The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1876-04-04
agricultural department.
CONDUCTED BY ALBERT CHAPMAN.
New Theories.

oil the massachusetts Board OF Agrlcul-
ture. at Haverhill, gave an account of
some experiments that have been made
i'm corn raising in birmingham, apply
ing fertilizers accor ling to the formula
of Prof. Stockbride of the Agricultural
college. The theory of The professor Is
that crop of corn requires certain
amount of nitrogen, potash and phos-
phorlc acid, and that the application of
these essentials i'm condensed form is
cheaper than to apply them when min
gled with great amount of other ma
terial. This theory DIR. Sturtevant has
put In practice, and the articles he used
were sulphate of ammonia, muriate of
potash, sulphate of potash and bone
black dissolved in sulphuric acid and
water. According to the reports of
committees who VISITED the expert
mental cornfields in birmingham last
foil corn was raised at a cost varying
from eleven cents to something over
thirty cents per bushel, being less than
half its real value, even at the highest
cost named. "Now if there were no
mistake about this" says Mr.. Cheever
of the New England Farmer. "if it
were almost absolutely certain that
corn can be raised in New England for
twenty-five cents per bushel by the ma
jority of farmers, what would be the
result? Why, revolution, the magni-
nd ~ i.I, Ia
hension, would show itself not only on
the farm but throughout every business
circle.
The difference between the light of
kerosene oil and the old tallow candle,
or the pine knot, is but hint of the
great changes that would follow the dis
covery of method of raising four BUSH
els of corn in New England for dollar
Railroad stocks would go down with a
crash, for what would be the use of ex-
pensive railroads to the corn fields of
the West, If we can raise grain here for
less than the price IL sells for at
Chicago? Capital would flow toward
New England. and farm lands would
double or treble in value forthwith.
Farming would Immediately take its
place by the side of the great manufac-
turing industries, and for short time
at least agriculture would be popular
among the wealthy capitalists. But
this is not to be. Man must for some
time longer eat bread by the sweat of
his brow, and Indian corn will not be
used for fuel in New England for a
long while to come"
There are, however, some points in
the report of these experiments that
may prove to be of great practical util-
ity. DIR. Sturtevant's theory is that
fertilizers. to be most advantageous in
aid Of Il growing crop should not only
be- well distributed through the soil,
but should be brought to bear as direct
ly as possible upon the production of
the desired crop. 1t is reasonable that,
after the fertiliZing material has been
spread broadcast over the ground, the
more frequently the soil is stirred with
soil be pulverized and the fertilizers
made efficient. But the common view
is that corn roots should not be dis
turbed, and that, after the roots have
extended some distance from the stalks,
the cultivator should be no longer used.
DIR. Sturtevant, OH the contrary, holds
that as soon as the corn is we'll started
cultivator should be run between the
rows as near as possible to the hills of
corn, for the purpose Of cutting off and
disturbing the growing roots. Then
after six or eight days the same process
should be repeated, with the cultivator
little farther from the corn hills.
And after the roots are supposed to
reach nearly across the space between
the rows they should be cut off and
prevented from extending. The result
Of this process is that as soon as the
spreading roots are interfered with a
large number of smaller roots start out,
better adapted to gathering up the
nOurishment which the plant needs.
For one large root cut off ten or twenty
smaller ones shoot out, and these fibrous
roots come into use when the corn is
being matured, and aid in the produc-
tion of large yield of corn, although
the stalk may not be quite az large as
II would have been had the roots been
left to take their own course. The pri-
mary object being to raise corn and not
stalks, this view seems very reasonable,
and 1t would be WELL in our opinion to
try the experiment. The larger the
number of roots that reach out theii
hands after the food which the growing
corn needs, the more rapid will be The
growth, and if, by checking the growth
Of stalk, the growth of corn is advanced
good object is gained. This is not al
untried theory, for, as stated above. ex,
periments have proved this method o.
cultivation to be highly advantageous
Il Record & Farmer.