DEVOTED S*:XCLUSIVBLY TO TBtE IMPROVEMENT OP SOUTHERN AGRICULTURE. 
VOL. XVII. AUGUSTA, GA., AUGUST, 1859. NO. 8. 
WIIililAM S. JONES, Publisher. D. REDMOND and C. W. HOWARD, Editors. 
[n="See Terms on Cover. 
^lantatifltt ©(atimiHj anit 
HINTS FOR THE MONTH. 
The Plantation. — The weeds must be entirely kept 
under during the present month, and to that end, keep 
your plows and cultivators and sweeps constantly moving 
in the Cotton field. This regular stirring and pulveriza- 
tion of the soil will also have the effect of encouraging a 
larger growth, and preventing the falling of the forms. Let 
your culture, however, not be so deep as to interfere with 
or injure the roots in any way, or you will do more harm 
than good. Toward the latter part of the month, begin 
your preparations for picking, and as soon as the bolls 
begin to open freely, set the hands at work gathering. 
Have all seed cotton hauled in wagons from distant fields 
to the gin-house, and do not require your negroes to waste 
their time and strength in carrying heavy baskets. If 
you wish to weigh the picking of each hand, it can be 
done by the overseer, before it is put into the wagons, or 
each one can mark his basket and have it weighed at 
noon and night, in the gin-house. 
Corn. — All early planted corn is already laid by, in 
most sections ; but very late fields may yet receive anoth- 
er careful surface working, laying it by level, mellow, and 
free from weeds. 
Cutting up Corn Stalks for Fodder. — In our last num- 
ber we offered some objections to the very common 
practice of pulling fodder, and advised the substitution of 
drilled corn, or Chinese Sugar Cane, which we have long 
found to be an excellent and economical article, both for 
“soiling” (or feeding green) and winter hay. We will 
offer another hint for the consideration of our readers. It 
is, to cut up their corn stalks at the ground, as soon as 
the ears begin to glaze, or get hard; set up in shocks 
every twenty or thirty hills thus cut, and when the whole 
is perfectly dry, haul under cover or carefully stack up; 
shuck or strip off the ears at your leisure, and save all the 
stalks, blades and shucks for the winter feeding of stock. 
This hint is especially intended for small planters— those 
who aim only to raise sufficient corn for their owm use. 
and who desire to make the most of it, and to save all thaS 
is worth saving. Our objections against fodder pulling, 
(as before stated,) are that it is a slow and laborious pro- 
cess, and that the yield and weight of the grain is lessen- 
ed by prematurely depriving the plant of its leaves. If 
fodder is pulled before the grain becomes glazed, you cer- 
tainly injure the grain ; and if you do not pull until the 
ears are fully ripe, the fodder is nearly worthless. The 
proper plan is cut up corn as directed, just when the 
grain is passing from the doughy state to the hard kernel. 
At this period of its growth, the plant has elaborated suf- 
ficient sap to mature the grain perfectly after it is cut, 
and the surplus starch, gum and saccharine matter which 
it contains will be preserved in the stalk and leaves, in- 
stead of being changed to hard and worthless woody fibre, 
as when the plant is allowed to become perfectly dead 
ripe. Another advantage in thus cutting up corn is, that 
as soon as it is hauled off, the ground is ready for the 
plow, and after it has received a good manuring, you can 
proceed immediately with thesowdngof your winter oafs, 
rye, barley, clover, etc. Let those who have scanty crops 
try it, even on a small scale, and they will, we doubt not, 
be well pleased. 
Feeding Corn Stalk Fodder. — In order to use coth 
with proper economy, every farmer and planter should 
have the “Little Giant,” “Young America,” or a similar 
mill for grinding both corn and cob. To this should be 
added a Feed Cutter, suitable for cutting hay, sheaf oats, 
corn shucks, &c., &c. (The “Universal Cutter,” costing 
S12 in New -Y’ork, is a good implement.) With this lattet 
implement, the corn stalk fodder, shucks, oats, hay, and 
other rough feed, may be finely cut up, and when mixed 
with a proper portion of corn and cob meal, slightly mois- 
tened, (with an occasional sprinkle of salt,) you have an 
excellent and cheap provender for all kinds of farm stock. 
Roots, such as Turnips, Sweet Potatoes, &c., when plenty, 
may be added to the foregoing from time to time, and they 
will be found to give increased relish and improved health 
to your animals 
Turnips.— 'Knid. Baga, Red Top, Early Flat Dutch, 
Yellow Aberdeen, Norfolk and Globe, and other Turnips, 
.should be sown from the 1st to the 25th of this month 
The ground should be repeatedly plowed very deep, and. 
