THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



66 



liquid to the solid excrements, incorporating them 

 well together, until a very thin batter is formed ; 

 into this mass 1 stir in finely pulverized charcoal, 

 according to my judgment, without regard to 

 any precise quantity ; this done, I spread the 

 mass upon boards made tight, in the open air — 

 stir frequently until the whole is dry, then pul- 

 verize with a spade, and barrel it up for the use 

 of crops. 



My drying boards are protected from the wea- 

 ther by a shed open to the south, so as to re- 

 ceive the benefit of the sun. Manure made in 

 this way I call Poudrette, and of its value I can 

 speak in the highest terms. When properly 

 made, it is inodorous, and the application to crops 

 easy, and the effect powerful. I made an expe- 

 riment with it last season upon sugar beet, in 

 comparison with bone dust, bone dust and stable 

 manure mixed, and stable dung alone. The 

 beets manured with poudrette, came up quicker, 

 grew faster, and maintained a decided superiori- 

 ty to the last, making the largest and best beets ; 

 the quantity of poudrette was only a small train 

 to each drill. I used it also upon corn with en- 

 tire success. In this experiment I subjected it 

 to a very severe test ; I selected a very poor 

 spot, put only one and a half gills to the hill as 

 a top dressing, at the time of planting, and the 

 result was truly astonishing, proving it to be 

 beyond all doubt a manure of great strength 

 and power, perhaps surpassing all others now 

 known. 



It must in all cases be used as a top dressing ; 

 such is its strength when planted with seed, the 

 germ is destroyed, and consequently does not 

 come up. 



I shall make about one hundred barrels this 

 season, which I intend to use chiefly on corn 

 the coming spring, from which I anticipate the 

 best results. 



When I commenced I intended to say some- 

 thing about what, I have been doing in bone 

 dust, dead horses, pigs, dogs, cats, &c. but I am 

 reminded in your editorial what great severity 

 your correspondents may expect at your hands, 

 and as my piece is already much longer than 

 my " hand" I shall close. 

 Sincerely yours, 



George Woodfin. 



February 6, 1843. 



Mr. Woodfin will please to recollect that al- 

 though we may be a little squeamish about the 

 length, of our communications, we place no limit 

 upon the quantity. 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 

 We have received the first number of this 

 well known work issued under the auspices of 

 the new Editor. From this specimen we do 



not hesitate to express our confidence in Mr. 

 Pleasants' ability to sustain the well earned re- 

 putation of the " Register ;" to add to it, would 

 be difficult and superfluous. Mr. Pleasants is an 

 accomplished gentleman and handsome writer ; 

 not only on his account, but for the honor and 

 interest of Virginia, we hope the Register may 

 live and flourish for a thousand years. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 CORN CULTURE. 



Messrs. Editors, — -Your February number 

 contains two most excellent pieces on the cul- 

 ture of corn, and while I subscribe most heartily 

 to Mr. A. Shriver's close planting, I object to his 

 four ploughings, and more particularly to his 

 " thorough hoeing" 11 that is, chopping away the 

 old hill and giving it fresh ground, cutting up 

 every spear of grass." This is too much work. 

 Mr. Shriver thinks wheat succeeds corn to ad- 

 vantage. Now, wheat will not grow after corn 

 in this part of Virginia. 



Again, Mr. W. C. Young's notions of "plough- 

 ing in the fall" — "cross ploughing in the spring, 

 and early planting, deep covering and anti-re- 

 planting" system, is admirable. But, he too has 

 too much work : "four ploughings and one har- 

 rowing % We in this part of the State have 

 a great deal of worn out old fields, which are 

 much improved by ploughing, say once in two, 

 three, or four years. Now, why not plant double 

 the quantity in corn, and give it two ploughings 

 instead of four. I know we shall make more 

 corn, and I am persuaded our lands will be be- 

 nefitted thereby, which should be with us the 

 great desideratum. 



Yours, &c. 



A. Bailey, Jr. 

 Rough Chreek Church, Va., Feb. 9, 1843. 



EMIGRATION TO VIRGINIA. 

 We are happy to see that the natural gifts of 

 the Old Dominion begin to be appreciated by 

 northern emigrants. To good managers we 

 have no doubt that every thing considered, the 

 climate, the facilities of market,, the society, &c. 

 &c. the cheap, exhausted, but grateful soil in 

 many parts of Virginia, offer the fairest oppor- 

 tunity of investment that can be found in the 

 Union. And now that the golden visions in 

 the West have vanished, the less glittering, but 

 more substantial advantages of the older States 

 begin to be understood. The emigrants to the 

 county of Fairfax, alluded to in Mr. Rives' ad- 

 dress, are, we understand, highly delighted with 

 their purchase, and are daily gaining accessions 



