Newspaper Page Text
192
NOTES BY AN OLD CONTRIBUTOR.
Editors Southern Cultivator : —Allow me to con
gratulate you upon the improved appearance of the Culti
vator. I must confess that I have been often mortified j
by the shabby exterior of my old friend. Say what you
may, there is a good deal in appearance. Neatly arran
ged fences and snug farm fixtures, give you a pretty good
idea of the man who # lives there. A man who doesn’t
care how he looks —how rough his coal is, or how it fits
him, is not apt to care what sort of work he does, so that
he rolls out the cot ton bales. There is nothing incom
patible with neatness, good taste, order, system and suc
cess. They all should go together, and harmonize per
fectly. Some people are born so, some- require to be
taught, and some can never learn.
“Under which King, Benzonian—speak or die?”
which brings up Mr. Gift’s stable balance sheet. A young
friend of mine, (who had been a most successful mer
chant,) coming into possession of some negro property,
got very much into the spirit of farming. lie was “chuck
full” of it, and as I had the reputation of being a “ book
farmer,” he very often entertained me with long talks
about his plans. One day he was demonstrating to me
by figures, (“which never lie,” you know,) how much
corn, cotton, bacon, butter et al., lie would make. A
f 'veiy quiet old fogy was standing by, looking on earnest
ly at the calculation. “What do you think of it, Mr.
Robinson ?” “Well, Billy, it looks mighty pretty on
paper, but I reckon you’ll find it a heap harder to work
it out ol the ground.” At the end of ten years or less,
my young friend sold out. I was at the sale—“ turn
plows, cultivators, harrows, mowers, corn mills, cob-
of great improved yankee patterns, cl id omue
genus, all together, did not sell for enough to buy a good
cow and calf. He returned to his ledgers, convinced of
the truth of the old adage, “Ac sutor ultra erepidam . ’
• I think that my neighbors will give me credit for making
and applying more manure “ ceteris paribus ,” than any
man in my “ surroundings.” My experience with com
mercial fertilizers has been unfortunate, and I am satis
fied that unless we can find some cheaper way than Mr.
Gift’s, or Mr. Dickson’s guano, new lands will continue to
be cut down, and new countries sought after. Mr. Gift’s
plan may suit Mr. Mechi, or gentlemen of capital who
cultivate lands worth from one to five hundred dollarsper
acre. It is not adapted to our situation.
“ Improving the Breed of Sheep.”—There is a. wide
margin for it. W e want a sheep combining the quality
©f ivool and muttoti to boot; but we need a dog-law, and
a freedman antidote more.
“ Ilog Raising.”—This fellow Panola always hits hard
icks ; but how arc we to reform. Sambo will not give
up liis love for bacon, or his love of ease. Begin li de
novo,' I'—my 1 '— my dear fellow, “its hard to teach an old dog
new tricksworm fences are an institution.
“ Texas Farming.”—Ah, how they do things in Texas!
“Our army swore terribly in Flanders, quoth my uncle
Toby.”
“ Horses Feet.”—A very sensible article—right to the
point. I beg leave to suggest again, a column being
epaoed exclusively for diseases of domestic animals,* kc.
“ Cats.'—lf the analysis of oats be correct, it must be j
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOfi.
an exhauster; but if it can be used as the experiments
here detailed indicate, their value will be incredible.
“ Lucerne.” —M. W. IL, has done well—very well.—
Cut your Lucerne at any stage, when succulent and high
enough. Once set, firmly, you will find no difficulty in
knowing how and when to feed it or to cut it.
“Poultry for the South.”—Are we to be inflicted with
another chicken epidemic ? The extensive laudations
and fancy advertisements in the Yankee papers indicate
something of the kind in the atmosphere. We are too
poor to stand such a visitation just now—the Bureau and
Loyal Leagues are still among us. Let us stick to the
old dung hill and game fowl. We have had enough of
Chittagongs, Shanghais, Cochin Chinas, Brahma Pootras,
et id omne genus . It is enough to have the Radicals and
loyal leaguers, at once.
“ Corn as a Forage Plant,” —Very troublesome. It is
the hardest of things to cure, and Sorghum is to my mind
cheaper and better. • ’
“ Cotton Seed Manure.”—Your readers seem very
much exercised about killing the seed. They put them
selves to a great deal of unnecessary trouble to weaken
their manure. Apply the seed green, and let the decom
position go on about the corn—which if it do come up,
don’t your plough again turn it under, with an addition
of carbon. Try it.
“ The Labor Question.”- —Here is that “vexed ques
tion” again. I fear it is destined to remain “ sub lift ”
a long time. One man advocates money wages —another
a part of the crop—another settling them off, en fantille 7
like I)r. Cloud, with nice white-washed cottages, orne
snug gardens and fish ponds—another dividing the forces
and putting the gangs against each other. It will be
found very much like the traveller’s ease, who asked,
“ Which is the best road for me to take, the upper or
lower one?” “Well,” replies a countryman, “Tt cai%t
exactly say, but take which you may, you won’t go far
before you wish you had taken the other.”- I have very
little faith in the free negro. Have we not Jamaica, Do
mingo, Hayti, Mexico—need we more experiments to
satisfy us of the future? But he is here—it is our duty
and our interest to try and make the best of a bad bargain.
“Diseases of Sheep.”—l never “doctored” a sheep
that did not die under the operation. An old Shepherd
once told me, “ the master’s eye is the best physic for
a sheep.” Salt and soot, salt and ashes, dry feeding
grounds are essential—never keep old sheep or weakly
sheep in your stock—better give them to the dogs.
“ Scnppernong” fever seems to be increasing. It cer
tainly is the surest bearer and freest from disease. I
think Mr. Van Buren is at fault,* however, as to its
blooming. Now, 15th May we find it, and many other
varieties in bloom, and this is a very late spring.
“Dickson’s Improved Cotton Seed.”—l think we have
had quite enough of this. Every man can, by a little
care in selection, improve his own seed as well as Mr.,
Dickson. There is a good deal of humbug about it any
how r —a good deal more in the land, the man and the
seasons, than in the seed. I knew* a planter who had
improved seed—he exchanged his seed as a matter of ac
commodation, with his neighbors, one bushel for three,
Still, his pilfc of improved seed daily grew larger.
“iAi passant —Have we not paid tribute to Yankee