528 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



mental laws which regulate the operations of hus- 

 bandry are as necessary to the atrricijltiir'sr, as a 

 scientific isnovvledge ol ihe luinian sysieni and o( 

 materia medica is to the lollowers of the heaiing 

 art. The empiric who iiuhscriminaiely prescribes 

 one or two lavorite noslrums, uieriis tlie contempt 

 of every man who vahies human hie. Yet, the 

 husbandman, who enters the temple of science, 

 the better to qualify him (or the proper discharge 

 of his multilarious and complicated duties, is view- 

 ed as a mid-day dreamer, who seeks lor that, 

 which, if acquired, would only unfit him for his 

 pursuit, by diverting his attention to objects of 

 uncertain and subordinate interest. Althougli we 

 are justly told by one of the profoundest philoso- 

 phers* of any age, that when theoretical know- 

 ledge and practical skill are happily combined in 

 the same person, the intellectual power oi" man 

 appears in its lull perfection, and fits him equally 

 to conduct with a masterly hand the details of 

 ordinary business, and to contend successfully with 

 the untried difficulties of new and perplexing situ- 

 ations — still, it is deeply humiliating to declare, 

 that in the sober judgment of perhaps every agri- 

 cultural conmiunity, theory and practice are anta- 

 gonistic ; — they cannot successfully be united in 

 the same individual. If the vegetable world pos- 

 sesses a living principle — if every species has a 

 regular organization, which requires for its sup- 

 port an incessant supply of food — if each plant 

 has its period of growth, health, disease, decay, 

 and death, is it not certain, that the laws which 

 govern vegetables are fixed and immutable? if 

 so, is an acquaintance with those laws unimpor- 

 tant, especially to him whose province it is to aid 

 nature in replenishing the earth with food ? What 

 information can mere observation impart to the 

 liirraer concerning the composition of his soils and 

 manures? He knows that a particular plant will 

 not thrive upon a certain soil. But why 7 No 

 answer is heard. He scouts Ihe beliefj that the 

 man of science, whose book, it may be, is his sole 

 guide, and who perhaps has never been beyond 

 the purlieus of his city abode, can instruct him in 

 his vocation, and by so doing greatly promote his 

 temporal welfare. Yet the fact is indisputable. 

 A portion of the farm of Sir Joseph Banks was 

 sterile. All his exertions to raise one of the nu- 

 merous crops usually cultivated, failed. A spe- 

 cimen of the soil was put into the hands of a che- 

 mist of London, who readily detected the sulphate 

 of iron. The remedy, carbonate of lime, was ap- 

 plied — and the enemy that had so loner baffled the 

 well directed efl'orts of this distinguished noble- 

 man and agriculturist, ceased longer to assail him. 



All which is respectfully submitted by 



Whitkmarsh ii. Seabrook, 



William JM. Murray, 



G. W. Westcoat, Committee. 



Edisto Island, July \3th, 1840. 



CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE AGRICUL- 

 TURAL SOCIETY OF ST. JOHn's, COLLETON, 

 S. C, AND THE EDITOR. 



To tlie Editor of tlic Farmers' Ri.gistcr. 



Edisto Island, yfugust 26th, 1840. 

 At a late meeting of the " Agricultural Society 



* Stewart. 



of St. John's, Colleton," the following resolution 

 was adopted : 



"Resolved, That the corresponding secretary 

 be directed to address a letter to Mr. RufRu, Edi- 

 tor of the Farmr,-.s' Register, respectlLilly asking 

 whether, if he be the cultivator of cotton, he use9 

 lime as a manure ; whether the beneficial effects 

 are seen the first season ; whether quick or mild 

 lime is preferred, and the quantity of each neces- 

 sary to an acre. Whether used alone, or with 

 compost; and, in fine, that he furnish, if not 

 incompatible with iiis other duties, all the in- 

 formation in relation to calcareous matter, as a 

 manure lor cotton, which it may be important to 

 communicate." 



The attention of the planters of this island haa 

 been called to the consideration of the subject em- 

 braced in the above resolutioti, from the fact, that 

 whilst they have succeeded, by the liberal use of 

 enriching manures, in maintaining the original 

 strength of their lands, they would appear to have 

 failed in preserving in them that principle which 

 is peculiarly adapted to the production of cotton, 

 if we are to judge from the diminished results of 

 each year's labors. Prof. Shepard, in his analysis 

 of the soils of this island, is inclined to the opi- 

 nion, that the "peculiar fertility of the new sea- 

 island cotton land may be owing to the proportion 

 of comminuted shells, natural to such soils, and 

 the deterioration of these lands under long culti- 

 vation, ascribable to the exhaustion of carbonate 

 of lime." If you can communica'e to us any in- 

 formation in relation to this subject, I scarce need 

 assure you that it will be ihankfiiliy received. 



With sentiments of high respect and esteem, I 

 remain yours, &c. 



J. Jenkins Mikell, 



Corres. Sec. 



SiR~In answer to the inquiries which the 

 Agricultural Society of St. John's, Colleton, have 

 recently honored me by making, 1 can offer al- 

 most noihiiig of such particular li^cts and accurate 

 results of comparative experiments, in regard to 

 lime on cotton, as seem to be called for by the re- 

 solution of the society. At a former time I culti- 

 vated cotton, and on a large scale, for so northern 

 a latitude (37'^ 17') and for five years in succes- 

 sion. Still, Ihe culture, as a field crop, was a no- 

 velty in this region, and, to me especially, a matter 

 of experiment, which, after sufficient trial, wag 

 abandot}ed by me, as too little suited to our climate, 

 and still less to good and improving farming. Before 

 I began to cultivate cotton, nearly all my open 

 land had been made calcareous, by marling ; and 

 as the best land of the farm was devoted to cotton, 

 it followed that of all the land cultivated in that 

 crop (varying fi-om 48 to 96 acres yearlv,) there 

 was no part which had not been marled. Of course 

 there were no njcans offered of comparing the re- 

 sults with those of similur land without marl. 

 But I did not deem this deficiency important to 

 myself, inasmuch as I entertained no doubt what- 

 ever of the advantage of calcareous manure to 

 the increase of product of cotton being as great 

 as to that of other crops, which had been more 

 carefully observed. There was another advan- 

 tage peculiar to cotton, which I was as well con- 

 vinced of my receiving the benefit ofj but which 



