398 
THE CULTIVATOR 
Dec, 
think of eight or ten bushels per acre. I did not dis¬ 
cover much difference between the manured potato 
ground, and the clover lay, which confirms my previous 
opinion, that a clover lay plowed under, is about equal 
to a dressing of manure, 
I cultivated corn as follows: twenty-two acres on clo¬ 
ver lay, part plowed in the fall and part in the spring. 
After the clover had got about ankle high, I plowed it 
deep, passed over with the roller, harrowed well, marked 
both ways three and a half feet apart, and planted from 
4 to 6 seeds in a hill; planted the last days of May and 
first of June; as soon as I could see the rows I went 
through with the cultivator; in about a week after, 
went through with the cultivator again, followed with the 
hoe, making it perfectly clean, and thinning it to four 
stalks in the hill. I kept the cultivator stirring the 
ground as much as possible, till the corn was about three 
feet high, then went through with the shovel plow, and 
hilled moderately. As soon as the corn was glazed I 
cut it up by the ground, and set it up in small stooks. 
I consider stalks as the most valuable cured in this way. 
I planted part of the eight-rowed white, and part of the 
eight-rowed yellow. I found the yellow corn some ten 
days earliest, but the white yielded best; I did not keep 
it separate. ' The whole averaged fifty-six bushels per 
acre. Five acres of sweet corn I planted the first days 
of July; the ground was well manured by top-dressing, 
cultivated the same as the common; picked the 15th to 
30th of October. It sold in the market principally, at 
62^ cents per hundred ears, amounting to $257.33. The 
stalks are much more valuable than the other corn, as 
they contain a larger proportion of saccharine matter. 
I sowed this year thirty acres of buckwheat; after 
mowing, I turned over a clover lay, and sowed between 
the 15th and 20th of July, about three pecks to the acre. 
Harvested about the 10th of October; produce eight 
hundred and thirty-one bushels, twenty-three and three- 
quarter bushels per acre. On fifteen acres I sowed rye 
with the buckwheat, which looks well, and bids fair to 
be a good crop. 
I cultivated twelve acres of broom corn, on an island 
in the Hudson river. In consequence of the late spring 
freshet, I planted the first week in June, ground plowed 
deep, well harrowed, rolled and marked three feet apart, 
and planted with Campfield’s Drill Barrow, hills eigh¬ 
teen inches apart, ten seeds in the hill; it was tended 
much the same as Indian corn, cut when the seed was 
in the milk, cleaned and cured in the shade, to keep the 
brush green. My usual crop is about seven hundred 
pounds per acre. This year, in consequence of having 
been twice overflowed, the crop is much injured, and 
will not yield more than four hundred and ten pounds 
per acre. 
One acre of corn I sowed for fodder. Sowed the last 
of July, cut and fed to the cows through the month of 
October. I find it excellent for late green feed. 
I cultivated two acres of melons; watermelons, citron 
melon, and preserve citron. Planted the first of June. 
After the land was put in good order, by deep plowing, 
I marked out the ground six feet apart each way, and 
put three shovels full of street manure in a hill. I plan¬ 
ted at least twelve seed in a hill. Calculated about two- 
thirds to be lost by the bugs. The produce was very 
large, as the family consumed many, many were pilfered 
and given away, and sold over one hundred dollars 
worth. 
Fifty rods of asparagus, I cultivated as follows: sowed 
the seed, transplanted the third year to the bed for cut¬ 
ting. I prepared the bed by plowing deep, and highly 
manured with well rotted manure; when the bed was 
thus prepared, I took a large plow, and struck a furrow 
about twelve inches deep, set my plants in the bottom of 
the furrow, about ten inches apart, cover, then struck the 
second eighteen inches apart from the first, and so on 
until all are set. Top dressed with well rotted barn¬ 
yard manure and salt. My asparagus was of an extra¬ 
ordinary size and quality. Sold $69.66 worth at eleven 
cents per bunch, besides what was used in the family. I 
cannot tell how much fertilizing matter is taken from the 
soil to produce twenty bushels of wheat. I wish I could. 
I have cultivated usually about an acre of strawber¬ 
ries, with success and profit. I have cleared over two 
hundred dollars in one year from one acre. My mode 
of cultivation is to take a clean piece of land in good 
condition, plow it very deep, harrow thoroughly, and 
spread evenly from two to three hundred bushels of 
leached ashes to an acre, mark the land in drills three 
feet apart, and insert the plants from eight to twelve inch¬ 
es apart, in the drills. I transplanted in April, or early in 
May. I obtained no fruit the first year, of consequence. 
I cultivate between the rows, as long as lean get through 
with the cultivator, and then let the vines run together, 
they will cover the ground entirely by the first of Au¬ 
gust. I do nothing with them again until the next spring, 
when I take a double team and heavy harrow, and go 
over the beds thoroughly, until the plants are sufficient¬ 
ly thinned; this loosens the ground and takes out all the 
weak plants. If the ground does not appear to be suffi¬ 
ciently rich, I apply another dressing of leached ashes; 
after this is done, the ground is laid off in beds, about 
five feet apart, and nothing more is detoe till the fruit 
comes to maturity. After the fruit is gathered, the beds 
are cleared of weeds, and left till the next spring. The 
second year I repeated the above method. 
One great benefit I find in using ashes as a manure, is 
that it brings no weeds. I consider strawberries one of 
my best crops. I failed, however, entirely in my crop 
this year. I had one and a half acres of the pine apple 
variety, a variety much recommended for its prolific 
crops, and the superior quality of its fruit; my beds 
never looked so well as they did last spring, blossomed 
finely, and bid fair for an abundant crop, but after blos¬ 
soming no berry appeared, and I had therefore a most 
splendid failure. I had not a full grown, perfect berry 
in the whole field, they were all pistillate plants. I have 
been setting rows of the Iowa variety through them, 
with the hope of better success the next year. 
18. I usually sow clover and timothy seed on winter 
crops. Timothy in August and September, clover in 
April. Four quarts of timothy, and usually twelve 
quarts of clover to an acre. My land being upland, I pre. 
fer timothy and clover for pasture. 
19. I mowed thirty-two acres this year, and averaged 
about one and a half tons per acre. I cut clover when 
the heads begin to brown, and timothy when in full blos¬ 
som. Cure as much in the swath and cock as possible. 
To preserve the color and keep the leaves from shelling, 
salt in the mow, at the rate of four quarts to the load. 
24. I was in the milk dairy business till last October, 
when I sold out. For the last two years previously I 
kept on an average about thirty cows. Since then seven. 
Nineteen I pasture for others. I keep for use on the 
farm, four mules, one horse, and one yoke of cattle. My 
cows are of the native breed. 
25. I have made no experiment in the breeding or use 
of cattle. Have used for farm work, horses, mules and 
oxen I prefer mules for general farm purposes. Oxen 
the second best. I consider two mules as good, and will 
do as much work as three horses. I can keep three 
mules as cheap as two horses, besides saving much in 
shoeing, and costing nothing for farriery; they will work 
when very old, and I could not be induced to do without 
them. 
26. I stable my cattle, and cut my feed principally and 
give them as much as they will eat. Water in the stable. 
34. The depredations of the common peach worm I 
prevent by digging round the trees twice a year, and de¬ 
stroying them. This is the only troublesome insect I 
have had so far, except the common caterpillar, which 
is easily got rid of. 
35. I keep the ground cultivated for two or three feet 
round the trees, and keep the ground covered with com¬ 
post, when the orchard is in sod, which is not more than 
one year in four. I endeavor to keep my orchard well 
manured. I wash my trees with a preparation of lime 
and oil of soap, which keeps the bark smooth and thrifty. 
37. I have a story and a half bouse, 24 by 36 feet, 
with kiteken back, 18 by 30 feet, 12 feet taken off for 
store room. The upper part of my main building is 
devoted entirely to sleeping rooms. 
