20 
Indian Corn for Soiling. 
apparent desolation, he beholds them, on all oc¬ 
casions, as affording the means of enjoying the 
most varied pleasures. Their great utility in 
many arts, and their absolute necessity to animal 
life must contribute to give him a reverential 
feeling for his Maker, who has created all these 
things for the comfort and happiness of the ani¬ 
mal world, more especially for us mortals. 
Look at the beauty and variety of their growth! 
What cradles, arches, avenues, pyramids of ver¬ 
dure, loaded with fruit, presenting the most en¬ 
chanting habitations. What happy nations live 
under these peaceful coverts ! What delicious 
banquets are here prepared! Nothing of them 
is lost—man feeds upon the fruits, quadrupeds 
eat the tender leaves, birds the seeds, and other 
animals the roots and the rinds, and, lastly, the 
insects devour the offal. Every part is of use 
to some animal—all nature teems with living 
matters through its ever-varied and innumerable 
productions. 
Indian Corn for Soiling, 
Should we ever have recourse to the soiling system 
in America, we are confident that we shall find Indian 
Corn, far superior for this purpose to any of the Eu¬ 
ropean grasses so highly lauded. If with Lucerne, the 
different kinds of clovers and Italian Ryegrasses, they 
get in England, six to eight tons of green food per acre 
they think it an abundant crop ; but from an experi¬ 
ment lately conducted by the Honorable Mr. Ells¬ 
worth at Washington city over one hundred tons corn 
fodder have been produced. Judging from a reason¬ 
able calculation, and from one cutting alone, we 
believe that on our medium qualities of com land, 
twenty to thirty tons might generally be depended 
upon. 
The experiment below as detailed by Mr. Carpen¬ 
ter, shows a great product, but as he took no pains to 
ascertain the quantity, he is desirous of being v ithin 
bounds, in estimating the yield. The best time to 
commence feeding, is very properly noticed, and im¬ 
portant in practice, otherwise the stock scour, and it 
does them more harm than good. In order to keep up 
feed for soiling through July, August, and September, 
it will be necessary to sow at different times, from the 
first commencement of the season till July. We 
should think this a system worthy of adoption in the 
more southern latitudes, where during the summer 
and fall, pastures are liable to excessive droughts, 
whcih scorch up all the grass, and cause much suffering 
to stock, from the want of green food. Care should be 
taken when sown late to soak the com and sow im¬ 
mediately after a shower; and if sufficiently thick, it 
will in a short time after it is up, shade the ground 
sufficiently to prevent the otherwise injurious effect 
of the smi. 
Another important thing to be noticed in this crop 
is, the large ears it produced, notwithstanding its thick 
planting; but we are of opinion that this could not 
generally be depended on. It was probably the very 
favourable season that insured the growth of these; 
it will be seen that Mr. Carpenters subsequent failures 
go to corroborate our opinion. 
Dear Sir: Sowing com broad cast, I have 
some experience with for soiling, and my first 
effort was the most successful. I prepared one 
acre of ground, a sandy loam, manured about 
four inches deep with cow manure, which is 
very compact, and therefore the most suitable for 
this kind of soil. I ploughed deep cross plough¬ 
ed and harrowed until well pulverised, and 
sowed the corn broad cast the 4th of July. In 
a few days it was up, and so very thick that I 
was fearful it would not amount to half a crop, 
but the season happened to just suit it. About 
the 10th of August, I commenced feeding, but 
the cattle did not relish it, and I soon found it 
was not sufficiently matured, it being at this age 
watery and liable to scour them. I then left it 
till about the 25th of August, when it began to 
top and tassle, the saccharine matter had by this 
time more fully matured, when the cattle eat it 
greedily. 
By the 1 st of September, the most forward 
stalks were in roasting ears, and I found that 
my cows, not only increased in the quantity of 
their milk, but the quality also was much im¬ 
proved, and although they were grazing on blue 
grass pasture, they eat every particle of the green 
corn, which continued to grow very luxuriantly, 
the stalks rising from ten to fifteen feet high, the 
size of those on our rich bottom lands, and so 
thick a dog could not run through them, I have 
repeatedly tried to walk into the com, but it 
was as impenetrable as a cane brake. It may 
appear like exaggeration, but almost every stalk 
had one ear and some two, they were not mere 
nubbins, but ears eight or ten inches long. 
I have always regreted I had not made an 
accurate calculation of the amount of bulk it 
yielded, but I supposed I should have no dif¬ 
ficulty in raising just as good a crop every year, 
but I never succeeded so well, although I have 
repeatedly tried. The drought, a heavy wind, 
or something would turn up to shorten my 
calculations, yet the after crops yielded more 
food than anything else I ever tried; and it is 
a crop well worth the trouble and expense. I 
presume at my first trial, that I cut at least 
sixty tons from the acre of green food. 
To ensure a good crop my plan would be 
this. Take a rich piece af loam sow it in 
wheat in the fall, soil it off in the spring; and as 
soon as the crop was done, manure it highly and 
then sow the corn. I have found wheat and 
corn to be the most valuable green crops for 
soiling and I have tried oats, rye, clover, 
and millet. A small patch of wheat and corn 
will pay every farmer well for soiling; rye is 
good, but I much prefer the wheat, unless it is 
to stand over the summer, rye then is the best, 
as it produces a crop of grain after spring- 
feeding, and again sows itself if wanted for the 
next spring pasture,which wheat will not usually 
do. Respectfully yours, 
Ezra Carpenter. 
A. B. Allen, Esq., 
Cincinnati , 1 7th January, 1842. 
