Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1830-10-25
rnK TIE YIkGINIAN.


A Treatise on the cultivation Of Indian Corn,
Hheat d Tobacco, read be(ore The Triaue So.
ciety of .4ni.erd county nj Ms annual meeting
Sept %, 1890, by Zschnrias Drummiond,
Esq President ofthe Society
FELLOWS or THE AMHER,T IRuNE SocIE-
rY-At ouf last mreiing an order was made,
which requested, AT nv hands, Lecture 90
Indian Corn, Wheat and Tobacco; and howev-
pr incompetep', yet, being at all timrs ready
t. assist in tia Advancement If agriculture, as
An art | have complied with the demand so far
rs INV ability can, within the Iinils ola con-
,r cited treatise, exhibit ideas, aud experiment.
til knowledge.
Tic Maize is plant, which before the dis
coyerv of America, was known orly TO the ln-
di4us hence its name-hdian Corn. II is
now cu'tisaled PARTIAL. in some other cotVrles,
nariicnlarly in France aud. we are informed
that in those districts OF France where the
Maize is in common use. tho inhabitants are
much more healthy tlrau elsewhere.
The Indian Corn is hardy plant. Ii is
more productive, on land of any quality or sit
uaton whatever, than any other grain--it is
less liable TO disease,-it is less liable 10 he
damage ed by wevil, 1t suits our slovenly mode
of culture better than any otheT,-lt con aims
more wholesome and noHrishing alimen, than
any other,--t is bread for man, aud hay for
beast.-it affords more oilal tor manu- ing -
And vet, what more augmcnis its value, aud is
most wonderful, il has the capacity of adap-
ting itself to sny climate or soil Whatever.
From what has been said, II would appear
lhat Indian Corn is the most valuable grain On
earth and therefore, should Call forth all
ou geniss, skill and industry in its culture.
The indians who once cultivated III this their
only grain, some of those lands, ON which we
| ,ol l,nd tnnl nj metal IA
plongh i, hut fal owed md titled their fields with
sticks aud stones lhey made from IL TO l5 bat
rels of grain TO the acre; yet. we are ready TO
erclaim, " Oh, what barbarous agrlcnlturlsts -
MANY of Us fallow and ill our fields, with a
/ shovel or a coulter plough the shovel cutting
al best about three inch es deep, leaving more
than half the ground unbroken, and The coulter
cutting at hest about ak inches deep, leaving
the Ground not AS art should have IL, but MS
nature pleased with the seeds oil grapes and
weeds in their proper element, which, thus
situated, will prove their rights of freehold, in
spite OF sh wei aud coulter.
On new land ami rough mountains 1t Is true
that such inlrnments as those above mentioned
can Only he used but one using such, yei SIT
uatpd where the latter can be used, is blhd to
his own, and his country'S interest; and feel
it a duty to declare that he is near akin 10 an
iIcOt, OF a UdIDHtIdh W 'Oih' 80 WI
our lands about an average of 4 barrels 10 the
acre Has not the Indian the greatrrrIght 10 eS-
claim, Oh, barbarous white man
Coru which has been planted on sucha fall
low $ above described, (ifa fallow il may be
called grows and thrives surprisingly, until the
roots nave penetrated through the sol, AMI be.
yond the falow, where compact clay Will not
admit of their ranging IN search OF the wonied
supply Of food aud consequently sudden
failure is discovered aud now the agrlcultnrist
begins 10 wonder aud TO guess, what can be
the cause Of the change IN his crop lie VIII
say this is certainly the most thirsty iand That
ever was--lhe d. oIg ht is operating more severe
on me than on any ofmy neigbhors. must
change nv kind Of corn, for It don't suit my
land--lhis is poor crop year, &c. &c.-ont lei
me tell you, Fellow agric1ithrIsts, that such
trans snch tools, such Arguments anu excuses
will not do let me tell you that vegetable,
like an animal must nave IA plentiful PAsiurage,
or it becomes dwart.-As call Will fa'ten on
a thin pasturaee, SO likewise will corn when
young but when the calf has become a large
bullock. an extensive range is required, so like
wise Of corn.
Let me Iiken the corn on shallow laiow,
TO cattle on field which ist,ed up viii immune
rable fences the cattle cannot feed because
of tue imuediment., neither can the corn but
remove the fencme and the cattle can move IN
any direction m search of food so likewise OF
corr. Our strong lands produce better crops
| of Indian Corn, than land OF better quality,
| which is clear OF stone. And Is not the cause
evident! The roots IN the stony land, hnd a
passwa y belween the stone aud she earth but
where there is no stone and the earth hard
rrodden by stock, or hard baked by being expo
| sed 10 the sun, the tender roots cannon hnu a
passway in search OF food, aud consequently
must suffer for nourshment.
But, least one think that want TO give
thus fabric too dark coio'ing, or another ina'
want to point my finger at his corn field,
will close this sarcastic, therefore unpleasant
part ofmy task, with a remark. OF Got. John
| TAYLOR, decd. +" A native who HAS lived with,
and upon Indian Corr for more than Two nun
bred years, so far from correctly estimating It's
value, has only learned toeat IT.
shall first speak Of ploughs secondly Of
following and preparing corn land and thirdly
Of the culture OF the corn.