7G 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



expensive plan, requiring a great deal of labor 

 to collect the leaves or a great waste of manure 

 to apply the straw. When, however, a part of 

 the profit is expected from improvement of the 

 land the cost of the covering is no objection. 



For a fall crop of Irish Potatoes we shall 

 hereafter give a different, and, we think, a bet- 

 ter plan. 



Plant Irish potatoes under straw ; manure 

 the ground well, and plow it deeply ; open fur- 

 rows two feet apart, and drop the half of a po- 

 tatoe two feet apart in the furrow, cover it two 

 or three inches with earth, and then cover the 

 whole bed two feet deep with leaves or straw. 

 The rains will beat down the leaves and straw, 

 and no matter how dry the season, the ground 

 will never become entirely dry. W e made in 

 the dry season last year, by planting potatoes 

 in this way, the finest and largest potatoes we 

 ever saw any where. Those who are willing 

 to a trifling expense, may start the early cab- 

 bage, lettuce and cauliflower, in a hot bed. A 

 frost proof hot bed may be made after the fol- 

 lowing manner : Excavate a piece of ground as 

 large as the frame is to be, twelve inches deep, 

 in this put six inches of good cotton seed, fill 

 up with garden soil, and put on the frame. — 

 The frame may be made of common rough 

 plank, facing and sloping south, with a common 

 window sash to cover it. In this, plant the 

 seeds; the heat of the cotton seed will force 

 the plants into a quick growth. In mild wea- 

 ther, take off the sash that the plants may have 

 air. Where cotton seed cannot be had, stable 

 manure will answer. Have convenient some 

 old matting, loose straw or hay, to place over 

 the sash, in very cold weather. A crop of very 

 early English peas may be obtained by plant- 

 ing in the following manner: Open a trench as 

 long as the row is to be, eight or ten inches 

 deep ; in the bottom of the trench dig in some 

 well rotted manure ; the trench should be about 

 twelve inches wide. In the bottom of this 

 trench plant a double row of English peas, (the 

 early varieties.) It will take a very severe 

 frost to freeze down to the bottom of the trench ; 

 but should the weather prove very cold, some 

 planks placed over the trench will protect the 

 plants. By the time the peas are up to the top 

 of the trench, they will be safe from frost. — 

 The sides of the trench may be dug down, the 

 peas stuck with brush, and very early green 

 peas may be had for the table. Snap beans 

 and okra may be started in this way. The okra 

 will not require as deep a trench, as it is slow- 

 er growth. It may be well to caution our 

 readers that there are three requisites for a 

 good vegetable garden — good soil, good culture 

 and good seed. Never purchase garden seeds 

 from any but reliable dealers. Cheap garden 

 seeds are generally the dearest. 



WYANDOT CORN. 

 We gave last month Mr. Moody of Isle of 

 Wight's account of his success with this new 

 variety of corn. We give below the other side 

 of the picture from the Report of Mr. Nicol, 

 lately superintendent of the model farm of the 

 Union Agricultural Society, in his final report 

 to the executive committee. We find it in the 

 Southern Farmer of Dec. 13, which we were so 

 unfortunate as not to get until the 2nd of Jan- 

 uary. 



One acre was planted with Wyandot corn on 

 the 21st of April, the ground previously heavily 

 manured and thoroughly prepared. The corn, 

 according to directions, was planted five feet 

 apart each way, one grain to a hill. About 

 two-thirds of the grain planted vegetated, and 

 for a week or two grew slowly and looked yel- 

 low, until about the end of May, when it grew 

 olf rapidly, each grain or hill throwing up from 

 three to ten stalks, averaging in height from 

 seven to ten feet, and when in full growth look- 

 ing luxuriant and beautiful. On October 3d, 

 the whole was cut down and shocked up, the 

 stalks still green and leaves nearly all dry ; 

 and on the 25th Nov., had all shucked and 

 measured. The result was 12 J bushels of only 

 comparatively sound corn ; 8 bushels of cobbs 

 with a few grains on them, and worthless nub- 

 bins. A large proportion of the s*econd growth 

 of stalks failed to produce any grain. The only 

 really sound grain being obtained from the first 

 or original stalk. The report of this experi- 

 ment must go for what it4s worth. I will only 

 further remark that whatever may be the mer- 

 its of this variety of Maize in rich, or moist 

 ground, I very much doubt of its suitableness 

 for highland culture. 



WYANDOT OR HICKS CORN. 



Weldon, N. C, Jan. 23, 1857. 

 Mr. Editor — In your January number of the 

 " Southern Planter/ 7 I find a letter from Mr. 

 A. G. Moody, of Isle of Wight Co., Va., upon 

 the subject of Prolific Corn. Mr. Moody states 

 that he procured the seed from New York, 

 whence they were procured from Illinois, and 

 he calls it the " Wyandot Prolific." In read- 

 ing it I was struck with two facts. First, that 

 our farmers have to send North for their seed 

 corn (and it is so with nearly all our garden 

 seeds) ; and second, the close similarity between 

 this corn and a Prolific now much used in this 

 region after thorough trial. The former is a 

 very deplorable "fact," and farmers should ex- 

 ert every means in their power to "rub it out." 

 The latter is a gratifying "fact," as it opens an 

 avenue of escape from the disagreeable and 

 disgraceful vassalage to the North, as the seed 

 to which Mr. Moody alludes can no doubt be 

 procured in abundance here. 



