The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1881-03-17
Agricultural.



I, hsa gradually come % ho the ssttied
opinion amoag many New England farm.
era thai eorn IL very Improbable crop 70
raise. because The West siih 10 great corn
asld and immense advantages can mis' !.
ship las, aud put it, corn crop In
ihc market al price much loss thau The
New Englanl farmer can afford 10 scil bic.
hut laitolly doubt has arisen 10 The
minds q a number Of agneulturalisis u
this so.csllod 'esinhlshed fact. " "a 20 vell
established after ali, and they have been
making experiments 10 satisfy themselves
regarding the truth o. the assertion.
This was demonstrated at a recent meet
ing o. the Massachusetts Agricultural So.
cicty, a, which several gentlemen gave The
result Of their labors, which proved con
elusiyly that no, only is New England able
to compete with the West in raising,
but can put an article in the market which
viii ofteniimes bring better price than
the Western. One gertleman's statement
was that bis crop yielded him l6i bushels
per acre, or about so bushels Of shelled
corn The most encouraging feature OF
the experiment was that this corn cost
fraction less than 20 cents per bushel II
should be stated, however that he allowed
more value, lSs per tom for his corn stalks
than most farmers are willing TO acknowl-
edge them to he worth, but, rightly man.
ipulated, they ought 10 be worth all he es-
Inmates them at. Another gentleman's
statement showed still greater yield
The experiments established the fact that
corn could be grown in New England in as
large quantities as in Illinois, and almost
as cheap.
With the change OF times and cireum-
stances we are aware there must be some
change OF crops, but corn is SO easily raised
and is so handy to have around, and the
cultivation leaves the land in such good
shape for the smaller English grains, that
we hope the day is far distant when it will
not occupy prominent place on New
England farms.
In order to attain this desirable end We
are satisfied there must be some improve
ment in the modes Of culture. On most
farms we notice that corn is still cultivated
by man-power. II may not be possible TO
dispense entirely with the and-hoe, but
the main culture must be done by horse
power, II we wish TO reduce the cost to 20
cents per bushel, or even to twice that
price As most corn is now cultivated il
must cost at least 80 cents. BY the aid of
cultivators the expense can be reduced
one third, if not ne.half A horse can be
hired for half the price of man, and Will
do three times as much work, some OF it
with much better results than with hand
power. horseshoe pulverizes the soil
far more eflectually than docs a band-hoe,
and in the cultivation Of corn pulyerization
goes great ways. 1t let's in the air, and
with the air comes moisture and fertiliza-
ton. There is no better safeguard against
drouth than to run the cultivator often
through the land. The old notion that
stirring soil in dry time made 1t dryer
was the conclusion Of a surface obserya-
ton. Well pulverized land absorbs moist
ure from the air, and also draws it from
beneath on the principle Of capillary at
traction. After every shower the cultiva-
tor should DO run between the rows OF
corn to break the crust which forms on the
surface, and impedes the free circulation
of air
In the cultivation of corn, too much
stress cannot be laid on the Importance Of
using none but thoroughbred seed, mean
ing by this term seed that has been select
ed for succession OF years from stalks
that bore three or more ears, each perfect
in form and maturing early. The princi.
pie Of heredity rules in the vegetable king
dom as surely as in the animal, and he is
a wise farmer who has regard to it in the
selection of his seed-corn and all other
seeds. 1t is not enough that perfect ear
should be selected, as many farmers sup
pose This perfect ear should be descend
ed from generations Of perfect and prolific
ears, in order to make it so far thorough
bred that it will transmit its characteristic
with reasonable degree Of certainty If
we can secure seed corn of this descrip.
tion we can rely upon adding 20 per cent
TO our crop, other things being equal
The selection OF seed corn should lie made
each year in the field before the crop is
taking the ears that mature first
ire full and heavy, and from stalks that
ire most prolific. 1t is from the use Of
seed, more than from any
,ther cause, that the corn crop Of New
England has been so much improved.