ABOUT FRUITS, FLOWERS AND FARMING. 373 



THE CORN CROP. 



THE valleys of the West are regarded as the corn-fields 

 of the world, and the people seem to regard the crop of 

 corn as the foundation crop. Lately wheat is becoming a 

 rival, particularly in the northern part of Ohio, Indiana, 

 Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. Our real object, is, not to 

 theorize, to teach " book fanning" but to lay before prac- 

 tical men practical results, to inform them of what has been 

 done. We give on page 382 the method of cultivating the 

 potato as employed by eminent and successful cultivators. 

 We here present the modes of cultivating corn which have 

 produced the largest crops. 



W. C. YOUNG'S METHOD. Mr. Young is a Kentucky 

 farmer, and raised 1 95 bushels of shelled corn to the acre. 

 When this was first published it quite staggered the faith of 

 eastern farmers. This roused the zeal of Kentucky, and 

 the Dollar Farmer sets forth the manner, and adds a series 

 of explanations, all of which we give. We must say, that 

 such a depth, for seed on stiff soils on any soil except 

 the lightest and mellowest, and on these, in a cool or rainy 

 spring, would not be proper. Neither could planting be 

 done in March in the latitudes of Indiana unless in the 

 southern part, and then only in early seasons. That 

 Mr. Young did produce 195 bushels to, the acre, we feel just 

 as certain as that we now hold a pen in our hand. It was 

 measured by as respectable gentlemen as any in Jessamine 

 County gentlemen appointed for the purpose by the Jes- 

 samine Agricultural Society. And let it be remembered 

 that this was no first experiment on a single acre. The 

 com was planted and cultivated according to the method 

 long adopted by Mr. Young, and his whole crop was pro- 

 nounced equal to the five acres measured. This extraordi- 

 nary crop was produced in 1840, a ^ear very favorable to 

 corn ; but we are told by Mr. Young that in the dryest 

 years he does not get less than 100 bushels to the acre. 



