636 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



foreign j>orta. The inspections in Virginia 58,000, 

 of which the foreisn export of the year ending 1st 

 instant, was 27,400, and about 8,000 hhds. ruore 

 will be exported this month. Although the crop 

 •was unui?ually large, the previous one having 

 been on the oilier extreme, ielt all markets bare, 

 and prices are consequently supported. 



The crop ofcottou (of 1839) is stated at 2.178,- 

 000 bides, to which may be added about 37,000, 

 manuCaclured in the western and southern stales 

 and not included in the staternen!. Of this, 

 1,880,000 were exported to Europe, and about 

 333,000 manufactured in the United Slates. 



The weather during this and part ofthe preced- 

 ing rnonih has generally been favorable, and this 

 may counteract to some extent the injury by pre- 

 vious excess of rain and by caterpillars. If, how- 

 ever, the present severe frost, (October 26,) the 

 first we have had, extends to Alabama and Lou- 

 isiana, it may diminish the product materially: 

 but afier so large a crop as the last (800,000 bales 

 more than that of 1838,) there can be nodeliciency 

 of supply, even should I he present be a small one. 

 The picking season, as yet, has been entirely favor- 

 able and the quality is good. Price of new in Pe- 

 tersburg 9^, in Charleston Sh 'o 9f, in Mobile 

 8 to lOi, in New Orleans 8 to 11, (not including 

 the lowest (lualilies.) and with a tendency to de- 

 cline in all these markets. 



Supplies of wheat in Richmond and Petersburg 

 continue very limited, and prices 3 to 5 per cent, 

 higher than those of Baltimore, Philadelphia and 

 >I«iv York, where quotations are 90 to 10-5. 



Tiie quantity of flour and grain cleared at Buf- 

 falo and Black Rock for the Erie canal lo 1st Octo- 

 ber, in the last lour years is thus stated : 



38.37, 60,000 bb!s. flour, 341,600 bushels wheat. 



1S33, 157,000 " " 492,000 " " 



1839. 200,000 " " 606,000 " " 



1840, 528,000 " " 694.000 " " 



And this is exclusive of the vast quantity pro- 

 duced in the extensive and fertile country east of 

 Butialo, and of the large shipments, from ports on 

 The lakes, direct to Canada. 



The export of flour and grain to England has 

 nearly ceased, the present rale of duty amounting 

 lo prohibition. 



Indian corn 45 to 43 cents. No sales yet of new 

 crop. 



Arrangements nxe certainly made by the banks 

 of Philadelphia f!)r the resumption of specie pay- 

 ments on 15th .January, and consequently those 

 of Maryland and Virginia will resume about the 

 same time. X. 



October 26. 



rCOTES OF AOniCLLTnUAL PRACTICES ON TIIK 

 GUKAT PKIiiDEE; S. C. 



Kxtract from tlie SoHthevn Caliincf. 

 Having given a general survey of this section 

 of country, we will now enter somewhat more into 

 ■tietails. "'Fhe systems pursued by those who cul- 

 rivate the swamp-lands are similar ; as well as 

 by those who cultivate the high land. There are 

 differences in the details ; but we can only mention 

 a ftw, as we proceed on, for it would occupy too 

 niuch of our limited space lo enter into particulars. 

 Vv'e shall select Col. VVilliame' plantation on the 

 Gr<?:\t Peedee, as illustrating the practices of the 

 pd-anters on the river-swamp lan(i«, and that of 



Gen. Gillespie's, that of (he up-lands. We will 

 commence vviih Col. Williams', wfiich was ihe first 

 we visited, and with Ihe details of the manage- 

 ment ot"which, wj became better acquainted than 

 with that of any other. 



'i'he soil of ilie river-swamp plantations we have 

 already described. It is generally what may be 

 called a sandy loam, becoming a clayey loam as 

 you approach Ihe fiigh-lands. There arc s|)ols of 

 clay, and sandy ridges, but these are not frequent. 

 By iiir the largest portion is a fine black friable soil, 

 about six inches deep, resting on a clayey sub- 

 stratum. The principal crops cultivated are cotton 

 and corn — potatoes only m very small quanliiies ; 

 rye for early pasturage, and oats principally for 

 turning tmder as manure. 



Coiton, prcparallim ofthe land for, and culture 

 of. — About one-half of the land intended for cotton 

 is manured with compost taken from the cattle- 

 pens, stables, &c. The balance required to make 

 out the quantity needed, is taken from newly clear- 

 ed grounds, or fields which have been rested one 

 year, and the growlh turned under, or which have 

 been manured by the turning under of a croj) of 

 green oats. The oats sown for this purpose are 

 pui in, in ihe moiuhs of October and November, 

 at the rate of one bushel and a half per acre, and 

 the ground thrown itito ridges ol the width intend- 

 ed for coiton the succeeding year. By this opera- 

 tion the oats are covered. In Jul}', (or as soon 

 after, as other work necessary to be done will per- 

 mit, sometimes not until late in August,) ihe oats 

 are turned under, reversing the ridges, and bury- 

 ing them completely. In the spring lljllowing 

 the ri<lges are again reversed, (at which time the 

 oats are found to have entirely rotted,) and the 

 beds lijrmed. Occasionally, manure is used in 

 addition !o the green crop turned under, but this 

 is not often done. When the oafs are turned un- 

 der laie, ifie seeds having matured, there is ano- 

 ther growth of oats, which, with the weeds, Ibrm 

 sometimes a pretty thick coating, all of which is of 

 course turned under, or, as is sometimes ihe case, 

 listed down previous lo reversing the beds. When 

 the fields have been rested, all the growth, which 

 is considerable, (for no cattle are permitted to pas- 

 ture on them,) is listed under as early in Ihe full 

 as practicable. If not done early it is preferred 

 to turn it all under with the plough, so as to mix it 

 more intimately with the soil. Gypsum has also 

 been tried with decided success, the seeds merely 

 wetted, rolled in it, and planted. 



Those fields which the year previous were in 

 coiton, and which it is intendeil to plant airain with 

 the same crop, are prepared by ruiming a mouM 

 board plough twice in the centre of the alleys and 

 forming as deep a furrow as possible, the bull- 

 tongue follows breaking up the soil still deeper. 

 Tliesc furrows are then filled with manure fioni 

 the various pens. The beds are formed by Ihe 

 plough and dressed over with the hoe. The 

 trenching plough (already described) is rim on the 

 lop of the beds, making them smooth and forming 

 the trenches, into which the seeds are scailered 

 ; at the rate of two bushels per acre, and covered 

 by Ihe horse-rake. The beds are formed from 

 four lo six feel apart, and very wide at the base, 

 nearly meeting in the alleys. 



The first working is done with the hoes going 

 over and lightly shaving down the beds. This 

 also makes them smooth and prepares ihem for 

 the second operation, which is with the "scraper." 

 The cotton is thinned at the first working, leaving 



