1863.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
141 
ing what a difference this makes in the rapid and 
healthy growth of the stalks, their exemption 
from the effects of drouth, and the plumpness of 
the ears. It. saves a great deal of after-tillage, 
and prevents much anxiety as to the success of 
the crop. If the land be subsoiled, more of the 
roots will strike down¬ 
ward, and fewer will be 
broken and injured bj' 
the cultivator and hoe. 
Corn in drills three to 
four feet apart, and the 
stalks 8 to 12 inches 
apart in the row, will 
give the best yield to the 
acre; hut where land is 
cheaper than labor, it is 
usually more profitable 
to plant in hills, the 
rows running both 
ways, so that the plow 
or cultivator passing in 
both directions will do 
most of the work of til¬ 
lage. The hill system lets warmth in on all sides, 
which is advantageous, especially on cold, heavy 
soil, or in a cool season. Com is a sun plant and 
prospers best under warmth. The drill system 
prevents the stalks from crowding and shading 
each other. If planted in hills, the seed should 
be dropped four to six inches apart, so that the 
stalks and leaves will not interfere. The dis¬ 
tance apart of hills, or drills, and of the indi¬ 
vidual stalks, depends both upon the strength 
and richness of the soil, and the variety in size 
of the corn. A good soil will support a nearer 
growth without depriving the roots of adequate 
nourishment. For the smaller varieties of corn, 
those growing only 4£ to Gi feet high, three feet 
apart for rows or drills is enough. The taller, 
10 feet high varieties, require 3i to 4 feet rows 
or drills. Usually 3£ to 4 feet is preferable to 3 
feet, for medium soils, and for good sized field 
varieties. Four stalks are as many as can grow 
in a hill. Three good stalks will yield more 
grain than five poor crowded ones. 
The best varieties of com for any locality are 
best learned from the general experience of a 
neighborhood, though it is v r ell to try small plots 
of new kinds for experiment. Let it be remem¬ 
bered that corn is easily spoiled for seed by 
dampness or heating in the shock or crib. It is 
but little trouble to sprout a handful taken as a 
sample from the whole lot, by putting it in a 
damp soil in a warm place. No one can afford 
to lose the first planting, or to have a lot of de¬ 
ficient hills, simply for want of a few quarts of 
good seed. Plant corn very shallow; one inch 
is abundantly deep. If covered deeper than 
this, some of the kernels will rot before vege¬ 
tating, if it chance to be cold or wet weather. 
Half an inch is usually deep enough. A little 
good, well rotted manure, or ashes, in the hill 
near but not in contact with the seed, helps 
to give the plant a vigorous start, even where 
the whole ground is not manured. See Calen¬ 
dar last month, also article on lime page 107. 
The latter part of May is early enough for 
planting at the North. Warm soil starts the 
plants at once into rapid and vigorous growth. 
To Fasten a Rope-End. —J. C. Marsh, La 
Fayette Co., Wis., recommends to prevent the 
untwisting of a ro^s end, by winding it with 
small wire. Heat the wire to redness, then let 
it cool slowly, and it will bend easily. The 
ends can be fastened by winding them under 
tliecoil, or passing a few times through the rope. 
A Farm Gate Easily Made. 
The plan for a farm gate published in the 
Agriculturist page 45 (Feb. No.), has called out 
many designs for this desirable farm fixture. 
The one presented herewith, was forwarded by 
a subscriber, J. T. Waters, Jefferson Co., Ill. 
We have added a few modifications. It is made 
entirely of 1 inch boards, or 1 inch if desired to 
have it heavy. Two boards each G inches wide 
are used for the head-piece, //, one on each 
side of the bars S. The tail-piece, 2] and middle 
upright, are put on similarly. The braces, 
B, B, 3 to 4 inches wide, will not need doubling; 
one piece on a side, as shown, will be sufficient. 
The parts should be well secured with 
wrought nails, driven through and clinched. 
Pine or cedar boards are good; hemlock would 
be liable to warp; oak would be heavier than 
needed. A finishing cap or strip 1 k inches wide, 
should be nailed along the top, to keep water 
from entering at the joints. The hinges are of 
iron, i inch thick, 3 inches broad, made with an 
eye to receive the staple on the post, and with 
arms to clasp each side of the head piece. 
They should be bolted firmly. The latch, L , 
turns upon a pivot, and is kept in place by a 
small upright strip. It fastens into a notch in a 
strong cleat nailed upon the side of the post. 
Two extra hinge staples are driven into the 
head post, a foot or eighteen inches above the 
others. In Summer, the gate hangs upon the 
lower ones, near enough to the ground to ex¬ 
clude pigs and geese. In Winter it is lifted to the 
upper ones, to admit of swinging over snow: 
this sometimes saves considerable shoveling. 
A comparatively light gate is preferable to a 
heavy one, for the reason that it is easier to 
handle, and it will not so soon drag the post out 
of perpendicular. The latter difficulty is the 
great obstacle to overcome. It can be in good 
part prevented by draining the soil about the 
post-hole. It is a good arrangement to pin a 
plank two or three feet long to the bottom of 
the post, extending in the direction of the gate, 
and fasten a short hrace to this and the post, 
the whole to be placed under ground. 
- - — _• - 
Flat Culture of Potatoes. 
This can not be attained perfectly, but should 
be aimed at. Four to six inches is the utmost 
hight allowable for a hill, and this should be got 
as early as possible in the Summer. And for 
this good reason: as soon as the stem is well 
formed, tubers are developed at the sides at a 
proper distance below the surface, and they will 
go on enlarging to their full size, if they are not 
disturbed. But now, if we pile up more soil 
around the stem, a new set of tubers will be 
formed higher up than the first, which will draw 
away a part of the food that should have 
gone to the first. The consequence will be that 
at digging time, many of the tubers will be small, 
and some of them unripe. So thinks X. 
Salt on Wheat. 
W. H. Yale, New-IIaven Co., Conn., sends to 
the Agriculturist the following account of his ex¬ 
periments : “ In the Spring of 1851 I tried salt 
on wheat. The first piece, about an acre, was 
part of an orchard, marked off into ten pace 
lands. I sowed salt on alternate lands, using 
five bushels per acre, and harrowed it in with 
the wheat. On these lands, the grain ripened 
sooner, was larger, and free from rust. The next 
year the salted part yielded twice as much 
hay as the other portion. The second piece, 
of two acres, had been planted with corn the 
year before on the sod, and was badly infested 
with grubs. They had destroyed much corn, 
and also greatly injured the wheat. On the al¬ 
ternate lands, treated with salt, the wheat head¬ 
ed out a week earlier, and the yield was doubled, 
I also sowed another field of poorer soil than 
either of the above, using salt upon the whole 
of it, and the wheat was the best of all.” 
- o a -—a O - v o -. 
A Weed-Puller. 
Many troublesome weeds are best disposed of 
by drawing them out by the root, a slow but 
thoroughly effectual process. Mr. Julius Miner 
sends to the Agriculturist the sketch of an un¬ 
patented implement long used by him for tak¬ 
ing out the Burdock, 
and other very trouble¬ 
some and tenacious roots 
that infest our fields. 
It will do good service 
with all weeds that have 
a long tap-root. It con¬ 
sists of a stout stick, 31- 
feet long, to which is 
fastened an iron trident or three-pronged piece, 
the teeth of which are 21 inches long. Or the 
whole length may be made of iron. A block 3 
to 4 inches thick is bolted to the under side of 
the handle about 6 inches from the points. This 
serves as a fulcrum when prying out the roots. 
A cross-bar 8 inches long is attached, for con¬ 
veniently thrusting the implement with the foot 
doAvn to the root. When thus placed, a moder¬ 
ate amount of force at the end of the lever will 
lift a strong root entire. 
A Horse-Cleaner. 
F. W. Stump, Wayne Co., recommends to the 
readers of the Agriculturist the simple imple¬ 
ment shown in the annexed engraving, for 
cleaning horses in muddy weather. It is made 
of a strip of 4 inch board, 9 inches 
long on one edge, 7 inches on the 
other, and 3 or 4 inches wide. A con¬ 
venient opening for the hand'is shaved 
out on each side, and a hole bored 
through the square end by which to 
hang it in the stable. He uses this 
instead of a currycomb or card for re¬ 
moving dried mud from horses which 
have been used in wet weather. The curry¬ 
comb is objectionable; its sharp points are 
too harsh for the tender skin of the horse. 
This implement followed by the brush, will an¬ 
swer a very good purpose. 
