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three to one—so away with it. Let us make less cotton and more to eat, and then we will hear less of “ Rust.” GOODMORE. Macon, Ga., Oci. 21 st, 1870. P. S. —I would state again for fear that I may be misconstrued, that the failure of the tap-root of cotton plants to reach the clay before the heat of summer conies on, is the cause of premature ripeness and decay—called by many rust. And that in sandy land the clay is lacking and the heat is greater and comes on earlier than in clay soils. In undrained lands the water is an im pediment, to the rooks. In mulatto land the soil is often too porous, and when the season is very warm the weed gets a premature growth and the depth of root is wanting. In new ground which lias never been broken deep the substratum is near the surface and the roots strike it at once. — In sonic soils the substratum is hard and crusty. Such lands should be subsoiled but never turned over. Never bring the crusty substance to the surface. These arc facts, worthy of every ones notice. G. CLOSE AM) WIDE PLANTING OF (JOTTOX. Editors Southern Cultivator— l will give the readers of the Cultivator my experience in close and wide planting of cotton. Last year 1 prepared a small field of cotton, which 1 intended planting in hills four by two and a half feet apart, manuring in the hills. My object in plant ing thus, was that I might plough both ways in cultivating, which would facilitate the hoeing. After manuring about two-thirds of the field, the manure gave out. The land was very poor, and I was at some loss to know what was best to be done. To plant land as poor as that four by two and a half feet, I thought would not do. The idea was suggested that here was a good chance for an experiment, in wide and close planting of cotton. So I planted several rows in the hill with Jit manure, the same distance viz. four by two and a half feet. The balance of the field, I drilled fifteen inches apart On the 10th, of September my neighbor and friend Dr. Wm. L. Mathews and myself, walked out to ascertain the results of my experiment. Recollect these rows were four feet apart the wide way—we got between the last row planted in hills, and the first row planted in the drill; steped off ten steps, and counted the stalks on the hilled row which were thirteen, and on these thirteen stalks we counted one hundred and forty-eight bolls. We then counted the stalks on the drilled row, which SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR, were twenty-four—and on this drilled row we counted one hundred and twenty-four bolls; there were twenty-four stalks in the drill against thirteen in the hill—there was a balance of twenty-four bolls in favor of the hills. And had wc have weighed the cotton, the difference in fa vor of the hilled row, in my opinion would have been more. I must confess the result of this ex periment did not prove as I expected it would, when I planted, although 1 am an advocate of giving good distance for either corn or cotton. — But in this case, I was of the opinion that the land was too ]kx>i for such wide planting (four by tw o and a half.) But these arc the facts in the experiment. Farmers, give your experience, we are often deceived in our judgment, but experience is not apt to deceive us. And in experimenting, it is best to weigh carefully and not risk our judg ment founded upon eye-sight—often our own eyes deceive us. For instance if Dr. Mathews and I had decided on the above experiment, by simply looking at the stalks of cotton as they grew, we would have decided in favor of the drilled row ; as the stalks seemed to be as high on the drilled as on the lulled row. Give your experience, and I know' of no better medium to speak through than tlie Cultivator. I have tried experiments this season with several different kinds of fertili zers, and will give the results as soon as all the cotton is picked. I will also give my experience in topping cotton. GEO. C. DIXON. Cameron , A s kriven Cos., Ga. SHEEP. Editors Southern Cultivator.— Either “ Sand Hill” or his informant in your October No. makes a queer mistake. Any treatise on sheep will tell him that for fine wool he must breed the Merino—that for mutton, along with a medium quantity of coarse wool, the South down is the best. And that in small flock's and on rich pa h tures , the Cotsw'old yields heavily in long, coarse wool and large carcase. But if he intends to improve his flocks, let him buy and read “ Randall’s Sheep Husbandry for the South," a book recommended by the most em inent wool grower of this state as “ the best he ever read.” Indeed it is the standard work on the subject. By-the-bye, he will probably find one shearing a year, yield as much as two. C. B. Spring Hill, Tenn., October 10 th, 1870. 421