The daily gazette., 1879-10-18
FIRST EDITION.
HARvEsTING CORN.

THE NEW CASTLE COUNTY CORN CROP
How THE GRAIN Is 6ATHERkD-
OLD TIME HUsKING PARTIES.
The corn crop in New Castle county
Is an abundant one this year, and ut pre-
sent, In tn golden October weather, the
farmers are IN the midst Of their Autumn
labor Of husking and ga nerlng the gold
Ell ears. The. large yield appears 10 be
general all over the county, which Is q
thing u, usual for some years back
while the crop has not been all actual
tailu,e, the majority OF the farmers had
Light returns and only few had full
com cribs. In a great measure Is thus
due to the weather VIII ch has been much
better for corn than for many years back.
1t will be remembered tha. in the latter
part Of July aud the first half Of August,
we W. re- visited BY long dry spell that
caused serious apprehensions. IL was
very much like the one we have been ex-
perieucing for some weeks past. The
streams CO. low, the ground became dy
and had, and the growing com was
pa ched aud shrivelled. II this had co..
tinued for two weeks longer, The crops
would have been very sL.rt, but, In the
nick Of time, ar,ln Set in, and continued
for several days in the latter part VI Au-
gus, and, after very few days interval,
for nearly a week la September. This
hurt the camp-neetings, but it made the
crop, aud benefited our farmers, certain
ly, " the amount T thousands Of dollars.
The hrst st, p taken III the ri harvest
IS cutting the corn. This is commenced
| about HE middle OF September, when
Jack frost commences " give warning Oi
Ii coming, and is usu liy completed Ia
| week or ten days, through liz entire
| section. Al that time tie corn Is hot
thoroughly ripe, although the gram has
| hardened, and the stalks are still kreen,
| but the blades have commenced to dry.
| As the corn ~ cut IL Is placed ia shocks,
which extend IN straight rows aci oss the
| field anu are from twelve to sixteen p ces
apart. These are p rMitt, to stand for
"A week or two, in order that the gram
may b. come thorough hardened, and,
after that, the huskii,g commences.
This plan of getting the corn read,
for hushing differs much from the one
generally observed by our foreiathers
thirty or forty years ago. "TOpp,ng and
Ulading" was resorted to altogether
/
county and lower Kent, but not much
in New Gas lie. IL was much more la
bOrious than the more recent idea. The
laborer would 20 through the field In
early September, anc, knife in hand,
would follow each row clipping of the
sta just above the ear Of corn. The
stalks, thus cut, would be saved and
hauled INTO the barn, in bundles, where
tn, would be fed 10 the stock. The
ears allowed to remain on the stalk,
wou d, Ia the course of a week or 30,
become well cured by the sun, having
nothing to keep the warmth away.
Then they would be hauled into the
barn, dumped OH the floor and husked
at leisure.
Husking follows the cutting Of the
corn in about zen days or TWO weeks,
and that is what is engrossing the at
tenlion OF our farmers at present. But
what a change, the custom OF to-uay
from that of the Golden time! The
husking bees in which girls took part,
when red ear was a coveted treasure,
are remember ed only by the old but the
rollicking parties of men that gathered
to husk in the fields by moonlight or
trelight, or by lantern-ight in barns
that rang again and aga IL with their
songs and noisy mirth, held noticeable
place in farm life and occupation until
within the pas score Of yeais. But they
too have almost passed away and husk-
ing has In a great measure become d
h,im-urum work-day labor, though not
an unpleasant one, whether the spikes
of gold are unsht athed In the field
in the hazy, dreamy ln"ian
summer, or in The barn when the fall
rain patters ON the roo. The harvest
ing of tie corn closes the farmers yeai
of active outdoor labor.