Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-08-13


Republican:
We are now approaching the critical
point in the culture of our corn in New
England. Now is the time to cultivate
with the object of increasing the crop.
A thorough, deep cultivation, close to
the hills, just previous to the appearance
of the tassel, may be expected, on rich
soil, to increase the crop very largely.
This cultivation is root-pruning. Tie
object is to check the plant for a short
time, while the plant is in the vlgor of
growth, so that the juices will have time
for elaboration, and thus the direction
of vigor shall become changed from
leaf-growth to the formation and in
creased development of the kernels aud
ears.
Let the inquisitive observer now take
a stalk of corn, and, with sharp knife,
divide ut each joint. A little care will
enable the experimenter to dissect from
the five lower joints, in many varieties,
small embryo ear of corn. Let small
magnifying glass be applied, and these
small ears will be seen to be covered
with kernels ready,,for fertilization when
little more growth is attained. 1t will
also be noticed that the upper of these
ears is the largest, and that their size
diminishes as they are taken from the
nodes lower down. In the ordinary
course of growth, the upper ear attains
its ripeness for the pollen the first, and
this while the pollen is falling fl ON the
tassels. When the second little ear has
attained its ripeness for fertilization, the
pollen has now fallen, and not receiving
the fruitful adjunct, the ear ceases
growth and gradually withers. Now by
root-pruning, or other agency which at
this period shall check extension of leaf,
we delay the growth of the upper ear,
and of the pollen-bearing stalk, and give
opportunity for the lower ears to catch
up. / have known a judicious system
of root-pruning, as practiced on expert
and in the case of single hills, have
forced one seed to bear twenty-three
ears of corn.
OF course, if the soil is too infertile to
bear more than small crop, there is no
gain in stimulating the plant to form
more ears than the fertility of the land
can carry, but on land rich enough for
100 bushels of crop, it is certainly I'M
wise to be satisfied with nominal yield
of 40 or so bushels.
One consideration takes this instruc-
ton from the censure of being merely
theoretical. This is written at season
when any doubling farmer can easily
verify the statements, both by examin-
ing the stalks now growing, and by
measuring off two small plats and heav-
II ~ al ~ I,n,a
vest of these two plats will indicate
quite clearly the nature of this advice.
/ find no difficulty now in attaining an
average crop Of seventy five or eighty
bushels on large areas, where few
years ago | was satisfied with crop of
fifty bushels per acre for small area
Mr.. Bowditch, by very severe root
pruning, averaged last year on field of
seventeen acres, to which no hand labor
had been applied, 100 measured bushels
per acre. Other instances of success
could be offered if needed. / trust some
few will read these remarks, and will
test the matter carefully.
BUTTER FOR WINTER UsE.-C. z. r.,
Germantown, Pa, writes 'I am n
advocate of September packed butter for
winter use. 1t is equal in flavor to June
butter, for the cows feed on the fresh
growth of grass induced by early fall
rains. If packed while perfectly fresh
and only the best kind of salt is worked
in it the butter will keep It's fresh sweet
taste l use an ounce of finely pull
verified salt to q pound of butter.
/ pack in white oak butter tubs. These
impart no unpleasant odor to the but
ter. / scald out the tuks in hot brine a
few days previous to using them. Just
before packing in the butter rinse ont
the tubs with cold brine, then while it is
damp rub dry salt over the sides aud
bottom pack the butter in close, press
ing it down with ladle. When the tub
is filled to within an inch or two of the
top, cover the butter with a piece of
clean muslin and then fill up with a
layer of salt. l use small tubs for pack
ing butter, as the butter is apt to dete-
riorate after it has been opened little
while, no matter how sweet it tastes at
first"
WINTERING A PIG.-I have found that
it costs as much or more to winter a
young pig as it does an old hog, and
have abandoned the practice of winter
ing anything but breeders. A breeding
SOW may be allowed to have q litter of
pigs in the spring, which can be sold,
and the old one will get in fine condi-
ton, almost, il not fit, for butchering,
on clover, cornstalks and roots. And we
count the income derived from the pigs
as an extra gain. There is always de-
mand in the spring for young pigs at
from 81 to 81 each for fattening, and a
higher price for breeding stock, which
makes the profits on breeding SOW
equal to that of COW, with a great deal
less labor and less cost of keeping. BY
little painstaking and effort a farmer
can make market for his pork at q price
more remunerative than what is usually
paid for it in the carcass. Townspeople
will buy and eat more pork if they know
that 1t has been grown and fattened on
wholesome food. We could have sold
in Schenectady for 10 cents q pound a
ton of spareribs produced on our farm
if we had had them. Our headcheese
sold at the same price, and we expect to
realize from IL to Is cents for the ba-
cons, hams and shoulders. The highest
price paid in our local market for pigs
was cents per pound. The lard was
sold for from 8 to 10 cents per pound,
according to quality. Our pigs are cut
up so that they may be wholly market
ed in the above forms. Pigs grown and
fattened as I have described produce
meat not only of the healthiest charac-