102 



ON GRAIN CROPS. 



most injured by the want of rain, we think bis experiment 

 quite as valuable as any that has preceded it. The land on 

 which this crop of Indian corn was raised, is on the north 

 western margin of a somewhat extensive plain which is a 

 prairie in miniature, bounded on the north, west, and south 

 west, by hills, composed of a stone formation which is a va- 

 riety of Sienite, possessing some peculiar characteristics, not 

 however such as are particularly interesting in an agricultural 

 view, further than is necessary to explain the peculiar nature 

 of the soil, and sub-soil of this region. The rock is compos- 

 ed of Felspar, Q.uartz and Hornblend, much the largest part of 

 it being a greenish Felspar, which contains a large percentage 

 of potash. This rock, wherever it has been for ages ex- 

 posed to atmospheric influences, has become extensively dis- 

 integrated and crumbled into a coarse rough gravel, and forms 

 the sub-soil of the land under consideration. This sub-soil is 

 a complete filter, through which the water which falls in rain 

 on this plain, and on the hill sides around it, percolates, is filter- 

 ed, and becomes purified in a much higher degree than spring 

 water generally found in other places. This plain, we have 

 said, is a prairie in miniature. It was formerly the bottom of 

 a lake. And this corn field was on the margin, where the al- 

 luvial deposite is shallow, and so constituted as to drain ofi:' all 

 the water that falls upon it. On this naturally barren soil — on 

 land which, if suffered again to become exhausted would not 

 sell for thirty dollars an acre, by deep ploughing, liberal ma- 

 nuring, and clean culture, over eighty bushels of corn to the 

 acre has been obtained. And this, we think, is more encour- 

 aging to farmers generally, than those experiments on the best 

 soils in the county, where have been raised one hundred bush- 

 els to the acre. The tillage of this crop was entrusted chiefly 

 to the paupers of the establishment, it being on the Danvers 

 alms-house farm, and the corn was hilled more than the best 

 management would justify. This was the only fault which 

 those of the Committee who saw the crop on the field, no- 

 ticed. No weeds were allowed to grow among this corn^ 

 which, therefore, received the entire monopoly of the manure. 



