48 
Report on the Agricultural Implements at 
a very useful supply of cattle-food, the pumpkins attaining con- 
siderable size. Sometimes the cattle are turned into the fields, 
consuming the pumpkins on the bines; but experience has 
proved that this is a dangerous practice, inasmuch as the seeds 
injuriously affect the kidneys ; and the better plan is to cart the 
produce on to grass-land, chop the pumpkins in two, and care- 
fully remove the seed, when they may be eaten with impunity, 
and form useful autumnal food. It should be stated that the 
growth of this additional crop is not supposed to detract from 
the yield of the corn. Indian corn is a hardy crop, little liable 
to insect injury, its chief enemy being the cut-worm, a maggot 
which severs the stalk below the surface, and in some seasons 
causes much injury in an early state. Thorough cultivation is 
the best antidote, replanting the only remedy. Such a vigorous 
and rapidly growing crop requires both heat and moisture, con- 
ditions which are fortunately generally present, the intense heat 
producing frequent thunder-showers, which are of great benefit. 
At the proper season, generally about the middle of September, 
the stalks are chopped down with a strong knife, or cut by a 
machine (of which the spiral-knife Avery stalk-cutter, made by 
G. W. Brown, of Galesbury, Illinois, appears the most efficient), 
stacked in bundles, which are held together by bands of straw. 
After due exposure, the cobs are stripped off by the hand, and 
carted to store-houses, where they are stacked in narrow spaces, 
exposed to a current of air, and thus thoroughly dried. The 
separation of the corn from the cob, formerly entirely effected 
by manual labour, is now done by machinery, to be described. 
The straw or stalks are re-tied into bundles and stacked for 
fodder. When steamed and chopped, they make valuable food. 
On one farm which I inspected, the whole of the corn was. 
ground up for cattle and pigs, and the straw consumed in this 
way. I have no analysis of the straw, but from all I could 
learn, believe it to be superior in feeding properties to that of 
any other cereal. 
Corn Planters were shown by several firms, mostly on a 
similar principle to those first made by G. W. Brown, of Gales- 
bury, Illinois. Mr. Brown was originally a carpenter of Saratoga 
County, New York, who migrated West, and settled on a small 
farm, still continuing his old trade, now principally confined 
to repairing farm implements. The idea occurred to him that 
the cultivator then in use might be converted into a planter. 
After a number of experiments, a machine was produced in 
1851, which, rude as it then was, was the original of the 
admirable planters which are now made by thousands, both 
by him and others. Very little was done until 1854, when 
he made 100 machines. In 1855 he removed to Galesbury, 
and in the following year he made 600 machines, and the 
