662 [Assembly 



around my trees. I used salt from packing houses, for I am an econo- 

 mist, but this salt contained also a considerable quantity of saltpetre. 

 This dressing killed three out of four of my young plum trees, but 

 the old trees, which have heretofore always dropped their fruit, now 

 promise to mature a portion of their plums. So, hereafter we shall 

 use salt, but not saltpetre 



Chairman. We shall be happy to hear Senator Lewis, of Alabama, 

 on agricultural subjects as particularly relate to our Southern country. 



Hon. Dixon H. Lewis. I am not prepared to make a speech, but 

 will make a few remarks. I like deep ploughing, especially for corn- 

 I have raised corn for twenty years on a deep black soil on my plan" 

 tation. I used to get from 50 to 70 bushels an acre, but at last it 

 ran down to 30 to 45 bushels. My ploughing had been always 

 shallow, not more than five inches. I sent to the Northern States 

 for Prouty's ploughs j with them I ploughed from 9 to 12 inches 

 deep, and subsoiled also, so that I tilled to the depth of 16 inches. 

 Prouty's ploughs threw up 7 inches of the soil never stirred before; 

 it was new soil. I used three horses to one of those ploughs. I go6 

 the best crop of corn off this land to be found in a great distance 

 around me. Corn brings us twenty-five cents, thirty-one or fifty. I 

 am satisfied with forty cents a bushel I prefer raising corn at twenty 

 five cents a bushel to growing cotton at six cents a pound. Deep 

 ploughing answers well for cotton, in one respect; if the soil be 

 liable to wet, it drains it, and renders a benefit to the cotton plant. 

 This plant has a tap root which runs down two feet and more. This- 

 root in some soils is apt to rot. A clay subsoil seems best for this tap 

 root. There are peculiar qualities of land adapted to the growth of 

 cotton, which are well known to our experienced planters. Agri- 

 cultural chemistry is important to us; I am much pleased with Peiz- 

 holdt on this point. It would be a very valuable service rendered to 

 Southern agriculturists, to have a perfect chemical analysis made of 

 the cotton plant in all its parts; by that we might learn what is 

 necessary to return to the soil. We want the principles. Our cotton 

 seed constitutes a very important manure. It contains much oil. 

 Perhaps that may be found unnecessary in the soil, since the elements 

 constituting the oil are derived wholly from the atmosphere. I am 

 going to see Bogardus on the subject of a mill proper, for the 

 pressing out this oil. If we can take out the oil from the seed, and 

 if the balance of the seed answers for manure, we shall gain a great 

 deal. I do not pretend to be a chemist, I am a sort of popular 

 chemist. We know that the chemists have discovered that a huge 



