Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-02-24
.AGRKCVATN RAL.
From the Concord Gazette.

The Trustees OF the > clety OF Middle
sex Husbandmen and Manufacturers,
report for the information of the Society,
that at their annual meeting at Concord,
December 81, 1928, they awarded to
Col Joseph Valentine, of Hopknton,
the premium of $40 for having raised
the greatest quantity of Indian corn on
one acre of land, being l27 bushels and
three pecks.
Col. Valentine gives the following ac-
count of the mode OF cultivation adopted
by him, viz:
s., The quality of the soil, is deep yell
low loan, situated on western declivity
and naturally moist. The land has been
improved for six years last past, and M
ill the last year it has yielded very hea-
w crops. In July, 1922, the crop Of
hay falling below the produce of former
years, thought ii expedient to stir The
ground. In August following the
ground was broken up, and in Novem-
Der it was narrowed, and cross pioughed.
In the spring Of 1928, it was again
plouehed an narrowed, and twenty loads
Oh green Ddlti opiNab CItufiy
over it and ploughed in. 1t was then
furrowed in rows about three feet and
half apart, with large horse plough,
tine plough going twice in each row to
make a deep channel for the compost
manure, and also to leave the seed when
planted lower than the general surface
OF the erourd The rows thus prepared,
were filled with twenty loads OF barn,
hoy-yard and night IN anure, well mixed
and puverized with Smnhfield lime =: the
manure was then levelled, and the kerr
nails of seed placed about ten inches
aDart width-wise, and covered with fine
mould. The seed was the yellow twelve
rowed corn, which was soaked in strong
salt.pe,re brine, twenty hours, and
then spread, sprnkled with quick lime
.raked over until completely coated with
lime. 1t was ploughed twice, and hoed
three times. At the last hoeing, the Isl
Of July, the suckers were pulled out,
and in the fore part of August, the suck
ers were again pulled away and the false
stalks cut up. In boeing the corn was
partcu lary careful to loosen the soil
and remove the weeds without raising
the earth about the stalks as had usually
done. The stalks would average from
nine to ten feet high, and were cut the
first week in September. The first
week in October the corn was harvested,
and carefully measured in baskets by
two men who had assisted in cultvatDg
the crop. directed the same men to
take each Of them basket and fill it
with ears in the same manner, as when
Hhey measured the whole, ard to shell
,and measure the quantity of shelled
corn obtained from each basket Of ears /;
the amount of sheled corn from each
basket of ears was the same, VIZ: nine.
teen quar,s, and when turned together
and measured, the result was one BUSH
ell six quarts and fraction over, from
the two baskets. BY computing the
produce Of the whole acre from the
quantity Of ears as measured in the bas-
ket, and the amount of shelled contain.
ed in basket of ears, the result is one
hundred and twenty-seven bushels and
twenty-one quarts OF sbelled corn. The
field in which the above acre was mea-
sured contains three acres, one half of
which was planted with seed prepared
as above described; the other hall was
planted with seed in its natural state.
the corn in every par, cf the field came
up we'll, and as all the ground was culti-
yated and manured alike, there could be
no difference in the quality OF the soil to
i'm, 10 or repe. insects and vermin. But
tina, par yhich was planted with seed in