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REPORT ON INDIAN CORN. 



To the Secretary of the Hampshire Agricultural Society : 



The acre of corn offered for premium was raised on shares for W. S. 

 Westcott of Amherst, he furnishing land and fertilizers, and I furnishing 

 seed and labor, and each taking one half of the crop. The land is a 

 sandy loam, and having been mowed for many years without any manure, 

 yielded only a light crop of hay. It was plowed May 27th with a Wiard 

 F. plough, 6 inches deep and harrowed thoroughly with the Acme Har- 

 row. This implement lifts, turns and mixes about three inches of the 

 soil, and pulverizes and levels the surface, without disturbing the sod, or 

 tearing up manure, stones or rubbish, and this makes an ideal seed bed. 

 The same day it was marked both ways with rows 38 inches apart. 

 June 1, I planted the piece with the Macomber Planter, dropping four 

 kernels of tarred Flint corn in each hill. The varieties used were our 

 light-rowed kind for which I was awarded a medal and diploma at the 

 World's Fair at Chicago, and a twelve-rowed variety grown by Mr. 

 Goddard of Newton, Mass. and awarded the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society's first premium in 1892, June 2d, we sowed 1000 lbs. 

 Bradley's Complete Corn Manure along the rows, and then harrowed 

 the piece with the Acme Harrow. This harrowing does not at all dis- 

 turb the seed, but it thoroughly fines and levels the surface, mixes the 

 fertilizer with the mellow soil above the seed and destroys the myriads 

 of weed seeds which, with favorable weather, have germinated since the 

 field was plowed. It thus gives the corn the first chance and simplifies 

 the problem of keeping the crop clean without unprofitable hand labor. 

 June 24th I sowed broadcast 1000 lbs. Bradley's Complete Corn 

 Manure, cultivated both ways, hoed and thinned to three stalks in a hill. 

 July 10th, sowed \ bushel Timothy and 4 lbs. recleaned Red-top. 

 Cultivated both ways and hoed, cut and stocked Sept. 17th. Sept. 4th, 

 your committee selected, cut and stocked an average rod of this corn, 

 and Oct. 18th, husked and weighed the corn on this rod, and it yielded 

 49 lbs. of dry, sound ears. There was positively no defective ears, 

 except a few which had been stripped by marauding fowls. Allowing 

 75 lbs. of ears to the bushel, this represents a yield per acre of 10449 

 bushels of shelled corn, and an estimated yield of four tons of stover. 

 The following is my estimate of the cost and value of the crop : 



1897 Corn Crop in acct. with W. S. Westcott and J. C. Dillon, 



May 27, Plowing, $2. Harrowing 75 cts., $ 2 75 



Marking, 50 



June 1, Seed corn, 25 cts. Planting, 50 cts, 75 



2, 1000 lbs. Bradley's Comp. C. Manure. 18 00 



Applying fertilizer, $1. Harrowing, 37cts, I 37 



24, 1000 lbs. Bradley's Comp. C. Manure, 18 00 



Applying fertilizer, 1 00 



Cultivating, 1 00 



July 10, Grass seed, • 1 60 



