No. 21 



THE FARMERS CABINET. 



325 



For the Parmcrs' Cabinet. 

 The writer of this has lieard tliat a small 

 lump of liino, put into the water in which 

 potatoes are boiled, causes them to be dry 

 and mealy, and that salt usually causes them 

 to be hard and firm. Z. 



I'"or llic rarnmrs' Cnbiiit't. 



It is said that spirits of turpentine placed 

 upon the head of horned cattle will cure the 

 disease called the IMUiw Horn. The pro- 

 cess recoinincndcd, is to put a small quantity 

 just bacii of the root of the horns; and repeat 

 as often as may be necessary. Ainmalcule 

 is supposed to be the cause of this disease. K. 



From a communication of James Camak, 

 Esq. of Athens, Geo. to the Editor of tlie Farm- 

 ers' Register. 



India u Cor 2^2, 



MADE WITHOUT TILLAGE AFTER PLANTING. 



By experiment, I have arrived at some con- 

 clusions in regard to the culture of Indian 

 corn, which 1 think are of importance to 

 planters in the southern states. T commu- 

 nicate them for the use of the public uith 

 great hesitation, because they are directly at 

 variance with the received opinions on the 

 subject. 



The early part of my life was spent in agri- 

 cultural pursuits — and hence, if there were 

 no other reason, I feel a deep interest in every 

 thing relating to agriculture. I noticed, very 

 early, the great difficulty in transplanting 

 successfully theyoung corn plants. Whence 

 comes this, but from breaking the roots in 

 taking the plant up ? How is it then, that 

 intelligent planters affirm the doctrine, that 

 one chief object of ploughing corn, is to cut 

 its roots ! If breaking the root3 of young corn 

 in transplanting it, is really fatal to its future 

 growth, must not breaking its roots with the 

 plough, when it is older, and the season hotter, 

 be a serious injury to it ! Any other conclu- 

 sion seems to me to be at variance with the 

 general economy of nature. It seems to rne 

 that there can be, in truth, but two reasons 

 for ploughing or hoeing corn,— 1st, to destroy 

 grass and weeds; and Sd, to keep the soil 

 loose, that the roots may penetrate easily, in 

 search of their proper food. But in accom- 

 plishing tliese two purposes, great injury 

 must be done to the corn, by breaking its 

 roots. Can we not accomplisii botii these 

 ends, and at tiie same time keep clear of the 

 attendant mischief! I think we can. 



L-ist spring I planted a small piece of poor 

 ground — first breaking it up well. The rows 

 were made three feet apart, and the stakes 

 left about a foot apart in the drill. The 

 ground had been very foul last year with 

 crab grass, whose seed matured. The corn 



was not well up this .>pring before the grass 

 began to appear. \Vhen the corn had about 

 tour or five blades, the young grass con)])letely 

 coveted the ground and the corn was turning 

 yellow. I spread a small quantity of stable 

 manure around the corn, and covered the 

 whole ground witii leaves from the forest, 

 taking care to do this when the ground was 

 wet, and the leaves also, that tiioy might not 

 be blown awry, and to leave the top's unco- 

 vered. In ten cloys tiierc was not a particle 

 of living grass to be found, and the corn had 

 put on that deep bluish green which always be 

 tokens a heathiul condition of the plant. 



From the day the corn was planted until 

 after the fodder was pulled, and the tops cut, 

 nothing more was done with if, and the re- 

 sult is a product at the rate o^ forty-two bush- 

 els to the acre — about one third of the stalks 

 having two cars on each of them. 



1 noted, in the course of the summer, the 

 following facts : — 



1st. The corn treated thus, was always 

 ahead of some planted alongside of it, and 

 treated in the usual way. 



2d. It ripened at least ten days sooner than 

 other corn, planted at the same time. 



?A. During the hottest and dryest days 

 the blades never twisted up, as did other corn 

 in the neighborhood. 



4th. In the dryest weather, on removing 

 the leaves, the ground was found to be moist 

 to the surface, and loose, as deep as it had 

 been at first broken up. 



.^th. The heaviest rains had scarcely any 

 effect in washing away the soil, or making it 

 hard. 



It certainly will require less labor to pro- 

 duce corn in this way, than in the usual mode. 

 And even if it required more, we have the 

 consolation to know, that while, by the old 

 mode, every hour's \wo\\\ is an injury to the 

 land, by this mode, every hour's work is mak- 

 ing the land, better; for few things can be 

 better manure than the coating of leaves put 

 on in summer, when ploughed in in the winter 

 or spring following. 



I used leaves raked up in the forest, because 

 of these there is an ample supply within the 

 reach of almost every person — and because 

 there seems, I'rom my observation, to be a 

 strong antipathy between dead and. decaying 

 forest leaves, and crab grass, that most har- 

 assino- foe ofa<jriculturistP. 



I make this counminication, as I have al- 

 ready said, with hesitation, because the idea 

 of raising corn without ploughing and hoeing, 

 and at the same time improving the land, 

 by protecting it against the inlluence of a 

 scorching sun and washing rains, is directly in 

 the teeth of the universal practice for ages. 

 The thing is, however, at least, worthy of fur- 

 ther trial. It may lead to most important 



