132 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



All of which is respectfully submitted, and your Comniittoe arc williiyg 

 to be contiuucd, with the view of making a further statement as to the 

 total crop from Mr. Riker's bed of the Austin yariety, if practicable. 



NATHAN C. ELY, 

 ISAAC P. TRIMBLE, 

 SOLON ROBINSON. 

 New York, June 30, 1863. 



Disturbing Corn Koots. 



H. H. Blake, Dahloneg-a, Iowa, wants the Club to discuss this question: 



" Is it beneficial or injurious to corn (or any other plants) to frequently 

 stir the roots by cultivating ? that is, to such an extent as to tear up and 

 break a part of them oil." He says: 



" It would seem more in accordance with nature to cultivate as far as 

 may be without distuVbing the roots at all, and I have heard this view 

 taken b}' some, while others claim that disturbing the roots, instead of 

 being an injury to the crop, is beneficial to it, making it grow longer and 

 mature later; and also that it checks the growth of stalk, causing it to go 

 to ears, thereby increasing the yield. 



"Fruit growers, I believe, consider that cutting off a part of the roots 

 of a tree brings it into bearing sooner than otherwise, but injures the tree 

 in the long run. I should like to see a full explanation of this subject, 

 giving facts and philosophy." 



Mr. John G. Bergen. — I do not know that I can give the philosophy, but 

 I can give some facts from experience and observation that satisfy my 

 mind in favor of plowing corn decpl}', and as long as it is safe to work 

 among the stalks, without breaking them. Don't be afraid of breaking 

 the roots. This has been my practice, and I have always got satisfactory 

 results; and so have all my neighbors who pursue the same course — better 

 than those who pursue the contrary. 



Mr. Wm. S. Carpenter. — I pursue the same course, and have the reputa- 

 tion of growing good crops. A neighbor of mine became impressed with 

 the idea alluded to by this letter, that breaking the roots of corn must be 

 injurious, and got a horse-hoe and adopted surface. culture. He- was quite 

 satisfied with a single experiment, as he thought his crop but little more 

 than half what it would have been by deep plowing. 



Mr. Solon Robinson — I grew a small plot of corn two years ago, which 

 certainly was a remarkably good one, by the following mode of culture: 

 The rows were marked by a subsoil plow, as deep as one horse could pull 

 it. The surface was stirred while the corn was small, with Knox's horse- 

 hoe, which is an excellent implement, and as the stalks grew large the 

 subsoil plow was run deeply along the rows, which were in drills, at two 

 periods, which certainly broke oft" all the roots pretty low down. I am 

 quite satisfied from this and many other observations that deep culture is 

 not detrimental to the corn crop. I am also satisfied that constant stirring 

 of the soil is the best remedy that a farmer has to counteract the influence 

 of drouth. 



Mr. John G. Bergen. — I concur in this view of corn culture, and it is 

 confirmed by what has often been stated here by Mr. Fuller in relation to 



