268 



THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



HARVESTING WHEAT. 

 White Post P. 0., Clarke Co., Va. "I 

 August 16, 1856. j- 



Mr. Editor — My attention being drawn to a 

 communication in tiie August number of the 

 Planter, under the head of " Harvesting Wheat,'^ 

 which is correct to a letter, I am induced 

 Irom experience in harvesting in every way 

 known in this blessed country of ours to com- 

 municate an improved method which makes 

 hay and wheat harvest comparatively easy, and 

 certainly less vexatious on account of trifling 

 cradlers, and the universal disposition on the 

 part of harvest hands, whether hireling or not, 

 to prolong the operation as long as possible. In 

 this portion of the State, the desire to prolong 

 harvest is not so much to be wondered at, when 

 we reflect that harvest is in fact a frolic ; every 

 one feeds liberally of every thing that their 

 farms produce, and in addition they have coffee 

 twice a day, pies, &c. at dinner, and with the 

 exception of a few straggling " Sons of Tempe- 

 rance/' they are allowed spirits twice a day. 

 After resting an hour or two at night, if they 

 desire, it they are not prevented from enjoying 

 a dance, and at such times they are beyond a 

 doubt the happiest portion of creation. 



The improved method alluded to is Manny's 

 Reaper and Mower combined, with Wood's im- 

 provement. With two of these reapers, I cut 

 the past harvest, betAveen 250 and 300 acres of 

 wheat, oats and grass. And after the horses 

 (two to each machine) were practiced by myself 

 and servant a little, my two sons, one 14 3^ears 

 of age, and the other only 11, cut my entire 

 wheat and oat crop. The gra«s, about 70 acres, 

 was cut in three days and a half before harAest, 

 and before the boys left school. In a field of 

 sixty acres of heavy wheat, ten binders did not 

 keep up. The Aveather was hot and on all low 

 situations the wheat was either leaning, tang- 

 led or lodged. Including all interruptions 

 while in this field, the machines averaged twelve 

 acres each per day, and the work was pronoun- 

 ced as being perfectly done. With such a ma- 

 chine the farmer governs his harvest, decides 

 when it is necessary to stop, does his own whet- 

 ting with a mill saw file once in 1, 2 or 3 days, 

 as he may think necessary, and even then it 

 may be done between 12 and 2 o'clock in the 

 day, while the horses are feeding, or between 

 dusk in the evening and sun rise the next morn- 

 ing. 



If the ground be favorable and wheat good 

 (for the machine will do more in good than light 

 wheat) the machine will cut one acre and a half 

 per hour. This machine I have found will cut 

 short wheat, oats or grass better than a cradle 

 or scythe. If the grain or grass has sufficient 

 length to fall over the head of the machine 

 which is flat, and only about 2^ inches thick, it 

 will shave every stalk. By harvesting in this 

 way the most inferior hand is made to do the 

 work of four of the best cradlers, and the able- 

 bodied cradlers do the binding and shocking, 



and the farmer follows after the takers up and 

 sees that all is nice and clean. By giving one 

 or two machines (as the case may be,) half a 

 day's start, the binders may be kept abreast 

 which they much prefer— let the water cart fol- 

 low, and there is necessarily no lost time. Lay- 

 ing aside the pecuniar}^ saving and the satisfac- 

 tion to the farmer to know that he has the means 

 within himself of cutting his own harvest. I 

 think that feelings of humanity for the laboring 

 class should induce those who can to purchase 

 such implements. In future I shall be content 

 to grow as much wheat as my little boys can 

 cut in twelve working days. My past wheat 

 harvest was secured in eleven days. 



_ Would it not be something to brag of if Vir- 

 ginia could say that the great grand sons (little 

 boys) of the participators in the Revolution, now 

 cut all the wheat grown in the State. 



J. J. IHTE. 



GEN. J. II. COCKE'S WHEAT CROP. 



Bremo, Aug. 11, 1856. 

 Mr. Ruffin, Editor of So. Planter. 



Dear Sir — My wheat crop having attracted 

 the notice of travellers on the canal, in the val- 

 ley of James river, it may be interesting to such 

 as observed its promising appearance to know 

 how it is turning out. 



Two measured acres, separately threshed, 

 cleared and measured, has yielded eighty-one 

 bushels. 



Two other acres from another part of the 

 same field has yielded seventy-five bushels. 



These acres were taken with the view of get- 

 ting a fair average of the whole field of seventy- 

 five, acres — all bottom lancl of James river, and 

 fallowed in August and first week in September 

 with four horse ploughs, seeded first week in Oc- 

 tober, two bushels and one gallon to the acre — 

 one-half guanoed at the rate of 200 pounds to 

 the acre, and the other half limed at the rate of 

 50 bushels to the acre. 



The above turn out was from the guanoed 

 portion. From all appearances, the portion 

 limed was judged to be equal, but as the crop 

 from this is not yet all threshed, I have not been 

 able to make a comparison between them. 

 Should the result show any difference worth your 

 notice, I may communicate it in future. 



Respectfully yours, 



JOHN H. COCKE. 



USE OF PHOSPHATES ON CLOVER AND 

 PEAS. 



Rochester, N. Y., April 21, 1856. 



I would willingly answer the inquiries of 

 your correspondent and of yourself, but I have 

 really nothing worth communicating. 



So far as my experience goes, though super- 

 phosphate of lime does rnore good on clover and 

 the common pea than on wheat ; yet it will not 

 pay to use it, at present prices, on these crops. 



