276 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
original cost. The results illustrate the two systems of 
agriculture. The one which looks solely to annual re- 
turns— the other which combines with reasonable annual 
returns, a constant reference to the improvement of the 
soil, by deep plowing, manures and the grasses. There 
is a great amount of fresh land in Gordon county. The 
Oostanaula River and the different creeks afford a body 
of meadow land of great extent and fertility. Let the 
farmers of Gordon county remember that an acre of s,god 
Kay loill sell for a larger sum than the produce of the best 
acre in the county in wheat, corn or- cotton. This would 
not be the case if hay raising were general. But until 
this is the case they might as well obtain the benefit of 
high prices as others. We could have sold our entire hay 
crop this spring in Chattanooga at S25 per ton. The 
produce of an acre of ground which yields 2 1-2 tons of 
hay, at these prices will sell for $62.50, besides the great 
benefit of the fall and winter pastures. There are many 
large bodies of meadow land in Gordon county which 
can be made to produce 2 1-2 tons of hay per acre. We 
wish the spirited Society of this county great success. 
We trust that its intelligent farming population will all 
become members of it, There ought to be a Fair annu- 
ally held near Calhoun. What js there to prevent it 1 
During our brief excursion to Gordon county we had the 
opportunity of a visit of two or three hours to Devon Hall, 
the farm of R. Peters, of Atlanta, We were obligingly 
shown the various kinds of stock which were near the 
house by the intelligent manager, Mr. Carey; but de- 
signing to make a more careful examination of this ad- 
mirable establishment at some future day, our comments 
will be reserved until after that examination has taken 
place. 
Griffin and its vicinity. — The Commencement of the 
Griffin Female College has afforded us the occasion of a 
most agreeable visit to this thriving place. It is generally 
supposed by persons at a distance that Griffin has suffered 
by the extension of the Railroad lines beyond it. This 
is an error. Everything indicates thrift and prosperity. 
Great attention is here paid to the subject of Education. 
There are two large Female Institutions. One, at the 
head of which is Rev. Dr. Patterson, of the Synod of 
Georgia, and numbering neatly 100 pupils. The other, 
the Griffin Female College, over vrhich the Rev. Mr. 
Rogers presides with dignity and success, is attended by 
considerably more than 100 young ladies. We were 
pleased to observe that^Mr. Rogers is endeavoring to ob- 
viate the "opprobium” of these institutions, extravagance 
in dress, by requiring a simple and economical apparel 
to be worn by the pupils. We trust that his efforts will 
be sustained by the patrons of this institution, and that 
this wise example will be extensively imitated by similar 
establishments. We have much to say on this subject of 
Female Education, but the general purpose of this journal 
will not allow us to dwell longer upon it Besides these 
Female Colleges, Marshall College, an Institution for 
young men, under the control of the Baptist Church, is 
established and is in a flourishing condition, number 
ing nearly 100 pupils. An unexpected branch of busi- 
ness is carried on here to a considerable extent. We 
were surprised to learn that the sales of Woodruff & 
Co. of the different kinds of carriages exceeded $100,000 
per annum. Two other establishments of the same char- 
acter make up an aggregate annual sale of more than 
$200,000 of this kind of property. The average ship- 
ments of cotton from this depot are about 30,000 bales per 
annum. Eleven large iron front brick buildings are now 
in process of erection. Mr. Gibson is building a hand- 
some and large dwelling of two stories of concrete — the 
cheapest and best material which can be used for that 
purpose. We hope to obtain from him, when it is com- 
pleted, an account of the details of cost. The admirable 
iron plow of Mr. Bloodworth is made at this place— a 
plow which gives the greatest satisfaction to those who 
have used it. Mr. Bloodworth kindly drove us out to 
see the result of some subsoiling done with his two horse 
plow on land belonging to Mr. Martin. We should be 
sorry to own much land that was poorer, from exhaus- 
tion, than this seemed to have been. Yet by being 
thoroughly subsoiled, together with a slight dressing of 
manure, it was producing a handsome yield of corn. It 
is very certain that the cheapest method of increasing our 
landed estate, is by going down into the soil. If w^e have 
used only three inches of the surface of a 100 acre field, 
and if we then, by doubling our depth by plowing, use 
an additional three inches of soil, it is equal to buying 
another 100 acres without having either to pay' for it or to 
fence it. 
Judge Dobbins afforded us an opportunity of looking 
at a remarkable plow which he has partially completed. 
He is not satisfied with it in its present condition, but 
hopes to exhibit it in a perfect state at our next Fair, 
when we will give a description of it. This farm of Judge 
D.’s is an apt illustration of the truth of our views on the 
“Low Price of Land,” publisiied in both the Cultivafv>r 
and the South Countryman This farm consists of 1,800 
acres, and is valued at $10 per acre — $18,000. Of this 
1,800 acres, 1,300 are woodland — $13,000 dead capital 
out of $18,000 — a portion of the remaining 500 acres was 
turned out to rest and recover. Judge Dobbins has 
promised this fall to thin out some of this woodland and 
sow it down with grasses suitable to winter pasture. If 
these 1300 acres of woods pasture yielded only one dollar 
per acre, it would be annually 10 per cent on their value, 
and besides the stock which they would support, would 
make the rest of the farm indefinitely rich. When plan- 
ters are urged fo perform extra work like this, their gene- 
ral reply is, we have not time, as cotton absorbs all the 
force of the plantation. , It does not seem to occur to them 
that there is such a thing as hiring extra force, or letting 
out a job by contract. There are but few positions in 
which sufficient labor cannot be obtained during the 
winter to perform this, extra work.. We submit to the 
judgment of planters whether it be not sound economy 
to make this outlay, which renders a part of our capital 
active which is now dead, and enables us to improve all 
the rest of our land I So far as we could learn, the average 
crops in the vicinity of Griffin are about as follows: — 
about 400 to 450 lbs. of cotton, 5 to 6 bushels of wheat, 
and 8 to 10 bushels of corn to the acre. If it were not for 
the increase of their negroes, planters could not sustain 
themselves and families with .'^ucli crops. The necessity 
of manure is urgent. Judge Dobbins made 1000 lbs. of 
cotton to the acre last year fiom poor land manured with 
guano. He thinks he can afford to use it at $80 per ton. 
Our friends in that portion of Georgia must adopt some 
method of improvement or their lands will be reduced to 
hopeless sterility. Clover will grow upon them. We 
warrant that, if it be pat in properCij and afterwards pro- 
perly treaded. If they will follow our counsels we will 
suggest a plan by which their lands will not only be re- 
stored to their original fertility, but be made more fertile 
than thpy ever w^ere previously. There would be vanity 
