ON INDIAN CORN. 71 



to secure at least four healthy plants to a hill, it is occasionally, 

 but not always, manured with a small quanttiy of gypsum or 

 leeched ashes, and harrowed and hoed carefully ; but never 

 hilled. His crops are very abundant ; and he attributes much 

 of his success to his taking advantage of the fermentation and 

 decay of the inverted sod, which from the quantity of vegetable 

 matter contained in it affords much nutriment to the growing 

 plant, as soon as its roots strike into it. 



One of my next visits was to the farm of Jesse Buel, Esq. 

 well known to the agricultural community, and whose estabhsh- 

 ment, though on a small scale, affords a pattern of neat, skilful, 

 and intelligent husbandry, by few equalled, perhaps by none sur- 

 passed. In order to give some account of his successful cultiva- 

 tion of this crop, perhaps I cannot do better than to subjoin an 

 extract of a letter received from him in the autumn of the last 

 year, relating to this matter. 



"For my gratification I to-day (Sept. 13th, 1832,) measured 

 33 feet square of my corn (4 rods) which I cut and set up 

 separately with a view of ascertaining accurately the product. 

 I measured from the centre of the space between the rows, and 

 found that it gave 11 rows 15 hills in each — the rows being pre- 

 cisely 8 feet one way and about 2^ feet the other. As I planted 

 double the usual quantity of seed, and reduced the plants to four 

 at the first hoeing, every hill I believe had its four stalks, and 

 each stalk one ear at least, sometimes two, besides some on the 

 suckers. Assuming an average of four ears to the hill and of one 

 gill to the ear, the product would be more than 103 bushels per 

 acre ; but estimating, what I am confident is below the truth, that 

 each hill will give six gills, instead of four, the product will be 

 swelled to the incredible amount of more than 154 bushels to 

 the acre. I do not mean to say that this will exhibit an average 

 of the field or of an acre ; but state it to show the practicability 

 of raising this quantity. The difference made by close planting 

 and having every hill with its four stalks, is far greater than 

 would seem on a superficial view. I think the method of dou- 

 bling the seed, that we may not only have a full complement but 

 a selection of stalks, is the greatest improvement that has been 



