Newspaper Page Text
104
For the Southern Cultivator.
WHAT AN OLDMAN ATOULB JEJO 3F HE
WERE NOW
He would marry a clever, respectable, good-looking, in.
tellectual, health}’, well-connected young woman, and love
her and nerve her with the utmost fidelity, as lone an life
should continue her to him as a wife. If any fool does
not understand the sense and duty and pleasure of this,
upon the naked suggestion, he would not understand the
argument in support of it, and I therefore pro termft it.
He would try, in an humble modest way, to do the will
of God ; and in his relations to all men, lovingly to
“ work righteousness.”
He would b) some hom st moans—for cash, or on credit
— by purchase, gift, or inheritance, own a “ tract. ” of land
in middle Georgia, or 3 quuiter sections in Alabama— not
less than 200 acres, nor more than 210. Here he wouid
fix his earthly home, for the whole term of hi* natural life.,
and having plain, substantial houses, and commodious out
houses and she'tors, with one hundred ami fifty acres of
open land, besides orchards, garden, patches, lots, Ac., lie
would begin to cultivate his farm.
This farm he would divide into three equal fields, of 50
acres each, and employ 8 hands, and give them 4 good
mules, and a yoke of oxen to cultivate it with.
He would plant 1000 walnut trees. Twenty or thirty
years lienee, their yield of nuts and timber, would be
worth a large sum,
lie would plant 5 acres in fig trees, and learn how to
dry, preserve and pack the figs into boxes for market.—
After a few years the proceeds would be n profit of a thou
sand dollars annually. [Fortunes will yet be made in the
preparation of fig preserves and pickles at the South, for
Northern markets.—Ed. So. Cult.]
He would plant 5 acres in Scappernong Grape Vines.
In a few years the wine would be worth several thousand
dollars annually.
lie would plant 5 acres in Sugar Cane, and manufacture
his own Syrup and Molasses, and a little surplus.
lie would cultivate 6 acres of Cabbages, with the plow,
and use them in making sloj>s for milch cows, and to fat
ten hog*. This, with plenty of turnips, sweet potatoes,
(none are half equal to the yam,) and hay , would always
secure milk and butter in abundance.
He would level his land—gather all the loose rocks to
the low places where the soil would wash out of his fields,
and if rock was at hand, would make rock fences at those
places, so that no .soil should escape, and no rain-water
either. lie would cut his ditches on a -perfect level, draw
the dirt on the upper side, fill up low places, use the ditch
es for guide rows, end to protect bottoms from inundation,
and he would manure the hi//-tops.
lie would manufacture fen tons of compost, at a cost of
not more than one ton of Guano, or any popular Super
phosphate, possessing, in value to crop and soil, .twice the
value of the single ton of commercial manure. In anotli
cr article, he will tell something about how to do this.
lie would read the Bible, pray and play with Ins chil
dren—comfort and encourage his wife—be just and libe
ral to to his laborers—avoid political prejudices, and the
bitterness of party strife, and as to the corrupting, dr
moralizing diabolism ts rcliglen,s sectarianism, ho would
try to forget that. bunian nature is capable of it.
SOUTHERN CULTI VAT(>R.
lie would do his part to respond to the smile of God,
and make his country a garden — a home—a temple—a
tower of strength !
Os beauty and of guidance top, a Star !
May ages contemplate my native land !
V Idle tempests shake the warring world ajar,
God shelter her, beneath His mighty hand !
T he maiden flowers, within her quiet vales,
Bloom safely, far from where rude War prevails f
W Alt WICK.
The /fills, near Auburn, Lee co., Ala., Feb. 26, 1867.
— •*> ► ■*£*—« - ■ - -*
12A8SIS FOOD CHOPS,
Editors Fouthkhn Cultivator :— Will von, as a favor
to our poor Cotton stricken countrymen continue Irving
to impress upon all that plant a seed of cotton this year,
the absolute necessity of raising plenty of provisions first,
and then what cotton they can. For.as you sav they will
get more money for a small crop than for a large one, and
have less tax to pay, be independent of extortion prices
from our V estern corn raisers, and make them feel less
independent— stop the flow of Southern wealth into Nor
thern pockets, and instead of being the poor dependant
fools that we arc likely to become, if we rely on the
North and A\ est to feed us, wc can, by raising plenty < f
provisions of all kinds, have more time to raise manure,
to ditch, and to improve cur farms in various ways, and
thereby conduce to our comfort and happiness, ami be and
feel as independant as any people can feel, occupying cut
political position. We should also become our own Man
ufacturers, and encourage all enterprises that aid in estab
lishing the independence of our section. Here we arc,
although the war lias been stopped so short a time, cloth
ing our families with Northern-made calico and homespun
and hats and bonnets strutting ourselves around in North
ern made boots and shoes—riding in Northern busies
patronizing Northern tailors—wearing Northern made
coats, pants, Ac. Who could believe that so short time
ago, we were trying to cut each other’s throats, and hav
ing Northern mercenaries robbing us of our spoons,
knives and forks, watches, gold and silver, and even to our
baby wearing clothes—to say nothing of our blood, and
the deprivation of the right of choosing our rulers? And
now five-sixths of the very men that were engaged in
deadly conflict against the North, are exerting themselves
in every possible way, to enable those who are evidently
still our enemies, to buy clothing cheap, and to sell every
thing they possibly can make to us, at as dear a rate as
possible, by depending on them, even to raise our bread
and bacon—to say nothing of the thousands of other
things.
May Providence awaken our people to a sense of their
true situation, and give them foresight and sense to per
ceive what is the proper course for them to pursue, in re
lation to this momentous subject.
Marion Cos., Ga.
—
The Cambridge (Ga.) Argus says there is a decided im
provement in the Agricultural prospects of that section.—
I here are fewer merchants , and more farmers than lost
f a Paj d thetreedmen are improving .m their habits and
manners, and seem to realize more the necessity of work
ing for a living.