THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



109 



as we purchase and sell corn. 1 had one barrel 

 shelled, and as I had no measure upon which 

 to depend, I weighed the corn thus shelled. — 

 According to the weight of this barrel, the pro- 

 duce of the acre, as gathered, was five thousand 

 one hundred and four pounds. 



Now, farmers differ as to the weight of a 

 bushel of corn. In the Southern States it va- 

 ries from fifty to fifty-six pounds ; the latter being 

 the maximum weight. This I allowed, and you 

 will perceive, upon calculation, that this will 

 make it ninety-one bushels and nearly half a 

 peck. 



I have given you the result of an experiment 

 tried under many disadvantages. I will now 

 give you the reasons which induced me to plant 

 as I did. It is a fact well known, that corn ma- 

 tures better in a colder climate than ours, and 

 from this I inferred that it suffered too much 

 from the intense and collected heat of the sun in 

 our climate. This is one reason why I planted 

 so close, for when grown in midsummer, the 

 ground, and therefore the roots, would be pro- 

 tected from the sun by the shade of the corn 

 itself. Another reason was, that in appropriat- 

 ing a given number of stalks to the acre, they 

 had better be planted at equal distances from 

 each other in every direction, so that the roots 

 of one stalk will not interfere with those of an- 

 other. By this system you make it more pro- 

 fitable, as every particle of earth will be reached 

 by the roots, and no portion of soil be free from 

 effort while other portions are overtasked. 



Another reason was, that when planted so as 

 to shade the ground, (strange as it may appear,) 

 it would better stand a drought, by preventing 

 the largest portion of a shower from evaporating, 

 as it is the case where the sun has free access 

 to the ground. That this idea may not appear 

 so novel, I ask you to reflect that the spots 

 which remain moist for the longest time in the 

 woods are those which are covered with the 

 densest growth. 



Another was, that it would save labor in the 

 cultivation ; for when the corn is high enough 

 to shade the ground, weeds and grass cease to 

 flourish. And still another reason was, that it 

 saved the necessity of cutting the roots with the 

 plough. I know this is a controverted point 

 among practical farmers ; but I would just as 

 soon expect that an animal would be more 

 thrifty by having his limbs broken or his mouth 

 lacerated, as to suppose that a plant would be 

 more vigorous in consequence of having its 

 leaves or roots injured. The latter, vegetable 

 pbisiology teaches us, serve as the mouth, and 

 the former as the lungs, of plants. It has again 

 been objected, that such close planting prevented 

 the corn from getting air, which was necessary 

 for its health. 



It has seemed strange that this objection 

 should have been urged, for if a philosopher 



were experimenting in pneumatics, he would 

 hardly say his receiver was "air-tight" if it had 

 a crack of two feet in it. Finally, Messrs. Edi- 

 tors, we may theorize on the subject as much 

 as we please, and there may be as many objec- 

 tions urged as it is possible to produce, yet un- 

 precedented success and a full " crib" will an- 

 swer them all — at least to my satisfaction. 



There were two other acres connected with 

 the one upon which the experiment was' tried, 

 part on one side and part on the other, planted 

 and cultivated in the usual way. The product 

 of both together scarcely equalled the one I re- 

 port, though the corn had been worked oftener. 

 This year I have planted some eight or ten 

 acres after pretty much the same plan, and it is 

 decidedly the best corn I have ; the freest from 

 weeds and grass, and will doubtless produce 

 double of any other corn on the plantation, 

 though the price is equally good elsewhere. 

 I am your friend, truly, 



Williams Rutherford, Jr. 



Crawford County, Sept. 15, 1843. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 HOLE AND CORNER CLUB OF ALBEMARLE. 



The undersigned, a Committee of Inspection 

 appointed by the Hole and Corner Club of Al- 

 bemarle to examine and report on the farm of 

 Col. Thomas J. Randolph, respectfully submit 

 the following report, regretting at the same lime 

 that they have not had an opportunity to make 

 thorough examination of the farm in question : 



Col. Randolph's farm, like most of those at- 

 tached to the Club, is a corn, wheat, and tobac- 

 co farm, with all of which he has, for a few 

 years past, combined grazing. This farm is, at 

 present, in a high state of improvement, when 

 compared with most farms in this part of the 

 country, combining beauty and fertility; and 

 from the exhibit made to us by Col. Randolph, 

 and also by others, who state that when Col. 

 Randolph became possessed of this farm, some 

 fifteen or eighteen years ago, it was almost a 

 barren waste, it affords most ample and satisfac- 

 tory proof of what the industry and energy of 

 man can accomplish when directed aright. Col. 

 Randolph well deserves our highest encomiums 

 for the great improvement he has wrought in 

 his lands : he has probably made as great a 

 profit on them by their increased value alone, as 

 most farmers have made from improvement and 

 moneyed returns combined. 



The system of cropping pursued on this farm 

 has varied much since Col. Randolph has had 

 possession of it: at present he has adopted the 

 seven shift system with the following rotation. 

 1st. Wheat on fallowed land which has lain out 

 three years. 2d. One year's rest. 3d. Corn 

 and tobacco. 4th. Wheat, to be followed by 



