Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1869-10-07
farm \ fireside.
Brandywine Hundred.

81 FEET IL INCHES OF EARS OF CORN ON FL |
STALKS !!
MRssRs EDITORS AS it is the opinion OF
many persons, that the sand in Brandywine
Hundred is more unproductive than any
other section of the country, it may be in
teresting to give you an " item on my crop
of the present year;
have recently cut tweniy-one stalks OF
sugar corn for seed, the last of the crop,
none of these stalks bore less than three good
ears and some more. The ears contain from |
~ to IA rows of well filed and deep grained |
corn.
The ears on many stalks measured from
twenty to twenty-five inches TO the stalk,
On the stalk eight ears had formed, pro-
ducing nineteen and a hair inches ears OF
good corn and the balance nubbins.
On another nile ears formed and pro-
duced five large ears, which measured hir-
ty-t,oo and one quarter inches in length |
and weighed five pounds when cut. Several
others started Eve and six ears, perfecting
four to the stalk. MI these ears would
doubles have been perfected in favorable
season.
The aggregate length Of the ears of good
corn on these twenty-on stalks is four nun
d. ed and nineteen inches!
have also some very good sized heets,
grown from Landreth's "Eariy 1urnip
rooted beet seed" Five of which l mea-
sured as follows :-lsS by i6S inches, 10 by
1s3 inches, 2oh by by l9l inches, 255 by 81
inches, 26s by 2os inches, and weighed res
pectively 9 pounds Soz. 8 pounds Coz.
pounds Soz., 5 pounds and 6 pounds Coz,
when dug. The Messrs. Landreth's pro-
nounce them 'Monstrosities." Not with
standing such they are, they still retain their
tenderness and fine tlavor,a was fully tested
at my table, where y had smaller one
served after three 8 billing, and one
half of it was suilic for the dinner Of
eight persons. The es were so large that
no one had the courage to attempt 10 lift a
whole one from the dish to their plate. l,
was as tender, sweet and delicious beet o;
was ever eaten.
/ never use g might soil" as a fertilizer,
believing it 10 be highly deleterious to health
and entirely destroying the natural flavor o.
vegetables; neither did use any phosp
on these crops. l make mostly my owr
manures and composts. The material fol
which have in unlimited quantities on thu
place in the shape of two or three acres 0
black marshy landp soyered with ''sedge
which, with three 5r four inches of thi
black soil throw up into large heap AMI
saturate it thoroughly from pool that re
ceives the DRAWINGS from my stable and barn
yard, into which L put small quantities 0
lime, salt petre, wood ashes and salt, and il
one season it becomes Il perfectly decom
posed mould, which is most effective fer
tiliZer, This was the only fertilizer used ol
these crops, which were grown on gravell
soil.
believe in and practice deep culture o.
both clay and gravel soils. | turn III
ground over from eight to nine inches deep
aud run the subsoil plow in the same furro,
from four to six inches deeper, then run m
burrows for the seed as deep as two horse
can well pull a large plow, in the bottom q
which l drop the seed. My first workin
of corn alter ii is up is done with larg
two horse A harrow, removing the cent?
teeth. During drought such as we hay
this season experienced give my corn extI
workings by throwing heavy furrow eac
way to the stalks. This / had done th
season after the corn was well rared out
entirely against the strongest protestatiou
Of my men, who declared " they never hear
OF such thing, and would surely destro
my entire CROP"
have been assured by my neighbors thi
three or four inches is as deep blowing as
required for any crop. My deep plowinI
subsoiling and putting the seed so far belo
the surface, causes my neighbors great de
of fun, merrlment and sometimes anxiety
one Of them came across my field, when
was planting corn, and kindly assured me
h., 81
6 ii WOuld never come up and all N
labor and egpe,lae WOuid be q dedd los
Which he hated to Sec" | pleasantly to
him it would come hoped; Imeant to ha
it come, if was obliged to get drum al
fife and drum 1t up.
Brandywine Hundred land wants on
deep blowing and snbsoiling to make il i
crease its productions fifty per cent. l In
now growing on field of seven acres III
being its second year in CORN which W
turned eight inches deep and SUBSIDIZED Ii
spring, a crop of corn planted very late, IL
is now pronounced an excellent crop for q
favorable year-equal to the crops on
south side Of the Chrstiana or other poil
Of the county,-by persons who have
Gently been well through the county. I
land, heavy clay, is now as mellow as
ash heap.
If our friends DR.. d. and Nc, ESQ. =
any other citizens who have the idea Il
Brandywine Hundred land is too poor
raise good crop-(whch they doubt
imbibed with their mothers milk thcrei
il has become part Of their nature and Il
must express iD viii favor me with cal
shall be happy to show them the proofs
their error.
Now, Messrs. Editors, if any other II
dred can beat this corn and beets this ye
would like TO hear of it.
WILLIAM S. CHArMAs
EnGEwoop, Sept 30, 1860.