52 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Jan, 
his forces can cultivate thoroughly. Two farmers, each 
with the same number of acres, and the same amount of 
labor, shall show very different balance sheets at the end 
of the year, the one footing up $1,000 profits, and the 
other $500, simply because the one studies economy in 
the application of means to ends, and the other takes no 
thought of the matter. 
One great fault of many farmers may be found in a 
peculiar passion for large fields. How much wheat will 
you put in this fall? 250acres, 500 acres, &c. The ques¬ 
tion should be, how much wheat will you produce this 
year, and the passion should be for the large yield, in¬ 
stead of the large surface seeded. The New-England 
farmers differ from our middle and northern state far¬ 
mers in this. The former study economy in all things. 
They cultivate no more land than they can cultivate well. 
They do not weaken the result of their forces by diffu¬ 
sion, but strengthen them by concentration. 
There is much want of economy also, and much loss, 
in not closely attending to times and seasons. We con¬ 
tinually hear farmers complaining that they have not yet 
got their land prepared for fall seeding, and now the 
weather will not admit of its preparation; one has not 
finished planting his corn yet; another had not secured 
his harvest before the rain set in, and it is beginning to 
sprout. As a general rule, there is a time and a season 
for every thing to be done on a farm, and those who are 
late in any thing, must expect to suffer the consequen¬ 
ces. To study the economy of times and seasons, is as 
much a part of the science of agriculture, as is the pro¬ 
per adaptation of means to ends; and both are as neces¬ 
sary to success in farming, as a correct application of 
skill in mechanics is necessary to success in any mechan¬ 
ical employment. Many of our farmers seem to sleep 
all winter, Wake up in the spring, late or early, as it 
happens, and go to work when the humor moves them, 
without system or forethought, go ahead as chance may 
lead through the summer, and in the fall grumble at the 
failure of their crops from unfavorable seasons. If any 
one takes this to himself, let him,—I mean it for him. 
An Observer. 
Harvesting Corn. 
Eds. Cultivator —On looking over the pages of the 
Cultivator for September, I noticed an article on “ Har¬ 
vesting Indian Corn.” The subject is one of great im¬ 
portance, and comparatively little understood. 
With a view to more light, I have conducted a few 
experiments with some degree of care and accuracy, ah 
though upon a limited scale. Fearing some of the nu¬ 
merous young farmers who look to the Cultivator for 
advice, may be led to the belief that Mr. Oliver Moore, 
in an article in the October No., has proved that corn 
left to ripen in a natural, or uncut state, produced the 
greatest weight of grain, I send you the result of my ex¬ 
periments thus far, and intend to pursue them farther as 
opportunity presents. 
About the fhiddle of September, when the corn had 
done growing, and the ends and edges of the leaves be¬ 
gan to turn brown, I selected a place of uniform appear¬ 
ance in soil, size, and ripeness. 1 then proceeded to cut 
close to the ground across five rows, taking two hills 
from each, and placing them together in an upright po¬ 
sition, binding the tops tightly. Next, topped, or cut 
the stalks from- an equal number of hills in the same 
rows. And lastly, left two hills natural, in each of the 
same rows, making thirty hills in all, or ten of each kind. 
On the 7th of November I husked and carefully weighed 
each parcel, separately, with the following result : 
10 hills—cut close to ground,. 13 lbs. 13 oz. 
10 hills—stalks cut off above the ear,. 13 lbs. 6 oz. 
10 hills—left natural,. 12 lbs. 13 oz. 
This experiment was made in 1849, and in the follow¬ 
ing autumn I made one similar in every respect, except 
the number of hills, which were double the former, and 
the time of cutting being the 10th of September. Time 
of husking being also about twenty days earlier. Re¬ 
sult as follows: 
20 hills—cut close to ground,. 29 lbs. 14 oz 
20 hills—stalks topped,. 26 lbs. 
20 hills—left natural. 25 lbs. 
I find the following note in my experiment book, made 
at the time of husking —“ Again, as last year, the corn 
cut and put in stook, is much the soundest, and in the 
best condition.” 
It will be perceived that the experiment of Mr. Moore 
and the above, do not agree—he having arrived at the 
conclusion that “ the most corn will be produced by let¬ 
ting the corn ripen in the order of nature.” While I am 
about ready to conclude that the theory of Liebig is 
correct, that “all plants left in a natural state to ma¬ 
ture their seed, give back to the earth in the form of ex- 
crementitious matter, a portion of their seed-forming 
substance, thereby diminishing the weight of the grain 
or seed,” yet if the stalk be severed before the down¬ 
ward flow of this substance shall have commenced, it 
must be retained either in the stalk or the grain, or per¬ 
haps in both. 
The above experiments show clearly a greater weight 
of grain on cutting near the ground, in the first instance, 
of nearly half a pound, over that topped, and just 
pound more than that left natural. In the second, only 
two ounces short of four pounds over that topped, and 
two ounces short of five pounds over that left natural. 
That left in a natural state weighing least each time. It 
is my intention to continue the experiment farther, and 
double the number of hills each time. I should have 
done so this fall, had I not been absent during the corn 
cutting season. G-. W. Coffin. .Amenia, Nov . 3,1851. 
On the Culture of the Onion. 
Eds. Cultivator —As I have devoted some of my time 
to the cultivation of the onion, this last season, I have 
thought it to be an act of kindness to give your numer¬ 
ous readers a short sketch of the success I had in rais¬ 
ing them. I made choice of a piece of wheat stubble in 
the spring, and hauled on leached ashes about two inch¬ 
es thick. Then I hauled on barn-yard manure, at the 
rate of 40 loads to the acre. After this I plowed it 
about eight inches deep, about the last week in May. On 
the second day of June, after I had it leveled off*pretty 
well, I made shallow drills with the hoe, one foot apart, 
and drilled the seed therein, and covered it with a rake. 
About two weeks after the plants ivere up, I thinned 
them out to six inches from plant to plant. Shortly af¬ 
ter I weeded them, and put on rotted and half-rotted 
