FARMERS' REGISTER— RICE IN GEORGIA. 



235 



died by the same power. Required as we are to 

 point out the causes of the depressed state of ag:ri- 

 culture, it would be improper to pass unnoticed the 

 viokitionsof its rights and interests; butourlinuts 

 cempel us to touch but siiglitly on subjects, the 

 fatal consequences of which it would require vo- 

 lumes fully to expose. The most injurious, of such 

 violations of our rights, are the immense indirect 

 taxes levied on agriculture, for the exclusive be- 

 nefit of the paper stock, commercial and manufac- 

 turing interests. Against the existing privdeges 

 and monstrous pretensions of the last, our societies 

 Lave already made a delerniined, and we hope not 

 an ineffectual opposition. JMay such exertions con- 

 tinue, until the great agricultural interest is fully 

 awakened to a sense of its wrongs, which alone is 

 necessary for tlieir removal. The destruction of 

 every fragment of exclusive privilege is demand- 

 ed, not more by the interest of agriculture and the 

 principles of sound political economy, than by tlie 

 sacred rights of property winch alone can offer se- 

 curity for freedojii. 



The commercial interest, (even on the grounds 

 assumed by the advocates of monopoly,) needs no 

 legal privileges, to be prosperous, rich and great. 

 Its natural advantages have made their privileges 

 conferred by government, rather nominal than 

 real, and the few cases in which they have elTect, 

 serve to oppress agriculture and outrage justice, 

 without converting even a tythe of the injury to 

 the benefit of commerce. 



All these oppressions, however, are trivial v. hen 

 compared to the legal privileges conferred on bank- 

 ing. Their defenders are now silent — nothing is 

 now heard of the once boasted blessings which 

 our country was to receive from banks. But 

 though convinced of their evil effects and worse 

 tendencies, we refrain from their destruction, spell- 

 bound, by the stale doctrine that charters are in- 

 violable — that the people once despoiled of a right, 

 are not justified in resuming it. We console our- 

 selves too, under this submission, with the belief 

 that with the profits of banking, the whole system 

 must sink, and that its present state shews its end 

 to be not far distant. This expectation is vaiii ; 

 when robbers are numerous, their dividend of booty 

 must necessarily be small. Tiie present temporary 

 depression of the paper interest offers the strongest 

 proof of its alarming strength ; in this season of 

 its greatest weakness — notwithstanding a loss of 

 both property and character without parallel — al- 

 though universally execrated, — yet it is enabled to 

 retain unimpared its exclusive privileges, and to 

 pay as little regard to the opinion of the people as 

 it has ever done to patriotism, probity or honor. 



It is possible for us to convert our wilderness 

 into a garden, to increase tenfold the products 

 of our field — but if the system of monopolies and 

 exclusive privileges be not overthrown, the in- 

 crease of toil alone will be our share, v. hile the pro- 

 fits must go to augment the wealth and power of 

 chartered corporations and privileged orders. 



CULTURE OF RICE ON TIIE EMBANKED MARSH- 

 ES IN CJEORGIA. 



E-xtractfrom an account of an AirricuUurNt Excursion by the Edi- 

 tor of the S'juthern Agriculturist. 



The mode of cultivating rice in this neighbor- 

 hood will be best luiderstood by giving the prac- 

 tice of one or two of the planters. Wc will here 

 give that oi' Col. Green, who cultivrdes an island 



immediately opposite to Darien,from which it is 

 separated by one of the branches of the Alatama- 

 ha river. These notes w ere furnished us by Col. 

 Green, merely for reference, Imt as we cannot im- 

 prove the account Vvhicli he has himself given, we 

 prefer making use of them as they are, rather than 

 by altering, lose any part. 



' The island on which I plant is known as " Ge- 

 ' ncraVs Island," and contains abouteight hundred 

 ' acres of tide land. I have now under cultivation 

 ' about two hundred and twenty acres. My ne- 

 ' groes are settled on the main, from an impression 

 'that a low damp situation was not as congenial to 

 ' health as a higher and drier site ; and where bet- 

 ' ter water could be procured for use, and, also, 

 ' that there v.ould be nothing risked by gales which 

 ' do at times not only sweep off entire crops, but a 

 ' large portion of the negroes. There is some risk 

 ' to be run in daily crossing the river, and occasion- 

 ' ly nmch exposure to rain ; but of the two haz- 

 ' ards, I prefer the latter. 



' I prepare my land by having large and tight 

 ' banks and tight trunks, and as soon as possible 

 ' thoroughly drain, putting my drains parallel with 

 'each other, at fifty feet apart, from fourteen to 

 'eighteen inches wide, and not less than three feet 

 ' deep. The inequality of the surface is generally 

 ' so great that a drain shallower than that, will not 

 ' dry the lower spots sufficiently. 1 think it im- 

 ' portaut also that the ditches and drains should be 

 ' perfectly straighd, and all stumps and roots per- 

 ' lectly removed so as to present no point on which 

 ' floating trash may hang, otherv^ise barriers will 

 ' soon be formed. When my fields are dried for 

 ' harvesting, they are generally kept dry until again 

 ' planted ; the stubble will die with less cold, and 

 ' more eftectually when kept dry, than if suffered 

 ' to be kept wet or even damp. As soon as the 

 ' stubble will burn, fire is applied to it, and burnt 

 ' as perfectly as possible ; the earlier it is burnt the 

 ' more numerous the birds are likely to collect on 

 ' the fields, and in many instances the ducks also ; 

 ' and pick up what scattered rice may then be left 

 ' on the surface, as it is perfectly exposed. I think 

 ' it best to prohibit the pasturage of the fields to all 

 ' horned cattle and horses. Rice-field butter is cer- 

 ' tainly very fine, but it is purchased at an extra- 

 ' vagant price. The plough is introduced when the 

 ' roots are sufficiently decayed to admit its use, (the 

 ' Freeborn or Dagon plough I find best) and the 

 ' land is as perfectly turned as possible three or four 

 ' inches deep ; by which process, the rice which 

 ' has escaped the birds is so late in getting up that 

 ' it rarely ever overtakes the crop, and your crop 

 ' invariably comes up free from grass. Some short 

 ' time previous to planting, a heavy harrow with 

 ' good iron teeth is passed over the ploughed land 

 ' once or twice, until it is reduced sufficiently fine 

 ' for trenching. I frequently use the trenching 

 ' plough, but prefer the hoe, as it is neater in its 

 'execution; but the plough despatches work ra- 

 ' pidly wlisre you ojien three rows at once. I pre- 

 ' ter my trenches shallow and not exceeding five 

 ' inches wide, and aliout fourteen inches from cen- 

 ' tre to centre. In land thus prepared two bushels 

 'of seed is quite enough to the acre; in land not 

 ' broken up by the hoe or plough^ or on new laud 

 ' that is rough it requires to be planted thicker, say 

 ' two and a half to three bushels per acre. I then 

 ' flow from three to seven days, at first as deep as I 

 ' can, to float the trash which should be taken off 



