1858. 
THE CULTIVATOR 
331 
Autumn Hints. 
Husking Corn. —Those who have large corn-fields 
may not have time to husk the whole before winter, 
without interfering too much with other labors. The 
introduction of the cheaper husking-machines may 
obviate this. If the ears are merely broken from the 
stalks and cribbed without husking, in large coarse 
cribs made of rails or otherwise, the corn will dry more 
perfectly and uniformly than if first husked. The 
husks appear to protect the ears from sudden changes 
of moisture and dryness—to keep oft or absorb exces¬ 
sive moisture, and to admit a gradual and uniform 
evaporation from the ear. Such at least is the result 
of experience. This corn may be husked by some of 
the simpler machines during winter, which do not 
require the ordinary cold finger-work. Should the 
work be delayed, both the removal of the ears from 
the stalks, and the husking, may be done after win¬ 
ter sets in. This advantage we regard as the chief 
one conferred by husking machines—that is in obviat¬ 
ing the use of the fingers in cold weather, and not in 
any greatly increased rapidity in doing the work. 
Farmers have always desired to find winter employ¬ 
ment for their hired men; and if we can throw the 
crowding labors of autumn into the leisure of winter, 
an important object is attained. We are not prepared 
to say which of the husking machines are best, but we 
have been told by those who have made trial, that a 
sharp hatchet, to cut off husk and cob at one blow, is 
nearly as good as any. 
Potatoes. —Remember that one of the best preven¬ 
tives of the rot, after housing, is perfect cleanliness. 
Many have observed that potatoes dug in muddy 
weather, with portions of the soil adheribg to them, 
have been ruined during winter, while those put away 
clean have nearly or entirely escaped. It is, there¬ 
fore, best to select dry pleasant weather for digging ; 
and if this cannot be had, the potatoes should be 
washed, and allowed to drain and dry, before putting 
away. A good vegetable washer is figured and des¬ 
cribed on page 33, of.last volume of the Country Gen¬ 
tleman, and it might perhaps be improved in expedi¬ 
tion by turning a running stream into it, and provid¬ 
ing a hole for the escape of the muddy water and earth. 
We have found Allen’s potato-digging plow an impor¬ 
tant assistant in expediting the harvesting of potatoes 
in fine weather, in the same way that the horss-rake 
is in the hay field. Coolness and ventilation, as well 
as being kept in the dark, are important in prevent¬ 
ing rot—hence they should rest on something like rack- 
work or slats. 
Tools. —Every good farmer keeps his tools housed— 
but many during the busy period of summer, have left 
out some that should have been sheltered. The horse- 
rake has perhaps been placed on the fence in the cor¬ 
ner of a meadow ; the plow still lies at the side of the 
new wheatfieid, where it was left when the harrow was 
brought in; the ox-cart stands behind the barn ex¬ 
posed to all weather; the roller has not seen shelter 
since last spring; two hoes and a spade lean against 
the side of the wagon-house, and other implements lie 
in various directions. The aggregate value of all may 
be three hundred dollars; five years exposure would 
totally ruin them for any value, and if so, then they 
are losing a fifth this year, or sixty dollars. Yet fifty 
cents worth of labor would place every one in good 
shelter. So much for the want of a little thinking; 
and doubtless not a few who are thus wasting so rapid¬ 
ly their property, would spend half a day in making a 
sharp bargain, in order to get an additional dollar from 
a neighbor—saving at the tap and wasting at the bung, 
truly ! 
A coat of paint applied to tools just after the sea¬ 
soning of summer, will penetrate the cracks and be of 
great service in excluding water. 
Trees and Hedges. —Young Osage hedges, plant¬ 
ed out last spring, should have a deep furrow plowed 
along side near them, for complete surface drainage, 
and if this furrow were cleaned out with a hoe, all the 
better. We have elsewhere stated that such a hedge 
would do well if planted over or within three or four 
feet of a tile drain, which might otherwise be frozen 
and destroyed. Plowing two or three inches of earth 
upon the newly set plants, or those transplanted last 
spring, will serve as an efficient winter protection. 
Young fruit trees set out in autumn should also have 
good surface drainage—they should also be temporari¬ 
ly banked about, to prevent the wind from loosening 
them; and the application of a winter mulching of 
short manure, for spading in, in spring, will enrich the 
ground, and protect it partially from freezing. But 
this manure should not be placed in a small circle 
about the foot of the stem, where it can be of little 
use, but should be spread several feet wide in every 
direction. It should be short and not strawy manure, 
or the mice may hide under it. 
Those who mulched their young trees with straw in 
summer, should now remove it, or the mice may prove 
troublesome. 
-*>-%-*—-- 
Feeding Oil Pasture Land. 
“ It is certainly advantageous to pastures,” says 
Thaer, “to remove the cattle from them now and then, 
in order that the grass may have time to recover itself. 
For this reason, on the best conducted farms, the pas¬ 
ture land is divided into separate parts. The animals 
which require the most succulent and nourishing food 
are first turned to each separate division, and after 
they are removed, the other kinds, which need a small¬ 
er quantity of nutriment, are fed there. By this means 
the whole of the grass is eaten, those kinds to which 
cattle are least partial with the rest. The herbage is 
then left to recover itself for a sufficient time, and af¬ 
terwards the first herd is again allowed to feed upon 
it.” 
This system possesses decided advantages over the 
practice of suffering the cattle to wander over the 
whole extent of pasture ground. If the space is large, 
a great deal of herbage is spoiled or destroyed by the 
trampling of the cattle ; the pasturage is never uni¬ 
formly eaten off, but some portions are left to grow 
until it becomes dry and hard. This luxuriant but 
distasteful herbage is constantly increasing, and in 
time crowds out the finer kinds, already lessened by 
being cropped so closely and continually. Another ad¬ 
vantage is, that stock are more quiet, and consequent¬ 
ly feed better and keep in better thrift. 
The succession of the various kinds of stock must be 
regulated by the circumstances of the owner. Their 
says, that in spring the best pasturage is often given 
to ewes, because it is needed to increase their supply 
of milk, and give them strength to nurse their lambs. 
