120 JASSEMBL-Jf 



the corn crop of the nation that year was 592,141,230 bushels; 

 taken now, it would probably amount to a little over 600,000,000 

 of bushels, which is considerably greater than all the other grains 

 together, and renders it much more valuable to the nation at 50 

 cents a bushel, than wheat at $1 .50. The best way of cultivating 

 so important a cereal, so as to obtain the greatest crops, and in 

 the cheapest way, are the great objects we have in view in dis- 

 cussing this question. From 1820 to 1842, different States and 

 sections of our country have been in the practiceof getting extra- 

 ordinary crops of Indian corn. In 1820, near Silver Lake, Penn- 

 sylvania, 136 bushels were taken from an acre; John Stevens, of 

 Hoboken, obtained 118 the same year; in Madison county of this 

 State, 172 were obtained, and also 174, the last in 1823, same 

 county, besides many other cases in Massachusetts, Connecticut, 

 Ohio, &c.; in this last State 140 bushels were obtained from an 

 acre, 40 acres together, 5,600, in 1835. This may be considered 

 the greatest ; the others were small pieces, from one acre to five, 

 and easily tilled well and made very rich ; besides many morCj. 

 varying from 100 bushels and over, and all appearing to be well 

 authenticated. It would seem from this, that before guano and 

 bone dust were known in our country, much more used, great 

 crops of corn were obtained, and that probably by the means of 

 the barn yard and old homestead manures of the farm. I went 

 last fall in the interior, in Westchester and Dutchess counties, in 

 September and October, near or about the time of corn gathering. 

 I visited a friend near Peekskill; he has an excellent farm, and 

 is a good farmer; his corn was very good. I have no doubt it 

 averaged him fifty bushels to the acre — about twelve acres. He 

 generally cultivates for corn a timothy and clover sward, and that 

 has lain some three or four years, manures well, generally broad- 

 cast, with barn-yard manure, well kept during winter, spreads it 

 on the sod, and plows both under ; plows from seven to nine 

 inches deep. The sod and manure, when rotted, he thinks will 

 and does make a good bed for corn. Tliis must be kept clean 

 and mellow during the season of growing, which he does by plow- 

 ing and hoeing as often as is necessary to elfect these objects ; 

 he makes generally much more use of the plow or cultivator than 

 he does of the hoe. 



