142 THE CULTIVATOR, Iter 
■ ■■i iii ii> t in i i ii i i t 11iiii' iii i iiiii 
IKftTAIIiS* OF OPERATKORS IN FAEMMQ, 
Editors of Cultivator— In your remarks “ To 
Correspondents, he.,” in your December number, 
wishing a continuance “of facts,” relative to Ameri¬ 
can husbandry, culture of corn, fee., &c., you say:—- 
“ The experience and observation of hard-working,- 
common sense farmers is wanted.” Now I ana really 
in doubt whether I have a right to class myself as a 
“ common sens e farmer,” (it being but five years since 
I commenced the farming business;) but I do claim to 
know something of “ hard work,” and never having 
furnished anything for the pages of “ The Cultivator,” 
I will now give you my “ experience and observation,” 
in raising corn, on “ plain” or prairie land. 
In the spring of 1845, I broke up with only two hor¬ 
ses, about twenty-four acres of new plain. About one 
half was very ivet, and the balance consisted of small 
spots or knolls, timbered with burr-oak. 1 had pre¬ 
viously made a ditch from north to south, through the 
lowest parts, and plowed eastward so as to drain into 
the main ditch. I planted first week in May. It came 
up well, grew finely, and I had nearly finished working 
it the first time, when severe frosts, from 25th to 30th, 
cut it down, and to all appearance killed it. Seeing 
all my neighbors replanting, I, on the 1st and 2d day 
of June, run a plow between the rows, and replanted 
on a line with the former planting. In a few days 
most of the first planting started again ; the balance 
of the season was good, and I harvested about fifty 
bushels per acre. 
In the spring of 1846, I was enabled to plow much 
deeper, enlarged my main ditch and deepened my cross 
ditches, shoveling out on each side, thus making ridges 
of loose earth from fifteen inches to over two feet in 
depth. The corn on these ridges was much superior to 
the rest throughout the season, and when I gathered it 
I found the ears so large and fine, I saved them for 
seed. They had sixteen to twenty-two rows, and from 
eiaht hundred to one thousand, and some few over a 
thousand grains each. 
In the spring of 1847, I had a very large pair of 
stout horses, and plowed from 8 to 9 and 10 inches on 
the land side, which left the furrows about a foot deep 
when plowed. This year I added three acres more 
of the timbered land, leaving the trees standing, (about 
thirty cords per acre) but girdled them ; planted first 
week in May, three and half feet apart, without ma¬ 
nure at any time; put 6 to 8 grains in a hill, which 
was at the first and second hoeing thinned out to four 
stalks. It came up well; the season was wet, cold 
and backward; the ground was so lumpy I could not 
harrow the young corn as I intended and generally do; 
weeds grew, but the corn was yellow. I began plow¬ 
ing and hoeing the last of May, when there came a 
very heavy freshet; the farm below me was not ditched, 
and I could not drain it; the water stood from a few 
inches to a foot deep on several acres. Full two acres 
was killed out . and about half of the whole remaining 
crop was much injured. On 10th June I began plow¬ 
ing the driest parts with mould board plows, and a 
stout horse at each, turning the furrows from the corn; 
and plowed deep, up to the beam. It required two hoes 
to keep up with each plow; after this working the in¬ 
jured corn began to grow again. Last of June cross- 
plowed again, turning the furrows from the corn, and 
plowing as deep as a stout horse could plow it ,• 
put three hoes after two plows and kept up. From 
5th to 10th July, plowed third time, using long- 
pointed “ shovel plows,” with a swingle-tree but six¬ 
teen inches long—plowed still deeper, and brought up 
tabscil generally; one hoe kept up with each plow, 
running twicu in a row. I like a above! plow best— 
for the last plowing it cuts no corn roots, runs deeper, 
and leaves the earth more level and light between the 
rows. The season continued good, and the corn grew 
well until 12th September, when a hard frost killed all 
the green fodder, and slightly injured some of the corn. 
It was not sufficiently hard to gather until 10th Octo¬ 
ber. Several persons told me it was the best piece of 
corn they ever saw. That injured by the wet never 
caught up with the other; that on the knolls was muck 
the best, though the poorest ground. We have always 
estimated the field to contain thirty acres, three acres 
of which have never been plowed, and full two acres 
were killed out by wet-—leaving twenty-five acres in 
corn,’ which includes the three of wood girdled, on 
which there was not over forty bushels per acre; and 
I husked out 2,573 bushels (shelled) sound corn, ex¬ 
clusive of small nubbins and soft ears, equal to 103 
bushels merchantable corn per acre. 
My potatoes have always been light, though planted 
on good soil. In the five crops I have raised, I never 
once got as many bushels per acre as I did of corn. 
Having planted them in April and first of May, I never 
had any to rot, though others complain much. 
I mowed thirty acres of heavy timothy and clover, 
and made from sixty-five to seventy tons excellent clean 
hay. 
My oats lodged and turned out slim. From five 
acres wheat, though much lodged, I got 142| bushels, 
cleaned up, of excellent quality-. 
I killed forty-two fat hogs of my own raising, from 
twelve to twenty-one months old, and they averaged a 
little over 300 lbs. each; from which I put up full six 
barrels leaf-lard. In addition to pasturing my own 
stock of twelve head of cattle and five horses, I have 
received between $70 and $80 (the past season) for 
pasturing covrs from the village. 
You know that five years ago last autumn, I took 
this piece of land “in a state of nature,” without fenc¬ 
ing or clearing, except patches of plain, and without 
buildings or improvements of any kind—a log cabin of 
one room excepted. I have plowed altogether about 
seventy acres, and have fifteen to eighteen acres in plain 
pasture—the balance in wood, .a part of which affords 
some grasses. My farm is, I believe, now rated higher 
per acre on the tax duplicate, including my buildings, 
than any farm in this county. In all my undertakings 
I have been my own director, manager and foreman, 
as well as a laborer ; still I fear I have but slight claims 
to the enviable distinction of “ a farmer,” and am still 
desirous to learn of those who have had more experi¬ 
ence or better success. 
I am of opinion that the subsoil plow would be a 
great improvement on our plains. They are mostly 
broke up with but two horses, and very shallow, and 
a large portion of them frequently covered with water 
for weeks together in wet season of the year; but so 
long as these rich lands can be had from $6 to $12 per 
acre, and will produce fifty to sixty bushels corn per 
acre with poor plowing and poorer tending, (sometimes 
never plowed or hoed after plainting,) I fear the intro¬ 
duction of subsoil plows will be delayed. 
I am pleased to say that an increased number of sub¬ 
scribers have been obtained here for “ The-Cultivator, 
and also for the “ Horticulturist.” Having been a 
subscriber for the former from its first publication to 
the present time, I feel that to it I am mainly indebted 
for the success that has thus far attended my attempts 
at farming, and also in building, fencing, draining, 
seeds, he., he. J. S. Copeland. Marion , 0., Feb., ’48. 
