THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



37 



13th, 14th, 15th, going four times in each row, 

 throwing the ground well up to the corn. Hav- 

 ing given it a good hoeing before, it was quite 

 clean, and might have done without it this time. 

 However, I made my hands follow the ploughs 

 and level off around and between the hills. 



"4th, and last time, I used a large iron fork 

 with three prongs, about fourteen inches long, 

 attached to a shovel plough. I prefer this im- 

 plement to the cultivator for the last working, 

 as it cultivates the ground deeper, and can be 

 run nearer the corn without injury. 



" The last working I consider of the most 

 importance; by leaving the surface level and 

 well pulverized, you insure to the roots every 

 advantage in searching out for nourishment. — 

 Nothing, in my opinion, is so much calculated 

 to check the growth of corn as leaving deep 

 furrows in the rows. We all know that the 

 roots of corn extend for many feet around the 

 hill, and also that their depth in the soil is regu- 

 lated by the season. Knowing this to be the 

 fact, how can it be otherwise when a root comes 

 in contact with a deep furrow, than that it has 

 to turn down into the cold uncultivated ground, 

 and as a natural consequence, the stalk becomes 

 sickly and decrepit. ' I have often been surprised 

 that intelligent farmers should continue to have 

 their fields gutted, by having so many ditches 

 running through them, extracting the substance 

 from the soil, when a moment's reflection would 

 have convinced them of the absurdity of the 

 system. 



" One great advantage of the mode which I 

 have adopted, is, that the manure is applied in 

 the spring, while it is yet warm, and contains 

 all the gases and salts ; a great part of which 

 it loses by remaining in the yard subject to the 

 absorption of the atmosphere, not to mention the 

 great loss sustained by the heavy spring and 

 summer showers. Whether manure loses as 

 much by being applied in the spring to corn, as 

 it does by remaining in the yard till fall, is, in 

 my opinion, a very doubtful point. I believe it 

 is a general opinion that corn does not require 

 the same kind, or at least does not extract that 

 portion of the manure which is more particu- 

 larly adapted to wheat ; hence I have concluded, 

 that taking a crop of corn does not impair its 

 capabilities for producing a crop of wheat ; but, 

 the contraiy, prepares it for wheat by having it 

 fully incorporated with the soil." 



In a subsequent number, Mr. Shriver gives a 

 drawing (of which our engraving is a copy) 

 and the following description of the fork alluded 

 to above : 



"Fig. 1, represents a front, view of the fork 

 itself, which is made of iron 3 inches by ^ inch ; 

 the teeth should be 14 inches long, and the whole 

 fork 16 inches broad. The middle prong must 



be made very strong when it is attached to the 

 leg. 



" Fig. 2, is the plough with the fork appended 

 to it. It is attached to the plough by ten screws, 

 the same as a shovel. In rocky ground there 

 is great strain on the outside prongs occasionally, 

 and to obviate this difficulty I had them secured 

 by half inch rods, screwed to the outer prongs 

 four inches from the upper corner, and secured to 

 the beam by staples. The points of the prongs 

 are made in the shape of cultivator teeth. If 

 you think this implement worthy of notice in 

 your valuable paper, you are at liberty to use it 

 in anj' manner you please. 



Yours truly, Augs. Shriver." 



STAYS. 



McPherson 7 in his work on China, after de- 

 scribing the singular and unnatural process to 

 which the foot of the Chinese lady is subjected, 

 sarcastically remarks, "It would be as difficult 

 to account for the origin of this barbarous prac- 

 tice of the Chinese, as for that of squeezing the 

 waists of English women out of all natural 

 shape by stays, or flattening the heads among 

 the natives on the Columbia." We hardly 

 think it fair to place the three in the same cate- 

 gory, for whilst the civilized habit of lacing is 

 equally ridiculous, it is much more injurious to 

 the health, than the other two. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 RUTA BAGA. 



Messrs. Editors, — In my communication on 

 the culture of the white carrot, I promised to 

 give you my method of cultivating, and the pro- 

 duct of my field of Ruta Bagas. 



The piece you saw when at my farm, con- 

 tained about three and a half acres, and had 

 lain in pasture a number of years; it was care- 

 fully turned over in the fall of 1840 ; and in the 

 spring following, cross-ploughed and harrowed, 

 and laid out in furrows two and a half feet apart, 

 and planted with potatoes. The knolls, which 

 incline more to sand, were manured with horn- 

 shavings and hogs' bristles, one handful to each 

 set. Twelve rows through the middle were 

 manured with salt mackerel, which were spoiled, 

 half a fish to every set. It was an unfavorable 

 season for potatoes, a severe drought in the sum- 

 mer having injured their growth. The rows 

 manured with the salt fish, I noticed, stood the 

 drought much better than any other part of the 

 field ; vines large and of a dark healthy color, 

 when the others were brown and shrivelled, and 

 on digging we found them of a large and even 

 size, and of excellent quality, and the yield far 

 better than any other part of the field. 



