332 
kARMffie iri Missotrfit. 
fine shoe thread and fishing lines are made from 
the leaves, and coarse paper is also manufac¬ 
tured from them. The pulque is only made in 
the higher and cooler regions*of Mexico, the 
hot regions not being so favorable; but the 
meseal is distilled throughout every part of that 
country. I noticed many low mountains which 
were planted to their summits with the two spe¬ 
cies of maguey and others where it seemed 
that they were growing spontaneously, or with 
little or no culture. They are also planted 
along the roads as hedges, and very generally, 
as division fences to the fields, for which pur¬ 
pose they are perfectly appropriate. 
Both the aloe and agave arrive at maturity 
for distillation in five to seven years, and the 
fields are then cut up and renewed by resetting 
them with the numerous young offsets which 
have sprung up around the plants. There is 
no kind of culture in that country which is so 
greatly remunerative as the plantations of these 
species ; and they would be highly important 
acquisitions to our most southern states, and 
would serve to divert profitably a portion of the 
great excess of labor now devoted to the culture 
of cotton, one third of which is absolutely lost 
to our southern planters by the redundancy of 
the present cotton crops, beyond the actual 
wants of the world, and the consequent depre¬ 
ciation in price forced upon their staple, by the 
speculating manufacturers and bankers of Great 
Britain. 
The maguey may be successfully cultivated 
in Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, 
Alabama, Florida, New Mexico, and part of 
California. 
I will here make a passing remark, although 
its purport is not new to most of your readers, 
which is, that the Century Aloe, or Agave Amer¬ 
icana, which was so named from the erroneous 
supposition that it blooms but once in a century, 
produces its blossoms during the fifth or sixth 
year of its growth. The flower stems are 27 
to 30 feet in height, crowned with an immense 
panicle of straw-colored flowers, and present a 
grand and unrivalled display. I have on re¬ 
peated occasions counted over fifty of these 
splendid plants in full bloom in a single field, 
there being often from 25 to 30 acres of them 
within view. 
The Agave Americana is much cultivated in 
Yucatan, and from its leaves is manufactured 
the well known Sisal Hemp. This species was 
introduced to the southern part of Florida some 
years since, by Mr. Perrine, but has not been 
subjected to extensive culture there. I have 
taken some pains to procure seeds, and have 
them growing successfully in my grounds. 
Wm. R. Prince. 
Flushing, L. L, Sept., 185L 
I*ARMING IN MISSOURI. 
Growing Sweet Corn ,—We extract the follow¬ 
ing from a business letter of an agricultural 
friend of ours in Missouri : 
“ I have to thank you for the corn which you 
sent me last spring. I planted it in due time, 
and made by far the finest crop of sweet corn I 
have ever seen, and I much doubt whether it has 
ever been excelled. Many ears grew to from 
six to eight or nine inches long, and were very 
large. I preserved a large quantity of it for 
winter use, and have saved a great deal for 
seed. I shall soil with it. 1 was not quite so 
fortunate with the Tuscarora corn. The ground 
upon which I planted it is very level, and it suf¬ 
fered not only in "consequence of the tremen¬ 
dous rains which fell, but also for want of work. 
The ground was too wet throughout the season. 
Its yield was immense, but much of the first 
planting rotted. How is it? I raised many 
ears, full three times as large as any you sent 
me. I supposed it to be a small corn. I have 
put up a magnificent parcel for seed, and have 
several bushels left, of which I shall make bread. 
You would be amused to hear me brag about it. 
Dutton Corn .—The same hand writes of this 
variety:—In relation to this Dutton corn, I got 
a friend to bring me three ears. I planted it 
about the 20th of April, in drills, the rows about 
three feet apart. It was about fifteen inches 
apart in the drill, two to three plants in a place. 
It commenced tasseling at from eighteen inches 
to two feet in height. Some grew taller before 
tasseling. I was discouraged, and paid little at¬ 
tention to it afterwards. The wire-worm was 
very destructive among it too. I went into it 
about the middle of August, and was surprised 
to find that it had matured, and that a great deal 
had rotted, being covered with weeds and grass, 
and the weather having been excessively wet 
and hot. It is a beautiful corn. There were 
many stalks not more than six feet high, that 
had two good ears; I found some over a foot 
long. It was ready for cutting up, by the first 
of August. 
How does this compare with what it does 
with you? The grains are full and plump, and 
closely set upon the cob. Its average length on 
plants which escaped the ravages of the worm, 
was from nine to eleven inches. I think I shall 
plant an acre or so next season. 
