St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-08-19

Let the inquisitive observer now
take stalk of corn, and, with a sharp
knife, divide at each joint. A little
care will enable the eXperimenter to
dissect from the five lower joints, in
many varieties, a 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 dimin-
ishes as they are taken from the nodes
lower down. In the ordinary course
of growth, the upper ear attalns Its
ripeness for the pollen the first, and
this while the pollen is falling from the
tassels. When the second little ear
has attained its ripeness for fertillza-
ton, the pollen has now fallen, and
not receiving the fruitful adjunct, the
ear ceases growth and gradually with
ers. 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
known iudiciOus system of rOOt-prun-
ing, as practiced on experimental plats,
to treble the corn yield, and in the case
of single hills, have forced one seed
to bear % ears of corn.
OF course, if the soil is too fertile to
bear more than a 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
unwise to be satisfied with a nominal
yield of 40 or 80 bushels.
One consideration takes this instruc-
ton from the censure of being merely
theoretical. This is written at a sea-
son when any doubling farmer can east
ly verify the statements, both by exam
lining the stalks now growing, and by
measuring off two small plats and
heavily roOt-pruning one. The yield
at harvest of these two plats will indi
cate quite clearly the nature of this adj
vice.
find no difficulty now in attaining
an average crop of seventytive or
eighty bushels on large areas, where a
few years ago | was satisfied with a
crop of fifty bushels per acre for IA
small area. Mr.. BOwditch, by very Sc
we're roOt-pruning, averaged last year
on field of seventeen acres, to which
no hand labor had been applied, 100
measured bushels per acre. Other in
stances of success could be offered if
needed Z. l.. Sturtevant in Spring
field Republican.
Golden Rules for BUtter-Mak-
ing.
Keep only those cows that yield but
ter of good color, flavor and texture
there are some cows from which no
one can get good butter. Feed only
good, sweet food, the best for butter
being early-cut timothy and clover
hay and corn meal, and give only pure
water. Observe the most scrupulOus
cleanliness in the stable and dairy
Keep the cows i'll good health and con-
tented. Use Il chuTn that brings the
butter in thirty minutes. Keep the
temperature of the milk and cream as
near sixty degrees as possible, and
churn the cream when only slightly
sour. Work the buttermilk out of the
butter with n ladle, and not with the
hands. If water is used, it should be
pure and cold. The butter should be
gashed or cut in working, not ''plas-
tered' or flattened out. One ounce of
pure dairy salt should be used for each
pound of butter at two workings, with
an interval of twelve hours between
the workings (for immediate use many
prefer less salt. Pack at once in a
sweet, clean oak firkin or pail, and
cover with a layer of salt until the
next packing is laid down. When the
firkin is filled, it should be beaded up
air-tight and set away in Il cool, dry,
sweet cellar. The rest will be learned
by experience Independent.
Two boys who started West to fight
Indians got as far as Troy. Then they
cnInL.lIIlul tl..t L IL.