Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-01-08
Corn on Lake MemphremagOg.

The following report of an experiment in
hundred bushels of shelled corn to the acre,
was recently contributed Cat the invitation
of the editor of that paper) to the columns
of the Maine Farmer:
PEDIGREE Corn. You have heard, Mr.. Editor
the old anecdote Of the man who said that his pig
when killed, did not weigh so much as he ex-
pected, and that he always knew it wouldn't. 1t
was somewhat that way with my acre of the Ped
igree, or Pierce corn, of which sent You a sam
pie, with the promise Of giving the details of the
crop as soon as it was cribbed In the first place
there wasn't an acre Of 1.-THE exact measure
ment being one hundred and forty-eght rods
Then the rows were farther apart than they would
have been had it not been necessary to make
them +" linz" with the rows of an apple-nursery
for convenience Of civilizations and as the trees
were in rows four feet asunder, the corn had 10
be the same, instead of three feet, as | usually
plant it.
Then, instead of going first last, and all the
time for a big crop merely, must needs as usual,
experiment little on methods of planting and
fertilization. Three-fourths of the piece was
",
and with one quart of sulphate of ammonia to the
hundred feet of row. The other fourth was
MANFRED with " Stockbridge" The first cost me
at the rate of fourteen dollars per acre. the last at
the rate of twenty-four dollars for the same area
Half of that on the ashes and suphate was dropped
five inches apart in the hill, and the other half
with that on the a." Stockbridge" ten inches apart
All these tests and trials were calculated to give
information, perhaps, but at the sacrifice of yield
and you will not be surprised when | report only
one hundred and forty-four bushe baskets of ears
on the whole piece. As it stood in stock thirty
days Of very dry weather, (being perfectly ripe
when cut, as shown by trace sent YOU which was
taken from the stalks before cutting,) do not
think it will shrink much in drying. In fact 1t
was dry enough to grind when husked. There
were little over foui bushels of " pig corn from
the suckers), so that taking it al together the
yield was at the rate OF one bushel OF ears to the
square rod of ground-or, counting two bushels
OF ears to one OF sheed corn land it, will go over
that, there was crop of eighty bushels TO
the acre.
Now as in the ordinary way Of culture ! have
heretofore averaged seyenty-tiye bushels to the
acre and as this piece looked better than usual
did expect should have been able to report a
yield this year of one hundred bushels or per-
haps more. But lost by the wide rows and the
experimenting, nearly as much as gained in the
yield per rod of row.
Now, for the reason OF my experiments, and
the information got from them: Planting In rows
four feet apart, Instead of three feet, thought
(but was not sure) that 1t would stand thicker
planting in the row. | tried this on half the
ground MANFRED with ashes and sulphate Of am
monia, putting in the corn just twice as thick as
my rule is when planting in rows three feet apart.
The rest OF this part, and all planted on the
StOckbridge," was put in at my usual distance
(ten inches), thus standing no thicker in the row
than should have planted II If the rows had
been three instead Of four feet apart.
The whole number Of rows was forty. OF these
thirty rows were MANFRED with the ashes and
sulphate and ten with the Stockbridge fertilizer.
Half or fifteen rows, of the first dropped five
inches apart in the drill, and the rest, with the
Stockbrdge part, at ten inches. Now for the
result The first fifteen rows yielded forty-sS
and one-half bushels of ears, or at the rate OF
three and one-tenth bushels to the row The
second fifteen rows gave fifty-nine and one-hali
bushels of ears, or at the rate OF almost foul
bushels to the row. The ten rows on Stockbridgt
yielded forty-two bushels oil ears, or little over
four bushels TO the row. The result seems u
show that by doubling the seed In the first fifteen
rows lost thirteen bushels Of of corn in the
crop. But still think that II had planted my
seed evenly over the whole piece-that is, had
put 1t in uniformly at distance OF about sever
inches-I should have got my two hundred
baskets, or one hundred bushels of shelled corn
OR, in other words think 1t was too thick OF
the first fifteen rows, and not thick enough on thu
rest OF the piece. The ground was a clover anC
orchard grass sod that had been pastured for tw,
years, being previously In moving. II was turnet
over In the fall and narrowed In the spring will
the Randall harrow just before planting. II ha,
no other manure than that mentioned above
The character OF the soil was that called her
"marly, - e., a moderately light loan, but no
sandy. H. H. ioskINs, nj. ID.
Newport, VI