:J04 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
1?? \ 
AUTUMN SCENE— 
The scene represented above is peculiarly 
American. Nowhere else does the maize plant 
add beauty to the landscape, and abundance to 
the resources of the Nation. In other lands, the 
failure of Wheat is followed by scarcity of food, 
and suffering among the poorer classes. In 
many sections of our own country, Indian corn 
is the principal dependence for human food, and 
in case of necessity it can be generally substi- 
tuted for other cereals, as has been repeatedly 
done in sections where the wheat and rye crops 
have come short of the demand. It is the abund- 
ance of corn and its excellence as an article of 
food, that enables us yearly to export such im- 
mense quantities of other grain to foreign lands. 
To this staple, as much, if not more than to any 
other one production, is our national prosperity 
due. Without it as cheap food for their labor- 
ers, the cotton planters could never have made 
the production of their favorite crop a paying 
operation. If ever cotton was " King," maize 
was " Prime Minister," and has now worthily 
succeeded to the throne, even in the South. 
For beauty of appearance no cultivated plant 
may better claim such honor. Its stately form, 
clad in garments of fairest green, gracefully 
bearing aloft a jeweled scepter, and bedecked 
with golden crown, proclaims its royal preroga- 
tive. Nor is the simile altogether fanciful when 
its habits are regarded. It must live upon the 
fit of the land. The richest stores of the farm 
must be laid at its feet ; from infancy to maturi- 
SECURINU THE INDIAN CORN HARVEST. 
ty it will brook no neglect. But unlike too 
many sovereigns it makes grateful return for the 
homage it exacts from its dependents. The 
general crop during the present year, though 
not as largo as has been gathered heretofore, 
from early and recent unfavorable weather, 
is j'et a fair one — enough to supply the home 
demand, and leave a large surplus for export. 
Much loss is experienced every year from 
neglect of the corn crop after it is ready for 
harvesting. As we have frequently said, cut- 
ting up by the ground is every way preferable for 
most sections. Care is required in curing the 
stalks. If the stooks are made too large, or 
carelessly put up, they may heat, or be soaked 
with rain, and mould, and much of the corn be 
spoiled. If the corn is to be husked directly 
from the stalk as standing in the Held, it is de- 
sirable to have it completed as early as practi- 
cable; otherwise the birds, mice, and other 
depredators will take a large toll. We have 
seen the golden ears peering from a wreath of 
snow in Winter, having been left uncared for, 
except by vermin ; such management, it need 
not be said, is not the most profitable farming. 
The first fruits of the crop should be gathered 
for seed, carefully selecting the best ears from 
the most prolific stalks. These should be care- 
fully trussed together by braiding the busks, and 
hung where they will thoroughly dry before 
freezing ; much seed corn is spoiled by neglect 
in this particular. After the corn is removed 
from the ground, it is desirable that the remain- 
ing stumps be broken down before plowing for 
the following crop ; otherwise they remain a 
vexatious impediment to cultivation. This can 
be done by drawing a roller or a rough slick of 
timber across the field when the ground is frozen. 
How are you Marketing your Fruit ? 
Fruit can be knocked from the trees by shak- 
ing, by beating the limbs with long poles, and 
by other rough ways ; it can be picked up in 
baskets and dumped into a wagon box, and taken 
to the nearest village and sold — at a very low 
price. By this treatment good fruit can be ren- 
dered nearly worthless, or at least fit only for 
immediate use, while the same fruit carefully 
picked and properly packed, would bring a 
price enough higher to amply repay all the 
extra care of preparation. We may say with 
truth, that a bruised apple is a spoiled apple. 
An apple which would last for months, will, 
after it gets a slight bruise in falling, soon de- 
cay and become worthless. The first thing to 
be attended to in marketing fruit, is the picking. 
Hand picking and careful handling — as careful 
as if the fruit were eggs — is absolutely necessary 
if we would get good fruit to market in good 
order. If the trees have been properly trained 
with low branches, most of the fruit may be 
reached by some kind of a self-supporting lad- 
der, and there are several fruit-pickers which 
