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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, DECEMBER 1, 1882. 37 fir* jftack ffieyarttnmt. The Hone and the Hnle, Editob Southern World: — Nature does nothing in vain: though wo often are not admitted into her secrets. Not withstanding our assumed superiority of being governed by reason, man is the most unreasonable of animals. Our wisdom often turns out foolishness, and we commit grave errors against common sense which can never be imputed to inferior life. I lui\p from my boyhood heard sheep denounced as fools, because they are shy of crossing water. Now the sheep knows very well that water has great dangers on account of his heavy fleece, which filled with that fluid often causes his death by drowning. So many of our hoary maxims are full of foolishness. What is more common than to hear: “The exception proves the rule." Whereas, a rule is but the superstructure of individual expe riences which at last allows a generalization. Every exception then weakens the rule; and enough of them destroys it altogether. So from time immemorial the asses have been the synonyms of stupidity; when, in fact, they are the most intelligent of all our do mesticated animals, the dog excepted. The good looks of the horse, as in many human entities, have done him great service in the estimation of man. But the ass is greatly his superior in many respects and especially in intelligence, and the mule, being half ass, is also above the horse in mind. Mules have great memories of kindness and abuse, and are sure to show their gratitude or revenge. The elephant, perhaps the most intelligent of animals next to man, has these qualities of the mule. When the mule has been well entertained in travel, in passing he will tu^n in again. And being carried from home is more sure to return than the horse. When the dinner horn sounds many mules will re fuse longer to work, and set their faces homeward. Whilst when he is thirsty he will seek the wa ter in spite of his careless master. As mules and horses get older they learn to open the stable and crib doors, and in this the mule is more ingenious than the horse. It is very dilHcult to construct a latch which they are unable to loose; and I have known them to work for hours in pushing aside the riders of the worm fence, 'then the stakes, and then at last lay it down or jump over. In mountain countries they are cele brated for sure footing, whilst the horse not attending to his work and looking over the wide landscape, loses his balance, and falls with his rider into the dead ly places below. I could give innumerable like instances of the superior thought of the mule over the horse. The speed and beauty of the horse is admitted, but their boasted endurance, pluck and hard bone over thoseof the mule are not warranted by the facts. The structure of the horse ena bles him to keep a high speed lor a long time, which is denied the mule; but the mule will outwear him in his own natu ral gait. His flesh, bones and hide are firmer; he is less liable to extremes of heat and cold than the horse by movement, and consequently is less liable to disease. He eats less and coarser food; his strong jaws allowing him to crush much food impossible to the horse. He loses less by perspiration and renewal of fibre, and with aslower pulse, requires less food for service. And now as to docility, the mule is as do cile as the horse, and more so; obedient and lovely in disposition. For long years I have compelled my employees, os far as possible, to treat my mules as well as all stock with kindness, and the result is, that the best, most patient and reliable animal in the ploughing of the garden and other work is the mule. In Mexico I saw the muleteers turn loose about fifteen or twenty pack mules to the hand, to graze; and after a few hours, each man takes up and packs bis por tion without an angry word or ill motion on the part of either. Hence I say I love these patient, grateful animals; and unkind treatment arouses my utmost indignation. On “old Dock” the mother can pack awhole family, and he seems careful and loving in all his movements; and I was not' surprised to hear one apprecialiue mother say, “I would just as soon let anyone strike my child as ‘old Dock.’ ” I repeat then that the mule is superior to the horse in intelligence, docility, hardiness, gratitude, he eats less and uses inferior food—is less liable to be galled, diseased, eyes lost, limbs broken, foundered, matures earlier, lives longer, needs less grooming, and less shoeing. In the temperate and Southern climes he stands heat better than the horse, and I have no proof that he will not stand cold os well. Long live the mule I C. M. Clay. Whitehall, Ky. Northen’M Dairy farm, A correspondent of the Atlanta Constitution thus describes the dairy farm of our contrib utor, Hon. W. J. Northen, of Hancock county, Ga.: “At int. Zion, lives Mr. W. J. Northen, a distinguished and highly respected gentle man and a former representative of this county. He has this year been experiment ing some in the dairy business, and ex presses himself as believing that there is considerable profit in it. During seven months of the present year Mr Northen has milked an average of seven cows, and has sold one thousand pounds of butter besides using a considerable quantity of cream and butter at home. He now thinks of enlarg ing his business and buying Jerseys. Four, of the cows lie has been milking are half Jerseys; the others are the common cows. A few weeks since Mr. Northen paid $100 for a Jersey calf only six weeks old, and now values it at $500. “There are thousands of acres of unculti vated land lying around Mt. Zion, a good portion of which belongs to Mr. Northen, and he has begun to set the hills in bermuda grass. He now has forty acres in grass and intends to set thirty acres more next spring. This and the cane on his farm will winter his dry cattle, but he will feed his milch cows on peas, oats and wheat bran. The peas and oats he boils before feeding. Mr. Nor then is very particular what he feeds to his milch cows, as much so as he is with his own diet. He has abandoned the use of cotton seed for them, claiming that it makes the butter tough and sticky. Your correspond ent tried some of the butter, and while he does not claim to be an expert in the busi ness, pronounced it the best he ever saw. Mr. Northen bos made arrangements to sell all the butter he can make during the next twelve months at thirty-five cents per pound. There is money in the dairy business, and he is prepared to get it out, and will do it" THE GARNERED CROP. From Ellison A Co’s Annual Review of the Cotton Trade for the Season of 1881-83. Opinions as to ths out-turn of the new American crop differ far less widely this year than they did either twelve months or two years ago in respect of the crops then coming to market. Mlotk last season and the season before, at this time, the prophets were neither so cautious in giving publica tion to their forecasts, nor so moderate in the expression of their views as they are at the present moment. At the opening of both seasons the estimates ranged 5,600,000 and 0,500,000 bales ; and curiously enough, the maximum figure proved correct in one season, and the minimum in the other. This season there is an entile absence of what may be termed small estimates: few authorities looking for less than 0,600,000, while many are expecting 7,000,000, and some as muchias 7,260,000. This season has been very favorable throughout, though not more favorable than that of two years ago up to this date; but unless the area planted is under-estimated it is difficult to see how the crop can reach so large a figure as 7,000,- 000, to say nothing of 7,250,000, though with an open winter it may easily run up to 0,750,- 000, or 6,850,000 bales. PARTICULARS FOR THE LAST EIGHT CROPS. l’er Acres. bales. acre. 1881-82 . 16,851,000 5,435,000 0.322 1880-81 . 16,123,000 6,580,000 0.408 1870-80 . 11,428,000 5,757,000 0.300 1878-70 . 13,202,000 5,073,000 0.381 1877-78 . 12.231,000 4,011,000 0.303 1870-77 . 11,041,000 4,585,000 0.385 1875-76 . 11,745,000 4,667.000 0.307 1874-75 . 10,010,000 3,833,000 0.347 THK MOVEMENTS FOll THE SEASON. 1882-83 1881-82 880-81. Port stocks, Sept. 1 ... 124,000 218,000 141,000 Mills stocks, Sept. 1.... ... 41,000 128,000 01,000 Supply ...6,065.000 5,781.000 0,821,000 American conaump- Export to Cunmla, etc .... 00,000 77,000 62,000 Port stocks, Aug. 31... .... 218,000 124,000 218,000 Mill stocks, Auk. 31.... ... 120,000 41,000 128,000 Total Export to Europe .4,303,000 3A r >3,U00 4,558,’000 Total as above ..0,965,000 5 781,000 6,821,000 It is just possible, therefore, that with a crop of 0,*800,000 bales, Europe may receive less American in 1882-83 than she did in 1880-81, while even with n crop of 7,000,000 she would not get much more than shedidin that season. It is all a matter of price; at Od per pound cotton moves out of sight rapidly; at 7d it disappears slowly for the simple reason that at the lower price consumers of cotton and distributors of goods lay in stocks, while at the higher price they reduce their holdings to the lowest possible compass. It was the Ignoring of this economical truth that led so many people astray last season. THE PBICE AND THE SUPPLY FROM INDIA. Last season the import into Europe was 1.657.000 bales, but this total included at least 100,000 bales kept back out of the pre vious crop owing to the low prices current in April, May and June, 1881. With a large American crop, it is hardly likely that Sur- uts will move to Europe as rapidly this sea son as they did last, especially as they are pretty certain not to enjoy a repetition of the extensive patronages bestowed upon them last winter and spring by American and other speculators. It is not unreason able, therefore, to calculate that at least as much cotton will be kept back os was retain ed the season before last, in which case the import into Europe in 1882-83 will not ex ceed 1,450,000 bales. The most current es timates of the Egyptian crop range between 1.750.000 and 2,250,000 cantars, or from about 250.000 to 320,000 bales of G£0 pound each against 420,000 last season. These figures may have to be changed later on, but at the moment 320,000 bales is by the most compe tent authorities considered ajarge enough estimate of the probable import into Europe for the season. Last season the Brazils sent 400.000 bales against 240,000 in 1880-81, and thisseason it is expected that the supply will reach 500,000 bales. From Smyrna; the West Indies, etc., the imports will probably not vary much from the quantity received last season, 125,000 bales against 111,000 in 1880-81 In cheerless winter take care of your live stock. GRAHN IN KING. Editor Southern World—We hnve re ceived the following postal cards: “I see in The Southern World that you recommend the Johnson grass very highly. I’lease give me a description of the grass, and where I can get the seed; at what price; when to sow it; whether it is eusily eradi cated ; and whether it will do to sow on small grain 7” G. 8. Gregory. , Cross Keys, S. C. “ I havo read your article in Thk Southern World recommending Johnson grass. As I wish to get the grass I write to you for in formation. I do not know whether it is propagated from the roots as Bermuda is, or from seeds. I will take any information as a favor.” A. L. Lewis. Qalivant’s Ferry, 8. C. In order that the information on this sub ject may havo the widest publicity, we ask space in your columns for our reply. The Southern World is now recognized ns the leading agricultural paper in the South. Johnson grass is a local name. A man by the name of William Johnson, once a largo planter in our community, brought the seed here and planted on his place, (adjoining ours,) 14 miles west of Selma, Ala. This planting was done over thirty years ago. From this it derives its name. In tlio report of the Department of Agriculture at Wash ington, for 1878, it is called Sorghum llala- pense. There is a fair description given of it in that report, but not very flattering. If the writer of that report were to visit oursec- tion next June or July and see our fine grass farmsdotted all over the country he will con cur in the opinion of N. B. Moore, of Augus ta, Ga., that it is to be preferred above all other grasses known to him after forty years experience in the different grasses. The report says that this grass will grow from livo to six feet high, which is no exaggeration. It can be propagated either by seeds or by its roots. The roots, after having one season’s growth, will stay ’in the ground all the winter and come up early in the spring from every joint in the root, as there is an eye like on the cane root at every joint. The seed should be sown in spring, either in March or April, and as late as Mny or the middle of J une and one crop mowed off the first year. The land should bo well broke and harrowed. Sow the seed after harrowing and then harrow in lighter brush in. This is our way. Another irf to seed the land in wheat or outs in the fall and cultivate your ground in spring, say April, with a Thomas harrow; sow the grass seed ahead of the harrow. The quantity of seed per acre should not bo less than three fourths of a bushel if you wish to mow hay off the first yeur. It is vory difficult to eradicate, but a great deal too easily done, as it is a pity that it can be done at all,for w by should a man wish an oil well to cease flowing 7 We have been able to cut four crops this year from an old field,and until our Urst frost looked as healthy as a twelve year old ruulo colt that never know what want was. John son grass is strictly a summer growth, very sensitive to cold ; the first frost kills it dead. First-class Johnson grass hay properly cured is preferred to best Timothy in tlio markets where it has been longest used. The lauds best adapted to its growth is rich, stiff land ; creek or river bottoius.is fine for it. Overflows does not injure it if the water docs notstag- nute on it; in such an event the water sours the roots and kills the grass. It will grow on thin lands and no crop ever paid bettor for liberal fertilization than Johnson grass. The demand for the seed has grown steadily for years, ranging from $2,75 to $4,00 per bushel. When you plant grasses do not be afraid of raising too much. If you cannot sell it in bales, sell it condensed in butter or beef, mutton, mules and horses. Sell it to our all-cotton friends for those hard-earned cot ton dollurs, the very things they swap them for every year and will not raise. G. W. & II. C. Randall, Marion Junction, Ala. W. H. Musgrove, of Kansas, made from forty-three cows(nine of them two yearolds,) 1,028 pounds of butter in one mouth, equal to twenty-four pounds of butter per cow. The butter brought $350.80 or thirty five , cents per pound, MARY GAY, a Short-Horn Durham Cow, bred by Robert W. Scott, near Frankfort, Ky. The likeness takon when she was not giving milk. Pedigree and produce in volume 3d, American Short-Horn Herd Book.