THE FARMERS-REGISTER. 



605 



well, unlit reduced to a jam. Then pui it imo 

 pois. 



Ttie above is ilie moijl simple way oi' iiuikiiiii 

 il ; but lo have il ol the best possible clearuest;, 

 make a iluck syrup Willi iliree pounds ol sugar lo 

 each pint ol water, and clarily ii vviih an t>^u, as 

 beiore Uirecicd. 1 hen add one pinl ol this s^rup 

 lor every three pounds ol apjdcs, and boil liie jam 

 lo a projjer ihickueso. 



NEW UTENSIL FOR CUTTING DOWN CORN. 



To tlie Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



September 20th, 1841. 



Dear sir : — As the season is lasl approaching 

 for culling up corn, 1 send you a skeicli ol a very 

 eiiiiple tinpleaienl lor ihal purpose, whicli t deem 

 prelerable to the hand-lioe in evc ry resjjecl bui 

 one, and this is — it makes the arm slightly sore 

 at. lirsi, until ilie laborer gels accustomed lo the 

 unusual luoiion, which he soon does. One ol 

 these implements was given to me several years 

 ago by a very good larmer, who recommended it 

 highly, and 1 have lound that he did nut sciy too 

 much m ils lavor. If ilie culling edge be made 

 ol well tempered steel, and always kept sharp, 

 I believe no one could witness the use tor an hour 

 without admuiing us superiority lo the hand-hoe, 

 even il" that also was kept perlijcily sharp. 



But one great obstacle to the imroduciion ol 

 new tools and implements, however superior they 

 may be to old ones, used ior similar purposes, is, 

 that too lillle attention is paid, by those who are 

 prevailed on to try them, m the hrst place, to 

 having them well made ; and secondly, to keep- 

 ing them in good order. This negleci olien 

 brings the best of them into disrepuie, and ihey 

 are not unfrequenlly thrown aside as worthless, 

 when the Jiict is, that they never have been lairly 

 tried. 



The manner of using this corn-stalk culler (if 

 I may give it a name) is, lor the laborer lo com- 

 mence with two rows at a time, thus : let him 

 take hold of the sialk or stalks, either on the right 

 or lelt hand, with his left hand, and cut with the 

 right. The man next to him does ihe same vviih his 

 two rows and both throw their sialks together be- 

 tween them, taking care that their but-ends shall 

 all lie the same way. This enables one picker up lo 

 serve two cutters; whereas, when the hand-hoe 

 is used, each cutter must be Ibllowed by one to 

 pick up after him, as the staiks liall in every direc- 

 tion, so as to require to be taken up one or two at 

 at a time, beiore the lollower can get an armlul. 

 In the other case it is obtained at a single grasp, 

 and the stooking goes on nearl.dr quite as last 

 as the cutting up. Another advdniage winch 

 ihis method has over the common one is, thai 

 the jar of the stroke of the hand-hoe often shakes 

 off the ears of corn, which increases llie labor of 

 the pickers up. This very rarely if ever happens 

 when the corn-stalk culler is used. But as the 

 old adage admonishes us that " ihe proof of ihe 

 pudding is in the eating," let ihe two modes be 

 fairly tried by the same hand, and if the prefer- 

 ence be not given by all impartial witnesses to 

 the new, rather than to the old method, then will 

 1 cheerfully submit to whatever censure I may 

 deserve Irom those whom I may have induced to 



make the comparative trial. In order, however, 

 to make it a fair one, the decision should not be 

 leli, either to the laborers themselves, or to their 

 overseers, most of whom are generally too much 

 prejudiced in liivor of all their old practices to 

 judge imparlially of new ones. Lcl the owners 

 of the larms, on which Ihe trials are made, be 

 the judges, and lei them notice accurately, by 

 their w.itches, which method consumes most lime. 

 Let ihem also take special care that the laborers 

 in each case move as nearly at the same place 

 as ihey can be made to do. Without this pre- 

 caution, they will be very apt to exert themselves 

 niosi with the hand-tioe, that they may produce 

 a decision in favor of the " old way." 



in conclusion, 1 beg leave to suggest ihat ihe 

 san}e hands should be employed in both trials, 

 on land of unilorm quality, on an equal quantity of 

 corn, planned at the same distance, and liaving 

 the same number ol sialks in a hill. Nothing 

 will then be wanting lo make the comparison 

 as liiir as possible ; and if any will make it, let 

 me beg that they will report the result lor your 

 paper. I remain, dear sir, yours, very sincerely, 

 Jabiks M. Garnett. 



N. B. I would remark, that six laborers is ihe 

 most convenient number to employ, if the two 

 modes of cutting up all the corn before it is 

 siooked, or il cutting and stooking at the same 

 lime he tried, because in the latter case they must 

 be ditierently divided. That is, when ihe hoes 

 are used there will be 3 cutting up and 3 follow- 

 inir, but with the other imjilement, there will be 4 

 lo cut up and only 2 lo Ibilow them. 



Description of the corn-stalk cutter. 



1 The handle should be from 21 to 24 inches long, 

 aiul about the thickness of a hoe-heive. 



The shank of the iron 5 or 6 inches long, as broad 

 as the helve is thick, and confined therein by two 

 small rings. 



The blade 2 inches wide,. 3-S thick on the back, and 

 the cutting edge sharp. Its length from the joint to its 

 insertion in the handle, as indicated by the dotted hne, 

 should be 7 or 8 inches. 



JN'. B. The curve being sketched from memory, 

 may not, perhaps, be quite as crooked as it should be. 

 ir not, the defect can easily be corrected. 



We should have had lo regret that the laie 

 recej)iion o) ihe foregoing communicaiioMi would 



