290 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Sept, 
have been grown upon the same field, and the last crop 
was as productive as the first. So fertile was the soil 
of many portions of Ohio thought to be, at the early 
settlement of the country, that the opinion pretty gene¬ 
rally prevailed, that its reproducing powers could not be 
exhausted. Consequently, methods of cropping were 
adopted at the start, which were calculated to extract 
the fertilizing properties from the soil, without restoring 
any of the requisite elements for the reproduction of 
those crops, and hence, except under very favorable 
circumstances, a deterioration in the quality and value 
of those lands has been gradually produced, greatly 
to the pecuniary loss of the land owners. In some in¬ 
stances an enlightened system of cultivation and rota¬ 
tion of crops is practiced, but we regret that the masses 
of the Ohio farmers have yet to learn by bitter experience, 
the importance of nursing rather than skinning their 
lands. 
As far as the eye can stretch in the distance, nothing 
but corn and wheat fields are to be seen ; and on some 
points of the Scioto Yalley, as high as a thousand acres 
of corn may be seen in adjoining fields, belonging to 
some eight or ten different proprietors. From one to 
two hundred acres of corn are grown by the rich landed 
proprietors of the Scioto and Miami valleys, and, with 
only one plowing previous to planting, and some three 
stirrings with a shovel plow, an average crop of from 
fifty to eighty bushels per acre, may confidently be ex¬ 
pected. This large yield, with the trifling amount of 
labor expended, and the result being comparatively 
free from risk and contingency, all combine to make the 
corn crop a favorite one among those who possess soils 
eminently adapted for its growth. Where the practice 
prevails of growing corn in succession for many years, 
without allowing any other description of crop to alter¬ 
nate, the soil becomes overrun with annual weeds, which 
attain a great growth during the month of August and 
the early part of September, so that by the time the 
crop is ripe, the ground becomes matted with weeds ful¬ 
ly knee high, and before the setting-in of winter, the 
seed of those weeds becomes matured, and the following 
season are equal, if not a greater annoyance, than the 
previous year. This difficulty is thoroughly obviated by 
some farmers, who adopt a rotation of crops suited to 
effect that purpose. The ordinary management given 
the corn crop, not only brings the land to the finest 
tilth, but completely eradicates all kinds of grasses and 
weeds; so that when the crop is laid by, as it is termed, 
which is done in the month of July, no species of sum¬ 
mer-fallow could better prepare the ground for wheat. 
About the last of August, or first week in September, 
many sow their corn ground with wheat, and cover the 
seed with a steel tooth cultivator or shovel plow. Others 
cut up the corn and shock it up in rows across the field, 
about 15 or 20 yards asunder, and then plow up the 
ground between those rows, and sow it with wheat, leav¬ 
ing strips of some eight or ten feet wide, on which the 
corn was shocked, to be sowed with oats the following 
spring. Of the two systems, the latter is most exten¬ 
sively practiced, mainly on account of the inconvenience 
experienced in sowing and covering the seed amongst a 
crop that is very subject to fall down when the ears be¬ 
gin to get heavy. "Where it can be done, the plan of 
sowing wheat among the standing corn, is preferable to 
waiting till the crop is harvested, on account of the late 
period the w'heatis sown when this plan is adopted. 
The early varieties, such as find favor in the east, are 
rarely to be found in Ohio. In some instances, a large 
variety of the eight rowed yellow corn is cultivated for 
the purpose of preparing the ground for wheat, in which 
case it is harvested by the middle of September, and 
the whole of the ground is cleared of the crop, and 
sown with wheat the latter part of September. This 
plan, however, is only done on a small scale, and by those 
farmers who simply grow corn sufficient for domestic 
consumption. In almost every instance, the dented va¬ 
rieties of corn are grown by those who make corn grow¬ 
ing a leading department of their business. These va¬ 
rieties grow at least twice as tall as northern corn; have 
a much stronger stalk; are not very subject to suckers; 
have but few ears on a stalk, and those of large growth, 
and when thoroughly filled and ripened, the birds and 
squirrels do not damage the crop to the same extent 
that is done to the small varieties. The ears take a po¬ 
sition on the stalk from 3 to 5 feet from the surface of 
the ground; and not more than two ears per stalk are 
obtained, even by the most thorough cultivation and li¬ 
beral manuring. The rows are placed from 3 to 4 feet 
asunder, in opposite directions across the field, so as to 
admit the crop being cultivated by the shovel plow, corn 
plow, or steel tooth cultivator, as the case may be, and 
from three to four stalks are allowed to grow in a hill. 
Ordinarily, the crop is worked four times, beginning 
when the plants are only a few inches high, and ending 
when the stalks are some two or more feet high; but in 
some instances even the fifth and sixth horse-hoeing is 
given the corn crop, which is mainly done to improve the 
condition of the land for the succeeding wheat crop. On 
the rich valleys, however, two, and at the outside three 
dressings, with the one horse, or shovel plow, is all that 
is required to obtain a full average crop of from 60 to 80 
bushels per acre; and hence a less amount of labor is 
required, than would be necessary on thin upland, to 
bring about the same result . When the expense of ma¬ 
nuring upland is taken into the account, the labor ne¬ 
cessary to obtain say 60 bushels per acre, is fully twice 
as much as would have to be expended to secure the same 
result on ordinary bottom land. It therefore, must ap¬ 
pear obvious, that those who are in possession of land 
naturally adapted for the growth of corn, can produce 
it at a much cheaper rate than those whose soil is better 
suited for the growth of wheat and clover; and as evi¬ 
dence of this, the fact need only be mentioned, that the 
valley farmers, who cultivate corn entirely, are becoming 
very wealthy, whilst those who engage in the business 
extensively on their upland, are not more than barely 
paid for their labor. The whole matter is easily ex- 
plained. The average product on the rich alluvial soils 
is 60 bushels per acre, costing in labor, one plowing, and 
two or three dressings with the shovel plow; whilst on 
the high, thin land, the yield is about thirty bushels per 
acre, costing in labor fully twice as much as on the for¬ 
mer description of soils. The difference does not end 
here, from the fact that the bottom land contains the re¬ 
quisite food for the corn plants to produce from 20 to 30 
consecutive crops, averaging from 50 to 100 bushels per 
