146 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



iiatcly. But tliis year I have planted in hills two feet apart, 

 and the rows three and a half feet apart, running north and 

 south. I plough in half of my manure, and the other half I 

 put in the drills. I plough my ground twice in the spring. 

 On part of the ground I raised corn last year, and on the other 

 part I raised rye. I have usually cut out the suckers, thinking 

 it would benefit the corn ; but I find on trial, that it has but 

 little effect on the corn, and the suckers themselves produca 

 good feed for cows giving milk. You may be inquiring after 

 soft, or pig corn, so called. I had only eight baskets of this 

 kind, and these consisted of short cars, and broken pieces of 

 corn which were mostly sound. 



Milton, October 31, 18G0. 



NANTUCKET. 



Statement of Allen Smith. 

 Having entered as a competitor for the premium for the best 

 experiment in raising corn, I will state that the land on which 

 it grew is a sandy loam, and has been cultivated seven years. 

 Last year (1859) it was planted to Avheat, and produced about 

 fifteen bushels per acre. Last fall I spread twenty-five one- 

 horse loads of night-soil, and ploughed about nine inches deep. 

 In the spring, spread twenty-five loads, and cultivated and 

 harrowed until it was very fine. April 21st, planted with a 

 machine about two inches deep, in rows twenty-one inches 

 apart, and about ten inches apart in the rows, two kernels in a 

 hill. Kind of corn used, yellow and top-over. I used the wheel 

 hoc, going through it three times, and once with the hand hoe. 

 About tlic first of June, thinned to about one hundred and 

 fifty stalks to the rod. Cut the stalks the middle of Septem- 

 ber ; harvested the first of October ; and the produce was one 

 hundred and eighty-seven bushels of ears of good corn, and 

 five bushels of soft corn per acre. 



VALUE OP CROP. 



187 bushels of ears, at 50 cents per bushel, . . $93 50 



2 tons of stalks, 20 00 



2 tons butts and husks, sold for $G per ton, . . 12 00 



$125 50 



