66 
EXPERIMENT WITH CORN—DEEP PLOWING AND GREEN CROPS. 
already given you an account of the cattle show 
held here for 1850 [see last December number 
of the Agriculturist, page 374]; but I found so 
much that was new to me, and although amidst 
some unpleasant surroundings, in a small way, 
so much that was agreeable, in the enterprise, 
industry, and thrift of the people with whom I 
became acquainted in my short sojourn in the 
city, that I venture to give a short note or two 
of what I saw in and about this large populace, 
and in some parts, exceedingly dirty town. 
A Visitor. 
-- 
EXPERIMENT WITH CORN—DEEP PLOWING- AND 
G-REEN CROPS. 
The ground upon which the experiment was 
made was as near alike, and prepared as near 
alike as could be. The corn was planted the 
4th of May, three by five feet. That which 
was plowed, was plowed the widest way only. 
Four rows were plowed exclusively with the 
coulter, from eight to ten inches deep. Plow¬ 
ing repeated four times, at suitable intervals. 
The next four rows were cultivated entirely 
with the hoe. The balance was plowed as is 
usual here; first throwing the earth from, and 
then to the corn, and plowing four times. All 
was kept clean throughout the season. Two 
rows of that cultivated as usual, when gathered, 
weighed 42 pounds. The next two, hoed corn, 
weighed 43£ pounds. The two other rows of 
hoed corn weighed 43 pounds. Two rows of 
coultered corn, side by side with the preceding, 
and having the same number of hills and ears 
of corn, weighed 45f pounds. The hoed corn 
was nearly prostrated twice by wind and rain. 
I had to set up the greater part of it, just before 
and just after it tasseled. The coultered corn 
suffered hardly half so much as the hoed. The 
residue suffered comparatively little. These 
are the facts. Deductions are for you and 
your readers. The quantity raised on the 
ground is of no consequence. 
I conducted various other experiments with 
corn, but do not deem them of sufficient in¬ 
terest to burden your columns, nor bore your 
readers with them. These little things arc in¬ 
teresting to me, however, and I always have 
some such under headway. 
I bookfarmed that famous bottom I spoke to 
you about, and made a fair crop of corn. Last 
year, it took sixty of the largest ears to shell a 
bushel; this year, forty-eight do it. This book¬ 
farming makes me the subject of great ridicule 
and merriment. For instance, you advised us, 
last spring, to plow deep and pulverise well. I 
did so, but was laughed at therefor. You ad¬ 
vised the sowing of corn broadcast. I sowed 
something like four acres. This threw a great 
many neighboring diaphragms into convulsions, 
and cachinations were rife and boisterous there 
at. So well am I pleased, however, that I shak 
give them an opportunity to split the larynj 
outright another year. The quantity of foddei 
produced was enormous, besides a pretty consid 
erable sprinkling of corn. You apprised us that 
it might be well to sow rye for early grazing, 
soiling, &c., next spring, and I have done so. 
It is too green to laugh at now. You instructed 
us to sow twelve quarts of Timothy seed per 
acre. I did it. and if they do laugh at that, it 
is mighty green. [Fearing that some of our 
readers may not understand the full meaning 
of the word “ green ” as here used by our cor¬ 
respondent, we explain, that the Timothy and 
rye sowed by him, agreeably to our direc¬ 
tions, have already covered the land with a 
thick green herbage, and give promise of uncom¬ 
monly large crops of hay and grain.— Eds.] 
To renovate land, you inculcate turning in 
green crops. I capsised all my clover—masti¬ 
cators displayed themselves of great length and 
breadth. Of all the green things, the wheat on 
that clover land is the greenest; and rather too 
green to laugh at. The land having been put 
in order by plowing, harrowing, and crushing, 
the wheat was plowed in about three inches 
the first of September, and I harrowed it the first 
of October. It looks very well. 
U. B. Oglesby. 
Boonville, Mo., Dec., 1850. 
-- 
An Improved Sheep Hopple. —The only differ- 
rence between this and the ordinary wooden 
hopple, consists in having the bar project for¬ 
ward of the fore foot about ten inches and 
pointed. In attempting to climb a stone wall, 
this will catch and throw the sheep back. A 
Mr. Odell of Westchester county, says this is 
the only way he can keep some unruly wethers 
within his enclosures. When sheep are hop- 
pled, whether with a wooden bar or strap, they 
should be often examined to see the leather 
does not cut the leg, and so make necessary 
restraint a cruel torture. 
— % O <•- 
To Prepare Anchovies. —To a peck of sprats, 
add two pounds of salt, one pound of saltpetre, 
two ounces of prunella, three ounces of Bay 
salt, a few grains of cochineal, well pounded 
together in a mortar. Pack down a layer of 
sprats, and sprinkle on the mixture, and then 
the sprats again, and so on; press hard and 
cover close for six months. 
