614 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 10 



pose we invite our friends, and especially our iormer 

 neighbors, to take care of such fossil bones as may be 

 found, of large size, or in an unusually perfect state of 

 preservation, and to place them in our hands, to be sent 

 to the Geological Society of Pennsylvania. 



From the Magazine of Natural History. 

 EGGS PRESERVED FRESH BY LIME-WATER. 



The method of preserving fowls' eggs in lime- 

 water for eating is well known, but does not seem 

 to be practised as it deserves to be. We are still 

 using eggs at breakfast which were preserved in 

 April last year; and (hey are as good as the day 

 they were laid, retaining the milkiness and deli- 

 cate taste peculiar to a new-laid egg. I had one, 

 two days ago, marked "1st April" (then, of course, 

 ten months and nineteen days old,) with all the 

 characteristics of a newly laid one. It is lime-wa- 

 ter, in fact, that we use, and the eggs are mostly 

 warm when put into it. None of them are allow- 

 ed to be twenty-ibur hours old: this is essen- 

 tial, I believe. The shells arc liable to crack in 

 the boiling; but the eggs do not burst; and [only] 

 a very ihw of them have a slight curdy flavor, not 

 unpleasant, however, to those who like new 

 eggs. 



A SUBSCRIBER. 



Tale of Jlford, Aberdeenshire, Feb. 22, 1833. 



ON THE TILLAGE OF INDIAN CORN. 



To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



Montgomery Co. Md.Jan. 15, 1836. 



I have observed several pieces lately in your 

 valuable Register, on the cultivation of corn, and 

 as they all differ from the system that I have been 

 pursuing lor several years with great success, I 

 am induced to present it for the experiment of 

 those who may not be so fortunate in their present 

 practice. My farm of 520 acres is divided into 

 seven fields, of about sixty acres each — one. of 

 which is put in corn — two are in wheat — one in 

 rye — and three in clover — so that it will be per- 

 ceived, that a field goes in corn but once in seven 

 years — and my rotation of crops is such that it re- 

 mains in clover and blue grass, with which, by 

 this time, it becomes too thickly set for any other 

 crop, two years, or eighteen months previous to its 

 going in corn. I greatly prefer for corn, a field 

 that has yielded no crop the year previous: it is 

 more capable of sustaining the heavy demand that 

 is required of it — and the sod, which if turned 

 well under, will be decomposing throughout the 

 summer, will tend to ameliorate the land, and con- 

 tribute materially to i lie support of the growing 

 crop. I prefer breaking such a field in the spring. 

 If broken in the fall, it becomes too compact dur- 

 ing the winter, and you must either cross-plough, or 

 list in the spring, which brings the sod upon the 

 surface unrotted — adds materially to the labor of 

 keeping the corn clean when young, and defeats 

 the other goods effects that I have stated would 

 result from having it well covered. As early in 

 the spring as the ground will admit, and I never 

 plough when the ground is wet or heavy, I start 

 two large three-horse ploughs, drawn by three 

 strong horses— with directions, which I see execu- 

 ted, to my ploughmen, to plough as deep as the 

 horses can draw the plough, and in every instance 



in which they skip a place, from the plough being 

 thrown out by a stone, or other cause, to cut it on 

 their return — being fully satisfied that the success 

 of every crop mainly depends upon the prepara- 

 tion of the land previous to planting. After the 

 field is broken, which takes from fifteen to twenty 

 days, I start two large three-horse harrows, and 

 harrow first the way it was ploughed, and then 

 cross-harrow, which if the spring is favorable, 

 prepares it as nicely as if intended to be sown in 

 wheat. It is then laid off in rows four leet apart, 

 which finishes the preparation for planting. I 

 prefer checked, to either step or drilled corn, where 

 the land is not too steep, because it enables you to 

 substitute the plough for ihe hoe— a much more 

 expeditious, and I think, effectual mode of cultiva- 

 tion. But even in checked corn, I would not en- 

 tirely dispense with the hoe. There is no imple- 

 ment so effectual in cleansing and cultivating corn 

 when so small that the plough cannot approach 

 sufficiently near without danger of coveriuo; or 

 loosening the plant — but one hand-working I deem 

 all sufficient, and that, merely to remove any little 

 grass which may have sprung up near the corn, or 

 to loosen (he ground in case it should have become 

 encrusted when the corn is young. But in step, or 

 drilled corn, it must be used at least twice, or of- 

 tener, to cleanse or loosen ihe step or space be- 

 tween the hills; for although many adopt the 

 smothering system, by throwing the earth with 

 the plough in upon the step, and thus covering 

 the grass, 1 am decidedly of opinion, it is best, to 

 remove it. Having every thing in readiness, my 

 plaster and unleached ashes mixed, (which I do 

 on my barn floor, by first sifting the ashes to re- 

 move all fire-coal*, and lumps of other matter.) 

 I take equal proportions of each, and have it well 

 mixed, and put in barrels which I lake to the 

 field, and have placed in a row directly through 

 the centre of the cut intended to be planted, so 

 that the two who drop the mixture, drop from the 

 centre to one extremity of the row and return, 

 which gives them time to replenish their bag or 

 apron, and be in readiness for the. plough and corn 

 dropper on their return. My force in planting 

 consists of a ploughman, one who drops the corn, 

 two the mixture, and four who cover. The num- 

 ber of hills that will be in each row is ascertained 

 and divided between the four coverers in propor- 

 tion to their strength. The plough then starts 

 crossing the rows that have been laid off four feet 

 apart. At their intersection the corn dropper drops 

 from four to six grains, and is followed immediate- 

 ly by r the dropper of the mixture, who drops about 

 a larire table spoon full directly upon the corn, 

 which is instantly covered. So that the whole 

 operation is carried on in the same row. This 

 keeps those who cover separate, and prevents 

 conversation, which invariably leads 1o neglect, of 

 their work — enables you to apportion the labor 

 where vour hands are of unequal strength, and at 

 dinner, at night, or in case of a rain coming up 

 hastily, to leave no row unfinished. Having com- 

 pleted the planting, Ihe field remains until it re- 

 quires replanting. As soon as the corn grows to 

 be three or four inches high, if there has been no 

 heavy rain to bake the land (in which event I first 

 run the double-shovel plough,) I start a two-horse 

 harrow with such of the teeth as would follow im- 

 mediately" in the row being first removed, and a 

 little boy who follows after with a light rake to re- 



