INDIAN CORN. 113 



tn a few years become acclimated, and assume the 

 tall growth of the South. It is hencp advisable, that, 

 whore early maturity is desired, as it seems to be in 

 our latitude, seed should be occasionally procured 

 from the North. Another means of preserving the 

 early ripening properties is to select for seed the 

 ears which ripen first. We have faised the Button 

 corn, obtained from the Green Mountains of Vermont, 

 for sixteen years ; and yet, taking care to save for 

 seed the earliest matured ears, we 

 that it ripens much, if any, later 

 when we first planted it. 



CULTURE OF 



In the fall of 1837, the grour 

 for my corn was in timothy anc 

 sward, having been stocked abou\ 

 ploughed it late in the fall. In 

 I covered it over with common 

 the barnyard, which was composed 

 tity of straw. My stock is 

 straw was thrown into the yard plentifully during 

 the winter for bedding. In drawing it out, a load 

 was usually dropped in a place, so that, after it was 

 spread, it completely covered the ground to quite a 

 thickness. About the middle of May the ground 

 was ploughed very deep, and boys were sent ahead 

 of the plough, who raked all the manure into the pre- 

 vious furrow, so that it was completely covered. 

 Some of my neighbours then said that they would 

 rather have that coarse manure off from the ground 

 than on it for the good of the corn-cropland that it 

 would do no good till the next crop, or until it should 

 be decomposed. I will here remark, that, from rea- 

 son and experience, I must protest against leaving 

 manure in the yard over summer, or even putting it 

 into heaps to decay, as some do, to heat and drain 

 off its strength. On the contrary, in most cases it 

 is nearly as cheap to haul it into the field as to heap 



