NEW 
“ TO IMPROVE THE SOIL AND MIND.” 
SERIES. 
Vol. V. 
ALBANY, MARCH, 1848. 
No. 3. 
CUMUME OF INDIAN COM. 
Editors of the Cultivator —It must be apparent 
to pvery one, that the aggregate value of the Corn 
Crop is immense to our country, and as almost every 
cultivator of the soil, throughout all its varied climate, 
and on all its variety of soils, is a grower of this crop 
to a greater or less extent, it becomes a matter of im¬ 
portance that it should be managed to the best advan¬ 
tage. I know of no better way to arrive at the de¬ 
sired result than the practical experience of successful 
corn-growers, made public through the columns of the 
agricultural press. We may all learn something from 
one another; indeed I never had a hired man even, in 
my life, however ignorant, that had not a way of his 
own of doing something from which I obtained a new 
and profitable idea. These considerations must be my 
apology for any apparent egotism in the frequent use 
of the personal pronoun in this communication. 
I do not expect to add any thing new in information 
upon my present subject, which has been so often and 
so ably handled by others before me, but simply to show 
by what process I have been successful in raising much 
larger crops of corn to the acre than would be con¬ 
sidered an average yield in this section, at least. The 
average yield of my corn crop, on 8 to 12 acres annu¬ 
ally, has not fallen so low as 60 bushels per acre in 10 
years, while in the more favorable seasons and on my 
best lands, it will come up to 80 to 90 bushels per acre. 
It is proper also to state, that some of the fields would 
not cut 500 lbs. of hay to the acre 10 years ago. 
The land intended for corn is always broken up from 
6 to 9 inches deep, varying with the quality of the soil, 
late in the fall, in order to that perfect pulverization of 
the soil which the frost of winter contributes so essen¬ 
tially to secure. The plowing is performed with great 
care and precision. No baulks—no crooked or imper¬ 
fectly turned furrows are at all allowed, but the whole 
soil to the required depth is turned over. I have been 
troubled to find plows that do good work in a deep fur¬ 
row—the Centre Draft and Eagle No. 2, a cut and de¬ 
scription of which is given in the April number, vol. 
IV, of the Cultivator, turns a perfect furrow 8, 9 or 10 
inches deep. 
The heaps of compost manure are made up on this 
land in August or after, beds being plowed up to re¬ 
ceive them. These heaps are ranged at convenient 
distances to load into the cart in the spring, and spread 
on the land with the best economy of travel, and con¬ 
tain 30 to 40 loads each, which is the quantity usually 
applied to the acre. Thirty-five to forty bushels is 
called a load. In the spring the manure is laid on the 
land in small heaps; the rows of heaps about four paces 
apart, and the heaps in the rows a little less distance 
apart, because a given number of loads, fine manure 
particularly, can be spread with more ease and expedi¬ 
tion by making more heaps of a load, and placing them 
near together, than by following the more common 
practice of making larger heaps wider apart. 
The harrow, going twice in a place, is started a* 
soon as the workmen commence spreading the manure, 
in order that it shall be immediately incorporated with 
the soil without the loss of its valuable properties by 
evaporation, and also to divide and pulverize the soil 
above the sod, so that the plow afterwards may be used 
in a light furrow without disturbing it. Great im¬ 
provements have been made in harrows by constructing 
them in two parts, connected together with hinges— 
the play, up or down, upon the hinges of either half, 
enables the harrow to adjust itself to the surface of the 
land in all places ; and, whether smooth or uneven, it 
will always hug down close, and “ keep digging.” No 
farmer who has ever used a hinge harrow would be 
without one for five times the cost of making. When 
the harrowing is completed, the plow, with a sharp 
point, and a roller on the beam guaged to the proper 
depth, covers the manure 3 to 4 inches, which, after a 
trial of all ways, I consider about the right depth for 
fine compost. 
The land is then furrowed out as nearly north and 
south as the shape and surface of the field will admit, 
and also east and west, the rows being 3^ feet apart each 
way. I prefer this distance to planting nearer. In my 
earlier farming operations, I used to plant corn con- 
siderably nearer both ways, of course growing a greater 
number of stalks and ears to the acre., 'In a favorable 
season, as to moisture, probably a few more bushels 
may be obtained by closer planting; Tut in offset the 
labor is also considerably increased. There are more 
hills to plant and hoe, and the ears being usually much 
smaller, the labor of husking a given number of bushels 
is greater, and no man can husk small ears and “ nub¬ 
bins” as fast as large ones. Besides, I find by actual 
experiment, that a closely planted field will not stand 
a drouth nearly as long as a field planted wider apart. 
Every stalk requires its due proportion of moisture from 
the earth in order to carry the ear of corn to full per¬ 
fection, and of course the greater the number of stalks 
to the acre, the greater the draft upon the soil for 
moisture. In planting on a scale of 8 to 12 acres, 
therefore, I go for more space between the hills, not¬ 
withstanding there has been much said in favor of shad¬ 
ing the ground by close planting, to preventjfhe effects 
of drouth. It is of considerable importance to have 
straight rows both ways, the use of the horse and culti¬ 
vator being much more effective in this case than in 
crooked rows; besides, no farmer having a spark of 
honest pride, wishes to gaze aff summer at so unsightly 
