Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-10-22
OBJ farmer.
HINTS ON HARVESTING CORN.

Owing to the deficiency of meadows or ari- |
fetal grasses, it has long been the practice in |
the Southern States TO strip off the leaves of |
Indian corn and cure them for fodder. The
leaves below the ear are first removed, and af- |
forwards the stalks above the ears are cut, and |
together with the lower leaves, are cured and |
stalked.
This time-honorcd practice is now condemn
cd by the ahlost writers in the South. Numer-
Gus experiments have been made, and show ~
loss OF grain from the operation DIR. Thomas
Marsie, of Nelson, Va, found that 8 rows of
corn, extending through field, left without the
fodder, produced l7s barrels of measured ears
while alongside of this strip, rows "a on each
side,) stripped and topped as usual, gave only
10 barrelsa difference of nearly IL per cent.
W. s. Fontaine, Of Virginia, found that the
practice cutailed loss of bushels per acre.
Edmund Riiiin, of Virginia, one of the earliest
and ablest Agricultural writers of the day
strongly condemns the practice. In an able es-
say ON the subject he well says:
$50 long as the leaves of corn are green and
succulent. and have not begun to fade, and
whether below or above the cars, they still con-
tinue to furnish nourishment to the grain and
are necessary to its perfect filling.
"As the ordinary mode of taking off all the
leaves kills tine corn plant Immediately, of
course the stalk might be cut off at the same
time, with no more injury to the filling of the
grain But both processes would be injurious
Therefore, the cutting down should be delayed
until the leaves generally have ceased. or are
about ccasing, to supply nourishment to the
plant. This safe time may be known by the
first appearing of either of the two indications.
One is, when all, or nearly ALL of the leay cs be-
low the ear have lost. or are fast losing their
green color, and are mostly yellow, or dry
Or even il the lower leaves remain mostly
green, it is safe to cut down the stalks, il the
shuck which encloses the ear is beginning to
turn yellowish, which is safe indication of
ripeness."
Stripping of the lower leaves is not prac-
ticed at the North, but the allied practice OF
topping has still n few advocates. The argu-
ments against the one hold good against the
other. II. Stratton, of Winfield, Mass, saws
sin this town both ways have been thoroughly
tested, and the prevailing opinion now is that
cut up corn is not only the sgjesf, but the yield
is from FIVE to ten bushels per acre more than
when topped A Vermont farmer gives il as
his opinion, that in topping heavy crop OF
corn there is a loss in the extra labor and in
the loss Of fodder and grain, amounting to
from five to ten dollars per acre.
Albert Todd, of Rhode Island. says: at has
been my practice, for several years past, to cut
up and stock my corn in the field as soon as ii
becomes thoroughly glazed. The first year
that l commenced cutting up my corn only
cut up part of my field the remainder topped
the stalks after the old-fashioned way. | tried
this new method merely for an experiment, as |
had little faith in it; and ON harvesting,
found that the corn cut up at the roots was not
only fit for harvesting earlier but the corn was
equally as sound, and the smaller ears soundcr.
did not find near so much ''hog corn This is
generally the case in cutting up corn at the
roots; small ears but just in milk will mature
better than those after stalks are cut. II stalks
are taken from the ears before the corn is tole-
rably glazed, sound corn need not be expected
whereas corn cut up at the bottom, in the same
condition. will generally become hard
In this section corn is rarely topped. II is
cut up close to the ground, and either tied up
in bundles or placed loosely in large Shocks
In the former case, two rows are taken, and
about six hills placed together on the ground
TO be tied up by the binder following. From
five to eight of these bundles are placed in Il
stOok and bound round with one or two bands
at the top. If properly stocked, the corn can
he left in this way for weeks, or even months,
hut it is better to commence husking as soon
as the corn is dry.
Stocking without binding into bundles is, we
think, a more expeditions method, \ goOdway
is to take seven rows cut up three on each
side, and form the stock on every third or
fourth hill on the centre row. This gives from
twenty-one to twenty-eight hills to stook-
The hill around which the stock is formed is
left standing for support, and is easily cut at
tho time Of husking. The top of the corn is
graspcd with the left hand and cut of with II
blow from the right and unless very large, hy
commencing on the outside row, the three hills
can he cut up and carried to the stock at once
the whole being done in far less time than it
takes us to describe it, The stock is tied
bound at the top with suckers, or rye straw
or, if you are poor cultiyator, with weeds.
Cutting up corn in this way, though heavy
work, is 10 us, with good hook and spirited
associates, one of the pleasantesl Of harvesting
operations. As soon rs the ears are we'll dried,
the corn may be husked and the stalks tied M
in bundles and set up again in large stocks,
where they can remain till sufficiently dry to
stack.
Corn stalks are quite valuable as fodder if
well cured, and the corn was cut before II was
injured by the frost. They are, however, often
widowed and rendered comparatively valueless
by being stored in large bay when not suti-
cently dry, An occasional layer of dry straw
would do much to prevent this; and if large
sack was filled with chat or cut straw, and
the bundles placed round it in the middle of
the bay or stack, pulling up the sack as you as
cend, it would leave kind of chimney through
which the moisture would ascend and pass off.
This is common practice in stacking damp
hay in England, and is found very etliracious.
--Geaesee Farmer.