FARMERS' REGISTER 



221 



a very small bed, which is gone over and sli(fhtly 

 increaged in size. This gone over again, and ilie 

 bed made of the full size intended. By pursuing 

 this mode, the grass seeds are more eH'eciually 

 buried, and the crop does not require, and ac- 

 tually receives, but one working. The beds are 

 usually l()ur (i^et apart, which is considered pre- 

 ferable to five !t?et, the distance allowed in some 

 neighborhoods. The potatoes are planted through- 

 out, the month of March, and even in the early 

 part of April, according to the season, and state 

 of forvvardnesss of the other crops. 



By a larsre number, the potatoes are planted 

 whole, as it is thought tliat vines may be obtained 

 from them earlier. Oihers cut them, as there is a 

 considerable savinir of seed by so doing. No dif- 

 ference in the product of the cut and uncut has 

 been observed. We. rather think, however, that 

 when an accurate experiment shall be made, ?i dif- 

 (tjrence will be found. If cut, the sets are placed 

 about 8 inches apart on the ised — if uncut, about 

 12 inches. Should the potatoes come up irregu- 

 larly. Dr. Ravenel prefers supplying the vacancy 

 with sprouts taken from the sets which have sent 

 up a number. 



By some only one working is given, and the 

 grass afterwards picked out. Others give two. 

 In each, the bed is hoed down, and immediately 

 hauled up. Some, however, do not haul up lor 

 several days, that the grass may be eHectually 

 killed. Sometimes the plough is used to break 

 up the alley, and which furnishes earth to enlarge 

 the bed. 



As soon as ihey will yield a bushel to the row, 

 (which commonly is about the middle of August) 

 they are dug for allowances for the negroes, which, 

 at this time, is given only in small quantities, for 

 the reasons already stated. They are never har- 

 vested, but left in the field until they are consumed, 

 or destroyed by frost. The great difficulty of pre- 

 serving them, and the almost certainly of losing 

 a large portion, is the cause of their not being dug 

 and put away, as are the slips. We have how- 

 ever seen them, on other plantations, kept until 

 January, (how much later we know not) in pota- 

 to cellars, in which a fire was regularly kindled 

 every day. This served to dry the moisture which, 

 in the form of steam, emanated from them, and to 

 which, principally, is ascribed the injury they sus- 

 tain. They keep very well when left in the beds 

 in which they grow but care must be taken to go 

 over and cover the tops of the beds with a little 

 earth, or those near the surface will get frost bitten, 

 and of course rot. From 100 to 150 bushels is the 

 usual average crop from unmanured land per acre, 

 — from 3 to 500 from manured. The ground in- 

 tended lor slips, is commonly sown down with oats, 

 which are highly manured with either compost or 

 cotton seed — the latter in the quantities: of from 

 12 to 16 quarts to the row of 150l(:'et. When com- 

 post is used. Dr. Ravenel trenches the ground 

 deep, sows the oats, and fills the trench xvith the 

 manure and a little earth, burying them about 9 

 inches deep, through which ihey shoot and grow 

 finely, and sufier less from drouaht than when 

 sown above the manure. This deep planting is 

 not, however, generally followed. From oats cul- 

 tivated in this manner, he obtains an average .)l 

 30 bushels per acre. When the oats are harvest- 

 ed, the ground is listed and bedded, as for roots, 

 (but no manure is applied,) and as soon as the 



vines have crrown long enough, and there is rain, 

 the crop of slips is planted, using three vines, 

 f)Iaced along the bed and banked at short intervals. 



It is usual to hoe them twice, when the vines 

 v/ill have covered the beds, and render all further 

 working unnecessary. Early in November, if the 

 weather be very cool and frosts threaten, they are 

 dug and put away, either in cellars, made with 

 pine puncheons, (such as are common all over the 

 country) or in hills, covered with corn stalks, pine 

 straw and earth. The latter at first only in small 

 quantities, which is increased gradually as cold 

 weather sets in. 



We have thus given a hasty sketch of the ma- 

 nagement of the three principal crops grown in 

 Middle and Upper St. John's. Their rural and 

 domestic economy, as well as their management 

 of negroes, and various other topics, connected 

 with the business of a plantation, we will at pre- 

 sent refrain from noticing, as it is probable we may 

 pass through the parish on some of our proposed 

 excursions, and we will be enabled to gain further 

 information, and furnish a more interesting report 

 than we can now possibly give. 



OUGHT RICH OR POOR LAND TO HAVE THE 

 GREATER NUMBER OF STALKS OF CORN 

 LEFT TO GROW? 



Our practical readers will " stare a little'' at the 

 above question being even stated. Certainly we 

 thought we were sufficiently informed and expe- 

 rienced on this particular point in cultivating corn, 

 and it never had entered our imagination that 

 there could be even a doubt on the subject, much 

 less that any one could advocate that corn should 

 be planted thicker on poor land than on rich. But 

 we now learn that the universal rule for Virginia 

 and the south is not universal in Massachusetts ; 

 and that not only is there a question on this point, 

 but that our brother editor of the ' Boston Cultiva- 

 tor' (and who is a practical and experienced culti- 

 vator himself) is as much surprised at the one side 

 of this question being maintained, as we were at 

 his support of the other. The following extract 

 is from his report of one of the " Farmers' Meet- 

 ings," which are regularly held in Boston, for dis- 

 cussion, and the diffusion of information. 



"At our meeting on the 28th February, we re- 

 ported Mr. C. as accounting lor the thick planting 

 of Mr. E. H. Derby's corn on the principle that, 

 the richer the land is, the nearer the stalks may 

 stand to each other! On all other points, we co- 

 incided with Mr. C. and highly approved of his 

 modes of cultivation in general. Bm we did 

 stare a little at this new rule of placing stalks on 

 rich land— that is, large stalks— nearer together 

 than we would place small ones.' 



We do not think it necessary to discuss this 

 question, and merely lay it before oiir southern 

 readers for its noveliv and singnlariiy. 



