REPORTS ON CORN, 



To the Committee on Crops ^ 



Gentlemen : — The acre of corn I offer for premium is grown on 

 warm, sandy loam, which has been in cultivation seven years to my 

 knowledge, but has never had any baru manure before this year. 

 The crops have been potatoes, with commercial fertilizers, followed 

 by rye, and then a crop of rye to turn in for potatoes again — under 

 this treatment I think the land has improved ; but, as may be sup- 

 posed, the improvement has been very gradual. This spring I 

 plowed in a tall, but rather thin crop of rye. May 23rd, using the 

 Wiard plow with jointer ; and, though 1 purposely plowed only five 

 inches deep, I succeeded in covering the rye completely. 1 harrowed 

 with the Acme harrow (which thoroughly pulverized and leveled the 

 surface wiLhout tearing up the rye), and marked the field three feet 

 apart both ways, and planted June 3d, three kernels of early yellow 

 corn, in hills eighteen inches apart. For planting I use Macomber's 

 improved corn and bean planter, which plants and covers the seed 

 about an inch deep, and firms and presses the earth about it. Con- 

 tinued use strengthens the good opinion I formed of the Macomber 

 planter. With it a man can easily plant five acres a day, and the 

 work is so well done, that, after five years experience with it, I would 

 not have my corn planted in the old wa}^ if I could have it done for 

 nothing, and precisely at the time I wanted. Three days after plant- 

 ing the corn, I applied about five tons of home-made compost, cost- 

 ing about $5 per ton, scattering it along the rows, over the corn, and 

 then harrowing with the Acme harrow. This completely mixed the 

 compost with the surface soil, without disturbing the corn, which 

 came up in five (5) days from the time it was planted, grew vigor- 

 ously, and, with two subsequent applications of fertilizer (Lister's U. 

 S. Phosphate), costing $12, made a very satisfactory crop. The rod 

 selected by you yielded, November 8th, forty-four and one-half 

 pounds (441 lbs.) of very sound, dry corn, and one and three-quar- 



