108 
THE QUANTITY OF SEED USUALLY SOWN TO AN ACRE, ETC. 
WORK FOR APRIL, SOUTH. 
Cultivation of Cotton. — At the beginning oi this 
month, attend to the planting of cotton seed, and 
continue its culture as recommended at p. 81, of our 
second volume. 
Rice. — Plant upland rice in drills about 18 inches 
apart, or sow broadcast and harrow in the seed as 
with lowland rice. Cover the ground two inches 
thick with old rice straw, in order to keep down 
grass and weeds and to nourish the crop. Irriga- 
tion is unnecessary in the cultivation of this variety 
of rice. It will grow on poor, sandy ridges as well 
as on lands that are wet. Continue to sow low- 
land rice as directed last month. 
Cane Fields. — Attend to your cane fields; keep 
the earth loose and clear of weeds. 
Tobacco Plants. — Occasionally stir the earth 
around your tobacco plants, both with the hand and 
the hoe. First, shave the surface, and after the 
plants increase in size, gradually draw a slight bed 
towards them. Examine the plants closely, every 
night and morning, and destroy the numerous 
worms which feed upon them. First, look for a 
small grub about the roots under ground, and after- 
wards a large ugly worm on the leaf. There is 
also a small worm which attacks the buds of the 
plant, and if not killed, will surely prevent its fur- 
ther growth. Another worm, of a still smaller 
size, may be found within the two coats of the 
leaves, which feeds on the juices of the plant alone. 
Kitchen Garden. — During this month,. plant toma- 
toes, cabbage, chives, earl) r peas, leeks, parsley, 
beefs, carrots, mustard, celery, eggplant, lettuce, 
roquet, radishes, (long and round,) beans, okra, cu- 
cumbers, melons, pumpkins, squashes, and Indian 
corn. Prepare your ground for sweet potatoes, as 
directed last month. 
Fruit Garden, Shrubbery, fyc. — Now is a good 
time to transplant evergreens of all kinds, including 
lemons and oranges. Let them he watered, until 
they take root. 
♦■ 
CUTTING- AND GRINDING SUGAR CANE. 
From private letters from some of our southern 
friends, we observe that they take exceptions to 
our remarks in the " work for the months of 
January and February," in regard to cutting and 
grinding cane. \n preparing these articles, a wider 
range must be admitted for all our readers, in point 
time and season, than can be limited to any individ- 
ual or section. We have long been perfectly 
aware that the planters of Louisiana generally com- 
plete their cane harvest early in December. But 
the case is far different in the southern parts of 
Florida and in the south-easterly part of Texas, 
where we have numerous subscribers. 
We make this explanation in relation to one pro- 
duct only, in order that our readers may fully un- 
derstand that, relative periods can only be assigned 
for sowing, planting, and harvesting particular 
products, and that considerable variations must ne- 
cessarily be made in applying our remarks to every 
section where our journal is read or known. 
• 
THE QUANTITY OF SEEDS USUALLY SOWN TO 
AN ACRE. 
We are often applied to for information as to 
(he proper quantity of field and garden seeds that 
i-s necessary to sow an acre of ground. This, it 
will be perceived, cannot be definitely answered, as 
all seeds differ in their degree of excitability, or ra- 
pidity of germination, and are influenced more or 
less by the moisture, temperature, and richness of 
the soil, as well as by the season and climate in 
which they are sown. Thus, no two seeds taken 
from the same seed vessel will germinate precisely 
at the same time, but on the contrary, one will 
often do so promptly, while its companion seed will 
remain dormant in the soil for one or more years. 
For instance, fresh tobacco seedlings have been 
known to continue to appear annually for ten years 
on the same plot, though no seed was sown after 
the first year. The same phenomenon often occurs 
for two or three years, with the hawthorn, the 
peony, and ather plants. Why one seed is more 
easily excited than another is as yet unexplained. 
The quantity of field seeds usually sown broad- 
cast per acre, in this country, is as follows : — 
Wheat, l£ 
Barley, - - - 1£ 
Oats, ... 2 
Rye, ... i 
Buckwheat, | 
Millet, ... i 
Indian corn, - - 1 
Rice, 2 
Beans, 2 
Peas, 2h 
Hemp, ... i 
Flax, i 
Timothy, - - 12 
Mustard, 8 
Herd's grass, (red top,) 12 
to 
Flat turnip, 2 
Red clover, - - 10 
White clover, - 3 
Kentucky blue grass, 10 
Ray grass, - - 10 
Orchard grass, cock's foot, 20 
The following table shows the quantity of seeds 
usually sown to an acre in rows or drills : — 
2 
4 
2 
n 
u 
2 
3 
u 
2 
24 
20 
16 
3 
10 
4 
15 
16 
30 
bushels. 
quarts. 
lbs. 
Cotton seed, 
Broom com, 
Beans, 
Peas, 
Peanuts, 
Potatoes, 
Weld, 
Woad, 
Lucern, 
Onions, 
Carrots, 
Parsnips, - 
Beets, 
2 
1 
n 
n 
i 
3 
2 
4 
8 
4 
2 
BROWN CORN. 
to 
5 bushels 
2 
25 
4 
6 
10 
5 
2^ 
5 
6 
quarts 
lbs. 
Distances of hills 
^Quantity rec 
uir- 
Quantity requir 
apart. 
jed 4grs. to a 
hili. 
ed5 
grs. to a hill. 
Feet. Feet. 
Quarts. 
Quarts. 
3 by 2 
14.5 
18.2 
3 il 3 
9.7 
12.1 
3£ " 3 
8.3 
10.4 
3£ " 3^ 
7.1 
8.9 
4 " 3 
7.3 
9.1 
4 " 31 
.6.2 
7.8 
4 " 4 
i 5.4 
6.8 
