1847. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
89 
MODE OF CULTIVATING PREMIUM CROPS. 
Indian Corn.—Jabez Burrows, of Chautauque Co.. 
N. Y., obtained a premium for a crop of 114 bushels 
and 32 pounds of shelled corn grown on one acre. This 
crop grew on what had been an old pasture, which was 
turned over the latter part of May ; it was then rolled, 
and twenty wagon loads of barn-yard manure spread on 
and harrowed in; it was marked out in rows three feet 
apart one way, by fastening four chains to a pole car¬ 
ried by two men; it was planted on the last day of May, 
in hills sixteen to eighteen inches apart in the rows, 
three kernels to a hill, of eight-rowed yellow corn. It 
was hoed twice, and harrowed, (number of times not 
stated,) between the rows. The yellow eight-rowed 
corn was chosen for planting in preference to the 
“ Brown corn,” so called because the former was thought 
to be earlier. The corn was weighed at fifty-six pounds 
to the bushel, and the cobs weighed 14 lbs. to the 
bushel of shelled corn. 
Lewis B. and Edward A. Powell, of Madison Co., 
N. Y., received a premium for a crop of 105 bushels 
and 25 pounds from an acre. This crop grew on land 
which had been pastured for six years previous—the soil 
gravelly. It was plowed the first of May, harrowed 
and furrowed for rows, six to the rod, (or two feet nine 
inches apart.) The corn was planted on the 7th of 
May, in hills 18 inches apart in the row. Seventeen 
loads, of manure (quantity to the load not stated,) had 
been put on the ground the previous November. The 
corn was hoed three times. 
Benjamin Enos, in the same county, obtained a 
premium for a crop of 111 bushels and 52 pounds on an 
acre. This crop grew on land which had been mowed 
for the last five years—without manure during that 
time—the soil gravelly loam. The whole lot in which 
it grew contained two and one-fifth acres. In the fall 
of 1845. 20 loads of manure were put on the lot, and 
left in large heaps; and in the following spring 80 loads 
more of coarse manure were put on, and it was all 
spread and plowed in about the first week in May. Af¬ 
ter plowing, 80 loads of fine manure from sheep-sheds, 
was spread on the field, and it was then thoroughly har¬ 
rowed. It was furrowed slightly for the rows, three 
feet apart, north and south, and the hills made at dis¬ 
tances of fourteen inches in the row. It was planted 
the 18th of May, with the “large white-flint eight- 
rowed corn.” A cultivator was passed through the 
rows as soon as the corn was large enough to follow 
the rows, and it was hoed, and two bushels of plaster ap¬ 
plied per acre. It was also worked with the cultivator, 
and hoed about the 20th of June and on the 7th of July. 
Barley.—Henry Brewer, of Tompkins county, N. 
Y., raised, last year, a crop of two-rowed barley which 
yielded at the rate of 50 bushels per acre, 48 pounds to 
the bushel, and also a crop of Emir or skinless barley 
which yielded at the rate of about 40 bushels per acre, 
weighing 60 lbs. to the bushel; quantity of land, about 
one acre each. These crops grew on a soil described as 
“ a sandy loam, mixed with slate gravel.” It is called 
<c a very dry, warm soil, but had been hard run for the 
last ten years.” The crop on the ground the previous 
year, was corn, to which 20 loads of barn-yard manure 
had been applied. For the barley, the ground was 
plowed once, and harrowed, and a bushel of plaster ap¬ 
plied per acre. Three bushels of Emir barley were sown 
per acre, but it is stated to have been too much, mak¬ 
ing the stalks too much crowded. Two and a half 
bushels of the two-rowed barley were sown per acre. 
E. S. Salisbury, of Jefferson county, N. Y., obtained 
a premium for a crop of 5 acres and 24 rods of barley, 
which yielded at the average rate of 55 bushels and 20 
quarts per acre, weighing 48 lbs. to the bushel. The 
soil where this crop grew is said to have been “ a mix¬ 
ture of clay and sandy loam.” The previous crop had 
been winter wheat on a summer fallow, without any 
manure. On the 5th of May last, it was well harrowed, 
before being plowed; it had been plowed to the depth 
of eight inches, in the month of November previous. It 
was plowed on the 6th and 7th of May last, and har¬ 
rowed again before sowing the barley, which was sowed 
on the 8th of May, at the rate of 3^ bushels of the two 
rowed variety to the acre. No manure was applied to 
the barley. 
Spring Wheat.—Hart Massey, of Jefferson Co., 
N. Y., obtained 23 bushels of spring wheat from an 
acre, though he states that he had “ straw sufficient to 
have given 40 bushels per acre, but was reduced by the 
weevil [Cecidomyia tritici ,] to 23 bushels.” The land 
had been in corn the previous year, to which a “ mode¬ 
rate dressing of manure had been given. The wheat 
was sown the fore part of May, three bushels to the 
acre. Four bushels of salt were also sown to the acre, 
and harrowed in with the wheat. He states that he 
left a small piece on which no salt was sown, and that 
the wheat on the salted portion came up most healthy 
and continued so till harvest, when it was heavier and 
the heads longer than that from the portion without salt. 
He has not been able to ascertain at what time wheat 
should be sown to escape the “ weevil.” 
E. D. Allen, of the county last named, obtained 25$ 
bushels per acre. The previous crop had been corn and 
potatoes, on “green sward,” with ten loads chip and 
barn-yard manure.” Eight loads of barn-yard manure 
were applied to the poorest part of the piece before 
sowing the wheat. It was sown on the 28th of April, 
bushels of the Black Sea variety, per acre. 
Elias Bates, of Windsor county, Vermont, obtained 
a premium for a crop of 36 bushels on one acre and 
twenty-nine rods. The land had been mowed for “a 
number ” of years previous to 1844. In that year it 
was planted to corn, manured with 20 loads of barn¬ 
yard manure, and five loads of dust from a coal-pit bed. 
Twelve bushels of ashes were also put on the corn after 
it was up. The piece was plowed for wheat about the 
first of May, and a bushel and a half of seed, washed in 
strong brine, and afterwards dried off with slacked lime, 
was sown per acre, the first week in May. 
Swelling of Grain by Boiling. —The Edinburgh 
Journal of Agriculture, gives, in the following table, the 
increase of bulk in different kinds of grain boiled for do¬ 
mestic animals to bursting:— 
4 measures of oats increased to 7 measures. 
4 
ll 
barley 
Cl 
10 
ii 
4 
It 
buckwheat 
ll 
14 
it 
4 
Cl 
Indian corn 
ll 
13 
a 
4 
ll 
wheat 
ll 
10 
u 
4 
Cl 
rye 
It 
15 
it 
4 
cc 
beans 
It 
U 
it 
A good farmer of our acquaintance said that from 
long experience he considered the value of corn for hog* 
increased by boiling in the ratio of 25 to 10. 
Milking Clean.— Experiment has shown that th« 
milk last drawn from the cow is from ten to twelve 
times richer than the first drawn portions, or contains 
from ten to twelve times as much cream. 
