312 
CORN FOR SOILING AND FODDER. 
price of corn generally is 50 cents per barrel, or 10 
cents per bushel. We next entered on the still 
richer lands of the counties of Giles, Murray, Wil¬ 
liamson, Davison, Rutherford, and Bedford, and to 
me, who had been all my life a cultivator of the 
light soil of the south, I was everywhere struck 
with the black, rich lands of Middle Tennessee— 
the fields groaning under the weight of the grow¬ 
ing crop of corn—the large, fine cattle roaming 
over the rich clover fields—and I came to the con¬ 
clusion, that if the farmers of Tennessee would 
determine to cultivate less land, study agriculture 
as a science, form agricultural societies, and read 
agricultural works, that they would be the hap¬ 
piest people in the whole country. 
I must before closing mention the beautiful 
sewing silk made by the interesting and indus¬ 
trious daughters of Col. Nell, in the kind family 
we have spent the last eight days. One word as 
to the immense size of the trees of the west. Mr. 
James M. Shields, residing near Lynnville, lives in 
a house 46 feet by 18 feet, made out of one tree. 
I measured a poplar in company with Col. Nell, 
near his house, which was 25 feet in circumfer¬ 
ence, and we supposed it was 70 feet to the first 
limbs ! Alexander McDonald. 
Bedford Co., Term., Aug . 13, 1844. 
CORN FOR SOILING- AND FODDER. 
I had read several accounts of Indian corn sown 
broadcast for soiling and curing for hay, and I de¬ 
termined to try it. My experiment made last year 
was conclusive as to the great quantity which can 
be made on an acre, and as to its value when cured 
for winter food for cows and horses. None of it 
was fed in the green state, as I had sufficient pas¬ 
turage for my stock during the summer and fall 
months, and therefore I can say nothing about it 
for soiling from my experience; but I presume that 
whatever grass makes good hay will answer well 
for that purpose. There is no other vegetable 
which will yield so large and nutritive a quantity 
of dry fodder to the acre. It will produce from 5 
to 7 tons to the acre of dry food, if the ground is 
rich and well prepared.(a) The only difficulty is in 
curing it if the weather should be wet when it is 
cut, or in cutting it too green. 
The ground should be well plowed and thor¬ 
oughly pulverized with the harrow, and 2| bush¬ 
els of seed sown to the acre immediately after the 
last plowing and harrowing, to get the start of 
weeds and grass. If the seeds were soaked, so as 
to come up very quickly, it would be advantageous. 
Plow in the seed with small plows or cultivators, 
so as to cover them shallow, and roll the ground. 
The proper time for sowing here, is between the 
25th of April and the 5th of May. Poor land will 
not do for this crop. It should not be cut before 
the leaves begin to dry, for it is so succulent that 
if cut too soon, it will mould in curing. After it 
is cut, let it lie on the ground if the weather be 
dry, for several days, and if it can be turned once 
or twice, so much the better; then tie it in sheaves 
like oats, and put the sheaves in small shocks as 
open as possible at the bottom, that the lower part 
of the stalks may dry thoroughly. The dry leaves 
toward the top will absorb the moisture from the 
upper part of the stalks. When sufficiently dry, 
put it under cover or stack it like oats or wheat. 
Persons on small farms, who raise only small 
quantities of Indian corn, and therefore have but 
little stock fodder from their corn-fields, will find 
that a few acres of corn sown broadcast will sup¬ 
ply them with an ample amount of long food. 
Here in the west, where so much corn is raised to 
be converted into hogs, horses, mules, and cattle, 
the supply of winter fodder from the corn-fields is 
generally sufficient. But to the north and east, 
where less corn is raised, and the winters are 
longer and colder, there is no crop, I believe, which 
will supply the necessities of horses and cattle 
better, or with less labor. I have therefore given 
you my testimony in its favor; and as I am anx¬ 
ious that the farmers to the east, and especially in 
Virginia, should try it, should you publish this in 
your excellent paper, please to send the No. which 
may contain it to Mr. Botts, editor of the Southern 
Planter, with my request to urge it upon the farm¬ 
ers in that state to give it a fair trial. 
I venture to predict that as an auxiliary to the 
small farmers on impoverished lands, it will in 
many instances prevent the necessity of emigrating 
from their much-loved native land—a matter ot 
so much pain always, and not unfrequently of sore 
disappointment. Our crops of oats, corn, and 
hemp, in Kentucky, are good generally, fully reach¬ 
ing an average. The wheat very indifferent, I 
should think not more than half a crop of light 
grain. The rust is the wheat destroyer of this 
country. How are we to avoid it ? He who shall 
teach us will be our great benefactor, and entitled 
to our warmest gratitude.(^) If we could get some 
variety that would ripen before the access of warm 
wet weather, say the last of May or first of June, 
perhaps we might escape the rust. Is there any 
such variety ?(c) John Lewis. 
Llangollen, Ky., Sept. 4, 1844. 
(a) We think this a low estimate, and that from 
7 to 10 tons per acre, on rich and highly manured 
land, would be nearer the mark. Some assert that 
they have grown 15 tons of dried fodder or more 
per acre. 
(b) We stated in our September No., page 260, 
that to sow wheat in drills 6 inches apart or so, 
had lessened its liability to rust. A top dressing 
of pulverized charcoal, leached or unleached ashes, 
or lime, is an excellent preventive. Paring and 
burning the soil is also highly recommended, but 
this is too expensive a process at present for the 
American farmer. When we were at the west, 
we found that many of the farmers erred in not 
sowing their wheat sufficiently early; hence its 
late ripening and greater liability to rust—hot, wet 
weather almost invariably producing it. 
(c) An early and hardy variety of wheat is unques¬ 
tionably necessary for the warm rich soils of the 
southwest; it ought also to have rather a small 
stalk , with as small a leaf as possible, so as not 
to retain the moisture in excess. Has our corres¬ 
pondent ever tried the Virginia May wheat, the 
Mediterranean, and other early hardy varieties ? 
We have requested Genl. Harmon of this state, to 
forward him some of the Improved White Flinfc 
