not been less than two or three hundred dollars, including in this sum the value of the articles exhibited, and which are an entire loss. The most that is carried away for all this is a cup worth $10; whereas in other departments the successful competitor carries off not only his cup or his gold medal, but his articles are as good as when they entered the fair. He has been a gainer in every sense of the word, and a loser in none. How very different with the exhibiter of flowers! I would not make this a matter of dollars and cents; and I am happy to know that exhibiters themselves entertain no sordid motives on this subject, but they very justly expect a fair standard of awards; something more nearly approaching an equivalent for the efforts made and the sacrifices endured. People may talk of glory and notoriety as they please; something besides these is necessary in the case under consideration; and even of these airy things a man will not be satisfied with less than his full share. I must here state in all candor, that when the just claims of exhibiters have been laid before the Institute, they have been promptly and honorably met: I know of but one solitary exception of delay, and that was not altogether without cause. But this is not the point: we must meet the case hereafter in preparing our premium list. We must 'make a forward movement, not only to keep pace with the progress of taste and improvement, but also to give a higher tone and character to our future exhibitions; and somewhat, too, on the score of selfpreservation. For this object, there is no time so propitious as the present. I have been induced to indulge in these remarks in order to show that, so far from receiving undue encouragement, the agricultural department, alike from its importance and its intimate connection with the best interests of society, is eminently worthy and justly entitled to the very first consideration. Its expenses are only seemingly great; for by its striking and pre-eminent attractions it has produced a much larger income than all other departments together. There are other topics of interest which I had intended to touch upon, but this report has reached such a length that I must pass them by. In conclusion, I must add my sincere wish that the future course of the Institute may be onward, ever onward, like some mighty river, # bearing on its bosom the countless blessings of those peaceful and ennobling pursuits which it is its cherished object to promote. All of which is respectfully submitted. PETER B. MEAD, Superintendent of the Horticultural Department. New-York, December, 1849. REPORT ON MR. S. B. TOWNSEND'S FIELD OF CORN. The committee appointed to examine the field of corn of Mr. S. B. Townsend, of Astoria, L. I., submit the following report: On arriving at Astoria, the committee, after the usual ceremonies of an introduction, proceeded at once to the discharge of their duty. It would require much time and space to recount all of interest which came under their observation; they will therefore confine their report mostly to the field of corn which they were appointed especially to examine. Mr. Townsend informed the committee that he had 16 acres in corn, divided into two fields, one containing 11, the other 5 acres ; but as they were alike in all respects, they will for the sake of convenience, be denominated one. The committee devoted their attention, in the first place, to the variety, size, and quality of the corn. It is the ten-rowed flint variety, from seed grown by Mr. T., for 4 or 5 years past, and selected with great care, which is more necessary than is generally supposed, to prevent it from deteriorating. When in the midst of the field, the committee seemed as if in a forest considerably past its infancy, and had to bring their vision to a very acute angle with the zenith in order to see the "top gallants" waving above their heads. On measuring some of the tallest stalks, they were found to be about 13 feet in height, and none seemed less than 7., Some of the ears were found to be 14 inches in length. The grains were large, well filled, and compactly set. In some cases there were 4 and 5 stalks in a hill, but mostly 2 and 3. sure, had each two large and well formed equally large; and in a few instances, as many as four. The committee observed very few indications of smut. Altogether, it is a su These in a great meaears; some had three perior piece of corn, and the committee do not hesitate to pronounce it, in the mass, better than any piece of corn which they saw by the way, several of which they stopped to examine. But, as will appear presently, Mr. T's corn is chiefly remarkable for the economical principles upon which it has been grown, and the consequent large profit which it will bring the owner. In addition to these 16 acres, Mr. T. has three more drilled in very thick for fodder. About half of these three acres was manured with prepared peat, the other not; in other respects, they received the same treatment. But the difference between the two was most striking. The part manured exceeded the other at least one half in size; and while it was evidently rich in sap, and presented a vigorous, healthy appearance, with many well-filled ears of corn, the other was somewhat imbrowned, comparatively dry, and quite destitute of ears. If an argument were needed to show that the farmer is richly remunerated by proper tillage and a judicious application of manure, the present would furnish a strong one. The soil on which this corn is growing is a sandy loam, quite friable. In preparing the ground, the sod was plowed under some seven or eight inches, a little deeper than many farmers are in the habit of plowing; and there can be no doubt that twelve inches would have given still more striking results, especially as the surface soil is not far from ten inches in depth. The seed was selected with great care, being taken only from stalks bearing two or more wellgrown ears, from which the largest grains in the middle were selected, the rest being fed to the stock. The hills were planted sufficiently far apart to admit of the operation of the cultivator freely, and manure liberally applied. The following incident will give a pretty good idea of Mr. Townsend's manner of using the cultivator. "How many hoeings did you give this corn?" "Only one." "Ah! then I suppose you used the cultivator pretty freely ?" "Oh, yes," said the old gentlemen, "we kept it going." This reply is full of meaning, and was uttered with a deep earnestness, of which it is difficult to give a proper conception on paper. We commend these words to the serious consideration of every farmer who would hope for a large return for his labor. A few words as to the manual labor bestowed upon this corn; and here it is necessary to mention that Mr. Townsend has about eleven acres of Mercer potatoes, of superior quality and abundant yield. Here we have 19 acres of corn, and In preparing these 30 acres, 11 of potatoes, making in all 30 acres. Mr. T. employed two men and a boy. labor is worthy of being noted, as having a direct bearing upon the cost and profits of the crops. These two men and the boy were employed two weeks in planting the corn and potatoes, and 16 days in hoeing, Mr. Townsend himself rendering little or no assistance. After this the boy, with one horse, "kept the cultivator going," and this, without doubt, kept the corn "going." The result cannot be otherwise than gratifying. What the yield per acre will be, can only be "guessed" at; but as Mr. Townsend has promised to furnish the Institute with the necessary statistics, this yankee feat may be dispensed with. The committee do not assert that this is the best field of corn that they have ever seen; enough has been said, however, to show that the crop will be a very profitable one. What struck them particularly was the small cost of its production; and it may be added that Mr. T. observes the same rigid system of economy in all his farming operations, and gets well remunerated. To place this in a clearer light, a few remarks are appendeded in regard to Mr. T's method of preparing his peat manure; indeed, his process of making manure is the distinguishing feature of his farm; he has in fact, a veritable manure manufactory, and material enough to keep his "operators" busy for a century. On the farm are many acres of humus or peat, of as fine quality as eyes ever beheld. It was 17 years before Mr. Townsend discovered this treasure; for treasure it will prove to any farmer who is so fortunate as to possess it, and who, at the same time, knows how to appreciate its value. It is believed that the majority of farmers have a little "placer" here and there, but mostly unknown, or, if known, not considered to contain any "precious ore." Our farmers, on this particular subject, have much to learn; it is very gratifying to be able to add, that some of them have taken the subject up in good earnest. Much might be said here if the limits of this report permitted. Suffice it that Mr. Townsend has a just appreciation of the value of his "placer," and works it to some purpose. Very briefly, he digs out this peat (so called) and throws it up in heaps to drain off the surplus moisture. When sufficiently dry, it is carted to the manure "manufactory," or, in other words, the pig pen, which is divided into four compartments, containing from four to six pigs each. A thich layer of peat is put on the floor of the pen, with straw, corn stalks, and other rubbish, where it remains till it is thoroughly worked up and saturated with urine, when it is thrown over into the barn-yard, by the side of which the pen is built. When the first layer of peat is removed, it is immediately succeeded by another, and so on indefinitely. But Mr. T. is an economist in the strictest sense of the word; nothing about his farm is permitted to be wasted; every thing susceptible of being converted into manure is sure to find its way to the pig pen. In addition to this, the floors of his stable are taken up, the earth dug out two or three feet in depth and then filled up with peat. There it remains during the winter, absorbing the urine from the cows and horses, and in the spring is dug out and thrown into the barn-yard. It can readily be imagined how rich it is in ammonia. On most farms a saving like this is seldom effected. During heavy rains, there will be more or less washings from the barn-yard; but these are "headed off." At the bottom of the yard' a place is hollowed out and filled with peat, which absorbs much liquid manure that would otherwise be lost. This is removed when necessary, and replaced with fresh peat. As before remarked, every thing susceptible of being converted into manure finds its way at least to the barn-yard. The peat, and all the rest of these substances, (including a little lime), according to their destined application, are mixed with the manure from the stable, and frequently turned; and it can well be imagined that a valuable, powerful, yet cheap fertilizing mass is thus produced. This is the kind of manure applied to the corn under consideration, and it is undoubtedly the very best that can be used for this and root crops, even on chemical principles. It may be thought that the committee have gone somewhat out of their way in giving these details, but Mr. Townsend's process of preparing manure was too interesting to be passed over in silence; indeed, it may be said to have an important and direct bearing on the value of his crop of corn. Mr. T. furnished the committee with many interesting details in regard to the profits of his farm, all tending to illus-trate a beautiful system of economy, attended with the most gratifying results; but these do not come within the province of this report, already extended to a greater length than was intended. |