36 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
Hiring Help. 
Have you hired your help for the coming sea¬ 
son? If not, no time should be lost in looking 
out for such as you will like. In a few weeks 
you may only be able to get such as are without 
places for just cause. Cheap help, so called, 
may prove very dear, before the summer is over. 
A hired man often wastes more than his wages 
in poor plowing, careless planting or hoeing, and 
unskillful harvesting. 
Where the cultivator labors in the field with 
his hired hands, it may do to employ one or two 
inexperienced men, but where they are to work 
by themselves, it is very poor economy. An un¬ 
derpaid man will frequently make his tvages an 
excuse for neglect, but where full price is paid, 
you may reasonably demand full work. 
Regard should be had to the moral character 
of hired men. A faithful, trustworthy man, 
though inferior in physical strength or in skill, 
will prove more valuable than a reckless charac¬ 
ter, whatever may be his other qualifications. 
Especially is this true where there are children 
in the family. Their welfare is superior to every 
consideration of mere profit; and association 
with profane or immoral hired men has corrupted 
many a promising youth. 
In concluding a bargain, nothing should be left 
indefinite. The terms should be plainly com¬ 
mitted to writing, for the best memories some¬ 
times prove treacherous, and it is curious to no¬ 
tice, how mistakes are usually made in favor of 
those interested. A law r -suit at the end of a sum¬ 
mer’s work is a costly luxury, which few can 
afford, and none enjoy ; and a little precaution 
now may save all its unpleasantness. 
-■» . - —. -- -- 
Note on Improved King Philip Corn. 
A NEW VARIETY TO BE DISTRIBUTED. 
The “ King Philip Corn ” we have hitherto 
distributed, has been fully described. Its chief 
excellence has been stated to be its very early 
maturity, which specially adapted it to localities 
where the seasons are short and cold, and for re¬ 
planting where a first planting of other varieties 
had failed to vegetate. The average ripening has 
been in 90 to 93 days, though it has often been 
ready to gather in 85 days from planting. The 
main objection has been its small growth of stalk, 
and comparatively moderate yield, as a general 
rule, though very large crops have often been ob¬ 
tained. We intended to distribute this year the 
same variety as hitherto, but have obtained a few 
bushels of what we think to be 
An improved Kind .—This we have just pro¬ 
cured of Mr. Carpenter, Westchester Co., N. Y. 
In the samples we have examined, the ears are 
much larger than in the former kind. It is said 
to have been obtained, at first, by crossing the old 
King Philip with the Dutton, and carefully select¬ 
ing the best ears for the past three seasons. It is 
of larger growth than the King Philip, and re¬ 
quires about ten days longer to mature. This 
last fact is the only objection ; still a large, proli¬ 
fic corn that will mature in 100 days is very de¬ 
sirable. From all we can learn in regard to this, 
we think it abundantly worthy of trial, and we 
shall gladly avail ourselves of the opportunity to 
substitute it for the old King Philip variety, which 
we had prepared to distribute. Our supply may 
not hold out for all applicants, but we shall send 
it as long as it lasts. If obliged towards the 
close of our distribution to return to the other va¬ 
riety, we will, with a pen, mark the word old on 
such package? All who get unmarked packages 
will then understand that they are of what is 
termed the “Improved King Philip.” 
Number of Squares in an Acre. 
The followingtable is convenient for reference 
when desiring to know the number of trees or 
plants which will occupy an acre when set out at 
given distances apart. It will also assist in de¬ 
termining the amount of manure to be applied to 
a hill, when distributing a certain number of 
pounds or loads upon an acre. An acre contains 
4.3,560 square feet. It is usually better to keep 
this number in mind, and at once obtain the 
number of squares by dividing this sum (43,500) 
by the number of feet inclosed by four hills. 
Distance apart 
No. of sqrs. 
Distance apart 
No. of sqrs. 
each way. 
or hills. 
each way. 
or hills. 
1 foot. 
.43.560112 feet. 
JJ feet. 
1P3 
2 “ . 
.10,8901! 8 “ . 
. 134 
21 “ . 
. 6,'Jrtji20 “ . 
3 “ . 
22 “ . 
00 
31 “ . 
09 
4 “ .. 
30 “ . 
48 
5 “ ........ 
.... 1,742 
35 “ . 
35 
6 “ . 
. j/210 
40 “ . 
27 
8 « . 
45 «* . 
91 
10 “ . 
. 435 
50 “ . I? 
If the rows are three feet apart each wav, 
there will be 3 times 3 feet, or 9 feet in each 
square, and 43,560 divided by 9 gives 4840 
squares, trees, or hills. If the rows be 2 feet 
apart one way and 3 feet the other, the enclosed 
space will be 2 times 3, or 6 feet. 43,560 divided 
by 6, gives 7260 as the number of squares. In 
rows 3 by 3^ feet there are 10?r feet. 43,560 di¬ 
vided by 10$, gives 4148 squares; and so for 
other distances. 
This table would not be quite accurate if al¬ 
lowance be made for rows around the entire out¬ 
side, as in that case there would be one more 
row each way than the number of squares. Thus, 
in a square plot of one acre, with the rows 3 feet 
apart each way, there would be, say 69 rows each 
way. As two of the corner trees would count 
both ways, we must add to the 4840 hills, (in the 
table), 4 times 69 hills, less 2, or 274, making the 
total number 5114. These figures are illustra¬ 
tive only, and not exact, as the precise number 
of rows in the instance given is a little over 69£. 
Hints on Making Maple Sugar. 
Last year several essays were received in re¬ 
sponse to our call for experience on this import¬ 
ant topic, which were published on pages 5 and 37 
of Vol. 17. Other lengthy communications, for 
which we had not room, were received from A. 
Brown, Somerset Co., Pa. ; S. R. Griggs, Fay- 
ston (?); L. F. A., Andover, Me. ; J. K. M., Can¬ 
terbury, N. II. ; H. H. Doolittle, Ontario Co., 
N. Y., etc. We embody here the principal sug¬ 
gestions contained in these letters. 
The time for tapping of course varies with the 
locality and the character of the season. In 
many places in ordinary seasons, a large amount 
of sugar is made during February. The business 
should commence as early as the sap will flow. 
Where but few trees are attended to, the ordi¬ 
nary utensils and fixtures used for household 
purposes will be sufficient; but where sugar¬ 
making is a part of the business of the farm, the 
grove or “ sap bush,” numbering from a hundred 
to thousands of trees, special, and in some cases 
extensive preparations are necessary. 
For tapping, a l inch bit is generally preferred. 
The holes should be 1) to 2 inches deep, enter¬ 
ing only the sap wood, and inclining slightly up¬ 
wards, to prevent the sap remaining and souring 
in the orifice. “Boxing,” or chipping is con¬ 
demned, as injurious to the tree, and the gash 
being exposed to the light and air, the wood soon 
dries, so as to require additional cutting or 
“ freshening.” 
Wooden tubes, of quill elder, sumach, or pine, 
as may be most convenient, are preferable to tin 
or sheet iron. They should be fitted closely into 
the opening. Pails or tubs of cedar or pine, the 
inside unpainted, with a board cover to exclude 
leaves and dust, are the best vessels for receiving 
the sap from the tree. They may be hooped 
with wood, and made quite cheaply. It is well to 
have the top of larger diameter than the bottom, 
so that ice may be easily removed, in case the 
sap should freeze in them. An auger hole or 
notch cut in the edge of the cover, admits the 
sap into the pail. 
When the trees are quite near each other, labor 
may be saved by using leading troughs, run¬ 
ning from tree to tree, and all finally emptying 
into a receiving tub. Or a line of troughs from 
near the centre of the bush to the tub, may be 
made, into which the collecting vessels are emp¬ 
tied. There is more wasted in this manner from 
leaking, spilling, and evaporation, than in the 
common method of hauling the sap to the boiling 
place in a capacious covered tub, mounted on a 
sled. 
Sheet iron pans, (Russia iron is best), five or 
six inches deep, set in mason work, so that the 
bottom is exposed to the heat, will evaporate the 
sap much more rapidly, than can be done in the 
old-fashioned arch kettle. 
A brick wall built across the middle of the fire 
chamber, to within two inches of the bottom of 
the pan, will throw the heat against the bottom 
of the pan, and save much fuel. 
Some of the most successful sugar makers 
say, it is of the greatest importance in sugar 
making, that the sap be reduced to syrup in the 
shortest possible time after being collected. Al¬ 
though the sap may not sour in several days, its 
properties are undoubtedly affected by light and 
air, and the amount of crystallizable matter con¬ 
siderably diminished, so that even if the “run” 
be light for a few days, it is best to reduce to sy¬ 
rup eve.y 8 or 12 hours. This precaution is even 
more necessary in the latter part of the season, 
when the sap crystallizes with more difficulty 
By judicious boiling the available run may be pio 
longed several days. 
To “ sugar off,” the syrup should be strained 
through a thick woolen cloth into a medium sized 
kettle, and reduced slowly, carefully guarding 
against burning, as this would greatly injure the 
color and quality of the sugar. It is sufficiently 
done, when threads of the thick syrup break off 
short like glass, after cooling quickly in water or 
on snow. Then remove it from the fire, stir it 
continually, and when it begins to “grain,” imme¬ 
diately turn it into the moulds. Grained sugar is 
prepared in the same manner, only that the stir¬ 
ring is continued until the mass is dry. 
We have said nothing of clarifying, for experi¬ 
ence has proved that if proper care be taken to 
keep every article used in the various processes 
scrupulously clean, and to prevent leaves, insects, 
etc., from falling into the sap, no clarifying agents 
are needed. We have eaten maple sugar of the 
finest quality both as to flavor and color, made 
entirely without clarifying. 
The best form for city retail market, is in 
small cakes, weighing from two to four ounces, 
as these are more convenient for peddling out. 
---—•<»>—-—»«■- 
A lazy fellow lying down on the grass said, 
Oh, how I do wish that this was called work, 
and well paid for?” Plenty more of same sort 
