,851 
THE CULTIVATOR 
181 
their noses, and finally would not eat it without wasting 
mo|e or less. The same thing has been noticed with 
hogS, when the corn crop has been cut up and fed to 
theni while the ear was soft. They would eat the sweet 
corn,istalk and all; but would leave much of the other, 
though both were in the same state of ripeness. 
ThelIndian corn plant, in its green state, contains so 
much sap that it is with difficulty dried so that it will 
keep well—it is very liable to become sour and mouldy, 
in the barn or stack. On this account many do not at¬ 
tempt to keep it till winter. Its use, however, as green 
forage, is every year increasing. Dairymen find a great 
advantage in feeding it the latter part of summer and 
in autumn, when grass is generally short, and often very 
scarce, from the effect of drouth. For this purpose it 
is sown at intervals in June, and as late as July, on good 
ground, and the crop gets forward so that it may be cut 
in August; and as the lots from the different plantings 
come in successively, they may afford a regular supply 
till hard frosts come. It is fed in mangers in yards 
or sheds, or carried to grass fields—cutting it in such 
quantities as are needed from day to day. It may be 
cut, if required, when it is not more than a foot high, 
as in such cases it will start again and afford a second 
cutting; but it is deemed best when the stalk is fully 
grown and the grain is beginning to form. If the 
crop is to be dried for winter use, it is best to let it 
stand till the top or “ spindle” begins to die, as it will 
then contain less water, and can be cured with less labor. 
A good mode of curing, is to cut it in fair weather, let 
it lie (as thin as possible) and wilt one day; then bind 
it in small bundles, putting the band as near the top as 
practicable, and gather the bundles into small shocks, 
open at the bottom, and let them stand till sufficiently 
dried to be put in the barn or stack. 
Cultivation of Potatoes. 
Eds. Cultivator— -The season for planting the potato 
is approaching, and as that valuable root has of late 
years been much subject to disease, if there be anything 
in the season of planting, in kind of soil, seed, or cul¬ 
ture that would be likely to remedy, wholly or in part, 
the ravages of this blight, it must be a matter of interest 
and importance to every farmer to be aware of it. 
I will not attempt to offer anything new on the sub¬ 
ject, for I do not pretend to be in possession of anything 
not already suggested, and perhaps practiced by many. 
I will only give my experience in potato raising for the 
last thr.ee seasons. 
In 1848, I chose for my potato plat a loose soil (slate) 
with a clay subsoil. On the half acre, I had spread 
about four wagon loads of compost, made of leaves 
gathered from the woods and mixed with barn-yard 
manure. This was done before plowing. The ground 
was in Indian corn the year before. On the 29th of 
April I planted. The crop was cultivated in the usual 
way, and was dug on the 21st of September. The yield 
was good—the potatoes being of a fine size and excellent 
quality. Not more than eight or ten diseased ones were 
found at the time of digging, nor did they rot after being 
stored away. 
In 1849, a piece of ground was selected for the potato 
lot, about the same in kind and condition as the above 
described, having been also in corn the season preceding. 
This was spread with barn-yard manure alone, and on 
the 13th of April was planted. The crop was dug the 
1st of September, and was quite a failure, caused by a 
long drouth, but was entirely free from blight. 
Last season I had for potatoes a rich sandy soil which 
was, likewise, in corn the summer before. It was plant¬ 
ed without manure, on the 9th of April. This crop 
seemed so much checked by the drouth in the early 
part of the season, as not to be much benefitted by the 
abundant rains and remarkable growing weather that 
continued throughout the rest of the summer. The 
yield from this plat was small; but was free from blight 
and the tubers have kept over winter without being the 
least effected. The potatoes in this last instance were 
not raised until about one month after the tops were 
dead. 
Early planting has been frequently recommended as a 
preventive of the blight. It will be noticed of the in¬ 
stances given above, that the time of planting was ear¬ 
lier than farmers usually plant; wh ; ch with several other 
cases of the kind that 1 have noticed in the neighbor¬ 
hood, has induced me to believe that early planting may 
have its advantages and deserves the attention of farm¬ 
ers. 
The mode I have practiced for some years, of covering 
the seed potatoes after they are dropped in the drills, 
is much more expeditious than with the hoe or plow, 
not requiring one fourth the labor and doing the work 
better. As I do not intend to get this labor-saving con¬ 
trivance patented, I give a description of it for the bene¬ 
fit of any who choose to practice it. 
Take two pieces of scantling about eight feet long and 
four inches square. Invert your harrow, turning the 
points of the teeth upwards. Then take the scantling 
and lay one piece across the foremost part of the har¬ 
row, and the other one nearer the hind part, between 
the teeth, and in such a manner that when the harrow 
is righted and drawn across the drills, the scantling will 
be parallel with the drills, or pass over them sidewise. 
Now chain them fast to the beams of the harrow and 
you have all ready. Then by attaching your team, and 
driving across the rows, it will be found to cover the 
seed and level off the surface so that it will be difficult 
to discern the drills from the spaces between. One man 
and two horses with a fixture of this kind, could cover 
from eight to ten acres of potatoes in one day. J. H. 
Alexander. Near Lewistown, Pa. 
Improved Stock in Nova Scotia. 
The following is an extract from a letter lately received 
from James Irons, Esq., Secretary of the Central Board 
of Agriculture for Nova Scotia, who in 1850, as the agent 
of that association, purchased in this vicinity and in 
Massachusetts, some valuable cattle and swine, for the 
improvement of the stock of that Province. The letter 
is dated, “ Horticultural Gardens, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 
Feb. 25, 1851.” 
I know it will be gratifying to you all to learn that 
the Aryshire and Hereford cattle, which I purchased 
from Messrs. Prentice and Corning, severally, have for¬ 
tunately fallen into good hands, are thriving well, and 
promise to be of great service in improving our Provin- 
