t^OUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
255 
letter FR03I DAVID DICKSON— THE USE 
of Guano. 
A short time since we received from Dr, Jarrett, of 
Mars Bluff, S. C., a letter of inquiry as to some points in 
David Dickson’s mode of using manures. This letter of 
inquiry was immediately forwarded to Mr. Dickson, v/ho 
has promptly and satisfactorily replied to it. Mr. Dick- 
son’s letter was written prior to his having been informed 
of the uniting of the South Countryman the Southern 
Cultivator. We are greatly obliged for Mr. Dickson’s 
kind appreciation of our labors, and hope the interest ex- 
pressed by him in the South Countryman will find just 
cause for increase in the superior opportunities for use- 
fulness afforded in the more extended sphere of the 
Southern Cultivator. There is no good reason why the 
Southern Cultivator should not receive the patronage of 
which Mr. Dickson speaks. It would even then be much 
less than that of some other Agricultural journals. The 
Michigan Farmer has 10,000 subscribers in that young 
State alone. The Genesee Farmer issues between 30,000 
and 40,000 copies. Perhaps there are others with a still 
larger circulation. We take this opportunity suggested 
by Mr. Dickson’s remark, to offer the request that the 
friends of the journals now united will make this union 
an occasion of a special effort to extend the circulation of 
the Southern Cultivator. We ought to have at the South 
an Agricultural journal of the higest character. At the 
very low rate at which these journals are charged, it is 
impossible that they can attain this character without a 
large subscription list. One or two names sent by each 
one of the present subscribers would go very far towards 
this result. A short ride to a neighbor’s dwelling, or a 
few moments conversation with some one to whom the 
subject has not been presented, may give one a place in a 
general movement which shall favorably and powerfully 
affect the Agriculture of the South. The large possibility 
is surely worth the small effort. H. 
Sparta, Ga., July 1st, 1859. 
Rev. C, W. Howard— S ir:— You wish me to 
answer the following points in your correspondent’s letter. 
He does not seem to understand what I meant by saying 
1 had not used the same quantity of guano per acre any 
two years. I commenced using 75 lbs., and have gradu- 
ally increased the quantity each year up to the present 
time to 175 lbs. per acre for cotion; 75 to 100 lbs. per 
acre for corn ; 75 to 135 lbs. for wheat and oatsj 400 lbs. 
for turnips and potatoes. Mr. Jarret wishes to knpw 
how I get the 5 per cent, of potash in the land plaster. 
Mr. Samuel Sands, of Baltimore, Md., as I stated in a 
previous letter, is my agent, and whatever I wish in the 
way of fertilizers, I order from him. Mr. Sands will have 
any per cent, of potash added to land plaster that you 
wish. Mr. Jarrot wishes to know why I recommend us- 
ing guano free for cotton. It is because cotton is the best 
paying crop. Using guano for cotton the last of March 
and first of April ; commence selling cotton in September 
— in 6 to 9 months you will have the money invested in 
guano back with the profits. 2d, Cotton does not ex- 
haust land. There is very little inorganic matter sold an- 
nually from a cotton field— the principal loss in making 
cotton is the clean culture, the soil washing off and leach- 
ing by heavy rains. 
Guano is a partial remedy for that — it will lessen the 
season of plowing two to three weeks, by making the 
cotton that much more forward and producing double the 
quantity of litter to plow in for the next crop, in leaves, 
cotton stalks, seeds, &c., which will protect the land the 
second year somewhat. 
By using guano free you may curtail the number of 
acres cultivated. 
To get the full benefit of guano, land must be rested, to 
grow weeds and accumulate vegetable mould. Also use 
it on the pea crop for the same purpose. 
Peruvian guano, under a bad system, will exhaust land. 
The mixture I recommended, which was published in the 
Sonth Countryman, under a good sy stem will make land 
rich. 
The use of guano is objected to by some thinking it 
lessens the interest in home-made manure. It should be 
made the means of doubling the home-made manure, in- 
creasing the cotton seed one- third, doubling the wheat and 
oat straw, producing twice the quantity of weeds when 
land is at rest, and double the quantity of peas and vines, 
and the more of all such manures produced and saved, 
the better guano will pay. I am in favor of making the 
land produce double what it does now, instead of doub- 
ling the number of slaves by the importation of wild Afri- 
cans. Double the productiveness of the land, and it will 
be worth four times the present value. Double the num- 
ber of slaves and the price will depreciate one-half. 
You are laboring hard, and to the point, in the South 
Conntrymam. There is one more subject I would like for 
you to embrace. We want more manure, and the cities 
of Georgia can furnish part of it in Super- Phosphate of 
Lime and Poudrette and add greatly to the health of the 
places. Cannot you induce some persons to undertake it 1 
The planters of the South ought to take at least 20,000 
copies of your paper; and, rather than your enterprise 
should fail, you may set me down for ten numbers. 
Those who wish to be well posted upon the guano 
trade, should take S. Sands & Mills’ Rural Register, 
Baltimore, Md., — 24 numbers per year for one dollar. 
They will find'it a valuable paper. 
Yours very truly, David Dickson. 
PEACH TREE WORMS — CHINA BERRIES, &c. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — I forgot, a day or 
two past, when I wrote, to inquire of you what time of the 
year Mr. “V. S.,” of Charleston, puts in the China berries 
about his Peach trees to prevent borers. I feel much in- 
terested in it, as I have lost almost half of my trees after 
trying several, in fact, I think all of the remedies. The 
best I have tried is cutting them out, but it is hard to find 
them all. If we scald them with ley or put on strong 
white wash it is almost impossible to reach all. I have 
tried cutting out all I could find and filling the holes with 
with wet snuff, but tobacco has no effect on them, even if 
they are soaked in it. I will, this season, try a prepara- 
tion of tar or spirits of turpentine, as I have not heard of 
it being tried, I expect it will kill the tree, but I have 
some two or three seedlings that don’t get ripe, but are 
the thriftiest trees I have. You will please let us hear, if 
you can, about the right time of putting the China berries 
in. 
Last winter there was some gentlemen, near this place, 
purchased considerable quantities of Peach trees for plant- 
ing, the only difficulty was the dread of the borer. 
Yours truly, E. C. Holleman. 
Eufaula, Ala., July, 1859. 
[Will our friend “Val,,” reply to the above, at his ear- 
liest convenience 'IJ 
“ Agricultural Fair.” — A Farmer’s pretty daugh 
ters. 
