92 



hay, drawn on a marsh until the oxen sunk in 

 up to their bellies — the wheels scarcely making 

 a mark ; these wheels were five feet two inches 

 high, and five inches wide on tread ; the tire 

 was a quarter of an inch thick, and the width 

 of the felloe. 



We won't insist upon it that it is the best 

 plan, but in Virginia we generally reverse this 

 process ; that is, the centre of our roads is usu- 

 ally the lowest: it certainly is not very uncom- 

 mon to see our roads a pretty fair representation 

 of a good, broad canal, and that with, a rea- 

 sonable supply of water, 



For the Southern Planter. 

 EXPERIMENTS IN PLANTING CORN. 



Mr. Editor, — I am instructed by the Orange 

 Agricultural Club, to forward the enclosed re- 

 port to you, with the request that you publish 

 it in the next number of the Southern Planter. 

 Very Respectfully, 



James L. Jones, Rec. Sec'y. 

 Gordonsville, March 17, 1S45. 



Under a resolution of the Club, requiring ex- 

 periments to be instituted for the purpose of test- 

 ing the comparative advantages of different 

 modes of planting corn, with reference to dis- 

 tance, the following report is respectfully sub- 

 mitted : 



An area of 1,600 square yards, on a southern 

 slope in the middle of a field was selected, and 

 divided into four equal parts, of 400 square 

 yards each. The rows in No. 1 were laid off 

 three feet apart; No. 2, four feet; No. 3, five 

 feet, two stalks to the hill ; and No. 4, five feet : 

 No. 1, 2 and 4, had each one stalk to the hill; 

 and the whole varying from sixteen to twenty- 

 four inches in the step, averaging probably twenty 

 inches. 



The land was well ploughed with a No. 12, 

 M'Cormick, and harrowed before planting. Af- 

 ter the corn came up it was coultered once, sub- 

 sequently ploughed once with the coulter shovel 

 plough, and very slightly hoed once. The fol- 

 lowing is the result, estimating a flour barrel of 

 ears to be equal to a bushel and a half of shelled 

 corn : 



No. 1, rows three feet apart, one stalk to the 

 hill, 6 bushels, or at the rate of 14 barrels 3 

 bushels per acre. 



No. 2, rows four feet apart, one stalk to the 

 hill, 5 bushels 1 peck 6 quarts, or at the rate of 

 13 barrels 1 bushel 2 pecks and three quarts per 

 acre. 



No. 3, rows five feet apart, 2 stalks to the hill, 

 5 bushels 3 pecks 2 quarts, or at the rate of 13 

 barrels 3 bushels and 2 quarts per acre. 



No. 4, rows five feet apart, one stalk to the 

 hill, 4 bushels 1 peck, or at the rate of 10 bar- 

 rels 2 bushels and 2 quarts per acre. 



Showing a difference of more than four bar- 

 rels per acre in favor of three feet over five, and 

 an average of more than one barrel over Nos. 2 

 and 3. 



It will be recollected by the Club that a simi- 

 lar experiment was made and reported on in 

 1843, when the season up to the first of August 

 was remarkably dry, and the difference in that, 

 was still more in favor of the thickest planting. 



It is proper to remark, in conclusion, that No. 

 1 (the most productive) was planted on land, 

 inferior to all the rest in quality ; or at least less 

 adapted to the growth of corn, being of a slaty 

 character, and too close a texture. 



The corn planted was of the twin or double- 

 eared variety, which is believed to bear thicker 

 planting than most other kinds. 



James Newman, 



AGRICULTURAL SCHOOLS. 



We are happy to learn that an agricultural 

 school has been established in North Carolina, 

 under the patronage of Bishop Ives. It is si- 

 tuated in Ashe county, and comprises about five 

 hundred acres with the requisite buildings. The 

 labor feature is partially introduced ; that is, the 

 pupils are required to labor only such a time as 

 is supposed to be requisite to afford them a prac- 

 tical knowledge of agriculture. The course of 

 instruction is intended to be thorough in all the 

 departments of a liberal education. Instruction, 

 board, washing and fuel, are all furnished for one 

 hundred and twenty-five dollars a year, payable 

 half yearly in advance. 



We lately received a letter from the Rt. Rev. 

 gentleman at the head of this institution, and 

 some of the sentiments expressed in it are so 

 correct, and so appropriate to the nature of our 

 work, that we cannot forbear laying it before 

 our readers. The writer will excuse our taking 

 this liberty with a communication that we know 

 was not intended for publication: 



Raleigh, March 12, 1S45. 



My Dear Sir,-— Many thanks for your very 

 interesting and useful publication, which I have 

 just received ; also for the straw-cutter, which I 

 hope to receive soon. The progress in agricul- 

 tural knowledge and improvement is most gra- 

 tifying. The evidences of increased interest in 

 the subject here are striking. The book mer- 

 chants, Turner & Hughes, inform me that during 

 the late sitting of our Legislature more books on 

 agriculture were disposed of than had been for 



