FARMERS' REGISTER. 



179 



is gained by usinu tlie dibble in place of the Iioe. 

 The thinning commences at the second workinir, 

 is continued at the subsequent and completed, by 

 the time the plains are six indies hiijh — one stalk 

 only being left in each hole. Of course each 

 planter endeavors to keep his fields as clear of 

 grass as possible, and hoes as often as he can, 

 which however is seldom more than five times. 

 The crop is usually laid by, from the 20th lo the 

 25th July — but we find tiiat the opinion of some of 

 the best planters, is in liivor of laying it by, by 

 the 1st of July, even iltcuirh it be a iitile grassy ; 

 working it laier, they think, increases the growth 

 and prevents the pods from maturintr. In hoeing 

 some increase ihe size of their beds, uradually, 

 whilst others are careful so to perform this operation 

 that no new surface is exposed, by which they 

 have less grass (o contend with, ns nearly all within 

 germinating distance springs up and is destroyed 

 in the first workings. As soon as from 15 to 20 

 ibs. can be picked, (which is usually by the first 

 week in Seplember.) «iome hands are sent in; no 

 task is given in picking cotton, though they gene- 

 rally average (i-om 90 to 100 I hs. when ttie pods 

 are well open. Tln-ee of Dr. Uavenefs neirmps, 

 last fall, picked in September 13G, 140, and 142lbs. 

 each. The cotton is spread out in the field as it is 

 picked, and the next day on the sraff'old. It is 

 then housed until wanted for the gin, when it is 

 passed through the whipper (o free it from dirt, 

 and this operation is repeated after it is cjinned, to 

 clear it of broken seeds. Some of the planters sort 

 and pick their cotton before it passes through the 

 gin which renders the labor of moling it much 

 less. Generally, however, nothing is done to the 

 cotton until it has been ginned, which operation 

 is mostly done in this parish by the loot gin — on 

 some plantations, in conjunction with Farries'gin 

 worked by horse power, which is considered the 

 best yet used, and gets out from 250 to 300 lbs. per 

 diem. The average product in this parish does 

 not exceed 100 lbs. per acre, except when ma- 

 nured; the averaore on manured land is supposed 

 lobe 150 lbs. Upwards of 250 lbs. Iiave been 

 made on sixty acres. 



We have, in the above, given the outline of tiie 

 culture as practised in this parish, and will now 

 notice a few particulars more in detail. We havo 

 stated that no rotation is Ibllowed, and one of the 

 strongest reasons assigned, (and one not readily 

 got over) is, that the three principal crops (cotton, 

 corn and potatoes) are cultivated in such unequal 

 quantities, that a rotation with these is out of the 

 question, and no other crops at present offer suffi- 

 cient inducements. But although no rotation at 

 present can be established, yet the crops grown 

 on some of the small fields are at times alternated. 

 It has been Ibund that cotton and corn can be 

 cultivated, by the aid of manure, for an indefinite 

 period, on the same soil, without diminution of 

 product, yet potatoes cannot, no matter what 

 quantities of manures may be applied. Corn 

 succeeds, as is well known, adiriirably after pota- 

 toes; but for years it was believed that cotton could 

 not be successfully grown. This, however, was 

 an error which is now happily corrected. It oidv 

 requires, as Major Porcher lias fully ascertained, 

 ihat the ground be bedtled up, very early, (say in 

 January) so that the beds may consolidate, as tlie 

 cause of the cotton's dying appears to be connected 

 with the looseness of the soil ; the more compact 



the bed is the better will be the '• stands," and the 

 sooner it reaches the hard earth under the bed, the 

 sooner will it grow of. Hence the reason foe- 

 small beds. This is directly at variance with the 

 practice pursued on the Sea Islands, but of their 

 culture we hope hereafter to give some interest- 

 ing details, and will not here enter into any com- 

 parison. 



Many experiments were related to us, going to 

 show that corn and cotton may be grown for yeara 

 consecutively on the same field, vvithout deterio- 

 ration or diminution, when proper quantities of 

 manures have been applied ; in lact, that old fields 

 have been actually restored to what is supposed to 

 have been their original iert'iliiy. Several were 

 mentioned to us, but we do not find the quantities 

 of cotton staled but in three instances, one a field 

 at Mexico, (Major Porcher's) which has been 

 cultivated without rest, since 1801, and seldom 

 planted in any other crop than cotton, yielding the 

 last year 176 lbs. per acre. The other is the field 

 ol' Mr. Thomas W. Porcher, already alluded to, 

 which produced 170 lbs. per acre. Dr. Raven- 

 nel's fields, which have been in the culture ol' cot- 

 ton for years, have also materially improved, the 

 averaize, the last year, being 150 lbs. per acre. 

 'I'he manure most relied on, and the only one in 

 fict which has been used in atiy quantities, is the 

 compost, made, as we have already stated, by 

 hauling into the stables, cow, hog and shepp pens, 

 the leaves gathered in the wood's, where they re-_ 

 main until spring and are then carted out. Of 

 this, from 250 to .300 bushel baskets full, are con- 

 sidered sufficient for an acre of cotton. Plaster of 

 Paris has been used with decided efiect by Mr. H, 

 VV. Ruvenel and Mr. S. G. Deveaux, but unfor- 

 tunately the experiments have not been repeated, 

 and were not made with that accuracy which 

 enables us to judge of its relative value. We 

 hope, however, to have the pleasure of giving to 

 our leaders some further experiments with plaster 

 hereafter. Various other manures have been tried ; 

 such as swamp mud. fowl dung, cotton seed, &c. 

 We conversed with no one who had experimented 

 with the first, but understood that it was but little 

 used, it not having been generally Ibund beneficial. 

 Perhaps this has been owing to its having been 

 taken fresh from the swamp, and applied lo the 

 crop. All the experiments we have ever made 

 with swamp mud, went lo prove that it could not 

 be advantageously used unless it had been ex- 

 posed lor some time to the action of the almo- 

 sfihere, or was corrected by the admixture of lime. 

 We would suggest to our friends of St. John's, 

 (especially the upper part, where the soil is so very 

 light,) whether a most excellent imitation of marsh 

 mud, which has been Ibund ofsuch inimenpe bene- 

 fit to the cotton crops of the Sea Islands, could not 

 be made by adding to the mud taken (i-om the 

 swamps, a small quantity of lime or marl and of 

 salt, the latter perhaps in the greatest proportion. 

 We hope some ofthe planters will make some small 

 experiments with a manure thus Ibrmed. The 

 benefit, we think, will not be confined to the 

 productiveness but extend to the quality also. 

 Fowl manure cannot be obtained in any very large 

 quaniiiies, but as very little manures a large 

 space, it is also applied to the cotton and with 

 great ellect. Cotton seed is chiefiy reserved /or 

 ll:e corn. When used for cotton, it creates too 

 luxuriant a growth, and the pnds are late in open- 



