Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-08-30
Farmers Department.
TOPPING CORN-sAvING FODDER.

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TOPPING CORN-SAVING FODDER.
Though it is not quite in the season 10
perform this part of the labor of raising
and securing crop Of corn, yet it will do
no harm TO think about and compare our
former practice with the result OF the
carefully and fairly tried experiment here
introduced.
ind in Evans Rural Economist the
following extracts, said to be taken from
a report to the Kent County, Delware,
Agricultural Society, by S. b. c., upon
the effect of "topping" corn, &C., and as
quite proportion of our old raisers are
still in the habit of following this old
custom, and some, though few, of the
youngest ones, try the same, they seem
appropriate.
"When l reported the last experiment
on this subject, thought would not
trouble my self or the Society with anoth-
er experiment of the kind but having a
piece of very even corn, and favorably
situated for a full demonstration of
the facts of the case, was induced to
give it one more trial, which, in my own
mind, has established the facts that no
portion of the fodder can be taken while
green, without material injury to the corn
and that when the fodder is fully matur-
ed, the tops may be taken with very little
loss of grain-less than two per cent.
"The order of this experiment was the
same as last year, alternate sections of
two rows each, repeated several times to
the amount of an acre, as follows:
mo. l. Left standing, made one hum
dred baskets per re,which when shelled,
weighed thirty-three pounds each, equal
to ifty-nine bushels and forty.six pounds.
"No. 2. Topped without bladidg, made
one hundred baskets. which weighed
thirty-three pounds, equal to fifty-eight
bushels fifty two pounds.
s'No. 3. Cut by the ground, made
ninety.six baskets, which weighed thirty
three pounds each, equal to fifty-six bush.
els thirty.two pounds.
"No. a. Topped and stripped, made
ninety baskets which weighed thirty. three
and one.half pounds each, equal to fifty.
two bushels thirteen pounds.
"No. S. Topped without stripping,
Sept. 18th, made eighty-nine baskets,
which weighed thriiy-two and one-half
pounds each, equal to ffty-one bushels
thirteen pounds.
-sThe fodder on all the above, except
No. 5, was gathered on the 9th of Sep
tember, when fully ripe; some of the
blades dead. No, was cut on the 18th,
twelve days earlier, while green though
fodder saving, was general in the neigh
borhood at the time. 1t will be seen by
comparing it with No. (which is of
the same class, but cut twelve days later,
that No. 2 made four hundred and
eighteen pounds, or about seven and one
half bushels per acre more than No. 5.
Had the blades been gathered at the same
time, have no doubt the loss in grain
would have been more than doubled
This shows the ruinOus waste of gather.
ing fodder before the corn is ripe"
These several lots were put into bag.
each with their number attached, and
when carefully dried were hand shelled,
and then weighed giving the above re-
suits. These experiments need no more
comparing or ventilatng to teach their
import, viz : That no part OF the stock or
fodder can be removed while the crop is
maturing, and particularly while ripen.
ing, without decreasing the amount Of
corn, to an amount which should cause
those in the habit of"topping'' to consid
er the subject fairly before doing SO in
the future.
have thought often upon this subject,
and inquired of many concerning its ad.
vantage, but the most satisfactory answer
was, ''the old corn raisers used to almost
always top their corn to let in the sun,
and father used to do his. well here was
some what of an argument to be sure, yet
il did not satisfy my doubts ofthe propri-
ETY. Of the practice, hence it was never
tried, Farmer