194 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



fact all kinds of stock, are very fond of it, while at the same time they thrive well on such 

 fodder. 



The varieties recommended for this purpose are those with the largest and most succulent 

 leaves. Some farmers prefer some of the varieties of sweet corn for sowing in this way. 

 The early varieties of dent corn, as well as Stowell s evergreen sweet corn, are excellent for this 

 purpose, sowing from one to two bushels per acre, according to strength of the soil, etc. 



There is a diversity of opinions among farmers relative to the comparative value of corn 

 fodder thickly and thinly sown, some preferring as much as three bushels per acre, others 

 less than a bushel. The thickly-seeded fodder does not grow as tall as the thin, and to first 

 appearance the latter, to a superficial observer, would be pronounced the heavier product of 

 the two. The more numerous stalks of the thick seeding, however, more than make up the 

 deficiency in height, and when the product of an equal area of each is weighed, the thick 

 seeding is always found to be the heavier of the two. On the other hand, the thick sowing 

 bears no ears, and the stalks are more difficult to cure than those of the thin sowing, which 

 bear small ears. The advocates of thin sowing claim that the quality thus produced more 

 than compensates for the lack in weight when compared with the thick seeding. However, 

 it is always admissible that the fine hay from thickly-seeded mowing lands is superior to the 

 coarse hay from poorly-seeded lands. 



We should recommend rather thick seeding, the quantity to be regulated by the charac 

 ter of the soil, and to be from one to two bushels per acre, as previously given; poor soils 

 requiring more seed than rich. 



We believe it is conceded by the majority of farmers, that it is preferable to cut the corn 

 for fodder before the ears get to any considerable size, and as a general practice, it is most 

 valuable as a forage plant, when sown so thickly that the ears are not liable to form at all. 



As a general rule, the earlier the corn is sown, the better; depending, of course, some 

 what upon the season. In latitude as far south as Maryland, its growth is more rapid and 

 luxuriant in May and June than in July and August. Sowing in drills, from twelve to fifteen 

 inches apart, will admit of after-culture. The crop should be worked twice with a cultivator 

 to remove weeds and loosen the soil, and when in tassel, should be cut with a mowing- 

 machine. It requires from forty-five to sixty days to ripen it into tassel, therefore can safely 

 be sown up to the 1 5th of July. If the land is in good condition, it will yield twenty tons 

 to the acre ; and by the use of superphosphates, the crop can be doubled ; but this is a matter 

 subject to the will of the fanner. It should be well cured before stacking or storing in 

 barns, as the thickly-sown stalks contain more juice, proportionately, than those cultivated in 

 hills, and require considerable time for drying, so as to be perfectly preserved in large masses; 

 otherwise it will mould and ferment, and, of course, become useless as animal food. By the 

 ensilage process, so commonly practiced in France and other European countries, and which 

 is now being practiced to a considerable extent in this country, the curing process of corn- 

 fodder would be entirely obviated, and thus an entire change be instituted in this department 

 of agriculture, which experiments thus far have shown would be of immense advantage to 

 the agricultural interests of the country. 



Japan Clover, (Lespedeza striata) This is a low, perennial plant, not rising much 

 above the ground, but spreading widely on the surface. It belongs to the leguminous family 

 of plants, which includes the common clover, bean, pea, etc. It has small trifolate leaves 

 growing numerously upon the stems. The flowers are small, and are produced in the axils 

 between the leaf and stem; the fruit a kind of flat pod. It seems to be peculiarly adapted 

 to the Southern States, and proves a veiy valuable plant there for grazing. Sheep are very 

 fond of it. It will grow on soils that are almost unfit for anything else, furnishing good 

 pasture, and also supplies a good green crop for turning under and improving the land. Mr. 

 Wall says, it should be sown in January or February, in the proportion of one bushel of seed 



