484 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



immense sacrifice of insect life required to feed 

 such a numerous company. The result has been 

 as before stated. Add to this, the joyous warb- 

 lings from these feathered songsters, and what a 

 contribution of pleasure and comfort ! 



To legislatures in general and the whole com- 

 munity in particular, we say, encourage bird rais- 

 ing. ])on't sufier wanton sportsmen to enter your 

 fields, and prey ujjon these friends of man and 

 beast. Show your regard for your own and the 

 welfdre of the community by sparing the birds. — 

 Travdler. 



For the New England Farmer. 



FODDER CORH. 



I have observed frequent references in the JVeu» 

 England Farmer to an article which I thus denom- 

 inate, but as all I have seen appear to have been 

 from men who were inquiring, rather than of those 

 who had made full experiments in the business of 

 growing this kind of fodder, I have been induced 

 to forward the following communication, which is 

 the result of about fifteen years experience. 



I began with common corn in drills three feet 

 apart, and let it stand much too long, so that I had 

 a large supply of hard stalks which were useless 

 for fodder. After sundry trials, I at length came 

 to the following results and adopted the following 

 rules. 



1. Any kind of land which is suitable for corn, is 

 good for the crop in question. If it is rich, the 

 growth will be so much more rapid and luxuriant, 

 but you may get a good crop on land of moderate 

 fertility. 



2. My time of sowing or planting is at any pe- 

 riod from early spring, to the middle of August. 

 If at the latest period, your land should be in good 

 condition, and you will have a growth sufficient 

 for the best kind of fodder by the time of the 

 earliest frosts. And if it gets some slight nippings 

 it is not fatal, but the sooner it is then cut the bet- 

 ter. I have, however, let patches stand till the 

 middle of November, when the top leaves were 

 faded and dry. But the body of the stalks were 

 Rtill good, and I had rather have them to feed out 

 to milch cows than good hay as a part of their 

 food. 



3. On planting in drills or solving broadcast. 

 The drill system is the best for weedy land, on 

 account of the advantage of hoeing, which requires 

 but little labor if it is done in season. All under- 

 growth will soon be overtopped on my mode of 

 cultivation. When I go for drills, eighteen inches 

 apart is an ample width. I have gone down to 

 twelve, but this is too narrow, unless your land is 

 very rich. The abundance of roots will be too 

 much cramped, to produce a suflficient growth of 

 blades. In the drill system you have this advan- 

 tage ; with a sickle or hand scythe you can cut 

 down the rows in a rapid manner, and prepare for 

 curing and binding very easily. On this plan the 

 corn is dropped like peas, the average distance 

 should be about three inches. 



When I sow the corn broadcast, four bushels to 

 the acre is my general rule. If the kernels are 

 large more seed should be used. Like small grain 

 for fodder, I have found the more that will grow 

 well, the better it is fur feeding. 



4. The best kind of seed. My rule is to look out 

 for the best iiat corn I can find, and avoid by all 



means that which has been swelled on the voyage, 

 as much of it will not come up. In former years 

 I found the Maryland corn was better than that 

 which came from farther south. The kernels, how 

 ever, are generally large, so that fewer plants will 

 be obtained from a bushel. For a few years past 

 I have sought for the yellow western corn, that 

 comes by the way of the lakes. The kernels are 

 of moderate size, and pretty sure to vegetate if it 

 comes direct. 



5. Sweet corn for fodder. This I have often 

 used, and find it very good, l)ut still I cannot rec- 

 ommend it in preference to the gourd seed kind, 

 as it is called. The yield is much less. It no 

 doubt contains more saccharine matter, and is more 

 dehcious to the taste of cattle, and it is well enough 

 to use it in a small way, but a full foliage is easiest 

 obtained from southern or western seed. Cattle 

 are fond enough of that, green or dry. 



6. The proper lime to cut this fodder. In my 

 early experiments I was very apt to let it stand 

 too long, so that I lost, in the hardening of the un- 

 der growth, what I gained in the upper, so that I 

 now cut it so early that most of the stalks will be 

 eaten, especially by the aid of a cutter. But still 

 if a portion of them ai-e left for litter, you will get 

 more substantial fodder from the same ground 

 than from dry small grain, minus the leavings. 



Com in drills on good land may be cropped 

 once or twice, according to the luxuriance of its 

 growth before the final cutting. Where a man has 

 but a cow or two, these croppings will aid very 

 much the supply of food, and the yield of milk. 

 The way this is done is to grasp a handful of the 

 tops, and take them off with a stroke, but be care- 

 ful not to go doAvn too far. In a few weeks, where 

 the plants are in vigorous growth the leaves will 

 have attained their former height. Half a bushel 

 of these leaves pressed down by hand, are a good 

 mess for a cow instead of meal. 



7. How to manage the broadcast solving. I 

 prepare the ground the same as for oats and millet. 

 It should be levelled with a harrow, to secure uni- 

 formity in the disposition of the seed. But so dif- 

 ferent is this sowing from that of other grain, that 

 a good sower will often find it difficult to spread it 

 even as he travels on. This deficiency may be 

 remedied by one who has no sowing skill following 

 after, and supplying the thin places, as they can 

 be easily seen. The covering may be done by a tooth 

 harrow and a brush. But I think the better way 

 is to use the tooth harrow twice in different direc- 

 tions, and finish with a roller. This prepares the 

 ground for the scythe. 



8. On the curing of corn fodder. This is the 

 most difficult part of the whole operation. Millet 

 is a hard thing to cure, but this kind of fodder is 

 much harder, as the stalks are much larger, and 

 full of juice. In my early experiments I carted it 

 out on to grass land, principally to avoid the grit 

 which would adhere to the leaves in case of rain. 

 But this practice I long since abandoned, and lei 

 the crop remain where it grew. The grit will all 

 fall off by handling, and I found the making will 

 not go on so fast on grass, as the dry soil. A few 

 good sunny days will prepare the fodder for being 

 gathered into a smaller compass. That which 

 comes from drills must be gathered into bundles 

 for sheaves, and be opened and turned as long as 

 it is needful. It is a good plan as soon as you 

 choose, after cutting, to bind up the article into 



