1853 . 
801 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
as may have had little experience in underdraining, 
as they require hut little skill. The ditches are cut in 
the same way as for stone or tile, and are filled with 
brush by commencing with the upper end and placing 
the huts downwards and the tops upwards, and so pro¬ 
ceeding down the ditch by depositing an even layer so 
as to fill it, the tops being thus left on the surface, and 
the huts resting on the earth. When pressed down, 
they will fill about one-third or one-half of the ditch; 
they are then covered with inverted turf, and the ditch 
completed by refilling with earth. Brush drains will 
last many years, the brush being excluded from the air 
and decay; they are less liable to obstruction from the 
foiling of the earth than stone drains ; and the water 
will always find ready channels among the branches 
for flowing off. 
A rapid mode of refilling with earth consists in 
throwing it in with a common two-horse plow, a long 
whiffle-tree being used, so that the horses may walk on 
either side of the ditch. This will he assisted by a 
tool made of two plank fastened together in the form 
of the letter V, and drawn open end forward, throwing 
the earth towards the center and into the ditch. The 
digging may he facilitated by plowing a wide double 
furrow where each one is intended to be cut; and if this 
is done with the Double Michigan plow, about one-third 
of the depth will be excavated by the operation. 
Where the whole surface of the field is too wet, the 
drains should he cut at regular intervals of about three 
rods apart—if the soil is heavy, nearer. If only por¬ 
tions of the field are wet, the drains should pass through 
those portions and be furnished with such side branches 
as may appear necessary—remembering always to give 
them as much descent as may be practicable. It should 
not be forgotten that a great deal of land that appears 
quite dry would be greatly benefitted by thorough un¬ 
derdraining, as has been actually proved in repeated 
instances. Draining often proves one of the best se¬ 
curities against drouth , by preventing the soil from 
becoming packed together when wet, and baking hard 
by drying; it renders it porous and friable, and highly 
retentive of moisture in drouth. 
Removing Suckers from Corn. 
A. Yeomans of Columbia, Ct, makes some sugges¬ 
tions and inquiries relative to stripping the suckers, and 
the false or abortive stalks, from corn for green fodder, 
and states that experience proves that their removal is 
injurious to the crop. The reason is asked for this re¬ 
sult. 
We know of no accurate experiments on this subject, 
but if the crop is lessened by stripping off the suckers, 
it must be, that by reducing the leaves which furnish 
nourishment to the roots, a check is given to the roots 
and to the whole plant. A result precisely similar to 
this occurs in the case of severe summer pruning given 
to some kinds of fruit trees—the sudden cheek given 
to the whole plant by removing so large a portion of its 
breathing organs, often proving highly detrimental to 
growth. Skillful pruners avoid this injurious conse¬ 
quence, by pinching off the ends of useless shoots or 
branches before they have attained a disproportionate 
size, which directs the growth into other parts, and 
avoids the necessity of lopping off large portions after 
they have accomplished their growth. It would be an 
interesting experiment to try the same treatment on 
com, by removing the suckers when first forming , and 
observing the result. Will not our correspondent give 
this subject an accurate test by experiment, in the fol¬ 
lowing manner?—Leave the first row untouched; strip 
the suckers from the second when just forming; and 
strip the third row at the usual time for fodder; and 
then weigh the whole crop of stalks, and the whole 
product of com from each row. To make the experi¬ 
ment certain, and independent of accidental causes, let 
several successive triple rows be taken. 
The suggestion of our correspondent, that the suckers 
are the only stalks that contain fertilizing pollen, and 
that the pollen from the other stalks is worthless or 
abortive, cannot be correct, unless the removal of the 
suckers is always performed before the dust falls from 
the tassels, which is not the case; and unless, in addi¬ 
tion to this, the cobs are left unfilled with grains. The 
tassels hear the staminate flowers, and the ears consti¬ 
tute the pistillate flowers, and we know of no reason 
why the pollen from fully grown, well developed stalks, 
should not be as perfect as that from the more imper¬ 
fectly developed suckers. 
Red Clover Sown in the Fall. 
Messrs. Editors —It is asserted in the last number 
of your paper, that red clover does not do well sowed in 
the fall in our northern climate. A Mr. Taylor of this 
place sowed red clover seed in September, with wheat, 
during several of the past years. This he has done on 
the same ground at least for throe years in succession. 
He says the wheat crop of the third year was the 
largest, indicating a decided improvement in the soil, 
which is a dry sandy loam, lying on the hanks of the Se¬ 
neca lake. The clover was of large full growth, on the 
ast of August, when it was plowed under and sowed 
immediately with wheat and clover. The amount of 
land was one acre- on which was sown one peck of clover 
seed and l£ bushels of wheat. Average yield of wheat, 
upwards of twenty bushels annually. On a different 
soil it might not succeed, but on a dry, warm soil, if 
sowed the last of August or the first of September, we 
think it would. Yours truly, S. B. Buckley. West 
Dresden, N. Y., August 8, 1853. 
Important Discovery, 
To Save Wheat from the Wheat Worm. 
L. Tucker, Esq.—As the Wheat Worm does not at¬ 
tack Rye, it has been shown by experiment, that if a 
belt of Rye is sown all around the wheat field, the fly 
does not find the wheat to deposit its egg. Mr. 0 
Smyley/of Princetown, has sown tico broad-casts of 
Rye, all round his Wheat field, for the last four years, 
and the Wheat has completely escaped from the 
insect. Perhaj^ one cast of Rye might be sufficient 
to protect the Wheat. David Tomlinson. Schenec¬ 
tady, August, 1853. 
