Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-11-04
ESS14 Y No. 8.


Dissertations on the culture Of Ind;an Cors.
If the climate Of New England was as favoura-
BILE to the growth and maturity of Indian Corn, as
the soil is, we might raise plentiful crops of this
useful and necessary article of husbandry. Ii is
owing TO the frequency of untimey frosts, and the
prevalence of those insects that are 20 destructive
this plant in III earliest stages we frequent
y dependent upon the southern states for requisite
supplies We however, yet believe that with a
suitable mode OF cultiv and ecohomy in the
expenditure, suificiency for our own consumption
might be raised in this section of the Union. Corn
ought not be planted on the same lard two success
sive years, unless it be highly MANFRED. Sward
land should be pIoughed the season previous TO its
being planted as il is enriched by having the her
bage turned under the furrow. Ii is also benefited
by inhang the rich particles of the atmosphere &c
Ii it be light and sandy soil. the manure NAV
be carted on, spread and turned under the fur ow
by cross ploughing in the spring. But in case the
soil be moist and clayey, the manure should be
dropped on the furrow in small heaps, after it is
ploughed for the last time part may be spread and
narrowed in, the remainder put in the BILL A late
writer, GU our subject, says, a few years since he
began to plough field in June to be planted with
corn the next season, and ploughed part oft ev
cry month until December, leaving strip through
the lot TO be ridged in the spring accordingly in
April following, he ridged across the whole the
result was, that which was ploughed in the summer
months yielded the most corn, and was the easiest
titled ; that which was ploughed in autumn, did
not so well as the preceding, but was better than
that which was left until the spring. The best
time for planting corn, in warm season and on
dry land, is between the 10th and Goth of May
on moist SOIL the last week Of May is sufficiently
early,
r. ID.
as we'll almost every other vegetable. 1t is put
on from tea spoonful TO table spoonful, TO hill
after the first hoeing, and repeated some times after
the second hoeng. In cuitivating this plant, great
care and attention. as well as labour, are required
Its growth is commonly checked and the crop in
jured by not receiving sufficient and repeated
dressings. Ii should be hoed twice or three times
At each hoeing il is inn ortant the ground should
be ploughed or narrowed between the rows. After
this is done, il is recommended to harrow between
the rows frequently until the ear begins to form on
the stalk. Narrowing and ploughing, not only
render the ground much easier in filling il. but il
promotes vegetatos by loosening the earth, more
thoroughly than can be done with the hoe alone.
Previous TO planting corn, the seed should be
soaked in water q few hours: add @ little tar, at
the rate of about half gill to six quarts, which
may be thoroughly mixedby string few seconds
Then take the corn out OF the water and add as
much plaster of paris as viii adhere TO the kernels
bis covers the tar to make il good planting,
promotes vegetation, and together with the tar,
keeps off the noxious insects, which otherwise often
destroy the seed in the ground and tar prevents
the destruction OF the plant by birds. DIR. Jared
Eliot ia his essays on field husbandry. recommends
as preventative of corn against crows vermin &c
tina. il be stepped in liquor made by boiling the root
of heebore, otherwise called skunk's cabbage
Boil the root in water about two hours, then
strain out the liquor, put the seed IN The liquor
while il is wharm. steep it about 20 hours; it is
then fit to plant. There are three kinds of corn
which are planted The large kind yields the
most but lately il scarcely ever ripens well--the
sma corn, usually called the eight rowd corn, is
the most prevalent The other is q new species of
the small kind, recently introduced into the notice
of our farmers, 1t ripens fortnight earlier than
either of the preceding, and promises to be yalu
able acquisition.
MR.. SHIRLEY,
have been much pleased to notice, 10
some of your late papers, proposition for
forming an Agricultural Society, to consist OF
and influential ind iyiduals from
The different sections of the District of Maine.
A society of scientific and practical Farmers.
of competent experience and funds,
would by disseminating information and Of
ferng moderate excitements to ambition, by
way of bounty among the poor, industrious,
and enterprising yeomanry, do very much in
improving the state of Agriculture in Maine.
The Massachusetts, and Berkshire Agricultu-
raj Societies have aroused laudable spirit
of improvement in the old part of the Com
spirit of improvement and EN-
uIatioR, that places the agriculture of Massa-
chusetts in the front ground of any of the
states in the Union. Why is it, that while
the old part of the state has taken such dis
tnguished rank in agricultural enterprise,
that Maine, with equal, perhaps greater ad
vantages of soil, has exhibited on its whole
face the appearance of a country rising int 0
consequence by its intrinsic exceliencies, ra:h-
er than by any improvements, made by IFS
population 2-I mean agricultural improve
ments. The reason obviously is because men
OF experience. wealth, and science, have so
long neglected to form themselves into active
societies and associations, with determined