213 



b^AKx\il^:US' REGISTER 



[No. 4 



and three quarts— for whicli, being ihe eucceas- 1 

 ful competitor, the society awardotl him the pre- 

 mium of one hundred and fifty bushels of corn. 



y «/;.^^''^'' I Commillcc. 

 E. W. Russiu,. 5 



fValthourville, Oct. 27, 1838. 



Messrs. Editors,— I send you the above cer- 

 tificate, si.nied bv a committee of the Agncullu- 

 ral Society of Liberty County, from which you 

 will perceive that we have turned our aiteni:on 

 to the cultivation ol" corn, an article too long 

 neglected, or deemed only a secondary mieresl by 

 many of our planting friends on the seaboard, 

 from the circumstance no doubt of their eJTorls 

 beins mainly directed to the culture of cotton. 

 This^policy, however, we find has proven illu- 

 sive, an ignis fulints that has led many of our 

 respectable planters (to say the least) into a most 

 unpleasant dilemma, especially during the two 

 past years, when corn could scarcely be procuretl 

 at any price. 



There were fifteen gentlemen enrolled as com- 

 petitors for the prize, several of them having 

 made from filly to seventy-three bushels to the 

 acre. So far as 1 know, eighty-three bushels of 

 corn has never been made before Irom the acre of 

 wround in the lower parls either ol' Georgia or 

 South-Carolina. Dr. McConneirs plantation lies 

 on tide- water, and he selected (or the experiment 

 a piece of high-land, cleared perhaps belore the 

 revolution, and of course much worn, but lor the 

 last five or six years had been planted in cotton, 

 and highly manured. 



The corn (yellow gourd-seed) was planted the 

 lOlh of March, on beds about fourteen inches in 

 width, seven feet from the middle of one bed to 

 tha* of the other, two rows on each bed a toot 

 apart, the stalks also a fool apart on the rows, and 

 set in a zigzag Ibrm. This lelt a clear allev of 

 six feet, and gave 12,600 stalks to the acre. The 

 corn was plouL'hed twice and kept clean with a 

 hoe. I will remark, that about the middle ol 

 June, the beds were entirely covered with oak 

 leaves, to obviate effects of a drought should it 

 happen, but the rains the latter part of that month, 

 and first week in July made the corn. This i.« 

 our first efibrl, next year I liope we may be able 

 to make a better report still of our success. Plan- 

 ters generally, in the lower countries, i trust, will 

 Boon see their real interest in this matter, and 

 learn practically to depend upon themselves lor 

 the start of liie. In conclusion, I would mention 

 that the society awarded to INIr. Win. Dunham 

 the premium of seventy-five dollars as the most 

 Bucccfsful competitor (out of fifteen) for having 

 raised (brty-six bushels and a half of corn on an 

 acre of ground in its natural stale. 



Agricola. 



From llie Genesee Fanner. 

 HAY-RACKS. 



Hay-racks for feeding animals are best when 

 placed in a vertical position, instead of inclining 

 outwards, as in the (ormer case, there is less lia- 

 bility of the hay being wasted, the heads of the 

 animals will not become filled with hay-seed, and 

 their breath will not ascend and render the hay of- 

 fensive. 



From the Soutliern Agriculturist. 

 roui/ruY. 



71/r. Editor,— \\ is much to be regretted that 

 our market during the spring and summer months 

 is so badly supplied witii meals. Every where 

 elfcc these seasons are the best (or the markets; 

 but in Charleston, one can hardly gel any thing 

 palatable to eat. 



This arises from our Hirmers not paying proper 

 nlteniion to iheir poultry. What is sent to mar- 

 ket is so iiili^rior as seldom to be fit lo eai. What 

 numbers of ducks, chickens, and turkeys might 

 be raised (or our market is beyond calculation. I 

 have conversed with many of my neighbors, and 

 they make complaints of the dilficuliy ol raising 

 these— but it appears to me that they misman- 

 age in some way or other. Ducks, I .scarcely 

 ever (ail to raise. ' The great secret in attending 

 them, is lo give them little water when young. 

 These birds being aquatic in their natures, many 

 persons will wonder ai ihis. J?ut such treatment 

 invariably gives them colds ; their wings soon be- 

 gin to droop, and they die o(f in fits. JNly treat- 

 ment of them I will here repeat to you, as given 

 some years since. 



J)ucks, when just hatched, are always inclined 

 to lever, from their pinion wings coming out too 

 I soon. This acts upon them as teething does on 

 1 children. The young ducks should, consequently, 

 ' be kepi (ioin every thing which may have a ten- 

 dency lo create cold in ihem. To prevent this, 

 therelbre, I always allow my young ducks as lit- 

 tle water as possible. In lact, they should only 

 have enough lo allay their ihiist, and should, on 

 no account, be perniiited to play in the water. If 

 ihe person lives near the city, liver and lights 

 should be procured; and these should be boiled 

 and cliopped up fine, and given lo ijie young 

 ducks. Or, il fish, crabs, oysters, or clams, can 

 be procured, these should be given. In case 

 none of these can be got, all the victuals sliould 

 be boiled belore feeding. Boiled potatoes mixed 

 with hominy are also excellent. Half of Uie 

 ducks which are lost, are, because raw (bod is 

 given ihem. 'J'o sum up all in a word — if yon 

 wish lo raise alntost every duck that is hatched, 

 give them little vvaier, and ft?ed ihem on no food 

 which is not boiled. By observing this plan, I 

 raise for market, and for my own table, between 

 two and three hundred ducks every year. 



Turkeys are also (ound difficuli to raise with 

 most persons. 'I'he (allowing treatment will be 

 (bund excellent : When the eggs hatch out, let 

 the hen and chicks be confined in a garden, or 

 any other place where the young ones can sun 

 themselves. Let them be li;d with hominy for 

 two or three days ; then carry ihem to a rail-pen, 

 in a rye, oats, or buck-wheat patch ; confine the 

 hen, and (eed at least three times a day with 

 hominy or small grain. The young ones will soon 

 run about catching insects, and will come to the 

 hen's call. The hen should be thus confined until 

 the turkeys are ahoui half-groion j they will range 

 about, but never without the sound of the moth- 

 er's call. By this plan, we do away with the ne- 

 cessity of haviii<T a turkey-minder. The young 

 ones are not so liable lo injury (rom hawks or ver- 

 min as when they (bilow ihe hen in her rambles 

 over the plantation, nor are they compelled, in 

 keeping up with the hen, to (iuigue themselves 

 more than is good for health. 



