THE SOUTHE 



RN PLANTER. 



41 



mained for a few days, makes a mark on linen 

 which is not easily obliterated — forming what 

 is commonly called iron-mould. 



Louisville Journal 



CORN. 



A writer in the New Genesee Farmer states, 

 that, " when David Thomas travelled through 

 Indiana in 1818, he visited a prairie near Vin- 

 cennes, on which a luxuriant crop of Indian 

 corn had grown for more than sixty years in 

 succession, without the aid of any kind of ma- 

 nure." The writer suggests that this continued 

 product was probably owing to the existence of 

 some mineral substance in the soil, and seems to 

 think a similar effect could be produced by a 

 continued and bountiful supply of wood ashes. 



We know that the greatest product of corn 

 we ever saw, we obtained from a square in a 

 garden, by planting three feet every way, four 

 stalks to the hill, and making free use of wood 

 ashes, which we imagined might counteract the 

 tendency to "fire." The season, however, was 

 not a dry one, but still we always thought the 

 corn was much greener, and fresher, and fuller, 

 than it would have been, under the same plant- 

 ing, without the ashes. 



BRINE. 



One of our citizens, a grocer, informs us that 

 he has for a few years past been in the habit of 

 emptying the brine from his pork and fish bar- 

 rels on his asparagus bed ; and he thinks none 

 of his neighbors have better asparagus than he. 

 The effect of the brine is entirely to destroy the 

 weeds, while it makes his plants much more 

 thrifty. And why is not this reasonable ? As- 

 paragus is known to be a marine plant, and is 

 found in abundance in many places along the 

 shore of the ocean. — Ed. Farmers' Gazette. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 IMPROVEMENT OF VIRGINIA. 



The lands of Virginia are slowly improving, 

 but this snail's trot does not suit me, who am 

 restless in disposition, and earnestly desirous of 

 seeing again ere I die, this my own, my native 

 land, the first in the Union. Can it not be done 

 in twenty-five years? Fie on the lubbard who 

 says it cannot, and I hope to live yet twenty-five 

 years, and fie on him who is not willing and 

 ready to assist in making the effort. Consider- 

 ing land and climate, Virginia was once equal 

 to any part of the Union, and if I live and re- 

 tain my senses yet twenty-five years, that por- 

 * Vol. III.— 6 



tion which I claim as my own, although a few 

 years past it was generally barren, galled and 

 gullied, shall be more productive than when first 

 reclaimed from nature. Now, reader, are you 

 satisfied to lie down and jingle your dollars, 

 which your children may spend in a few months, 

 or are you desirous of giving them rich lands 

 instead of rich purses ? If you are for the first, 

 I have nothing more to do with you, but if for 

 the last, then am I ready to go hand in hand 

 with you in the attempt ; and without the effort 

 nothing can be done. Indeed, my worthy fel- 

 low, let me tell you that for several years I have 

 been making some experiments in the way of 

 improving my lands, and these having generally 

 been to my satisfaction, I am emboldened to pro- 

 ceed on a larger scale. 



What then is the first thing to be done? — 

 Read. What second? Reflect. What third? 

 Act. By reading, we acquire that knowledge 

 which others possess, without which we would 

 be but as savages ; by reflection, we are quali- 

 fied to judge of true or false positions, and to 

 act ; and by judicious action, we prosper. Im- 

 provement, is my motto, and I contend that lack 

 of improvement, is, as it were, standing still, 

 and standing still is equivalent to doing nothing. 

 We read in the sacred Book " that he who does 

 not provide for his own household is worse than 

 an infidel?" Now what kind of provision is 

 this spoken of ? Is it money? Certainly not. 

 Is it bread ? Surely it is — and I would ask any 

 one how bread can be provided from poor land ? 

 " Oh, but," says one, " when my land has be- 

 come poor, I will move to the West." And 

 when you have made that poor, where then ? — 

 to the moon, I suppose. But reader I beg your 

 pardon, for my object is not to quarrel with you, 

 but to convince you that the true and proper 

 policy is, to improve the soil and the mind, and 

 let the dollars be the last thing to be estimated. 

 The dollars are merely representatives of things, 

 and if you have the things themselves what do 

 you want with the representatives? Only give 

 me a plenty of rich land, whereon I can grow 

 enough to eat, and enough to wear, and you 

 may have all the dollars, and welcome. And 

 how doubly delightful the employment of im- 

 proving the soil and the mind ; for be it remem- 

 bered, that whilst improving the soil, the mind 

 is improved also, and thus they act and react on 

 each other, till, — I had like to have said, perfec- 

 tion is attained. 



As I have so highly recommended reading, 

 perhaps one may ask, what books and periodi- 

 cals? Liebig T s Agricultural Chemistry is first 

 in the list, then I suppose you take the " South- 

 ern Planter," to which you may add as many 

 as you like. 



I verily believe from what I have seen and 

 learned, that the mulatto soils, and ferruginous 

 earths, of any color whatever, of Virginia, are 



