70 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



SEPT. 1, 18 1 1 



A.Ml HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



BOBTOS, Wednesday, Septembeb, 1, 1841. 



INDIAN CORN— CUTTING OR TOPPING THE 

 STALKS. 



It is a well norertained fact the leaves perrurm an im- 

 pfirlant part in airfing the growih and in maturini; all 

 our friiiis and grains. Tliny clalmr.ite tin- sap and fit it 

 for nourishing evrry part oflhe plant. This bi'tng ad- 

 mitted, Ihe inft-rencn nenc^sariiy follows, that the leaves 

 should not be removed as long as the fruit requires more 

 nourishment. If the top is lakfn from ihc stalk while 

 the corn i'l yet imnnture, nothing else eon fan exprtcil 

 to result, than a diminution "f the crop. Those firmers 

 who are accustomt'd to eul the stalk while it is green, 



ver is worth more; and we have no douht thrl the corn person is deformed ; one having a broken arm ; an. 



is sweeter and heavier. The summer grains, wheat, rye 

 and barley, are lessoned in quantity and dcieri"rated in 

 quality, by standing uncut after the slrav; begins to turn 

 yellow ; and, until experience proves the contrary, it 

 might be expected that the same would be true in rela- 

 tion to Indian corn. Our experience is in »ci ordance 

 with this expectation. Some ears from our field, taken 

 where the stalks had been topped, and other ears taken 

 from Ihe stooks wure exhibited at the show oflhe Essex 

 Agricultural Society, Inst autumn, and the committee on 

 fruits and flowers, piiblirly, in their report, pronounced 

 that the best wliieh was laUen from the stooks. 



Process — About one week later than the usual time 

 of topping the stalk-<, when the husks on the earliest 

 cars arc beginnini; to turn wliile, cut at the root, laying 

 three or four hills together for a bimdle ; lay the butts 

 or bottoms even ; the corn may be bound up immedi- 

 ately, green as it is ; or it may be left open a day or two 

 to dry. Rye straw, bulrushes or chair-flags are more 



After the 



may be losers by the operation. 



Various experiments have been mndi — all of which, as I convenient for bands thon the corn stalk 

 fir as WIS know— go t'l prove that where the proress of | binding of the bundles, the corn may be stonkcd iinme- 

 culting IS omitted, the crop is from 10 to 20 pel cent rliately, taking eight or ten bundles for a slook ; around 



greater, than where the lop is taken oflT, when the grain 



has but just h( gun to harden. Mr Clark's account given 



in Vol. X. of this paper, and other accounts in subse- j harm 



quent years all show as great a diff'erencc .is wo have i Fears mav he 



named. One remark in those aec.'unts deserves pnrlicu- eorn will 



the top put two or three bands ; and if these be well put 

 on, the rains will not penetrate so far as to do any 



nould. 



mtertained that in this condition the 

 But our experience leaches otherwise. 



with a broken leg — a third a distorted spine, &c., 

 bad as appearances were there will bo two thirds of 

 three fourths of a usual crop. Week afler week the stalka 

 have hern corning into shapa, and now, a ^trangcr to the 

 grounds, would not suspect that the corn had been sub- 

 jected to any extraordinarily rough usage. — The point to 

 which attention is culled, and which may be of service 

 to those who may in future years receive a similar visl 

 talioii, is this. Where the field was left untouched, the 

 crop recovered more fully and rapidly than where clip 

 ping was resorted t". In a field adjoining ours, two| 

 rows through the centre of the corn lot were clipped a 

 the ground ; at the present time, there is little if any 

 more than half as much, either of stalks or gi 

 those rows, as on others which were left to woik their 

 way unaided. 



Many of the beets, carrots, ruta baga, &c., were killed 

 but those which survive are making a fair growth. 



When giving our former accounts we estimated the 

 damage to the small town of Wenham at $1000 ; but'' 

 at present we should rate it at twice that sum. One of 

 the hardships occasioned by the slorm, has been a gen- 

 eral deprivation of vegetables for home coneumplion, 

 during five or six weeks of that portion oflhe year when 

 these make a very acceptable, cheap, and wholsome fuud, 

 and constitute an important part oflhe farmer's dinner. 



lar notice. It is staled thai, before harvesting, there was 

 no ptrri-ptihU difPereiibe in Ihc two parcels of corn with 

 which the trial was triad e ; and yet when tried in the 

 half-bushel and by the scales, the result has been uni- 

 form in lavor of leaving the slalk unniulilated. 



Now we neither expect nor ask farmers to depart en- 

 tirely from their usual' process, but as it is easy for them 

 to leave two or four rows through their cornfield un- 

 touched, and ihen to measure the product of those rows, 

 and also of an equal number of contiguous rows at the 

 time of harvesting, and thus confirm or refute iIih cor- 

 rectness of the opinion that it injures the corn to take 

 off the top— as this is an easy process, we request every 

 grower of this crop, who may chance to read this article 

 to make the experiment. If it shall be found that the 

 nsual proce.<s subjeels us to a loss of 7 to 10 bushels of 

 corn ]>>-r acre, as the published accounts teach that it 

 docs, thon the question is surely worth settling. If the 

 loss be Ihus large, then every consideration of interest, 

 calls upon our farmers to abandon their old ways. 



But it will be said that the top stalks arc worth much 

 more as fodder, if cut while full of sap This is true ; 

 and the question to be settled is, whether more is gained 

 by the increased worth of the slover, thnn is iost by the 

 diminution of the corn. Experiments — experiments in 

 many fields should be made for tho purpose of deter- 

 mining this point. We urge this with more earnestness 

 than we do most experiments; because hero there is 

 scarcely tho possibility of a loss which could be sensibly 

 fell by even tho poorest farmer. 



The siatenient above referred lo, that no difference 

 was perr-eived in the parcels of cfirn before harvesting, 

 shows the importance of avoiding all guess work in this 

 mailer. — We have been satisfied from oilier sources that 

 very few eyes can make any near approar h lo accuracy 

 in mc.isuring the quantity of corn upon an acre ; or in 

 measuring the comparative yield of tyvu contiguous 

 rows. There should bo accurate measurement. 



INUIA.N CORN-CUTTING AT Till", ROOT AND 

 STOOKING 

 We have been accustomed for a few years past ti this 

 process, and we prefer it to topping the stalk, and leav- 

 ing tliu corn standing. We have no doubt ihal the slo- 



We have had it in lhissiluati(m through surcessive days 

 of warm wet weather, and no injury sulTered. Here it 

 is secured against frost, against birds — (but not mice) — 

 it is mostly secured against ihe dirt which autumn rains 

 throw upon tho leaves and husks. Let it remain in 

 slook until it is well dried — from three lo five or six 

 weeks. Large stalka stand in stook much better than 

 small ones. The larger the corn, the better is it suited 

 to this process of curing. 



THE WEATHER. | 



After a long absence of any copious rains in this vicin-. 

 ily, we were favored on Salurd.ay and Sunday, with; 

 thick mists, and on Monday, with an abundant rain.j 

 The long continuance of the fogs and cliuds renders it^ 

 probable that the rain has been widely extended, and 

 gives hope that the later harvest and iho auiumn leod 

 will revive and flourish. 



THE EFFECTS OF THE HAIL STORM. 



Our readers may recollect what we said of the devas- 

 tation produced by the storm which swept over the town 

 of Wenham and over our own fields on the 30lh of June. 

 The appearances on Ihe following day were that the la- 

 bors of the husbandmen in that vicinity would receive 

 but a small return. The damage has been great; the 

 grass was badly hmken, and the fields were thickly 

 strewn with briiiichrs which the wind rent from tho 

 trees; the bay crop, eonsuquenlly, was considerably 

 damaged; the pastures, too, received a pounding which 

 checked the growih of grass upon them, and lessened 

 the feed ; all the small grains were broken down, and 

 where they had advanced so far ns to lie iieaded out, 

 the crop was nearly ruined ; but the Idle-sown oats ro- 

 covered or grew up anew, and arc now ripening. Peas 

 were cut ofl", but started again from tho roots and horo 

 abundantly about the lOlh of August; beans were se- 

 riously injured ; vines were badly cut lo pieces, but those 

 whic.T survived, have made a fair growth. Early pota- 

 toes which were in blossom at the lime of the storm, 

 killed; but the lops of late varieties have attained to a 

 fair size : all the lenrler branches of trees were badly 

 bruised, and will show their scars fur years to come ; 

 all the fruit upon the side of those most exposed to the 

 slorm was beaten of^*— and the lilllo that remains upon 

 the opposite side was so bruised that it is gnarled and of 

 hut little worth. The Indian Corn, wos beaten inlo 

 shreds; there was little hope that it would recover- 

 But most of the stalks, afkor a time, raised thuir heads; 

 ihe batteri d rind or skin peuled off — looking like cast o(T 

 snake skins all over the ground — the stalks were crooked 

 in all possible ways, and the appearance oflhe i rop may 



It is slated ihal ',.'0 or ;)n cattle have died red 

 the vicinity of Hyfield, Mass., from eating (it is 

 ed) the leaves ol the wild cherry tree. They e.xpirei 

 be conceived by imagining a community in which every in a few hours al^cr they -were attacked. 



MasaachuaettB Ilortlciiltaral Society. 



EXHIBITION OF mOITS. 



Salurilaij, .lui'. ','- 



From S. Pond, Cambridgeporl— Plums, of uni ,,i.il 

 variety and excellence — viz : Isabella, Washingion, I very 

 large aii'l fine) ; Duane's Purple, Smith's Orleans, H. ind'j 

 l-^eedling." Italian Damask, White Gage, Hiiighain, 

 Prince's Imperial Gage. Mr Pond also exhibited spe- 

 cimens of the Julienne, Gushing and Bartlett Pears— the 

 latter unripe. 



From Robert Manning, Salem — Pears; Uearbirn't 

 Seedling (fine) ; Summer Franc Real, IJ'Ainoror, (jieen 

 ."•iimmer Sugar, August Muscat, Passaus d' Porinjjal, 

 Gros Blonquet, Julienne, (fine.) Plums— Drop .; Or 

 and a g-md specimen of the Grnvcstein apple. 



From Olis Jnhiisim, Lynn — Washingion Pluiiis 



Kiom John F. Al.cn, Sulem—Barllell and Sunnner 

 Franc Real Pears — the latter uncommonly fine ; (inpes 

 R.usaurabe and Constanlia. Peaches — Early 11 yal 

 George — handsome. 



From John C. Leo, Salem — Grapes; Black Himtlnrg 

 and Zinfendal — beautiful specimens. Pears; Juln hue 

 and Valle Franch ; also, the Green Flesh Pine Apple 

 Melon. 



From M. P. Wilder — Pears; Julienne, Dcail. lu'i 

 Seedling and llassel ? Plums; Pond's Seedling. I'.ing- 

 ham and Green Gage. 



From J. Lnvelt, Iteveily — Early Bough Apples ; I! zi 

 lihinc Pears; beautiful specimens of the V.asliin'toa 

 Plum and the Pine Apple Melon. 



From J. L. L F. Warren, Brighton— Black HaijMirg 

 G-apes; Duane's Purple and Bingham Plums- oij 



iv iloyi 

 -VVynk 



I'rnm G B Perry 

 lifiil and of fine llav 



For Ihe Committee, 



nop Harvest ! Apples ; b^au-, 



OTIS JOHNSON 



9- 



