1836.] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



639 



4th. Threatening rain — which fell heavily at 

 night. 



5th. Clear and cold weather. 6th and 7th, clear. 

 8th. Cloudy, and drizzle for some hours. 



Here ends my daily record for that year. The 

 other pens in the house were emptied about this 

 time, and the damaged corn separated, and by 

 such means, the further progress of rotting was 

 stopped. 



What was the amount of loss I could not as- 

 certain, as the damaged corn was used for feeding 

 the horses and hogs during the whole lime. My 

 overseer reported, as his opinion, that the corn 

 either rotted or greatly damaged, did not exceed 

 15 barrels, out of near 400 penned in all, before 

 my wheat sowing commenced. But I had little 

 reason to trust to his accuracy, and would there- 

 fore guess that double that amount or more would 

 be nearer the truth 



It may appear as the height of folly to have 

 continued to gather corn in the intervals of such a 

 succession of rains. Hut each rain was supposed 

 to be the last of the wet spell — and whatever loss 

 there might have been incurred from bad weather 

 and bad management in the corn, already gather- 

 ed, none was anticipated in what was to be ga- 

 thered at a later time. My previous experiments 

 had been so successful, and a single heavy rain 

 on the corn had been found to be so harmless, that 

 I was rendered foolishly confident. But let it be 

 remembered, that even the ordinary mode of har- 

 vesting;, corn is not always safe — and that of the 

 crop of 1816, and the last (1835,) many expe- 

 rienced farmers committed as great errors, and lost 

 much more corn and labor, than I did by this no- 

 vel plan, in this strange and unlucky season. 



Experiment of 1835. 



On the next crop I would only hazard the ex- 

 periment of one pen. The corn for this was be- 

 gun to be gathered on September 21st. No fod- 

 der or tops had been taken from the corn, which 

 made the grain less dry than it would otherwise 

 have been. The pen was built under the machine 

 shed, and raised on sills a foot from the ground. 

 The first gathered piece of corn (3 acres) filled it 

 about four feet. Over this, was laid a covering of 

 rails (lying close to the corn) to separate it from 

 the next gathering. On the 25th the filling of the 

 pen proceeded, from another piece of land. Here 

 the blade fodder had been pulled, but the tops not 

 cut off. The corn here was dryer than the first. 

 The pen was filled 12 feet high, inside measure. 

 The lower part, five to six feet high, was open to 

 the wind, but the upper part sheltered from its 

 free passage by the surrounding roof of the shed. 

 All seemed safe. We began to use the corn for 

 bread,. and horse food, early in November. The 

 top was dry enough and sound — and so was the 

 bottom and first gathering: but the middle, above 

 the tree opening to the air had many mouldy ears. 



It should be remembered (as before stated,) 

 that of this year's crop, like that of the cold year 

 1816, many farmers have had large quantities of 

 corn to mould or rot, both in the shocks, and in 

 cribs, as managed and harvested in the usual man- 

 ner. This proves that the last season was very 

 unfavorable to the maturing or drying of corn — 

 and that fact should be considered in passing 

 judgement on my last experiment. 



In 1816, after some very cold weather late in 

 December, I discovered that my whole crop of 

 corn was beginning to mould — and except for so 

 much as I could place thin on the floors of several 

 houses, I was compelled to spread all on the 

 ground, exposed for some days and nights to what- 

 ever weather might chance to come. Fortunate- 

 ly there was no rain, and all the crop by this air- 

 ing, was saved in good order, except 40 barrels, 

 picked out previously, as more or less injured by 

 mouldiness. The recollection of this loss alone 

 saved me from its repetition in the crop of last 

 year, (1835) — and very many farmers, in both 

 these years, suffered still more than I did in 1816, 

 or by my trial of early gathering it* 1834. Yet no 

 farmer will thence infer, and act in accordance, 

 that it. is always unsafe and improper to follow the 

 usual mode of shocking corn in October, and of 

 putting it in houses in November. The proper in- 

 ference is, that no mode of harvesting any kind of 

 crop is safe in all seasons — and that care, and the 

 proper exercise of judgement, are always neces- 

 sary. 



E. R 



Jan. 26, 1S36. 



From the Richmond Enquirer. 



"The Regie of France have declared an adju- 

 dication, or contract, for delivery in samples, to be 

 shown in Pans, in Nov. next, for 3,000 hhds. Ma- 

 ryland, 3,000 Kentucky, and about 3,500 to 4,000 

 Virginia — not confined to fine qualities, but to 

 range middling, good, and fine, in consequence of 

 a declared purpose of discontinuing the irrowlh of 

 tobacco in France. The deliveries to be made 

 through the spring and summer of 1836. 



"This proposal of discontinuing the culture of" 

 tobacco in France, is an important feature; but its 

 effects will not be materially felt for another year." 



For the Fanners' Register. 

 COMMERCIAL REPORT. 



The commercial transactions of the present and 

 preceding month, have been attended with no 

 remarkable variations. The most important arti- 

 cles of foreign and domestic produce have com- 

 manded good prices, but none have been borne up 

 unwarrantably by speculation. 



Although it is the prevailing opinion that the 

 crop of cotton in the United States will prove fifty 

 to one hundred thousand bales larger than the 

 previous one, yet with ihe exception of South 

 Carolina and Georgia, the quantity brought to 

 market is much less than at the same period last 

 year. This is ascribed to an opinion entertained 

 by the planters, that they will obtain better prices 

 at a later period in the season; and the moderate 

 supply has doubtless tended to support prices at 

 higher rates than foreign quotations would seem to 

 warrant. In New Orleans, 13| to 18 cents — ave- 

 rage lots 15 cents. In Mobile, 13^ to 16^ cents. 

 In the Atlantic markets, generally 13 to 15 cents, 

 except for very fine quality. The prices in Eng- 

 land continued, until last month, when they be- 

 came steady, at such low rates, compared with 

 those previously current, as to cause heavy losses 

 on shipments from this country. There is no 

 doubt that the consumption of cotton continues to 



