NEW ENCJI.AND FARMEll, 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL. 



PUBLISHED BY GEORGE C. BARRETT, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (Agricultural Warehouse.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 17, 1836. 



NO. 32. 



(For the New England Fanner.) 

 TOPPING CORN. 



Mr FESSE?iDF.\: — Notwithstanding the corrert 

 theories advanced by yourself and others, and the 

 numerous experiments, proving conchisivcly tliat 

 the practice of" topping Indian Corn " (Maize) is 

 injurious, yet it is believed that this practice is 

 still continued generally, although discontinued 

 by a large portion of the best farmers in New 

 England. The practice, if injurious, would, in a 

 short period, cause a loss of property, in the ag- 

 gregate, amounting perhaps to millions. That the 

 corn plant should ever have been selected for mu- 

 tilation, in preference to other vegetables, seems 

 to be an extraordinary circumstance. In the 

 whole circle of American husbandry, there is no 

 plant of higher utility and value, or which excites 

 greater curiosity and admiration in respect to its 

 beautiful appearance and organic structure. The 

 physiologist cannot explain how the grass grows, 

 or how this plant springs from a decaying seed 

 into being, and performs all its functions : yet 

 science reveals to us certain facts, as well as the 

 modes in which some of its functions are perform- 

 ed. We know that the Author of natin-e does 

 nothing in vain, either in the animal or vegetable 

 kingdoms ; and that He gave to this plant such 

 peculiar constitution and anatomy, that each part 

 or organ is absolutely necessary to bring it to ma- 

 turity, or complete its perfection. 



The abstraction of any part of it is, therefore, 

 opposed to the wise provisions of nature ; and, 

 for obvious reasons, checks its growth. It re- 

 ceives a portion of its food and nourishment from 

 the soil, through the medium of the roots, and 

 their sprays, or minute fibres, extending several 

 feet from the stalk or stem, which act as absorb- 

 ents. But the vegetable fluid, received from the 

 roots and propelled upward.s, undergoes several 

 chemical actions before it enters the cob, and be- 

 fore it is finally converted into that peculiar food 

 which the green ear requires. Air is as essential 

 to its growth as heat, and sup[ilies a portion of its 

 nourishment. Indeed, some plants derive their 

 whole nourishment from the air. The wide corn 

 blades, like the leaves of trees, decompose car- 

 bonic acid, retaining the carbon, and emitting the 

 oxygen. The blades are, therefore, in some mea- 

 sure, respiratory, and have some slight analogy to 

 the lungs of animals, which retain only that part 

 of the air called oxygen (the vital part), to im- 

 prove the state of the blood and give it its red 

 color. We may, therefore, safely conclude that 

 the corn-blade is the organ to prepare or elaborate 

 the sap propelled into it from the stem ; that from 

 the blade it returns to the pith or pulpy substance 

 of the stalk ; that it next enters the cob, after hav- 

 ing undergone several stages of improvement ; 

 and that before it is finally received into the ker- 

 nel, it has been "refined and doubly refined," 



is the nulriment of, and gives the sweet flavor to 

 the kernel. We thus perceive the use of the 

 blades, as well as the pith, the latter extending 

 through the whole stalk. This vegetable fluid 

 circulates through the whole length of the stalk, 

 as well as the blades. ■• 



Whether the sap, after it ascends from the roots 

 into the blades in which it is elaborated, descends 

 to the roots, according to the doctrine which some 

 distinguished phytologists hold in respect to trees 

 and jierennial plants, we confess we have strong 

 doubts. But that there is some sort of circulation, 

 must be conceded. It is probable that the juice, 

 after it ascends, may descend into certain bulbous 

 roots as their tops dry and decay. 



Although unable, hy actual experiment, to con- 

 fute the theory, we can conceive of no reason 

 whatever why the sap should descend into the 

 roots of annual or perennial plants. " The circu- 

 lation of the sap," says a learned writer, " is one 

 of the most obscure, though im]jortant processes, 

 in the whole vegetable economy." But the fact 

 that it circulates, or flows, or moves through every 

 l)art of the corn-plant, improving its state, until 

 the final deposit of its richest substance in the 

 kernel, is sufficient to support our main position. 

 If our premises are correct, the conclusion irre- 

 sistibly follows, that cutting off half the stalk with 

 nearly all the blades, while-the plant is green and 

 growing, before the ear comes to maturity, must 

 necessarily check its growth. Because a large 

 portion of the organs, essential to complete its 

 perfection, are abstracted. It is disorganized in 

 respect to its natural functions. One source, 

 whence it derives nourishment, is cut ofl". The 

 sap from the roots can no longer be elaborated by 

 the blades, and afterwards converted into a richer '. 

 ahd sweeter substance. The ear consequently 

 shrinks, the kernel shrivels as it dries ; and the 

 result is, as has often been demonstrated by accu- 

 rate experiments, that by means of the mutilating 

 jirocess, the corn turns out to be not so sweet and 

 palatable for food, less in quantity, and in weight 

 less than there would have been, had nature been 

 permitted, in her own way, to bring it to maturity. 

 Farmers often commence topping the corn so 

 soon as the kernel is glazed over, " begins to 

 turn," while it is " in the milk." This is the pe- 

 riod when the ear is in the greatest need of the 

 saccharine juice, when all the parts or organs of 

 the living whole, through which action is evolved, 

 and which reciprocally act and re-act, are devel- 

 oping their energies to produce the desired result, 

 the matin-ity of the ear. And the several parts or 

 organs of the plant are reciprocally defiendent 

 upon each other for the exercise of their respective 

 functions. 



Without the top and the farina, which falls 

 from it, the corn would never grow upon the cob. 

 A silky thread grows out of each kernel, and at 

 the precise time when these threads project be- 

 yond the husks, when "the corn is in the silk," 

 the farina falls from the top on to the silk, and 



untilitcoDstitutesthatrichsaccharine juice, which through the medium of these threads impregnates ' prove upon what is. 



each kernel. A microscope will disclose a small 

 aperture at the ends of the silk. In this manner, 

 it is well known, that two fields of corn of differ- 

 ent kinds, standing at a considerable distance from 

 each olher, will intermix when the wind conveys 

 the farina from one field to the other. 



The tops and the wide spreading blades have 

 other uses. They serve as a covering to protect 

 the ear' and stem from too intense heat of a burn- 

 ing sun on the one hand, and cold winils on the 

 other. They also derive nourishment from gentle 

 rains and dews ; and their umbrageou.s foliage, by 

 being a ])artial obstruction to evaporation, tends to- 

 prevent the soil from parching or drying up. A 

 medium temperature is thus, in some measure, 

 [■reserved. The genial influence of the solar light 

 upon the plants (without which they would not 

 grow), is a fact known to all, but is not of easy 

 explication. This covering affords also a partial 

 protection against the early frosts, to which our 

 Northern climate is subjected. One instance of 

 this I will mention. The last spring I planted, 

 about four acres of corn ujion a low, argillaceous.', 

 soil, late in the season. The piece was well man— , 

 lu-ed, but no manure put in the hill. For a long- 

 time the plants appeared less promising than tliose^' 

 of my neighbors, who put manure in the hill. But 

 when the roots reached the under-sward, and the 

 nutriment equally diffused, the growth of this 

 piece was remarkably rapid. The plants being^ 

 thick set, and of uncommon height, the tops and 

 blades covered nearly the whole surface. Th* 

 prospect appeared favorable to a yield of 75 bush- 

 els to the acre. While other farmers had topped 

 their corn (a practice which I have not adopted), 

 mine was in vigorous growth, only a small portion, 

 being out of danger from frost. In that state, two 

 successive frosts struck it so severely as to kilL 

 the tops and blades. But the ears n-mained green,. 

 and to appearance untouched by frost, and the 

 husks did not adhere to the ear as they do when 

 severely frost bitten. 3Iy opinion is, that the frost' 

 did no greater injury than the knife would have 

 done, had the piece been topped at that time;, 

 and also that had I topped it previous to the frost, 

 the effects of the frost would h.ive rendered "^t, 

 valueless, except for fodder. 



Some farmere top their corn in orde r to fore© 

 it to ripen earlier. They remove the covr ,i!ng to-j 

 let the rays of the sun have greater eife ct upon. 

 the ears. And some believe, that by thi ^ pi-ocessS 

 they can turn the whole current of the iuice into- 

 the ear ! In respect to the last p' ,int our prece- 

 ding remarks afford n sufficient a' jigy ,gj._ Experit- • 

 mental knowledge will convince ^ ^y j,j,g that tl«e 

 corn will ripen earlier in nat' j^e' -g way than by 

 adopting the mutilating pre ,gf rj^^g truth is, 



that we may safely follow ' .^^y ^^'^^ j^^t to change 

 her course and improve } ^g^ , ;, beyond the 



power and capacity of w ^^_ ,j,,jg' g.,.eat Author 

 of nature created ever' -^^ ^^e vegetable 



kingdom, perfect in its ojj. a kind. It is, therefoi-e, 

 the height of arroganr^, , ., ^^ ^^,|y ,„ attempt to im- 

 0' .^eady perfect. While by 



