1851 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
297 
perfectly—from the bad manner in which the shocks are 
made, being packed too closely, or not sufficiently open 
at bottom; which, if wet weather occurs, occasions the 
ears, and sometimes the stalks, to mould. 
But the advantage of securing the crop against frost, 
is in some instances one of the greatest inducements to 
shocking corn. This circumstance may operate with 
force the present season, as the crop is generally back¬ 
ward, and in some locations can hardly escape danger 
from frost—unless there should be an unusual extension 
of warm weather in autumn. As a security against 
frost, there is no question that putting the crop in shock 
is preferable to any other mode. Hence it is the course 
commonly adopted in Maine, and in all sections where 
the shortness of the summer renders the ripening of corn 
uncertain. It is the practice there, to cut the crop as 
soon as the grain is fairly glazed. It has been proved 
that it will cure, safely, if carefully put up in this stage ; 
but if the weather is favorable, and is likely to continue 
so, it is often allowed to stand a few days longer. Some¬ 
times, if a sudden change in the temperature indicates 
the occurrence of frost before the crop could be secured 
in shock, the whole force at command engages at once 
in cutting it down—throwing the corn in piles of a dozen 
or sixteen hills each. It is found that a light frost in¬ 
jures the corn but little while it is in this situation, and 
as soon as the wet is dried off, the following day, it may 
be put in shock. 
But if it should happen that the crop is struck by frost 
while standing, it has been demonstrated that a less loss 
will be sustained by shocking it, than by any other 
mode. The years 1812 and 1816 are memorable from 
the injury done to the corn crop by frost—the latter season 
was especially remarkable for the shortness and general 
unpropitiousness of the summer. Over a large portion 
of the Northern and New-England states, frost struck 
the corn while it was “ in the milk.” As soon as the 
injury was ascertained, (and it was seen the morning of 
the frost,) the farmers set themselves to save as much 
of their corn as they could. Various plans were tried; 
such as cutting up the corn and tying it across poles, 
put up for the purpose, the ears downward; breaking 
off and husking the'ears, and drying tnem on scaffolds 
or stagings; stripping down the husks and leaving the 
ear exposed to the air, on the stalk ; cutting up the corn 
at the ground and placing it in small shocks. 
The latter succeeded best of all the modes mentioned 
—especially where the work was done immediately after 
the frost. In 1836. the corn crop was much injured by 
frost, in many places. A writer in the Genesee Farmer 
of that year, describes the effects of topping and shock¬ 
ing, as practiced with two fields of corn, as follows: 
11 We knew of two pieces of corn, owned by the same 
individuals, planted nearly at the same time, and both 
equally promising when their progress was stopped by 
the frost of the 5th of September. One of the pieces 
was immediately topped, and the other was, as soon as 
possible, cut up by the bottom and shocked. They were 
both husked a short time since, and the owners assured 
us that contrary to the expectations of many who wit¬ 
nessed the different modes of curing, they should get at 
least one-third more sound corn from that which was 
cut up, than from that which was topped and left on the 
nill.” [Vol. VI, p. 370.] 
Show of the Royal Agricultural Society. 
London, July 15,1S51. 
Editors Cultivator —The Royal Agricultural Soci¬ 
ety’s Show is now in progress here, and there never has 
been an exhibition equaling it in cattle, sheep and swine; 
and in horses, it has, ’tis said, but once been excelled. 
The Short-horns and Devons were out in great force, 
and I never have seen, before this, what to me was a fair 
exhibition of these two important breeds of cattle. The 
show of Herefords and of Scotch cattle, is small. In the 
Short-horn class, the show of two-year-old and yearling 
heifers, exceeds anything I have ever conceived of. 
They are far superior to the aged class, showing that in 
this breed of cattle there is no deterioration, but a con¬ 
stant progress—and I may say the same of the Devons. 
The show of sheep is truly wonderful. The South-Downs 
and Leicesters, of course, being pre-eminent. By the 
premium list, which I send you, it will be seen that 
Jonas Webb has swept all before him in South-Downs— 
every prize being awarded to him, and those who have 
bred from his stock. He told me, that owing to the 
awards last year, in which he was floored for once, it be¬ 
came necessary to prepare for the show, and he has done 
it so triumphantly, that competition was out of the ques¬ 
tion. I have never seen anything that compares with his 
prize rams and ewes. The show of swine is truly won¬ 
derful. Never, before, have I seen an exhibition so ex¬ 
tensive, and so good. The number of swine, it seems to 
me, is equal to the cattle and sheep. There are many 
very superior breeds on exhibition; but after a careful 
examination, I am decidedly of the opinion that the 
Berkshires are the best for us,—and was I to import 
swine to our country, I should select them in preference 
to any others. They have a monstrous breed here from 
Yorkshire—a white hog, which attains enormous size, 
and has mainly, I think, carried off the prizes in the 
large class—but I think them altogether too large, al¬ 
though they lay on fat finely. The horses are many of 
them very good—the hunters and carriage horses, espe- 
ciallj*—but the number of inferior stallions and mares is 
quite equal to what is seen at our shows. 
The fatness of the stock is truly surprising, and the 
prizes were awarded to fat, and not to character, in 
many instances, if not in all. The aged bulls in the 
Short-horn class, to which the prizes were awarded, are 
entirely unfit for breeding purposes—especially the one 
to which the 2d prize was awarded, which was a fatter 
animal than I have ever seen in Smithfield market— 
more like Col. Sherwood’s fat cow exhibited last fall, 
than a breeding animal. In the class of two-year-old 
heifers, the premiums were awarded to animals almost 
equally flit—one of them quite as much so. The best 
heifer in the yearling class, where the same rule was ob¬ 
served, was passed by the judges with this remark to the 
herdsman, “ Why don’t your master feed his cattle bet¬ 
ter!” I saw one of the judges in this class, at the stall 
of this heifer, with his brother, who is steward of the 
yard, and who I know to be a capital judge, and he said 
to him, il can you give any reason why you did not give 
the premium to this heifer?” and the judge, as they say 
in racing matters, was no-where.” I mention these 
things to show, that even in this country, where there 
are so many good judges of stock, flesh, not character• 
