158 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



NOV. 15, IR4 



AM) HORTICULTURAL REGISTER. 



cipated, we should lei the corn stand, with the expecta- 

 tion that we should get a heavier crop. 



Edited by Josepb Breck. 



Boston, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 1843. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 CUTTING UP CORN BEFORE IT IS RIPE 



Mr Potnam Sir I am almost seventy years of age, I the elder gentleman and one of his sons, upon agricultu 



but never took pen in hand to write for any paper, until 



LARGE CROP OF CORN. 



Many of our readers are acquainted with the Messrs. 

 Hyde, of Newton, who, in iheir still and quiet way, 

 contrive to raise as fine apple and other trees in their 

 nursery, as can be lound in the country. We were 

 theie a few weeks since, looking about among their 

 trees, and at the same time having a social confab with 



now. My object of writing is to inform you of my way 

 of harvesting corn, which I have practiced for twelve or 

 fifteen years, and never failed of having good corn in 

 the shortest seasons. I choose to have the corn glaze 

 over, but have cut it before it had begun to harden very 

 much, and with good success. 



My fashion is to cut ray com and slook it in the finld 



ral matters, when we came to a field of corn of remarka- 

 ble growl h, which struck us as being uncommonly stout 

 and heavy. We notieed that the stalks stood from 8 to 

 10 feet high — (we could not reach the tops by one or 

 two feel) — and that there were two large ears on almost 

 every stalk, and on some three. We were informed by 

 the elder Mr Hyde, that they raised the same variety ol 

 corn last ) ear, and on a piece of land which measured 



before it is fullv ripe, as a preventive of injury by frnst. j exactly one-third of an acre, 40 bushels of sound corn 



I lake four rows of corn through the piece, at a time, j 

 Having stepped into the piece the distance of a few 

 hills, I take two hills in the two middle rows, bend the 

 tops together, and wind them round each other: then I 

 begin to cut up from the bottom the corn from the sur- 

 rounding hills, and set it up on the corn which has been 

 bnnt together, until I get as much in a bunch or stook 

 as a man can lake up at once with a fork ; having done 

 this, I tie the tops together w ilh a band of straw, just 

 above the ears, drawing it pretty tight. 



I have been led to make these remarks by reading an 

 article in a late number of your paper. If I could go in- 

 to a cornfield with you and cut a few rows, I think you 

 would not cut and lay on the ground, and then take up 

 and band any more corn. 



I shall request my son to hand you these remarks, 

 which you may dispose of as you think proper. 



Yours, &c. CHARLES HOSMER. 



St. Johnsbury, Vt., Sept. 9, 1843. 



N. B.— Before carting my corn to the barn, I let a hoy 

 go with a corn-cutter or sickle and cut ofT the standing 

 hills. There will be room for the cart to pass between 

 the shooks, if they liave been kept through the piece in 

 the two middle rows. 



Remarks. — The communication from Mr Hosiner 

 came to us a little out of season, for which he must give 

 his son a lecture, who mislaid or forgot it. 



We are much pleased with this his first attempt to 

 write for our paper, and hope we shall hear from him 

 again, on other matters pertaining to farming, as from 

 his many years of experience, he may suggest various 

 things of importance to the young farmer. 



This mode of harvesting corn is not new to us, al- 

 though it may be to many of our readers. We have 

 seen the same fashion practiced in Maine, by a brother 

 of ours, with the only exception that he made bands 

 with the tops of stalks instead of straw. It is an excel- 

 lent way where there is any apprehension from frost, 

 as there often is in Vermont and Maine, and even in 

 this Slate, in some seasons. The corn may stand in the 

 shook with safety until snow is expected. It should be 

 taken into the barn in a dry state. 



Some persons assert that there w'M be as great weight 

 of corn when this mode is adopted, as when it is suffer- 

 ed to stand until it is ripe before it is cut ; but this wo 

 cannot believe, and we think it has been proved by ex- 

 periment that it will not be so heavy— and the only 

 benefit derived from cutting it up befiire it has become 

 hardened, is to save it from the frost, and this in some 

 Beaaons and in some locations, is of very great impor- 

 tance. Where there is no danger from this source anti- 



were obiained, besides which thoy gathered seed corn 

 ip the field before the crop was harvested, and with the 

 unsound corn, enough to make a crop at the rate of 140 

 bushels to the acre. 



This, to be sure, is a great story ; but we were assur- 

 ed it was so, and ihst there was no guessing about it; 

 the land and the corn were measured with accuracy, 

 and we have no reason to doubt the owners' word : the 

 field of corn before us was a voucher for them. 



Part nf this field was planted next to a wood-lot of 

 large oak trees, and the influence of these trees for a 

 number of rods into the field, had had an injurious effect 

 upon the corn, and some portions in the centre of the 

 piece had suffered in the spring from the ravages of the 

 crows, so that with these drawbacks they did not expect 

 so large a yield this year as they had last, though some 

 portions of it, they said, wore fully equal. They stated 

 that the piece before us contained one acre, and that 

 they put upon it ten cords of good manure, and plowed 

 it in before planting. 



The inquiry will be made, what variety of corn was 

 this ? We answer, that great " humbug" variety, called 

 the China Tree. We were a little surprised when told 

 this, for we had ourself supposed that this variety was 

 worthless with us, from the representations which had 

 been made respecting it, but in this Cfise we were agreea- 

 bly disappointed. We should not rccornmeEd it, how- 

 ever, to any person whose farm is exposed to "early frosts, 

 but on high land like the Messrs. Hyde's, we should 

 most certainly try it. 



This variety has ripened well with these gentlemen : 

 specimens of it may be seen at our ofKce in a few days, 

 when it will be for sale, with many other varieties, and 

 at a price somewhat reduced from what it was when the 

 " Tree Cnm" fever raged a few years since. 



PRESERVATION OF ROOTS. 



The cold weather of the past week has spurred up 

 the dilatory, and many fields of roots have been dug in 

 a hurry. The question now is, what is the best mode 

 of preserving them through the winter ? 



If all were provided with good barn cellars, there 

 would be no difficulty in the case, for in these they 

 might be stored with perfect safety, provided they were 

 not put away in too large bodies, so as to heat. They 

 should be stored in bins so arranged that the air may 

 circulate between them, and the cellar kept near the 

 freezing point — but by all means keep the frost from 

 penetrating. It is a slovenly and diriy practice, and 

 very disagreeable withal, to store large quantities of ru- 

 ta bagas or turnips in the dwelling-house cellar. We 



were so thoughtless one year as to do it, and our fan 

 were very much annoyed all winter by the unpleae 

 odor from the roots, which was sometimes inlolera 

 There is no disagreeable smell from carrots, bi 

 there are no conveniencies at the barn for keeping ih 

 we should put them in pits, except a few to use in 

 treme severe weather. It is not necessary todigtl 

 pits very deep. A dry situation should be selected 

 gravelly knoll is the best location, where there is 

 siderable declivity : dig a pit about four feet wide a 

 footto afoot and a half deep; lay the roots with 

 tops up, in a slanting position, so that their err 

 shall come near the surface, or it will do to throw t 

 in without order, filling the hole full-— give them a 

 inches of covering with straw, or sea-weed, whii 

 preferable, when it can be obtained ; cover this w 

 few inches of the earth, and let it remain until 

 weather is becoming severe, when more seawei 

 straw may be added, or earth, if the roots will n 

 wanted till spring. Holes should be made with an 

 bar into the pits, and then filled with straw, for the 

 pose of giving vent to the steam from the roots an 

 mitting air. Or the pits may be first laid over 

 loose boards, and then covered with sea-weed al 

 thus situated, the pits can be resorted to at any tin 

 the winter in mild we.ithcr. The covering of the 

 should be finished in such a manner as «o prevei. 

 water from settling down among the roots. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FRCIT9. 



Saturday, J\"ov. 11, 18 



The show of fruits this day was very meagre. 



S. W. Cole presented a specimen of' the Crown 

 pie from Leominster, a fine, large, oblong, red frt.. 

 excellent flavor and worthy of general cultivation 

 posed to be a native apple ; a good bearer, and bar 



From Calvin Haskell, Harvard, by S. W. Cole 

 Mother's Apple, a very excellent Apple, in eating 

 Nov. I to Feb. 1 ; size and shape similar to the 

 win, of a deeper red, flesh yellowish, the flavor 

 rich. We understand, Mr. Haskell has the trees ( 

 variety for sale. We believe this apple oiiginati 

 the farm of the late General Gardner, of Bolton. 



Nathan Webster, sent in a largo, yellow, oblon; 

 pie of good flavor, for a name, but the committee ' 

 not ide'tilifv it with any apple known by them. 



The Seedling Apples from E. Otis, Kittery, Me 

 to the society a few weeks since, were tasted by the 

 mittee, who report that this variety can be classed 

 with those of medium quality, and with the nuin 

 finer varieties now known, and every year cominj 

 notice, they think it hardly worthy of perpetuating 



John Cass, of Boston, exhibited a White Grape c 

 flavor supposed to be a variety imported from Gib, 

 and sold by Zebedee Cook, some years since. 



Capi. Macondray, exhibited very beautiful speeiji 

 of the Passe Colmar, Green Sugar, Capshcaf, and 

 ton pears. 



From the Pomological G^fden, Salem, Pearr 

 thorp's Crassanne, Croft Castle, Naumkeag or S 

 (flavor very fine,) Doyenne Bossouck, Boquiu (rath 

 itingent) and Urbaniste. From Samuel Walker, | 

 Vicar of Winkfield, and Duchess of Mars; the la 

 rietv is under medium size, but the flavor very 

 highly perfumed, and the flesh melting, and prol 

 ced first rata. For the Committee, 



Joseph Bke 



THE FARMERS' ENCYCLOPEDIA. 



Wo are very much indebted to Messrs. Little & Bi 

 Booksellers, Washington street, for a copy of Juhi 

 Farmers' Encyclopedia and Dictionary ol Rural A 

 revised by G. Emerson, Esq., with such alteration 

 additions as to make it a work desirable for culli' 

 on this side of the Atlantic. The volume will pri 

 great service to new beginners, and will be valua 

 a book of reference to all others. It is published i 

 lavo form, contains 11C5 pages, and is for sale at M 

 Little & Brown's. The English edition is very c 

 but this IB sold at a comparatively low price. 



