138 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
This variety grows 5 to 6 feet high, the ear 
is moderately large and 8-rowed, the kernels 
large, of a chalky whiteness, and very light and 
soft. They may almost be pulverized in the 
fingers. The meal, if bolted, can hardly be dis¬ 
tinguished from fine wheaten flour by outward 
characteristics, and it is said to be used consider¬ 
ably to adulterate flour with. It is valued by some 
persons boiled green for the table, and though 
not sweet, is acceptable. These are a few of the 
great number of kinds in common cultivation, 
and our brief notes will serve as a guide to 
selection or change of varieties. 
When to Plant Corn. 
Field com planted early in May has usually to 
be replanted once or twice. This makes much 
unnecessary labor, for that planted some weeks 
later, usually ripens at nearly the same time. 
If the seed does not rotin the ground, the poor 
little yellow blades are frost bitten, and their 
shriveled ends pine for the hot sun. Those 
plants that survive the chills and rains of May, 
are not so healthy, or well prepared to take ad¬ 
vantage of the warm weather when it comes, 
as that planted in the proper season, which in 
the latitude of most of New-England, New- 
York and westward is after the middle of May 
in almost all seasons; and often it is not best to 
plant before the first of June. No fault is more 
surely repented of than too early planting of 
corn. If well soaked, and placed in a warm 
soil, corn is very soon above ground, and a 
few warm days place it beyond fear of harm 
from cutworms, white grub, wire worms or 
crows—whereas that planted early in the month 
must do battle with all these for several weeks, 
if it survive the dampness and the frosts. 
Broom-Corn—Varieties and Cultivation. 
This crop is one of growing importance and 
interest. There is a large demand for “ brush ” 
of first quality to make brooms for exportation, 
and this, in addition to the great home consump¬ 
tion of brooms manufactured from this plant, 
makes the market quite steady. The soil adapt¬ 
ed to the most successful culture of Broom-corn 
is a warm, rather light loam. It should be 
quick, and rich in alkaline salts. A large amount 
of vegetable matter, either in the soil or in the 
manure, gives an undue tendency to make 
leaf and stalk. Yet the soil should be rich 
enough to cause a quick, vigorous growth. 
Hence the usual practice is to manure in the 
drill with horse, hog, or sheep manure well 
rotted, and apply ashes and plaster to the plants 
at the first hoeing. If the crop is backward, a 
similar application (ashes and plaster, either or 
both) at the last hoeing, or when the plants are 
nearly half grown, will be found beneficial. 
There are two prominent varieties—the tall 
and the dwarf sorts—and most cultivators give 
decided preference to the dwarf. Besides, as 
the Chinese Sugar-cane, the Imphee, and the 
Dourah corn are only varieties of the same spe¬ 
cies (Sorghum saccharatum ), the§e are liable to 
cross, and many inferior sorts, both of the Broom- 
corn and of the Sugar-cane occur. Seed from 
only the straightest, finest, and toughest brush 
should be saved for planting, and that which 
has grown at a distance from any Chinese sugar¬ 
cane, Imphee or Dourah. Prepare the land as for 
Indian corn ; mark it off in rows 3 feet apart, 
and drop the seed either in drills, or in hills 
about 2 feet apart, using as many as 15 or 20 
seeds to a hill. The time of sowing depends 
upon the exposure of the land to late spring 
frosts, as these seriously injure the crop. Broom- 
corn is usually planted just after corn planting. 
It is best to leave the ground so that the location 
of the hills or drills is well marked, for the young 
plants look so much like grass that a careless 
hand is likely to cut them up at the first hoeing, 
or run his cultivator into the row. The ground 
should be kept loose and well weeded, the 
cultivation being the same as that of Indian corn. 
At the second hoeing or when the crop is no 
longer in danger of either frost or worms, the 
weakliest plants are pulled up so as to leave 6 
to 10 stalks to the hill, or an equivalent to 10 or 
12 stalks to 2 feet in the length of the row. 
There is usually a strong growth of suckers, es¬ 
pecially with the dwarf kind; these it is best to 
pull, up to the time that the heads appear. 
When the seeds are full but still soft, the brush 
is harvested. This is done in several different 
Ways. Either the whole crop is cut up, and the 
the heads subsequently cut off 4 inches below 
the brush, bundled and laid up to dry in such 
a way that they will remain straight, and may 
be protected from dews and showers; or the 
heads while in the milk are broken down sever¬ 
al inches below the brush, and left hanging at 
such a higlit that they may be conveniently cut 
off afterwards; or the tops of two contiguous 
rows are broken down lapping upon each other, 
which is called “ tabling.” The heads are thus 
supported, while they still further mature, and 
the stalks form a substantial table upon which 
to lay the brush to dry when it is cut off. The 
best brush is dried under cover; and to bring 
the best market price, it should be of a bright, 
greenish color, springy, tough and straight. 
When dry, the seed is usually removed by hand 
by drawing it through a hatchel made for the 
purpose; a horse power machine is also used. 
•- m i --- 
Best Potatoes to Raise for Market- 
B. Stephens writes to the American Agricultu¬ 
rist: “Having been engaged in selling potatoes 
in New-York for the past eighteen years, I 
would state for the information of farmers, that 
in potatoes intended for this market, the follow¬ 
ing qualities are requisite: large size, white skin, 
white flesh, and to be dry and mealy when 
cooked. Such are sure to command ready sale 
and the highest prices, and all not having this 
character will have to be sold as second class or 
‘ shipping potatoes.’ Therefore it is folly for a 
farmer to use his ground for a poor crop, when 
the same labor and expense, with a proper se¬ 
lection of seed, in regard to the requirements 
of the market, would yield a larger crop of po¬ 
tatoes, which would meet with ready sale, and 
at larger prices, at no more expense of freight 
and selling. We have a great variety of new 
seedlings brought to notice every season by in¬ 
terested parties. In order to sell seed, they make 
great statements, as to quality and large yield 
(on paper), but when sent to market. as a farm 
crop, they are found wanting, and die out to 
make room for something new the next sea¬ 
son. The valuable varieties of potatoes and 
those that are in good demand, are those that 
have been originated by farmers, and their 
merits have brought them into general use. 
Such are the Blue Mercer, Dykeman, Peach 
.Blow, Prince Albert, Jackson White, June, etc.; 
whereas of many fancy kinds, put before 
the farmers from year to year, by seed raisers 
and sellers, none are worthy of planting as a 
farm crop. The following are some of the well 
known kinds from which farmers can make 
selections, suitable to their soil, being sure 
of good average yield and having an article 
that is salable at all times. 
For Early: Dykeman, June, Buckeye and 
Jackson White, maturing in the order here 
given—the Dykeman being the kind universally 
grown by the early truck raisers of Long Island 
and New-Jersey. For later, the Light Blue 
Mercers, Prince Albert, and.Peach Blow. There 
is also a new variety, the White Peach Blow, 
originated and raised in Monmouth Co., N. J., 
which has come to market the past season, 
which bids fair to be a valuable potato and 
worthy of trial. It is a white skinned potato, 
with a pink eye, of good size, white fleshed, 
cooks dry and mealy, very much resembling 
the Buckeye in outward appearance, but is a 
late grower, and is said to yield equal to the 
common Peach Blow. 
Field Beans—Culture and Variety. 
There are three varieties of white field beans 
known to farmers and in the market. They go 
by different names in different localities. Burr 
designates them as the Blue Pod, Pea beau, and 
White Marrow. In New-York market they 
are called Medium, Caxton, and Marrowfat. 
The Blue Pod is the common “ white bean ” of 
New-England and New-York, and the Medium 
of Washington market. It is the earliest of the 
field beans, and particularly useful in filling out 
where corn and other crops have failed. The 
Pea, or Little White bean, is richer, smaller, 
more roundish, not quite so early, but produc¬ 
ing equally good crops. Its small size is against 
it in market, though its beautiful white color is 
in its favor. In so indiscriminating a market as 
that of New-York, it sells lower than the first 
mentioned kind. The White Marrow, Marrow¬ 
fat, White Egg, etc., is considerably larger than 
either of the foregoing. Burr makes the follow¬ 
ing statement in regard to the comparative size 
of these three sorts: of the Pea bean, 4400, of 
the Blue Pod, 2700, and of the White Marrow, 
1200 will fill a quart. The Marrow is not quite 
so sure a crop in wet seasons, owing to its ten¬ 
dency to run; so that on a good soil too highly 
manured, or too rich in ammoniacal matter or 
vegetable mold, the plants make too much top 
and bear too little fruit. The soil best adapted 
to beans is a good loam or gravelly soil, which 
contains a considerable portion of soluble min¬ 
eral ingredients, but not much vegetable and 
nitrogenous matter. The tilth should be good, 
not necessarily deep, and freedom from weeds 
is desirable. Unless there is danger of the crop 
running to vines, plant in drills two feet apart, 
and scatter the seed in the drill. The practice 
of planting in hills 2 feet apart each way, is 
good, especially for the Marrowfat. The plant¬ 
ing should not be delayed after June 20th 
as a general thing, and then only the Blue Pod 
or common white field bean should be used. 
The cultivation consists in keeping down the 
weeds and stirring the soil. This should, so far 
as practicable, be done by horse labor. When 
the plant turns yellow, and the pods begin to 
dry, they are pulled by the roots and stacked 
between stakes 4 to 6 feet high, driven 6 to 8 
inches apart; pieces of wood or a few stones 
keep the bottom plants from the ground. Here 
they are allowed to dry thoroughly, and many 
of the unripe pods mature and dry quite well. 
The threshing is done either in the field or on 
the barn floor, and if well dried, the crop will 
be fit for market at once, or may be kept 
for almost any length of time in dry bins. 
