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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



For the Southern Planter. 



THE SHANGHAI FOWLS. 



Mr. Editor, — I don't know much, and never wrote 

 a piece for your paper, but I just drop you a line 

 to make some inquiries, and to know the reason 

 why you consume so much space of your valuable 

 journal with the long legs of the Shanghai cock, 

 and I want to know why you do not shoulder the 

 responsibility like a man, and give your opinions 

 instead of making an attack on the Shanghai family 

 by publishing what the Knickerbocker says, •fcc.'? 

 Now, sir, I think that editors of agricultural jour- 

 nals should, of all men, keep clean hands, and 

 should rather seek to build up than to pull down. 

 I wish I were by you, sir, I would teach you the 

 lesson about the boy and the bricks. An old man 

 took his son with him to the brick-yard ; he placed 

 twelve bricks on the ends in a row ; he then knocked 

 down the first brick; this fell against the second 

 and knocked it down, and so on, until all fell. He 

 then goes to the other end and raises up one brick 

 to see if all would rise, but found that it could not 

 help its fallen companions. Mr. Editor, don't knock 

 down so fast; let the Shanghai race alone; if they 

 are worthless, then they are beneath an editor's 

 notice; if they are valuable, the time may come 

 when, as a friend to the farmer, you may liavc to 

 exalt that family, and cannot: " For if this counsel 

 or this work be of men, it will come to nought; 

 but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it, lest 

 haply ye be found even to fight against God." I 

 will not discuss the question with you now, but am 

 always ready to do so, but will say this : I have 

 kept almost every variety of chickens. I have now 

 the Brahma (I suppose you do not allow them a 

 place in Henology — well I for one think that they 

 are only a choice and improved variety of the Asia- 

 tic fowls,) and I find them to be truly valuable, 

 laying twice as many and larger eggs than any other 

 breed in the world; better setters and nurses, and 

 more healthy and vigorous. We own a pullet, now 

 ten months old, that has in a period of five months 

 laid 50 eggs and raised 45 fine chickens. 



And while I am writing I want to hit you about 

 another thing. You have been trying to pull down 

 and slander another very respectable and innocent 

 family, the Cotswolds, and you want to exalt an- 

 other family, known by their long horns, big head, 

 all bones and no meat, all skin and no wool. Mr. 

 Editor, tell the truth and shame tlie Devil ; do you 

 not own, and have you not for sale some of this 

 family '? Don't you think if you were to catch an 

 old gentleman of this family and straighten out his 

 horns, wouldn't they be as long as the Shanghai's 

 legs'? Well, I don't like this family; they must be 

 kin to the Darkeys, and their meat stinks like a 

 pole cat. I am of opinion the Cotswold is the sheep 

 for us, who raise tobacco and wheat; they have the 

 long, strong and abundant wool with which to clothe 

 our sons and daughters and servants, and afibrd us 

 fat and juicy mutton. Working men are no epi- 

 cures, and don't wear broadcloth no how. The time 

 may come when Virginia will raise high priced 

 wool for sale. Then the French gentry, clad in 

 purple and black cloth, may come on, but at pre- 

 sent this doctrine is about as big a humbug as silk 

 raising was. 



Mr. Editor, try and teach us how to make to- 

 bacco enough to pay our debts and educate our 

 children ; after that how to improve our poor lands 

 a^id make two blades of grass grow where one grew 



before. Then tell us how to raise fat pigs, cows, 

 fat mutton, and good strong wool and heap of it; 

 and teach our wives and daughters how to use it 

 all up; how to raise an abundance of fine fat fowls, 

 no matter whether of Shanghais or of Lord Derby's 

 family, and teach us all how to live easy and within 

 ourselves ; and when you do this I don't think that 

 you will have room for the long legs of the Shanghai. 



A Subscriber. 



Columbian Grove, Va. 



For the Southern Planter. 



Mr. Editor, — I send yoti the following report upon 

 Mr. John Marshall's farm for publication in the 

 Southern Planter at the unanimous request of the 

 Wardsfork Agricultural Club, of which I am the 

 Secretary. 



Respectfully yours, 



William T. Scott. 



Charlotte, July 12, 1854. 



REPORT ON MR. JOHN MARSHALL'S FARM. 



The committee appointed to examine and report 

 upon Mr. John Marshall's farm, on the first Satur- 

 day in June, would remark, that they performed 

 that duty with great pleasure, and hope with some 

 jjrofit to themselves, seeing much to approve of 

 and admire, and but little to condemn. 



Mr. Marshall's farm, containing about 1000 acres, 

 lies upon Wardsfork and its branches, broken and 

 hilly, with a variety of soil, some soft and gray, 

 mixed with red gravel and clay, as is generally 

 the case with the lands upon this stream; originally 

 of fine quality, but had been extremely exhausted 

 by hard cultivation and injudicious management 

 under the old system of excessive cropping and 

 constant grazing so long pursued by the people of 

 this part of Virginia. This was the condition of 

 the farm when it came into the possession of Mr. 

 Marshall, about twelve or fifteen years ago, and 

 from that time has been gradually improving to 

 the present, under a better system of cultivation, 

 deeper ploughing and the liberal application of 

 manure. Especially has this been the case for the 

 last four or five years, owing to the extensive use 

 of guano and plaster and the growth of clover 

 during that period, in addition to the ordinary re- 

 sources of the farm for the production of manure. 

 We suppose that no planter in this county has used 

 guano to the same extent as Mr. Marshall, and per- 

 haps none has derived so much benefit; using, upon 

 an average, about twenty-five tons per annum on 

 all his crops for the last four years, viz: since the 

 year 1850, when he first commenced its application, 

 and bestowed more of his personal attention to his 

 farm, and from which time, also, we would date 

 any very decided improvement. We have looked 

 over his farm and crops for three years past, and 

 have seen evident and manifest indications of im- 

 provement each succeeding year, and which was 

 more striking at this examination than at any pre- 

 vious one. His crop of wheat, occupying a large 

 space, about 140 or 150 acres, looked remarkably 

 v/ell, a large portion very fine, and free from nox- 

 ious weeds, cheat and cockle, and we suppose will 

 yield, on an average, about fifteen bushels per acre. 

 This land had been thoroughly ploughed and pre- 

 , pared and about two hundred pounds of guano ap- 

 plied to the acre upon all excepting the tobacco 

 land, and the greater part of the wheat put in with 



