II . \X. \-«». 3». 



AND HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



269 



•111; llio Pu'.tiin mill Cliiii!i wcro on a j onis, both nf "liicli I IriiHl will np|ipnr in llie Ciil- ' 

 lie lioM that has been under cultivation for tivntor. I never huvo Imtl any siicceni in ruiain); | 

 lilt extends beyond the kiiuwledge of any ontH, and nni desirous of Icnrnin;! how ii in done by 

 resent inh»bitant!i of hut village. Tlio olheM, who do encceed. I slimild bo j;lnd to learn 

 v\ II corn was on ii part of the field that was ' fuinetliinj about rnisinjj barley : which i« thi? best | 

 sen up to subdiio the sweet elder, with which | variety to cnlliTate, which is tho best nicthod of ■ 

 as ci'vered about six years ago, and has been ^ cullivution, wlial amount of seed, per acre, .tc. &.c. 

 cr cultivation ever since, with a crop of corn t If some of your readers would furnish tho informa- 

 ati, without manure, except tho two last sum- I tion, they would confer a favor. E. CORNELL. 

 8. The China corn yrow on the same aero of j Ilhaca, JV. Y., Dec. 07, 1841. 



nd that yielded nie 100 bushels of Duttoncorn [ 



lie sunuiier of ISIO, and t'O bushels in tho sum- 



of 183!*. For ihc present crop, the ground 



plowed late last fall ; this spring, the ground 

 »lncli the Dutlon and China corn grew, had fif- 

 1 l(i;ids of unfernienled stable manure per acre, 

 nd broadcast and plowed In, the ground mark- 

 cross the furrows four feet apart for the China, 



tlirce feet apart for the Dutlon. (i^orii planted 

 jss the marking, the same distance apart, mak- 

 the China corn four feet apart each way, and 



For the New England Farmer. 



MR METCALF'S COURSE OF CROPS- 

 PEAS, CORN, GRAIN AND GRASS. 

 Mr Ali.en Putnam — Dear Sir — If the follow- 

 ing theory and course of practice meets your ap- 

 probation, you are at liberty to moke it publi;. 



When my upland meadow becomes turf bound, 



and the grass nitt out, so that it rciiiiires plowing', 



my method is to turn it over smoothly with the 



Dutlon three feet apart eacii way. Seed at tho j plow, as early in llio spring as convenient, and sow 



of one half bushel per acre, soaked in copperas i it to peas, at the rate of three bushels to tho acre, 



cr and rolled in plastsr; the corn thinned down harrowing them in thoroughly, lengthwise of the 



bur spears in a hill at the second hoeing. The , furrow<>. And when the plants have attained the I 



na corn was planted 2Sth Moy ; Dutton corn height of four or five inches, 1 sow on plaster, at 



the rate of 1 l-i bushel per acre, and ordinarily gel j 

 a good crop. 



The next spring I spread on my barn manure at 

 the rate of 20 or 2.5 cart loads to the acre as evenly 1 

 aa possible. If it is principally free from straw, 1 

 apply it unfermented. But if it is combined with 

 a good deal of straw, I consider it important that it 

 should be rotted before it is applied to the land. 



The manure being spread upon one side of the 

 field, I commence plowing it in, crosswise the 

 furrows of the- previous year — observing to have 

 the work done in the neatest manner. This, it is 

 to be understood, is to be performed at as short a 

 period previous to planting as possible. 1 ne.\t 

 mark out the field in rovra across the furrows — if 

 spread broadcast; it suffered in earing, also, I the land is sufficiently light — wilhout harrowing, as 

 I being left too thick in the hill, causing the the harrow tends to rake out the manure and bring 

 to be short it to the surface. 



was absent from home at the time of hoeing But if the land is not sufficiently pulverized by 

 9 thinning the corn. On my return, about the the plow, then harrow and mark across the harrow 

 It of August, I saw the fault, and inquired of the strokes so that they may easily be discerned, with 



an implement which makes two rows at a time, 3 



1 of May, and the Brow n corn 2d and 3d of 

 e. Tiie corn was hoed three times, and work- 

 twice with the cultivator: no hilling allowed : 

 ground kept as level as possible. I commenc- 

 culting up the corn at the ground, the Ifilh Sep- 

 ,ber, and put it in small stouts to cure. 

 I'he Brown corn was planted in rows three feet 

 , and hills from sixteen to eighteen inches 

 ■rt in the row ; manured in the hill with fifteen 

 Is unfermented manure per acre ; three fourths 

 I bushel of seed per acre, soaked and plastered 

 the above. A part of this corn failed to come 

 from bad planting on coarse manure in the hill, 

 was replanted about the 12th June. This corn 

 bred more from drought than where the manure 



10 who had charge of it, why it was not thinned 

 I directed : ho said " it looked so ower when 

 ■:y hoed it, that the men all thought it a pity to 

 ttroy it ;" so they killed it with kindness ; but it 

 tS too late to remedy the evil, and I let it go 

 th from five to ten stalks in a hill. This corn was 

 Itivated in all other respects as the above. I 

 nk with proper management I can get a much 

 ■ger crop of this kind of corn per acre than I 

 re this year. 



By measure, the Brown corn will outshell the 

 utton, as will the China, but they both fall short 

 weight, as will bo seen above — the Brown 1 1-4 

 s. in 100 of ears, and the China 3 lbs. in 100 of 

 rs. 



The China corn makes a beautiful meal for fami- 

 use, but is too laie a variety for elevated lands 

 this latitude. The acre of China corn produces 

 lOut four tons of fodder; the Dutton three tons, 

 id the Brown two tons. The Brown corn pro- 

 ices more corn for the amount of stalks than any 

 iriety that 1 have cultivated. 

 I am anxiously waiting for a statement of the 

 ethod pursued by MrOsborn in raising 144 bush- 

 Is of corn and 130 bushels of oats per acre ; also, 

 T June's statement in reference to his crop of 



feet or 3 feet and 3 inches, as best suits, and plant 

 with corn, crossing the marks, so os to form rows 

 each way. 



After ihcjirst and third hoeings, I dress my corn 

 with plaster, dropping it on the hill with the hand, 

 at the rate of at least one bushel per acre. If the 

 land is very sensibly affected by plaster, a good 

 way ia to sow it on broadcast after the second hoe- 

 ing. 



By the process laid down as above, the crop be- 

 ing well tended, I get from 40 to 50 bushels of corn 

 per acre, and more where the land was previously 

 in good condition. 



Tho third year I sow to wheat usually, and stock 

 with clover and timothy — plowing and harrowing 

 in the best manner, and giving the ground a dress- 

 ing of fine compost manure, ten or twelve loads to 

 the acre, of any kind Icon procure, a/7er plowing 

 and previous to harrowing. After this, I mow the 

 field throe or four years, according as the grass 

 holds out, as to being profitable. 



'1 his is the course of rotation and manuring I 

 have adopted, varying the crops according to cir- 

 cumstances ; sometimes planting potatoes instead 

 of corn, and sowing oals instead of wheat; bat I 



prefer pras for the firnt course willi a light top- 

 dreHsingnf fine manure, if I liavo it on hand. 



My reasons fiir lliiit course of practice an; these. 

 If I spread my manure upon tho sward and plow it 

 in the first year, turning it under a thick turf it 

 hurirs it so deep that I Io»p, in a great niensiire, its 

 I'erlilizing properties by its leaching downwards; 

 and if I plant to corn or potatoes, (one of which is 

 usual 08 a first course,) the roots do not get hold of 

 the manure sutlicieiitly to benefit the crop; and if 

 tho manure is spread on the surface, it loses much 

 by evaporation. 



But by tilling the land first with a crop of peas, 

 the sod ia subdued, and on applying the manure tho 

 neTt year, in the way I have slated, it is neither 

 buried under a thick turf, where all the juices are 

 lost, nor left upon the surface to hi! dried up by the 

 sun, but is inrurpnruled with the soil. 



Another adv.iiitage derived from the first crop in 

 rotation being pens, they lodge or fall to the 

 ground, and lying for some length of timo, they 

 collect a quantity of tho fertilizing substances 

 which are afloat in the atmosphere, and deposit 

 them in the soil. And by the turf being subdued, 

 it renders it easily cultivated in corn or potatoes 

 for the second course, which if well done, prepares 

 the field for a crop of wheat ; and the course for 

 this crop being faithfully pursued, tho foundation is 

 laid for three or four profitable mowings; after 

 which it generally hecoines necessary to repeat a 

 similar rotation. 



I would add that my land is neither sand, gravel 

 nor clay — but tho common loarn. 

 Your sincere friend. 



And humble servant, 



A. V. MRTCALF. 



Poplar Hill, LenoT, Mass., Feb. S, 1842. 



OZT^ThB foregoing statement of our correspon- 

 dent, details a course of rotation with which we 

 have no acquaintance, and upon the value of which 

 we are unable to offer an opinion satisfactory even 

 to ourselves. The system here followed requires 

 much plowing end working of the laud from the 

 time the sward is broken up until tho land is stock- 

 ed again to grass. In this vicinity where plaster 

 is inoperative, we should be reluctant to copy Mr 

 .M.'s course; but it by no means follows that it 

 may not be a wise one in the western part of the 

 Slate. His reasoning against turning manure un- 

 der the sod is plausible, and is in accordance with 

 the alleged experience of many cultivators in the 

 vicinity of Boston. But our own experience, upon a 

 warm loam soil, resting upon a hard gravelly sub- 

 soil, proves that half the manure to be used, by be- 

 ing lurned under the sod six or seven inches deep, 

 is as serviceable, taking three or four crops togeth- 

 er, as when so applied that it will become mixed 

 with ll:e soil. We do not disturb what is thus 

 turned down, until we break up the land again, 6 

 or 7 years afterwards. Our course, however, 

 would probably be bad upon a cold and heavy soil. 

 Our correspondent's statement is very clear and 

 full : we insert it in our columns with pleasure, 

 and shall bo happy to hear from him again. — Ed. 



Extravagance in fine clothing is often a recom- 

 mendation to the eye — but not to the understand- 

 ing of men. Dr. Franklin, we think it is, who says, 

 "A fine Coat frequently covers intolerable igno- 

 rance, but never conceals it." 



The amount of flour exported by Michigan last 

 year, is staled at 340,000 bbls., valued at $1,700,000. 



