368 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
Mr. Toombs. Much, of course, was expected of him and 
expectation was fully met. We conceive that the whole 
cost of this Fair was amply repaid to the county in the 
impress of Valuable practical principles upon the public 
mind by this eminent genileman. We will venture to 
say that the next Hancock planter will look a little foolish 
who buys corn or bacon, or says a word about bad sea 
sons. Those who heard the' speech will understand the 
allusion. It is much to be regretted that Mr. Toombs’ 
public duties do not allow him time to prepare his speech 
for the press. 
During the Fair week, Mr. David Dickson, kindly 
dro^e us out to his plantation, about ten miles from 
Sparta. When approaching his place, Mr. Dickson called 
our attention to a cotton field, of land of similar quality to 
his own, which had been manured with Peruvian Guano. 
This land, belonging to a neighbor, had been cultivated 
with a Scooter plow. The weed was good, but it was 
destitute of bolls near the top, which, of course, much di- 
minished the yield. On arriving at Mr Dickson’s, we 
went immediately into the cotton field. His cotton was 
full of bolls to the very top of the plant. He assigned as 
the cause of the difference between his cotton and his 
neighbor’s in this peirticular, the fact that he had not cut 
the roots of the plant while it was growing. In short, the 
whole ot Mr. Dickson’s theory, which has wrought out 
suck great results, may be comprised in a nut shell. 
Break up the land as deep as possible. Manure as heavily 
as possible. In cultivation, keep the surface of the ground, 
clean and loose, bid never cut a root of the growing plant. 
Mr Dickson now breaks his land 7 inches deep with one- 
horse plows. It is his purpose to go much deeper with 
two-horse plows His cotton and corn are worked entirely 
with the sweep. He works fifty-five hands and makes 
this year 600 bales of cotton, or 11 bales to the hand. 
Besides his cotton, he will have a surplus of corn and 
wheat for sale. The character of the land on which this 
crop is made, may be inferred from the following state- 
ment: — Mr. Dickson’s father was a considerable land 
holder. At his death, the Executors determined to sell, at 
public outcry, as much of the land as would bring one 
dollar an acre. A portion of the land was sold at that 
price. The rest which would not bring a dollar an acre 
was retained, and this land, unsaleable at a dollar per 
acre, was the nucleus of Mr. Dickson’s landed estate. 
Some of this land, sold at a dollar an acre, he has recent- 
ly offered S15 for, and has been refused. This is 1500 per 
cent. What an illustration of our position, that improved 
price of land follows improved cultivation. This S15 is 
much less than the actual value of the land. Mr. Dickson, 
at our request, made an accurate calculation of the cost of 
working an acre, producing 1000 pounds of cotton. His 
manure costs him $5 50 — all other cost, ^9 50 — total, 
S15 00. The 1000 pounds of seed cotton are worth, say, 
$‘30-^profit S15 00, which is 10 per cent, on S150, which 
is the value ot an acre of land, producing 1000 pounds of 
seed cotton. The whole value of the farm must be di- 
minished by the amount of the dead capital as woodland 
and old fields, or less productive crops. It is proper to 
say that in the calculation of the cost of cultivating an 
acre of land, a negro and horse was put down at $1 50 a 
day. 
It may be asked ‘‘How does Mr Dickson get manure 
enough for such .^n enormous breadth of land in cultiva- 
tion I” His stock of cattle consists of 300 head — sheep, 
between 200 and 300— -hogs, 600— mules and horses, .50. 
The manure from these animals is carefully preserved 
and applied. Last year he used S7000 svorth of com” 
mercial manures — this year, S9000, and his orders for 
next year, 010,000. Noihwithstanding this heavy outlay, 
Mr. Dickson assured us that, Counting the present value 
of his property, from the time when he commenced farm- 
ing to the present moment he had made 25 per cent per 
annum, compound interest. Among a party of gentle- 
men in Hancock, to whom we repeated this statement, it 
was suggested that there might be an error in the calcula- 
tions, It so happened that several of the party were 
familiar with the amount of Mr. Dickson’s capital when 
he commenced and the amount as now given in, and the 
calculation was verified. 
A number of persons were drawn to the Fair in hopes 
of eliciting information from Mr. D'ckson, To many of 
them, he was compelled to reply that they would find his 
system fully stated in the South Countryman. And as 
that paper has ceased to exist, we shall republish, in our 
January number, a letter of Mr Dickson’s to the editor for 
the benefit of our subscribers. 
Under ordinary circumstances, this particularity of de- 
tail as to the private affairs of an individual would be in 
bad taste and must be unpleasant to the subject. But 
emigration is depopulating old Georgia — her lands have 
gradually depreciated in saleable value. Mr. Dickson has 
shown us that a fortune may be made upon them, and in 
the process the land be restored to its original fertility. 
The development of this practical truth is a public bene- 
faction. The thanks of the South are due to this gentle- 
man — and not only to him, but to that remarkable circle 
of men in Hancock, who, with great intelligence and un- 
tiring energy, are conspicuously urging the great truth that 
old Georgia may be, can be and must be redeemed from 
sterility. 
The State FTazV.— O ur notes have been so extended that 
but little space has been left for comments on the State 
Fair. This is not material, as our Georgia readers have 
been furnished with ample details from other sources. As 
a general remark, it may be said that it was successful be- 
yond expectation. Successful not so much as to superi- 
ority in the exhibition, as in the increased concourse of 
people, and in the evident and general determination to 
insist that our Legislature shall give to our agriculture 
and the exhibition of its results in the State Fair, the pe- 
cuniary assistance which it deserves and demands. The 
condition of the Fair Grounds is a reproach to the State. 
A good planter would be ashamed of several of the build- 
ings as cattle sheds, on his plantation. We shall await 
with great interest, the action of this Legislature. It is 
to be hoped that every member of the Committee of forty 
will be at Milledgeville at the proper time, prepared to 
