1858. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
147 
Experiments with Sundry Fertilizers on Indian Corn. 
We find in the Burlington Co. (N. J.) Advertiser a 
report of some experiments of the kind above named, 
made by T. B. Coursev, and communicated to the Ag. 
Society of Kent Co., Delaware. As it has not yet been 
determined what fertilizer, or what class of fertilizers, 
had the greatest amount of influence in producing a 
maximum crop of Indian corn, nor which of the va¬ 
rious commercial manures is the most economical or 
otherwise preferable for this crop, when home-made 
manures are not sufficient, we should gladly and 
gratefully accept of these experiments by Mr. Cour- 
Sey, as a contribution towards the determination of 
these questions. As likely to be of interest and use 
to several of our readers, wo present a synopsis of Mr 
C.’s report in as condensed a form as we have been able 
to put it. It is unfortunate that this report does not 
give the rate of produce per acre, nor the cost of pro¬ 
ducing each extra bushel of corn over the yield of the 
land which was not manured. The latter of these 
points may be ascertained, however, by a little calcu¬ 
lation based on the data given in the report; and the 
former may be approximated by supposing the hills to 
have been one pace apart, which would give 4,000 hills 
per acre. As each row of corn reported, contained 125 
hills, it would be exactly l-32nd part of an acre, if 
planted at one pace apart, as it would require 32 such 
rows to make one acre of 4,000 hills.* As the hills in 
the experiments reported, were, however, placed at a 
distance of four feet apart, the above mode of calcula¬ 
tion would, as we have said, give only an approxima¬ 
tion to the actual rate of produce per acre. 
The land selected for these experiments is described 
as high land, having a red clay bottom, with sufficient 
sand in it to make it easy to cultivate. It had been 
two years in clover, and was “ well broken with a large 
plow” the ground marked out in rows four feet apart, 
and the different manures scattered in and near the 
points of crossing, and fully incorporated with the soil 
by running a small furrow harrow up and down the 
rows. 
The following is the order of the experiments :— 
No. 1. Six rows, 125 hills eaeh, without manure. 
No. 2. Nine rows, 125 hills each, with Columbian guano, 
155 lbs at 2£ cents per lb.,...$3.49 
No. 3. Ten rows, 125 hills each, with Pacific Oeean 
guano, 160 lbs. at 2£ ets. per lb.,.. 4.00 
No. 4. Eight rows, 125 hills each, Jourdan’s Super¬ 
phosphate, 150 lbs. at 2£ cts. per lb.,___ fi.37^ 
No. 5. Ten rows, 125 hills each, Peruvian guano, 180 
lbs. at 3 cts.... 5.4o 
No. 6. Twelve rows. 125 hills, Pomeroy’s Super¬ 
phosphate, 232 lbs. at 2| cts. per l»b.,. 5.22 
No. 7. Twelve rows, 125 hills each, Allen & Nee¬ 
dles’ Super-phosphate, 239 lbs. at 2£ cts. ^ lb., 5.37 
No. 8. Six rows, 125 hills each, without manure. 
As the results are given in a form which makes it 
* As it may often be important and convenient to re¬ 
member the above, it may be readily fixed in the memory 
by considering the following facts and calculations. An 
acre consists of 160 square rods, and a rod is of the length 
of five ordinary paces. Suppose then that you take an 
acre of 160 rods in length and 1 rod in width, there will be 
800 paees in its length and 5 in its width, which multiplied 
together make 4,000 square paces, or 4.000 hills one pace 
apart in an acre. Again, suppose an acre is 32 rods in 
length, it will be 5 rods in width, and by multiplying each 
of these numbers by 5 and the quotients together, you 
again obtain the sum of 4,000. Or, take an "acre in the 
form of 16 rods in length and 10 in width, the sides will be 
80 and 50 paces respectively, whieh multiplied together 
give 4,000 as formerly. So also if an acre should be 20 rods 
in length and 8 rods in width, the sides will be 100 and 40 
paces respectively, which multiplied together give 4,000, 
as in the former instances. 
very difficult to put them in a table, we give them as 
presented in the original report, though abbreviated as 
much as they will admit of. 
Nos. 1 and 8 — Without manure. —The six rows con¬ 
stituting No. 1, were taken from one side of the field, 
and the other six, No. 8, were taken from the other 
side. No 1 yielded 16£ baskets, and No. 8 gave 15i, or 
32 baskets in all. As each basket averaged 36 lhg. of 
shelled corn, this gives to each unraanured row 96 lbs 
shelled corn, or 1,152 for the twelve rows. 
No. 2. Columbian Guano. —Nine rows gave 31 bas¬ 
kets, equal to 1,116 lbs. Deducting 96 lbs. from each 
row, (what the produce would have been without ma¬ 
nure,) it leaves a balance to credit guano of 252 lbs. 
This at 56 cents per bushel would be one cent per lb., 
or $2 52, which is 97 cents less than cost of manure. 
No. 3. Pacific Ocean Guano. —Ten rows made 38£ 
baskets, equal to 1,386 lbs. Deducting 96 lbs. for each 
row leaves 426 lbs, or $4 26, which is 26 cents above 
cost of guano. 
No. 4. Jourdan's Super-phosphate. —Eight rows 
made 22k baskets, equal to 810 lbs. Deducting 96 lbs. 
for each row, leaves 42 lbs. as extra yield, giving a 
loss of $2 %k. 
No. 5. Peruvian Guano. —Ten rows made 35| bas¬ 
kets, equal to 1,278 lbs. Deducting 960 lbs. leaves 318 
lbs. to credit of guano, or S3 18—which is $2 22 less 
than cost. 
No. 6. Pomeroy's Super-phosphate. —Twelve rows; 
32 baskets—equal to 1,152 lbs., or just what the land 
would have produced without manure. 
No. 7. Allen Needle's Super-phosphate. —Twelve 
rows made 33 baskets, equal to 1,188 lbs. Deducting 
96 lbs. for each row, leaves a gain of only one basket, 
or 96 lbs.—making a loss of $5 01. 
As the relater of these experiments states that ho 
superintended the application of the manures and the 
gathering of the crops, book in hand, it is highly proba¬ 
ble that they are correctly and reliably reported. 
It seems an obvious conclusion from these experi¬ 
ments, that neither the superphosphates nor Peruvian 
guano can be employed with any profit when corn is 
at or under 56 cts. per bushel. Indeed Pacific Ocean 
guano is the only article which paid first cost, without 
taking into account the time and labor of distributing 
and getting it duly incorporated with the soil. Mr. C. 
says that he undertook these experiments, hoping to 
find in the superphosphates or something else, a sub¬ 
stitute for Peruvian guano, the exorbitant price of 
which had made its purchase and use unprofitable. He 
is now much inclined to the opinion that superphos¬ 
phates will not pay on any of the cereals , while a 
genuine superphosphate, he thinks, may be safely re¬ 
commended for grass crops, turnips, perhaps root crops 
generally, and especially for Chinese sugar cane, as the 
stalk is the chief object for which it is cultivated, the 
seed being only a secondary consideration. 
The experiments of Mr. Coursey may be compared 
with those of Mr. Backus, which will be found tabu¬ 
lated and commented upon in Co. Gent, of Dec. 20th, 
1855, and in The Cultivator of Feb. 1856. 
-a«o- 
Sending Grafts and Strawberries by Mail.—I 
received a small package of strawberry roots from Mr. 
Dingwall of your eity, last fall. They arrived here 
in good order, and grew well. Oil silk is the material 
for packing to go by mail. J. W. C. Wisconsin. 
