The Caledonian

EXPERIMENTS ON CORN.

Mr J. B. Brown, of Stow, informs us that he made an experiment last summer, tending to prove how many stalks might stand in a hill when his hills were one pace apart.

He went through his field at weeding time and out of a large number of stalks that had come up he singled out one to stand in the first row,—two in the next—three in the next—four in the fourth row—and five in the fifth. He then began again with one, two, three, &c. so as to try a large portion of his field. He found that he uniformly obtained more corn in those rows that had four stalks in a hill than in those that had more, or in those that had less.

Mr B's was our common, middle size, eight rowed corn.

If a larger kind is planted a less number must be left standing. Or, if the land be made very rich then each stalk requires more room and planters should calculate accordingly.

Now one experiment of this kind is more serviceable to us than all the wild theories with which it is easy to fill a paper. Our own experience teaches us that when we plant in drills 3 1-2 feet apart, two stalks, of the middle sized corn in each hill will yield better, than a larger number, the hills being two feet apart in the row.

Mr B. says last summer was his first experiment of spreading his fine manure on the surface and harrowing it in, instead of putting a shovel full in each hill as he has formerly done. And he finds he raised better corn and with less labor than when he manured in the hill.

It is a duty we owe to one another to make such experiments and then to communicate them. This is the only correct mode of forming theories.—When thus formed they will always serve as a sure guide.—Boston Cultivator.