AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
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AGRICULTURE IS THE MOST HEALTHY, THE MOST USEFUL , AND THE MOST NOBLE EMPLOYMENT OF MAN. - Washington'. 
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY ALLEN & CO., 189 WATER ST. 
v 0 L. XI. ] NEW-YORK, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1854. [NUMBER 25. 
m»FOR PROSPECTUS, TERMS, tyc., 
SEE LAST PAGE. 
MAXIMUM CROPS. 
The capacity of the soil to yield sustenance 
for man and beast, has never been fully tested. 
What might be done on one acre of land, if it had 
the best treatment, the best seed, and the best 
manures, it is impossible to say, in the present 
state of agricultural science. But, with all the 
imperfection of this art, astonishing results are 
often attained. Crops are grown upon New- 
England farms, that are hardly dreamed of by the 
great majority of their own farming population. 
Though the reports of Agricultural Societies are 
published, they are not very widely disseminated. 
We have been greatly interested in looking over 
the last reports of the Agricultural Societies of 
Massachusetts. 
In Essex county, there were two entries of 
IiiJlau corn lor the premium ; the one 86 bush¬ 
els to the acre, the other 66. 
In the Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden 
Society, we find a crop of 112j.- bushels report¬ 
ed. The statement of Mr. Porter is worthy of 
particular attention. 
“ The land it was raised upon had been kept 
for a cow pasture for some years past, and was, 
when plowed, good English turf. I plowed the 
land on the 11th of May, rolled and harrowed 
it well, put the manure in the holes, which were 
three feet and a half apart, and the rows three 
feet apart. I put Plaster of Paris upon the 
manure before planting, and applied the ashes 
upon the hill after the first hoeing. The corn 
was hoed four times; the horse and harrow were 
used the first three times, and the fourth time 
it was hoed plain. The seed used, was the 
Eight-rowed corn. The corn was cut up at the 
roots, and stacked until dry enough to put into 
the barn. The value of the labor performed 
was 21 dollars. The value of the manure, 
which consisted of five loads of green horse 
manure, eight bushels of ashes, and one bushel 
of Plaster of Paris, was $0.50. The pro¬ 
duce was 112-1 bushels of shelled corn, and 3-J- 
tons of fodder. The corn was measured by 
husking it in a two bushel basket, and then 
shelling one basket, and multiplying the amount, 
by the number of baskets. 
“Moses C. Porter.” 
“Hatfield Oct. 29, 1852.” 
Reckoning the use of the land at ten dollars, 
and the worth of the fodder at six dollars a ton, 
it would bring the cost of this crop of corn at 
less than ten cents a bushel. Can the river 
bottoms of the West produce corn much cheaper 
than the valley of the Connecticut, when it is 
properly cultivated? Whoever has visited 
Northampton in the summer, and rode leisurely 
through the corn-fields of that and the adjacent 
towns, will not be surprised at Mr. Porter’s 
statement. 
By the side of this crop, we will place that of 
H. B. Cropsev, of Staten Island, reported in the 
last volume of the Transactions of the New-York 
State Agricultural Society. He raised 325 
bushels and 21 quarts from 2 acres, 3 roods, 
31 perches, and 194 feet. In his statement he 
says: “The lot was plowed in April between 
five and six inches deep ; harrowed and furrow¬ 
ed but one way, a little inside of four feet. 
The corn was planted in the rows, in hills 
ranging from 18 to 24 inches apart, four grains 
in a hill, and three left to grow. 
“The variety is a dented, 10 and 12 rows, deep 
grain, partly red cobs; the manure was from 
the hog-pen, and put in hills, valued $20 ; 29,000 
fish spread on broad-cast, cost $21,75; fish ap¬ 
plied about the time the corn appeared above 
ground ; corn was plowed but one way; first, 
when the fish was applied, from the hill; twice 
in a row, next plowed twice in a row to the hill, 
then hoed. At the time of hoeing the extra 
corn was not taken out, but was run over about 
two weeks afterwards for that purpose. Just 
before harvest the plow was again run through 
twice in a row; this was all the cultivation it 
had. The corn was cut up about the middle of 
September; had 14 loads of stalks, valued at least 
at four dollars a load, for fodder or for sale. 
“ I have entirely abandoned the practice of fur¬ 
rowing both ways, and am satisfied, by the pre¬ 
sent course, I can do better. My corn crop 
has varied in yield for the last ten years, between 
sixty and ninety bushels to the acre, a figure I 
could not reach, except occasionally, in the 
usual way; besides, previous to this year, I have 
planted a white variety, a beautiful corn, first 
in the New-York market, but shelled much less 
per load, than the variety I now have. 
. “Herman B. Cropsey.” 
“Staten Island , Dec. 20, 1853.” 
Reckoning labor and the use of land the same 
as at Hatfield, it would bring the cost of the corn 
a little higher than Mr. Porter’s, but still at a 
very low figure in comparison with common 
crops of thirty bushels to the acre. 
In the report of the Hampden County Society 
we find two statements of corn crops, the one 
88, and the other 83 bushels to the acre. An¬ 
other statement of seven acres that produced 
seventy bushels to the acre, and brought the 
cost of the corn at about forty cents a bushel. 
Ashes, plaster, and hen-dung, are among the 
dressings applied to this crop, and all the 
manures except the plaster are produced upon 
the farm. 
In Franklin County, Moses Stebbins produced 
a crop of 86 bushels to the acre, and Asahel 
Wright, a crop a little less. Mr. Wright’s 
statement shows a difference of nearly one- 
ninth in favor of sub-soiled land. 
In Hampshire County we find one crop of 90 
bushels to the acre, with a profit of $41.75, 
and another of 63£ bushels, with a profit of 
$36.68. 
In Norfolk County, William Pierce, raised 
90 bushels per acre, at a cost of about forty 
cents a bushel. Jared Allen raised 88 4-7 
bushels at a cost of 70 cents per bushel. 
But Plymouth County seems to be the para¬ 
dise of Indian corn. Here there were sixteen 
entries for the first premium. The six highest 
figures are 122 10-85, 102 10-85, 96 40-85, 
9470-85, 92 80-85, 92 60-85 bushels to the acre. 
Guano, plaster, and ashes are noticed among the 
dressings applied to the crop. 
In Bristol County there is a crop reported of 
103 62-75 bushels to the acre, and in Barnstable 
one of 70 3-4, to the acre. These large crops of 
this great staple of our country are eminently 
suggestive. They are rather approximations to 
what may be done, than demonstrations of the 
actual capacities of the soil. 
1. They show a difference of nearly fifty 
bushels in premium crops, in different parts of 
Massachusetts. While in Essex County 66 
bushels is thought a great crop, in Plymouth, 
the highest is 122. In this same county we 
have seen over 140 bushels to the acre reported 
in former years. 
2. These remarkable crops in Plymouth, year 
after year, leads us to suspect that the example 
of a very intelligent farmer in Marshfield, has 
been very beneficial to his neighbors. We do 
not know how to account for such crops in one 
of the poorest counties of the State, unless the 
experiments and high farming of Mr. Webster 
have stimulated others to agricultural improve¬ 
ment. A single intelligent farmer, in a county, 
with wealth and acres at his command, may 
work a very great change in the husbandry of 
his neighbors. If a model farm in every coun¬ 
ty would produce such an increase of crops, 
as in this instance, can farmers doubt the utility 
of establishing them at the public expense ? Is 
not this a matter worthy of the attention of 
legislative bodies ? 
3. These crops also show the benefit of high 
manuring. Nothing but fertilizers, in rich 
abundance, and thorough tillage will mature 
such harvests. 
4. They also show the worth of concentrated 
fertilizers. Plaster, ashes, hen-manure, and 
guano, meet the specific wants of this crop in 
granite soils, and secure great results. Now let 
our farming readers have a little faith; manure 
