1850. 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



85 



as well as by having the unbroken smut grains mixed 

 with it. Very late sown grain is very liable to be 

 RUiiilted if the insect is in the neighborhood of it> 

 Wheat should, therefore, be sown neither very early 

 nor very late. The best season for sowing it is, 

 undoubtedly, between the 5th and 25th of September. 

 Yet, as to its being smutted or not, much will depend 

 upon the weather of the succeeding spring. If the 

 season should be cold and '••hile," it would probably 

 retard the growth of even the early sown grain, and 

 bring its latest growing heads within the period of 

 time required by the insect for the deposit of its 

 eggs-. Jv II. Hv 



•■CORN vs. WHEAT" —AGAIN. 



Messrs. Editous :— As a crnstant reader of your 

 invaluable paper, I have witiicsed with much interest 

 the increasing contribiitio:u ^i my brother farmers, 

 (an auspicious sign, not only in practical but theo- 

 retical farming,) especially one from ray fellow towns- 

 man, under the title of "Corn vs. Wheat. — Drill 

 Culture, &.C," as a subject calculated to elicit discus- 

 sion on the comparative profits of these valuable 

 crops. In the chapter Mr. Sperry has furnished 

 your readers, he lias not given them the expense of 

 raising his crop of corn, nor that of raising a crop 

 of wheat. In this respect, therefore, he has failed 

 to give us the full benefit of a careful, repeated, and 

 reliable experiment. 



With the " Young Digger," I think it exceedingly 

 unsafe to jump at conclusions ; and after several 

 years of somewhat careful observation in farming, so 

 various are our seasons, our soil, its condition, its 

 culture, and our markets, that for one I am not 

 ashamed to confess myself ignorant of the great art 

 of husbandry and the relative profits of some of our 

 staple crops, and much in need of the benefits of 

 scientific instruction, even at the hinds of our 

 " sapient legislators," although some of my neigh- 

 bors deride " book, or collegiate farming." 



Now a few words in review of friend Sperry's 

 article on "Corn vs. Wheat." In giving the gross 

 amount only of the value of his crop of corn, without 

 charging it with the exjicnseof manure and its appli- 

 cation, plov.'ing, planting, hoeing, harvesting, 8ic., 

 Mr. Sperry has failed to satisfy at least one of your 

 readers of its comparative profits. He many not 

 have used manure, and thereby saved that expense 

 for that crop. Every practical farmer knows full 

 well, without the aid of science, that corn is an 

 exhausting crop — not more so, however, than some 

 others ; but it leaves nothing to restore the waste it 

 occasions, consequently constant cropping with corn 

 would require a heavy outlay for manure every year 

 after the first or second, at longest — a heavy charge 

 against the crop. I hold that any system of farming 

 in Western New York, where much of the land is 

 already too much exliausted by constant cropping, 

 that does not essentially improve the soil, is iniprofit- 

 able. In these remarks I would by no means dis- 

 parage the raising of corn. Corn is invaluable to the 

 farmer as a feeding or fattening crop, or for cleansing 

 one's fields of foul grasses, if the quantity planted 

 be confined to no more than will be done carefully 

 and thoroughly. 



A word about the use of the drill in planting corn, 

 (which I see by friend Sperry's frequent communi- 

 cations is, quite a favorite with him.) He is silent 

 this year on the subject of its use as a cultivator. 



Corn planted with a drill can be planted in rows 

 but one >^ay, while the other it will be scattered 

 along the row or irregularly deposited in hills. We 

 have had a little experience in this mode of planting. 

 Our experience is, that when scattered in rows it 

 may somewhat increase the amount of the crop ; yet 

 on a "blue or June grass" sod it greatly increases, 

 nay, nearly doubles the expense of tillage, and in a 

 wet season would utterly defeat a great object of 

 corn culture, namely, that of destroying foul grasses. 

 We have never found a better way, on the heavy 

 soils of Gates, (these grasses being indiginous to 

 such soils,) to "chastise them," than to row corn 

 both ways. Make frequent use of the corn harrow, 

 cultivator, or plow, and what is better, all of them 

 both ways, not neglecting the faithful use of the hoe, 

 even were we obliged to go to the " tombs of the 

 Capulets" for them. " Work once well done is better 

 than twice half done." Oar opinion, on a review of 

 the article in question, is, that for every day saved in 

 planting on " blue grass" sod with a drill, four is lost, 

 in tilling. The most of the labor of rais^ing a crop 

 of corn is in the hoeing and lending. Such planting 

 is "filling at the spiggot and leaking at the bung." 



A word on the relative profits of " corn vs. wheat." 

 Last season, after a crop of corn that had been planted 

 on a clover sward manured, I well cultivated both 

 ways, (which, by the by, was rather expensive,) and 

 sowed wheat. The expense and produce, so far as I 

 recollect, which is pretty near the mark, although the 

 account was not accurately kept for the purpose of 

 giving it to the public, was as follows : 



5 nrres, once plowing m^a find span horses, nt 

 tiic rate of 1^ acres per day, .3^ days at, ^2 

 per day, , $6 GQ 



Seed l.i bushels per acre, 7J bush., at $1,12J, 8 44 



SoAing and burrowing twice, boy and span of 

 horses one day,.. 2 00 



The croi> stood well, and was harvested for $1 



per acre, 5 00 



Drawing and securing, 2 00 



Threshing 150 bushels at 6 cents per bushel,.. 9 00 



$33 10 

 The Value of the crop, 150 bushels, at $1,12.5 

 per bushel, about the average price last fall, 

 although it brought more, was. $168 75 



Balance in favor ol the profits of the crop, $135 65 



Friend Sperry, or some other advocate of corn a.s 

 a market crop, may figure his profits higher than 

 this ; for this is not given as an extraordinary result 

 by any means, or as establishing a system of farming 

 or cropping. A far greater produce in value, either 

 of carrots or many other roots and vegetables, can oe 

 realized, and yet with less profit. 



The lot mentioned above was thoroughly cleansed 

 from foni grasses and seeded with clover. The season 

 being favorable, it set well; and the soil being rich, 

 it gave a most luxuriant velvet covering to the ground, 

 securing the young clover roots against the frosts of 

 winter, besides furnishing considerable feed.* Next 

 summer this lot will not lie bare, exposed to the 

 leaching rains and evaporating rays of a summer 

 sun, " to waste its fragrance on the dessert air," as 

 it would after corn, if the land was poor, (and it will 

 will soon become so by raising two crops of corn to 

 one of wheat,) or foul, or there was not time to sow 

 it ; but in beauteous and joyous contrast will give at 

 least two or two and a half tons of hay to the acre, 



* I would by no mt-ans rccommond feeding clovor fallows except 

 on rich lands where the whole crop is not necUcii for miinure. 



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