298 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



April 4, 1832. 



lisli this fact, I think there are few farmers that 

 will hesitate long in deciding which is the most 

 valnable, one acre of corn or five acres of top 

 stalks. But this twenty per cent, is not saved at 

 the expense of losing the stalks, they are worth as 

 much and I think more, all things considered, after 

 the corn is harvested, than they are, gathered in 

 the usual way. If after being bunched up in a 

 green state, they heat or become mouldy, (a case 

 of frequent occurrence,) they are utterly worthless 

 except it be for manure; I know of no animal 

 that will eat thenj. But after they have once 

 been dried by the frost and wind, a subsequent 

 moderate degree of mouldiness, seems to be uo 

 injury. 



The course which I have pursued with them, 

 and for the present I know of no better, has been 

 as follows : In the first place, they are cut off 

 near the ground, and for this purpose a short scythe 

 is found the most convenient instrument. The 

 expense of cutting in this manner, however, is hut 

 a mere trifle, if any, more than cutting the stub 

 stalks in the spring, and may with proi>riety be 

 entered as an item of expense against the next 

 crop, for which it is preparing the ground. After 

 cutting, they are gathered into bunches of suitable 

 size for binding, and three good sheaves of rye 

 straw, if wet, will be sutficient to bind a ton. In 

 gatheringf them up and laying in bunches, an ac- 

 tive boy will do as much as a man. In this way, 

 the whole ex|>ense of gathering, binding and load- 

 ing, will not exceed 75 cents per ton. As they 

 are very bulky, for want of barn-room, I have 

 ihem stacked near the barn-yard; and I think I 

 may safely say, that my cattle eat more pounds of 

 stalks from an acre gathered in this way, than they 

 would from the same acre, if gathered in the usual 

 way. It may be objected to this, that they are 

 not as good and nourishing as others ; as to that 

 matter, I am not able to say; but if the cattle are 

 good judges in the case, (and I think they ought 

 to be admitted as such,) they are quite as good 

 and quite as nourishing, for they are eaten, appa- 

 rently, with quite as good a relish. In addition to 

 this, they are obtained without breaking off ears, 

 or breaking down hills in hauling out, occmrences 

 quite frequent in the other case. They also fur- 

 nish more than double the quantity of bedding for 

 the yard, an item of no small moment in the list 

 of "creature comforts," dm-ing our cold winters. 

 And last, though not least, they make more than 

 double (he quantity of mamne, the value of which 

 will be duly appreciated by every good farmeij 

 without argument. It may he said that the butt 

 stalks can be gathered after harvest, and furnish 

 the same quantity of litter and manure as in this 

 case; that is true ; but the expen.se of gathering 

 both parts in that way, from the butts being so 

 short and inconvenient to bind, would be three 

 times as much as it is to gather them whole. — 

 Thus viewing the subject in various points, I think 

 this method of managing corn stalks is much l)et- 

 ter than the old one ; and that a little observation 

 and experience will convince the most sceptical, 

 that this branch of agriculture is iiot yet brought 

 to a state of perfection, that there is yet room for 

 improvemeat. 



In passing through a field of corn, about the 

 first of September, I noticed that my clothes con- 

 tracted a strong smell of smut, and not being 

 aware that I had come in contact with any smutty 

 ears, I was led to examine a little to ascertain the 

 cause. I foimd many of the corn leaves nearly 



covered with rust (something similar to that ob- 

 served on the stalks of English grain, preceding a 

 blight,) and intermingled with the rust, was an 

 abimdance of very minute blisters of smut or some- 

 thing which had the appearance and smell of sitiut. 

 As I had never observed anything of the kind be- 

 fore, and snmt is said to be injurious to cattle, I 

 have thought that something of this nature might 

 have occasioned the dift'ereiice of opinion, enter- 

 tained by some of your correspondents, last fall, 

 in regard to the utility of feeding milch cows with 

 green corn stalks. Feeding cows with smutty 

 stalks, even if " fed to the full," would probably 

 tend to dry them up ; while feeding them plenti- 

 fully with healthy stalks in a green state, would 

 undoubtedly inci'ease their milk. 



In conclusion, I would inquire, if you can 

 (through the columns of the Farmer) give us the 

 detail or result of any experiment made to ascer- 

 tain the damage sustained by pasturing or feeding 

 English grain on mowing land. I think this an 

 important subject of inquiry to every New Eng- 

 land farmer, and submit it for the purpose of ob- 

 taining information. That good crops are some- 

 times gathered after feeding, is well known ; but 

 facts are wanted, which will fairly exhibit the ef- 

 fect of feeding those lands. Although this prac- 

 tice is handed down to us with the claims of an- 

 cient usage for its support, and perhaps might 

 have been expedient in former days, yet, from 

 some years' observation, I have little doubt that 

 accurate experiment, particularly with English 

 grain and yoimg clover, will prove it to be a 

 species of farn)ing similar to that of topping corn 

 stalks, and equally disasterous in its efl'ects. 



WM. CLARK, Jr. 



.\'orthnmp(on, March, 18.32. 



STONE BUILDINGS. 



Mr Fessendex — In compliance with your re- 

 quest, in the New England Farmer of the 7th inst. 

 I shall ofler the following remarks res[)cciiiig 

 stone buildings. The advantages of them an; their 

 great durability ; their sehlom wanting repairs ; 

 their greater security against fire ; and their offer- 

 ing to the owners places of abode of greater com- 

 fort, both in cold and ^hot weather. Being nmre 

 solid and compact than wooden houses, the inside 

 of them is less affected by the changes of the 

 weather, and I conceive, on that account, better 

 calculated to protect the health of their inhabitants. 

 In the coimlries where none but stone houses .ire 

 used, there are various ways of erecting the same, 

 accommodated to the nature of the materials itiost 

 within reach of each particular spot, and of the 

 pecuniary circumstances of individuals ; I shall 

 briefly state them, as follows : — 



No. 1. Are -houses suitable for wealthy indi- 

 viduals, the walls of which are raised altogether 

 with slabs of hammered stone, from the ground 

 to the roof; the foundations (being the walls of 

 the cellar) built in all cases with promiscuous 

 stones, well laid in mortar. 



No. 2. Are houses, in the building of which, 

 hanmiered stones are used only for a basement 

 about two feet high, as a course next above the 

 soil, all round the house ; then for the four corn- 

 ers of the house, the whole height of the building, 

 in slabs of various dimensions and so interlaid that 

 the longest of them, say about two and one half 

 feet, or more, should answer the purpose of bind- 

 ing the work together ; tlien round the doors and 

 round the windows, being cills, and caps, and side 



stones ; the main body of the walls to be raised 

 wiih promiscuous stones, chosen, to be well suited 

 for laying a face wall, and the stones to be care- 

 fully pointed between; for the beauty of such 

 walls, it will be desirable to have the stones, as 

 much as possible, of a uniform color. 



No. 3. Are houses built as above, with slabs 

 of stone split straight, hut not hammered, and the 

 main body of the wall built with promiscuous 

 stones, but not suitable for a faced wall, and cov- 

 ered over with a rough cast of strong mortar. 



No. 4. Are houses built without any slabs at 

 all, but altogether, with promiscuous stones well 

 chosen to lay strong work, reserving the stones of 

 the best shape and dimensions for the corners of 

 the building and to go round the dooiv and win- 

 dows. If the stones should be uniform in color, 

 tliey might be laid for pointing between, and if 

 not, then the whole wall should be rough cast. 



No. 5. Are buildings erected as No. 4, but 

 with less choice for the materials and always 

 rough cast, suitable for inferior houses and for 

 barns. 



The following remarks are applicable, equally, 

 to all styles of houses of the foregoing denomina- 

 tions: — 



1st. On the top of the walls are to be laid suit- 

 able plates of timber, for the roof to be framed 

 upon. 



2cl. The stone work round the doors and win- 

 dows must be laid in such a manner, that the 

 door and window frames may be placed and fast- 

 ened, back (^thc said stone work. 



3d. Central division walls for the form.ition of 

 the rooms may be built on piers for the support 

 of the flooring timbers. 



4(h. The inside of the walls of the building 

 may be laid carefidly and even, so as to be suit- 

 able to be plastered upon, for the finishing of the 

 rooms, which is the general method in old coun- 

 tries ; and the plastering performed with the plas- 

 ter of Paris, of a good quality and fresh burnt, 

 which will make the handsomest and most dura- 

 ble work. 



5th. The inside divisions for the rooms may 

 be performed jiartly by walls, and partly by joist 

 and boards, lath and plaster. 



6th. On the outside of the windows, holes 

 should be drilled in the stone for the hooks of the- 

 blinds ; the holes should be a little wider at the 

 bottom part, than out, and the iron hooks fastened 

 by rcmnin^ in some melted leac|. 



The power of the frost is so great and the chan- 

 ges in winter so sudden, in our climate, that it is 

 most essential that the whole work should be per- 

 formed with mortar of the strongest kind ; the 

 best lime shoitld be used, and coarse sand of an 

 even grit and perfectly clean. When extra 

 strength in the mortar is required, it may be pro- 

 cured by mixing with it a due proportion of iron 

 filings, which in our days may be easily procured 

 from the machinist's shop in every factory ; this 

 I kind of mortar is very superior and desirable for 

 pointing. 



A great part of the cost of a stone building is 

 j the expense of collec'ting the materials ; therefore, 

 'the first inquiry of the builder should be, afler that 

 ' kind of stone most abundant near the spot where 

 he wishes to build. Granite is a superior stone, 

 and if in suitable blocks and good to split, is all 

 that a builder could wish. 



Ledges of shelly stone would be very suitable ; 

 sand stone of a mild soft grit, is very desirable, 



