The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-02-10

nurc. With only ordinary culture, most
Of our farms will produce City bushels Of
shelled corn to the acre. and under thor.
ough culture. from seventy.five to one
hundred bushels; thus we may obtain
from City 10 one hundred per cent. more
grain for the extra manure, with very lit.
tie more labor and the extra manure is
not spent on the crop, but both manure
aud extra culture are felt on succeeding
crops for several years. Ifcorn yielding
forty bushels, sbelled, per acre can be
grown without any loss, the increased
quantity above that yield costs very
much, proportionally, less per bushel than
that or any less quantity. so that it will
be seen that in the culture of corn, IS
well as all other crops, economy would
indicate that the larger the yield the
greater the proportionate profit per bush
ell, pound, etc., as every increase beyond
certain limits reduces the cost of each
unit. A little away from the near prox.
unity Of populous centres, few farm, hoed
or grain, crops may be cultivated at bet.
ter profit than the corn crop. Compared
with other corn crops it may be cousid.
cred a certain one, and when proper at.
,entiou is paid to its requirements Of cul.
ture, selecting seed, etc., it scarcely ever
results in failure. Unlike some other
special crops, there is very little cause
Tor worry, constant, unccasing care, as
with them. Although we are largely de.
pendent upon the seasops, rain, sun and
dew, still these are greatly modified by
tillage, and some valuable return is as
certain as seed time and harvest occur
The soils 10 which the crop succeeds is OF
greater diversity than any other product
of tho farm, so that there is no excuse for
not growing corn CD the score of suitable
soil, although, like all other plants, corn
will do better with the same attention on
some soils than on others, culture often
being a compensating agent where natural
requisites are lacking.
As to the question Of blowing the soil
for corn, practical men differ in their
views; still we find that these views are
governed, or much modified, by questions
Of soil. While some soils may b. plowed
turned up) to the depth Of ten to twelve
inches or more. others will bear only
three or four inches 10 depth. Heavy.
close, or hard subsoils. need breaking
with the subsoil pillow. while loose or por.
Gus subsoils are not improved by subsoil.
ing. All experiments on heavy soils 60
to prove chat loosening the soil to a great
depth tends to the improvement Of the
crop it neither suffers so much from
drouth in dry season, nor from wet in
wet season, as o soil less deeply pulver.
lzed-the water in one instance passing
more freely from the suface. and in the
other the soil acts more 10 its capillary
capacity, yielding up its moisture as de.
manded. Not only this, but the admis.
sion OF air acts upon any humus contained
in the soil, dissolving out its ,arbonic
acid, which the roots Of the plants may
more readily obsorb, or take up. as also
other elements are similarly acted upon.
Considered in its broadest sense, 1 can
but consider corn one of our most valuable
crops, and it should be moro largely cul.
tivated on our New Eugland farms for
there is always a market-if not for
ready cash to our minds. feeding judi.
ciously always pays.-W. II. WHITE, il
Country Gentleman.