218 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER . 



the place of Mr. G. W. Shaw, in Needham. 

 The soil was a light, sandy loam, that had be- 

 come so exhausted that it produced little else 

 than sorrel, as was there shown by adjacent 

 lands. So small was the produce, that the per- 

 son who sold the land and had a claim to its 

 use one year more, was willing to relinquish his 

 claim to four acres for three dollars. 



Last spring the land was ploughed and har- 

 rowed, then half an acre for corn was manured 

 with two bushels of salt, two casks lime, and 

 the ashes from one ton of coal, mixed with six 

 or seven cords of loam, taken from a ridge, 

 where a wall had been removed. On one side 

 the wall, the headlands had been thrown, and 

 on the other, some little loam from the side of 

 the road. 



The salt and lime were refuse ; the former 

 cost twenty cents per bushel, and the latter se- 

 venty-five cents per cask. The ashes and loam 

 were reckoned but of little value. This manure 

 was spread on the land, and remained on the 

 top, the corn was dropped on it, without furrow- 

 ing or hoeing. 



We saw this corn July 20th, and it was one 

 of the most luxuriant and handsome pieces that 

 we have seen, and more forward than any other. 

 It was all spindled out, and beginning to silk. 

 It was throwing out two, three, and in many 

 cases four or five shoots for ears. A good deal 

 of it was five and six feet high ; and though in 

 the time of a severe drought, it did not suffer 

 from this cause, as there was moisture between 

 the rows at the surface. We noticed the same 

 appearance as to moisture in the garden ma- 

 nured in like manner. As an experiment, a rod 

 or two of this land was manured with a shovel- 

 ful of stable manure in the hill (not a good way 

 of applying it) and on that the corn was not 

 much more than half so high and not so for- 

 ward, as it was just spindling, while the other 

 was beginning to silk. 



This experiment, with mineral manures so 

 successful and so promising, thus far, is worthy 

 of attention. We hope to be able to give the 

 result by and by, and show a specimen of the 

 crop. The corn is about twice as thick as 

 usual, besides pumpkins and turnips on the 

 same land. The rows are less than three feet 

 apart and the hills less than two. As the corn 

 is forward, if it be cut up at the ground and 

 shocked, when the grain is well glazed the crop 

 will doubtless be better than it will if the stalks 

 be cut a little before this time, and it will let in 

 the sun so as to give a good growth to the tur- 

 nips. — Boston Cultivator. 



These ingredients, lime, salt, and ashes, are 

 the principal agents employed in "Bommer's 

 process," which we verily believe is to effect 

 wonders for the agriculture of the country. 



For the Southern Planter. 



MECKLENBURG AGRICULTURAL HOLE 

 AND CORNER CLUB. 



Mr. Editor, — At a meeting of the Upper 

 Corner Agricultural Club of Mecklenburg con- 

 vened on Saturday, the 26th instant, at ihe 

 house of the subscriber, for the purpose of eat- 

 ing peaches and melons, and looking at the to- 

 bacco crop, after hearing the editorial comment 

 on the report on the farm of Dr. Paul C. Vena- 

 ble in the last number of the Southern Planter, 

 the Club unanimously adopted the following 

 resolution, and offer it for publication. 

 Very respectfully, 



A. C. MORTON. 



C. T. Botts, Esq. 



Sir, — By order of the Club we are required 

 to give you the information contained in the re- 

 solution which follows, and we take pleasure in 

 discharging the duty imposed upon us: 



"Resolved, That Dr. Howel L. Jeffries, Dr. 

 Paul C. Venable and Anderson C. Morton, be 

 a committee to inform Mr. Botts, of the South- 

 ern Planter, that the Club feel flattered by the 

 interest expressed by him in their proceedings, 

 and would be happy not only to have his con- 

 tinued co-operation in the great cause of agri- 

 cultural improvement, but to see him and give 

 him the right hand of fellowship at any of our 

 Club dinners — and also to inform him that it is 

 the uniform practice of the members of our Club 

 to carry corn to mill in both ends of the bag, 

 and that however much we venerate our ances- 

 tors, we utterly eschew and repudiate, not our 

 debts, but the old system of galling and exco- 

 riating our lands— and that if he will come to 

 see us, we will show him some clover fields, 

 meadows, muttons, veals, peaches and melons 

 that will make his mouth ivater for a month." 



The Committee beg leave to add for them- 

 selves their best wishes for you and the success 

 of your valuable periodical. 

 Very respectfully, 



Paul C. Venable. 

 Howel L. Jeffries. 

 Anderson C. Morton. 



Bluestone, Jlugusl 29, 1843. 



W"e are much obliged to the Club for the li- 

 beral and handsome manner in which they have 

 been pleased to pardon the almost unwarranta- 

 ble liberty we took with the report of their com- 

 mittee. If ever circumstances should permit 

 us to visit the county of Mecklenburg, the 

 greatest pleasure we should anticipate would 

 be the making the personal acquaintance of the 

 members of the Mecklenburg Hole and Corner 

 Club. 



