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presence of the Committee. These four rods averaged in weight 

 at that time about sixty-two pounds, corn and cob, to the rod. 

 The corn on two rods, of average weight, was spread out by itself 

 to dry. This was shelled and weighed by one of the Committee 

 on the 4th of November, and gave forty-two pounds ten ounces of 

 shelled corn, and eleven and a half pounds of cobs to the rod, 

 making the extraordinary yield of 121 f bushels of shelled corn to 

 the acre. The top stalks taken from one rod of this field weigh- 

 ed, when perfectly dried, thirty-eight pounds, making at the rate 

 of three tons to the acre. 



The field of corn offered by Mr. Smith was visited by the Com- 

 mittee on the 30th of October, and one rod, which was thought to 

 be a fair average of the field, was selected by them and harvested. 

 This produced twenty-six pounds of shelled corn, which would 

 give seventy-four and two-sevenths bushels per acre. This was 

 also measured, and fell but little short of half a bushel, so that 

 the weight and measure nearly agreed. 



The field of Mr. Sewall was visited the same day, but his corn 

 had been so much injured by fowls, that it was thought no rod 

 could be selected that would be a fair average of the field. A 

 small portion of the field of Mr. Ruggles was harvested and laid 

 by to dry. This, when shelled, yielded at the rate of seventy-six 

 bushels per acre. Several fine fields of corn, not offered for 

 premium, were noticed by the Committee, some of which were 

 estimated to yield seventy or eighty bushels to the acre. Among 

 them Avas a field of uncommonly fine appearance, belonging to 

 Mr. James Scrapie of Milton. Three rods were selected from 

 different parts of this field by Mr. Breck and harvested on the 

 13th of October, and spread to dry. This was shelled and 

 weighed on the 6th of November, and produced at the rate of 

 90/„'(, bushels per acre. This crop we understood to have been 

 raised without extra manure or extra pains. A field of corn was 

 shown by JNIr. Sewall, planted with a small spoonful of guano to 

 the hill, Avith no other manure. The corn planted was an early 

 variety. It matured perfectly, and the yield appeared to be 

 quite good. The crops of wheat offered for premium by Messrs. 

 Sewall and Mason, though not large, are shown to be paying 

 crops. The past season we think has been unfavorable for the 

 cultivation of wheat. 



It has been a source of pleasure to your Committee, as an evi- 

 dence of the progress made in this branch of farming, to notice 

 so many fine fields of grain. We think the increase in the 

 yield per acre of the corn crop throughout the county in the last 

 ten years cannot be less than fifteen per cent. This would add 

 to the value of the crop, provided the same number of acres Averc 

 planted, probably not less than $20,000. True, this increase has 

 been produced mostly by a comparatively few farmers, who have 



