, 292 



riolent personal encounter, a warrior sits down a moment to rest and 

 cool himself, and is unexpectedly attacked, he immediately bits his 

 enemy over the head with his fan. These fans are only made to order, 

 and are adorned with the national emblem — a red sun on a black ground. 

 The fan is an inseparable part of the Japanese dress ; and in strong con- 

 trast with those above mentioned, is a fan also made of paper, so thin 

 and transparent that nothing can be conceived lighter or i^leasanter to 

 use. In the museum of the Department of Agriculture is a specimen 

 of the beautiful transparent paper which is used for making such fans 

 and other articles of extreme nicety and delicacy. The varieties of the 

 paper fan of the Japanese would form a very curious collection in 

 respect to form as well as quality. A Japanese is rarely without a fan. 

 It is his shelter from the sun, his note-book, and his plaything. With- 

 out it he is as much at a loss as an American would be in unaccustomed 

 company without a walking-stick, or something wherewith to occupy 

 his hands. 



EXPERIMENTS WITH CORN.' 



Very favorable reports have been received by the Department of ex- 

 periments with " Gooley corn," distributed during the winter of 1871-'72. 

 Among these may be noted the trial made by Mr. A. J. Wright, of Port 

 Gibson, Claiborne County, Mississippi. Mr. Wright says: 



The Cooley corn received from the Department was planted March 8 and March 25, 

 on land of moderate strength, with a slight broadcasting of ashes, plaster, and snper- 

 pliosphate. It yielded an abundance of choice roasting-ears by the 10th of June, 

 proving about as early as the earliest garden varieties. The ears were of good size 

 and handsome, and the yield very heavy, many stalks bearing three and in some cases 

 four ears. Planted nearly a month after the " Peabody Prolific," it was in roasting- 

 ear ten or twelve days in advance of that variety. We had some fine varieties of corn 

 from Kansas, and some of the kinds usually planted here, but the " Cooley" was supe- 

 rior to any of them, except the " Peabody," coucerniug my experimeut with which I 

 submit a memorandiun. 



Mr. Wright states that he planted small quantities of corn received 

 from Mr. Charles A. Peabody, of Augusta, Georgia, on the 10th .and 

 30th February of the present year. It was in roasting-ear about June 

 25, giving an unusual yield, although not cultivated with any consid- 

 erable care. Suckers shoot from the base to the number of two, three, 

 and sometimes four, growing, in rich land, nearly to the size of the 

 parent stalk, and bearing ears, so that there is sometimes a product of 

 nine or ten ears to the single grain. The growth is very vigorous, yielding 

 a large amount of fodder. It is thought by Mr. Wright that, with 

 proper cultivation, it might yield on Mississippi fields as high as one 

 hundred bushels per acre. 



Cooley corn has succeeded well in Florida. Mr. J. D. Wolfe, of Pensa- 

 cola, says that he marketed his product two weeks in advance of all 

 other corn, and that for early maturity and productiveness it is unriv- 

 aled in that section. On one-sixth of an acre, although the season was 

 unfavorable, he raised one hundred and ten dozen ears of good size, 

 which netted in market $24.75, or at the rate of $148.50 per acre. Mr. 

 W. planted his corn at different times, with reference to having roasting- 

 ears, until the frosts in November. Having planted peas between the 

 rows, he would have, in addition to his corn and pea product, corn-fod- 

 der and forage at the rate of two tons to the acre, the ground being 

 cleared in time for a crop of turnips, ready for the market in January. 



