C 46 ] 



On Corn. By Joseph Lyman. 



Read April 11th, 1809. 



Hatfield, February Wth, 1809. 

 Sir, 



Your letter of 30th, January, reached me early in 

 February. I embrace the first leisure hour to attend to 

 the contents. My publication of 1796,* is not at hand 

 and it is uncertain whether I could find it. I know not 

 whether I stated in that publication the condition in 

 which my field was at the time of my seeding it with 

 Indian com. If not, it would be proper that you should 

 know, that it had been previously, manured in a high 

 degree, and the preceding year, if I recollect right, was 

 cultivated with a crop of tobacco by persons to whom I 

 leased it. With what I should call a slovenly cultiva- 

 tion, the 180 rods produced 2600 pounds of merchant- 

 able tobacco, and with due attention, might have pro- 

 duced hundreds more. 



The next year after the tobacco crop, I took it into 

 my own management, and improved it for Indian corn, 

 according to the statement you have seen. As to the 

 result there stated, it ought to be considered that the 

 measurement of the produce was immediately after 

 harvest ; probably it would have been eight or ten per 

 cent less, had it been delayed until February or March. 



* For the piece alluded to. See the appendix. 



