18 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
doubt has often killed cows. Let them get used to them 
gradually, and there is no danger. It is the eating to ex¬ 
cess that does the mischief. 
Having stated to you my experience in feeding apples 
to cows, I will add that of feeding them to hogs. My 
first, experiment was only a partial one, when I fatted 
my hogs on apples and corn. My second, was five years 
ago, and more to the point. I had then a large quantity 
of apples; the price in market was too low to pay trans¬ 
portation. I accordingly turned my hogs into the orchard 
about the 10th September to help themselves, and they 
had the slop of the kitchen besides. When dressed, 
they averaged a trifle over 300 lbs.—age seventeen months. 
Three years ago, having again a large quantity of apples, 
my hogs were served as before; when dressed, they averag¬ 
ed 325 lbs.—age sixteen and a half months. Wanting to 
keep them a couple of weeks longer after my apples were 
gone, (I only feed them windfalls,) I fed them corn, but 
they evidently fell away. The reason of this probably was, 
that their teeth had become tender, and the corn was too 
hard for them. One year ago my hogs were again fatted 
on apples; when dressed averaged a trifle less than 300 
lbs. excepting one hog, which would not take on any 
fat at all. 
As to the quality of the pork, it is equal to any fatted 
on corn, or other substances. If any one doubts it, let 
him come and dine with me, and he will be convinced. 
Many farmers in this section have got in the right way, 
and feed all they cannot sell, to their hogs, and it gives 
me great pleasure in stating, from numerous inquiries I 
have made, that they are highly gratified with the prac¬ 
tice. If boiled, it improves them materially, and all 
who have experience in this matter, agree in opinion 
that a bushel of apples are worth as much for fattening 
hogs as a bushel of potatoes. 
I do not mean, however, to be understood that I advise 
every farmer to feed his apples. Location, price in mar¬ 
ked facilities to it, and cost of transportation, ought to 
be taken into account; but rather than sell them at a very 
low price, and cart them a day's drive besides, or make 
cider of them, and sell that at a dollar a barrel, I would 
feed them, and in that manner convert them into cash. 
Yours, very respectfully, H. D. Grove. 
Buskirk's Bridge, N. Y. Dec. 1841. 
VARIETIES OF INDIAN CORN. 
Messrs. Editors— Wishing to make some experi¬ 
ments with Indian corn, (Zea maize) principally with a 
view of ascertaining the relative period of maturity in 
the several varieties commonly cultivated, I took some 
pains to collect as many kinds as could readily be done, 
and with the aid of my friends found myself in pos¬ 
session last spring of some twenty-five varieties, or at 
least such as passed as distinct varieties of this valuable 
grain. The ground on which it was planted was in 
tolerable condition, was plowed late in the fall of 1840, 
but owing to an unusual pressure of business I did not 
get it ready for planting until the 1st of June, nearly 
a fortnight later than it should have been. The ground 
was plowed, furrowed out, and well manured in the 
hill, or rather by dropping the manure, which was hog 
pen and yard manure, as thickly in the furrows as it 
was intended to plant the corn. It was intended in 
striking the furrows to place them at three feet distance, 
but they were found to be somewhat nearer, and the 
corn was planted in the furrows from twenty to twenty- 
two inches distance. I mention the distance, because 
it was found altogether too close planting for the larger 
varieties, and full distant enough for the smallest corns 
grown. The manure was first covered with earth, the 
corn dropped upon it, and then the seed covered to 
the average depth of two and a half or three inches. 
The seed was soaked in water until swelled, to facili¬ 
tate sprouting, with the exception of a few rows which 
were planted dry. The corn came up very well, not¬ 
withstanding the extreme dryness which followed the 
planting, particularly that on the part of the field ma¬ 
nured from the pig pen, and in this case, as in many 
former trials, this manure proved its superiority over 
all others, in giving the heaviest crop, and showing 
the earliest maturity. It may be as well to state here 
that, as a general rule, I do not approve of manuring 
corn in the hill. It is better to spread the manure over 
the surface and incorporate it more fully with the earth 
oy plowing. Put in the hill, the corn gets a quicker 
start, but when the roots spread, they do not find the 
requisite nourishment, and besides it is much more lia¬ 
ble to suffer from drouth; still it may be necessary to 
adopt manuring in the hill sometimes. It was hoed 
twice, and the growth was very rapid until the ears 
were setting’, when the long continued dry and hot 
weather gave it a check from which it never recovered, 
as the ears were not as well filled as they would other¬ 
wise have been. 
I shall give the varieties, as numbered at the plant¬ 
ing, with the names by which they were known, or 
which were given by the g'entlemen from whom they 
were received. Reference will also be made to that 
excellent essay on Indian Corn, by Dr. Browne, of 
Chester Co., Pa., one of the best descriptions of the 
cultivated varieties I have yet seen. His essay em¬ 
braces thirty-five varieties, and a previous collection, 
made by the Doctor for the French Government, amount¬ 
ed to forty. But there are several well marked and dis¬ 
tinct varieties now frequently met with, which Dr. 
Browne has not included, such as the Rice corn, Texas 
corn, or that grain each kernel of which is enclosed in 
a separate envelop, Chinese Tree Gorn, Brown corn, 
Red Blaze, &c., not to mention numberless sports of na¬ 
ture which may be detected in a cornfield, but which 
rarely give any new character to the product. Among 
farmers there are several varieties principally cultiva¬ 
ted for the purpose of parching or popping, as it is 
called, and these will be so distinguished. 
planted. Name by which known • 
Co/or. Browne’ 
in 
s Essay. 
1. 
Red or Brown Parch Corn. 
Brownish red. 
24. 
2. 
Canada Dwarf. 
Yellow. 
8. 
3 . 
Squaw Corn. 
Ackerly’s Corn. 
Milk white. 
19. 
4. 
White. 
17. 
5. 
Goodsell’s Toronto. 
Yellow. 
— 
6. 
Red Blaze. 
— 
7 . 
Long White. 
White. 
— 
8. 
Mai Its’ Canada Flint. 
White. 
16. 
9 . 
King Philip. 
Yellow. 
8. 
10. 
White Common Parch Corn. 
White. 
16. 
11. 
Bement’s White Flint. 
White. 
17. 
12. 
Long Oswego White. 
White. 
—• 
13. 
China Tree Corn. 
White. 
— 
14. 
Dwarf White Parch Corn. 
White. 
16. 
15. 
Dutton Corn. 
Yellow. 
35. 
16. 
Virginia Dent Corn. 
White. 
12. 
17. 
Sugar or Sweet Corn. 
White. 
20. 
18. 
Blue Corn. 
Blue. 
31. 
19. 
Blood Red Corn. 
Red. 
. 21. 
20. 
Rice Corn. 
Yellowish brown. 
— 
21. 
Black Dwarf. 
Black. 
— 
22. 
Sweet Red Cob. 
White. 
— 
23. 
Canada Flint. 
White. 
16. 
24. 
Yellow Canada Flint. 
Yellow. 
8. 
25. 
Golden Sioux. 
Yellow. 
10. 
26. 
Brown Corn. 
Brownish yellow. 
— 
In my opinion, Nos. 2, 5, 9, and 24, are essentially 
the same, or are the original King Philip com found 
in New England at the landing of the Pilgrims, modi¬ 
fied by climate, cultivation, &c., all being yellow, eight 
rowed, the same color of kernel, and the grain having 
the general qualities for food, ranking in this respect 
deservedly high. According to Dr. Browne, the Dut¬ 
ton corn is a cross produced by a mixture of the King 
Philip corn with the original Indian gourd seed yellow 
corn, which has twenty-four rows. So, too, the num¬ 
bers 8, 10, 14, and 23 have, I think, a common ori¬ 
gin, the color, solidity, shape, and quality of the grain 
indicating this. No. 3, or what is called Squaw corn, 
it being extensively grown by the Indians, and much 
esteemed, as remaining soft or fit for roasting or boil¬ 
ing a long time, is readily distinguished from other 
white corn by the color, large size of the kernel, and the 
time it remains in the milk, resembling the sugar corn 
in that respect. The white kernels that occasionally 
appear in ears of sweet corn, appear more like the 
Squaw corn than any other variety, and it may have 
originated from such a source. I have marked the Hte- 
metite or blood red variety as Browne's 21, but it dif¬ 
fers from that in being eight rowed, although cob and 
kernel are similar in color to his. If not admitted to 
his catalogue in that place, it must be considered a new 
variety, as it agrees with no other of his hremetites. 
The Red Cob Sugar corn. No. 22, is a hiemetite, but is 
not included in his list. I received No. 12, or the 
Long Oswego White, from Mr. Chafee of that county. 
It is a beautiful corn, eight rowed, and may be Browne’s 
No. 15. It has longer ears than any variety of corn I 
have ever seen grown, some of them reaching fourteen 
inches in length. There is a peculiarity in the leaf 
of No. 8, sometimes indeed observed in other corns, but 
more common in this and those I have supposed to be 
the same variety, than in any others. At the distance 
of a few inches from the stalk, a hook appears on the 
margin of the leaf, as if a strip of the leaf had started 
off and the point curled round and outwards. Of the 
varieties planted, the Brown corn has the largest and 
finest kernel, and would unquestionably be here, as it 
has proved to be in New Hampshire, a very productive 
kind. 
In the ripening, the varieties planted ranked as fol¬ 
lows : Canada Dwarf Dwarf, White Parch corn, Marks’ 
White Flint, Canada Flint, and common White Parch 
corn,Yellow Canada Flint, Red Blaze, Long White Oswe¬ 
go, and Brown corn; Goodsell’s Toronto, Dutton, and the 
Red and Blue varieties. The Sugar, Rice, China, and Dent 
corns were the latest, and evidently could not be de¬ 
pended upon for a crop in ordinary seasons, or indeed 
not at all in our latitude. The Toronto com is a fine 
looking yellow corn, but I was somewhat disappointed 
in its ripening, it being later than many other varieties. 
Last year I had some of the Dwarf White corn, No. 14, 
in my garden. On one stalk I observed two ears that 
ripened much earlier than any of the others, and these I 
saved for seed. The corn from these ears was as early 
fit for boiling, within two or three days, as the Canada 
Dwarf, which has usually been from ten to twelve days 
the earliest corn grown, thus affording another proof of 
the advantage of selecting the earliest ripening seeds 
for planting. There can be no question that most of our 
cultivated plants might be much hastened in the same 
way. The Dutton corn I used was from a lot grown by 
Dr. Bangs, of Amber, which produced at the rate of one 
hundred and twelve bushels per acre. It is a beautiful 
corn, but its ripening is not so certain in all seasons as 
the Brown, Red Blaze, or the smaller varieties, and the 
large cob renders it more difficult to cure in unfavorable 
weather. The Yellow Flint (No. 24) is a fine corn, the 
ears not large, but allowing close planting, and produ¬ 
cing well; and like the white flints, ripening early, is 
a favorite in those places where corn is an uncertain 
crop. Of the comparative productiveness of the several 
varieties planted, my experiments this season afford no 
means of determining. H. M. Gaylord. 
Otisco, N. Y., Nov., 1841. 
Cattle should be duly supplier! with salt during win¬ 
ter, which is often forgotten. 
CULTURE OF MILLET AT THE SOUTH. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker— It is not an unfre¬ 
quent inquiry in your paper and others, from Southern 
farmers, what kinds of grass will suit them best, or ra¬ 
ther their climate?' 
Having had some experience for ten years past, I 
will venture to answer the question, as I have never 
failed to obtain a good crop of Millet, when the ground 
was rich and properly prepared, viz: by twice plowing, 
and harrowing clean. I usually sow a bushel to the 
acre, and cut it as the seed begins to turn yellow; cure 
it as any other hay, and horses or cattle prefer it to clo¬ 
ver or timothy. It matures in about sixty days, and 
may be sown from April until the first of August. Red 
clover is rather uncertain; in wet sesaons, does well; 
sown with oats, from October till March, one peck 
seed per acre; will bloom in May; have cut two tons 
to the acre on strong land; with it, I generally mix 
Herd’s grass and Red Top, half peck each, but neither 
of them bear the heat of our long hot summers equal 
to the clover. 
“ Pacey’s Perennial Rye grass,” sown in October or 
November, without any protecting crop, yields the ear¬ 
liest cutting, viz: about the middle of May, and makes 
the most delightful hay, The only safe plan for getting 
good seed, is to import it direct. 
CONKLING'S ROLLING HARROW. 
I must not withhold my tribute of praise to this admi¬ 
rable implement, though rather expensive; freight, &c., 
about $120. Mine has been in use five years, and passed 
over one hundred and fifty acres or more each year, and 
is now as good as new, having, as I believe, been 
worth the cost every year. In addition to scarifying 
meadows, rolling “ small grain,” &c. I pass’it over my 
corn, when from two to six inches high, and consider 
the operation better than a plowing, and will easily go 
over ten acres in a day; it leaves it in fine order for 
plowing. Some of my neighbors, seeing it, have sub¬ 
stituted a log with spikes, which answers very well, 
and costs but little. 
I think the smooth roller very essential to good 
farming, and am glad to see them getting in fashion 
generally. I am your obd’t. serv’t., 
N. B. MoorE. 
Augusta, Geo., Nov. 1841. 
ON THE CULTURE OF POTATOES. 
Messrs. Gaylord & Tucker— Located as I am, near 
a village on the banks of the Hudson river, I find the 
most profitable crops I can raise nre potatoes, hay, and 
oats. I will give you a description of the manner in 
which I raised my crop of potatoes this year. After 
mowing a field containing three acres, I put on seventy- 
five loads of manure in the month of September, and 
plowed it under immediately after it was spread on the 
field. In the month of April following, I had the 
ground made mellow by cross-plowing, and in May 
planted in rows two and a half feet apart both ways. 
About ten days after the field was planted, when the 
sprouts began to break the ground, I had the field plowed 
with one horse, putting two furrows to the row, throw¬ 
ing the dirt on the rows, which covered the potatoes 
very deep. I then had them harrowed with a wooden 
tooth harrow; this threw the small stones and lumps of 
dirt off the potatoes into the furrows between the rows, 
and made the field appear like" a field of newly sown 
wheat before it had come up. In a few days, the pota¬ 
toes came up beautifully; all vegetation in the field at 
this time was destroyed, except the potatoes. In the 
latter part of June, I had them plowed and hoed once, 
and that was all the labor bestowed upon them. The 
field yielded 735 bushels. 
I planted another field, containing five acres. I put 
on twenty-five loads of manure to the acre; it was spread 
on the sod in the month of April, and plowed under; 
the potatoes were planted in May. This field could not 
be tilled as the other; the sod prevented; they were 
plowed and hoed in the usual manner. This field yield¬ 
ed 910 bushels. I planted another field, containing five 
acres, which had been planted with corn the year be¬ 
fore, and manured at the same rate previous to planting 
the corn. I had it tilled in the same manner as the 
three acre field, which is my practice in cases where it 
is practicable; this field yielded 875 bushels. I bad 72 
loads of potatoes; my wagon and cart hold each 35 
bushels, making in all 2,520 bushels. With my own 
stock, I make about 100 loads of manure yearly. I buy 
about 200 loads in the village for 62 1-2 cents the load, 
pressed down and heaped on as long as any will stay, 
and drawn by a pair of strong horses or oxen. The 
northern part of Westchester county has suffered very 
much these two years past for the want of rain. I con¬ 
sider my potatoes about two-thirds of a crop. Two 
years ago, they averaged over 300 bushels to the acre. 
The plan of covering them with the plow when they are 
about coming up, saves me twenty or thirty dollars a 
year in labor, and I think my crop much better. I got 
it from the Cultivator, and I would give the man that 
wrote the article the credit of it, but I have searched the 
back volumes, and I cannot find it. If it had not been 
for the Cultivator, I probably should not have known it; 
so I save twenty or thirty dollars a year in this one 
thing, by reading your highly valuable paper. 
Respectfully yours, 
Tyler Fountain. 
Peelcskill N. Y., Nov. 12, 1841. 
