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ters pounds (If lbs.) of pig corn ; and, by estimate, forty pounds 

 (40 lbs.) of very bright dry green fodder. This is at the rate of 

 one hundred and one and five-sevenths bushels (101 1 bush.) of mar- 

 ketable corn, four bushels of pig corn, and three tons, four hundred 

 pounds of fodder, per acre. Perhaps the rod selected was a little 

 better than the average ; but the entire yield was a very satisfactory 

 one. Each little hill had two, and many of them five good ears, and 

 as the rows were only three feet apart, and the hills only half that 

 distance in the row, the amount of corn and fodder were very large. 

 Last spring I agreed with Messrs. Chester Cowles & Son to take the 

 planting of their farm at the halves. A portion of this consisted of 

 two acres of sod land, which had been mown a number of years and 

 needed cultivation. 1 plowed this May 16th, with a Wiard plow with 

 jointer, about five inches deep, spread on about 15 cords of barn ma- 

 nure, harrowed thoroughly with the Acme harrow, and planted May 

 20th, with Macomber's corn planter. The field lies near the tract 

 drained and reclaimed by Mr. H. F. Hills and called Blackbirds 

 Island. When I began to plow I noticed a pair of blackbirds or 

 purple grackles (Quiscalus versicolor) which followed, or rather ac- 

 companied me on my bouts, and I was delighted by their graceful 

 movements, the brilliant metallic reflections on their plumage, and 

 the evident confidence they reposed in my friendly disposition 

 towards them. Before I had finished plowing another pair had put 

 in their appearance, and when I planted the corn there were three 

 pairs. Ten days later the field was alive with blackbirds, and almost 

 every bit of corn pulled up. This was provoking, and none the less 

 so that it was my own fault. True, I had planted corn in New Eng- 

 land nearly thirty years, and had never had any trouble with black- 

 birds ; but almost every farmer I met could tell me of their destruc- 

 tiveness, and on referring to "Samuel's Birds of New England," I 

 found the thievish character of the grackle fully set out. So, if I did 

 not know, it was plain I ought to have known ; and as Mr. C. Cowles 

 was an old gentleman of 84, and his son a chronic invalid, who, on 

 fine days, can just creep out to the barn, it was equally plain that 

 the loss as well as the blame must fall upon me. I therefore said to 

 Messrs. Cowles, "I will pay you for 50 bushels of shelled corn and 

 1^ tons of fodder, and make what I can of the land." They were 

 quite satisfied with my offer, so I paid them and set about making 

 the best of a bad job. But what was I to do with the blackbirds? 

 I did not want to shoot the confiding little scamps mvself, so I dele- 



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