The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1856-07-16
lgrrultllrnl.
From the Southern Cultivator.
FODDER PULLING-ITS INJURY
TO THEsCORN CROP.

| tiue p"S', L hdNS pSSii a CHIelui reader Z :.
your valuable paper, though! i have not,
heretofore, attempted to trouble you with
any thoughts OF INV own.
In the last volume of the Cultiyatcr
was a letter from j. III. Bate, of Virginia,
on the INJURY resulting from pulling fod-
der from corn, with which | was much
pleased, hoping that few such expert
ments being made public, would check
this deeterious practice. The subject was
again brought to my mind by the request
of L. Jinkins, of Mississippi, Gn February
number) that some one would test the
injury resulting to the corn crop by pulliag
t"lder, for series of years." -
do not think it necessary TO make n
series of experiments ON the subject, as
the injury resulting must be nearly or quite
uniform in each case, if the fodder is rui,
cd at the same stage OF maturity, and the
relative INJURY sustained by the crops, from
pulling fodder at different stages of matu.
rity, can be fully tested during the same
| season.
Mr.. Bates experiment rs made a,
the usual time ofpulIing fodder; and the
loss was one sixth. A few years ago,
made similar experiment Mt about a week
h.cr the common time OF pulling, in which
the loss sustained to the crop, was one.
nneth by weight. At whatever stage OF
maturity the blades are stripped FROM the
staIk-jn>t at that stage is the maturity
OF the crop arrested-it gains nothing
from the time~in which it is done. The
leaves OF plants are no, mere appcndaccs
or ornaments, but vital parts of the plant,
and subserve similar purpose in the
vegetable economy that the lungs do in
the animal system. AS the lungs arc the
medium through which the blood comes
III contact with the air, and is purified and
rendered fit for circulation and nutrition
so the leaves Of plants are the medium
through which the sap is rendered fit for
circulation and nutrition to the plants; and
upon their removal nutrition ceases and
death speedily results.
In the experiment to which | have al.
mdei, wished to satisfy myself us to the
probable amount OF injury sustained by
the crops, and whether there was any gain
to the crop after the fodder WAS pulled
From the first row pulled the fodder, the
next left untouched, and the third | cut
down TO the ground and shocked up. and
so, alternately, through the piece. When
the corn WAS fully dry it WAS ShuckcG on,
land carefully weighed. No appreciab!e
difference coald be discovered in the weigh,
OF Corn from the rows from which the fod.
der had been pulled and those where the
stalks had been cut off at the ground
while those rows left untouched invariably
weighed one ninth more than the rows on
either side of them that had been so
treated.
ii, therefore, seems TO me TO be the
better policy TO cat of the entire crop of
corn and thus have the stalks as well ~
the blades; though very much diSprove
Of either plan. In fact, a man sho-id not
pull fodder for me, even if he would work
iur nothing, board himself and give me
the fodder stacked up in the bargain.
would still he loser.
Many may he disposed to say that they
must have the fodder at any rate let il
lnJure the corn ever so much. This is n
mistake; we can do without pulling fod
NJ 90 "Sli at lbC rOuiil us lIltN can 4
the North. Our crab grass T"crop crass"l
If properly treated, will almost anywhere,
make an excellent meadow. All lhat is
necessary is to plow the ground late in the
spring to destroy the early weeds |
treated piece of ground in tl,a. way
last year and produced as luxuriant a
sNarth ofgrass as ever saw in Northern
meadow. | moved it twice during the
year and found it maAe excellent hav.
though tits more difficult to cure than
blue grass or timothy but that is more
than ove:balanced 10y the greater case and
cheapness OF its production. Try tit is
not yet too late in the season.
This letter is already longer than
wished, so | will merely add, that when
the present energetic search after foreign
grasses shall have been abandoned, the
grasses indigenous 10 The South will then
be appreciated as the grasses best seated to
their native soil and climate.