74 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



yard, I place my compost heap, which I com- 

 mence by a layer of yard manure, about one 

 foot in thickness ; then a thin layer of soil ; then 

 a layer of green weeds ; then a layer of horse 

 manure; then a coat of turf, or soil, and so on, 

 alternately, with such materials as were availa- 

 ble ; in short, every thing within my reach of a 

 fertilizing nature, was placed in the heap, car- 

 rying up the sides square until the pile reached 

 the height of five or six feet. After completely 

 saturating the whole mass with the liquid which 

 escaped from the cattle yard, I cover the whole 

 with fine sod, to prevent evaporation. After re- 

 maining a suiflcient time, I caused it to be care- 

 fully turned and completely mixed, throwing on 

 the liquid manure as it progressed. A fermen- 

 tation soon takes place, which destroys the vi- 

 tality of the seeds of such weeds as may find 

 their way into the heap. 



In this way I have made, in the course of the 

 year, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty 

 loads of very good manure. 



In regard to the application of manure, my 

 practice has been to diligently plough in all pu- 

 trescent manure as soon as spread ; even so far 

 as to spread in the morning no more than could 

 be ploughed in before noon, and while the team 

 was eating to spread only so much more as 

 could be ploughed in before night. 



Manure which is spread and immediately 

 ploughed in, and in the course of cultivation is 

 well mixed with the soil, will produce several 

 good crops — more or less according to the quan- 

 tity applied, and the nature of the soil. 



From my own observation and experience, I 

 have come to the conclusion that manure arising 

 from all animal and vegetable substances, should 

 be exposed as little as possible to the sun, the 

 air, and drenching rains; and when applied to 

 the soil be immediately ploughed in. It is also 

 my opinion, that manure, when ploughed in, 

 cannot be kept too near the surface, provided it 

 is well mixed with the soil and covered, that the 

 essence will be dissolved by rain and taken up 

 by the roots of the plants. So extremely mi- 

 nute are the mouths of plants that the nourish- 

 ing parts of manure can enter them onlj' in a 

 state of dissolution by water. This element 

 supplied by rain to the earth, during the season 

 of vegetation, is in a regular course ascending. 

 The essence of manure ascends with it, and the 

 portion not intercepted by the roots of plants 

 escape into the air. 



Upon thin, light soils nothing could be raised 

 without abundance of manure. It is, conse- 

 quently, an object of much attention to the far- 

 mer to collect as much as possible and to apply 

 it in the most advantageous manner. 



C. N. Bement. 



Albany, February, 1845. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 



CORN FODDER. 



Mr. Editor, — One evidence of improvement 

 in agriculture is the almost universal use of 

 cornstalks for fodder ; it being as rare now to 

 see a field of stalks left to be run over and tram- 

 pled under foot by cattle, as it was, before the 

 establishment of agricultural societies and agri- 

 cultural newspapers, to see a field of corn cut 

 up by the roots, and housed in good order for 

 winter feeding. Many farmers are now begin- 

 ning to find, that corn can be cultivated exclu- 

 sively for fodder, cheaper than they can raise 

 other feed. But there is an error very prevalent 

 in regard to the best method of cultivation — I 

 allude to sowing it broadcast. Farmers are so 

 much in the habit of sowing all crops broad- 

 cast, that the subject of drilling-in crops has re- 

 ceived but little attention. We reason, that be- 

 cause labor is high and land cheap, therefore, 

 we cannot afford the time and expense of drill- 

 ing, but must use more land and get lighter 

 crops. As I have had some experience in cul- 

 tivating corn fodder, I think I can make it ap- 

 pear that the drill system of culture is the 

 cheapest. 



Lands to produce corn for any purpose should 

 be highly manured— and of course they will be 

 very subject to weeds. Corn cultivated in hills 

 is usually very much injured by weeds ; but 

 very much more so when sown broadcast. — 

 Other spring grains are put in the ground so 

 early, that they get the start of weeds ; but by 

 the time corn is planted, vegetation is rapid, and 

 if it has to run an even race with w ? eeds, they 

 are sure to come off victorious. In getting the 

 seed into the ground, sowing broodcast is the 

 most expeditious ; but this advantage is greatly 

 overbalanced in harvesting and curing the crops. 

 Corn fodder is the most difficult to cure of any 

 crop within my knowledge. When we recollect, 

 that from 800 to 1,000 lbs. of syrup, boiled suf- 

 ficiently to grain into sugar, has been obtained 

 from one acre of stalks, we shall realize that 

 stalks contain an abundance of sap. 



The following methed of cultivation I have 

 practiced with success: Prepare the land as 

 usual for corn ; mark of? the drills, three feet 

 apart, north and south, so as to admit the noon- 

 day sun between the rows. Let the corn be 

 dropped in the drills so as to have at least one 

 kernel in every two inches. Two bushels of 

 seed should be used to the acre, and there is not 

 much danger of getting the corn too thickly in 

 the drills. They should be covered by drawing 

 the earth from each side of the drill with a hoe. 

 As soon as the rows can be distinguished, they 

 should be plastered, cultivated, and hoed. A 

 skilful hand with a cultivator will perform the 

 after-culture, as the corn will grow so rapidly 

 as to soon cover the ground, and prevent the 



