56 



SILK MANUAL, AND 



they act upon the suggestion of erecting a manu- 

 factory for the production of silk fabrics, they will 

 find the experiment prove successful, thereby 

 introducing anew article of commerce, and thus 

 benefitting the whole nation, by saving to the 

 country part of the immense amount which is 

 annually paid for this article in the markets of 

 France and England. — Essex Register. 



SUCKERS OIV IIVDIAN CORN. 



Farmers have been divided in the opinion, 

 whether it was best to deprive Indian corn of the 

 suckers which are given out from the roots, &c. 

 or not. We have been inclined to the opinion 

 that it was best, considering them as depriving 

 the kernel of food which it ought to have, and 

 thereby lessening the crop. 



Some statements in the last Cultivator, if cor- 

 rect, prove that it is wrong to cut them off, but 

 that they should be allowed to spindle and be- 

 come matured with the other stalks. Why this 

 should be done will be best understood by stating 

 a few items of the process of fertilizing the seeds 

 of plants. It is a fact, that plants are both male 

 and female, and that the yellow dust or pollen 

 which is produced by a certain part of the flower 

 must be received or a portion of it by another 

 part of the flower or plant and conveyed to the 

 seeds or they will never come to maturity. Now 

 pollen, in Indian corn, is formed by the spindle, 

 and this must descend upon the silk which is put 

 out from the husk or ear, and be thence conveyed 

 to the seed, and causes it to become matured or 

 ripened. Hence the reason why some rows ol 

 corn in an ear or the tips of some ears, have no 

 kernels ; they have not received any pollen. The 

 statement of the person alluded to is to the fol' 

 lowing purport, viz : The lower portion of ker- 

 nels put out the silk first, and the higher ones, 

 in succession — a new circle of them presenting 

 themselves continually until they are all out and 

 all impregnated. Now the male blossoms, on 

 the spindle, do not remain in vigor more than six 

 days, and if the weather be hot and dry not so 

 long. There is danger therefore, that all the ker- 

 nels will not become fertilized by the main stalks, 

 but the suckers coming after in succession, will 

 afford s\iflicient for the purpose, and the ears be- 

 come filled. There is not the least doubt on the 

 score of the necessity of the pollen of the spin- 

 dle for rendering the kernel of the ear plump and 

 good ; but the question to be decided is — does 

 the spindle of the main stalk ever fail of doing 

 this ? If it is common for them to da this, then 

 the suckers, if they grow up and spindle in sea- 

 son, are absolutely necessary, and should never 

 be cut down. It is a subject worth examining, 

 and we hope our farmers will watch narrowly 

 this summer and test the truth of it. — Me. Farmer. 



Mowing Machine. — We have seen at the shop 

 of Mr Johnson, in Cherry street, a mowing ma- 

 chine, which we are told is the first of the kind 

 built in this country. The cutting operation is 

 ])erformed by circular knives fastened upon the 

 periphery of a horizontal wheel five feet in diam- 

 eter. This wheel is suspended upon a perpendicu- 

 lar iron shaft, which hangs upon a lever, by which 

 the knives are raised or lowered at the pleasure of 

 tlie driver to suit any unevenness in the ground. 

 The motion is given by geering, connected with 

 the wheels, on which the whole machine rests. 

 The machine will weigh a ton, and is moved by 

 two horses. Upon the horizontal wheel, and just 

 within the edge of the knives is a tub of light 

 wood, which has the effect of carrying the mown 

 grass into a swath. We see not but that the 

 thing will work well on smooth land, but where 

 there are rocks of much unevenness it cannot. It 

 is said to be capable of mowing ten acres a day, 

 and certainly, for the mower, it is much easier to 

 ride on this machine, than to swing a common 

 scythe. The machine was invented in, Eng- 

 land, but the laborers there, prolmbly under the 

 guide of some philanthropic leader, made war 

 upon it, and would never permit it to be usetrin 

 peace. — M. Y. Jour, of Com. 



BROOM CORN. 



The cultivation of Broom Corn is carried on to 

 a very great extent on some of the alluvial lands 

 on the Connecticut river, and in small patches in 

 many of the interior towns. The towns of Had- 

 ley and Hatfield raise large quantities, which are 

 manufactured into brooms, and distributed » 

 throughout the country. The seed is considered 

 of about two thirds of the value of oats, and n)ix- 

 ed with corn, makes an excellent provender for 

 the fattening either of swine or neat cattle. The 

 return of seed is somewhat precarious ; but often 

 it is abundant, and will more than pay the whole 

 expense of cultivation and preparing the croj> for 

 the market. I have known a case in which 150 

 bushels of good seed have been obtained from an 

 acre ; and I have been assured, on good authority, 

 of a still larger yield, though this is not frequent- 

 ly to be expected. One thousand pounds of broom 

 to an acre is a very good crop. It will pay well 

 for manuring and good culture. No crop is more 

 beautiful than the standing corn when in ]>erfec- 

 tion. It frequently attains a height of 12 to 15 

 feet. The stalks of the plant are very long and 

 hard, and, therefore, rather diflicult to load upon a 

 cart. They are considered as of no value but for 

 manure. The usual practice is to table the corn, 

 that is, to cut oflf the top, or tassel, as the broom is 

 called, about two feet from the top and bending the 

 stalks of 2 rows together, lay it down until it is sea- 



