180 STATE FARM EXPERIMENT. 



A similar experiment was tried at the State Farm of 

 Massachusetts, in the summer of 1858. 



Two acres were planted, on a light soil, well adapted 

 to Indian corn, manured with seven and a half cords 

 of barn-yard manure to the acre, spread broadcast and 

 cultivated in, and ten bushels of leached ashes and one 

 hundred pounds of gypsum to the acre, put in the hill. 

 The corn was planted on the third day of June, in alter- 

 nate rows, with seed taken from the large ends, middles, 

 and tips, of the ears. It was hoed three times in the 

 course of the season. One acre was harvested and 

 husked with care, and the result noted on the 19th 

 of October. The rows planted with seed taken from the 

 large ends of the ears produced seven hundred and 

 thirty-eight pounds of sound and seventy-seven pounds 

 of soft corn on the ear, and one thousand three hun- 

 dred and sixty pounds of stover. That from seed 

 taken from the middle of the ears produced six hundred 

 and sixty-three pounds of sound corn in the ear, one 

 hundred and sixty-four pounds of soft corn, and one 

 thousand two hundred and ninety ponnds of stover. 

 That from seed taken from the small ends produced 

 seven hundred and forty-seven pounds of sound and 

 fifty-three pounds of soft corn, and one thousand three 

 hundred and twenty pounds of stover. Comparing the 

 crops grown on this acre, and estimating the sound corn 

 at one, and the soft corn at half a cent per pound, 

 and the stover at seven dollars the ton, which is about 

 its market value in that vicinity, it would appear that 

 the value of the crop the seed for which was taken 

 from the large ends of the ear was as follows : 



738 pounds of sound corn, <a> I cent per pound, $7.38 



77 " soft corn, (8) " " " .39 



1360 " stover, (5) 1 dollars per ton, 4.76 



$12.53 



