52 South Carolina JlgricuUural Society. [July> 



nutritious properties, constitutes a cheap and effectual instrument 

 of renovation. The practice, therefore, of not giving it back to 

 the land, is attended with consequences than which, if the de- 

 struction of the capacities of the soil were designed, none other 

 would be more speedy and certain in its hostile operation. The 

 plan of passing the cattle pen over the land in the summer months 

 is not unusual. Where the ground is not listed as soon as the pen 

 is removed, the benefits of this mode of improvement must neces- 

 sarily be very inconsiderable. The volatile parts of the dung, 

 comprising nearly all that are of a fertilizing character, are cer- 

 tainly soon dissipated, as the nose, without the aid of science, 

 assures us, and nothing remains but the salts, the amount of which 

 is too meagre to exercise a decided influence on vegetation. All 

 doubts on this subject will quickly disappear if the following ex- 

 periment be tried on two adjoining acres: — let the one be par- 

 tially listed, and the other remain without any part of the sward 

 being removed. The growth of cotton on the former, and the 

 display of fruit, will at once satisfy the most incredulous, that this 

 is by far the preferable mode. Late in the fall when the power 

 of the sun is weak, and complete listings can with impunity be 

 effected, the disparity between the two methods will be much 

 more striking. Akin to this practice, is that of using every 

 means to bring about decomposition in vegetable matter by put- 

 ting it in low spots, where excess of wetness first deprives it of a 

 large portion of its treasures, and then gives it to the air; or of 

 placing it in heaps on the edges of creeks, by which the liquid 

 parts are daily washed away, instead of allowing the process of 

 fermentation to begin and terminate under the soil. When the 

 time arrives for removing the composted manure, the cartings of 

 one day should be buried on the next. W^herever this is done, 

 the enriching ingredients of ten loads will be found equal to about 

 thirteen or fourteen loads that are suffered to lie exposed two 

 weeks in the field. After the removal of the cattle from the pen, 

 to protect the dung heap from the action of the sun, a covering of 

 pine straw, or even a thick layer of bushes, is advisable, if not 

 very necessary. 



The importance of the subject about to be briefly noticed, must 

 plead our apology for introducing it at the conclusion of our la- 

 bors. 



Within three years, other agents than that of human power 

 have been resorted to in separating the seed from cotton. At this 

 time a few planters still depend on the common treadle gin, but 

 the propeller is steam; others use another machine, distinguisha- 

 ble from the foot gin chiefly in the length of the roller, to which 

 steam or horse power is applied. The former produces only 

 about twice the quantity of cotton as the treadle gin wlien the 



