1881 .] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
481 
in the engraving herewith given. The oppo¬ 
site ends of the rods are secured in a small 
scantling. The device should be so adjusted 
to the scalding box that it can be turned up 
and down by means of the lever fastened to 
the scantling ; the iron rods should not touch 
the bottom of the box when they are lowered. 
The hog to be scalded is placed in the “ rack,” 
and let into and taken out of the scalding 
box by means of the levers. When the box 
is used for other purposes, the “rack” is 
easily removed from its place on the top. 
Notes on Indian Corn. 
bv rnor. w. j. beal, state agricultural ' college, 
LANSING, MICH. 
For some years I have been collecting 
Indian Com for a museum. An assortment 
will be placed on exhibition in glass cases. 
Most of the ears will be suspended to a hook 
by a screw-eye in the large end of the ear. 
One series of ears will illustrate all the colors 
to be found ; one, the various number of rows 
from four to thirty-four or upwards ; one, the 
various lengths of ears : one, the variation in 
diameter of ear; one, the various lengths of 
the kernels; one, the different shapes of 
kernels, from dent to rice-corn; one, all sorts 
of monstrosities. Cross-sections of ears will 
be shown; also drawings to illustrate the 
structure of the plant and kernels. 
In color, I find white, lemon, yellow, 
orange, purple, pink, red, black, mottled, and 
mixed, with intervening shades. The largest 
ears are those of the “ Chester County Mam¬ 
moth.” The ear is ll'/a inches long, with 20 
rows, and a diameter at the base of 2 7 / s inches. 
The smallest ear is l'/s inch long, and is a 
yellow pop-corn. Most ears of corn taper from 
base to tip, but the ears of “Waukeshum” 
flint corn are cylindrical in shape, and well 
filled out at the end. The rows of this va¬ 
riety are eight in number, even and straight. 
Where the kernels are of uniform size and 
shape, as on even, well-filled, cylindrical ears, 
the shelled corn will present the finest appear¬ 
ance. I have some ears of white pop-corn; 
these are only five inches long, and very 
tapering, being l 3 / 4 inch in diameter at the 
base, and only 7 / e of an inch near the apex. 
In texture, the pop-corns and northern 
corns are flinty; the dent corns are softer; 
and the “ Tuscarora,” or flour corn softest of 
all. The ‘ ‘ Jersey ” or ‘ ‘ Yankee ” dent is yel¬ 
low, with eight rows of very broad, thin, short 
kernels. It is very peculiar, though quite 
beautiful. The ears of “Blount’s Pro¬ 
lific” are rather small, short, and contain 
only eight rows of white dent kernels. It is 
well bred. Chemists have decided that, as a 
rule, there is no difference in the nutritive 
value of flint corns and dent corns. Sweet 
corn is more valuable than either. It is de¬ 
sirable that some one produce a prolific sweet 
corn for the main crop to feed. I have a 
little “husk corn,” “wild corn,” "podded 
corn,” or “Rocky Mountain com.” It grows 
much like dent. Each kernel is covered with 
a separate husk, and the ear is covered with 
husks, like ordinary com. The cob is so 
small, tender, and weak, that it often spon¬ 
taneously separates before it is ripe. The 
tassels are very large, and often contain 
kernels of com. 
The tallest stalk which I have is 13‘/a feet. 
It was raised at Lansing from seed obtained 
in Missouri. I purchased some corn of a 
1 - 
German neighbor. The ears were short, 
small, and would be called “Early Yellow 
Dent.” The kernels were short, and did not 
cover the cob closely. They tapered toward 
the ends, thus leaving grooves between the 
rows. My neighbor said he liked the com 
because it ripened early, husked and shelled 
easily, hence was good for hogs and horses. 
I think he might increase his crop one-third 
or one-half by procuring a better variety. 
There is no object in raising a variety that 
matures much before frost comes. The longer 
it can grow, the larger the crop ought to be. 
At the North, dent com has a tendency all 
the time to mature earlier and become more 
plenty. The corn plant is wonderfully vari¬ 
able and flexible, in these respects, perhaps 
not excelled by any other in cultivation. 
To improve corn, one should study the 
plants on which he intends to experiment. 
Let him take pattern after the successful 
breeder of animals. The latter studies the 
animals which are mated. Let a breeder of 
corn select some of the best stalks in his field, 
cover the young ears before the “ silk ” comes 
in sight. Then take pollen from a stalk very 
much like the one which is to bear the seed 
com. Save the best ear, plant in a good place 
by itself, and cultivate well. Continue this 
work, and in a few years he can make almost 
anything he chooses of his corn. One should 
let no peculiarity of corn escape his atten¬ 
tion. See which endures dry weather best; 
notice the hight of the upper ear, the stalk, 
the earliness, the number of nodes, whether 
the stalks are slender or stout; whether the 
ears have long or short husks, long or short, 
large or small shanks, etc. This is a fasci¬ 
nating study, and he who will begin an in¬ 
telligent series of experiments looking to the 
improvement of corn, will be quite sure to 
succeed. He will interest and profit himself, 
and also become a benefactor to his race. 
Self-Closing Cattle Stanchions. 
BY J. X. MUNCEY, AMES, IOWA. 
The accompanying engraving illustrates 
a cheap, durable, and convenient device by 
which cows or steers may fasten themselves 
A SELF-CLOSING STANCUION. 
in their stanchions. The pieces, a , b, c, d, 
and e, are immovable, / and g being the mov¬ 
able stanchions. A narrow strip, h, iy a -inch 
wide, and 3 / 4 -inch thick, is fastened by a bolt 
to the movable stanchion, /, and is just 
long enough, so that when the stanchion 
is open it laps on the immovable stanchion 
about one inch. The short narrow strip, i, is 
nailed on the immovable stanchion, b, with 
two wrought nails. A cow puts her head in 
the open stanchion above h, and in the effort 
to get the feed below, brings her neck on tho 
strip, h, which presses against the immovable 
piece, i, and the stanchion is closed. The 
piece, k, which holds the stanchion fast, and 
the strip, li, is so arranged that they drop at 
the same time. It will be seen, therefore, 
that the harrow strip, h, does not interfere 
with the cow in lying down. 
The advantages of this arrangement are 
two-fold ; first, in the time saved, and second¬ 
ly, in giving assurance that every cow is 
properly fastened in her stanchion. The last 
advantage is of the greatest importance to 
farmers who have disinterested men in their 
employ. I have found that even the most 
trustworthy hand is, at times, liable to neglect 
closing 6ome one of the stanchions, in which 
case the result is almost always a badly 
hooked cow. The expense of constructing 
the device described will not exceed 5 cents 
per cow, including labor. The fastening 
piece, k, should be made so that there will be 
a /1 of an inch ‘ ‘ play ” between it and the mov¬ 
able stanchion, /, for comfort to the animals. 
The Canine Curse. 
BY F. I). COBURN, TOPEKA, KANSAS. 
Few persons dispute the usefulness and 
value of a good dog, that may serve as an 
active, intelligent assistant or companion by 
day, or as a trusty guard by night; ready, if 
need be, to yield up his life in defense of his 
master, or his master’s property. Such an 
animal is justly held in high esteem, and de¬ 
serves the same kindly treatment accorded 
the most faithful of our dumb servants. 
While this is so, there is but a limited ap¬ 
preciation of the fact that the country is over¬ 
run with multitudes of worthless curs, in 
which savage, treacherous cruelty is inherent, 
along with a predisposition to the dreaded 
hydrophobia, causing enormous losses, and 
untold numbers of the most horrible deaths 
known to mankind, to say nothing of the 
cost of their subsistence, which alone, if 
saved and utilized for some good purpose, 
would afford the means of much beneficence. 
So many, and of such frequent occurrence, 
are their atrocities, that not a few thoughtful 
men are propounding the query, if it would 
not be better for humanity if the entire canine 
race were to become extinct. The industry 
upon which the innumerable dogs bear most 
heavily, is sheep and wool growing, and in 
some localities it is the case to such an ex¬ 
tent, as to virtually amount to prohibition. 
That wool growing in this country should be 
fostered, would appear demonstrated by the 
fact that, in fifty years, America has sent 
abroad $1,250,000,000 for woollen goods, or if 
we accept, as we must, the statement in the 
latest report of the Treasury Department 
Statistician, that, in the year ending June 
30th, 1880, our people expended for foreign 
wool and woollen fabrics, the sum of nearly 
$58,000,000; the value of a wool-clip from 
35,000,000 well bred sheep. In the year pre¬ 
ceding, 128,000,000 pounds of wool alone were 
imported. As long ago as 1868, the Com¬ 
missioner of Agriculture estimated the direct 
losses to sheep owners by the ravages of dogs, 
at $1,000,000 in wool and. mutton, and the 
indirect loss in preventing sheep husbandy, 
especially in the South, at double that sum 
annually. Fortunately we have at hand a 
few official figures,, showing to some extent 
the discouragements caused to sheep hus¬ 
bandry by the presence of so many destruc¬ 
tive dogs. In 1878, Massachusetts was re- 
