11 



us was termed, harrowed in, but not a fourth part was covered ; 

 the rest was lost by evaporation. This injudicious practice is 

 still continued by many farmers. To our President we feel in- 

 debted for many vahiable remarks on tiiis subject.* If corn is 

 hoed after it begins to top, the plough ought not to be used. It 

 has been found, at this advanced state of the corn, that fibres 

 extend four and five feet, near the surface of the ground, in 

 search of nourishment. These fibres are cut by the plough ; 

 the corn is deprived of much of its nourishment, and your crop 

 is injured. If necessary to remove weeds, let the hoe be the 

 instrument. It is believed to be of consequence, that attention 

 be paid to the form of the hill. Some prefer a large hill, of a 

 conical form, as it will preserve the stalks more erect ; and by 

 making a large hill, all the manure is brought into the vicinity, 

 and the corn will more readily avail itself of the advantage. 

 A flat hill, of a moderate size, is unquestionably preferable ; the 

 stalks are permitted to spread themselves — are not so easily 

 broken by the wind — more readily admit the sun, the dew and 

 showers. Nor is a large hill necessary, that the manure may 

 be drawn up ; the fibres, which wander so far in search of 

 nourishment, will find it, if upon your land. 



Summer wheat, though a most valuable grain, is not adapted 

 to the county of Essex. In some of our western districts, it may 

 be cultivated with success, while we have sustained from its cul- 

 tivation very material loss, within the last thirty years. Not 

 oftener than once in three or four years do you obtain a decent 

 crop. In the intermediate years, your produce is small. Ave- 

 rage your gain for four years, and you find the profits light. 

 Still, the farmer lives in hope, and continues the cultivation of 

 a grain which but indifferently rewards him for his labor. 

 Whereas, barley and oats rarely fail you. Is it owing to our 

 proximity to the sea, that our wheat is oftener blasted than in 

 more inland counties ? And why is one field, with us, blighted 

 like Pharaoh's corn, while another, but little removed, is rank 

 and full ? Enquiries into the cause are well worth the atten- 

 tion of the philosopher. 



It is very desirable that our wet meadow-land, much of which 



*See Hon. Mr. Pickering's Address to the Essex Agricultural Society, 1818, 

 pages 8, 9. 



