420 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Sept. 



stant in growth, and I think more liable to be 

 winter-killed — so that I have grafted some stocks 

 and given them a regular course of treatment, to 

 save them from death. The tap-root, surely, is 

 not the stronghold of vitality. 



In travelling in the woods and uncultivated 

 spots, I have frequently met with seedling apple 

 trees, of the existence of whose radicle there 

 could be no doubt. They were scraggy, with 

 many low and frightfully decayed limbs, and nu- 

 merous suckers growing up around their trunks. 

 Occasionally some of their branches will hang 

 full of poor fruit ; yet they show little evidence 

 of longevity, or that they would not die of pre- 

 mature old age. Certainly, we do not want such 

 trees as these in our orchards and gardens. No ; 

 we need trees which have felt the influence of in- 

 telligent cultivation — the mind and hand of man 

 — manure, the saw and the pruning-knife. 



Many trees seem to have no central root, but 

 rather roots very divergent and near the surface ; 

 yet they grow rapidly. Notice the plum tree, 

 the Ailanthus, and the Abele. If these trees do 

 80 well, may we not find encouragement in clip- 

 ping the radicle of the apple and pear ? 



But even granting that pear trees are decaying 

 from causes noticed above, have we any remedy ? 

 It is true we can preserve the central root in the 

 stocks ; but how can we get the best sorts of 

 Europe or of our own land, without we accept of 

 scions that are the result of that "enfeebling 

 process" which alone is supposed to generate a 

 good variety ? Shall we use these scions, or 

 shall we fall back upon the enduring tap-rooted 

 trees, with their harsh and worthless fruit ? 



D. W. LOTHROP. 



West Medford, July 15, 1859. 



stalks and butts together, which is not only a 

 great convenience, but is evidently better on ac- 

 count of th' ir both being cut in a greenish state, 

 while in cutting the stalks only, the stalks are 

 secured green and the butts are allowed to re- 

 main till they are perfectly dead and dry, which 

 renders them of little value. Although I disa- 

 gree with my friend in some respects, I agree 

 with him in others. I fully endorse his practice 

 of feeding his corn fodder in the winter. I make 

 a practice of feeding to my stock one or two 

 bunches a-piece per day, making it last nearly 

 through the winter. My cattle eat it with a relish 

 that assures me it is a pleasant, and I think must 

 be a wholesome diet. w. M. L. 



Sullivan, N. IL, 1859. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 SECURING COBN—CORN FODDEB. 



SEASONABLE FARM "WORK. 

 The best season in all the varied round of the 

 year for seeding land to grass, is probably the 

 month of August. The days are long, and if the 

 weather has not been marked by drouth, the land 

 is usually sufficiently moist to make the opera- 

 tion of plowing easy and agreeable. It is a hot 

 season, to be sure, but such advantage can be ta- 

 ken of this, by working early in the morning and 

 a little late at night, as to overcome any objec- 

 tions on this account. It costs something to 

 break up an exhausted field, and re-seed, but it 

 is better economy than to mow over the same 

 land for a succession of years, and get less than 

 a ton of hay to the acre, and that, quite likely, 

 upon the best lands. Let us look at the items : 



Hors and oxenl day $3,00 



Man anil boy 1 £0 



Use of plow 25 



Ilarrowinp and levelling 1,00 



One bushel red top seed 75 



One peck of herds grass 87| 



Six pounds of clover 75 



Mr. Editor : — In the Farmer of July 9 I no- 

 tice an article under the heading of "Corn and 

 Corn Fodder," by J. Wood. He seems to favor 



the old practice of cutting the stalks, both on ac- -n . • ^ u * v.- * 



count of the grain and fodder and on account of I ^^^nts will put an acre into excellent condition to 

 the saving of labor in harvesting. I contend that 



$8,12i 

 An expenditure of eight dollars and twelve 



it is not more than two-thirds the work to har- 

 vest an acre of corn to cut it up at the roots that 

 it is to cut the stalks as your correspondent 

 ■would do. I consider it as much work to cut an 

 acre of stalks, bind and shock them, as it is to 

 cut up the same amount of corn at the roots and 

 bind and shock it. Therefore, I think our friend 

 Wood loses his time and labor entirely in cutting 

 his stalks, for I know from my own experience 

 that corn well secured in the shock will cure as 

 sound and bright as that which is suff"ered to 

 ripen in the butts. My method for curing corn 

 is this : as soon as the outside husk on the ear 

 begins to turn, I commence cutting. I place from 

 four to six hills in a bunch, after which I bind 

 and put four bunches in a shock. I then turn 

 the tops of the tassels down and bind them, which 

 prevents the water from getting inside the shock. 

 I let it remain from two to four weeks, when it 

 is sufficiently cured to haul to the barn. 



1 think I have the advantage of my friend 

 Wood in two or three respects ; first, in the sav- 

 ing of time and labor, and again in having the 



give one and a half tons of the best hay for six 

 years in succession, at least, with the aid of a lit- 

 tle top-dressing. We say nothing of manure, as 

 that is a farm product replaced by the crops. 



Now for the items again : The acre just plowed 

 has produced three-quarters of a ton, annually, 

 for the last five years. At $16 per ton this would 

 give $12 a year, or $60 aggregate for the five 

 years, $60,00 



The acre newly seeded and properly laid down, 



will give one and a half tons annually, and at 



$16, would be $24. 



Or in the aggregate $120 



Deduct value of old crop 60 



Balance $60 



in five years in favor of reseeding. 



Then there is another item of importance in 

 the saving made by working less land — because 

 if the crop is doubled, it is necessary to cultivate 

 only half as much breadth. 



