276 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



time, there is nothing more objectionable in itself, 

 or more calculated to restrain the communica- 

 tions of others, than an uncourteous, carping 

 critique upon every thing that appears. We 

 know " Investigator" to be a sound, practical, 

 and successful farmer, and we hope still to have 

 the benefit of his experience in the shape of 

 "comments," always presuming that they will 

 be marked by that kind regard for the feelings 

 of others, which we know to be characteristic 

 of the individual 



For the Southern Planter. 

 REPLY TO R. R. 



JSIr. Editor, — In reply to the communication 

 over the signature of "K, R." on "Overseers' 

 Wages," that appeared in your last number, I 

 would say that, in consequence of bad health I 

 have been unable to redeem the promise made 

 in the May number of 1841, over the signature 

 of T. I. P. that in a future communication I 

 would undertake to show more fully " the bad 

 results of giving an overseer an interest in the 

 crop," and am now indebted to the assistance of 

 u un copiste" in sending you this; and instead of 

 having recanted my previous views and opinions 

 concerning the bad practice of giving overseers 

 an interest in the crop, time has only served to 

 confirm me in them. 



The practice of giving overseers a part of the 

 crop was a custom that prevailed thirty years 

 ago, and the errors and consequences of which 

 the improvements of agriculture have tended 

 greatly to expose ; and there are now found 

 comparatively few that cany out this system. 



The late Dr. William Meriweather, of this 

 county, the most scientific and practical farmer 

 of his day, and who was half a century before 

 his cotemporaries in farming, was never known to 

 give an overseer a part of his crop. The con- 

 flicting interest of one } 7 ear with the gradual 

 improvements of the farm for subsequent years, 

 is evident ; and a conscientious employer would 

 find it at once in direct opposition to the interest 

 of the overseer to be engaged in improvements 

 in which he would have no interest. 



I will conclude with saying that I deem the 

 practice altogether inconsistent with any thing 

 like progressive improvement on a farm ; and 

 as you have so ably sustained my views on this 

 subject, I leave you in future to answer any 

 thing that mav be said upon it. 



Yours, &c. T. I. P. 



J3melia } Nov. 1, 1843. 



P. S. — I would state that I have the promise 

 of being put in the possession of the agricul- 

 tural diary of the distinguished farmer men- 

 tioned, (Dr. Meriweather) and will send you, if 



my health permits, some extracts from it from 

 time to time. His fame as a farmer was known 

 all over Virginia. T. I. P. 



We have often heard of Dr. Meriweather and 

 shall be much pleased to receive the extracts 

 from his diary. 



To the Editors of the Louisville Journal: 



Gentlemen, — Having noticed in your paper a 

 call on the farmers to send you their experience 

 of this year in the different branches of farming 

 and of the improvement of the soil, I will pro- 

 ceed to give you mine in the raising and plough- 

 ing under of broadcast corn. We had a field 

 of thirty-seven acres which had previously and 

 the year before been cultivated in corn, and the 

 soil of which required renovating ; and, believ- 

 ing nothing could be sown which would more 

 speedily accomplish the end proposed than broad- 

 cast corn, I proceeded accordingly. The field, 

 previously to being sown, had not been broken 

 up and the old stalks still remained upon the 

 ground. 



About the latter part of April I commenced 

 sowing. Upon thirty acres I sowed two bushels 

 of corn per acre, and upon the remaining seven, 

 three bushels per acre, and ploughed the whole 

 under, old stalks and all, two inches deep. 



It came up and all grew equally until about 

 two feet high, when a marked difference began 

 to present itself, and at the age of maturity that 

 which was sown thick had scarce reached five 

 feet high, whilst the other had attained the 

 height of seven or eight feet. Hence we see, 

 for two reasons, a decided advantage in favor of 

 thin sowing : first, because it requires less corn ; 

 and, secondly, your stalks will grow both larger 

 and taller, and from my own observation I may 

 add that less than two bushels per acre would 

 perhaps be advantageous. And now comes the 

 ploughing under. Finding it impossible, with 

 the aid of a log-chain reaching from the beam 

 of the plough to the end of the double-tree, to 

 turn it under as well as desired, I determined to 

 seek some other mode, and for that purpose 

 knew of nothing better than the roller, which I 

 accordingly procured, and commenced rolling it 

 down by lands of suitable width for the plough 

 to follow. The roller is of such weight that 

 when drawn by two horses it will mash the 

 stalks down flat with the ground, and 1 can un- 

 hesitatingly say that stalks, even ten or twelve 

 feet high, may in this way be completely turned 

 under to the depth of four inches without injury 

 •to the horses. 



Were my only object the rapid improvement 

 of the-soil, within the shortest space of time, I 

 would not seek further or better means than 

 first sowing down thick with rye, which I would 

 plough under just before the time of ripening, 



