The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1843-11-17


for the subioined letter, giving his expert.
men,s in the culture of corn on a new sys.
ten. We are the more obliged to him,
who we know TO be young farmer, be-
cause Of The excellence of his example 10
the cid men, in giving Us the results Of his
eyperlmon.s--an example which We trust
will mol! be lost on our planters generally.
Tie experiment speaks for itself. aud we
commend the letter to the careful consider
icu Of cur readers--iet them reflect upon
It's truths aud improve upon lis suggestions
CrGuford Co, Sep. Is, 1913.
Messrs. EnlroRs. -The communication (
which am about TO make, designed ma
king to the Albany Cuitivaior last year,
and would have done SO had il no, been
for my aversion 10 appearing in the public ,
prints. at several times thought OF max /
ing the communication over a fictitious I
name but reflected that facts are not so apt
10 be received as such, unless man vouch
es for their truth IN bis own proper name.
/, may be proper 10 say, IN the outset,
that am cuilvating land on Film. river,
which settled some four years since for
my father, and which, in the common Ian
guage Lere, is " as rich as land ever gets
10 be-"
Last year planted for experiment one
aero Of corn in the following manner:-The
ground WIS frs, broken very deep and
then lid off hoo feet each way--the corn
planted in the checks ard covered with the
foot. When i was up about half leg high,
had it fiat wceded and .hinned 10 one
stalk. When silkiug had il fat weeded
again, and this finished the cultlya,ion--it
never having been plowed al all About
the time the corn was grown, q severe
wind Frustrated it IN several places, so that
feared my experiment would fail al last.
In addition to tbs DISASTER, It being 10 an
exposed situation, squirrels destroyed a
good deal 1.-The outside row was | think en-
lirey consumed Al a proper time bad
what was left gathered shucked out, and
measured the ears in barrel in the same
manner as we purchase aud sell corn. / (
had one barrel sbelled, and as had no
measure upon which to depend, weighed
the corn thus shelled. According 10 the
weight of this barrel, the produce OF the +
acre, as gathered, was five thousand one
hundred and four pounds.
Now farmers differ as TO the weigh, Of
bushel OF corn. In tho Southern States II .
varies from so TO Sc pounds the latter be-
ing the maximum weight. This allowed,
and you perceive upon calculation, that
this viii make II 81 bushels and nearly half
a peck. !
have given you the result Of an expert
men, tried under maHy Disadvantages.
will now give you the reasons which induc.
ed me 10 plant as DID. II Is fact well
known, that cora natures better in a cold.
er climate than ours, and from this infer.
red that it suffered too much from tho IN
tense and collected heat Of the sun IN our
climate. This is one reason why | plant
ed so close, for when grown in mldsum
mcr, the ground, and therefore the roots,
would be protected from the sun by the
shade Of the corn Itself Another reason
was, that in approprIaling given number
Of stalks to the acre, they had better be
planted a, equal distance from each other
in every direction, so that tho roots Of one
stalk will not interfere with those Of anolh-
err. BY this system you make It more
profitable, as every particle of earth will be
reached by the roots and no portion OF soil
be free from effort while other portions are {
overtasked.
Another reason was, that when planted |
so as to shade the ground, (strange as il {
appears,) it would better stand drought, {
by preventing the largest portion of
shower from evaporatlng, as it is the case {
where the sun has free access 10 the {
ground. Tha, this idea may not appear !
so novel, ask you TO reflect that the spots S
which remain mois, for the longest time !
u the woods are those which are covered I
With the densest growth. {
Another was that il would save labor in c
he cultivation; for when The corn is high :
enough to shade the ground, weeds and 9
grass cease TO flourish. And still another =
eason was, that II saved the necessity Of o
,utling the roots with pillow. know tins is $
/ controverted poin, among practical fa'm- c
RS, but | would Just as soon expect that an b
Iuimal would be more thrifty by having g
us limbs broken or his mouth lacorated, as !
o suppose tina. plant would be more Wig s
,rous in consequence OF having its leaves -
" roots injured The latter, vegetable |
Histology teaches US, serve as the mouth, u
md the former as the lungs, of plants. Il has r
gain been objected, that such close plant |,
no -.
shch was necessary for lis health. Ii has /
eemed strange that this objection should
ave been urged, for if a philosopher were
experimenting IN pneumatlcs, he would [
Iardly say his receiver was "Gir tight " a
t it had crack Of t,ro feet in it. Finally, c
iessrs, Editors, we may theorize on the o
ubject as much as we please and there &
nay be as many objections urged as II is o.
ossiblo TO produce, yet unprecedented sue b