228 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



we can pretend to establish the science of agri- 

 culture. All that we can do now is to observe 

 diligently and report faithfully these phenomena 

 as they occur, and the great value of agricul- 

 tural papers, in our opinion, consists in the re- 

 cords they will afford to the future philosopher 

 of well authenticated facts, from which he may 

 deduce principles that will illumine the darkness 

 in which its votaries of the present day are 

 groping. But to attain this consummation, we 

 must ascertain the facts. How is this to be 

 done in the multitude of contradictory statements 

 with which we are overwhelmed ? Nothing 

 can be ascertained as long as the statement of 

 to-day is unsettled by the statement of to-mor- 

 row, coming from as authentic a source and 

 carrying with it an equal weight of authority. 

 There is only one way to settle these vexed 

 questions ; they should no longer be left to in- 

 dividual statements, but associations should be 

 formed, who should institute experiments upon 

 such disputed points as circumstances might 

 dictate, and who, mindful of the responsibility 

 devolved upon them, should diligently observe 

 and carefully report the result in such a manner 

 that the record should be made public for the 

 present generation, and preserved for the next. 

 If this plan were pursued with the zeal and ar- 

 dor which has marked its adoption in particular 

 instances, we should soon be furnished with 

 stores from which principles might be deduced 

 to revolutionize the art of agriculture. 



SAVING SEED CORN. 



Very few planters have paid that attention to 

 the selection of seed for planting, that their own 

 interests demand. It is a principle of vegetable 

 as well as of animal life, that "like produces 

 like." Every one who raises good stock, is not 

 only aware of the truth of this, but he carries 

 it out in his selections of animals to breed from. 

 He selects his finest calves and pigs, and saves 

 them from the slaughter pen, because, being 

 well formed, large and thrifty, he believes that 

 their offspring will possess these qualities. But 

 although the same thing is true in the vegeta- 

 ble kingdom, he seldom thinks of availing him- 

 self of the advantage of a judicious selection 

 in his seed for planting. Some few have tried 

 it, and by care, and a judicious selection, year 

 after 3'ear, have brought their corn to a high 

 state of perfection ; and their neighbors, seeing 

 their success, have eagerly sought these im- 

 proved seed. It would do well the first, year, 

 but after that gradually deteriorate to the com- 

 mon standard, and the whole thing would be 



pronounced a humbug. The humbug, how- 

 ever, was not in the original improvement, but 

 in the subsequent neglect. The improver com- 

 menced by carefully selecting from his field 

 those stalks that bore two fine, large ears, and 

 laying them carefully aside for planting. The 

 next year he selected with as much care from 

 the product of his former selection ; and by 

 keeping up this system, reaped each year a 

 richer harvest. Whereas, the other, who com- 

 menced with his neighbor's fine seed, by gather- 

 ing indiscriminately into his barn, and selecting 

 his seed from the mass in the spring, would be 

 as likely to get the ears from an inferior as from 

 a good stalk, and thus his seed would, by a law 

 of nature, deteriorate to the common standard. 



We believe that it is perfectly practicable to 

 have almost every stalk bearing two good ears, 

 on land where but one would be produced ac- 

 cording to the usual method of selecting seed. 

 This is not. a mere opinion. It has been tried 

 repeatedly, and with entire success, by various 

 persons. W 7 hat has been called the Dunton, 

 the Cook, and the Williams corn, have all owed 

 their celebrity to the judicious selection of seed 

 for a series of years, by the respective gentle- 

 men whose names they bear. True, it requires 

 some little trouble to select every year ; but every 

 planter should have enough of professional pride 

 in improving his system of husbandry, to take 

 the necessary trouble especially when he is so 

 richly repaid by an increased harvest. 



Columbia Planter. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 MECKLENBURG HOLE AND CORNER CLUB. 



Mr. Editor. — Herewith you will receive a 

 report made by a Committee of a Club upon 

 the farm of B W. Leigh, Esq., which we 

 should be glad to see published in your valua- 

 ble paper. 



Yours most respectfully, 



R. A. Puryear, Cor. Sec'ry 

 Of die Mecklenburg Hole and Corner Club, No. 2. 



Oakley, Mecklenburg, 2\st Aug. 1843. 



The Committee appointed to examine the 

 farm of B. W. Leigh, Esq., have performed that 

 duty, and report, that Mr. Leigh's farm, as 

 known to most of our Club, was formerly the 

 property of Mr. John Nelson. The most of it 

 was cleared by him, and cultivated on the old 

 plan, except that it was preserved by hill- 

 side trenching, executed with more than ordi- 

 nary skill. When taken possession of by the 

 present proprietor, there was scarcely any ma- 

 nured surface, and no attention had been paid 

 to the cultivation of the artificial grasses. — 



