164 



MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



There were five pieces of corn entered for premium — two in 

 Dracut, two in Chelmsford, and one in Westford. Two of the 

 pieces only, though large, had the required number of busliels 

 per acre, and to these the two first premiums were awarded. 

 These crops grew on the intervale land of the Merrimack River, 

 which has ever been considered as peculiarly adapted to the 

 growth of corn, from its friability, fineness after working, and 

 its little liability to suffer either from drought or too much 

 water. 



Statement of R. W. Sawyer. 

 The corn I offer for premium grew on a loamy soil, or com- 

 mon intervale land. Last year I cut the grass the last week in 

 June, and sowed it with buckwheat the first week in July, 

 without manure. The piece contains about one acre ; ploughed 

 it the first day of May ; spread on twenty-six cart-loads of 

 stable manure per acre ; ploughed it the second time ; harrowed 

 it down and furrowed the same, and planted it with one load of 

 night-soil, composted with sand in the hill. Planted the 11th 

 and 12th of May, three and a half by two feet apart. 



EXPENSE OF HALF AN ACRE. 



Ploughing, .... 



Carting and spreading manure, . 



Furrowing and harrowing, . 



Planting, ..... 



Hoeing, three times, . 



Half of stable manure and half of compost, 



Dracut, September 8, 1861. 



$20 50 



Mr. Sawyer planted the eight-rowed yellow corn, mixed with 

 a twelve-rowed kind, for the purpose of improving the smaller 

 by an admixture of the larger, and for the purpose of hastening 

 the maturity of the large kind, but the two kinds are too far 

 separated yet to show what the result will be. The cultivator 

 was used between the rows, and the corn hilled after the fashion 

 of the fathers. 



