THE SOUTHERN PLANTER 



„.ie 5th of May. Poor land will not do 

 for this crop. It should nol be cut before 

 the leaves begin to dry, for it is so succu- 

 lent that if cut too soon, it will mould in 

 curing. After it is cut, let it lie on the 

 ground if the weather be dry, for several 

 days, and if it can be turned once or 

 twice, so much the better ; then tie it in 

 sheaves like oats, and put the sheaves in 

 small shocks as open as possible at the 

 bottom, that the lower part of the stalks 

 may dry thoroughly. The dry leaves 

 toward the top will absorb the moisture 

 from the upper part of the stalks. When 

 sufficiently dry, put it under cover or 

 stack it like oats or wheat. 



Persons on small farms, who raise only 

 small quantities of Indian corn, and there- 

 fore have but little stock fodder from their 

 corn fields, will find that a few acres of 

 corn sown broadcast will supply them 

 with an ample amount of long food.-r- 

 Here in the West, where so much corn is 

 raised to be converted into hogs, horses, 

 mules and cattle, the supply of winter 

 fodder from the com fields is generally 

 sufficient. But to the North and East, 

 w T here less corn is raised, and the winters 

 are longer and colder, there is no crop, I 

 believe, which will supply the necessities 

 of horses and cattle better, or with less 

 labor. I have, therefore, given you my 

 testimony in its favor ; and as I am anx- 

 ious that the farmers to the East, and es- 

 pecially in Virginia, should try it, should 

 you publish this in your excellent paper, 

 please to send the number which may 

 contain it to Mr. Botts, Editor of the 

 Southern Planter, with my request to 

 urge it upon the farmers in that State to 

 give it a fair trial. 



I venture to predict that as an auxiliary 

 to the small farmers on impoverished lands, 

 it will in many instances prevent the ne- 

 cessity of emigrating from their much- 

 loved native land — a matter of so much 

 pain always, and not unfrequently of sore 

 disappointment. Our crops of oats, corn 

 and hemp, in Kentucky, are good gener- 

 ally, fully reaching an average. The 

 wheat very indifferent, I should think not 

 more than half a crop of light grain. — 

 The rust is the w 7 heat destroyer of this 



country. How are we to avoid it? He 

 who shall teach us will be our great be- 

 nefactor, and entitled to our warmest gra- 

 titude. If we could get some variety 

 that would ripen before the access of w 7 arm 

 wet weather, say the last of May or first 

 of June, perhaps we might escape the 

 rust. Is there any such variety? 



John Lewis. 

 Llangollen, Ky. } Sept. 4, 1844. 



For the Southern Planter. 



VIRGINIA AND HER PROSPECTS. 



Mr. Editor, — I have just received and 

 read the January number of the Southern 

 Planter, and find it, as usual, replete in 

 matter, interesting and instructive to the 

 farmer. I always hail its arrival with 

 pleasure, and deem it the best agricul ural 

 periodical with which I am acquainted. 

 Ought not the farmer who is able and yet 

 refuses to encourage a paper devoted to 

 his interest, be discountenanced by the 

 farming community 1 I w T as very much 

 pleased with the Editor's article on "Vir- 

 ginia and her prospects." "Them's my 

 sentiments," and should be the sentiments 

 and practice, too, of every farmer in our 

 State, if we would again see her restored 

 to what she has been, or rather to what 

 she ought to be. Remodel the habits 

 and opinions of our people, and you con- 

 fer a greater benefit on Virginia, than the 

 legislator or philosopher can dare hope to 

 do. But it is not my intention to write 

 an essay, not being affected with cacoethes 

 scribendi, nor qualified to instruct my bro- 

 ther farmers with the pen — the hoe and 

 plough better fitting my hand. My ob- 

 ject was only to state, that having read 

 in the Southern Planter, sometime last 

 spring, an article, stating that a solution 

 of saltpetre was an infallible remedy for 

 the cut worm, I prepared nearly all my 

 corn as directed, but to my surprise the 

 cut worm, ignorant alike of the publica- 

 tion which directed my efforts, and the 

 vermifuge properties of saltpetre, ravaged 

 with impunity a portion of my crop, and 

 scarcely left a stock standing ; nor was 



