)98 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



ffrain to kill a wolf; hut as it is more easily ohtain- 

 ed, I will describe ihe method ol' exiiaciing the 

 elrychnine I'rom it. 



Boil lour pounds of the nut in two (rallons ol 

 water as long as possible without burning ; strain 

 and evaporate to the consistence ofrnolasses ; add 

 lime enough lo saturate the acid, and set the 

 strychnine Tree ; dissolve this last in alcohol, and 

 evaporilie till the salt is crystallized. In this man- 

 ner the poison may be obtained vviih very little 

 cost, but such as consider this process rather trou- 

 blesome, can send to some wholesale druggist 

 where a tolerable article can be had for three dol- 

 lars per drachm of 60 grains. It may be kept 

 any length of time, and is not injured by ex- 

 posure to the air. 



I will now close, by stating my conviction, 

 that should but 60 grains be purchased and 

 properly used, by each town in VViskonsin and 

 fllinois the ensuing winter, sheep might be pas- 

 tured in the thickest woods, without risk, the Ibl- 

 lowinf summer. J. Macnish, M. D. 



From the Southern Agriculturist. 



RKPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE BARN- 

 WELL, AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, ON THE 

 CULTURE OF COTTON. 



Read at their annual meeting, on 11th November, 1840. 



In reporting on the cultivation of cotton, the 

 great difficulty wiih the committee, has been to de- 

 termine what topics to exclude, so as to he as brief 

 as is requisite for the occasion. To discuss, at 

 largethe different qualities o( soil, best adapted 

 to this plant — the various methods oC preparing 

 the land, and plantiuff — the working, gathering, 

 and preparing lor market — the making and apply- 

 ing manures — the rotation of crops, raisincr stock, 

 and manatrement of nesroes — all of which miijht 

 be embraced, as intimately connected with the 

 subject — would be more fatiguing than improving. 

 The committee prefer 10 touch only here and there, 

 upon these topics, and at the risk of appearing 

 somewhat desultory and unconnected, will refrain 

 from a full and systematic investigation. 



It must be premised, that there are two very 

 different plans of applying labor to the culture of 

 cotton, both of which are followed successfully, as 

 is supposed, in our district. These may be called 

 the upper and lowercountry system, from the sec- 

 tions in which they originated, and are in general 

 use. The one goes upon the principle of econo- 

 mizing labor, by applying animal power, and 

 developing the full resources of the soil : and 

 where provisions are easily made, and land 

 abundant, it has been found to woik well. The 

 other dispenses, as much as possible, with animal 

 power, economizes in provision, and husbands for 

 a future generation the vigor of the soil — or aims 

 to do it. Both include manurintr, as much as can 

 be done conveniently, but more is propably done 

 by planters who adopt the latter. That more cot- 

 ion is made by the up country plan, experience 

 has demonstrated beyond question, in both sec- 

 tions : whetherit is made more cheaply, and (what 

 is niosi important,) brings more clear money to 

 the pocket ol the planter, depends so much upon 

 til'- pariicuirir circu islnnres of each individual 



proprietor — the character and extent of hia land — 

 the adaptation of the climate to provision crops — 

 the number and training of his laborers — and hia 

 own tasiesand habits, that it is almost impossible 

 (or any general rule lo be laid down. One of 

 your coaimittee has used and discontinued the 

 lower-country system, the other has done the 

 same with the up-country one. Perhaps it is 

 worth the while of every individual, to make the 

 same experiment once in his life, and we recom- 

 mend it particularly to all, who are unsuccesstijl 

 under their present system, whichever it may be. 



Your committee agree, that with any kind of 

 culture ttie mulatto pine-land, (as it is commonly 

 called,) with a clay bottom, is the best in our sec- 

 tion of country, for cotton, or perhaps any thing 

 else. The Indians, even, seemed to have agreed 

 on this ; for most of the Indian old fields, are of 

 this kind of land. It has been lately analyzed by 

 Professor Shepard, at the request of the Agricul- 

 tural Society of St. John's, Colleton, and found to 

 contain a large comparative proportion of carbo- 

 nate of lime Iroin which, no doubt, its fertility in a 

 great measure, results. The clay bottom to this, 

 and all ottier land, is certainly an advantage, as it 

 assists in preserving the salts of manure, and to 

 keep up, in ordinary seasons, a due degree ofmoist- 

 ure. In very wet ones, such as this, however, it 

 retains too much lor Ihe light soil above, and in 

 very dry one?, such as the last, it seems to arrest 

 the moisture which might otherwise arise from 

 the depths of the earth. This land and any land, 

 is better lor cotton, when a little undulating. The 

 sun. the great chemical agent in vegetation, has 

 then more efiect on it. 



The ground cannot be too well prepared for 

 cotton. If it has rested one year, it should be bro- 

 ken flush, as early in the previous fall as possible, 

 and bedded just before planting. If it has rested 

 two years, or been plan'ed the preceding year, let 

 it be listed, as early as it can be done, and two 

 lijrrows thrown upon the list. Immediately upon 

 planting let two more furrows be thrown up, and 

 the balk broken out completely. The common 

 method ol running three furrows, and planting on 

 it, throws the winter's portion of the crop-work 

 upon the laborer, during crop time, and is inex- 

 cusable, unless heavy clearings are absolutely re- 

 quired. The reason for not listing after one year's 

 rest is, that the vegetable matter will be too 

 abundant, and too coarse to form a substratum to 

 receive the tap-root. 



Cotton should be planted early. It may increase 

 the difficulty of getting a stand, and give the plant 

 for a long time, a puny appearance, but every 

 stalk of cotton, planted in March, or the first week 

 in April, that survives, may be readily distinguish- 

 ed, in any field that has been replanted later. It 

 bears more, and earlier, and stands all the vicissi- 

 tudes of June, July, and August, better. There 

 are several methods of planting. Your commit- 

 tee recommend planting in spots, regularly mea- 

 sured bv the hand dibble. It is somewhat tedious, 

 though less so than generally supposed, and cer- 

 tainly does not take as much time as both to drill 

 and chop out ; nor is lime so valuable at that pe- 

 riod, as when the latter operation is required, 

 while a better and more regular stands may be 

 secured. There is no land, or but little in our dis- 

 trict, in which coiton rows should be over three 

 feet apart, or the coiton further than Iburteen in- 



