198 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



corn ihence, to the crib, is the most economical, 

 or greatest saving of labor. The practice with 

 others is to pull their corn, haul it to a Fuitatile 

 place, and slinrk, and then crib it. There can 

 be no doubt that ihe same number of hands will, 

 by the former meihod, secure in the crib, a erieaier 

 quantity of the corn, in the same time, than by 

 the latter. 



The plan is, however, subject to two objections. 

 1st. By this meihod all the corn, good and bad, 

 must be cribbed together. 2d. The shucks must 

 either be lost, or stock turned in the cornfield to 

 feed upon them. If this be done, the ground 

 will be much injured by the trending of the stock, 

 when renderfd soft by rains, or by freezing and 

 thawing. This evil may, in some degree, be 

 avoided by turning the stock into the field only 

 • when the ground is fozen hard. But our winters 

 ♦arc so open, and the changes in the weather so 

 frequent and sudden, as to defeat almost every 

 precaution of this kind. In point of fact we 

 rarely see farmers take the trouble to have their 

 Btock removed at every sudden change of the 

 weather, particularly when that change is accom- 

 panied by heavy, and long continued rains. Com- 

 fort is most generally con^uhed, on occasions of 

 this kind, and the cattle are left to feed themselves 

 rather than encounter the trouble and inconve- 

 nience of removing them to a place where they 

 may be fed. And thus the ground is left to suffer 

 rather than expose the^rmer or his hands to in- 

 convenience. 



The other plan is somewhat more tedious, and 

 (if ihere be no shelter under which to throw the 

 corn as it is hauled, and to shuck it, and save tlie 

 Bhucks,) is liable to more serious objections than 

 the other. 



If, however, the fiirmer will provide himself 

 with a cheap and suitable buildinor, under which 

 his corn can be. protected while he is gathering, 

 hauling and shuckintr it ; and where he can save, 

 salt, and stow away his shucks till the time for 

 feeding them, the latter plan will, perhaps, be en- 

 titled to the preference. Much of the corn, ac- 

 cording to this plan, can be shucked durinj; bad 

 weather. It can be assorted, and the different 

 kinds hauled to the appropriate places lor 

 feeding. The shucks can be salted, and secured 

 from the weather, and fed away without much 

 inconvenience in bad weather. The stock, fed 

 upon them, will furnish some manure; and above 

 all, this plan will keep the stock from injuring the 

 land, by treading it when rendered soft by rains, 

 and by freezing and thawing. If this plan be 

 adopted, there should be a crib, fiir holding the 

 nubbin corn, and that which is unsound, so situat- 

 ed that this part of the corn may at once be put 

 into it, and thus leave none but the sound corn 

 to be removed to distant cribs. The process of 

 assorting the com may thus be performed while 

 shucking it, and the defective parts, by means of 

 baskets, deposited in the adjoining crib ; or it may 

 be assorted as the sound corn is thrown into the 

 wagon to liaul to the appropriate crib, and put in- 

 fo the crib intended (or it, while the wagon is un- 

 loading. A. Beatty. 



September, 1840. 



KOTES TO THE ESSAY ON TOBACCO CULTURE, 



(Continued from page 177.) 



(Note J.) 



This essay is adapted n)orn particularly to the 

 culture of the bright Kitelbol, Maryland tobacco. 

 The writer of liiese notes dues not pretend to 

 know any thing about the management of that 

 particular variety, nor would he in any way call 

 in question the views or skill of the writer, or pre- 

 sume himself to prescribe lor its management. 

 There are however in its culture, and process of 

 management for market, many things in common 

 with the practice of the best planters in Virginia, 

 and many in which they differ. It. is the design, 

 therefore, to point out in a Irief way those par- 

 ticulars in vv^hicb they disagree. It will be borne 

 in mind that the Maryland tobacco is sold in a 

 very different market, and put to a very different 

 use from that which is made in Virginia. Al- 

 though in Baltimore it commands a higher price 

 than ours, yet in Petersburg, or Richmond, it 

 would be con^ered thin, chaffy, and almost va- 

 lueless. 



C^ote B.) 



This has not been the impression of the best to- 

 bacco growers in Virginia. Owing perhaps to 

 the peculiarity of our soil, or more probably to the 

 dislike which they have to the thin bright to- 

 bacco, they prefer that it should not grow ofT loo 

 rapidly, or mature too early. It is always a mat- 

 ter of regret with them if the seasons force iheir 

 plants so as to compel them to put them in the 

 hills before the 1st of June — the 10th is much 

 more preferred — though when their plants are 

 large enough, and the weather is suitable, they 

 avail themselves of it for fear that there may not 

 be "seasons' as they call it, to plant out, wherj 

 they might desire it. That which is planted out 

 about the lOih or 15ih of June, grows broader 

 leafed and heavier, and is thrown back later to re- 

 ceive the heavy dews of August and September, 

 which our planters consider very important to 

 make it thicken and ripen. Our writer's opinion, 

 too, of the importance of rapid growth to make a 

 fine article, will not apply to the fijcts of the case 

 in Virginia. We believe, too, that it is generally 

 conceded that the thin, poor tobacco of Kentucky, 

 is owing to the rapid and luxuriant growth which 

 their fertile soil gives it. Within the last few 

 years, however, the character of that tobacco has 

 very much improved ; owing no doubt in part to 

 the improved management, but not less is due to 

 the improved condition of soil for that particular 

 crop. The exuberance of fi^rtility which formerly 

 produced a coarse and spongy article, has been 

 worn down to a more healthy fertility, 



{Note (7.) 

 The practice of the best planters in the middle 

 counties in Virginia, (and we think they grow the 

 best tobacco in the state,) is to fallow up their rich 

 clover fields in the autumn as soon as it is well 

 matured, letting it remain to rot till the spring, 

 when it is ploughed and reploughed to mix the 

 manure before hilling and planting. Some of the 

 prettiest " pie-bald," fawn-like tobacco we have 

 ever seen in the field, has been made under such 

 circumstances, and brought the highest prices in 

 our markets. Another successful plan is to fallotv 



