The gazette., 1799-04-15
Agricultural.
70 t5s Farmers 9ftbe United States.

PERMIT me, through the medium of a
newfpaper, TO give you few hints relPe6ing
the culture Of Indian Corn. Although the
mode here recommended may be conGdered
very imperfect, yet it may engage the attention
Of farmers more able than mytelf, and by their
experiments, bring The art Of huibandry to great
perfection. | have been convinced, from tx
perience as well as PhiloloPhy, that planting
corn at the diRance of foVr feet, with four or
FIVE kernals in hill, and that rafting the earth
abou it in hoeing time, are equally ablurd.-
Plarting the feed at 70 great diRance, is wrong
on ieveral accounts.
IT. Corn is plant that requires both motif
er and heat but not heat 70 intenle as the
meridian fun in fummer often produces. Any
man Of common oblervation will allow, that IN
MOTT, warm weather, corn always vegetables
the faaeR. The extreme heat Of the fun has q
tendency to, and will rarity and exhale both the
moilture and the fats or nitrous which
in a degree, dePrives the plants Of their nourth-
mcnt. To plant the rows Of your corn about
three feet diRant, and the hill in the rows about
twenty inches, with two kernels in each hill,
will give the fame quantity of feed, and each
plant its fhare of heat and moiIture. The
ground will be 70 ihaded before the drought Of
lummer comes on, that neither the extreme
heat of the day. nor the night chills, are 70
deRruaive as they are to corn planted in the old
way.
As I generally fow and plant my ground al
ternately, find by experience, that my iueCei-
five crops as we'll as my corn, are much larger
than they were when uled the former mode.
AgainR hiIlng corn think feveral realons
may be offered.
1T, Nature always dire6s right with regard
to the placing Of vegetable roots. If you draw
over them new layer Of earth, you derange
the order Of nature you give them different
degrees of hea: and moiRure, and create for
them, as it were, new climate. Second, if
you make hill about your corn, it keeps the
Ralk tender within the hill. IF it is only bent
by ltorm, hole is left in the top of the bill
on the windward lide of the Ralk, and the rain
walhes in the dua and prevents the corn from
rifng after the form is over. Third corn IS a
plant of quick vegetation and fends forth It's
roots to a great diltance from its aalk. Ifyou
plow between the rows you will cut the Gne
roots Of the corn, which greatly Injuries it,
This you will dileover by the corn's wiiterng
WIKI YOU pAOu1iA a. III " = A4OL Qdy
in hilling time.
From the foregoing conGderat',ns s others,
am convinced, that it is beR to plough your
ground we'll in the fPring, to run over it a light
harrow before you plant it, to keep the ground
as clear Of weeds as polble after the corn i up,
and at each time hoeing, in order 10 prevent
ezhalations to llir gently the whole fnrface of
The earth.
AS the exports Of America chiefly depend On
the agricultural part Of focjety, it is Of the ut
moG importance that we bring the art of hui
bandry to the greateG perfection. To promote
this obie4 hope farmers will carefully attend
to experiments.
ELTAKIM SPOONER.
N. B. would inform the farmers, that I
have received from the Preident Of the United
States, PATENTS for two machines that are
calculated, the one for planting, and The other
for dreaing corn in the method above expreT-
ed. L. SPOONER.
W53m@jqer, FtJraary 20, 1893.