be improved so as to pro- 

 duce the most corn as well as most other vegeta- 

 bles. Cart on the ten loads of good manure, and 

 spread it even. Plough with a sharp plough 

 with a foot, as we call it, for a giiage on the 

 beam ; it is far preferable to a roller, as it levels 

 off small protuberances, instead of jumbling 

 over them like a roller. Plough this ground 

 in small lands, in a direction to drain 6 inches 

 deep. Teiid it well, and the probable crop is 40 

 bushels. Add four loads of manure, and put it 

 in the hill, and the crop will be fifty bushels. Now 

 there is encouragement. But plough the ground 

 with the same apparatus in the same direction 

 and the same manure, three inches deep, with 

 the same good attendance, and the probable crop 

 is 80 bushels per acre. In this last mode of till- 

 age it is improper to put manm-e in hills. And if 

 the four loads or more be added and spread care- 

 8 surface. Every good farmer knows that it fully on sward, and ploughed smoothly in and 

 bus been ex|)0sed, by evaporation, the effects carefully harrowed lengthwise with the furrow, so 

 in, air, &c, to a great loss of virtue. At the J that you turn back no turf and the whole attendance 

 loeing, Mr B. ploughs or breaks up his balk, be good, you may reasonably expect 100 bushels, 

 if tough, he admits it to be hard hoeing. I i common evils excepted. I will observe that these 

 me it is ; I have tried a small sample in a sim-i remarks are founded on experience, and not on 

 ay, and found it very hard tending my corn, theory. This last mode I much prefer to all 

 states that one of his neighbors tried a level that I have heard of or tried, and I have tried all 

 piece of ground in Mr Phinney's mode and ^bich promised the least success.^ 

 ng a wet season he nearly lost his crop. I will briefly explain the causes of these differ- 

 it is seen that Mr B.'s advice is altogether in I eit products, lu the first and ordinary mode, 

 of ridge ploughing even of green sward for | the sward that is full and warm with vegetable 

 } of Indian Corn. I will endeavor to show n;anure is turned below the reach of the corn 



plainly the advantages of level ploughing. 

 ti» first place it is presumed that the manure 

 niher cases is equal, and the labor of getting it 



[d spreading it the same. Now I had rather 



rocts, especially as they run shoal on this wet 

 grtund, and if manure is in the hill it will sprin 

 a liitle from the effects of it. But there is noth- 

 ing else to feed the corn, but the wet, cold, naked 



clods, destitute of any kind of miinure, and the 

 corn is subject to renewed colds from every rain 

 or dew ; hence it cannot thrive. On the other 

 hand, if it be ploughed three inches deep, the 

 sward full of vegetable manure, with the bam 

 lung, and the rubbish are plougbiul in, the soil 

 ■vill lay up light, and the sun anil air having their 

 effect to the depth where the roots will be found 

 most abundantly, and exactly in their elements, not 

 ufferingfrom drought nor wet, will thrive beyond 

 conception. T'lis is the ground and the mode of 

 tillage that I sljoll principally pursue the coming 

 season. < 



I choose to plant my rows across the lands and 

 furrow, and as the sward rots, a light harrow has 

 ood effect. I plant in a drill, made by a large 

 tooth in a light horse han^raw or a machine for. 

 that purpose. Th M-e can be no ploughing among 

 this corn, nor any hill made. 



I planted high ground last season, and to guard 

 against drought, and to have my ground well pre- 

 l)ared to sow winter rye I made my drills 7J 

 feet apart, and droppeil my corn, single kernels 

 4 inches apart in the drill. A part of it was 3 

 kernels together, one foot in the drills. One object 

 in tilling tliis ground in this manner was to have 

 it well prepared to harrow into it winter rye, at 

 any tithe when 1 might think proper, without any 

 other expense. I worked my ground so constantly 

 with harrow, plough, &c, drawn by a horse, as 

 to keep it perfectly clear and mellow, snug np to my 

 corn, using the hoe only to clear the weeds round 

 the roots of the corn. By this tilth my ground 

 was kept in the most perfect and beautiful order 

 that can be conceived and without a single cent's 

 cost for the next crop. And I found no obstruc- 

 tion in getting in my rye while the corn was on 

 the ground. 



I will observe that I have not owned this ground 

 long, before I tell you that it is much worn down 

 by too frequent tillage. Consequently I could not 

 expect a great crop, especially as I put only 2 

 loads of barn yard manure per acre. This was 

 strewed in the drills, after dropping the corn. My 

 crop exceeded my expectation. 1 expected only 

 ■200 bushels, but gathereil 300 from about 12 

 acres. This mode of husbandry is somewhat 

 new to me. I shall leave it for the reader to 

 jiiilge for himself the advantage. On my low ground 

 I shall drill for my rows 4 or 5 feet distance, as 

 the land will be much liigher manured and not 

 liable to drought. I am sensible that I get more 

 corn from drill than hill planting. But I will give 

 one hint to those who for any reason plant in 

 hills. A general, if not universal opinion pre- 

 vails that the seed corn should be spread in the 

 hills, and much jjains is taken consequently to 

 spread it, and this they say they know to be the 

 best method for a en p. They tell me the corn 

 comes up when alone much stronger and stubbed- 

 er, shoots out, and far outgrows that which 

 comes np together. This is true as far as res- 

 pects the better appearance of the corn, when 

 young. But this is not all which should be con- 

 sidered in a crop. The object should be to grow 

 tlis most corn on the same ground. To convince 

 farmers to change their practice and to plant their 

 seed as nigh together as possible, they will he 



