Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-09-07
One Way to Harvest Corn.

In reviewing my last seasons work, l
find that most of my hoed crops were
raised at loss, owing to the uncommon
ly severe drouth in this part of the coun-
try, which CONNIE ncing in July has con-
tinued to the present time, with the ex-
ception of a few light rains. Among 9TH
er things, l planted five acres of sweet
corn for canning factory, erected here
the first part of the season. 1t was only
about one-third of an average crop. But
l was so well pleased with the corn that
planted it this year in preference to our
common field corn. There is so much
labor saved in harvesting it, not having
any husking or storing of the corn, aud
the fodder is so much nicer than ordinary
corn fodder-equal to the best of hay,
cured as | did it, by shocking it around
a horse, as corn is shocked in many parts
of the country. ! let it stand in the
shock about week and then carted it to
the barn, where l had plenty OF room to
stand the product of the five acres on the
floors, and it dried beautifully-I never
had any fodder in the barn that the cattle
liked 80 well. They all ate of it, which
is not the case with my best herdsgrass
and clover hay. So consider it of equal,
if not Of greater value, than the best
hay.
would suggest to my brother farmers
the trial of new way of harvesting corn
with view of increasing the value of the
stover for feed. which tried with perfect
success in the autumn of 1880. 1t is
proper to observe, however that the sea-
son was unusually favorable for the ex-
pertinent, it being very dry throughout.
On September |, gathered from one
corner of my corniield some eight or ten
baskets of ears of corn (taking all full
ears that We're upon it some of them
had begun to glaze), and spread them
with the husks upon the flat roof of
shed, Mt the same time spreading few
baskets upon the ground, where both
baskets We're left until October 6, when
the corn was found to be sufficiently dry
and hard to grind. At the time this corn
was gathered, the stalks were green and
were cut and fed to cows and pigs, and
were eaten by them as greedily as the
green fodder corn which we were feeding
ut that time. Three weeks after gather
ing this, on September %, the balance of
the field was cut and shocked, the stocks
still being green enough for ensilaging
II corn can be cured in this way in ordi-
nary seasons, there can be no question.
about its being the most profitable crop
that can be rsised in the eastern states.
BY this mode of harvesting we may Sc
cure crop of corn and "a crop of ensil-
age at the same time. This any farmer
may determine for himself by trial of it
in small way the present season.
l am convinced by subsequent trials in
small way, that corn, after 1t has begun
to glaze, will ripen when spread upon the
ground, unless there should be long con-
tinued rains that might cause it to sprout.
john E. Hobbs, York county, Ne.
Notes.
Should the crop of watermelons be 80
large as to glut the market, they can be
proftably disposed of by feeding to milch
cows. They produce great flow of milk,
and practice and science prove them to be
very nutritious food, excelling both ap-
pies and pumpkins in this respect.
Farmers are the spectators in butter
this summer. Judging from the reports
Of our correspondents, the amount of but