58 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
“ EXPERIMENT WHEAT.” 
Messrs. Editors —I send you a short chapter on 
wheat. On the 6th of May last, I sowed ll| bushels of 
experiment wheat, on six acres of ground, which I un¬ 
derstand has been under the plow for 8 or 10 years. I 
threshed my wheat a few days since, and had the plea¬ 
sure of measuring 140 bushels of wheat, and 6 bushels of 
screenings from the six acres. See Cult. v. X, p. 133.) 
One acre I suppose, did not yield more than 10 bush¬ 
els, as it was drowned out. Some of the best X suppose, 
yielded 35 to 40 bushels to the acre. 
The expense of cultivating the six acres, 
was .. $59.00 
Credit. 
144 bushels of wheat,.. 144.00 
Straw,. 4.00 
Screenings,. 2.00 
$150.00 
Deduct expense,. 59.00 
Leaves nett profit,. $91.00 
Thus my wheat cost me a little less than 40 cents per 
bushel. The wheat is good and handsome, and the flour 
is good for all purposes. I consider it more sure than 
other kinds of wheat, because it is perfectly acclimated. 
Cazenovia, N. Y., Jan. 4, 1844. S. Peck. 
SALINE MANURES APPLIED TO INDIAN CORN. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker —I promised you early 
last summer, to furnish you with a detail of the result of 
my experiments in saline manures applied to maize, (In¬ 
dian corn.) 
I mixed each of the following salts with dry, well pul¬ 
verized muck, 2 oz. of salts to 4 quarts of muck, and ap¬ 
plied such mixture to ten hills of maize, taking care to 
incorporate it thoroughly with the soil. The hills were 
as nearly equal in the number of stalks, and quality and 
condition of the soil, when the manure was applied, as 
it was practicable to have them, and were three feet and 
a half apart from the center of the hill each way. The 
manure was applied on the 10th of July. 
When the corn was cut up, the ten hills of each kind 
were carefully preserved by themselves, and at the time 
of husking, I took into the field my scales, and accurate¬ 
ly weighed each kind, noted the weight, and counted the 
number of ears. The result I give you below. There 
was no difference perceptible to the eye, in the quantity 
of stalks of the different kinds, except in the case of No. 
1; the stalks and ears of corn of that were smaller than 
either of the others; and you will perceive that it pro¬ 
duced more ears and less weight of corn than either of 
the others. 
No. 1. Carbonate of ammonia, 51 ears, weighing 21 lbs. 12 oz. 
2 . Muriate of ammonia, 49 “ “ 22 “ 4“ 
3. Nitrate o’f ammonia, 47 ,c “ 22 u 4 11 
4. Phospate of soda and ammonia, equally mixed, 50 
ears, weighing 24 lbs. 8 oz. 
5. Phospate of soda, 4S ears, weighing 23 lbs. 12 oz. 
6 . Nitrate of potash, 46 “ “ 22 “ 6 “ 
7. Muriate of. lime, 49 11 <c 24 “ 
I was induced to make the experiment from seeing in 
the New England Farmer, a suggestion that Doct. Jack- 
son of Mass., whose scientific researches have afforded 
many valuable suggestions to the agricultural communi¬ 
ty, was desirous of having accurate experiments made 
with these and other salts, (the others I was unable to 
obtain,) and I regret that the late day when the sugges¬ 
tion of the experiment came to my notice, and a conside¬ 
rable delay afterwards, arising from the difficulty of ob¬ 
taining the salts, prevented me from applying the ma¬ 
nures as early as I think should have been done to be cer¬ 
tain of their full practical effect. 
The yield you will perceive is very large. According 
to the table in the Cultivator Almanac for 1844, there 
would be 3,556 hills of corn in an acre, planted 3| feet 
apart each way, and at the rate of 70 lbs. of ears to a 
bushel of corn, an acre manured as No. 4 was, would 
produce about 124£ bushels of corn; the rest of that field 
ayenaged 69 bushels of corn per acre. 
1 am unable to learn at what price these several salts 
could be obtained by the quantity, but at druggist price* 
by the small quantity, they cost more than the corn is 
worth. I think it likely, however, that they may te 
purchased at prices which would render them cheap ma¬ 
nures. 
Seeing statements by farmers in western New-York, 
of enormous yields of maize when planted in drills] I 
last spring planted about an acre and a quarter three feet 
apart one way, and eighteen inches the other—three 
stalks together; the field was jn better condition than my 
other maize fields, and was manured as highly as they 
were. The crop looked remarkably well, and I antici¬ 
pated an enormous yield; but was greatly disappointed 
upon husking, to find that it produced only a « more 
than 102 bushels of ears to the acre; when an - plant¬ 
ed 3| feet apart each way, yielded l93f bushels of ears; 
the amount of stalks in the drilled field greatly exceeded 
the other, but they were far from compensating for the 
deficiency of grain. The experiment was fairly tried, 
and the drilled field was certainly as well cultivated as 
the other, for I intended to offer it for premium; and the 
result satisfied me that the common mode of planting, 
three and a half feet apart each way, is much the most 
productive, unless such an enormous quantity of manure 
should be applied to the field as to' render the crop un 
profitable. 
I give this statement because I deem the detail of un¬ 
successful experiments, of quite as great value to farmers* 
as that of successful ones. Fred. J. Betts. 
Newburgh , Dec. 19, 1843. 
NUT GRASS. 
Messrs. Editors —In your Nov. no. an inquiry is 
made by Mr. H. Bond of Kingston, N. C., how nut grass 
may be destroyed. If by nut grass, is meant coco, of 
which there is much in Louisiana, we would say it is 
difficult to destroy. Dig it up and burn it, is the surest 
way. Cotton seed, or Bagasse, so called, after the juice 
is expressed from the sugar cane, placed, say two feet 
thick, we believe will destroy it; but what substitute 
would effect it in North Carolina, where these cannot be 
obtained, we cannot say. Where it has spread over an 
extent of surface, it must be let alone, and ditch around it 
to prevent its spreading. 
CORNSTALK SUGAR. 
We planted last summer, 4 acres of corn in a proper 
manner, and cultivated it with great attention. It grew 
finely, and matured well; the juice weighing 8 degrees, 
and yielded 450 gallons of juice per acre which produced 
50 gallons of syrup per acre, yielding no sugar. In the 
same field, and immediately adjoining, we planted sugar 
cane, and harvested it last week, and manufactured it in¬ 
to sugar. It yielded nearly three, or over two and a half 
hogsheads of sugar, and upwards of 150 gallons of mo¬ 
lasses, per acre. 
We had supposed we could compete with the north in 
making cornstalk sugar, but we give it up; and reckon 
the north will soon do the same in the attempting to com¬ 
pete with the sugar cane. 
GRASS 
Of all the grasses ever tried in the south, the crab grass 
exceeds all; and in quality is equal to the best northern 
grasses. It may be somewhat surprising to some north¬ 
ern farmers, to learn that we plow up our meadows 
yearly, and sow them yearly. We plow them in Janua¬ 
ry, February, or March, and sow them in oats, which are 
harvested in May or June; during this time, the grass 
seed, shed and left deposited on the ground from the sea 
son previous, springs up; and by September produces 
from one to two tons of hay per acre. 
It grows rapidly if the season is not too dry, and is 
sometimes mowed twice or three times the same season. 
It makes excellent pasture. The white clover grows 
luxuriant here, on the Mississippi bottoms; and our pas¬ 
tures are now, the last of December, supplied with feed 
in abundance. It is a fine country for persons in mode¬ 
rate circumstances, as well as those of ample means. We 
have no paupers here. S. Tillotson. 
New River , La. Dec. 21, 1,843. 
