76 



the middle of June, which, as every former knows, is unfa- 

 vorable to the crop, the late planted not yielding as well, that 

 first planted overgrowing and overshadowing it. The variety 

 was a new kind, named the "Compton," originated by Mr. 

 Compton of Pennsylvania, by planting the abnormal ears 

 which sometimes grow in place of the spindle. The seed for 

 the acre cost about $5.00, and the planting of it $2.00. The 

 corn was cultivated four times, at a cost of $5.00, and hoed 

 and weeded at an additional expense of $5.00. It required 

 no thinning. Owing to great press of other work, it was not 

 harvested until the close of October, having suffered consid- 

 erably from the depredations of crows and rats. In Septem- 

 ber it was topped, and the stover secured in good condition. 

 The cost of gathering and husking was $10.00. The yield of 

 the acre was two hundred and two bushels of ears, of which 

 only twelve were inferior in size and quality, the remainder 

 making the handsomest lot of ears I ever saw grown on an 

 acre of ground ; they were remarkably large, many of them 

 being twelve and fourteen rowed, and were almost uniformly 

 filled out to the tips. Many of the stalks had three good 

 sized ears on them. Some of the ears were glazed in seventy 

 days from the date of planting. The stalks were quite tall, 

 and suckered freely, making the stover of more than ordinary 

 value. Large as was my crop, it was much below that for 

 which Mr. Compton was awarded the Conrad Wilson prize, 

 by a committee of intelligent gentlemen. An objection to 

 the Compton Corn is the size of the cob, which is a partial 

 offset to the size of the ear, and to its habit of filling out to 

 the butt, its earliness and productiveness. 



It will be seen that the cost of the acre of corn, charging, 

 as customary, one-half the cost of the manure to the crop, 

 was $69.00. At 87 cents a bushel for northern corn, the 

 value of the crop would be $87.00. If to this $25 is added 

 for the value of the stalks, which abounded in suckers, and 

 were unusually tall, the value of the crop would be $112. 



James J. H. Gregory. 



