Jan. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
69 
Topping Corn—Improving Varieties, &c, 
Mr. Ruffin of Virginia, has offered a set of premiums 
for experiments in topping corn, in all Virginia and Ma¬ 
ryland east of the Blue ridge. The object is to ascertain 
by experiment, whether cutting off the tops of corn, as 
is the usual practice in this region, is injurious or other¬ 
wise to the crop of corn, A glance at vegetable physio¬ 
logy in this relation, may be useful. The leaves of plants 
are of the same use to the plant that the lungs are to the 
animal,—so say systematic physiologists. I must be per¬ 
mitted to add, that they, the leaves, also supply the 
place of the animal stomach. The juices containing the 
nourishment of the plant are taken from the earth by the 
roots or radicles, and conveyed through the sap vessels 
to the leaves, where they are elaborated and prepared, 
just as the food in the stomach is, and formed into chyle 
by the functions of the leaves and the action of the at¬ 
mosphere. Thus prepared, this chyliferous fluid then 
descends through another set of vessels to the various 
parts of the plant, to supply the material each may re¬ 
quire for use. A portion of it is required for the increase 
of the body of the plant,—woody fibre, &c.; another 
portion for the formation of flowers at a later period; 
another portion is required for the formation, in the case 
of corn, of the cob, &c. At last, the grand effort and 
great object of the plant, is to form seed for future plants, 
that is the grain, and the great object of the farmer. In 
the formation of this, all the powers of the plant are 
taxed. The saccharine juice of the plant has to be con¬ 
verted into starch, and this is done by the exposure to 
the action of the atmosphere in the leaves. Here, also, 
the glutinous principle is formed, and other modifications 
necessary to the supply of the material of the grain, are 
effected in the juices of the plant. These juices now de¬ 
scend, and the apparatus attached to each grain of corn 
takes up and appropriates such portion of the descend¬ 
ing fluid as it requires for the time. In this manner and 
way the grain is perfected, and as soon as it is perfected, 
the whole plant, except the grain, is found to be com¬ 
pletely exhausted—drained, when all the operations have 
been perfect, most completely of all its juices, and be¬ 
comes a mere mass of dry vegetable matter. Now, if all 
this be true, who can doubt that the suppression of a sin¬ 
gle leaf of the corn plant, before the grain is perfect¬ 
ed, must be injurious to the perfection of the grain? If 
the taking off the tops is delayed till the grain is of full 
size, then the operation may not diminish the measure of 
the crop, but it will certainly diminish its weight and 
quality in proportion to the time, in relation to the per¬ 
fection of the grain, at which it was performed, and I ap¬ 
prehend that the only question to be considered by the 
farmer in any such case, is the relative value to him of 
the grain and the fodder. If a farmer considers the va¬ 
lue of the corn fodder greater than that of a small depre¬ 
ciation in the value of the grain, caused by the topping 
of his corn, then he will continue to top his crop to the 
extent of his want of fodder. But if he has not much 
need of the fodder, or if by saving it he diminish the 
quantity or weight of his grain to a greater extent than 
the fodder will pay for, then he will not top his corn. 
The experiments, if fairly tried, will unquestionably es¬ 
tablish these truths. Let any one measure and weigh 
the shelled corn from an acre that has been topped to 
save the fodder; and also that from an acre that has not 
been topped at all, and he will find the yield in the for¬ 
mer case, less by measure or -weight, and perhaps both, 
than in the latter case; and the difference will be more in 
proportion to the time of topping. The com plant, be¬ 
ing an annual organism, has but the one object, and that 
is the perfection of seed for reproducing its species, and 
in the performance of this one great function, it most 
completely exhausts itself. Wheat, and all other annual 
cereals, are of the same nature. If we therefore, take 
from them a portion of this power, in the shape of leaves, 
and with the leaves a portion of the very juices out of 
which their seeds are to be formed, how can we expect 
those seeds to be as perfect as they would have been had 
the plants been allowed the use of their whole supply of 
organs and nutriment? Surely this argument need not 
be pursued further. It seems to me .that it must carry 
conviction to every mind. But let us resort to analogy. 
You have a hog in the pen fattening for pork. Suppose 
you suppress an eighth or a tenth of his ordinary supply 
of food—will he thrive as fast, or will he thrive at all? 
Then Avhy expect the corn to be as well filled and per¬ 
fected, if you cut off an eighth or a tenth of its supply 
of food ? For you must bear in mind that every leaf 
taken from a vegetable suppresses to the extent of its 
proportion to the leaves of the plant, the food of the 
growing plant and the growing seed. If we may be per¬ 
mitted to question nature on this subject, we might ask 
why she does not stop the growth of the top and leaves 
above the ears, as soon as the tassel has performed its 
functions, if these are of no further use? 
We must not omit to make a distinction between an¬ 
nual plants, such as corn, and perennial plants, in consi¬ 
dering this question. Perennials do not perfect them¬ 
selves in one season. They grow and increase in size, 
even while bearing fruit. Now these may be very pro- 
perty and profitably topped—pruned—and by doing it 
properly, the quantity and even quality of the fruit may 
be greatly improved . By pruning grapevines we cause 
much of the power of the plant that would have been 
exerted in making new wood, to be turned towards the 
formation of fruit. As we do not want the wood, and as 
we do want the fruit, this is a useful operation. In the 
case of perennials, the plant performs two operations, the 
extension of its size, and the production of fruit. The 
annual, after it is grown, has but one duty to perform, 
and that is the production of its fruit or seed, and always 
entirely exhausts itself in the effort. 
But there is a species of topping corn that I have prac¬ 
ticed with very curious results. It occurred in my ex¬ 
periments in improving corn by cross impregnation. To 
accomplish my object I was obliged to suppress the tas¬ 
sel only , not touching a single leaf. On all these plants 
I found the ears were larger and the grain longer and 
heavier, than those in which the tassels were allowed to 
grow' and perform their functions. Now here we can 
readily see the reason of the result. The tassel is a large 
organ, requiring a considerable portion of the nutritive 
power of the plant to produce and support it; if we pre¬ 
vent its formation and growth, we of course save to the 
