THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



293 



the drill, which your committee would observe has 

 a decided advantage over sowing by hand, in the 

 general evenness of the growth — very few under- 

 grown stalks, and small imperfect heads. 



The oat crop was principally upon high land, and 

 looked tolerably w^ell, but quite irregular in their 

 growtn, some high and some low, owing, we think, 

 to want of care in the distribution and sowing of 

 the guano. The oats upon the low grounds we 

 thought would have been better if the ends of the 

 furrows had been more effectually drained. His 

 crop of corn was chiefly on high land, and looked 

 very fine for the quality of the land, and j^our com- 

 mittee cannot speak too highly of Mr. Marshall's 

 preparation and cultivation of this important crop. 

 The field Avas thoroughlj^ ploughed and subsoiled, 

 containing from 120 to 130 acres, well manured 

 with guano and checked each way, four feet dis- 

 tance, with two stalks to the hill, and cultivated 

 both ways, altogether with light three-tooth har- 

 rows, which are run over the land as often as prac- 

 ticable during the season, leaving but little work 

 to be done by the hoe. We saw nine harrows going 

 at once, the horses and mules in fine condition and 

 moving rapidly ; and here it may be worthy of re- 

 mark to notice Mr. Marshall's plan of working his 

 horses and mules. He works them about eight or 

 ten hours each day and allows them the balance of 

 the time to eat, and rest in the middle of the day, 

 the ploughmen working at the hoe during this time. 

 They evidently showed the effects of superior ma- 

 nagement. 



The tobacco crop was planted and appeared to 

 be standing very well and the land to be well pre- 

 pared and highly manured with two hundred pounds 

 of Peruvian, two hundred pounds of Mexican guano 

 and a large quantity of straw and stable manure 

 per acre. All the land we saw, not cultivated, or 

 that lying in fallow, appeared to be well set in clo- 

 ver, affording abundant pasturage for a fine stock of 

 cattle, which we very much admired. His Durham 

 heifer of pure blood, purchased at the last State 

 Agricultural Fair, is worthy of particular notice, 

 on account of her large size and symmetry of form. 

 His Durham bull, also, we believe to be one of the 

 largest and best formed animals we have ever seen, 

 and have no doubt that his stock will be a great 

 improvement upon the old breed. The rest of the 

 cattle were in fine condition and showed that we 

 could rear as good cattle in this part of the State 

 as any where in the world, if we would only pro- 

 vide them a sufficient supply of grass. We would 

 remark that Mr. Marshall's lands appeared to be 

 but little washed or gullied, even on the steeper 

 parts, although he does not keep open water fur- 

 rows, except when his fields are cultivated in small 

 grain, and which good condition, we think is due 

 to deep ploughing and subsoiling. His out houses, 

 stables, barns, &c. seemed to be well built and in 

 good repair, especially his negro houses, which are 

 built of brick and covered with shingles. His 

 fences also were strong, well made and in good 

 order. 



Your committee would particularly notice and 

 call the attention of the Club to the manner in 

 Avhich Mr. Marshall prepares his lands for the re- 

 ception of every kind of crop, his thorough plough- 

 ing and subsoiling, and in this department of agri- 

 culture, so essential to success, we think he is justly 

 entitled to the highest praise. Altogether we think 

 the fa^-m exhibited abundant evidence of industry, 

 skill and good management, and that the eye of 

 the master was not wanting to any part, and we 



hope, and believe, that Mr. Marshall's success will 

 be commensurate with his well known zeal and 

 devotion to the cause of agricultural improvement, 

 the boldness of the views, and liberality of the 

 plans, which he has marked out for his own ope- 

 rations. 



William T. Scott, ) 



T. E. Watkins, \ ^omimitee. 



THE PRICE OF WHEAT. 



The following table, which we find in Hunt's 

 Merchant's Magazine, is from the minutes kept at 

 the ofiice of the Van Renssellaer Manor, at Albany, 

 where large amounts of rent are payable in wheat, 

 or a cash equivalent, on the first of January each 

 year ; and as two parties are deeply interested in 

 the price, it is probably the most reliably correct 

 of any record that can be obtained. There is quite 

 a lesson in these figures — look at them : 



Price of wheat per bushel, January 1st, at Albany 

 sixty-one years, viz : 



1793 . 



..SO 75 



1814. ..^ 



n 



871 



1835 . . 



. SI 00 



1794 



. , 1 00 



1815.... 



1 



621 



1836 



, 1 50 



1795 



,..1 37i 



1816.... 



1 



75 



1837 



, . , 2 25 



1796 , 



, , , 2 00 



1817.... 



2 



25 



1838 , 



... 1 62^ 



1797 . 



...1 50 



1818,... 



1 



871 



1839 . 



...1 75 



1798 



1 25 



1819 



1 



75 



1840 



...1 121 



1799 



, . ,1 181 



1820.... 



1 



00 



1841 



.. 1 00 



1800. . 



...1 56i 



1821 . . . . 





77 



1842 



, . 1 25 



1801 . 



...1 81i 



1822.... 



1 



121 



1843 



...1 87^ 



1802 



1 00 



1823.... 



1 



25 



1844 



... 2 00 



1803 



1 Vl\ 



1824 . . . . 



1 



25 



1845 



. . . 931 



1804 



. , 1 25 



1825.... 



1 



00 



1846 . 



...1 181 



1805 , 



.. 2 00 



1826 . . . . 





87^ 



1847 . 



...1 12| 



1806 



1 431 



1827 . . . . 



1 



00 



1848 



...1 31i 



1807 . 



1 37i 



1828 . . . . 



1 



00 



1849 



...1 18| 



1808 . 



1 121 



1829.... 



1 



75 



1850 



...1 18f 



1809 



1 00 



1830.... 



1 



00 



1851 



...1 12^ 



1810 



1 56i 



1831... 



1 



25 



1852 



...1 00 



1811 



1 75 



1832... 



1 



25 



1853 



...1 18| 



1812 



...1 871 



1833... 



1 



25 



1854 



... 1 75 



1813 . 



2 25 



1834 . . . 



1 



00 







You will notice that only five times in all those 

 years wheat has been two dollars or upward per 

 bushel, while it was seventeen times at one dollar 

 or under — twice at seventy-five cents. Only once 

 in thirty-seven years, that is since 1817, to wit: in 

 1837, has it reached two dollars. The average price 

 for the whole period is one dollar and thirty-eight 

 cents. For the last thirty years it is one dollar and 

 twenty-five cents, and w^e give it as a prophecy, 

 which we think may be relied upon, that that will 

 be the price next January. Those who are inte- 

 rested may as well make a note of that. The crop 

 of wheat is too good, too wide extended, and the 

 demand for export to Europe or California too li- 

 mited, and flour speculators too hard-up to maintain 

 present prices. — New York Tribune. 



TO DESTROY VERMIN. 



One of the editors of the New Orleans Picayune, 

 G. W. Kendall, in his letter from Paris to that jour- 

 nal, gives the subjoined recipe for destroying ver- 

 min on animals, plants and trees. The remedy is 

 simple, easy of application, and worthy of at least 

 atrial: 



" The celebrated Raspial, well known as one of 

 the best French chemists, has given an important 



