The Express.
London, England, 1849-10-13 00:00:00

MR. KEENE'S FORTY DAYS MAIZE.

We inserted in our publication of Toursdaya brief
antis, of the harvesting of the experimental maize crop
in St. James's-park. We have sines had an opportunity
of examining more closely some of the cob's', and can
coosoisntiou-ly say that they are a good, substantial,
and well ripened pain. We have examined one Cobb,
a specimen from a similar experimental crop grown
near Petersfleld, in Hampshire, which we have
found equally good. We have seen letters from agri-
culturists who are giving the hybrid main a trial in
various other districts, and all speak favourably of
the promise of their crops.
The hybrid or forty-days maize in St. James's-
park flowered a day or two later than the fort'eth
day, and was harvested in a stets of perfect
ripeness on the moth day after being sown. The
average season for sowing this grain in Ergland is
from the 30th to the 30th of May ; the average time
of harvest would therefore fall in September. This
year the climate and temperature have been proved
adequate to bring it to rich maturity. Hu 1849
been a fair ge year? We bays certainly had a
luxuriant general harvest; but it will be remem-
bered that in June we had a tract of unnaturally
cold weather, and that we had much broken 'airy
weather is the course of September, at least in the
south of England, where the experiments to which
we have been referring were made. As far as one
year's experience can go, we may say that the adap-
tation of Mr. Keene's hybrid maize to an English
climate has been proved.
We suspect that most of what has been called
Cobbett's core his by this time fallen into a state of
claimed decline. This is not to be wondered at

seeing that no pains were taken to select a species of
maize adapted to the climate. Almost every province
in the maize countries has its peculiar sort. The
forty-days' maize of Mr. Keene is a hybrid between
the dwarf maize grown at considerable elevations en
the northern side of the Pyrenees, and the more luxu-
riant sorts grown on the ;lains at the foot of the
mountains and at lower elevations on the range.
It is characterised by b. *ring only one °ebb, by
being of smaller proportions than the maize
that grows on plains little elevated above the
sea in more southern countries, and by flower-
ing
and coming to maturity in shinier time.
It was recommended by Mr. Keene for culti-
vation in England, on the ground that the tempera-
ture of the region in the Pyrenees, where he has for
years cultivated it, does not materially differ from
that of England, nor the length of the summer. As
we have already observed, the experience of 1849
goes fa to confirm his expectations.
More than one distinguished agriculturist has
expressed the desire that maize cruld be acclimated in
England. The experiment of Mr. Keene is the more
important on account of the recent failures in the
potato crop. On the subject of its value as an article
of food we are not at present going to enter : it
was largely ventilated during the Irish famine,
when tracts were published and industriously disse-
minated to recommend maize for this purpose, and
to explain the verious modes in which it may be
prepared.
In a pamphlet published by Mr. Keene, and which
las already reached a second edition, he gives the fol-
lowing directions for the sowing, culture, and gather-
ing in of the maize :
Upon a piece of ground, in good filth, open furrows with
the hoe plough, like for plintieg potatoes, about 3 inches
deep and 26 inches apart, that is to ray, 26 inches from the
bottom of one furrow to the bottom of the other. Drop in
the seed as you would that of French Want, about three
inches apart; then throw over the seed in the furrow some
well rotten stable manure, and finish by covering up with
earth, raking ell level. Covering the seed with stable ma-
nure servos as a protecticn to it whilst striking its first roots.
and renders the rising plant less sensitive to atmospheric
change*. Oa no account let the seed be sown or dibbled
into holes—it will come up with difficulty, or perhaps rot in
the hole. Sowing in holes is a bad system.
The right season for sowing is about the middle of May ;
that is to say, your land should be ploughed ready in the
beginning of May ; and so soon as you see that the cock-
chafer is flying in the air, you may think of putting in the
seed. Do not sow before this; the earth is too cold; hat
boo may sow any time within twenty days after the cot k-
chafer has come cut of the ground, which is the surest sign
that the temperature of the earth hat Tie= to the degree
favourable for receiving the seed. Sown sooner or later,
the crop will, in all probability, be poor and unsuccess-
ful, and you wi'l find the right time will be
somewhere between the 10th and 30th of May. No appear-
ances of fine weather can, in my opinion, justify the lowing
of this seed in England before the 10th of May ; and, if you
du not see the cockchafer, I will further indicate that the
fl .wer buds of the apple trees in open orchards must be very
lull blown before you can confide the se, a to the ground with
safety.
In about eight days after sowing, the plant will appear
pointing through the ground, and when about ten inches high
—that is to say well and strongly up—it should have is first
h,eineand earthing up, exactly as you would earth up po-
tatoes. It two plants have come up tog.ther, root up or
break off the weakest. They may no, be left till nearly
three feet high, except thae,whe re they may apposite° thick,
you may, day by day, as wanted, pies along each row and
pull up the surplus plants till what you leave stand at ten
inch. s distance ; ',tying attention to remove, in preference,
thou tb .t do sot appear to be forming their seed lobe, which
swells out like a kind of full pocket at the side of the stalk.
Tone 'undue plena ere sweet food for your horned cattle.
You will then, when they are about three feet high, give a
second hoeing, earthing them up well. In garden culture,
t 1 rot sow u..der shelter to transplant, nor seek to transplant
from these standi^g too thick in the open ground. You
cannot do it with any chine. of succ.st. Such a system is
inapplicable in farming, and with this phut it is bad, even
in gardening. Avoid all shade if sown in the garden—let
toe plant nave the clear sun end air, es is the open fidd.
Al you ere now in full summer, the crop will advance
rapidly alter the second hoeing, sod about the fortieth dm
y. u will find some of them jut beginning to push out the(
flower stalks.
Toe head of maize throws out a pretty minuet, drooping
feather, and the denping of the dual of the fiswer upon ttie
feather impregnate the seed head, and makes it yield its full
*rale. Now as the silk dries, so se to almost crumble,
' when int the heated' the day you roll it hymn a the II ger
and thumb, pats along the rows, and with a knife cut off the
flower calk, at an inch OT two above the first joint over
the seed teed. A* you pass along the rows cutting these
tie them together in small lots of about eighteen stalks,
sad then hitch them on the ma se stalk for two or three
days to dry ; but hitch them so as not to shade the set d
head; or, which is better if you have room, take them
away to dry elsewhere ; it is excellent winter food for rattle
It is of imporance not to neglect curing off the flower-stall
for it w only prejudicial to the plant from the time the
sap begins to dmoend, as it shads the seed Cobb,
and hods moisture after rain or night dew. There now
remains on the stalk the seed had and some lug leaves
While these leaves begin to get a yellow colour at wher
they spring from the stalks—pass along the rows and a. rip
them off with a downwsrd pull, using each hand for strip-
, ping the leaves on each tai te of the stalks, doing both sides at
sass. As you pet the two bands full of leaves, pit; them
meather and make whets of them, aid hitch them on the
stalk, when you leave them two or three days
to dry. It is equal to best hay fur homed
cattle and has a mach sweeter odour if dried in fine
weather. Teem sow only remains the guise stalk with
the cobb nun it ; and this mart be 1. ft standing rid it gets
se riper the mese will allow. That is to say, it is now
autems, but the head of corn is so well envelop. d and shel-
tered by the many folds of its covering *heath, that it will
stand heavy rains, and many early frosts without harm, and
though it neared the night dew, it will dry and ripen bard
in the fine weather of the day time. You can open. in
few plants, the nicely overbid leaves of the sheath th
covets the corn to gratify your curio-ity, but do not
tempted to open more; nor fancy that by extreme the el
the seed wit-I ripen any the sooner. Y u thee broken the roof,
as it were, t tat sheltered it; the r. in, the dew, and, per.
haps, the feta, will penetrate into woat it wee intended
should be covered, and you risk teat the torn will rot, and
sot ripen. It may stand as long es there is any chance of
drying weather, and at last be gathered in by passing along
the rows, breaking off the heads, throwing them into heals,
and then carrying them away to the barn in tart or baskets
The same reenter, or as soon as you can afterwards, take
heads of muse out of the envelope; 'lris latter serves
cattle food, for stuffing mattrensea, fur making excellent di
mate, or for paper-mtdr re, to whom it is worth from 3.. -
mixed with cowmen rags, • m it excellent tough pep r. The
4,. per est. for whity-brown stuff; reeking. when
corn @Alm thrown on the barn 9... r, sod turn. d over now
and th.n till dry, will keep in this way 'or any lergth
•
time. Two cr three months after gathering. it will b.
sufficiently dry to beat out the grain, which may be done
by an iron, handle (as described in a prerading page), or
by fit on the floor, or by putting them into a machine
like a ran-body, but open at b sth web. end mounted three
feet hieh on lees, and having eager holes bored in the hot.
tam. The cobbe the wee in here see beaten with a at •
straight stick by a man at each en I, and the ersin 'ails
en the Les through the holes after a few minute§ heating
The pith is sxeellent for firing, end tome is sufficient from
an aue of meize to runtish a family tor a whole wins--'
Are betides. The stalks which have rem ined on t,
ground may he t-ken up and caeried to the manors bee;
or burnt tor smoking hams or bacon, being the best f•
that can he used tor the purpose.
On the -era meat of the maize after it has hem
gathered W. Ne ne thus ex;tres-es himself :
It is acorn that glv s little trouble to the fanner,- for there
ie no stacktog nor unsticking; epee the husk off, end e•
grain it. the cobb thrown on the tram floor, it is taken'
• he, ee as w.ntat, and picked cat (rum the coi,b at spare
lima in the ...ening.; or the lab -sr is wife whir sues t
barbel will • ft.n fiud time (TM miaao s) to the 1 it on. fi
the beep (..is tt, con be dm a single-handed, without • fl
and there is thee 'penes of them, ins, ninno‘rinet
era,,te. 'fumed e nr a rt• ell, in vi oat to r
the duet • e " measure, i- all hat i, re-'
and -hole into flste, for tl