54 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
produce suckers to render lr.ter ears fruitful ; the 3d, 4oh, 5th and 
6th bearing fruit, and the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th are by na¬ 
ture intended to support and nourish the male blossom on the top. 
These ears were of eight rows, each row containing 37 grains ; 
from which it will be seen, that this variety is capable of produc¬ 
ing four perfect ears on each stalk, or twelve ears on each hill, 
which, if planted in rows three feet apart each way, would afford 
4,840 hills to the acre, and when perfectly cultivated, would pro¬ 
duce 120 bushels of corn to the acre. This crop might be reckon¬ 
ed on with much certainty, under good cultivation, from this va¬ 
riety being so well acclimated. 
2d experiment—Was a stalk of the common sweet garden corn. 
This also had the germs of suckers and hermaphrodite ears on the 
two first joints. At the 3d and 4th joints, were the germs of ears. 
At the 5th joint, the germ of an ear on a long spike, which, grown 
to perfection, would have had 320 grains, and oa each side of this 
were the germs of another ear. TlieCth and 7th joints had perfect 
ears, the highest of which was the best; then followed four Uarren 
joints and leaves, supporting the male blossom. On each side ot 
the ear, at the 6th joint, there were also the germs of ears. 
From the above analysis, it will be seen that this stalk of corn 
had the germs of nine ears on the main stalk, which, allowing 
three stalks to the hill, if they could all be brought to perfection, 
would, give the enormous quantity of 270 bushels to the acre. 
But this corn is undoubtedly deteriorated, by planting seed from 
inferior ears, as it is exclusively planted as a garden article, for 
boiling green ; under which circumstance, the best and earliest 
ears are taken off for u-e, and the small that come last are planted. 
Of this corn, I would observe, that I am persuaded, that if it 
was fully acclimated and carefully improved, by selecting the best 
ears for seed, might be made a great crop of corn. I have pro¬ 
pagated several sorts of it, some earlier and some later; and al¬ 
though my land is unfit for experiments, I shall, the ensuing sea¬ 
son, try them all. 
3d experiment.—This was a single stalk of eight rowed yellow 
corn, probably like that which is usually planted in Dutchess coun¬ 
ty, that came up in the yard, and although the ground was rich, 
yet it was much exposed to the great drought of last summer, as 
it stood in sand, under the refraction from the house, and an high 
fence, and in the neighborhood of several trees. It however grew 
well in the early part of the season, until nearly the time of blos¬ 
soming, when the effects of the drought became evident. 
On dissecting this plant, in the fall, I found the first joint had 
sent out two strong suckers, each of which had the germs of two 
ears on the two lower joints, with hermaphrodite ears on the tops, 
and the germs of perfect ears at the 2d and 3d joints, with her¬ 
maphrodite ears on the tops. On the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th joints, 
there were the germs of perfect ears, none of which came to per¬ 
fection, except the 7th. Above this, were four barren leaves, for 
the support of the male blossom. 
From all these facts, I conclude, that this stalk of corn was ca¬ 
pable of producing ten good ears of corn, of 45 grains in the row, 
by which the hill of three stalks would have produced 10,800 grains 
of corn, and an acre equally prolific, would have produced 300 
bushels. But this corn, like most of the corn planted by our far¬ 
mers, was not probably fully acclimated. 
I have several other sorts of corn, but as these are sufficient to 
prove that corn is not so cultivated as to develop its utmost ca¬ 
pacity to reward the labor and care of the agriculturist, I shall not 
particularly decribe others. 
Indian corn is a tropical plant; but a beneficent Providence has 
made it capable of being acclimated in every region between the 
forty-fifth degrees of latitude. But its stature diminishes as it re¬ 
cedes from the tropics. 
To expect the greatest possible crop in any region, the seed 
must be taken from plants fully acclimated, for it will not bear 
transplanting more than 100 miles, either from the north or south, 
without prejudice to the crop. And I am well persuaded, that the 
longer it is planted on the same farm or vicinity, the better will be 
the crop ; provided that due care is taken to select the best ears 
for seed. And that after long planting in this way, all the ears 
and grains will be alike, and the stalks will have the same number 
of joints, leaves and ears. 
The farm on which Gen. Van Wyck now resides, in Dutchess 
county, formerly belonging to Major Hoffman, whose farming was 
only remarkable for producing the most beautiful crops of corn, 
for a long series of time, say more than forty years. He died be¬ 
fore the astonishing improvements had taken place, from the use 
of plaster, that has in later years distinguished that county. And 
as there was nothing remarkable in the farming of Major Hoff¬ 
man, except a superstitious attachment to his peculiar seed corn, 
which was a white, eight rowed variety; the secret of its excel¬ 
lence consisted entirely in his never changing his seed during along 
life, by which his corn became all perfectly acclimated, as well as 
respects the stature of the stalk as the ears, which were all equal, 
and the groins alike ; and the whole acccommodated to the soil 
and climate in which it was grown. 
Much is said of the best means of raising crops of corn, but the 
story is a short one. The best preparation for corn, is a good 
sward, and clover is the best. On this, at least forty loads of barn 
manure should be spread, before ploughing, to tire acre. It then 
should be turned up with a deep, fine furrow, and so harrowed as 
not to disturb the furrow. It should then be marked out with 
straight lines, so as to form rows three feet apart each way, and 
from five to seven grains of seed placed in each hill. When the 
corn is well up, plaster it, and run a furrow between each row, 
and after the plant has acquired three leaves, let a careful person 
go through, row by row, and pull out the superfluous stalks, ex¬ 
tracting the most feeble ; then go through it again with the plough, 
twice between each row, with the back of the plough to the plants, 
and at last, when the corn is about knee high, plough again, turn¬ 
ing the furrow to the corn; and after the plough, in all these dress¬ 
ings, a person should follow with a hoe, to eradicate any weed, 
and right up any stalks that may be thrown down, but not to earth 
up the plants ; that should never be done. At the last ploughing, 
at least a bushel of plaster should be sown broad cast over the 
whole. 
I am not certain which will produce the greatest crop in ordina¬ 
ry field cultivation, where the rows are three feet apart, whether 
two or three stalks in the hill will produce the best crop—but am 
inclined to believe that three stalks is the best number to be left. 
Some persons, without understanding the natural history of the 
plant, at the last dressing pull off the suckers, which is ruin to the 
crop, as they are absolutely necessary, not only to filling out the 
.ends of most of the first ears, but to filling out of the late ears in 
in any degree. 
The time in which the male blossom on the main stalk remains 
m vigor is not more than six days, when the season is good. But 
if the weather is very hot and dry, or is stormy, it is not so long. 
And this length is only enough to fructify the earliest ears, in 
i which the female blossom con.es out first from the germ of the 
lowest grains, and present themselves in circles at the ends of the 
I corolla or husks, and as they come out, are impregnated, and thus 
they are every day and hour presenting new circles of female blos¬ 
soms, until the whole are thus impregnated. But if the heat is so 
excessive as to kill the male blossom before the whole ot the fe¬ 
male blossom has come out of the corolla or husk, then, if there 
are no suckers to supply the deficiency of pollen, there will be a 
portion of the upper end of the ear that will be barren of grain. 
To supply this deficiency of pollen, Providence, in organizing the 
corn-plant, has ordered that the three lower joints should produce 
suckers that should come up in succession, to supply a continual 
source of the fructifying principle to the whole succession of ears that 
may come out for the space of at least three weeks, after that on 
the main stalk has been exhausted. And on this succession of male 
blossoms the greatness of the crop depends. And the land should 
be so rich as to force out at least two suckers on every stalk, or no 
i very great crop should be expected. B it if the land is so rich as 
to produce these, then, instead of having the usual crop of about 
35 bushels to the acre, the careful farmer may, with confidence, 
expect from 80 to 120 bushels with very little extraordinary ex¬ 
pense, and his land well prepared for other crops. 
You will please to indulge me further to observe, on the culture 
of corn, that to manure poor land in the hill, is bad cultivation, 
although, it is true, that by this mode, the early growth of the 
corn is promoted: but the moment the roots of the plants extend 
beyond the manure, the growth of the crop is checked, at the most 
critical season, when the suckers and ears are setting, by which 
it often happens that the stalk still runs up, and the male blossom 
comes out and is spent before the female blossom appears at all.— 
