178 
THE CULTIVATOR 
CULTURE OF MBIM €OKI-»FARMEK 9 S CLUBS, 
Editors Cultivator— -At a meeting of our Farmers’ 
Club, on Wednesday evening last, our secretary being 
absent, I took his place for the evening j and the en¬ 
closed reports were put into my hands. 1 have to-day 
copied them, and 1 take the responsibility of placing 
them at your disposal for publication. I do it for the 
purpose of giving you a sample of the kinds of reports 
which are presented. They are not selected, but are 
the only ones left with the secretary on that evening. 
Our society is not large—not more than 20 or 25 mem¬ 
bers usually attending ; but this is something for a quiet 
country village,, with but few inhabitants. 
The rule of our society is, to have two or three writ¬ 
ten reports on the subject for the evening discussion, 
which subject is given out at the preceding meeting, 
As yet we have not failed to have two or more at each 
meeting. After these preliminary reports, a familiar 
discussion of the subject ensues $. and then the reports 
and discussion are referred to a standing committee, to 
bring in at the nest meeting, a final report embodying 
the substance of the written reports and conversation. 
By having these preliminary reports, the subject is 
fully brought before the meeting, by the various sug¬ 
gestions (and sometimes crnflietirag ones) in them, and 
the result is, every one has something to say upon some 
one point or other. 
The order of proceeding at our meeting, is this : after 
the reading of the minutes, the reading of the reports 
of the standing committee on the subject discussed at 
the previous meeting is the first business; then the pre¬ 
liminary reports on the subject for the evening’s discus¬ 
sion ; next, discussion in a familiar way ; the subject 
for the next meeting is then given out by the chairman, 
and the writers named j then any miscellaneous busi¬ 
ness. The chairman sees that the members confine 
themselves to the question of the evening during its 
consideration, and then to other matters as they are 
presented, in order. AM reports are put on file and 
preserved by the Secretary for reference. Wth this 
system the interest of our meetings has been well sus¬ 
tained, and the amount of information communicated 
has been a matter of surprise to us all. We have had 
no difficulty in drawing out the views of our practical 
men, and this is the secret of the success attending our 
efforts. I have been somewhat particular in stating 
our proceedings, as I have not seen any account of an 
organization like our own. The society was commen¬ 
ced with us as a matter of experiment, and as yet I think 
no one of its members is prepared to give it up, but evi¬ 
dently there is an increased interest manifested from 
one meeting to another. Should our example induce 
others to try the like experiment, my object in sending 
you this will have been accomplished. 
Very respectfully yours, J. C. Hastings. 
Report an the Culture of Indian Com. Read before the 
u Clinton Farmer*s Club,”By Gaius Butler./</ r»ier. 
The aboriginal name of this species of grain clearly 
indicates its origin. As an article of food both for man 
and beast, but especially for the latter, it holds a pre¬ 
eminent rank. Perhaps the loss that would be sustained 
by an entire failure of this ©rop could not be exceeded by 
that of any other. The well known fact that it may be and 
often is perverted from its legitimate to a pernicious 
purpose, is no valid reason why it should not continue 
to be raised, and to the greatest practical amount per 
acre, not refusing to gather even one hundred and fifty 
bushels, if we happen to find it there. 
With these preliminary observations, I proceed to 
offer a few remarks on the best method of cultivation. 
And first, sseg&tively. According t® the ancient 
Mohawk Valley custom, in directing the wayfaring 
Yankee, pointing out the wrong ways and then the 
right one, I propose to name a few things with respect 
to this question, that ought not to be done. 
Do not plant corn on a piece of wet ground ; on such 
land, unless in extraordinary seasons a failure may be 
expected. II it may seem necessary to till such a piece 
of land occasionally, the location of which is such as 
hardly to admit of thorough draining, crop it with al¬ 
most any thing but corn, which delights in a dry warm 
soil. Do not plant corn after oats if it can be avoided. 
Oats are an exhausting crop, and a3 land can hardly be 
made too rich for corn, it will be found difficult to raise 
it to that condition necessary to ensure a good yield. 
Again, in fields where the wire-worm has long had al¬ 
most undisputed possession, it is not advisable to plant 
your corn, as they will very likely save you the trouble 
of harvesting. A stiff clay does not seem well adapt¬ 
ed to this crop. It is liable to suffer greatly from 
drought on one hand and from excessive moisture on 
the other. 
A deep gravelly or loamy soil is the most natural 
element for this grain. My course has usually been to 
plant after wheat, and generally, to say the least, have 
obtained fair crops, seldom putting in more than two 
acres a season, and sometimes but one, believing it far 
preferable to give the land that tillage which will return 
60 to 80 bushels per acre, than to run over some two 
or three acres to obtain that amount. As a general 
practice early planting is best. The entire growing 
season is not ordinarily much too long to mature the 
crop. Still it is doubtless better to wait a little if neces¬ 
sary than to hurry in the seed without being fully pre¬ 
pared. If the land designed for corn is not plowed till 
spring, once thoroughly done will be sufficient. There 
is however little danger of harrowing too much. 
Though I have said land can hardly be made too rich 
for corn, yet I have several times seen injury result to 
it by an injudicious application of very coarse manure. 
I would not be eonfined to any particular mode of ap¬ 
plying manure, but would first administer a pretty gene¬ 
rous allowance broadcast, and afterwards of the finest 
and richest portions in the hill. In planting I would 
not stint the hill to the precise number of plants inten¬ 
ded to stand. Perhaps the following rule may not b© 
far from the truth—One for the worm, one for the crow, 
and four to grow. The field now being planted needs 
close attention; whether there be any virtue in scare¬ 
crows (so called) I am hardly able to say, though,! 
generally go through the ceremony of erecting divers 
sorts of fixings for that purpose. The owner’s foot 
for the time being I know to be efficacious; crows ge¬ 
nerally do their worst where the hills are superficially 
covered. As a preventive in some measure to their de¬ 
predations and for "security against drought, I recom¬ 
mend that corn be covered nearly or quite the depth of 
three inches. 
The corn being fairly up, do not wait long for it to 
become large enough to hoe, get among it with the 
plow or cultivator, and it will soon reach the mark. 
The hoy who had his head combed but once a month, 
wondered how any body could submit daily to the tor¬ 
ment of such an operation. He did not reflect that the 
daily operation which he dreaded, saved all the pain. 
So to some extent is the business of hoeing. The com¬ 
mon practice is to hoe but twice, and this has been my 
own, till within a few years. Supposing that to hoe 
three times would add about one-third to the labor of 
tilling. This I fi&d to, he a mistake i not ©aly is ih« 
