Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1870-06-04

IGoos
CosT OF RAISING CoRN.-The
Boston Journal of Chemistry has
some remarks on this subject
worthy of notice. The editor says
he has devoted six years Of careful
attention to this crop. 1t has been
cultivated under every disadvan.
tage-with hired labor, In wet and
cold, and In hot aud dry seasons,
but the costhas averaged less than
so cents per bushel. He adds that g
crop Of corn that gives only twenty
or thirty bushels per acre does moi
pay but one that gives seventy OF
eighty or q hundred does pay. We
have never raised less than seventy
bushels to the acre, although our
farm was exhausted when we tool
hold Oft BE plows in autumn
and spreads the fresh manure il
spring. 1t Is narrowed we'll ant
the soil thoroughly pulYerized
Each hill has handful Of the ell
riching mixture of ground bone
and ashes thrown around the hill
and scattered over Il before plant
ing. In our own experience. ma.
nure spread in autumn and difFused
intimately through the soil by so.
luton, is worth twice as much as
when applied in the common way
In spring; but any manure, frest
or rotted, If thoroughly broken and
worked into the soil by repeated
harrowings, is far more effective
than when left In Jumps or but part.
ly intermixed. If planting in hills
gives the editor of the Journal
seventy bushels per acre, drill cul.
ture would yield not less than
eighty-hve or ninety, other things
being equal.
There Is one of his practices
which VIC would not recommend,
The top stalks arc removed in q
green state, and the corn Is allowed
to ripen on the lower stalks in the
field. After husking the "buts" are
harvested, salted, pitched over, and
placed in alternating layers with
wheat straw. These are eaten
with avidity by the cattle, and but
a small part rejected. We object
to "topping" the corn on the ground
of added labor aud diminished cop.
The removal of necessary leaves
before the ripening process Is COM
pleted, as every one knows, de-
priyes the grain of q portion ofits
food. Grape culturist understand
this principal, the looping Of
branches Immediately above the
bunches checking the growth and
destroying the flavor. Experiments
with cutting off the upper stalks,
side by side, with cutting up the
ground at a latter period have Civ
en- the latter the advantages Of sew
eral bushels more per acre. These
experiments have, however, fur
nished varying results, according
to the time each operation was per-
formed. Some farmers have told
us that they found no perceptible
difference in the product but on In
quiry we leArnedthat o very fewdays
only had interviewed between thetwo
operations. But cut the tops while
the corn Is yet quite soft, as Is COM
monty done,and leave the cutting
at the ground until it is thoroughly
glazed. and the difference will be
great.
The ash and bone fertilizer,
mentioned by the Journal, and
which is pronounced double in
value to any commercial fertilizer
is made up by mixing equal meas.
ured parts Of finely grOundbonewith
wood ashes, adding gradually while
mixing, enough water to moisten
1t but not to make o paste. II will
be ready for use In q week. The
potash acts on the gelatlne and
makes an enriching soap, which,
with the bone, forms a fertilizer of
great value. It must, Of course,
be used as sparingly as superphOs.
phate.-[ Albany Country Gentle.
man.
The answer lately given 70 Q