18 



gated that business to some young Nimrods who undertook to pro- 

 vide for a pie wliich would eclipse the famous one immortalized by 

 Mother Goose. But by some means or other the blackbirds got an 

 inkling of their designs, and persistently declined to be shot. It 

 seemed generally admitted that the blackbirds would not ciisturb corn 

 if it were tarred ; but some who had tried Macomber's corn planter 

 complained that it would not plant tarred corn. But the season was 

 late, help and money were scarce, and so I harrowed the piece thor- 

 oughly with the Acme harrow, marked it three feet apart each way, 

 got some early Canada corn from Mr. O. D. Hunt, tarred it, and 

 planted it June 4th with Macomber's planter, regulated to drop three 

 kernels in a hill, the hills being eighteen inches apart in the row. 

 Two days afterwards 1 applied six hundred (600) pounds of Lister's 

 U. S. phosphate, having previously used this brand with much satis- 

 faction. The fertilizer was scattered on the surface just over the 

 hills, and harrowed in with the Acme harrow. The result has been 

 very encouraging. The corn came up strong and vigorous, the black- 

 birds pulled a very few hills and then left in disgust. The repeated 

 harrowings made the after cultivation simple and easy, and an aver- 

 age rod, cut and stooked September 2otli, and husked and weighed 

 November 9th, yielded 40 lbs. of very dry, well ripened ears, 2^ lbs. 

 of pig corn, and a proportionate amount of bright green fodder, so 

 dry that it would need to be sprinkled with water before being stowed 

 away. 



The following is my account with the crop : 



Amherst, Mass., Nov. 9th, 1887. 



Corn Crop on two acres in account with J. C. Dillon. 



To plowing, $ 4 00 



Drawing and spreading 15 cords of manure, 15 00 



Harrowing and cross harrowing with Acme, 2 00 



Seed, 50 



Planting, 80 



Harrowing after planting, 50 



Am't paid Messrs. Cowles 



Cash paid Messrs. Cowles, 32 50 



