80 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
squuares 2 feet 7 inches in width. It was then manured 
in the hole, 64 cart loads barn manure being used. It was 
planted early with white and flesh colored corn, varie¬ 
ties having small cobs. The kernels were placed about 
four inches apart in the hills, not thrown together as usu¬ 
al. In the middle of July, the corn spindled, grew very 
thick, and so filling the spaces that the rows were scarce¬ 
ly discernible. It was hoed three times, and all the suck¬ 
ers early cleared from it. It was gathered on the first of 
October. The quantity of shelled corn, ascertained by 
disinterested men, was 139 bushels, 3 pecks. 
This was a great crop, but the account is defective in 
not stating the number of stalks left in each hill. The 
varieties of corn must have been of the small kind, or 
such close planting would have prevented the formation 
of ears. The quantity of manure was enormous. 
Some of the most extraordinary crops of corn ever 
grown in the United States, were those produced by the 
Messrs. Pratt of Eaton, Madison co. In 1822, they ob¬ 
tained from 3 acres, 517| bushels, or 172 bushels per 
acre, and in 1823, from 4 acres, 680 bushels, or 170 bush¬ 
els per acre. They prepared their land in the best man- 
r^r, then with a shovel plow made a trench 20 inches 
wide into which the manure was placed and covered. 
On these trenches, so covered, the seed corn was drilled in 
t&ree rows, thus: 
****** 
****** 
****** 
Two feet nine inches distant, or 3 feet 9 inches from 
centre to centre of the rows. Another trench was made, 
filled, covered and drilled in similar manner. Thus the 
con*' ^,tood in single stalks, 6 inches a part every way, 
anu 2 feet 9 inches clear between the rows. 
It is evident that planted in this manner, more stalks 
•would be placed on an acre than in almost any other 
•way, but nothing short of the most heavy manuring 
would carry through such a crop. We have found by 
experience that in very dry summers, close planted corn 
suffers far the most, and if too near, is a total failure. 
We once planted a piece 2| feet by 18 inches in the 
rows, intending 3 stalks to the hill. The corn was ma¬ 
nured in the hill. The growth was very rapid and pro¬ 
mising until the ears were about setting, when a drouth 
of some weeks occurred, and the result was not more 
than half a crop. The years in which Messrs. Pratts' 
crops were grown, were of the most favorable kind, and 
the crops, under their course of planting and culture, 
most astonishing. 
In 1835, Mr. Brewster of Oneida co. communicated 
to Judge Buel an account of a crop of corn and pota¬ 
toes raised by him in that year. He says, “ I had a ten 
acre lot of stiff strong sward, that had not been plowed 
for many years; this I intended chiefly for Indian corn. 
In one corner of this I measured off one acre for corn, 
and by the side of it another acre for potatoes. I drew 
on about twenty loads of yard manure to the acre on 
each, turned it over, followed the plow with the roller, 
harrowed and furrowed three feet apart from north to 
south, and put down about the same quantity of manure 
that was turned under. Commenced planting the 20th of 
May; seed soaked, rolled in tar and water and plaster, 
put 4 grains in a hill, one foot apart. The first day 
planted one-fourth of an acre, which came up well; the 
other planted on the 22d and 23d, did not come up well, 
owing, as I thought, to the seed lying too long in the hot 
sun after being soaked, and we replanted it on the 2d 
and 3d of June.” From the | acre first planted Mr. B. 
had 26 bushs. 8 qts. or 105 bushels to the acre; the 
other | did not do so well, and he only got 94 bushels 
and 2 quarts of shelled corn from the acre. The 
potatoes were planted on the 1st and 2d of June, fur¬ 
rows three feet apart, and the seed all whole and large, 
dropped one foot apart in the rows. One good dressing 
was given them with the plow and hoe, which was all 
the attention they received. At gathering, by measure 
he had 519 \ bushels, by weight, 560. 
Several years since that excellent farmer, Mr. Bey- 
bold, of Delaware, on a field of 22 acres, raised 2216 
bushels of corn, or 100 | bushels per acre. Seven years 
previous to the crop, he pul on 60 bushels of lime per 
acre, and planted it to corn; in the following spring he 
put it in oats; in the fall put on 40 loads of barn yard 
manure per acre, and sowed it to wheat and timothy 
seed, and the ensuing spring with clover. It remained 
in grass some five years, and received one top dressing 
of 40 loads per acre of manure. It was mowed four or 
five years and gave from 2i to 3 tons of hay per acre. 
In the spring of 1835 he gave it another dressing of 40 
loads per acre of long manure, allowed the grass to 
start through it, and then with a furrow 10 inches deep, 
turned the whole under. The corn was planted in shal¬ 
low furrows 3| feet each way. The plow was never 
used in the field after planting, the cultivation being per¬ 
formed by the cultivator and hoe; and no hilling was al¬ 
lowed. Three good stalks were left on each hill. 
When the corn was glazed it was cut up, and put in 
shocks. On this statement, Judge Buel remarks: “ The 
management which led to this extraordinary product of 
corn, should be deeply impressed on the mind of every 
farmer. 1. The ground should be well dunged with 
long manure. 2. It was planted on a grass ley with one 
deep plowing. 3. It was well pulverized on the sur¬ 
face with the harrow. 4. The plow was not used in the 
after culture, nor the corn hilled. 5. The sod was not 
disturbed, nor the manure turned to the surface; and 6th, 
tlie corn was cut at the ground when it was fit to top.” 
We had marked several other crops as worthy of note, 
but have room for only the following which we select as 
showing what crops of corn may be grown on the very 
northern verge of its culture, and what the treatment 
was that produced it. 
The soil was gravelly, dry, had been cropped seven 
years in succession, and manured each year. In the 
spring of 1838, the hills of the previous year were split, 
a good dressing of manure put on and plowed in, har¬ 
rowed, and with a light plow opened into drills 2-| feet 
apart. On the 19th of May, 14 bushels of seed corn was 
put in a tub, and hot water poured on it, till too hot to 
stir with the hand. It was steeped two hours, then dried 
by rolling in plaster, and planted the same day in hills 
16 to 18 inches apart, and from 5 to 7 kernels in a hill. 
On the 5th of June it had come up; on the llth a small 
plow was passed between the rows lightly, turning the lit¬ 
tle mold raised to the middle, and care being taken to stir 
the whole surface of the ground. It was harrowed and 
hoed the next week, and again the week after that, the 
owner believing that the maturity of corn may be has 
tened some two or three weeks by frequent hoeing, 
while the plants are young. In hoeing, the e&rth was 
left nearly flat. On the first of September the corn was 
cut up, and husked out the last of the month. The crop 
when shelled, fell a few pounds short of 150 bushels of 
corn per acre. It should be stated, that though plenty 
of seed was used, only three stalks were allowed to re¬ 
main in a hill, the best being selected for this purpose. 
From the history of corn crops here given, and the 
mode of culture adopted, we think farmers may derive 
some useful inferences. We have omitted the great crops 
of Kentucky, 190 and 196 bushels to the acre, the largest 
yet grown in any country, as the details of culture were 
not at hand; and the same may be said of some of the 
premium crops in this and other states. We state here a 
few of the most prominent results disclosed: 
1. The soil intended for corn must be dry; all experi¬ 
ence proves that moist soils are unfit for the culture of 
this grain. 
2. It should be made rich, and deep. Corn will bear 
heavier manuring than any other cultivated plant, and 
the soil should be deep to permit the roots to descend 
beyond all danger of drouth. 
3. Preparation of the seed is useful; but no seed over 
soaked or swelled for planting or sowing should be al¬ 
lowed to become dry, as that injures its vitality. 
4. The use of top dressing, such as mixtures of ashes, 
lime, plaster, &c. is established beyond a doubt. Per¬ 
haps there are few ways in which labor is better expend¬ 
ed, than in placing such composts about corn. 
5. The uselessness of hilling corn is demonstrated. Not 
a great crop of corn has been grown for years, in which 
this practice has been followed. 
6 . It is proved that corn too thick will not ear; but 
