74 



like men, know not much before learning, that 

 they be taught to root after them. This is done, 

 by calling the hogs after a plough that will 

 throw out the roots, till the grunters learn their 

 habitation, which will require but a very short 

 time. 



"10. Improvement of Land. — As the stocks 

 grow from ten to fifteen feet in height, and have 

 thick, porous foliage, much of the food of the 

 plant is received from the atmosphere, and there- 

 by the soil is not so heavily taxed as by other 

 crops, the ground is protected from the killing 

 rays of the sun and the stocks and leaves fall 

 and rot very soon, — these advantages, with the 

 manure from hogs, afford the cheapest, and 

 amongst the richest coats in my knowledge. — 

 It is my conviction, (in the absence of long ex- 

 perience) that artichokes in summer, and hogs 

 in winter, will enrich our poor lands cheaper 

 and much better than upon any other plan. To 

 be sure, a farmer cannot have all his land in ar- 

 tichokes, but every one should have enough to 

 support his hogs through the winter, and I ven- 

 ture those who give this crop a fair trial, will 

 reluctantly abandon it. 



"11. General Remarks. — A few farmers of my 

 acquaintance have informed me, that they have 

 succeeded with corn and artichokes together, 

 and it is highly probable this will prove a suc- 

 cessful mode of cultivating these two crops ; but 

 on the system of ' one thing at a time,' we would 

 prefer each crop separately. Some have sup- 

 posed the second year's growth on the same 

 ground would be more valuable than the first ; 

 but this is a mistake. The plants grow so thick 

 the second year, that not more than half a crop 

 can be anticipated. It might answer, to plough 

 out rows and cultivate the second year; but the 

 practice of putting artichoke lands in something 

 else the second year, is the plan I much prefer. 



"Amongst the arguments which might be 

 used in favor of this crop, it should not be for- 

 gotten, that there is no labor of digging, but for 

 seed ; that more troublesome weeds and grasses 

 are completely smothered out ; and last, but not 

 least, the young plants the second year are more 

 easily subdued than almost any weeds known. 

 Take artichokes all in all, I think them worthy 

 the attention of every farmer who wishes to en- 

 rich his lands, or raise his pork with a small 

 outlay of grain. T. F." 



For the Southern Planter. 

 CHARCOAL. 



After two days close attention to my coal 

 kilns, I sit down now at night to make a record. 

 I have already burned six kilns, now have two 

 on fire, and wood on hand for another. My 

 kilns are made about sixteen feet at the base, 

 and nine feet high ; which with the fillings in 

 the heart as it sinks, contains about ten cords of 



wood. This ten cords will make about five hun- 

 dred bushels of coal, dust and all — costing three 

 days labor with four hands. But have you ever 

 considered that the coal is not all the profit? 

 Two or three kilns should be burned on the 

 same ground, by which time the covering earth 

 will be completely saturated with potash and 

 other salts and gases ; thus, as I conceive, mak- 

 ing it equal in value to the coal. It will take 

 about one thousand bushels of earth to cover a 

 kiln of the above dimensions, to which add one 

 thousand bushels of coal, the produce of two 

 burnings, and we have two thousand bushels 

 of rich manure. After trying the trough and 

 pestle for pulverizing the coal, I have abandoned 

 them, and now tramp and beat the coal about 

 the kiln — the first time returning it as covering, 

 and the last time carting off to the land, or the 

 stock yards. For a third or after burning on 

 the same ground, the coal should be removed, 

 otherwise the covering will be too porous. Thus 

 it will be seen that a few days hence, I will have 

 made four thousand five hundred bushels of pure 

 coal, or nine thousand bushels of rich black 

 compost — and I shall never miss the labor thus 

 employed. 



As we are informed that the proper place for 

 coal is on clay grounds, and that one of the ob- 

 jects is to create porosity, I am inclined to think 

 that an inch square and less is sufficiently fine. 

 I have cast about eight hundred bushels over 

 three acres of wheat, which, with dressing of 

 meadows, will, I think prove to be the most pro- 

 fitable mode of using it. 



Za. Drummond. 



February 17, 1843. 



BLUE GRASS. 



Until we are satisfied that there is something 

 in our climate, or an irremedial defect in our 

 soil, to prevent the growth of the Kentucky 

 blue grass, we shall not fail to press its cultiva- 

 tion upon the attention of our readers. We be- 

 lieve it to afford the best grazing in the world, 

 and we are satisfied that the greatest defect in 

 our farming system consists in too much tillage 

 and too little pasturage. We have an abiding 

 faith in the wonder-working improvement that 

 would flow from the introduction of this valua- 

 ble grass, not less valuable for its fertilizing than 

 its grazing properties. We entertain too the 

 most lively hopes, that whenever the experiment 

 is fairly tried, our rich river lands, with an ap- 

 plication of lime where required, will prove ad- 

 mirably adapted to its growth. We, therefore, 

 copy from a Western paper the following article 

 upon the subject : 



"After the imagination is completely exhausted 



