AND H O R T I C U L T U I^ A L REGISTER. 



PUBLrSHED BY JOSEPH BREOK & CO., NO 52 NORTH MARKET STREET, (Agriculturai. Warehouse.) 



VOL.. xv'in.j 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 18, 1840. 



ISO, 37. 



N. E . FARMER. 



AN ADDRESS 

 Before the Esser jlgriciiliurai Society, nt George- 

 town, Sept. 3(i, 1839. By Allen Putnam, of 

 Danvers. 



Mli Pllr;SIPKNT A.\n Gu.M-LEMEiN : 1 WullIJ 



gladly have been excused from atternpti.ng to briiiij 

 a contribution to till.' exhibitions of your Socinty, 

 until such a time ae I could offer something that 

 was nearly ripened. There are, no doiib;, matured 

 grains and delicious fruits, in the field in which ' 

 am honored with the privilege of gathering ; but 

 liaving an unpractised eye, ev.'ry thing there seems 

 to me unripe and unfit to set before this company. 

 How can it bo otlierwi^sc .' Only a little more than 

 two years ago, these hands had had no acquain- 

 tance with the plough and the scythe since the days 

 of my boyhood. Up to the present hour, I hnve 

 never cultivated a ro.id of laud that belonged to 

 myself, or in the produc ions of which [ liad any di- 

 rect pecuniary interest. 



Broken down in health by the confinement and 

 e.\hausting e.xcitoments of professional labors, the 

 quiet aiul the employioents of the paternal farm 

 wcrj resorted to as the most skilful phys-icians and 

 efficient restoratives. There, where I have been 

 little else than a mere laborer in carrying forward 

 the operations upon the fartu, and that too in the 

 BhOit term of less than three years, have I recvivs^i 

 nearly all my available schooling in the science and 

 art of husbandry. The situation hasalforded neith- 

 er inducements to make such minutes, nor opportu- 

 nity to try such experiments, as enable me to ad- 

 dress an assembly of experienced farmers, in, a 

 manner that will bo satisfactory to myse f, or in- 

 structive to those who hear rne. 



Though well aware that assertions, without some- 

 thing like proof of their correctness ; that theories 

 nnsuppported by experiments; that second or third 

 hand statements of facts are far from being what 

 the occasion demands, yet I am obliged to tell you 

 what I think, rather than what I know ; to give de- 

 tails of my conjectures, rather than the results of 

 experience and extensive observation. 



The lessons whicli experience is supposed to 

 give where I have labored and observed, are not, 

 perhaps, in all their parts such as she teaches in 

 other portions of the county. The crops and meth- 

 ods of cultivation which are most productive on 

 one farm, may be unsuited to other lands. There- 

 fore, you and I, probably, do not third< and judge 

 precisely alike. My views will bo deemed errone- 

 ous. Be it 30 : suspect me, if you please, even of 

 ignorance, partial observation, and visionary theo- 

 rising. I 'II bid the suspicion a cordial welcome, 

 if by raising it, I can furnish you with a single fact 

 or suggestion that may be turned to some good ac 

 count. Cautioning you not to adopt my opinions 

 any farther than they are approved by your own 

 good sense and experience, I venture to notice, 

 somewhat minutely, several of our common crops 

 and operations. 



Indian corn is one of the most important produc- 



tions of our soil and .skill. What varieties shall be 

 cultivated ? The early or the late .-" — The cold 

 and frosts of '30 and '37, aroused almost every ag- 

 ricultural pen in recommendation of the early kinds ; 

 the tongues of Conmiissioner and address-makers 

 were eloquent in their praise ; and fanners gene- 

 rally became anxious to procure them foi- cultiva- 

 tion. The argu.-nents of the many pens, til.'? power 

 <if eloquence, and the more persuasive language of 

 the prudent farmer's actions, could never, in my 

 judgment, stand before a smiple and unimpoaiug 

 array of facts and figures. During more than half 

 a century the later corns have not failed in more 

 than three seasons, to come to maturity in my an- 

 cestral fields. These varieties, I should juilge, 

 generally yield at least twentyfivo per cent, more 

 of both grain and stalks, than the early kind.'^. A 

 very simple arithmetical process brings me to tiio 

 conclusii.n, thnt there is little wisdom in abandon- 

 ing the cultivation of the more productive varieties. 

 It'was a maxim with one, now deceased, who rank- 

 ed among the best cultivators in my native parish, 

 that ho would rather have a crop' of larger corn 

 every other year, anjl a larger growth of stalks and 

 green corn the intervening yearw, than an annual 

 crop of small stuff. This maxim, in its spirit, if 

 not in the letter, is perfectly sound. I have facts 

 that seem to prove it. In 1837, when the corn 

 was badly injured by frosts, I found by no nsgli- 

 :ent, ifnotby the most careful measurement of 

 'oi») cro^ upou one acre and ten poles of land plant- 

 ed with large and late corn, that it amounted to 

 thirtyfive bushels that w_as quite well ripened, and 

 tliirtysix or seven frost-bitten and green ; nearly 

 half of the latter kind, however, dried sufficienily 

 well to grind'Upon the cob and make tolerable food 

 for cattle and swine. There were upon the farms 

 earlier corns ripening well, and yet yielding a less 

 valuable crop than the one described. 'I his, let 

 me bo understood to say, wag in the most unfavora- 

 ble season, with two, or at most three exceptions, of 

 the last fifty years. If in such a year the late corns 

 make any thing like a near approach in value to 

 the early ones, they must be decidedly t)ie most 

 profitable in the averajoofa succession of season.s. 

 AJaking all the deductions which can be reasona- 

 bly demanded for the greater exhaustion of the 

 soil, and for a supposition that the early varieties 

 with which I am acquainted are less productive 

 than others that might be found, the position, in my 

 mind, can and must be still maintained, that on 

 all our good lands that are not cold and peculiarly 

 subject to frosts, and where we intend to manure 

 well and take proper care of our land, it is unwise 

 to give up the productive for the early corns. 



Which nmong the early, and which among the 

 ate varieties are best? I am but poorly qualified 

 to answer the question. Can only say generally, 

 that the dimensions of the kernel, particularly in 

 depth, are worthy of much regard. TJie Dutton, in. 

 all its varieties, is no favorite with me. Its bright 

 and sound appearance, the length and fulness of 

 the ear, and its twelve rows recommend it to the 

 eye, and it tells up well in the basket; but there is 

 another measi re — in the half bushel it is found 



ivanting : the cob-heap takes too large a share. — 

 The eight-rowed corns, of the largest kernel that 

 will mature in our climate, are to be preferred. — 

 One of this description, under good cultivation, has 

 not failed with us in any one of the last six years, 

 to give a growth of at least sixty bushels to the 

 acre, and has gone as high as ninetyfive. The 

 proper name of this is not known, but in all respects, 

 excepting color. It is like a variety of the Parker 

 corn which I have seen. The Tuscaroura has 

 been considered as a garden corn merely. But 

 the luxuriant growt'i of a small patch of it last year, 

 led to a belief tliat it might be found profitable in 

 the field ; and I am anticipating a favorable result 

 of an experiment with it. Here is a kernel that 

 yields flour scarcely inferior in whiteness, softness, 

 and flavor to the (Senesee ; and by the side of which 

 the kernel of most of our corns is but a pigmy. I 

 doubt not that on warm and good soils it will stand 

 nearly at the head of corns in productiveness. Ac- 

 counts are co,ning to us of a corn called the Brown, 

 which in tSjc high latitude of New Hampshire is 

 made tc yield an hundred, an hundred and thirty- 

 six, evenau hundred and fortyseveii bushels to the 

 acre. Doing so '.veil at the north of us, I hope 

 that some of our farmers will be induced to see 

 how it will thrive in our own Essex soil. 



Seed sometimes fails to germinate ; worms and 

 birds often make sad havoc in our fields. To guard 

 against loss from ;hese causes it is well to plant 

 twice as many ke^juelsjn the hill as we wish to 

 liave stalks. I'fifira is a slight, direct advantage in 

 this; for the young plants, I know not why, grow 

 faster for a few weeks in thick bunches, than when 

 distant from each other. This method also ena- 

 bles you to dispense with all the sickly and unprom- 

 ising plants, and retain a full supply of such only 

 as are healthy and vigorous. The increase of pro- 

 duct will amply compensate for the extra seed and 

 labor of thinning. ' 



Much has been written in praise of the famous 

 Baden corn, yielding four and five ears to the stalk. 

 We liave been advised to select our seed from 

 stalks bearing two ears, and thus make for ourselves 

 a New England Baden. Hut I question the pru- 

 dence of hearkening to th,e advice. Last spring a 

 gentleman in Boston sent me three beautiful ears 

 of corn, long, bright and sound ; with a request to 

 have them planted where they might have a good 

 chance to show what they could do. The request 

 was complied with Subsequently I learned that 

 they had been obtained by Badenizing a Canada 

 corn, and that I might expect to obtain three and ■ 

 four good ears to the stalk. The ears are, I must 

 acknowledge, uncommonly numerous, but very 

 many of them are but small things, and I shall be 

 disappointed if I find there as much good sound 

 corn as would be obtained from five good stalks in 

 a hill, bearing each one ear. I have for a conside- 

 rable time thought that Baden's process would do 

 little else than increase the pile of nubbins, or di- 

 minish the mow of stalks. This is merely an indi 

 vidual opinion, and is given without a desire tha 

 it should deter any one from making experiments 



I have some theories or whims to state, relating 



