105 



eral years before the war, and when it was cultivated and laid 

 down to grass in 1864, tliere was so much white weed seed in 

 the manure used that the grass was soon crowded out by that 

 troublesome weed. 



In the fall of 1879, the land was ploughed nine incites deep, 

 and eighty small cart-loads of manure were hauled up from 

 the barn yard and deposited in heaps. In the spring this 

 manure was evenly scattered over the ground, which was then 

 harrowed and cross-harrowed with a Randall harrow. It was 

 then marked off into rows four feet apart each way ; eight 

 hundred pounds of Bowker's " hill and drill phosphate" was 

 then put into the cross checks, when a little earth was thrown 

 on it, and on tiiat the corn was planted. It was of an im- 

 proved King Philip variety, with a long ear and a very small 

 cob; 412 pounds of corn in the ear weighed, after having been 

 shelled, 342 pounds. 



The crop was hoed twice. The stalks were cut in Septem- 

 ber, and the corn was harvested late in October. A careful 

 estimate shows that the four acres produced two hundred and 

 ninety bushels of shelled corn, weighing fifty-six pouvids to the 

 bushel — making over seventy-two bushels to the acre. The 

 stover was unusually abundant, and as it was housed in good 

 order, its value for fodder more than repaid the cost of har- 

 vesting and husking. 



At first, I was disappointed in the result of this crop. I 

 had read of crops of corn in Essex county when it was said 

 that upwards of one hundred bushels to the acre had been 

 raised, and I had hoped to equal them; but I became satisfied 

 that I had no reason to complain. Others may perhaps raise 

 a hundred bushels of shelled corn to the acre, but 1 cannot, 

 and 1 shall be contented with a crop of seventy bushels, 

 obtained liy the use of plenty of manure and good cultivation, 

 p West Ne\vl)nry, Nov. 1, 1880. 



The above statements are conect. 



S. R. Baily, Foreman of hidian Bid Farm. 



