60 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Feb. 



For the New England Farmer. 



ON HARVESTING CORN. 



Mr. Editor : — A writer who signs himself "J. 

 Undei;wood," whose article appears in your paper 

 bearing date Sept. 15, has disclosed his views of har- 

 vesting corn, and I beg leave to differ from him 

 He appears to be prejudiced in favor of the old 

 way, which, if practiced, will be much loss to the 

 farmer. It is twice the work ^o harvest corn by 

 first cutting the stalks, for it is less work to cut up 

 corn with the tops on, than after they are cut ofi'; 

 so you save the time spent in cutting, binding and 

 drawing, and then you only save one-third of the 

 fodder, while the other two-thirds is of little value 

 if it stands to dry off and take the hard frosts. 



Then again it shrinks the corn when cut at the 

 usual time of cutting stalks, as ex])eriment has 

 shown, one-eleventh part in an acre from what it 

 would to let the corn remain in its natural state, as 

 the wise Creator has formed it ; so that there is 

 not only a loss in the fodder, but also in the corn. 

 If we were wholly secure from frosts, the largest 

 amount of corn would be obtained to let the corn 

 remain undisturbed till dry enough to husk and put 

 up. 



But the safest and best way is to cut up corn 

 when the husks begin to turn white and cleave 

 open ; say one-fourth or one-third of it. There will 

 be but a small portion of shrinkage, and there are 

 many advantages ; the corn is much better flavored, 

 and has a rich, sweet taste ; it is as much better as 

 wheat, rye or barley, which all admit is better, to 

 harvest wlien the straw is gi-een. The proper time 

 is when the straw is a bright yellow ; in like man- 

 ner, corn should be cut up and set up when the 

 kernel is first yellow, at which time the fodder is 

 mostly green, unless frost has lit on it. The time va- 

 ries as to when corn should be cut up ; some jears 

 it will do in August by the 28th, and so on till the 

 10th of September. This year it is later here in 

 the highlands of Vermont, where the water runs both 

 north and south. Men are inclined to go upon the 

 extremes ; some cut their corn quite too soon ; there 

 is a loss in so doing ; iniless to save it from frosts it 

 should not be cut until it is all turned, and the ear- 

 liest fit for housing. I think there is a saving, if 

 the corn is of large growth, of the value of from five 

 to ten dollars to the acre, over the old way of cut- 

 ting first the stalks, and then after the fodder is dry 

 and dead cut up that. My practice is to let the 

 corn stand about one week longer before cutting up 

 than those do who cut off the top, 



Roxbury, Ft., Sept. 18, 1855. A SUBSCRIBER. 



Injury to Trees. — The Hartford Times says 

 the thick coating of ice upon the cherry, pear and 

 peach trees has served to protect them from the 

 frost, and at the same time has acted in the capac- 

 ity of a burning glass, by concentrating and inten- 

 sifying the rays from the sun, until the unseasona- 

 ble warmth thus imparted has had the effect of 

 starting the flow of sap, and developing the buds. 

 ilt is feared the damage is very serious. 



Spare the Birds. — ^We used to suppose that 

 crows might be regarded as an exception, but we 

 see that this begins to be doubted. The American 

 Agriculturist says : — 



There is another valuable bird, not mentioned by 

 our correapoudeut, which has fallen into great dis- 



repute M'ith many of our farmers. We speak of the 

 common crow. Perhaps we are too partial to them. 

 We once reared one of these birds, and a more cu- 

 rious or cunning creatiu-e we never saw. He be- 

 came a most incorrigible thief, and was never so gay 

 as when he could get hold of a silver spoon or some 

 valuable article. We used to call him Jack, a name 

 which he understood and responded to as quickly 

 as any child. He had a high contem])t of hawks, 

 and when he saw one saiHng along he would pursue 

 him, and rising high in air, come down upon him 

 with terrible vengeance. Sometimes in these ex- 

 cursions we would sing out Jack ! and though high 

 up, he would wheel around and come sailing down 

 through the air in the most graceful manner, and 

 alight upon our shoulder. In haying time he al- 

 ways accompanied us into the field, and amused him- 

 self in hunting grasshoppers ; and the number he 

 ate was surprising. Afterwards, he would go and 

 sit on a haycock and allow them to "settle," when 

 he again renewed the war upon this insect tribe. 

 In a year or two Jack disappeared, having been 

 killed, we suj)pose, through the enmity of some of 

 our neighbors to the crow-khul. 



The great objection to crows is, that they some- 

 times injure young corn; but this may be easily 

 prevented at a trifling expense, and the good they 

 do, is, in our opinion, infinitely greater than the in- 

 jury. 



NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



We have before us, the fourteenth volume of the 

 transactions of this Society. It is a noble collec- 

 tion, and raises still higher the reputation of the 

 association, and of its talented secretar}-. 



The volume commences with a description of the 

 new Geological Hall, Avhich the liberality of the 

 State is erecting for the promotion of agriculture 

 in all its various departments. AVhen completed, 

 this Hall will be a monument to the intelligence 

 and public spirit of the State, of which its citizens 

 may justly be proud. Then follows the act passed 

 by the last legislature, to facilitate the formation of 

 Agricultural and Horticultural Societies in the 

 State, the constitution of the State Society, and a 

 list of the life members from its organization. 



The report of the secretary, B. P. Johnson, Esq., 

 to the legislature, is a model for such documents. 

 Brief in its details, clear in its arrangements, it 

 brings out in bold relief the leading points that 

 have occupied the attention of the society during 

 the current year. Drainage and irrigation, the ef- 

 fects of drought, the ravages of the weevil or wheat 

 midge, the study of the insects mjurious to vege- 

 tation, special manures, the location of the State 

 Fair, the new building for the Society, and an ac- 

 count of the Fair held at the city of New York, are 

 the principal topics discussed in the report. We 

 should be glad to present the whole of it to our 

 readers, did our space permit. But we must be 

 satisfied with a few brief extracts, remarking, by 

 the way, that it will be a fund from which we may 

 herenftrr draw valuablp and suggrstivp thoughts. 



