66 
AMERICAN AG RTCULTUKIST. 
ers, and besides being at trifling expense, 
answers ail purposes, We have always 
been successful in simply making use of 
well-teinpered clay, without any other in¬ 
gredient ; though perhaps to two parts clay 
it is better to add one part of horse-dung, 
and a little hair to prevent cracking. This 
should always be well mixed and tempered, 
so as to be easily molded by the hand. 
CONNECTICUT STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
We learn that the ciiizens of Hartford 
have raised the sum of $3,200 towards the 
expenses of the next exhibition. The Ex 
eeutive Commiitee have decided to accept 
this sum, and have appointed the time for 
holding the next (second) Annual Show at 
Hartford, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thurs¬ 
day and Friday, October 9th, 10th, 11th and 
12th. 
Since writing the above we have received 
a copy of the premium list, show regulations, 
&c., copies of which can be obtained, we 
presume, by addressing the Corresponding 
Secretary, Henry A. Dyer, Brooklyn, Wind¬ 
ham Co., Conn. The premiums offered are 
quite liberal and are distributed among the 
different classes with discretion. We give 
the following announcement of the Execu¬ 
tive Committee : 
Col. Colt has generously offered the 
grounds in the vicinity of his new armory on 
the south meadows, for the use of the Socie¬ 
ty. This land is admirably adapted to the 
purposes of the exhibition, and every facility 
for the proper display to the best advantage 
of all classes of Stock, will be afforded. A 
half-mile track, properly graded and pre¬ 
pared, will be constructed for the exhibition 
of horses, and arrangements will be made 
for a thorough and satisfactory display of 
the various classes specified in the list. The 
Committee af Arrangements are confident 
that the liberal premiums offered and desir¬ 
able arrangements proposed, will bring out 
an unsurpassed display of horses from this 
and other States, and believe this depart¬ 
ment will make an attractive feature of the 
Exhibition. The cooperation of Manufactu¬ 
rers and Mechanics of all classes is earnest¬ 
ly solicited, and the full exhibition of the 
varied products of the State is confidently 
looked for. 
It is desirable that early notice shall be 
given by those who design to exhibit, of the 
amount and character of space they will re¬ 
quire, in order that suitable erections and 
arrangements may be made for a satisfacto¬ 
ry exhibition of the industrial arts of Con¬ 
necticut. 
It is hoped that every producer and arti- 
zan of the State will feel called upon for the 
honor of the State to assist to the extent of 
his ability in making this a just exposition of 
the capacity of Connecticut. The eminent 
success of the exhibition of last year has 
drawn the attention of neighboring States to 
our Society, and we trust that all classes 
will strive to make our success progressive. 
The New-York and New-Haven Railroad, 
the New-Haven, Hartford and Springfield 
Railroad, and the Providence, Hartford and 
Fishkill Railroad, will transport stock and 
articles for exhibition, under such regula¬ 
tions as will be hereafter specified, free of 
charge to and from the city of Hartford. 
It is presumed the other roads in the State 
will afford like facilities of which due notice 
will be given. 
Gentlemen appointed on committees will 
confer a lavor and greatly facilitate the busi¬ 
ness of the exhibition, if they will at once 
notify the Corresponding Secretary of their 
acceptance of the appointment and willing 
ness to serve. 
For convenience of reference we append 
the names and address of the Officers: 
PRESIDENT, 
Samuel H. Huntington, Hartford. 
VICE-PRESIDENTS, 
Charles H. Pond, Milford, Thomas B. Butler, Norwalk, 
N. B. Smith, Woodbury, C. D. Williams, Pomfret, 
Horace Pitkin, Manchester, Ab’m Beecher, Litchfield, 
Benajah Ives, New-Haven, Chas. Hubbard, Middletown, 
Wm. Clift, Stonington, Eph’m H.Hyde, 2d, Stafford 
DIRECTORS, 
F. H. North, New-Britain, T. S. Gold, Cornwall, 
E. B, Bishop, New-Haven, Bra’d Montague, Middleto’n, 
Eliakim Hough, Bridgeport, Erastus Williams, Norwich, 
Henry Hammond. Killmgly, R. B.Chamberlain,Coventry 
DIRECTORS APPOINTED BY COUNTY SOCIETIES 
F. A. Brown, Hartford, A D. Lockwood, W.Killin’ly, 
C. B. Lines, New-Haven, J. T. Andrew, Litchfield, 
-, New-London, Benj. W. Coe, Middletown 
B. B. Plumb, Trumbull, J. S. Yeomans, Columbia. 
CORRESPONDING SECRERARY, 
Henry A. Dyer, Brooklyn. 
RECORDING SECRETARY AND TREASURER, 
John A. Porter, New-Haven. 
For the American Agriculturist. 
SEED COEN, ETC. 
In your paper of the 14th inst., there is a 
very interesting and instructing article upon 
the culture of Indian Corn, which may be 
read with profit by most farmers ; yet I think 
you might have made some parts of it more 
to the advantage of young farmers, and 
probably to older ones. I can quite agree 
with you until you get to the latter part of 
the paragraph on “ selecting seed in which 
you say—“ in planting, the small end of the 
ear should be rejected for seed.”—Now why 
should it be rejected, (excepting the very out¬ 
most grains), provided the end of the ear is 
perfctly sound 1 Is it because you think the 
germs of those grains imperfect, or because 
you think they will not produce a sprout 
strong enough to thrive equally well with 
those grains which are further on the cob, 
and consequently larger? If these are your 
objections, I must here disagree with you, 
believing they are just as capable of pro¬ 
ducing a germ quite strong enough to thrive 
and to produce as well as those grains nearer 
theiniddleofthecob.(a) Yousayitis“super- 
flous nicety” to throw away the grains near 
the buit. Now, I should rather have the small 
grains than these, and always throw away 
these grains and retain the sound, small ones, 
inasmuch as I consider them to produce the 
earlier ears. So, in sowing seed of any 
kind, I would rather have that near the blos¬ 
som end than that near the stem or butt end; 
and, by continually practising this plan, we 
may cause our plants to grow to maturity 
earlier than by using the seed of the oppo¬ 
site end. 
I doubt not that your soaks are good ; but 
there is one I consider above any I have 
tried, or known to be tried, and that is, soak¬ 
ing the seed in the drainings of the barn¬ 
yard, and rolling it in plaster ; or, in the ab¬ 
sence of this, in ashes, which I think equally 
good. This also should be kept damp until 
planted. I have planted the grains when 
the root sprouts have been an eighth of an 
inch in length, only being careful to cover 
deep so as to insure moisture, if the season 
is dry. 
A good way of marking out the ground is 
as follows—though, if the soil of tw « 
furrows has not more strength than when 
the corn is planted on the level, it is of no 
use. 1 allude to the mode of ridging, double 
or back-furrowing, as it is variously termed. 
Many think it too much trouble to move the 
poles for this, even though they will ac¬ 
knowledge its utility. But poles are need¬ 
less after the first furrow is struck out, and 
since any person who is a plowman may 
keep his after ridges as straight as the first 
without them, by coupling his horses with a 
stick, so as to keep them apart, thus allow¬ 
ing him to look ahead, and also to keep the 
proper distance from the former ridge. By 
doing this, too, you are not obliged to begin 
to work your ground so soon as by other 
methods. You may allow the grass to 
start up until in passing by you are scarcely 
able to see the plants. But you may say, it 
will take so much labor to get the grass out; 
on the contrary, on middling stiff clay it does 
not take so much work as the more common 
mode of cross-furrowing, since your plants 
are raised above the common level and in a 
place free from grass roots. You can now 
take a heavy fallow harrow, and go over 
each row twice by harrowing the distance 
between each of the rows three times, and 
the ground, having been thrown into ridges, 
will, when harrowed down, be mellow and 
in fine order. This is the first step, and one 
very necessary where the previous crop was 
Timothy grass. In a week or two after, you 
may plow it, throwing the furrow away from 
the plants, a practice gaining in favor in this 
vicinity. Here too, you will perceive that I 
differ from you, as you do not appear to think 
plowing at all necessary, but rather injurious; 
without it, however, we would get very scaly 
crops. (b) Furrows may be thrown back with 
one horse, when the corn should be gone 
over with the hoe to thin out the hills, and 
to right up those mashed down in plowings. 
The subsequent attention is to plow again, 
with one or two harrowings. 
In this neighborhood, stalks are never put 
under shelter, but stacked up in the field, 
each stack holding from half a wagon-load 
to a full load, according to the quality of the 
ground for producing them. 
The corn is allowed to remain on the 
stalks until ripe, excepting in some cases 
where wheat is to be sown, when the stalks 
are cut up and stacked in heaps of 12 to 16 
hills each. These the cattle do not eat near 
so well as those gathered later, and stacked 
in the field. We have no need of cutting 
the stalks, and when it would be of much 
use, the farmers would rather buy what hay 
they want, than go to so much “ trouble,” 
using the time which would be thus occupied 
in sitting in the house reading the news.(c) 
Pilesgrove, N. J., March 28, 1855. J. P. 
(а) . It is a general rule with plants as with 
animals, that “ like produces like ;” and any 
one deviating from this safe and wholesome 
rule, does it at his peril. We know that 
corn has been brought to a high state of im¬ 
provement, as to length and fulness of ear, 
their increased number on a stalk, perfection 
of grain, &c., by the careful selection of the 
most perfect ears and the most prolific stalks, 
and rejecting the small grains at the end of 
the ear. Then why guess away the very 
rational conclusion that this is the result of 
the practice? Small grains, under favorable 
circumstances, may produce full ears ; but 
we think reason is equally against their use, 
as it unquestionably is against the* use of 
small potatoes. Observation so far as known 
or published, is certainly in favor of select¬ 
ing the largest and best of seed. 
(б) . We advocate the substitution of the 
cultivator for shallow p'owing, which we 
object to with the plow for no other reason, 
than that a cultjvaior will do all that is neces¬ 
sary and safe, by stirring the surface only , 
which it will accomplish with at least three 
