"^36 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



1(01.1 



GREAT YIELD OP CORN. 



We find in tlie Union Agriculturist, n communi- 

 cation from Col. Joel Walker, of Belviilorc, Hi., 

 giving an account nf corn raised by liini llio past 

 year. The kinds sclrctcd for the experiment weri; 

 the Chinese Tree corn, 1'2 rowed ; Yellow Dunt, 

 12 rowed ; and New Jersey, S do. 



'■'The pround wa.'? highly manured, at an ex- 

 yenec of $'-i per acre, li;jlitly plowed and ollierwise 

 prepared in the ordinary manner. The seed was 

 planted in hills four feet apart; number of kernels 

 to the hill not remembered. The crop is harvest- 

 ed, and the result is as follows : 

 Chinese Tree corn, IfiO J-2 bush, shelled, per acre. 

 Yellow Dent, 170 



Wew Jersey, 9!) 3 4 " " " 



To be sure there was no mistake, each parcel 

 was measured twice ; and as the tiditnr of the Ag- 

 Ticulturist has vouched for its accuracy, itKiiay be 

 considered one of the most enormons yields on re- 

 cord. Col. Walker also planted ii small quantity 

 of the Brown corn ; and from its fine appearance 

 and yield, expresses the opinion that it will one 

 day supercede every other variety. Such yields 

 of corn as this, and some of those recorded in our 

 December number, for which premiums were a- 

 ■warded by our county societies, will make Kit 

 Cornhill, who in his rommunication in imr last, 

 wsinhutted his doubts of the reality of such crops, 

 open his eyes wider than ever. — Jithany Cult. 



DOMESTIC FOWLS IN WINTER. 



One of the greatest errors that prevails in the 

 Tnana;;cment of the domestic fowl, and one which 

 must be destructive of all profit, is the common 

 practice of leaving thorn to "shirk for themselves" 

 during the winter monilis. ^-There is no animal on 

 ihc farm that better .epay ^ood keeping than the 

 hen, and with it, there ie none that affords so much 

 profit on the capital employed. 



The hen should have a close warm roost, for 

 there arc few creatures that suffer more from the 

 cold than fowls. They should have a box of grav- 

 cl, sand, ashes, &c. for them to roll and dust them- 

 oelvcs in, to prevent the alt.icks of those insects to 

 which fowls are subject; they should have access 

 to pulverized limestones or limestone gravel, as 

 this will give material for shell, and contribute to 

 ihe health of hens ; thoy should have abundance 

 of water, clean and pure, for fi.'w animals will 

 drink more frequently or eagerly than hens, if wa- 

 ter is within their reach ; and no one need expect 

 healthy fowls, or a plentiful supply of eggs, who 

 does not pay strict attention to their supply of 

 food. Indian corn, pons, buckwheat, oats or bar- 

 ley, may be fed to fowls. Potatoes, steamed or 

 toiled, arc excellent food for them, but must be 

 fed while warm, as fowls will not cat cold potato, 

 iinless driven to it by hunger. Towls should have 

 access ti"» a warm yard in the .sunny days of winter, 

 as warmth is particularly invigorating to them. If 

 confined for any time in a close ill-ventilated room, 

 they will become diseased and feeble, and will re- 

 <iuire extra attention to repair the evil generated. — 

 ]bid. 



From the Allany Cultivator. 



ON THE CULTURE OF POTATOES. 



Messrs. Cnylord S,- Tucker — Located as I am, 

 near a village on the banks of the Hudson river, I 

 find the most profitable crops I can raise are pota- j 

 toes, hay, and oats. I will give you a description 

 of the manner in which I raised my crop of pota- 

 toes this year. After mowing a field containing 

 three acres, I put on seventyfivc loads of manure 

 in the month of September, and plowed it under 

 immi'diately after it was spread on the field. In 

 the month of April fidlowing, I had the ground 

 made mellow by cross-plowing, and in May plant- 

 ed in rows 2 1-2 feet apart both ways. About 

 ten days after the field was planted, when the 

 sprouts began to break the ground, I had the field 

 plowed wiili one horse, putting two furrows to the 

 row, throwing the dirt on the rows, which covered 

 the potatoes very deep. I then had them harrow, 

 ed with a wooden tooth harrow ; this threw the 

 small stones and lumps of dirt off the potatoes into 

 the furrows between the rows, and made the field 

 apj)ear like a field of newly sown wheat before it 

 had come up. In a few days the potatoes came 

 up beautifully ; all vegetation in the field at this 

 time was destroyed, except the potatoes. In the 

 latter part of Juno, I had them plowed and hoed 

 once, and that was all the labor bestowed upon 

 them. The field yielded TS.') bushels. 



I planted another field, containing five acres. I 

 put on twenty five loads of manure to the acre ; it 

 was spread on the sod in the month of April, and 

 plowed under ; the potatoes were planted in May. 

 This field could not he tilled as the other: the 

 sod prevented. They were plowed and hoed in 

 the usual manner. The field yielded 010 bushels. 

 I planted another field, containing five acres, 

 which had been planted with corn the year before, 

 and manured at the same rate previous to planting 

 the corn. I had it tilled in the same manner as 

 the three acre field, which is my practice in Cases 

 where it is practicable. This field yielded 875 

 bushels. 



I had 72 loads of potatoes : my wagon and cart 

 hold each :!.') bushels — making in all, 2.520 bushels. 

 With my own stock, I make about 100 loads of 

 manure yearly. I buy about 200 loads in the vil- 

 lage for t!2 1-2 cents the load. 



Tlie northern part of Westchester county has 

 suflTercd very much these two years past for the 

 want of rain. I consider my potatoes about two 

 thirds of a crop. Two years ago, they averaged 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL 

 KTV. 

 Premiums on Crops. 

 At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of 1 

 Massachusetts Society for the Promotion of 

 culture, held Jan. 8, le'42 — 



The Committee on Crops made a report of| 

 premiums awarded, which was accepted, and 

 were requested to publish the communic 

 which they had received. 



A copv from the record. 



BENJ. GUILD, /?ec. 



The Committee of the Trustee.'; of the Ma 

 chusetts Agricultural Society •• on Vegetable] 

 Grain Crops," having examined the several cl* 

 award as follows: 



To Francis Dodge, of Delivers, for hie crop of 

 Indian corn, on one acre, being 105 bnsh-' 

 lis, weighing 70 2-5 bu.sliels as measured 

 in baskets, or 98 42-75 bush,-ls, of 75 lbs. 

 each. 



To Frederic Tudor, for his rare crop of sugar 

 beets, grown at Nahant, having had, on 93 

 rods, 42,284 lbs., which at Sil lbs. the bush- 

 el, gives about 1300 btishels to the acre, or 

 :lt; tons, 



'I'o John Noyes, of Ncwburyport, for his crop 

 of winter rye, being 40 22-32 bushels from 

 t 1-2 busii. of seed, 



.Mr Leonard Hill, of East Bridge^■ ater, prei 

 ed his claim for the premium on co .i, having pK 

 duced 92 bushels (m 1 acre and 4 rods — almct j 

 equal to Mr Dodge's crop. 



P. C. BROOKS, 

 For the Coinmi 



Corn Crop. 

 Francis Dodge's Slatemenl. 

 To lli« Commiimeof the MasBichusetls Agricullur 

 cicly "on Grain Cropa" 

 Ge.ntlkmf.-v — I offer for premium a crop of Ii 

 dian corn, obtained from one acre of land, and nw 

 soring one hundred and five bushels. The lanii 

 a (lark loam, with a subsoil of clayey gravel, 

 know not the name of this corn, but some of ll 

 same was e.\liibitcd at the annual meeting of tli 

 Essex .\gricultural Society at Georgetown, 

 crop of hay was taken from the land Inst sea 

 after which it was plowed and sown to turnipa ( 

 corn. It had at this time a dressing of three ( 

 of manure from the hog yard. In the sprinl 



over 300 bushels to the acre. The plan of cover- was cross plowed and harrowed, and I'our con 

 ing them with the plow when they are about com- inanure from the cellar was spread on, whwii 

 ing up, saves me twenty or thirty dollars a year in was again plowed ond furrowed at a distance at 

 labor, and I think my crop much better. 1 got the ' three feet four inches one way, and three feetlb 

 hint from the Cultivator, and I would give Ihe man i inches the other: four cords of old manure •!• 

 that wrote the article the credit of it, but I have i put in the hill. This manure was hove well fc 

 searched the back volumes, ond I cannot find it. the purpose of getting it fine. It was planted A 

 If it had not been for the Cultivator, I probably i 8th and 1 Ith of May ; 7 kernels were dropped, a*: 

 should not have known it ; so I save twenty or from 5 to <> stood. It received two hocingsjil 

 thirty dolliirs a year in this one thing, by reading ! each time the cultivator was used. The 27lfca! 



your highly valuable paper. 



Respectfully yours, 



TYLER FOUNTAIN. 

 Perhshill, .y. Y. JVov. 12, 184L 



Jtock Salt. — A body of rock salt, like that found 

 .in Europe, is stated to have been recently discover- 

 ed near Abingdon, Virginia, at the depth of two 

 liundred and sixty feet. This is the first that has 

 ovc." been found in the United States. 



September it was cut up and slooked, and harVI^ 

 ed the last of October 



Erptnscs of Ihc Crop. 

 Interest of land, (valued at $100,) 



Judge Kent says " there are very few evils to • Eight cords of manure, at .$(>, 

 which a man is subjected, that he might not avoid. Heaving old manure, 

 if he would converse more with his wife, and fol- i Plowing twice and borrowing, 

 low her advice." An exchange paper thinks the ! Furrowing, 

 Judge is a sensible man. I Putting out manure, 



96 (C 



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