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AGItICL IjT UK A L D1 PLEMIiN TS.
Editors Southern Cultivator:—ln your February
number, I find an article under the above title, which I
think, merits further discussion. -
Reference is made to the fact that at a recent meeting of
the Richmond County (Georgia) Agricultural Society, the
“ Stafford Cultivator was tried and approved !” And you
are exercised with the fear that planters will not get infer
mation as to where the aforesaid Cultivators are to be
bought. It seems that the “Stafford Cultivator” is the fa
mous buggy plow', whereof your correspondent, the late
lamented Dr. Hinckley, wrote in so enthusiastic a strain
in the spring last past. The Doctor, if I recollect rightly,
boasted of the immense crop he meant to cultivate with a
small number of hands and his buggy and Illinois Clipper
plows, and earnestly entreated the whole race of Southern
farmers to follow his example. Towards the latter part of
the year, the Doctor reported the result of his experiment,
and, terrible to relate, he had failed miserably; had made
nothing. Asa matter of course, the “ season” was charg
ed with the d'saster. Now', this is the only report we have.
It was made by' an admirer of the implement, and in his
hands it failed. Why? Because it is an “agricultural
humbug.” It is a retrograde in the science of agriculture ;
ft is an inducement to slovenliness and over cropping, and
as such should be cast out as an evil spirit ; all of which I
now propose to prove.
It is in accordance with theory and practice, that to
make good crops the soil must first be well prepared—
deeply stirred and thoroughly pulverized. Practical farm
ers admit the fact, because they have tried it; agricultu
ral chemists explain the reason : It opens the ground to
the frost which disintegrates and solves the dormant unor
ganic matter, thus preparing food for the plants ere they
are germinated; thereafter, it admits the air, to deposit
the moisture with which it is charged, and be breathed by
the organized plants. Therefore, you may set it down as
an axiom in farming that the greater part of your cultiva
tion should be done before the seeds as planted; in other
words the work of preparation is more than half the battle.
Can this be done with “ Stafford’s Cultivator”—tlie buggy
plow', which failed to make a crop with Dr. Hinckley, and
which “ Geemes Monroe” so justly and elegantly satirized ?
What is the buggy plow ? Those I have seen arc a cou
ple of wheels w ith a seat mounted on them, with the regu
lar appendages necessary to its being drawn by two horses.
Under this is a couple of turning plow s or shovels.
They have not the model or stamina for deep goers; and,
if they are not to prepare with, of what use are they.
Can a man sit on a buggy seat and “ bar off” or “ dirt”
young cotton or corn in a w-orkmanlikc manner? Must
you, in determining Jhe width of your row, be governed
by the quality of the soil, or the guage of your buggy
wheels ? It may be answered to the first queries, that the
rows should be exactly parallel and perfectly straight. So
they should; bnt are they ? Can it be done without the
aid of the line and drill machine; and when they are both
used, your crop will scarcely be so large that you need
fear grass. Then you will have entered upon your first
real efTort at cultivating the soil properly ; you w ill be
doing what that sound and able Georgian, J. Van Buien,
advises—you will have commenced gardening on a large
SOUTH En X CULT IVATOR.
; x eale. Now, I ask, what benefit a market gardener, culti
vating forty acres of laud in vegetables, would derive from
a buggy plow? None, you will readily admit. Then of
what use would it be to the market gardener cultivating
the same area in Cotton, Corn, Sugar or liice?
No, Sir, we don’t want any such tools for the South. On
the contrary, we w ant implements which will force us to
contract. Use heavy, well modeled, easy working, steel
plow's— to be followed by the sub-soilcr— every year , and
don’t spare the manure; save it, gather it, buy it , by all
means have it. Read Mr. Van Buren’s article in the Jan
uary number of the Southern Cultivator every night,
think upon his suggestions and adopt them. Plant small—
very small—areas, be pains-taking and careful, patient
and industrious, and success w ill crown your efforts. But
by all means, do not go astray after those teachers who
would persuade you that a man may cultivate 50 or 60
acres in corn and carry an umbrella during the hot weath
er. And, further, don’t be at-all troubled about who has
buggy plow's to sell. If any dealer happens to be so for
tunate as to possess one, let him keep it—it were a pity to
have so beautiful and well painted an apparatus spoiled by
being put on the ground. And, finally, I would enquire,
how many of the members of the Richmond County Agri
cultural Society, after approving the buggy plow, purchas
ed the article ? GEORGE W. GIFT.
Memphis, Tam., Feb. 12, 1867.
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TEXAS GRASSES.
Editors Southern Cultivator :— ln the February num
ber of the Southern Cultivator, I have just read an article
by Dr. Walker on Texas Grasses, where, in speaking of
the “Curly Mesquite” or “ Buffalo Grass,” he thinks it
does not produce seed, which is a very natural error, be
cause, although this grass has been known to botanists du
ring many years, its true nature remained unknown until
recently. It is dioeceous; that is, it has its male and so
male flowers on separate plants. The female plants have
the fruit near the root, and they are also smaller and moro
rare than the male forms. These last have generally been
collected by, or for botanists, and the former overlooked.
The male form w-as described in 1818, by Nuttall, and
called ResJeria dactyloides.
Dr. Englcmann, of St. Louis, a well known botanist,
received specimens of it, among which he found ono,
which had both male and female flowers, on different
stalks, from the same root; from whence its true character
was known to the Doctor, who describcd § it in the Transac
tions of the St. Louis Academy of Science for 1859
giving it the name of Bouteloua dactyloides.
In Texas it generally grows to the height of about six
.inches, sending out from its roots numerous stolons or
runners, often one or two feet long, especially where the
plants are not crowded. I have in Texas, on several oc
casions found the male and female flowers on separate
stalks, growing from the same roots, specimens of which
are now in the herbarium of the State collection at Aus
tin. It is quite common throughout a large a portion of
Texas, thriving well on the dryest soil, not only
ting itself by its seeds, but also by its runners. Hence,
it is not apt to be eradicated by closo grazing. On this
account it is worth millions to the State of Texas, being
well suited to pasturage —especially sheep. It is very nu-
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