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STATIONARY FARMING.—Our correspondent in Douglas County,. 
Georgia, reports that the 1st of January, 1873, finds most of the farmers 
in that section where they were on the Ist of January, 1872. After 
paying for fertilizers, belp, and provisions, they have little or nothing 
left for the pocket or to pay debts with. 
FERTILIZERS FOR TOBACCO.—Mr. James M. Crafts, of Whately, 
Franklin County, Massachusetts, sends to this Department the following 
interesting account of the extensive use of manures and other fertilizers, 
and of the manner of applying them in raising tobacco in that section: 
Tam one of a company of five persons who, in the last two years, have bought and 
shipped from Whitehall, New York, over 80 car-loads of horse-manure. Other parties 
have bought fully as much in Middlebury, Rutland, Montpelier, and Saint Johnsbury, 
Vermont. The cost at our station has averaged about $10 per cord. Other parties 
have bought manure from the East Albany cattle-yards—perhaps 50 car-loads in less 
than two years—all of which, I think, has been sheep-dung. Others have been to New 
Haven, Connecticut, and still others to Boston and Cambridge; and now two of our 
farmers have been to Canada and bought 25 car-loads. A car-load of horse-manure con- 
tains about 7 cords, perhaps 6} on the average. This is generally obtained from livery- 
stables. That from Whitehall, New York, is from stables where canal horses and mules 
are kept. These are fed highly with grain,and the manure is very valuable. It is 
used on tobacco lands at the rate of about 10 cords to the acre. Probably there is no 
other species of manure which affords in such abundance all the elements of tobacco. 
It is rich in potash, phosphoric acid, magnesia, &c. 
I will add a word about our mode of applying manure to tobacco. If, after spread- 
ing broadcast, we plow it under,\the plowing is very shallow—not more than 5 or 6 
inches deep. But as a rule we prefer to allow the manure to ferment and become fine, 
then spread it even and work it in upon the plowed surface with the gang-plow or 
with one of the wheel pulverizing-harrows; and we like the kind that is attached to a 
straight piece of. plank with a tongue and seat. We would like to go oyer the ground 
as many as eight times with it; in fact we generally do go, say, four times one 
way and as many the other, finding our pay for the extra labor in the fineness of the 
soil. We are doing this work more thoroughly than we used to, and think we are well 
paid for it. We next fit the hills by ridging the land 3} feet apart and the hills 2 feet. 
Under this course we have found that we do not get much advantage from the use of 
superphosphates in the hill. 
Some have tried experiments by using wheat-shorts as a fertilizer for tobacco, at the 
rate of 3 tons to the acre. A member of our club raised an acre of tobacco with shorts 
as a fertilizer, and the crop was a good one, estimated at 1,800 pounds. On another 
piece he tried Indian meal at the same rate with not nearly as good results. On 4 acres 
he used 800 pounds of shorts and 100 to 150 pounds.of superphosphate strewed (after 
marking) on the marks, and then ridged so that the hills were made over the shorts 
and superphosphate. This gave him the best tobacco he ever grew, though he had 
used, by working in on the plowed surface, about 8 cords of manure and 800 pounds of 
Peruvian guano to the acre. - 
IMPROVIDEN'T HABITS OF THE FREEDMEN.—A casual correspondent 
writing from Morehouse Parish, Louisiana, says: 
preparing the middle or the latter part of February; in July and August there was 
little or nothing to do in the field; he finished gathering about the Ist of November, 
making 300 bushels of corn, and 15 bales of middling cotton, worth 19 cents—clearing 
about $1,300. Considering loss of time for Saturdays, (which are regularly kept for 
holidays,) and rainy weather, you will see that this crop was made and put on the 
market in about four months of working time. Can any other crop beat that? He 
works for two-thirds of the corn and three-fourths of the cotton; that is, we receive 
one-third,and one-fourth for rent, which pays us about $14 per acre when well worked, 
as in the above case. But nearly all the others, who have rented on the same terms, ° 
have failed to make money, either for themselves or us; in fact, the only full erdps, 
outside of the above, have been made under my own supervision, where they had to 
do as I said. 
