THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



107 



For the Southern Planter. 



UPPER HOLE AND CORNER CLUB OF 

 MECKLENBURG. 



C. T. Botts, Esq. 



Sir, — At the meeting of the Upper Hole and 

 Corner Club in December, it was ordered, that 

 the following report on the plantations of A. C. 

 Morton, Esq., be published in the Southern 

 Planter. I, therefore, forward it with the request 

 that you will publish it in your paper. 

 Respectfully, &c. 



B. W. Leigh, Cor. Sechj. 



Mecklenburg, Jan. 23. 1844. 



The report of the Committee appointed by 

 the Upper Hole and Corner Club, to examine 

 the plantations of A. C. Morton, Esq. 



Your Committee had no opportunity of ex- 

 amining- any other crops than the wheat, which 

 we think was well and neatly seeded. 



Until Mr. M. purchased his plantation, seven 

 years ago, it had been managed entirely on the 

 old Virginia plan. But within this period we 

 think all will agree that he has greatly improved 

 his land, both by manuring and sowing the ar- 

 tificial grasses. He has sown a large part of 

 his plantation in the artificial grasses, but mostly 

 in herdsgrass, (which he prefers to clover,) and 

 has increased his manured surface at home to 

 nearly three entire shifts for his crop of tobacco. 

 He cultivates his land on the three shift sj^stem, 

 both for corn and tobacco, which we think of 

 doubtful propriety, where herdsgrass is used as 

 an improver. 



In manuring, his plan is to go over in the 

 summer as large a surface as he can by penning 

 both his cattle and his sheep, the latter of which, 

 he thinks are but little injured, if they are not 

 driven too fast, in penning. In the winter he 

 collects a very large quantity of leaves and 

 coarse grass into his farm pens in addition to 

 his straw and stalks. Until the present year, 

 Mr. M. has used the whole of his manure on 

 his tobacco, but this year he has commenced 

 applying some of it to his corn. As a proof of 

 the success of Mr. M.'s plan of improving, we 

 will state that the whole of his crop of tobacco 

 at home, the present year, which we think all 

 will concede to have been very fine, grew on 

 very old high land made rich by putrescent ma- 

 nures and the artificial grasses. He has im- 

 proved, by putrescent manures and the grasses, 

 275,000 tobacco hills, a large part of which has 

 been twice manured, at home, and 80,000 at 

 Walnut Hill, besides applying a good deal of 

 manure to fruit trees, patches, &c. This has 

 been done by a force of sixteen hands, rather 

 inefficient, and frequently much hindered : and 

 in the meantime we do not think that his corn 

 land has deteriorated. 



Mr. M.'s crops at home, the present year, 



which we all know to have been a very bad 

 one, were 169 barrels of corn, 300 bushels of 

 wheat, 16 stacks of oats, 25 stacks of hay, and 

 his tobacco, which was judged by all to be 

 equal to 10 hogsheads, made by three men, two 

 boys and four women, one of the men sick 

 nearly the whole year. These facts prove, we 

 think, beyond a doubt, that we can make to- 

 bacco, and at the same time improve our lands 

 rapidly. 



Mr. M. has a very fine meadow, which adds 

 greatly to his forage and to his means of making 

 manure. 



Mr. M. is trying to improve his stock of cat- 

 tle, and for this purpose has lately purchased a 

 full blooded Durham bull of the stock of the 

 late Rev. Mr. Kirkpatrick, of Cumberland. 



Your Committee cannot fail to mention that, 

 though Mr. M. found no orchard on his planta- 

 tion, he has now a young orchard of apple trees 

 beginning to bear, and an abundant supply of 

 excellent peaches. 



Mr. M. has, at considerable labor, made a 

 beautiful fish pond, which also serves for his ice 

 pond. 



B. W. Leigh, 

 P. C. Venable, 



December , 1843. 



For the Southern Planter. 

 TOBACCO. 



Mr. Editor, — The tobacco crop of Virginia 

 has so greatly deteriorated in value that it be- 

 comes a serious question, by what means its 

 prices may be increased. Light will be thrown 

 upon this inquiry by a consideration of the 

 causes which have reduced its value. The 

 principal of these are the inferior quality of the 

 article, and the great increase of the crop in the 

 United States. The effect of the latter circum- 

 stance is a supply greatly increased beyond the 

 increase of the demand. Our market has gra- 

 dually, but slowly, extended, while a vast por- 

 tion of our most fertile lands have been added 

 to the tobacco region within a few years. This 

 cause of low prices might be counteracted either 

 by extending the market, or by reducing the 

 crop. If China would abandon the use of opium 

 and substitute our tobacco, we should be bene- 

 fited, as well as her own people. Or if Euro- 

 pean governments would remove their enormous 

 duties on tobacco, our remuneration for its pro- 

 duction, as well as the royal revenues, would 

 be proportionally augmented. These changes, 

 however, are beyond our power. But the other 

 remedy is in our hands: we can reduce the 

 crop. Suppose we reduce it by a half; and 

 that, instead of two hogsheads, we make one : 

 it is obvious that we produce the same practical 

 result we would by doubling- the demand. Prices 



