THE CULTIVATOR. 
25 
It is from the mother, that the early education of children is 
mostly received. It is the example at home that will educate them; 
your conversation, the business they see you transact, the likings 
and dislikings they hear you express; these will educate them, 
employ what teachers we may. The influence at home will have 
the mightiest influence in education. 
Schoolmasters may cultivate the intellect, but the things done 
and said at home, are busy agents in forming the character; hence 
the importance of our families being well regulated ; and if a mo¬ 
ther would faithfully perform her duty to her offspring, she must 
be willing to make many sacrifices. The comfort and improve¬ 
ment of her family must be her principal object. Social visiting 
and virtuous intercourse with those we love, are some of the great¬ 
est comforts of life, yet even these must be under such restrictions 
that nothing may suffer by her absence. 
While her children are young, and their minds susceptible of 
suitable impressions, she should sow the seeds of virtue, benevo 
lence, and all those amiable qualities that will, in riper years, ren 
der them honorable and dignified in their pursuits, respectable and 
useful members of the community, and virtuous and exemplary 
heads of families. 
them to take an interest and participate in the enjoyments and ad- 
vantage which science can render, not only to the culinary, but to 
the farming art. G. DICKINSON. 
Tillage Husbandry. 
EXPERIMENTS WITH INDIAN CORN. 
Conway, Mass. Feb. 2(M, 1835. 
Messrs. Editors — -I send to you a detailed account of an expe¬ 
riment with regard to the cutting of corn stalks, which I tried last 
fall, and which you are at liberty to make such use of as you see 
fit. I went into my field of corn the 15th day of September, and 
cut in the middle of the piece, four rows ten rods in length. 1 
cut four rows in succession, thinking that the sun would have a 
better opportunity to ripen the corn where the stalks were cut, 
than it would if they were cut in alternate rows ; and calculating 
to take at harvest the four rows on the outside for comparison 
There were four acres in the piece, and it was planted so that four 
rows occupied a rod in width, or four feet and an inch and a half 
from row to row, and meant to average three feet from hill to hill. 
Thus you see that the whole of my experiment being eight rows, 
ten rods in length, was equal to 20 square rods of land. When it 
was ripe, I harvested it, taking the two rows first on the left side, 
being uncut, and side by side of those that were cut. These for 
distinction, we will No. 1. I then harvested the two left rows of 
those on which the stalks were cut; and which we will call No. 
2; then the remaining two on which the stalks were cut, which 
we No. 3; and then those on the right side which were uncut, and 
called No. 4. The four parcels were all husked and laid away 
separately in the chamber to dry. At shelling time, the result of 
the experiment was as follows —No 1 shelled out 115 lbs. of good 
hale corn, which gave, it being the l-32d part of an acre, reckon¬ 
ing 56 lbs. to the bushel, which is lawful weight, 65 bushels and 
40 lbs. to the acre. No. 2, shelled out 91 lbs. or 52 bushels to the 
acre, making a difference of 13 bushels and 40 lbs. to the acre, in 
favor of those rows where the stalks were not cut. No. 3 shelled 
107g lbs. or 61 bushels and 24 lbs. to the acre. No. 4, 121$, or 69 
bushels and 24 lbs. leaving the difference of only 8 bushels in favor 
of those rows on which the stalks were cut; thus showing that 
though rows may be selected which are apparently equal, and side 
by side, yet the produce will not be the same, as is seen by com¬ 
paring No. 2 and 3. 1 forward this to you without note or com¬ 
ment, barely remarking that the land was fitted in the same man¬ 
ner with manure, and selected for the sole purpose of trying the 
experiment in an impartial manner, and likewise to know the ave¬ 
rage yield of the piece. The fodder, where the stalks are left to 
remain till harvest, I consider two-thirds the value of those that 
are cut when the corn is green. Although this experiment is 
somewhat unsatisfactory to my own mind, in consequence of the 
variation in the results, yet still I forward it, hoping if you see fit 
to publish it, that it will induce others to try the same, and make 
them public, till it shall be established with a degree of certainty 
which is the most economical way of cultivating that useful and 
profitable crop of which we are treating; for if the above results 
are correct, no farmer can afford to give even eight bushels of corn 
for an acre of stalks. 
For your own encouragement, I would remark that your useful 
and interesting paper is well received and much valued, by the few 
who take it in this place, and not only by the practical farmer, 
but also by some of the ladies, who do not consider it beneath 
Vol. II. 4 
ON POTATOES.— by t. a . knight, esq. 
In a letter which I published last autumn, 1 stated that I had 
obtained a produce of potatoes equivalent to 8871 bushels and 3 
lbs. (each bushel weighing 60 lbs.) per statute acre, and I then ex¬ 
pressed an intention which I now fulfil, of pointing out the means 
by which such an extraordinary crop was obtained, and by which, 
of course, other crops of equal magnitude may be again obtained; 
and I look forward with confidence to obtaining in the present 
year a produce equivalent to 1000 bushels per acre of potatoes of 
first rate quality. 
The first point to which I wish to direct the attention of the 
cultivator of the potato is, the age of the variety-, for it has long 
been known, that every variety cultivated, gradually becomes debilitat¬ 
ed, and loses a large portion of its powers of producing; and I believe 
that almost every variety now cultivated in this and the adjoining counties 
has long since passed the period of its age at which it ought to have re¬ 
signed its place to a successor. 
No variety should ever be cultivated which uselessly expends 
itself in the production of seeds, nor even of full grown blossoms, 
unless it possesses some valuable redeeming qualities. 
The distance of the intervals between the rows should be regu¬ 
lated wholly by the length required by the s'ems in each peculiar 
soil and situation. If the utmost length required by the stems be 
four feet, let the intervals between the rows be four feet also: 
and if the variety be of dwarfish habits, and its longest stem does 
not exceed two feet, intervals of two feet will be sufficient. 
The rows should be made from north to south, that the mid-day 
sun may be permitted fully to shine between them, for every par¬ 
ticle of living matter found in the tuberous root of the potato 
plant, has been generated in the leaves, (which act only when ex¬ 
posed to light,) and has descended beneath the soil. 
Each set should weigh at least six ounces, and they should never 
be placed at greater distances from each other, than six inches 
from centre to centre, and a preference should be given to whole 
potatoes, when such can be obtained. If the growth of the plant 
be very dwarfish, four inches between the sets from centre to cen¬ 
tre, will be preferable; and if the form of the potato be long and 
kidney shaped, a good deal of advantage will be gained by plac¬ 
ing them to stand upon their ends, that end which joined the pa¬ 
rent plant placed downwards. 
The largest produce will generally be obtained from varieties of 
rather early habits, and rather low stature, there being in very 
tall plants much time necessarily lost in carrying the nutriment, 
which has been absorbed from the soil, up into the leaves and 
down again, in the state of living sap, to the tuber. 
Varieties which have strong stems and erect form, are to bp pre¬ 
ferred, because such are least subject to fall upon, and shade the 
foliage of each other. 
It is much more advantageous to incorporate the mannro,with 
the soil by means of the spade or plough, than to put ifein.qntb 
the sets ; for in the latter case, a large majority of the roots, dqr r _ 
ing the summer and autumn, do not derive advantage from it. 
Early planting is, under almost all circumstances, best; and thq,. 
period, except for some very peculiar varieties, should never bp. 
later than the middle of the month of April. 
I possess, though at present in small quantities necessarily, msu. 
ny new varieties, which promise to prove valuable both on account 
of the quantity and quality of their produce, and I shall be happy 
as soon as I have the power, to make them useful to the public-. 
I obtained, in the last year, from some of these under culture with," 
the plough, (the soil being shallow, and naturally poor, and manure 
not having been given, in more than ordinary quantity,) a produce 
equivalent to more than 650 bushels of potatoes, of first rate ex¬ 
cellence per acre, and a good deal larger produce from others of 
inferior quality, but I have not any reason to believe that I possess 
any variety which, either in quality for immediate human food, or 
in quantity for affording food to the inferior animals, has reached, 
or ever approximated the greatest state of excellence which the 
potato is capable of acquiring .—British Farmers' Magazine , 
