Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-03-19
Possible Yield or Corn.
HENRY STEWART.
BLuNr's WHITE PROLIFIC

BLUNr's WHITE PROLIFIC.
The remaskszin. the Rural New
YORKER Of Jaq,@'y, on page II, on
Excessive Yields OF Corn prompt me
to state my experience the past two
seasons. In 1877, planted one-tenth
of an acre accurately measured, with
variety of corn known as "western
horse tooth" The plat was feriilzed
with 80 pounds of Mapes's corn ma
nure. The soil was poor and had
not been cultivated tn previous year
1t was, however, possessed of consld-
cradle latent fertility, which was
doubtless developed by the action of
the fertilizer. The corn was planted
in the usual manner, with three grains
of'seed to each hill, and the hills were
tree feet apart. The crop gathered
amounted, when shelled to nine bush
els by measure. Ia 1873 the same
ground with piece of somewhat less
size adjoining, which had been in po-
tatoes in 1877, was again planted to
corn. The whole plat covered 7776
square feet or a little more than one
sixth OF an acre. There were S57
hills, thus giving about 1900 to the
acre, which was the intention, the hills
being as nearly as possible three feet
apart. The variety planted vas
corn known as White Prolific, (Blunt's
White Prolific, Eds groTn in East
Teunesse, by gentleman who has
been Tor some years experimenting in
the improment OF this grain, and
which has the popularity OF bearing
several ears upon each stalk. l have
sent you two stalks from one hill
which have four each The ground
was fortified with 100 pounds Of the
Mspes's Corn manure, which is com,
pounded on a formular intended to
provide exactly fol the needs OF the
corn crop for grain production No
other manure OF anykind was used. The
crop when harvest yielded 43 bas
kets weighing 40 pounds each. After
two month the coru was sheled, one
ba.kettul at time; the majority OF
the baskets yielded more than level
half bushel and the product measured
% bushels AMI nearly four quarts OF
sh lIel corn. A little figuring will show
that this is equal to nearly lj) BUSH
els Of gia ain per acre. Some OF the
nils fro n winch cut specimen STALKS
such as | have herewIth-yielded |
three pints OF shelled corn The corn
produced no suckers or at least every
sucker that appeared was removed at
once. Iu the cultivation, there was no
: new fangaled" method or such as
might be thought so-as root pruns
ming, etc; the ground was kept free
from weeds and was lossened occasion.
ally by hand cultivator passed both
ways through the rows.
Ia the article referred to, it is sug-
gested that IAN abundance OF potash
and phosphoric acid is night condition
for developing multiple Garage" This
is undoubtedly true, and as the fertil-
ger used in my experiments contain
I'd these elements chiefly and but little
nitrogen. this coroborates the view
aiken, This variety of corn has, be
leve, been carefully cultivated for sew
oral years, so as to fix this habit OF
multiple caring upon 1t; and in gener-
Il bears more ears than itayerage with
ne. One stalk, which was unlortu-
lately missed III the gathering, aud
vas busked in my absence, bore seven
,ars. growing alone in a hill What
ne man can do another may. If this
tennessee experimenter can grow
,orn with so many ears upon it,others I
an if they will take the trouble, and
f by proper tertilizlng, as mu,h as 90 L
bushels of common corn and $50 1
bushels of Improved corn can be
,rown upon an acre ofground, there v
5 hope that farmers may largely In
rease their average yield They
iced not fear to oversuPply the mar
ct Such a fear is mere 'bugaboo,' o
nd never yet troubled a farmer and a
ever will Corn is now IN demand g
i over Europe as feed for horses aud p
attening cattle, and at present prices Il
he market is almost uolimited. Two Il
housand millions of bushels-when -
70 shlal reachthat-will be no bur- II
en- on the market, and the great OBJ
,ct with farmers should be to grow
S much as possible at the least cost;
90 bushels on one acre may be 7
rown at onesthird the cost of 100 s
ushels on four acres, allowing for in T
reased cost of tertilizing. husking and r.
telling The extra cost of my 25 VI
ushels was simply the fertilizer, |
'orth about 81 IS; and this I'M 2
oubtedly returned two-thirds of the |
rop for its share. TO repeat Jour Z
osing sentence These things are |
9th ofu1viD.x' 10