Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1846-02-12
Aarirnltnral.
Indian Corn.
[Coneluded ltom "a lceek.l

us bushels OF corn from an acre His descrlD-
ton is follows The quality of soil is deep
yellow loan. The land had been in grass for sis
years, and until the last year had yielded heavy
crops. The last year the crop Of hay falling below
the produce OF former years, thought il exped.
ent to stir the ground in November following II
was ploughed and narrowed, In the following
spring twenty loads of green barn manure was
spread equally over the ground and ploughed in
1t was then iurrowed in rows 3 l-2 feet apart with
aplough and the burrows filed with twenty loads oil
barn, hog and night manure, well mixed and pull.
verlzed with lime; the manure then levelled
aud the kernels of seed dropped in double drills
ten inches apart wdthwise aud inches lengthwise
IN the row and covered lightly with fine mould 1t
was hoed three times, at the last hoeing in July,
the suckers were all pulled out, and in the orepart
OF August all the false and smutty stalks were cut
away. In hoeing the corn particularly careful
to loosen the soil and remove the weeds withou;
raising the earth about the hills as | had usually
done-the stalks would average from nine TO ten
eet high and were topped the first week in Septem.
Der. In October the corn was harvested and care
fully measured by two disinterested men. The re-
suit found TO be 1913 bushels of sound corn
weighing between 90 and 81 lbs per bushel"
Gen. Hull, of Newton, Mass gives an account
Of the culture and produce Of an acre of corn as
follows =" The previous year the ground was
moved and produced about one ton of hay 1t had
been in grass eight years. In October il was bro
ken up, very deep, and in April following thor
oughy narrowed. Then a compost of night ma
nnre, rich earth and barn manure making % loads
were equally spread over this land and immediate
ly covered, poughing across the burrows Burrows
were then drawn north and south 3 l-2 feet apart
Hills were then made in these burrows two feet
apart with the hoe. The corn was planted be.
tween the 18th and Goth of May, with four kernels
in each hill, equidistant about five inches 1t was
hoed three times As the ground, by deep plough
ing and hoeing, had been rendered loose | was of
the opinion the hills would receive more pourish-
ment and stand stronger, by the roots running un.
der ground in the whole space between the rows
then by drawing the earth around the hills with the
hoe, as is the usual custom. Besides the dews the
light rains and the sun have much greater effect
on the roots, when the ground is left in the manner
have here described, than when the earth is bank
ed up around the hill, And further when high hills
are made, the roots running horizontally will run
out of the ground and perish. Every thing which
had been anticipated with respect to the manner in
which this field Of corn had been cultivated was re-
allied, While other in the same field was
perlshng during the dry season, no part Of this |
acre suffered in the least degree by the drought
The second week in October it was harvested and
found to measure of sound corn ] 10 bushels"
Another example Of good crop Of corn is that |
Of E. Phinney, Esq, of Lexington, Mass. Although
the amount of corn per is not great as some
Others yet considering the number of acres and the
previous extremely low condition of the land, it |
must be regarded as a remarkably successful ex-
pertinent His description is as follows :-"On
ield of $ acres, of mine. being barren from iniu-
dicons management Of IFS former owner, and hav-
ing been in grass 3 years and the crop not paying
for the cutting, made the following experimental
took single foot square Of green sward and after
separating the roots and tops of the grasses from
the loan, it was found to contain ounces of clear
vegetable matter, giving at the rate of twelve and
quarter tons to the acre. This convinced me of
the importance of taking some course bv which
this valuable treasure might be turned to good &C.
count. That great part ofths mass of vegetable
matter is exposed TO useless waste by the usual
mode oil ploughing, cross ploughing and narrowing
must be obvious TO any one In order therefore TO
secure this poughed the whole field as smoothly
as possible-lhe field was then rolled hard with a
loaded roller, and the whole made smooth. Twen-
~ cart loads OF compost manure, made by mixing
two parts Of muck, with of stable dung, were
spread upon each acre. 1t was then thoroughly
narrowed, lengthwse Of the furrows with a light
harrow, care being taken not to disturb the Sod
The field was then marked out in rows three feet
apart by hand instrument resembling rake. The
corn was then planted in single drills the kernels
inches apart. In the subsequent culture grea,
care was taken not to disturb the sod. What Mr.
Lorraln calls "the savage practice of killing I'd the
the season, this field did not present very proms-
ing appearance; but as soon rs the roots had ex-
tended into the enriching matter beneath, and be-
gan TO expand IN the decomposing sward, which had
now become mellow, and more mnutely divided BY
the fermentation of the confined vegetable matter
beneath, than it possibly could have been by plough
or hoe, the growth became vigorous, and The crop
averaged at harvest so bushels of corn to the acre
As as the corn was harvested, the hills were
split with light plough, and the field smoothed
with harrow. One bushe of rye per acre and
sufficient quantity Of herdsgrass and red top seed
was then sowed and well narrowed and rolled in
The crop of rye was harvested the July following
and averaged "a bushels per acre The grass seed
suwed with the rye took WE'LL and the present sea.
son moved, what was judged to be tons of the
best of hay from each acre. Thus, with one
ploughing, with the aid of twenty cart loads of COM
post manure to the acre. have obtained two crops
Of grain and stocked the land down to grass
We had marked several other crops as worthy of
note, but have room for only the following which
we select as showing what crops of corn NAV be
grown on the very northern verge its culture and
what the treatment was that produced it,
The soil was gravelly, dry, had been cropped sew
IN years in succession, and MANFRED each YEAR
In the spring OF 1888 the hills of the previous wear
we're split, good dressing of manure put on and
bowed in, narrowed, and with light pillow opened
INTO drills l-2 feet apart On the 10Th of MAY,
IL bushels oil seed corn was put in tub, and hot
water poured on it, till too hot stir with the hand
t was stepped two hours, then dried by rolling in
'aser, aud planted the same day in hills l6 TO Is
inches apart, and from to kernals IN hill On
he 9th OF June it had come up on the IIth Q
mall pillow was passed between the rows lightly
lrnlng the little mold raised to the middle and
are being taken to stir the whole surface of the .