654 



FARMERS' REGISTER— PADDLING CORN. 



rated, while in a moist state, with the stable ma- 

 nure, in the proportion of two loads of the former, 

 to one of the latter. The whole mass undergoes 

 a ra})id fermentation ; and is in the state of coarse 

 muck, when spread upon the surface. It is pro- 

 per to observe, however, that these ricks arc made 

 in places convenient to the ground, where the 

 dung is to be used ; and therefore, they are some- 

 times at a considerable distance from the stables, 

 though generally near to the large farm pens. The 

 corn on the ridges is jdanted at intervals of four 

 feet; having two stalks in the hill. That on the 

 flushed ground is planted likewise in rows of five 

 and a half feet by four feet in all the improved 

 land. Where the soil is less productive, the corn 

 is planted five and an half feet by three feet three 

 inches, and only one stalk left in a hill. In 

 planting on the ridges, I adopt Colonel Taylor's 

 mode of using the string or cord ; the ridges be- 

 ing first lightly harrowed, for the purpose of level- 

 ling them, and opened with a furrow. Immedi- 

 ately after planting, ploughing is commenced the 

 wide way, with double shovels and X ploughs, 

 (principally the latter,) on all the unmanured land ; 

 while upon the manured i)art, skimmers are used 

 which arc not apt to bring up the dung to the sur- 

 face. This operation is repeated, and in the same 

 direction, if the corn comes up slowly, or is back- 

 ward in growing. So soon as it attains the height 

 of five or six inches, (I say nothing of the time of 

 thinning, as this depends upon circumstances,) we 

 use the double shovels the narrov/ way, twice in a 

 row. From experience, I have found great ad- 

 vantage in ploughing very near the corn in this 

 stage of its growth, and have been materially 

 benefitted by adopting a plan recommended to me 

 several years ago, by my son-in law, Thomas 

 Marshall, Esq. Each ploughman is attended by 

 a little boy, who is furnished with an implement 

 wliich, for want of a better name, is termed a. pad- 

 dle. It is a light stick about four feet long, with 

 a board like a semi-circular piece of barrel-iiead- 

 ing, nailed at one end. The boy goes along with 

 the ploughman, a little in advance, (he corn row- 

 between them ; he interposes the paddle between 

 the plough and each plant successively, precisely 

 at the moment that the plough reaches the plant, 

 and tlms prevents it from being covered w itli the 

 loose earth. 



By this contrivance, (he plough can be made to 

 pass much nearer to the corn, tlian it could possi- 

 bly do otherwise : the step, or intervening space, 

 is completely covered with loose earth which 

 smothers ihe grass; the plants are gently stirred; 

 and the whole field is as well worked, as if the 

 hoes and ploughs had both been used. The deeper 

 the ploughing the better. 



The next operation is to plough the wide way 

 with the X ploughs, running twice in a row. 

 These implements are valuable (or superficial 

 work, and will go over five acres each per diem. 

 I do not know by whom they were invented, but I 

 have not failed to use them for the last five years. 



The corn is never ploughed a second lime the 

 narrow way, but'we continue to use the X plough 

 as olten as the season and the state of the ground 

 will permit. If the field becomes hard, or grassy, 

 we are compelled to use the shovel plough. 



Immediately after the use of the ploughs and 

 paddles as above mentioned, we begin to hoe the 

 surlacCj at the same time that we use the X 



ploughs, and in the same direction ; giving a small 

 hill to every plant. A ny grass out of the step, not 

 cut up by the ploughs, is also removed by the hoes. 

 I know nothing else worthy of communication, 

 except, that the grain intended for planting is soak- 

 ed in hot water the previous night, spread in the 

 morning upon a large table, mixed well by hand, 

 with tar and train oil, and afterwards lolled in 

 lime with a little sul)»hur. This I have found io 

 be an effectual guard against the depredations of 

 the crows J the black birds seem to disregard it. 



FIKLDINli LKVN^IS. 



Paddling Corn. 



[Believing that it might be useful to give a more par- 

 ticular explanation of a novel process in the tillage of 

 corn, which Mr. Lewi.s de.scribes in the foregoing com- 

 munication, we requested it of Mr, Marshall, and ob- 

 tained the following answer] 

 To the Editor of the Farmers' Register. 



I take pleasure in complying with your request, 

 that I would add some explanatory remarks to an 

 allusion, understood to have been made by Mr. 

 Lewis, in reference to a particular process in the 

 cultivation of corn, which was originally suggested 

 by me. 



The A'cry name oi' paddling, imports something 

 ludicrous; and I would hardly have ventured to 

 make an original communication about it, myself; 

 but any i>erson who has witnessed the successful 

 cultivation of Mr. Lewis,,will not be inclined to 

 disregard, as trivial, any practice which he deems 

 worthy of imitation. 



In the annexed diagram, suppose the parallels 

 A B, C D, E F, G H, to rej)rescnt a portion of 

 the wide rows, and the transverse parallels, A G, 

 a d, e h,Ji\\,{o represent tlie corresponding por- 

 tion of narrow rows in the corn field. 



Let us take the row a d, for an example, in 

 which the points of intersection, a, b, c,d, show the 

 corn hills. The ploughman commences at^, with 

 the intention of moving towards dj the plough be- 

 ing inserted near a. The boy, who accompanies 

 him , standing on the other side of the corn row, at q, 

 interposes the paddle between the plough and the 

 plants at a, in an oblique direction. As the plough 

 moves, he makes such a change in the position of 

 the paddle, as to allow the loose earth to fall around 

 one half of the hill without covering the plants. 

 By the time the plough reaches b, the paddle is 

 again interposed in an oblique direction, and a 

 similar twist given to it while the plough passes 

 the hill. The paddle having performed its office, 

 is transferred toe, and afterwards to d. In return- 

 ing, the ploughman and boy, change positions in 

 the rows ; the boy being always on the right hand. 

 The other side of the row, is then worked in like 

 manner, from d to a. When properly done, each 

 plant is gently stirred without being displaced, and 

 surrounded with loose earth. The plough goes so 

 near, that every hill in succession would be cover- 

 ed with earth, but for the timely interjwsition of 

 the paddle. The work is done rapidly; so much 

 so, that the additional labor of the boy, is in fact, a 

 great saving. Without the aid of the boy, the 

 ploughman must either proceed very slowly, or 

 else take care to keep at a distance, that the plants 

 may not be covered; in which case (he work is 

 imperfectly done. A person who would examine 

 a field that had been worked in this way, without 

 having seen the process, would find it difficult to 



