SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
345 
GOOD COUNSELS OF CHAUCER. 
WRITTEN SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH, 
Flee from the crowd, and be to*virtue true, 
Content with what thou hast, tho’ it be small ; 
To hoard brings hate— nor lofty things pursue ; 
He who climbs high endangers many a fall. 
Envy’s shade that ever waits on fame. 
And oft the sun that rises it will hide. 
Trace not in life a vast expensive scheme. 
But be th37- wishes to thy state allied. 
Be mild to others — to thyself severe — ■ 
So truth shall shield thee, or from hurt or fear. 
Think not of bending all things to thy will. 
Nor vainly hope that fortune shall befriend ; 
Inconsiitent, she — but be thou constant still. 
What e’er betide, unto an honest end. 
Yet needless dangers never madly brave. 
Kick not thy naked foot against a nail ; 
Or from experience the solution crave, 
If well and pitcher strive which shall prevail. 
Be in thy cause as in thy neighbor’s, clear. 
So truth shall shield thee, or from hurt or fear. 
Whatever happens, happy in thy mind 
Be thou; nor at thy lot in life repine; 
He ^scapes all ill whose bosom is resign’d, 
Nor way nor weather shall be always fine. 
Beside, thy home’s not here; a journey, this — 
A pilgrim, thou ; then hie thee on thy way ; 
Look up to God, intent to Heavenly bliss. 
Take what the road affords, and praises pay ; 
Shun brutal lusts, and seek the soul’s high sphere. 
So truth shall shield thee, or fiom lust or fear. 
HANCOCK FAR31ING-DAVID DICKSON, AGAIN. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — A few days ago we 
made a visit to our friend and fellow-citizen’s, Mr David 
Dickson, where we met Mr. Singleton, a young planter, 
from Jones; Mr. Whitehead, from Baker, and a number of 
other gentlemen, neighbors and citizens of Hancock. A 
good deal has been said about Mr, Dickson’s farming, and 
as much more might be said and the half not then be told. 
Truly he has and is producing most wonderful results on 
pine land, much of which, a few years ago, was consider- 
ed almost worthless. 
He has now about thirteen thousand acres of pine land 
in one body, besides a large landed interest in Texas, that 
he has never seen ; but upon which he is planting very 
successfully, his business there being managed by a rela- 
tive, formerly from this county, who occasionally visits 
him in order to learn his lessons more fully and to wit- 
ness whatever improvements have been made. 
After spending the night with him we rose early in the 
morning and mounted our horses for the purpose of seeing 
the growing crop, and rode, without stopping, until 12 
o’clock, passing through and around many large and fine 
fields of corn and cotton, and then not seeing the half of 
the crop. His fields being scattered over thirteen thous- 
and acres of land, one day’s ride is not sufficient to see 
his entire crop. He has from nine hundred to one-thou- 
sand acres in cotton and eight hundred and sixty acres in 
corn, which we venture to say (and without the fear of 
contradiction) is the best average crop in Middle Georgia. 
Mr. D. estimates his corn crop at twenty-five bushels per 
acre, and most of the gentlemen present judged his cot- 
ton (in which he concurred) as promising to make at 
least one thousand pounds per acre. 
These results have been brought about by the liberal 
use of guano and other fertilizers, which he calculates, by 
long and close experiments, are paying 100 percent, upon 
the investment, and by an improved system of deep pre- 
paration and light surface cultivation, which cannot be 
given in an article like this, and must be seen to be under- 
stood and appreciated. 
Returning to his house after our ride, we were met by 
(I had like to have said a charming wife and interesting 
children). No; he has never married, but is pas inghis 
best years in, as some would be pleased to call it, single 
blessedness. We were met by as many likely negro boys 
as there were gentlemen in the “crowd,” eager and anx- 
iously awaiting our return, in order to hear the gemmen’s 
opinions of their crop; for they seem to feel as much in- 
terest in it, and to understand, almest as thoroughly as 
their owner, the manner of preparing and cultivating it. 
This, we ascertained by conversation with and closely 
questioning them. 
About half-past one o’clock, dinner was announced, and 
a more sumptuous one it has not been our good fortune 
to sit down to lately, (being the occasion of annual barbe- 
cue to his negroes, which is getting to be quite common 
in Hancock after our crops are laid by, and which is a 
great occasion with the negroes.) 
There was no popping of champagne bottles on the 
right and left, but the best cider in the world, (4 years 
old), which no one else can make as he does, and domes- 
tic v/ine flowed in abundance. 
One other little incident connected with this visit, and 
which I regret every reader of the Cultivator could not 
have been present and witnessed, as I have done. After 
dinner was over a controversy sprung up amongst the ne- 
gro women, as to which had the likeliest baby ; not being 
able to settle it amongst themselves, an appeal was made 
to the master, (betv: een whom and all his servants the 
greatest familiarity exists); he, therefore, appointed a 
committee of three from amongst the gentlemen present, 
and offered a premium for the first, second and third 
likeliest. Epon the call for the show, nineteen as likely 
women and children (childien under 12 months old) as 
ever were seen, came to the ring. Many of the women 
were handsomely and tastefully dressed, and the children 
fixed up and decorated in their best style. After a care- 
ful examination the premiums were awarded, but the con- 
troversy was not settled ; for the last word I heard at 
David Dickson’s that day was, “I don’t care if you did 
get the premium, my baby is likelier than yourn.” 
Respectfully, One op the Party. 
September^ 1859. 
Criticism. — There is a well-known fable told of an 
ancient painter who opened a picture to public criticism, 
requesting that every person who observed a fault would 
put a mark upon it. When the artist came, in the even- 
ing, to take his painting home, he found it one mass of 
marks of disapprobation. Every critic had found in it 
something to condemn. The next day, having carefully 
erased the marks, the painter again displayed his work of 
art, requesting that every beholder who noticed a beauty 
would put a mark upon it. At evening, he found the 
canvas was covered with signs of approbation. Every 
part had found its admirers in similar touches with those 
that had, only the day previous, been condemned by the 
critics. Is not this fable true of the world to-day 1 Do 
not the majority of those who criticise, either to praise or 
condemn, follow, each one, the bias of their own taste, 
rather than any just standard of literature or artl 
Industry is an excellent guard for virtue; the 
more active your life, the less opportunity have the pas - 
sions to corrupt you. 
