HARVESTING EARS, [Chap. 



ner ; it being an universal saying in America, 

 " sncijp off as short as a Corn-Cohhy' which is 

 equivalent to, and much more correct than, our 

 saying of " snap off as short as a carrot'^ I do 

 not suppose that the corks would be quite equal 

 to the tree cork, for the bottling of wine, or beer, 

 or cider ; but, as 1 said before, they do extremely 

 well for all ordinary purposes about a farm- 

 house ', and even in this way they are of some 

 use. 



142. Secondly, they are excellent fuel; not 

 feeble in their heat like straw, not slow in light- 

 ing like wood. They give a very pleasant little 

 heat, without any odour at all ; and in the late 

 part of the spring, in the summer, and in the 

 early part of the autumn, they make a nice little 

 fire for any temporary purpose : and if applied 

 in this way, which is their lowest office, they save 

 in fuel several pounds in the year to any farmer 

 who has from five to ten acres of corn. When 

 corn is flimg down to hogs in the ear, the hogs 

 thrust them into the dirt ; but they are found to 

 be so convenient even in Amkrica, that farmers, 

 when they remove the dung from the sties, fre- 

 quently rake them out, and, when they are dry, 

 put them by for fuel, though wood is so plentiful 

 with him, as it necessarily must be. The sheep 

 leave them pretty clean ; and, therefore, their 

 leavings are taken for fuel at once. 



