THE CULTIVATOR. 
15 
my corn and stalks, &c. somewhat different from my neighbors; 
but in a way that the columns of your valuable paper had been 
long laboring to persuade the corn planters of the country to try 
fairly, viz : to cut down the stalk at the ground , at a certain stage of 
maturity, and at one effort to cure corn, stalks, blades, &c. in the 
field. I had seen this first practised on the south branch of the 
Potomac, as far back as 1812: and about 1817, I determined to try 
the process in this section of the Union, not being able to disco¬ 
ver any solid reason why it should not succeed as well here as on 
the south branch of the Potomac, or elsewhere; but indeed compel¬ 
led to believe, from a recollection of the climate I was in, that it 
must succeed here much better. In 1817,1 tried six acres—cut it 
down at the ground, about a week after the Hades were ready for 
stripping. I found a little shrinkage in the grain, but I felt satis¬ 
fied, that as my corn was not like Pindar’s razor, “ made to sell,” 
but to eat, that what was lost by the shrinkage was no part of the 
nutritive principle; and I did not despair of getting over that diffi¬ 
culty, by further trial, and by improving the mode of proceeding. 
The following year I cut down jive acres. I began the saving of 
this field of corn by going through it, as soon as a few of the under 
blades appeared ready to pull, and gathered and brought them 
home, throwing them in an old out-house to cure, and which, by a 
little turning over, I readily effected. I will remark here, that this 
five acres was a piece of corn on which I was trying the effect of 
rotten cotton seed as a manure, by planting four stalks in the hill, 
on light land, at the distance of jive feet by four. On this field I 
had determined also to try the full effect of an economical manage¬ 
ment, in saving the result of labor bestowed on the earth—“Save 
all” was my motto, and I literally saved every blade. 
Before my corn required a second pulling of blades, I found the 
shuck on the ear in that state, which authorized, I believed, the next 
step and the principal one I had in view, the new mode of saving 
the balance by one “ coup demain.” The result of observation and 
reflection induced this determination, viz: that in the saving pro¬ 
cess, the mode of stacking the corn stalks that woiild permit them 
to cure the most gradually, would certainly admit the least loss by 
shrinkage, from evaporation, &c.* To effect this, I selected four 
strong, careful hands, to cut and lay down, taking eight rows at a 
through. On getting to the end of the rows, they turned round, 
and gathered together sixteen hills, each bringing to one who attend¬ 
ed the stacking. As each man placed his armful on the ground, 
the butt ends were pressed by him as far into the earth as possible 
throwing the tops together, so that when the sixteen hills were 
brought together at the tops the mass presented a sugar-loaf ap¬ 
pearance, spread well at the bottom, to admit the entrance of air— 
tying at the top with a bandage of crab grass found among the 
corn, and twisted into a small rope in a few minutes. In this way 
I cut and stacked my field. On the 10th day I found by an exami¬ 
nation of the inside of the stacks, that the whole was cured in a 
way that I could not have exceeded by any other process, although 
the weather had been rainy occasionally. I hauled the whole 
home, and packed it away under open sheds, and in old out-houses. 
In this state it continued, until winter’s bleak and stormy weather 
admonished us that in-door business was to be attended to; when 
all hands went to stripping •* corn and fodder from stalks.” In do¬ 
ing this, I observed the following order, viz : each individual threw 
his ear of corn, as he pulled it off, behind him, and stalks on one 
side, laying them down with attention to regularity ; and the fodder 
on the other—as soon as he had an armful of stalks to remove, he 
rose and placed the stalks in a pile, casting the fodder into another 
depository.f All this precaution, as regarded the stalks, was to have 
them in a situation that with expedition and convenience they could 
be placed in the culling-box, to which they were to be subjected. In 
one day’s work, 1 had a prodigious pile of stalks thus stripped. 
The next rainy day I brought in my “ Eastman,” and a man and a 
boy soon reduced the pile to pieces, half an inch in length. Here, 
sir, I would just remark, what a quantity of this labor I got through 
within a short time, by pursuing every moment systematically, and 
* The usual practice in the south is to slrip the blades or leaves from the 
corn stalks, cure and preserve them for fodder, and to make little or no ac¬ 
count of the stalks as cattle feed. 
t We think our practice has a preference over this mode ; it is to pick the 
corn from the stalks in the field, and immediately to bind and stack the stalks. 
The corn is then husked in the evening, or on rainy days. Few have suffi¬ 
cient barn room to stow away a large crop of com in the manner recommend¬ 
ed by Agricoin, 
being prepared for every operation before I commenced it. It will 
now be readily granted, that I have saved as much of the nutritive 
qualities of the stalk, shuck, and blade, by my mode of curing, as was 
possible to effect; and also, that I had prodigiously diminished the 
labor usually bestowed in the common mode of saving corn and its 
refuse. At the same time that I was preparing the stalks, I also 
shucked, so that in cutting up the stalks, 1 cut, at the same operation, 
a proportion of shuck with stalk. 
But the principal object was yet to begin, viz: to prepare these cut 
stalks and shucks in such a way as would render them the most nutri¬ 
tious and palatable food for cattle. To effect t his I proceeded thus : I 
placed three strong hogsheads, made of cedar, well pitched, on the 
outside, on a platform, about three feet from the ground, having at 
the bottom a large spigot to let off their contents. Just before 
these, [ had a large trough placed, at the distance of twenty feet, 
and well enclosed along with the hogsheads. Between the hogs¬ 
heads and the troughs, I had the steam apparatus placed, all under 
a shed. Into these hogsheads I threw a small quantity of boiling 
water, and into the water a portion of corn meal, (coarse ground) 
just sufficient, when the cask was filled, to produce the vinous fer¬ 
mentation, as if going to distil; with a good straw mat top, for each 
cask. After an hour, and well stirring, I filled up with cold, soft 
water, and left the mass to ferment. As soon as iny liquid was 
ready, or just as the acetous fermentation was about to commence, 
1 worked off in my steaming-box a turn of the stalks and shucks, 
mixed up, and as soon as sufficiently steamed, I placed a quantity 
in my trough, pressing them well down, with a false top, moveable as 
I wanted, and now drawing the spigot from the cask ready, the li¬ 
quid was permitted to cover them, running along a portable, light 
trough, such as distillers use for conveying water. This I did in 
the evening, and by morning I took up in light buckets the quanti¬ 
ty required for the morning’s feeding of my oxen and cows, &c. 
placing it in th e feeding troughs, stepping only & few feet, sprinkling 
a little salt over the mass. The cut stalks and shucks had become 
perfectly charged by absorption with the liquid, at once one of 
the most palatable and nutritious preparations yet discovered—of 
this food I gave them plenty. The effect on the Jlesh and milk, ex¬ 
ceeded my most sanguine expectations. My cattle became exces¬ 
sively fond of it, and I so fed as to “ lose nothing.” 
My casks by a little management, I had always “ under way,” one 
always ready. I now ascertained to my full satisfaction, that I 
could not bestow too much trouble, as it is called, in saving my 
Corn Stalks! 
Satisfied of the value of my labor, I have since added to the 
steaming-box all refuse potatoes, turnips, cabbage leaves, beets, 
parsnips, carrots and pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, &c.; in fine 
all the vegetable productions of the field, orchard or garden, as the 
season may afford, “ that nothing may be lost”—and I find that I 
am well paid for the labor bestowed. The last, after absorbing 
what they will contain of the liquid, goes to the support of “o/cf 
Ned.” AGRICOLA. 
Miscellaneous. 
[We commend to the particular notice of our readers, the following excellent 
remarks, which we copy from the Genesee Fanner, and which form a por¬ 
tion of an address to the patrons of that valuable paper, and the agricultu¬ 
rists of Western New-York..] 
That an improved state of farming has within a few years been 
introduced into this country—that the cultivation of the soil is be¬ 
ginning to be treated on more rational and scientific principles— 
that the slavish adherence to the maxims and methods of Europe, 
which have so long obtained among ut, are being discarded in fa¬ 
vor of systems more adapted to our soils and our climate—that 
multitudes of wornoutandunproductivefarms, especially in the east¬ 
ern counties of the state, have been rescued from that condition and 
rendered valuable and fruitful, are facts which cannot be denied, and 
which augur well for our agricultural prosperity. These results 
are to be mainly attributed to a few things, such as the diffusion of 
knowledge on farming subjects, the regular and skilful rotation of 
crops, and the extensive use of plaster in connexion with clover. 
It is true much more attention is paid to the preservation and pro¬ 
per use of manure than formerly, and much may justly be granted 
to this ; but manure has always been freely used, while our farms 
were growing poorer, and had not the rotation of crops with the 
