SUMMER [Chap. 



stalk. I did not sucker my corn this year, of 

 which I saw the consequences when I came to 

 gather in and husk the crop. I have had, indeed, 

 a single plant with eleven ears upon it, those of 

 the suckers and all taken together ; but while this, 

 or any thing like it, has been very rare, I am 

 certain, that the ears upon the main stalks would 

 have been much larger and longer if the corn had 

 been suckered. I have one plant which has been 

 preserved entire, which has now six good ears 

 upon it, and the seventh was broken oif by some 

 accident; but this plant happened, from some 

 cause or another, to have no suckers at all. I 

 therefore recommend the corn to be suckered ; 

 and the suckers to be taken clean off out of 

 their sockets, as soon as they get to be two, 

 three, or four inches long ; and this is the length 

 they will attain between the first and second 

 ploughings. 



108. The suckers, if the operation be per- 

 formed in due time, will amount to a very little 

 in point of bulk ; but, still, they will pay for the 

 labour, for they are excellent food for hogs or 

 cows, though care must be taken not to give the 

 cows too great a quantity of them at first, as 

 they are apt to blow cattle until after they have 

 digested the first meal of them, in the same man- 

 ner as are lucerne, voung clover and several other 

 things. The suckering should be performed by 



