Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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. -»■ 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- 109