THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



81 



Jersey marshes opposite the city of New York, 

 said (o have been originally inaported from Hol- 

 land, as I believe exist in the world. They were 

 kept there as dairy cows, lor the purpose of sup- 

 plying that city with milk, and had the size and 

 nearly the perfection of form of a snug short-horn, 

 were capital meat well failed, and rather celebrat- 

 ed as deep milkers. This breed I look upon as 

 particularly desirable, they never can injure any 

 thing by goring with the horn, and wanung these 

 excrescences, it takes away of course just po 

 much offal, and, as I think, adds so murh the more 

 to their value. 



Black Galloivays. — These are essentially the 

 same as the reds above described, existing in the 

 Galloways and other districts of Scotland, and the 

 North of England, but perhaps, as a grazing beast 

 of a higher repute, and are brought up and lied in 

 large numbers from Scotland throughout England. 

 I should like to see an importation in a small way 

 into America of this useful race of animals, lor 

 they are active, lively, kind, and quiet in disposi- 

 tion, and superadded to their good qualities ol 

 meal, are fair milkers. I have heard them call- 

 ed Highland, and black cattle, simply, as well as 

 Kyloes, Aberdeens, Angus, Keillor, Humlies, &c. 

 There is also another kind of black cattle with 

 horns, that are something of the same quality as 

 the Galloways of the high bleak hills ol Scotland. 

 The above are all that struck me as peculiarly 

 valuable in British cattle, and in summing up, it 

 will be seen that we already bountifully possess 

 the elements of good husbandry. We now want 

 to be better informed, what animals best suit the 

 soil, food, and climate of particular sections of our 

 wide extended country, and it is to ihis point that 

 I would earnestly solicit the attention of breed- 

 ers in their communications, when treating here- 

 after on this very important and interesting sub- 

 ject. A. B. Allen. 



To the Pres. Ky. State Ag. Soc. 



From the Southern Agrieulluriet. 

 MANURING WITH SALT MARSH GRASS AND 

 MUD, ON THE SKA ISLANDS OF SOUTH CA- 

 ROLINA. 



(Extract from a Report on Sea-Island Cotton.) 



No portion of the state is so abundantly sup- 

 plied with materials for enriching the land as the 

 Sea-Islands. On many of them there is scarcely 

 a plantation of which one or more creeks do not 

 form part of its boundary. The quantity of salt 

 grass, and of mud is therefore inexhaustible. Il 

 these were skilfully used, the complaint of failure 

 in the crop, from sterility of the soil, would sel- 

 dom be heard. Of the former, marsh is not only 

 in every respect superior to the rush, (one of the 

 varieties of the plant of the genus juncus,) but 

 stands pre-eminent as a manure for cotton among 

 vegetable substances. To realize its full value, 

 it should be incorporated with the earth daring the 

 summer months — the earlier the better. After 

 the working of the crop has been completed, a 

 certain number of active men are set lo work 

 with suitable flats or boats. The cuttings of each 

 day are taken to the field on the following day 

 and immediately buried ; or rather a little earth 

 from the tops of the ridges are thrown upon the 

 marsh, which, as the chops with the hoe are not 

 Vol. X.— 11 



made continuously along the entire line of the 

 ridge, but intervals of six or eight inches of sward 

 are left, is by this process only partially covered. 

 The quantity for an acre is twenty piled cart- 

 loads. If the land be very light, only sixteen 

 loads are recommended, as the blue disease, 

 where it is not sparingly used on such grounds, 

 is likely to be generated, of an irregular season. 

 Of course on all soils favorable to the produc- 

 tion of blue cotton, the application of marsh 

 should be carefully avoided. By the rotting of 

 this grass fi-om exposure to the rains and heat of 

 summer, according to the mode of piling it for 

 liiiure use so generally resorted to, one-third of 

 Its nutritious properties is lost by evaporation, and 

 consequently, one-third of the labor and time ex- 

 pended in collecting it — a point which appears to 

 be wholly disregarded by the planter — is uselessly 

 expended. If twenty cart-loads, the amount in 

 general necessary lor one acre, be accurately as- 

 certained but not then listed in, when the usual 

 period for removing them arrives, it will be found, 

 that about twelve loads constitute the entire bulk ; 

 further, that the growth of the crop will show, 

 that the manure is comparatively of an inferior 

 quality. The task in gathering marsh for each 

 laborer per day is three piled cart-loads. With 

 these data, let us compare the actual results of 

 the two practices, of which winter listings is al- 

 most universal. Ten lellows in thirty days'vvill cut 

 but nine hundred loads, which, if buried in sum- 

 mer, will cover forty-five acres of ground. On 

 the other hand, if the operation be postponed until 

 February, the quantity will be reduced to about 

 six hundred loads, or enough only for thirty acres : 

 the gain therefore by the method recommended 

 is equal to the labor of ten men for ten days. 

 Added to this there are incidental advantages 

 worthy of especial notice. At no period is less 

 work done by negroes than during the season for 

 gathering manures. All expedients hitherto 

 adopted to secure a full day's labor have been 

 easily defeated. This plan surmounts the diffi- 

 culty, as far as responsibility and mutual checks 

 can accomplish it. Every day three sets of work- 

 ers are separately engaged in effecting a particu- 

 lar purpose — the burying of a certain amount of 

 marsh in a given quantity of land. The listers 

 look to the carters, and the latter to the cutters. 

 By these means, unless the head cartman, who 

 should be selected for his faithfulness, neglects 

 his duly, one and a half acres daily are well ma- 

 nured. Supposing four carts to be steadily en- 

 gaged in taking away the marsh, and four ordi- 

 nary females in listing it, the expense of fertilizing 

 the six tasks, or one and a half acres, will be the 

 labor of eighteen hands, of whom three may be 

 small boys, and four mules per day. 



The objections to summer listings are, first, that 

 they expose the ground to the action of the sua 

 when its surface should be protected by shade; 

 secondly, that they injure the pasturage; and 

 thirdly, that on very light soils and low lands, 

 where marsh is applied, certain diseases known 

 by the appellations of. " blue" and " flaggy" are 

 liable to be produced. In reference to the first 

 objection, it may be remarked, that the tops of 

 the old beds, from the want of moisture, are 

 usually bare. If the mode of taking from those 

 parts of ihem only a 'small stock of earth in the 

 manner already explained, be rigidly adhered to, 



