VOLUME III. NO. 24. 
Agricultural department. 
PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT. 
INDIAN CORN FOR FODDER. 
ROCHESTER, N. Y-THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1852. 
-! WHOLE NO. 128, 
Good Pastures aro not always to bo had, 
though to those who keep most kinds of 
farm stock they are always important. In 
the vicinity of cities and populous towns, 
the increased value of land, and the num¬ 
ber of neat cattle, horses and sheep usually 
kept, make pasture always scarce and often 
poor. In the country there is almost inva¬ 
riably a season of drouth in tho fall, when 
some substitute for grazing—especially to 
thoso interested in the dairy business—is 
very necessary for keeping their cows in 
good order, and their flow of milk unim¬ 
paired. And whero for either of these causes 
suftli substitute for pasture is required, any¬ 
thing which, at less cost of production, will 
take the place of hay, is equally desirable. 
Indian corn has lately been employed for 
these purposes. No plant now grown in the 
country, yields so largo a crop of excellent 
groon or dry food at tho samo cost as this. 
Its growth is rapid and its cultivation sim¬ 
ple and easy. “ As a substitute for pasturing, 
it is ono of the very best, being almost equal 
to luxuriant grass, and far superior to scanty 
herbage which is all that cattle can obtain 
in seasons of drouth. When grown of 
a suitable sizo, and well cured, it is oqual to 
good hay for winter food.” As tho season 
for sowing corn for fodder has now arrived, 
wo here give what information we have been 
able to gather of the methods of sowing or 
planting—the varieties best adapted to the 
purpose, and the use and curing of tho same. 
A good fertile soil is necessary, but it is 
equally important to have it near tho barn, 
if it is to bo used for summer soiling, so that 
situation should be considered as well as tho 
quality of tho land. Mr. Dodge, of Hamil-, 
ton, Mass., states in tho Journal of Agricul¬ 
ture, that ho has sowed cory on dry gravelly 
knolls, on sandy plains, and on moist low 
land with good success in each case. “ Tho 
object being to raise stalks and blades, the 
manure need not be so strong as that applied 
for a seed crop. Wo liavo found a compost 
of one-half green manure and one-half peat 
mud, taken directly from the meadow, a 
cheap and valuable dressing. This, well 
forkod over and allowed to heat, as it will in 
a few days when tho weather is warm, may 
be applied in tho furrow, made deep so as 
to leave the ground level after tho seed is 
covered. Tho moisture in the mud aids tho 
growth on very dry lands, and for this rea¬ 
son we prefer it to that which has becomo 
dry and fino by long exposure. If the seed 
is sown broad-cast, tho manure should be 
spread and plowed under, but it is far bet¬ 
ter to sow in drills.” 
For sowing in drills, in the absenco of a 
drill machine, the following plan is reccom- 
mended by Mr. Thomas, of Macedon 
£ ’ First plow or harrow tho ground, as if for 
corn or potatoes; run furrows in one direc¬ 
tion with one horse about three feet apart: 
with a hand basket of corn on the left arm, 
walk rapidly along side the furrow, scatter¬ 
ing the soed with the right hand at tho rate 
of about fifty grains to the foot, which will 
be almost two bushels and a half to three 
bushels per aero. A little practico will en¬ 
able one to do this evenly and expeditiously. 
The seed may bo covered in the best man¬ 
ner by means of a one-horse harrow, or 
cultivator, or a two-horse harrow passed 
length-wise tho furrows.” The only culti¬ 
vation needed is to run a cultivator through 
between the rows when tho corn is about a 
foot high, and give after it a slight dressing 
with the hoo. A light sprinkling of aslios, 
when the corn first appears, is beneficial. 
The variety sown should depend some¬ 
what upon the uso for which it is intended. 
For winter fodder alone, tho “Canada eight- 
rowed yellow flint,” has been already recom¬ 
mended in our columns, as superior to tho 
larger kinds. And this for two roasons 
tho loss time (from threo to four weeks,) ro- 
quirod for it to come to maturity, and tho 
small sizo of tho stalks—rendering them 
easier to cure and more palatable to cattle, 
&c. It can be sown with success later in 
the season than most other varieties. 
Others recommend tho common large 
sweet corn. The Albany Cultivator says : 
“ It makes a good growth, tillers or suckers 
much, and tho fodder has a peculiar swoet- 
ne8s, which induces cattle to oat it with moro 
avidity than they will eat that of any other 
kind of corn. A farmor in this vicinity who 
planted considerable corn last year for feed¬ 
ing out while green, had three kinds of seed 
—southern, yellow or Dutton, and sweet 
corn. He began cutting tho sweet, using it 
to feed stock on exhibition then at the Stato 
Fair. They ate ovory bit of it with good 
relish; but when tho sweet corn was gone, 
and tho usual quantity was cut and fed from 
tho Dutton and Southern, tho cattle discov¬ 
ered tho difference at onco. They smelt it 
over, tossed it about with their noses, and 
finally would not eat it without wasting more 
or loss.” The Stowell sweet corn has boon 
spoken of for this purposo, but wo learn of 
no experiments yet made to test its value. 
For summer soiling cut tho stalks at night 
with a corn knife or sickle, closo to tho 
ground and leave in hoaps until morning.— 
In this timo it bocomos slightly wiltod, and 
is thought to be bettor relished by tho cattle. 
It may be fed in mangers in the yard or 
sheds after milking, or be carried into grass 
fields and strowod in small winrows from 
tho wagon. After it is thus placod let tho 
cattle come in and thoy will oat tho wholo, 
leaving no rofuso stalks,—and will soon 
learn, if fod regularly, to go then to their 
pasturos and say no moro about it. “It is 
better to under food than over food with 
corn fodder—better to koop tho appetito 
sharp than to clog it.” 
It is a difficult matter to cure so green 
and succulent a plant, but it may bo done 
by propor management. When tho top of 
the stalks begin to die, cut them in pleasant 
weather and spread thinly, leaving thorn 
for ono day to wilt; then bind in small bun¬ 
dles, putting the band near tho top, and 
gather tho bundles into small stooks, open 
at the bottom, whoro thoy may stand for 
several weeks, until dry enough for the barn 
or stacking. There is loss danger of injury 
from mould if they aro stacked around a 
pole, in a mode sometimes practiced in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country. In these stacks 
the centre is always the highest, and the 
depth from tho polo only the length of ono 
bundle, so that the butts aro exposed to tho 
air, and very little dangor incurred from 
dampness or heating if properly dry before 
being thus secured. Of their value in win¬ 
ter it is needless to speak. 
ROADS AND ROAD-MAKING. 
Road-making and repairing, was proposed 
in our last, as the subject of the present arti¬ 
cle, and wo take it up with tho view of fur¬ 
nishing a few hints which impromptu over¬ 
seers elected at our spring Town meetings, 
may find of use in expending to the greatest 
public benefit, prosont and prospective, tho 
labor assessed in their several districts. 
In laying out roads in this country, the 
mathematical axiom that “ a straight line is 
the shortest distanco between two points ” 
has been too generally regarded, for, unless 
it is also a level line, the paradoxical proverb 
that “ the longest way around is tho short¬ 
est way home,” comes practically noaror the 
truth. No unnecessary curves should be 
allowed, but a good road rather winds 
around hills than runs, over them, and may 
often do this without increasing its length. 
And tho load which a given force will draw 
on a level, will requiro nearly four times 
that power to draw it up a rise of ono foot 
in a hundred. Hence it has boon establish¬ 
ed as a rule, in road-making, that tho length 
of a road may be increased twenty times 
the perpendicular height to be avoided, with 
true economy in tho result. 
“ Tho gently curving road,” says Gilles¬ 
pie, “ besidos its substantial advantages, is 
also much moro pleasant to tho traveler up¬ 
on it, for ho is not fatigued by tho tedious 
prospect of a long straight stretch to bo 
traversed, and is met at each curve by a con¬ 
stantly varied view. ’ Coleridge gives in brief 
the characteristics of the pleasant highway : 
“ The road the human being travels. 
That on which blessing comes mul goes, doth follow 
The river’s course, the valley’s playful windings,— 
Curves round the cornfield and the hill of vines.” 
Most of our roads are already established, 
and little can be dono at leveling or curving 
now—but much may bo accomplished in the 
way of draining, graveling and rendering per¬ 
manent. The groat difference botween our 
good roads and our bad ones, lies in the fact 
of their perfect of imperfect drainage. It 
is impossible for a good road to exist where 
water stands and stagnates, and where tho 
rain that falls can pass off by evaporation 
only. And it would be a great improvement 
in all such roads to “ lay a first-rate under- 
drain, directly beneath tho track.” This, 
says tho Albany Cultivator, “ would speedily 
carry off all tho surplus water both on and 
in tho soil, and if made right, will be the 
moans of reducing mud and mire to firm¬ 
ness and solidity in a wonderfully short 
period of time.” 
Tho mode of doing this rccommonded 
by the same authority, is to lay a large size 
tile drain at a proper depth beneath the 
road-way. “ Whore tho tilo cannot bo had, 
quito as good a ditch, but costing a little 
more labor, may bo made by filling in with 
stones—placing the smaller and flatter at 
tho top—and then covering the whole with 
a close layer of hard wood slabs or boards, 
beforo tho invortod sods are laid on and the 
earth filled in. And where the bottom is 
sandy, a layer of flat stones or boards first 
placod upon tho bottom to prevent the sink¬ 
ing of the stones, will save much troublo in 
future.” In heavy soils, tho slabs should 
come within six or eight inches of the sur¬ 
face, or tho drainage will not be speedy and 
perfect. 
In making or repairing a turnpike, gravel 
and hard-pan are tho best, and tho surfaco 
soil,—often mere muck—tho worst material 
that can be employed. Better loavo a road 
untouchod than with such materials to form 
a narrow track, which will always become 
rutted and muddy in long rains, and impass¬ 
able with heavy loads in the spring and fall. 
Often no turnpike is needed—and let all 
looso stones bo romoved, and tho proper 
drains be opened and it will remain in a 
better stato than when thrown up in tho 
usual manner. Largo stones should novel- 
bo used for filling ruts in roads, however 
deep they may bo. Thoy aro sure to work 
up to tho surface. Let them first be broken 
finely, and they will becomo fixed facts, and 
tho holes which thoy fill will bo perma¬ 
nently mended. No looso or projecting 
stone should bo allowed to remain in the 
road-way, at any season. 
In the care of roads much may bo done 
with a leveling scraper, which, if passed over 
them as soon as the ground dries in the 
spring, will smootho tho surface, clear them 
of stones, and fill up tho ruts made by the 
constant passing of wagon wheels. These 
scrapers aro already in common use, and 
should bo put in requisition still moro fre¬ 
quently—as often at least as tho roads be¬ 
como rutted and uneven,—and in many 
places little moro will be found necessary. 
On the wholo, we believe, it will be found 
far bettor to employ tho labor assessed in 
making permanent improvements like drain¬ 
ing or gravoling a portion of the road tho¬ 
roughly each year, than in doing here a 
little and thero a little, to little real pur¬ 
poso, throughout the wholo district. 
Short-iiorn Stock in Genesee Co. —Mr. 
C. K. Ward, of Lo Roy, passed through 
this city lately on his way homo with a very 
fine yearling Short-horn Bull from tho herd 
of Ralph Wade, Esq., of Hamilton, C. W. 
This bull—“ Forrester ”—is from two of the 
best animals of Mr. Wade’s celobratod 
stock, " Bolted Will,” and “ Queen of tho 
Forest,” and is a boautiful specimen of tho 
Durham breed. Mr. Ward has already a 
full bred Short-horn Heifer of oxcollent 
promise, and his efforts for improving tho 
stock of his County are worthy of all praise, 
and will doubtless bo appreciated. 
THE POINTER PLOW-AGAIN; 
Messrs. Editors :—In tho Rural of May 
20th, over tho signature of Linus Cone, is a 
description of a new improvement to tho 
plow. By the enterprise and liberality of 
Mr. Cone, I recoived one of the pointors ho 
describes, as a present, and have used it in 
fitting a two years clovor loy.—with a liberal 
dressing of long manure, of straw and coarse 
corn stalks—for my corn crop. I have fit¬ 
ted many such pieces for corn, but must say 
that I never prepared ’one before, where 
manure and sod were so effectually covered. 
And that part of tho main furrow that tho 
pointer cuts its furrow from, stands in the 
right position, separated from the sods, for 
the harrow to pulverize into a fine soil. My 
plowman was an Englishman, who has had 
much experience in guiding the plow in that 
country. At first ho rather objectod to the 
pointer, but tho first night, when he came 
from tho field, I asked him how tho pointer 
did tho work; the reply was, “ first rate.” The 
next day at noon, ho said ho challenged the 
town to beat him covering up green sward 
and manure. 
Several of tho neighboring farmers have 
been to see it work, and all agree, that it 
performs most admirably. For breaking 
green sward for wheat, whero the after-cul¬ 
ture is with the harrow and cultivator, tho 
pointor must bo valuable. And if plow man¬ 
ufacturers would mako them, I see nothing 
to prevent tho pointor coming into goneral 
use for breaking green-sward, and covering 
up manure, clover and stubble. 
Alvin Wilcox. 
West Bloomfield, N. Y., May 2G, 1852. 
PRODUCTS OF THE UNITED STATES: 
ITS SOIL AND INDUSTRY. 
Until tho taking of tho last census of the 
United Statos, the extent of the resources 
of the country was only matter of conjec¬ 
ture. Different individuals had made as 
many different estimates of branches of the 
wealth and industry of tho Nation, tho last 
often contradicting all that had gone beforo 
it; but an accurate summary of each, and 
of the whole, derived from authentic sources, 
was not had, until the statistics, recently of¬ 
ficially published, were taken. It is a source 
of pride and satisfaction to an American in 
feeling and ambition, to look over the ag¬ 
gregates of tho several productions from tho 
broad expanse of territory within the length 
and breadth of tho United States. With 
almost every variety of climate and soil, we 
find the resources of the country to be 
equally varied. With a fertility of soil pe¬ 
culiar to the Western Continent, a vast 
mineral wealth, and a population of nerve 
and enterprise to developo them—with a 
free choice of pursuits, tho statistics of la¬ 
bor and productions exhibit immense re¬ 
sources of wealth and greatness. 
Tho pursuits of the productive classes of 
tho United States may be arranged under 
tho following general heads :—Agriculture, 
Horticulture, Foresting, Mining, Manufac¬ 
tures, Commerce, and Fisheries. These 
embrace all tho staples of tho country, be¬ 
sidos the articles into which many of thoso 
staples are converted, and tho foreign and 
coasting trado to which they give rise. 
At present, wo can but take a glance at 
tho yalue of tho leading products of this 
country in a single year, and the rapid in¬ 
crease of wealth and greatness, which the 
statistics portend. Of theso, agriculture 
first, because tho most important of all. and 
the surest basis of pecuniary exaltation, not 
only to those engaged in it, but also to the 
country at largo. Tho return of agricultu¬ 
ral staplos wo find to be 8-1,823,272 bushels 
of wheat; 123,071,341 bushels of oats; and 
377,531,875 bushels of Indian corn. 
Tho next of tho statistical returns to which 
wo shall refer, is the product of the mines— 
those of iron, coal, load, salt, and granite. 
The returns show that the iron mines of tho 
country have yielded 286,903 pounds of cast 
iron; and 197,233 lbs. of iron in bars. The 
mines of coal, a commodity high upon tho 
scalo of our mineral production, and of irn- 
monso valuo to tho country, whore so much 
machinery is kept in action, have yielded 
863,489 tons of authracite, and 27,603,191 
bushels of tho bituminous coal. Of lead 
31,239,453 lbs. havo been produced. Of 
domestic salt, 6,179,174 bushels. Of stone, 
comprising granite and marble, the value of 
$3,695,884 has been hewn from the solid 
rocks. 
In that interesting portion of our nation¬ 
al prosperity termed “manufactures,” there 
are one thousand two hundred and forty 
cotton establishments, and ono thousand 
four hundred and twenty for the manufac¬ 
ture of wool. 
Engaged in the commerco of the country, 
there aro one thousand one hundred and 
eighty commercial houses, for foreign and 
domestic trade, and two thousand eight hun¬ 
dred and eighty-one commission houses, and 
fifty-seven thousand five hundred and sixty- 
five retail dry goods, grocery, and other 
stores. j. s. g. 
Hanover, Penn., 1852. 
SAVE THE DEAD LEAVES. 
In the 45th No. of tho Rural is a short 
article on this subject, from the Horticul¬ 
turist. While reading it the inquiry arose 
in my mind, whether some other facts in 
regard to tho growth of trees in certain situ¬ 
ations might not be explained on the princi¬ 
ples therein exhibited. I havo somewhoro 
seen it stated, that in former times it was 
tho pnotice in some countries of Europe, 
whore fuel was scarce, to cut off tho super¬ 
fluous branches of tho trees of the forest 
and uso them for fuel, but it was found ne¬ 
cessary to discontinue the practice, (tho cut¬ 
ting was done, I think, in mid-summer,) be¬ 
cause it was believed to injure the growth 
of the trees. Tho proper manure would 
doubtless havo remedied tho evil. 
But tho question that occurred to mo was 
this—whether the loss of tho loaves might 
not be ono cause of tho slow growth and 
sometimes prematuro decay of orchards in 
certain situations. It is certain that the 
wasto of the leaves is a loss to the soil, and 
hence the necessity of manuring an orchard, 
especially in situations where the leaves aro 
blown away. The same consideration sug¬ 
gests also tho most suitablo kind of man- 
nuro, viz., tho constituent elements of the 
leaves. 
It is well known that the largest and most 
thrifty growth of timber, is in situations 
where the leaves are suffered to fall and do- 
( ay on tho ground where the trees grow.— 
Hence in hilly countries, the largest trees 
are in tho rallies, or lowlands, or on tho 
sheltered sides of tho hills. So also the 
trees are loss thrifty on the windward side 
of a forest, where the loaves are blown away. 
The same is perhaps true of forest treos 
when standing alone. 
These facts suggest the proper method 
of promoting the growth of forest trees 
when transplanted into opon fields, along 
roads, around buildings, &c. Let them bo 
furnished with manure containing tho samo 
elements with tho loaves that grow upon 
them, or be manured with decaying leaves 
from the forest. h. 
Down East, Nov., 1851. 
DIG DEEP AND YOU’LL FIND TREASURE. 
Editors Rural :—I commend the fol¬ 
lowing anecdote to tho particular consider¬ 
ation of those of your readors who are yet 
addicted to the practice of shallow plowing, 
and who think that no good comes from 
deep stirring of the soil. By adopting this 
practice, a now source of wealth would be 
opened on many farms, which tho “ skin¬ 
ning ” culturo of a century or two has nev¬ 
er developed. But to the anecdote—which, 
though old, is just as good as if it were 
“ bran new.” 
An old farmer, on his death bed, told his 
sons, who wero not very industrious lads, 
that ho had deeply buried his monoy in a 
particular fiold, which was the most barren 
land on his farm. In consequence of this 
information, soon after tho old man’s death, 
the sons began to dig (and they dug deeply 
too) all over the field—and this they did 
again and again, for it was long beforo thoy 
