Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1824-01-28
a9rtcult;tral.
From the Concord Gazette.


The Trustees of the Society of Mid
dlesex Husbandmen and Manufacturers,
report for the information. of the Society,
that at their annual meeting at Concord
Dec. 81. 1898, they awarded to Col. Jo-
seph Valentine of Hopkinton, the pgemi-
um of $40 for having raised the great
est quantity of Indian Corn on one acre
of land, beng 1877 bushels and pecks,
Col. Valentine gives the following ac-
count of the mode of cultivation adopted
by him, viz:
"The quality ofthe soil is deep yell
low loan, situated on western declivi-
ty and naturally moist. The land has
been improved for moving six years last
past, and until the Tasty year it has yield
ed very heavy crops. In July, 1929 the
crop OF hay falling below the produce of
former years, thought it expedient to
stir the ground. In August following
the ground was broken up, and in No.
vember it was narrowed and cross
ploughed. 10 the Spring Of 1923, il was
again ploughed and narrowed, and TWEEN
ty loads OF green barn manure, spread
equally over it and ploughed in. 1t was
then iurrowed in rows about three feet
and half apart, with large horse
plough, the 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 gen.
eral surface of the ground. The rows
thus prepared, we're filled with twenty
loads of barn. hog-yard, and night ma
nure, well mixed and puiperzed with
Smithfield lime: the manure was then
levelled, and the kernels of seed placed
about ten inches apart width-wise, and
four inches length-wise lii the rows and
lightly covered with fue mould. The
seed was the yellow twelve-rowed corn,
which was soaked in strong salt-petre
brine, twenty hours, and then spread,
spriukled with quick lime and raked o.
yer until completely coated with lime.
1t was ploughed twice and hoed three
times. At the last hoeing. the first of
July, the suckers were pulled ont, and
in the fore part of August, the suckers
were again pulled away and the false
stalks cut up. In hoeing the corn was
particularly careful to loosen the soil
and remove the weeds without raising
the earth about the stalks as had usual
ly 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 harvest
ed, and carefully measured in baskets by
two men who had assisted 10 cuItivating
the crop. directed the same men to
take each OF them a basket and fill it
with ears in the same manner, as when
they measured the whole, and to she'll
and measure the quantity of shelled corn
obtained from each basket Of ears; the
amount of shelIed corn from each basket
OF ears was the same, viz.nineteen quarts,
and when turned together aud measured,
the result was one bushel 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 basket, and the amount
of shelled contained in basket of ears,
the result is one hundred and twenty
seven bushels and twenty-one quarts of
shelled corn. The field in which the
above acre was measured contains three
acres, one half Of which was planted
with seed prepared as above described ;
the other half was planted with seed in
lis natural state. The corn in eyery
part of the field came up well, and as ali
the ground was cultivated and MANFRED
alike, there could be no difference in the
quality of the soil to invite or repel in.
sects and vermin. But that part which
was planted with seed in its natural state.
at least one sixth part of the blades were
eaten off and destroyed by worms while
10 the part planted with seed soaked in
brine and coated with lime, not blade
was discovered that had been attacked
by them. This is the first experiment
ever made to prove the utility ofse
curing corn against the ravages Of
worms, by any process applied to the
seed. Perhaps the mode above describ-
ed and pursued by me will not always be
attended with the Like success. II may,