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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