THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
copperas and saltpetre, and then tarred and roll 
ed in plaster, and planted in double drills 3j leet 
from center to center of the middle drill. The 
plants standing singly from 12 to 13 inches on 
the main drill. Th.e corn was once | lowed, and 
afterwards kept clean with the hoe, plastered 
w’dlon the plant, topped at the usual time, was 
ripe on the 15ih of Sej ternber, and was harvest- 
ed on the 14th and I5th of Oct. 
In this case, the sheep manure sustained the 
high reputation it has acquired for the corn crop, 
both at home and abroad, and with the excep- 
tion of that produced in the hog pen, our expe- 
rience would lead us to prefer the manure from 
the sheep fold, to any other ordinary larm ma- 
nures. One thorough plowdng w'as here found 
sufficient, the rest being left to the harrow' ; and 
Ave are convinced that in most cases one plow’- 
ing well done, will be found better than more. 
A fine mellow' seed bed must in any event be 
had, and the soil must be moved with either plow 
or harrow until this is provided. 
Another example of a good crop of corn, is 
that of Mr. Bugbee, of Palmer, Mass., who rais- 
ed from five acres of land 540 bushels, or 108 
bushels per acre. The following is the account 
given by Mr. B. of his mode of culture : 
“ Last spring, I plowed up a piece of green 
sward, measuring about five acres, and prepared 
it for corn as w'ell as my means would permit. 
After plowing, 30 loads of manure to the acre, 
were spread over the ground, and thoroughly 
mixed with the earth by means of the harrow, 
without turning up or breaking the sod. The 
ground being now prepared, on the 30th of May 
I planted my corn. A small quantity of ashes, 
lime, and plaster of paris, mixed together and 
prepared for the purpose, was used at the time 
of planting, or put in each hill. Ofthis mixture, 
there were bushels of lime, 2| bushels of 
plaster, and 25" bushels of ashes for the 5 acres. 
The corn was hoed but twdce, a third hoeing be- 
ing unnecessary.” 
This crop affords another of the many proofs 
already existing of the excellent effect of such a 
compost of lime, plaster and ashes, especially 
on inverted sward, as that prepared by Mr. B. 
Those farmers who sell off their ashes, and har- 
vest corn crops of only 30 or 40 bushels per 
acre, w'ould do well to imitate Mr, B. inthe use 
made of his. 
In 1823, Leonard Hill received the premium 
ofiered by the Plymouth (Mass.) Ag. Society, 
for the best crop of corn. We condense his 
statement of the culture, &c. The soil natural- 
ly was deep and rich. During the previous 
winter, w'hile it was greensward, his cattle were 
foddered upon it. In May, it Avas plow'ed very 
deep into squares 2 feet 7 inches in width. It 
was then manured in the hole, 64 cart loads of 
barn manure being used. It was planted early 
Avith white and flesh colored corn, varieties hav- 
ing small cobs. The kernels were placed about 
four inches apart in the hills, not thrown togeth- 
er as usual. In the middle of duly, the corn 
spindled, grew very thick, and so filling the 
spaces that the rows Avere scarcely discernible. 
It W'as hoed thr e times, and all the suckers ear- 
ly cleared from it. It was gathei ed on the first 
of October. The quantity of shelled corn, as- 
certained by disinterested men, was 139 bushels, 
3 pecks. 
This was a great crop, but the account is de- 
fective in not Slating the number of stalks left in 
each hill. The varieties of corn must have been 
of the small kind, or such close planting Avould 
have prevented the formation of ears. The 
quantity cf manure was enormous. 
Some of the most extraordinary ci ops of corn 
ever grown in the United States, AA'ere those 
produced by the Messrs, Pratt of Eaton, Madi- 
son county. In 1822, they obtained from 3 
acres, blTj bushels, or 172 bushels per acre, and 
in 1823, from 4 acres, 680 bushels, or 170 bush- 
els per acre. They prepared their land in the 
best manner, then Avith a shovel plow made a 
trench 20 inches wide, into which the manure 
i : placed and covered. On these trenches, so 
covered, the seed corn was drilled in three rows, 
thus : 
* * * * * Ik 
* * * * * 
* * * * :i: * 
Two feet nine inches distant, or 3 feet 9 inch- 
es from centre to centre of the rows. Another 
trench was made, filled, covered and drilled in a 
similar manner. Thus the corn stood in single 
stalks, 6 inches apart every Avay, and 2 feet 9 
inches cleai between the rows. 
It is evident that, planted in this manner, 
more stalks would be placed cn an acre than in 
almost any other way, but nothing short of the 
most heavy manuring would carry through such 
a crop. We have found, by experience, that 
in very dry summers, close planted corn suffers 
far the most, and if too near, is a total failure.— 
^Ve once planted a piece 2| feet by 18 inches in 
the rows, intending 3 stalks to the hill. The 
corn was manured in the hill. The growth was 
very rapiii and promising, until the ears were 
about setting, when a drouth of some At'eek- oc- 
curred, and the result was not more than half a 
crop. The years in which Messrs. Pratts’ crops 
Avere growm, Avere of the most favorable kind, 
and the crops, under their course of planting and 
culture, most astonishing. 
In 1835, Mr. Brewster, of Oneida county, 
communicated to Judge Buel an account of a 
crop of corn and potatoes, raised by him in that 
year. He says: 
“ I had a ten acre lot of stiff strong sw'ard, that 
had not been plowed for many years ; this I in- 
tended chiefly for Indian corn. In one corner 
of this, I measured off one acre for corn, and by 
the side of it another acre for potatoes. I drew 
on about twenty loads of yard manure to the 
acre on each, turned it over, followed the plow 
with the roller, harrowed and furrowed three 
leet apart from north to south, and put down 
about the same quantity of manure that was 
turned under. Commenced planting the 20th ol 
May ; seed »oaked, rolled in tar and water and 
plaster, put 4 grains in a hill, one foot apart. — 
The first day planted one-lourth of an acre, 
which came up well; the other, planted on the 
22d and 23d, did not come up well, owing, as I 
thought, to the seed lying too long in the hot sun 
after being soaked, and we replanted it on the 
2d and 3d of June.” 
From the ^ acre first planted, Mr. B. had 26 
bushels 8 qts., or 105 bushels to the acre; the 
other I did not do so well, and he only got 94 
bushels and 2 quarts of shelled corn from the 
ame. The potatoes were planted on the Island 
2d of June, furrows three feet apart, and the seed 
all Avhole and large, dropped one loot apart in 
the rows. One good dressing was given them 
with the plow and hoe, Avhich was all the atten- 
tion they received. At gathering, bv measure, 
he had 519^ bushels, by \veight, 560. 
Several years since that excellent farmer, Mr. 
Reybold, of DelaAvare, on a field of 22 acres, 
raised 2216 bushels of corn, or 100| bushels per 
acre. Seven years previous to the crop, he put 
on 60 bushel.*' of lime per acre, and planted it to 
corn ; in t' e following spring, he put it in oats ; 
in the fall put on 40 loads of barn yard manure 
per acre, and sowed it to wheat and timothy 
seed, and the ensuing spring with clover. It 
remained in grass some five years, and received 
one lop dressing of 40 loads per acre of manure. 
It W'as mowed four or five years, and gave from 
24 to 3 tons of hay per acre. In the spring of 
1835, he gave it another dressing of40 loads per 
acre of long manure, allowed the grass to start 
through it, and then, with a furrow ten inches 
deep, turned the wffiole under. The corn AA'as 
planted in shallow furrows 34 feet each Avay. 
The plow was never used in the field after plant- 
ing, the cultivation being performed by the cul- 
tivator and hoe ; and no hilling was allowed. 
Three good stalks Avere left on each hill; when 
the corn was glazed it Avas cut up, and put in 
shucks. On this statement. Judge Buel re- 
marks: 
“ The management which led to this extraor- 
dinary product of corn, should be deeply im- 
pressed on the mind of every farmer. 
1. The ground should be well dunged with 
long manure. 
2. It was planted on a grass ley with one deep 
plowing. 
3. It was well pulverized on the surface with 
the harrow. 
4. The plow was not used in the after culture, 
nor the corn hilled. 
5. The sod Avasnot disturbed, nor the manure 
turned to the surface; and 6th, the corn w'as cut 
at the ground when it w'as fit to top.” 
We had marked several other crops as wor- 
thy of note, but have room for only the follow- 
ing, which we select as showing what crops of 
corn may be grown on the v'ery northern verge 
of its culture, and what the treatment w'as that 
produced it. 
The soil w'as gravelly, dry, had been cropped 
seven years in succession, and manured each 
year. In the spring of 1838, the hills of the pre- 
vious year were split, a good dressing of manure 
put on and plowed in, harrowed, and with a light 
plow opened in'o drills 24 feet apart. On the 
19lh of May, If bushels of seed corn was put in 
a tub, and hot water poured on it, till too hot to 
stir with the hand. It Avas steeped two hours, 
then dried by rolling in plaster, and planted the 
same day in hills 16 to 18 inches apart, and from 
5 to 7 kernels in a hill. On the 5th of June, it 
had come up ; on the 11th, a small plow was 
passed between the rows lightly, turning the lit- 
tle mold raised to the middle, and care being ta- 
ken to stir the whole surface of the ground. It 
was harrowed and hoed the next week, and 
again the'week alter that, the owner believing 
that the maturity of corn may be hastened some 
two or three weeks by frequent hoeing, while the 
plants are young. In hoeing, the earth was left 
nearly flat. On the first of September, the corn 
wascut up, and husked out the last of the month. 
The crop, when shelled, fell a few pounds short 
of 150 bushels of corn per acre. It should be 
stated, that though plenty of seed was used, only 
three stalks were allowed to remain in a hill, 
the be.st being selected or this purpo-e. 
From the history of corn crops here given, 
and the mode of culture adopted, we think far- 
mers may derive some useful inferences. We 
have omitted the great crops of Kentucky, 19Q 
and 196 bushels to the acre, the largest yet grown 
in any country, as the details of culture were 
not at hand ; and the same may be said of some 
.4 the premium crops in this and other States. 
We state here a few of the most prominent re- 
sults disclosed : 
1. The soil intended for corn must be dry ; all 
experience proves that moist soils are unfit for 
the culture of this grain, 
2. It should be made rich, and deep. Corn 
will bear heavier manuring than any other cul- 
tivated plant, and the soil should be deep to per- 
mit the roots to descend beyond all danger of 
drouth. 
3. Preparation of the seed is useful; but no, 
seed over-soaked or swelled for planting or sow- 
ing, should be allowed to become dry, as that in-, 
jures its vitalit}'. 
4. The use of top dressing, such as mixtures 
of ashes, lime, plaster, &c., is established be- 
yond a doubt, Perhaps there are feAv way*' ip 
w'hich labor is better expended, than in placing 
such composts about corn 
5. The uselessness of hilling corn is demon-, 
strated. Not a great crop of corn has been 
grown for years, in which this practice has been 
followed. 
6. It is proved that corn too thick will not 
ear; but that in some seasons it will bea'' to be 
thicker than others. The failure stated by Mr, 
Betts, of NevA'burgh, in the February No. of the 
current volume of the Cultivator, maybe traced 
to this cause. 
7. The impolicy of throwing all the corn put 
in a hill, when plante I, together, is forcibly 
shown by the success of planting in drills of a 
single kernel, as in the casetf the Messrs. Ste, 
yens and Pratts. We frequently hear men 
