Year: 1861




amount of corn-not so much as at
present, it is true, yet an amount that
will continue to give it place among
the great agricultural staples of the
day.


SUBSTITUTES FOR CORN.


The extensive use of Kerosene in
place of alcohol, for lights, and the
substitution of lager for whisky, has
cut off two great sources of demand
for corn. An Improvement in the
wine crop has also Iessened the de-
mand across the water, where high
wines went to make up the deficit in
the product Of the vine. In fact, the
distillery was the great seething caul-
dron that absorbed the corn crop and
maintained its high price, and unless
some new demand shall arise, We see
no good reason for change, only in
the reduction of the quantity grown.
With the low freights and improved
modes Of culture the East cannot COM
pete with the West in this great staple,
and we must soon have the monopoly
of its growth, but whether it will then
be any great object is yet to be de-
termined. The war is lot the sole
cause of the low price, for outside of
that the causes before noticed had
sapped the foundation upon which the
demand rested. Cheap alcohol is busy
adulterating the kerosene, but this will
soon come to an end. The war will
increase the demand for wheat and
oats, and to that extent lessen that for
corn. It is possible that the use of
hot air in drying may make it more
valuable for European shipments, but
of this we have little hope. That it
will continue the great staple for do
mestic use there can be no doubt, but
as an article of commerce it must be
confined to those points that will pro-
duce it the cheapest. The wonderful
extension of the spring wheat crop by
supplying cheap -four to the masses.
has made another permanent inroad
into the corn crop. The culture Of
winter wheat is also being better un-
derstood, and its production is not
only Increasing, but being cheapened,
will displace so much more corn for
food. The sowing of rye for fall
pasture and using the crop for "hog-
ing down"-that is, allowing the hogs
to do the harvesting-is new item in
the pork line that is rapidly trenehing
on the domain of corn. Rye, after
becoming ripe, will fall to the ground
and remain sound for months without
sprouting in the ear, thus making it a
valuable feed, and as hogs fatten much
faster in warm than in cool weather,
the rye by giving an early feed has
the advantage; it is true that old corn
will do the same, but this must be done
daily, while the rye is at all times
ready, and at the same time makes a
good shade for the lazy porkers.


1t will thus be seen that though
corn, like cotton, may claim to be king,
yet it is being shorn of much Of its
power and prestige. Like all coarse
staples, there will be times when from
the failure of other crops it will COM
mand high price, but in its perma-
nent position on change it will here
after occupy a less important place.
We have no great regrets on this score,
for other products will supply its place
probably as profitable as corn. The
real difficulty lies in making the
change, for farmers are generally slow
in these things, and have fondness
for the old and long tried beaten paths.


TWO HORSE CULTIvAToRs.


The first object is to cheaper the
cultuae. So long as the margin of
profit was large, and as corn held the