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FARMERS' REGISTER— FODDER GATHERING IN VIRGINIA. 



Another practice, among farmers, is very cen-| 

 surable. They often pile up their corn in the barn 

 in hirgo heaps in order to have what. are called 

 "husldngs.'" In these heaps there arc often green 

 materials, green stalks, green ears, and foul mat- 

 ter, which after laying a short time, produce a 

 state of termentation, the whole hea]) becomes 

 warm, and tainted with the noxious gases or efflu- 

 via which penetrate every |)art The corn is 

 finally husked, and often placed in rooms not well 

 ventilated. The corn may be sound and look' 

 finely — the bread palatable, ]xn-haps .called good. 

 But the question, whether it might not have been 

 rendered far better and sweeter with pro])er ma- 

 nagement, seldom, perhaps, enters the farmer's 

 mind. w. claggett. 



Portsmouth, March 12, 1834. 



REMARKS ON GATHERING FOrrDER IN VIRGINIA. 



Several selected articles on the cujtting of corH tops 

 have at different times been presented to the readers 

 of the Farmers' Register, with the hope that .some 

 persons would thereby be induced to give the fruits, of 

 their observation and experience, on the same subject. 

 But as this has not yet been done, we will attempt 

 more pointedly to invite attention to what is in Vir- 

 ginia, a far more important business than in New Eng- 

 land, and which, if wrong, must be attended witla an- 

 nual losses, of incalculable amount. 



The evils spoken of by Mr. Claggett in the foregoing 

 communication, are attributed merely to the cutting oii 

 the tops of corn — as northern farmers, seldom, if ever, 

 strip oif the blades below the ears. In Virginia, we 

 invariably do both; as few make any hay, and all rely 

 principally on the corn blades for long forage for their 

 horses. It is true, that every one admits that the tops 

 and blades should not be removed until the "corn is 

 forward enough to bear it:" but there is no one who 

 does not every year violate this rule, in a vast number 

 of cases, even in his own judgement — and perhaps in 

 ten times as many, if the truth was clearly understood. 

 No experiment has yet been made to try whether any, 

 or what amount of injury is caused by depriving a 

 green stalk of corn of its leaves and top: but it seems 

 not improbable, as the process is usually conducted, 

 that the loss of grain is more than equal to the whole 

 net profit on the fodder. 



No experiment, however, wovdd be required by any 

 one acquainted with the laws of vegetation, to be sa- 

 tisfied that while the plant remains green, it must still 

 be furnishing something to the unripe grain.. When 

 all the grain is perfectly made, the leaves and tops 

 have completed their intended functions, and they 

 wither and die very soon afterwards. If in the short 

 interval between the perfect maturity of the grain, and 

 the drying of the blades, the latter could be gathered, 

 it may be admitted that no harm would be done: but 

 the fodder would already have been greatly injured by 

 age, and the gatliering would be troublesome from the 

 irregularity of the ripening. 



But without contending for the full extent of this 

 position, let us test our practice by our generally pre- 

 vailing opinions; and by that test, our practice wdl be 

 found to be wasteful and injudicious. It is generally 



considered that when the outer part of the grain is 

 hard, and shows the indenture that the large southern 

 corn is marked with, the fodder may be gathered safe- 

 ly. The arrival of that time is anxiously watched for 

 by industrious farraersi and "pushing overseers," not 

 oidy to save the crop of fodder in the best condition, 

 but because there is then no regular crop work on 

 hand, and regular employment is desirable for the la- 

 boring force. The ripening of corn, of course, is ir- 

 regular in every field, from the many replanted 

 stalks, and from various other causes. If the opera- 

 tion was put off until every stalk was considered ready 

 for it, the greater part of the blades would' be dry and 

 worthless — and therefore tlie time is chosen when the 

 great majority of the plants have just reached (what is 

 said to be) the safe and proper state. The laborers 

 may be directed to pass by the immature plants: but 

 they very rarely have care or judgement to do this; 

 and every ear on such plants, is more or less damaged 

 by the operation. For whether the plants are green or 

 ripe, the stripping off all the leaves serves to kill them 

 immediately. Whenever it is safe' to deprive the corn 

 of all its leaves, it is as safie to cut off the whole plant, 

 as is done sometimes at the north. 



If any one denies the damage caused more or less 

 to every crop of corn by pulling fodder too early, let 

 him now visit his. corn crib, and see what a large pro- 

 pertion of ears have shrivelled grains, standing sepa- 

 rate and loose on the cob. Every ear of this kind 

 which had been planted not very late, nor on land too 

 poor to perfect the plant, ovyes its deficiency to the 

 fodder gathering. In some seasons, the leaves dry 

 much sooner than others, compared to the hardening 

 of the grain — and in those years, lest the fodder shoukl 

 be totally lost, unusual damage is caused to the grain. 

 This was the case in 18.32. Though the pulling of 

 fodder was begun unusually late, and after it had lost 

 much by being dried on the stalks, still the grain was 

 generally too soft. When the corn was beaten out for 

 sale, in the following spring, it was found very diffi- 

 cult to separate the grain from the cob: and the grain 

 was of inferior quality, from some (at least) of the 

 Hghtest and warmest, as well as richest sods, on the 

 lower James river. As even the earliest frost, in such 

 situations, must give full time for Indian corn to be 

 matured, these effects could only have been caused by 

 the life of the plants having been destroyed, and the 

 maturity of the grain prevented, by the too early ga- 

 thering the fodder. 



It is hoped that careful and fair experiments may be 

 made the next season so as to leave less of doubt on 

 this subject — or to awaken doubts in those who may 

 be pursuing a wrong course, without a suspicion of 

 loss therefrom. 



BONE MANURE. 



Mr. Watson, a distinguished agriculturist of 

 Perthshire, put 25 bushels per acre of bone dust 

 on two Scotch acres, 25 cart-loads of barn manure 

 on each of two more acres. The acres with bone 

 manure produced 28 tons of turnips, and the other 

 22 tons. 



