264 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURE 



CHAP. 



earth should be stirred up with the hoe whilst the weeding is 

 in progress. The plants send up suckers from the roots near 

 Nipping off the stem, and these suckers should be nipped off or otherwise 

 they will injure the crops ; the suckering should be done if 

 possible before the plants are earthed up. When fertilisation 

 has been accomplished the tops of the plants may be cut off 

 so as to enable the ears to come to maturity earlier by ex- 

 posing them to the light and air ; and as the seeds harden, 

 t h e i eaves ma y be stripped off the stem. These tops and 

 leaves make excellent fodder for cattle. 



ers ' 



Fodder. 



CROPS. When the seeds have become perfectly hard, and 

 the spathes have turned white, the crops may be gathered. 

 ^his is done by simply detaching the ears and drying them 

 afterwards ; or, the stalk may be cut close to the ground, 

 and stacked up for some days in the field so as to 

 dry in the sun. Of course dry weather must be chosen 

 for these operations. If left in the ear the corn will 

 remain in good condition for long periods. The best way 

 is to pull back the husks, and to tie two ears together by 

 knotting the ends of the husks. They may then be hung 

 up on sticks in houses or barns, in the same way as to- 

 bacco is in the curing house. (See Chapter X.) When the 

 maize is stripped off the cob, it is known as shelled corn. 

 If the stripping be done by hand it is a very tedious and 

 laborious operation ; but machines have been invented for 

 shelling the corn, and as they are inexpensive and work 

 quickly they soon pay for themselves by the saving in 

 time and labour thev effect. The cobs, after the corn has 

 been separated, make excellent fuel ; and the husks are 

 used in America for stuffing beds instead of straw, for they 

 are much softer and do not crumble into dust. The shelled 

 corn should be very carefully dried, if it be kept for any 

 Kiln drying, length of time, as it is prone to mildew. In the United 

 States maize is preserved by being dried in a kiln the 

 heat not being allowed to rise above 2t2 Fahr. In this 



Harvesting, 



Com in the 



Drying the 



Setters 



husks. 



