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of vegetable matter of the best quality for turn
ing under.
Under such a system as the one proposed the
soil would never be deficient in vegetable mat
ter, which deficiency has been the great curse of
the cotton farms, resulting in a -washing away of
the soil, in the loss of its friability, and with
that its ability to absorb and retain moisture
and the fertilizing gases of the atmosphere;
moreover the rotation proposed would keep the
soil well supplied with nitrogenous matter and
do away with, in large part or in whole, the ne
cessity of purchasing nitrogenous manures, which
are the most expensive of all the commercial fer
tilizers. Under such a system we should expect
to hear no more of rust in cotton, or total failure
of crops from drouth. The deep clover roots
would penetrate and loosen the subsoil better
than the best inventions of Brinly, or Murfee or
others, for they would not only riddle the subsoil
with numberless perforations, but till it with veg
etable matter, so that the hard rains of spring
could not run it together again. And finally, to
crown all, it would forever do away with liens
on the crops for western corn and bacon.
j£jgr The South, previous to the w:r , was ex
ceedingly prosperous—so much so as to excite
'he we fear, of many of our “Northern
brethren.” Since the w r ar, she has shown a re
cuperative energy and power which has chal
lenged the admiration of her bitterest enemies.
Recently invitations have been extended to
strangers, to attend her industrial exhibitions,
and see what she is doing. Among others, Gen’l
Capron, Commissioner of Agriculture, has been
present on some'of these occasions, and has un
dertaken to enlighten the Southern people as to
what the}- should do. Inasmuch as he presuma
bly did his best, as one of Sherman’s Brigadiers,
to lay waste the South—to make it “a wilder
ness, almost a solitude,” it is but fair that he
should make amends, by giving us seeds and
good advice, when the latter is asked; but we
must beg to be excused from listening to a reci
tal of the errors of our past lives, as recently
given by said Commissioner, at the Augusta
Fair. Even admitting all tire charges brought
against the South t.o have been true- —which we
are very far from doing—it -strikes us that a
se ise of propriety should have limited the re
marks of the gentleman to words of cheer -and
encouragement.
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR.
AGRIMLTtRAL FAIRS.
We have had the pleasure recently of attend
ing some of the Agricultural Fairs in this State.
Aside from the jostling of the crowds, Ac.,
these gatherings are exceedingly pleasant, and
serve an excellent purpose in diffusing knowl
edge, especially in regard to improved im
plements and machines, but to one who is
deeply in earnest in promoting the advance
of agriculture, there is a painful feeling that
they fall far short of accomplishing what is
desired, or what is legitimately within their
reach. In the State of Georgia alone, for in
stance, over $50,000 have been expended in form
of “ premiums,” within the last two months.—
$50,000 !!—just think of that! What might not
50,000, annually expended, do? What splendid
experimental farms it could support —what a
splendid Laboratory it could establish for anal
ysing articles the farmer wishes to know about
—what museums it could erect, in the chief
centres of trade, where every kind of machine
ry and every variety of seeds, models of fruits,
Ac., Ac,, could be kept constantly on exhibition.
The people are anxious to improve their condi
tion. This is shown by their full attendance
upon all gatherings where there is a prospect of
learning, and by the readiness with which they
pour their money into the treasuries of the Fair
Associations. All that seems to be needed, are
organizing heads, to give direction to effort and
investigation. These the managers and direc
tors of our Agricultural Societies should furnish.
We have no sympathy with the cry for State aid
—State Experimental Farms —State departments
of Agriculture. The chances are, 09 in 100,
that under State management, incompetent or
inefficient persons would be placed at The head
of them, and nothing really valuable be accom
plished. Agricultural Societies properly organ
ized and managed, can do infinitely more for ag
riculture than anything attached to the “ State.”
We return thanks to L. Froelieh of Ke
nansville, N. C., for a copy of the Proceedings,
Award of Premiums, Ac., of the First Annual
Fair of the Cape Fear Agricultural Association.
It is very gratifying to see the indications of pro
gress it furnishes. Our North Carolina friends
are not a volatile, excitable people, but when
they do take hold of anything, the Scotch blood
unmistakably shows itself. There are some val
uable essays published in this report, from which
we propose to make some extracts hereafter.