THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 7 



observation with siuamp mud and he regrets to 

 say that, the effect cannot be seen." The river 

 mud di tiers essentially from swamp mud, as 

 much, I suppose, aa one tract of land differs 

 from another in fertilitjr. The former is brought 

 principally from the mountain region by freshets, 

 and no doubt has lime as well as other minerals 

 in its composition; whereas, the latter is inva- 

 riably formed from the washing and deposites of 

 the neighborhood. The two experiments are 

 entirely different, nor should I have considered 

 it necessary to reply, if my communication had 

 not been mentioned. If, however, any doubt 

 still exists upon the mind of "A Subscriber," I 

 can refer him to Major Charles Yancey, who 

 saw the mud put on the land, and saw the crop 

 several times whilst growing; and so much 

 pleased was he with the fertility imparted to the 

 land, that he forthwith proceeded to use the river 

 mud in the same manner. Notwithstanding 

 the difference between swamp and river mud, 

 "A Subscriber," I think, must be mistaken when 

 he supposes that " no advantage is derived from 

 swamp mud and the richest ditch banks," and 

 that after they " had been well pulverized with 

 the frosts of winter, and spread broadcast, or 

 put abundantly in the hill they will not produce." 

 It appears to me, that if rich soil is put on poor 

 land, the latter must be benefitted thereby: un- 

 der this impression, I had six or eight thousand 

 loads of earth removed from the ditch banks, 

 during the last year, ami put on the poorest parts 

 of my low grounds which I intended for corn, 

 and the crop fully realized my anticipations ; 

 and this year I have pursued the same course, 

 and- expect to receive a corresponding benefit. 

 I also had river mud hauled on my tobacco land, 

 but the freshet in July destroyed' the crop, and 

 I intend to continue its use as long as I perceive 

 the expense and trouble of removal is paid by 

 the subsequent crop. 



If "A Subscriber" will carry the mud from 

 his bogs, in the fall to his stable yards, his hog 

 pens, cattle sheds, and farm pens, to be trodden 

 by the stock and mixed with their manure, or 

 if he will form a bank of his bog mud, lime, 

 and dung from his stables, in alternate courses, 

 he will in the spring have fine compost, the ad- 

 vantage of which put on anjr crop will be per- 

 ceived without difficulty. If this discussion is 

 to be continued, I hope "A Subscriber" will 

 oblige me by appending his name to his next 

 communication. 



Respectfully, yours, 



Richard G. Morriss. 



Buckingham, Nov. 30, 1842. 



To the Editors of the Southern Planter: 



Gentlemm,—\n the volume of the New York 

 State Agricultural Society, which you were kind 

 enough to loan me a few weeks since, I was 



particularly struck and at the same time, much 

 mortified, by a letter from James M. Garnett, 

 Esq. in which he undertakes to describe the 

 progress of agriculture in Virginia. Here is a 

 work, the intrinsic excellence of which, must 

 secure for it, a circulation of almost unlimited 

 extent, in which, as I think, the agriculture of 

 Virginia, is most grossly, though 1 doubt not, 

 unintentionally misrepresented. Although even 

 for the honor of his native State, 1 could not 

 wish Mr. Garnett to exaggerate her advantages, 

 still less do I think it consistent with good taste 

 to dwell, as he has done, upon what are surely 

 nothing but individual cases of mismanagement, 

 and these too, confined to a time long passed 

 by. If Mr. G. had told us, in the beginning, 

 that his object was to describe the state of agri- 

 culture, as it existed in the time of his grandfather, 

 we might have been prepared for the sarcasm 

 and ridicule, which pervade his whole piece. 



Afier describing the cattle, poor and lean, 

 standing in the corners of fences, wilh their 

 backs drawn up in the shape of a bow, Mr. 

 Garnett says — "But let me return to the cattle 

 of the olden time, of which I have a few more 

 reminiscences to add. In those days, they were 

 so utterly neglected, that it was quite common 

 for the multitudes starved to death every winter, 

 to supply hides enough for shoeing the negroes 

 on every farm. This was a matter so generally 

 and constantly anticipated, that my own grand- 

 father, as I have heard from unquestionable au- 

 thority, was once very near turning cff a good 

 overseer, because cattle enough had not died on 

 the farm, of which he had the supervision, to 

 furnish leather for the above purpose." 



Now, to say nothing of the want of delicacy, 

 in publishing to the world so ridiculous an inci- 

 dent about a venerable ancestor, 1 would respect- 

 fully ask what has this anecdote to do with the 

 present state of agriculture in Virginia? Under 

 different circumstances, I might have joined in 

 the laugh, which it was probably Mr. G.'s in- 

 tention to raise : but when I find it associated 

 with Virginia, my mother as well as his, I could 

 feel no other emotion but that of surprise and 

 mortification. 



But why does Mr. G. in such a treatise as 

 his professes to be, drag to the light an incident 

 which (judging from his own age) must have 

 transpired nearly two hundred years ago ? Does 

 he intend to insinuate that such a slate of thino-s 

 generally prevails at present ? So fir from thTs, 

 I do seriously doubt if a similar case has oc- 

 curred since his grandfather paid the last debt 

 of nature. Mr. Garnett is too good a writer 

 and too good a speaker on the subject of agri- 

 culture, to admit the idea, that be is describing 

 the stale of things on his own farm. And if it 

 exists any where else, I candidly declare I never 

 witnessed or ever heard of it. 



With these remarks, I will take the liberty of 



