The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1846-02-28
Agricultural
Agricultural Meeting.

OF MusSlcllusclls, llle lOlloWlng ulSCuSSlOn
took place upon the cultivation of Indian
Corn;
Mr. Gleason, of Waylaud, commenced the
discussion. He had formerly thought Indian
corn an Improbable crop, but had lutterly al
tered his opinion lie could raise with GER
tain kinds of manure, excellent crops of corn
upon some ofhis land, which would be less
productive with any other crop. He related
Ais manner Of treatinga piece of corn last
senson. In the fall of 1914, he ploughed up
die Land sowcd rye. Lot May he plough
ed again, and spread on thirty loads of COM
post manure To the acre, Upon this piece
he raised forty bushels to the acre. With re-
gard TO the seed, Mr. Gleason had tried vari-
.cty ofkinds. A few years ago Inc planted
some Canada corn, among which many of
tho kernels were bluck. These kernels lac
c'refuly picked out But Notwithstanding,
when the crop was harvested, one huff ofihe
torn were black These he had picked out
year after year, il was his custom to select
his seed before harvesting, and 10 cut and
bind the corn crop in September. Every
part of the crop could he put to some USE
The cob, Mr. Gleason thought ~ valuable for
Tor food as English h0y. He usually ground
rhe cohs, sometimes without removing the
cora. The speaker mentioned the case Of u
horse belonging to II poor family, which was
W
er with lite meadow hay. The owner Ind
raised large crop OF corn, which he sold in
qhc fall, and had the cObs ground The horse
came out better aud livecr in the spring,
than she had for six or eight seasons previ-
ous. Since Witnessing that experiment, Mr.
GLEASON had determined not to throw away
any more corn cobs. Corn for fodder should
b, cut early, as thereby considerable of the
goodness would be saved. Mr. Gleason
,bC,,r,t corn, "a ne, fta1,lo crn, imam n,vuy
linds ofland where potatoes would not grow
10 advantage. His experience taught him to
plaut early as from the LIST to the 10th Of
May. lie had rather tie corn would be twice
touched with frost in spring, than once in
fall. One oi' his neighbors last season plant
@l piece OF corn upon land adjoining his,
much later than Mr. Gleason planted. MIR
TGleasous corn came up,and WAS twice touch
ed with frost, before the corn in the adjoining
ii,ld ctme up. His neighbor predicted very
poor croT. But upon harvesting, the yield
from the ield planted early, was double that
OfthC other.
Mr. Rice, ofMiddlesex, stated that his farm
was deep moist ioam Upon thin, he found
Indian corn as profitable as nay crop lac could
raise. This lind would at first require more
M ,nurc than Fighter soil, but the effects ot
tlla manure would last longer. He could not
perhaps raise so much grain, but the land
would afterwards bear moving five or six
wears. and produce much more grass than
Fighter soils. 4 few wears ago hc procured
some seed ofthe Dublin Tor Dutton) corn, and
was much pleased with the appearance tue
crop for the first year or two. The ears were
very large, aud filed up the basket quick
Bat he found when shelled, that there was
much more cob thau corn. He had since
preferred the eight rowad yellow corn toi
seed. Mr. Rico bad planted considerable
corn to cut mp for fodder, for which purpose
Vie thought it excellent. The northern cor
Is better for fodder than the southern, as The
latter grows too rank. Year before last he
planted a field in drills, aud tl,inncd out TO
10 lder, leaving the most promising stalks, sa,
ten or twelve inches apart. some years ag'
he turned in a crop Of grass in the fall. II,
atlerward rolled and then narrowed the land
lie then sowed il with rye. This he suflere,
10 grow until the 18th or 18th of May, whel
H. turned the rye in, together with fifteen o
sixteen loads of green manure to the acre
lie then planted corn, aud manfred III tn
hill with compost from the hog yard. TIL
next spring he ploughed up another piece q
.sward land, and treated It in similar manner
The crop on the latter piece was better tina
that on the former He consequently though
spring ploughing the best.
Mr. Stanley, ofAttleboro', stated that 1t
had been for the last thirty summers in tn
corn field, and had met with great success, i
The culture ofthat crop. During this time,h
had always had an eye each season to the in
provement Ofthe next crop. Some farmer
say that corn, in this section of the countr,
costs a dollar bushel TO raise it. But NJ
Stanley stated that it could be raised and sol
for fifty cents bushel at rs great profit {
e any other of the principal crops. A conside
able portion of the land in this State, bein
gravcy is better for corn than any othC
crop His own land is a deep gravelly loan
Tie could raise upon it from forty to siXty-tiS
bushels per acre. During the three last SCI
sons, his grass had suffered much fro
drought, whilst his corn, by the side of it Ia
thrived. Mr. Stanley then went on to sta
his manner of raising corn. The manure J
used was made i'll winter. lie bedded h
cattle with leaves, whortleberry bushes, q
&c. This he threw from under his cattle il
10 the harn-cellar where it was thorough
worked over. Ofthis compost he applied
The Spring, from three to three and Ina
cords per acre upon the grass-sward, and III
mediatcly ploughed it in, making the flrro
from eight to ten inches deep. He then we
over the land once with harrow, and atte
wards marked out the rows with lis foot.
boy then put ashes and plaster, into each {
the places thus marked. Ofthis mixture
used six bushels to the acre oftrom five to !
thousand hills. Another boy Immediately t'
lowed and dropped four or five kernels
corn in these hills,an another covered thel
The ashes and plaster was spread open
that it would notlay i'll heap. AS soon
the corn comes up,a cultivator is run betWe'
the rows, both ways, and second time, apo
ten DAYS afterwards. 1t is then hoed, 10
not hilleC) to remove the weeds, aud tn
,perhnps the cultvator is run through I