274 



GENESEE FARMER. 



Dec. 



Southern Agriculture. 



The writer has long desired to study the art 

 of Husbandry as practiced by the best farmers in 

 every State of the Union. He now rejoices in 

 an opportunity of learning what he may from the 

 experience and practice of Southern planters, 

 As at the North, very few make pretensions to a 

 knowledge of Agricultural Chemistry, Geology, 

 and the kindred sciences, which shed a flood of 

 light on all rural operations. I find, however, a 

 large number of observing, intelligent men, from 

 whom I learn many interesting facts relating to 

 tillage, and the organization of the most useful 

 plants. In the north-western part of South Car- 

 olina good farmers grow winter wheat after this 

 fashion : 



The crop follows one of corn, which is plant- 

 ed in rows five feet apart. The ears are picked 

 and hauled in a big wagon to some convenient 

 place to be husked or " shucked." A plow, 

 with no other working part than a coulter, is 

 run two or three times through each row of corn, 

 to tear it up by the roots. The large, long plants, 

 including roots, stems, and leaves, are evenly 

 spread with the butts all one way, like a winrow 

 of brushwood made of small trees. The center 

 between the rows of corn is first laid and covered 

 with the plow, and so on till a bed is formed a 

 little over four feet wide. On this bed wheat is 

 sown and harrowed in without crossing the beds, 

 and rolled in the same direction as plowed. The 

 water course between the beds is cleared with 

 the hoe, if needed. As heavy rains fall here in 

 winter, it is highly important to provide for its 

 easy escape. Wheat is often badly injured by 

 the heaving of the earth from frost. 



As an improvement on the above system of 

 culture, (which gives from 12 to 20 bushels per 

 acre,) I have recommended the application of 5 

 bushels of ashes, 5 of lime, and one of salt, per 

 acre, to be scattered over the stalks before they 

 are covered. 



I find a good many farmers waiting now (7th 

 November) for rain before they sow wheat. It 

 is exceedingly dry in all this region (Augusta, 

 Ga.) The thermometer in a cool brick store, on 

 the first floor, ranges between 64 and 70 degrees. 

 I own myself the wiser for learnig that the 

 best crops of barley and oats are made in this 

 latitude and climate by seeding in the fall. I 

 have seen several fields of barley now up, and 

 soon to yield a good bite for winter feed, and to 

 be harvested the last of May. Peas are not put into 

 the ground till spring; and often after wheat, oats 

 and barley are harvested, and on the same land. 

 I have seen a few acres of clover, but so far 

 south as Augusta, it needs a good deal of nursing 

 to make it live. I shall take another opportuni- 

 ty to speak of Southern grasses. 



If the "cow pea" will do as well at the north 

 as it does here when planted with corn (after the 



corn is up and plowed out,) its culture will be 

 profitable. I do not think that its growth with 

 corn injures materially the yield of the latter, 

 while the quantity of peas harvested is large — 

 say from ten to twenty bushels on good, strong 

 land. This plant, as has been well remarked, is 

 the clover of the South. It can be made to ren- 

 der invaluable service in the way of fertilizing 

 poor lands. 



The recent disastrous and extensive failures of 

 commercial houses in London and Liverpool, 

 have knocked down the price of cotton some 

 three cents a pound. Its influence on dealers 

 and planters in this region, can easily be imag- 

 ined. Agriculturists begin to see as well as feel 

 the importance of growing wool, of making far 

 more beef, pork, butter, cheese, and grain than 

 they now do. So far as I can learn, there is but 

 one farmer in all Georgia who makes a pound of 

 cheese. He is from New Jersey, and is literal- 

 ly coining money by selling all he makes at 

 15 to 18 cents a pound. In this small city, 

 around which cows can be kept about as cheaply 

 as in Western New York, milk is selling at ten 

 cents a quart. Good cabbage at from 15 to 30 

 cents a head ; they are brought from North 

 Carolina and New England. Northern potatoes 

 are selling at $'3.00 a barrel ; apples the same. 

 Northern butter is worth from 25 to 30 cts. per 

 lb. by the firkin. All the northern portion of 

 Georgia is admirably adapted to the dairy busi- 

 ness, stock, and wool growing. I shall have 

 more to say of its capabilities after I have explor- 

 ed the region which lies several hundred miles 

 at the base or southern declivity of the Alleghany 

 mountains. It sends fine beef to this market, as 

 well as pork and mutton. 



The distance from this city to Charleston is 

 136 miles by a good railroad ; to Savannah by 

 the river and steamboats, it is about 200. Ordi- 

 nary freights to New York are about 50 cents 

 per 100 pounds. Augusta is at the head of nav- 

 igation on the Savannah, there being rapids just 

 above ; although small boats of 20 tons bring 

 down cotton many miles. This is a great mar- 

 ket for this staple. Some of the ware-houses 

 here cover an acre and a half of ground. The 

 crop is far from being all gathered at this time. 

 The average yield per acre is probably not more 

 than 300 lbs. clean cotton. No crop varies more 

 in its producf. D. L. 



Fattening Poultry. — It is asserted in the 

 "Transactions of the Society of Arts," that there 

 is a great advantage in fattening geese, turkeys, 

 and in short, fowls of every discription, on pota- 

 toes mixed with meal. On this diet they are 

 said to fatten in less than one-half the time ordi- 

 narily required to bring them to the same condi- 

 tion of " excellence," on any kind of corn, or 

 even on meal itself. The potatoes must be boil- 

 ed and mashed fine while they are hot, and the 

 meal added, just before the food is to be presented. 



