On Indian Corn y Potatoes, yc» 317 



sistance. This may be readily done, with a small rake, 

 the teeth formed with nails, whose edges have been 

 previously blunted : but a three forked hook, in the 

 form of those used by gardeners, is preferable. 



Farmers have been told, and might have seen, the 

 very superior properties of a grass lay for corn, but 

 many who do know it, have not appreciated the ad- 

 vantage, or they would not grow other crops, for the 

 express purpose of subduing the grass, previously to 

 the cultivation of the corn. The cultivation of corn 

 should commence, so soon as the first leaves expand ; 

 otherwise grass and weeds will take the lead ; hence 

 much labour is saved, by commencing their destruction 

 before they are established. On the proper or impro- 

 per management, at this critical time, the prosperity 

 of the crop greatly depends ; for, if the plants now 

 scarcely three inches high, are pulled up from a free 

 open soil, the roots will be found more than twelve 

 inches long, besides what remain in the ground. Where- 

 superficial roots abound, the shovel plough should be 

 used, for the cultivation of the crop ; but if those do 

 not exist, a hoe-harrow is much better, and greatly su- 

 perior to a mould board plough. This circumscribes 

 the roots of the plants, forms ridges and furrows cal- 

 culated to turn oft' the rains, and by turning up the 

 grass sods, with the seeds of weeds, causes much use- 

 less labour from the growth of both ; stops fermenta- 

 tion and decomposition, forming channels from which 

 the heat, moisture and nutriment already accumulated, 

 escape, exposing the manure to be washed away b\' 

 rain, and exhaled by the sun. The hoe-harrow will 

 more effectually pulverize, and clean the soil without 



