NO. 19. 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



291 



undoubtedly there. Whether, in the several 

 states of egg, larva and pupa, or only of the 

 latter, I am not prepared to say. The win- 

 ter was peculiar. Snow fell in abundance 

 before severe frost set in, so that during a 

 winter of intense cold, the ground was scarce- 

 ly frozen. The fly was so far preserved, 

 from the circumstances of the season, as to 

 become numerous to excess in the spring 

 crop. Many pupte, undoubtedly, perish when 

 exposed to the rigors of a severe winter, 

 which would be protected under the snow; 

 and this may account sufficiently for their 

 abundance. I am, however, inclined to be- 

 lieve, that they did pass the winter in the 

 Ggg, or larva state, or both, by having several 

 times in the sprihg, detected both larvffi and 

 pupffi in the same plant. The winter pupa3 

 would come out and deposit their eggs first. 

 Then the larva?, and still later the eggs, pro- 

 ducing the appearances noticed. The same, 

 however, niiglit be occasioned by the eggs 

 being laid at different times in the spring. 



There is yet room for many interesting 

 observations on this subject. 



New Garden, 3d mo. 29, 1837. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Agricultural Iiuplcuicuts. 



NO. III. 



THE DRILL CORN PLANTER. 



This implement is constructed so as to 

 mark out the ground, drop the corn, and cover 

 it by the power of a horse under the direction 

 of a man who guides the horse and machine 

 with lines and handles, similar to those used 

 when ploughing. 



The horse and handles are attached to a 

 beam or to the hopper which holds the corn. 

 Through this hopper, a horizontal a.xle passes, 

 with wheels on each end, which move on the 

 ground and turn with the axle, or one of them 

 may turn on the axle and the other with it. 

 The hopper or beam is made sufficiently 

 strong to receive one of the sharp harrow (or 

 cultivator,) teeth, described under the article 

 Harrow, in a former communication. 



This tooth is for the purpose of making an 



opening in the ground to receive the corn, 



and the turning axle serves to carry the corn 



from the hopper and deposit it at regular 



Jistances asunder, and has regular holes 



^or depressions,) formed in the periphery, 



3ach sufficiently large to hold one grain of 



•jorn, but not two, and at such distance asun- 



■ ler as to deposit the corn at suitable distances 



ipart. The other parts of the periphery of 



;he axle that turns within the hopper, are 



mfficiently near to it to prevent the passage 



)f any grain. After the grain is carried from 



he hopper as aforesaid, it drops from the axle 



into a tube which conducts it into the open- 

 ing in the ground, immediately behind the 

 harrow tooth, and may bo covered a sufficient 

 deptli by nieans of a chain, with its two ends 

 attached to the machme, and the middle ex- 

 tending behind in a kind of bow over the 

 edges of the opening. The wheels, beam 

 handles and axle, are made of such dimen- 

 sions and materials as may be recjuired fur the 

 distance asunder which the corn is planted 

 and the kind of soil to be acted on, &c. Ex- 

 perience will be the best guide for this. 



Corn planted in rows, lying in a northern 

 and southern direction, so as to admit the rays 

 of the sun to the ground, is considered the 

 best position, and experienced liirmers say, 

 that corn so planted with stalks equidistant 

 and at suitable intervals asunder, ten per 

 cent, more corn can be produced on a given 

 quantity of land, than wliere several grains 

 are planted in a hill and the corn worked in 

 two direciions, at right angles to each other. 



By the use of the harrow teeth, or plough 

 mould board, constructed on the principles 

 described in my former communications, un- 

 der the articles Plovgh and Harrow respec- 

 tively, corn may be cultivated more easily 

 when planted as aforesaid than in hills, where 

 several stalks are together, because the space 

 between the stalks in the hills, requires hand 

 labor to destroy grass or other substances in- 

 jurious to the corn ; whereas, the plough and 

 harrow teeth will destroy these, or prevent 

 them from growing where one stalk is at 

 regular distances from another, and only in a 

 single row. The plough or harrow teeth 

 may be made of such dimensions, and such 

 number used at the same time as circum- 

 stances may require. Experience will, in 

 this case also, be the best guide. In some cases, 

 all may be used to advantage at the same 

 time; in others, only one will be most proper. 

 The frame may be so formed, that the differ- 

 ent kinds of harrow teeth or the ploughs may 

 be attached or removed at pleasure. Where 

 farmers do not choose to incur the expense 

 of a drill, and would at the same time wish 

 to plant their corn so as for one stalk to be at 

 the most proper distance from another, they 

 would f robably find it to their interest to make 

 a trial, and dropthecorn by hand and cover it 

 by a chain as above directed, or with a har- 

 row. Perhaps a portion of the injury usually 

 sustained from the cut worm, might be pre- 

 vented by planting more corn than is required 

 to cultivate to maturity; this would be allow- 

 ing a portion fur tlie worm and another por- 

 tion to grow to maturity, and if a less quantity 

 should be destroyed than might be calculated 

 on, the superfluous stalks might be destroyed 

 after all apprehension of danger from the 

 worm has ceased. 



Cktiter Co., Pa.,'2Zd March, 1837. 



