Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-09-01
HARVESTING CORN IN TENNES'
SEE AND ELSEWHERE.

There are but two good ways that we
know of to secure the crop. One is to
top it and save the tops for fodder, the
other, to cut up at the ground and cure
the entire plant for fodder, except the
ears, which are to be removed when dry
enough not to heat and mould in the bin.
'LOwery" writes from Tennessee as fol-
lows: t'We have very poor system of
harvesting corn here; viz: pulling the
ears from the stalk when they are ripe,
and hauling them to the. crib with the
husks on. We do not like to pull fodder,
from the impression that it Injuries the
corn. We generally follow corn with
wheat, and the stalks and fodder are not
only wasted, but they render the putting
in well of the wheat crop impossible, by
clOgging the plow and getting in the way
generally. | notice that Northern farm
ers almost invariably cut up the stalk with
the ear, and after husking the corn in the
field, haul the stalks away for fodder.
This requires more labor than our way,
but / should think it well worth the
trouble. Can the corn-stalks be profit
ably cut early enough TO save good fodder
2.-Will the corn cut thus early mature
and harden as well as if the stalk had
been left in the ground until the ear were
fully ripe2E ----- .H .-.-E. .. ~ |.
When corn is topped, the operation
should not take place before the ker-
mel is glazed; that is, covered with
a smooth, hard skin, resisting the pressure
of the nail. Then the tops of the stalks
may be cut off just above the ears, and
stocked in small shocks to dry for fodder,
while the sun and air rapidly ripen up the
ears. This practice is common nova
days where the kind of corn planted has
large, coarse stalks, which lose the leaves
usually below the ears, and the butts of
which are refused by cattle. The corn is
harvested by driving through with wagons
or carts, and either husking the ears, on
the stalks, thus leaving the husks, or, pre-
ferably, picking the ears in the husk and
hauling them in for husking. Husks are
worth fully the price of the best hay for
feed, hence it is not worth while to sell at
that rate The field, thus treated, is left
covered with stalks 2 to- feet long, which
should be plowed out late in the autumn,
gathered, and oomposted with MANURE
upon the field. This practice seems to be
much less in favor now than formerly,
though we like it well for large corn.
When the corn is cut up at the ground,
about Is hills are usually placed in one
shock. 1t is best to cut close, so as to
leave short stubs only. The tops of the
shocks should be securely bound by two
bands, and the butts must stand so as to
brace well against the prevailing, high
winds. This is done a little later than
corn may be safely topped-when it is
more firmly glazed, and fewer green ears
are to be found. Experiments have been
carefully made and show that no percerti-
bic loss of grain occurs if the stalks are
cut up after the kernels are well glazed.
The gain to the fodder is immense. Both
fodder and grain will stand the severest
seasonable freezing the night after being
cut up and stocked, but previous to that,
slight frost will do the fodder serious
injury. Topped corn is more liable to be
injured by hard freezing than that in the
shock. When cut up and stocked, the
corn is left until the ears are fully ripe,
when it is husked in the field, the husks
left upon the stalks, and these bound in
convenient sized bundles and stocked, to
remain until fully cured before housing or
stacking.
In case the land is to be put in wheat or
rye at once-a poor plan, by the way,
though much followed-the best WAY is to
stock the CON on every 18th row, bring
ing seven hills from each side to the row,
these hills all being on one cross row.
First one hill from each side is set against
the middle one which is left standing; then
three from the right brought in one arm
full, then three from the left; then the re-
naming three on the right and the three
on the left, which make the Is. When
the whole field is cut up in this way, if
the hills stand 4 feet apart, it will be
divided into convenient lands Sc feet wide,
with 4-foot spaces between them on
which stand the shocks of corn. By this
method the field may then be plowed and
sowed at once.-American Agricultu-
riSt al