the black weevil.

I know of no generally successful method of staying or even checking
the injury caused by the insects, though much might be written in the
way of suggestion.

In Michigan, the _dent_ variety in dry seasons produces the best crops
on sandy loam, as its roots run deeper than the common _eight-rowed_
yellow or white. In moist seasons the latter varieties usually do
well. They are grown most generally in the Northern part of the State,
while in the Southern section the Ohio dent is principally raised. The
shuck and blade are much used as fodder for cattle, in the early part
of winter.

Indian corn is very liable to change of character from soil and
climate, growing smaller the farther North it is raised. The mixing of
the eight-rowed yellow with the Ohio dent has, so far as my experience
goes, been beneficial in increasing the yield. Sandy loam, or clay, is
considered the soil best adapted to corn. It is usually planted in
May, and harvested in September. The blade is not taken off there as
at the South; some farmers cut up their corn when ripe, put it into
shocks, and husk it late in the fall; others cut the stalks, bind them
in sheaves, and stack them for winter in the fields, or put them away
in barns or sheds; while others husk the corn on the hill without
cutting the stalks, and late in the fall turn their cattle into the
field to eat the fodder. Of these different modes the preference is
usually given to cutting the stalks and putting them under cover
after being well cured, and busting the corn on the hill. The corn is
thought to ripen better in this way, and to keep better in the cribs.
The Ohio dent, having a smaller ear containing less moisture than
other varieties, ripens quicker and keeps better. This crop ranges
from 25 to 65 bushels per acre, and the difference in the yield is to
be attributed to the manner of cultivation. My experience shows that a
crop of 45 bushels per acre costs 13 cents a bushel, including
interest on land. Corn is principally raised in Michigan for home
consumption, and the stalks and shucks, if well cured, are worths
dollars per acre, compared with hay at 5 dollars per ton.

As much as 134 bushels per acre have been obtained, in some instances,
in Massachusetts; till the last 20 years 35 bushels was considered an
average crop, but by a due rotation of crops, and ploughing in long
manure, at least 75 bushels to the acre are now raised. The kinds
preferred there,