EXPERIMENTS IN MANURING COTTON. 73 



and uniformly throughout all the soil. The consequence is, 

 that however rich the manure may be in alkaline matter, its 

 thorough incorporation with the soil, so quickly and effectively 

 dilutes it, as to render it entirely inoxuous to young cotton. 

 There was no part of the experiment that gave me so much 

 satisfaction as this. Every planter knows the value of a first, 

 uniform and perfect stand. I use the term perfect, because 

 by the use of the spacer, I approximate nearer a perfect stand 

 than it is possible to accomplish by any other process. 



From the interest and close attention bestowed upon this 

 subject in all its various relations, the season had not expired 

 before I clearly saw as I then thought, and as subsequent 

 experiment has and still is demonstrating, a grand system of 

 plantation economy, destined to revolutionize entirely the petty 

 land-wasting customs of the country. You nor I, my very 

 dear sir, may never live to see the day when that very last 

 man shall cease to lay his cotton-rows up one hill and down 

 the other, thus draining off the vitality of his land every three 

 to three and a-half feet, to the depth of his puny plough, or to 

 waste the sure means of keeping up the fertility of his fields, 

 by feeding his stock in the public roads, or on the branch-side ; 

 but, with the lights of science and experience before us, wisdom 

 clearly points out the course which it is our duty to pursue 

 while we do live, from a three-fold binding consideration : 

 first, our individual interest ; then the true interest of our 

 country ; and, lastly, the obligation we are under to the true 

 interests of our children, to use diligently every means in our 

 power, to inform ourselves and the public mind as to the most 

 economical modes of plantation economy. I have no patience 

 with the inactive, inoperative friendship for agricultural im- 

 provement, of those clever gentlemen who tell me continually : 

 Sir, your systems are beautiful, your exertions are praise- 

 worthy, all your manure and manure-making, with your grade- 

 4 



