V6 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



improvement of tillaj^e, husl)andry, gardening, and 

 fruit culture, and that all etiui'ts in that behalf are 

 unworthy of patronage or countenance. There is a 

 great deal of this feeling in the community, and there- 

 fore agricultural reform is hardly to be looked for 

 either at Albany or W'adliinglon. This fact t^hall not 

 betray us into any unkind criticism of the labors of 

 the State Society, or of our successor in the Agricul- 

 tural Department of the Patent Office. We have 

 seen enough of the manifold difficulties and conten- 

 tio,us of political capitals not to envy any honest man 

 who labors there faithfully to .serve the public. He 

 is too often treated like poor Tray that was found in 

 bad company. 



At another time we will review some of the best 

 articles in the 900 pages of the twelfth volume issued 

 by our State Society. 



CORN-CULTURE. 



The high price of grain, and the strong probability 

 that the crops grown in Europe in 18.54 will not fully 

 make up for the extensive failure of 1853, can hardly 

 fail to cause an unusual amount of corn to be planted 

 in this country the coming spring. It is always our 

 most reliable and valuable staple, and one that de- 

 serves the best attention of every farmer. The fol- 

 lowing remarks, made by a nuuiber of the most 

 intelligent and successful cultivators in Massachusetts, 

 at a recent agricultural meeting in the State House, 

 are at once instructive and suggestive. We copy 

 from the Ploughman: 



" S. SPR.A.GUE, Esq., of Duxbury, was called to pre- 

 side for the evening. The topic was aimouuced last 

 week: ' Is the increased culture of Indian corn worthy 

 the attention of the farmei-s of this commonwealth ?' 



" Mr. Sprague spoke of corn as one of the original 

 crops of this country. The Indians cultivated it to 

 a considerable extent at the time of the disco'^Gry 

 of the country. It has been thought by some of the 

 best farmers that com is a remuuerating crop at 60 

 cents per bushel 



" His father formerly raised twenty bushels to the 

 acre, and followed with i-ye the next season, of which 

 he would raise 8 or 10 bushels to the acre. The 

 crop has been doubled on the ' South Shore,' com- 

 par.'d with what it was forty years ago. There are 

 many questions as to the mode of culture. 



" Probably no grain would give animals so much 

 heart for work, or make them take on so much flesh, 

 as Indian corn. It was a very desirable crop to raise. 



•• Dr. Rayxolds, of Concord, had taken pains to ar- 

 rive at some facts by examining tables to find the 

 comparative amount of nutritive matter in corn. 

 Counting 50 bushels to the acre, at 60 pounds each, 

 it would give 3000 pounds. Prof. Joiinstox's tables 

 assigned 14^ ounces of nutritive matter to the pound. 

 This would give 2,7 185 pounds for an acre of corn. 

 Compare this with wheat, 2.5 bushels on the acre, at 

 60 pounds, gives 1500 pounds. The ta))le3 assign 

 11 1-5 ounces of nutritive matter to the pound. 

 This would give 1050 pounds nutritive matter from 

 the aci'e of wheat. Thus the corn crop is more than 

 doul>le in value com|)ared with the wheat crop. 

 After comparing m the same way oats, hay, turnips, 



&c., he concludes that corn is the best crop to raise. 

 It affords more nutritive matter than any other crop. 



"Turnijis are perhaps suited to the .'<oil and climate 

 of England. But their clunate is not suited to In- 

 dian corn. 



" Miijor Wheeler had an estimate of the cost, cash 

 value, prolit, &c., of the several crops, thus : — 



No. bush. Cost 



per acre, per bushel. Sells at Profit. Amount. 



Wheat, 20 $0.60 $1.3.3 $0.73 $14.60 



Com, .'iO .55 .85 30 15.00 



Oats, 40 .22 .50 .28 11.20 



Carrots, 700 .14 .33 .19 133.00 



Hay, 2 tons 6.00 aton 20.00 14.00 2S.00 



" And he spoke in favor of the com crop. 



" !Mr. S. Bbowx spoke of the corn crop as most 

 beautiful to the eye. It can be raised for 50 to 60 

 cents per bushel. The fodder from an acre of corn 

 is worth nearly as much as the hay that would grow 

 on the same gi'ound, on an average. 



" Mr. Wheeler thought corn not so exhausting to 

 the soil as oats or roots. 



"Mr. Sprague mentioned Rev. Mr. Allex, of 

 Pembroke, as having long advocated the com crop. 

 When they have attempted to raise large crops they 

 have planted closer than three feet. Has never seen 

 any thing like 100 bushels to the acre unless planted 

 nearer than common. 



" Asa Sheldox, Esq., said he was taught to plant 

 corn four feet apart. He prefei-s to plant nearer. 

 There are then less suckers. A good acre of com 

 will produce as much fodder as an acre of grass, be- 

 side the com. He supposes it exhausts the land 

 more than hay, but not so much as roots. 



" He knows no crop that wiU return so much back 

 to the same land as the com crop. 



" There are but few yeai's in which, at some lime 

 during the year, the farmer can not have at his own 

 door a dollar per bushel for his corn. 



"J. W. Proctor, Esq., said the question was 

 "«-hether the increased culture of corn was worthy 

 attention, &c. He thought it was, because com is 

 more certain than any other crop. It was also more 

 productive than other crops. It might be increased 

 so as to make the average crop in this State 50 

 bushels per acre. 



"The reported measurement of 140 or 150 bushels 

 to the acre was mentioned. Such measurement was 

 duly certified, and he should not beheve it without 

 the certificate. He had never seen a field that would 

 produce 100 bushels of shellable, eatable corn. He 

 was yet to learn how we could raise over 100 bushels 

 to the acre. 



" He mentioned gi-een corn fodder. A great amount 

 of this is produced per acre. In'Essex county it wag 

 a very common crop to turn the furrow after mow- 

 ing, and produce on the same ground a crop for Sep- 

 tember feeding. 



" Mr. Lawtox had been called in Berksiiire county 

 to view the crops. Had viewed 40 acres that averaged 

 100 bushels to the acre, taking neither the poorest 

 rod nor the best rod, but an average rod, in their 

 opinion, for the basis of the calculation. 



" Some seven years since one of his neighbors had 

 a field of four acres. It was estimated to be .over 

 100 bushels to the acre. So much was said, how- 

 ever, that in the winter he threshed it all and had it 



