SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
79 
nation, which is taking the lead in many branches of 
science. 
When first I came to this country, I was struck with 
the expression : “worn out soil” I did not know the 
meaning of it. In the thickly settled countries of Europe, 
the same fields which our ancestors tilled centuries ago, 
are still cultivated profitably; in fact the land is constantly 
more and more improved by proper cultivation, manur- 
ing and rotation of crops. 
On the place where I am now living, I commenced half 
a dozen years prepo.ring my soil and woi king it deep- 
ly. I applied fresh horse manureand worked the soil two 
feet deep. It was on a poor, sandy hill, where, proverbial- 
ly, a grasshopper had to starve. I was ridiculed and con- 
sidered deranged. Many of my neighbors, however, have 
since successfully adopted my method. 
It is evident that by working the soil in a shallow man- 
ner, the surface will soon lose its fertility; it becomes al- 
most impossible for the roots to strike into the hard sub- 
soil, and, consequently, in our severe drouths, the plants 
will soon wither. Therefore, work the soil deeply, and 
you will have found one of the great secrets in agriculture. 
The subsoil, by doing so, will partly be stirred and turn- 
ed up, and thus enriched by the influence of the atmos- 
phere, while the roots will be enabled to go deeper down, 
where they, for a much longer period, will find coolness 
and moisture, the latter of which is wholly indispensable 
for the solution of the nutritious substances. 
Many other reasons could be given for the importance 
of preparing the soil properly. In order to do it effectual- 
ly, however, it is quite insufficient to work it with a scoot- 
er, drawn by a horse or mule. A good, large turning 
plow, drawn by two or even four oxen, will do the work 
as it ought to be done; and if a second plow can follow 
the first in the same furrow, and deepen it still more, so 
much the better. When subsoiling is beneficial in a cool- 
er and more moist climate, how much more important must 
it not be in a hot and dry climate. Never suffer a field to 
ripen a crop of weeds, but plow it as soon as the crop has 
been taken off, and if there is any chance of giving it 
another plowing before the next.croj) is to be put in, 
do it. 
When the land is to be manured, no matter with what 
kind of manure, let it be plowed in deeply, and thorough- 
ly mixed with the soil. All manures, but particularly 
guano, will be most efficient, when applied in the fall. 
The fertilizing substances will be disseived by the rains 
during the winter and properly imparted to the soil, while 
the crop will be much more benefitted by it than when 
this operation is done in the spring. Top-dressing, so 
frequently recommended, can never be considered any- 
thing but a perfect waste of manure. 
One point I am almost afraid to touch, namely: the pine 
stumps left in the fields. It is almost impossible to culti 
vate land properly when filled with these stumps ; and 
yet, on the other hand, I admit, it requires an immense 
deal of labor to get rid of them. Still, the golden rule 
holds good, namely : that when a work is worth doing at 
all, it is worth doing w'ell, and that it is better and more 
profitable to cultivate TO acres properly than 50 acres im- 
perfectly; and, moreover, whenever the soil \swell pre- 
pared, it will always produce a crop that will amply repay 
the labor. 
One of the heaviest taxes on farming is the putting up 
of fences, and keeping them in repairs. It seems almost 
a remnant of barbarism, that the hard working farmer 
shall be obliged to put up expensive fortifications to guard 
against the aggressions of his neighbor’s cattle. In the 
best cultivated countries of Europe, every man who keeps 
stock is, by law, compelled to keep it on his own premises, 
and even in New England the cattle is not suffered to run 
abroad in public roads. Still, as this requires an act of 
legislation, there may be difficulties connected with it. I 
would, therefore, propose another kind of protection, viz: 
ditches and hedges, as' being the most lasting as w^ell as 
the most economical and efficient mode of fencing. An out- 
side ditch 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep, and all the soil 
thrown up on one side next to the lot, and then mounted 
with a few rails will form a pretty good barrier which will 
become wholly impassible by the addition of a hedge, 
which may be planted at the foot of the embankment. In 
spite of all that has been said in praise of the Osage 
Orange as a hedge plant, I must nevertheless consider the 
White Microphylla Rose as far superior for this purpose, 
especially in our latitude. It is easily raised from cut- 
tings, is rampant growth and will last for ages. Of a more 
compact growth than the well-known Cherokee Rose, it 
is just as thorny and durable. 
A good hand, with a spade, can, in common light soil, 
dig a ditch of the above-named dimensions at the rate of 
16 yards per day. The ditch will thus, wages calculated 
at per day, not come higher than 6 to 7 cents per run- 
ning yard. The rose cuttings may be planted at one foot 
distance. What kind of fencing, of equal durability, can 
be put up at a similar cost I 
Such a hedge will also prove a most formidable protec- 
tion around our gardens, and orchards, against the depre- 
dations of both man and beast. 
The more difficult it is for a man to protect his proper- 
ty, the more the laws ought to protect him. Stealing in 
fields and gardens ought, therefore, to be punished more 
severely than the same crime perpetrated in a house, 
which the owner may protect under lock and key. But 
what protection does the law offer for our fields, orchards 
and gardens I Hardly any. It is, therefore, necessary we 
should protect them ourselves, and this cannot be done in 
a better way than in the manner above described. 
Until recently the South has been dependent on the 
North for apples and pears ; in fact, it has been the com- 
mon opinion, that we could produce thsse fruits of fair 
quality. A distinguished writer in a former number of 
the Southern Cultivator has even gone so far as to insist 
upon fruits in a hot and humid climate being watery. This 
is contrary to all practical experience, as it is a fact, well 
known to all horticulturists, that such a climate will pro- 
duce the most juicy and highest flavored fruits, whereas a 
cold and moist climate will render them insipid. It is 
also well known that pine apples, raised in the English 
hot-houses, where such a temperature is kept up constant- 
ly, will even surpass the pine apples of Jamaica. Humid- 
ity will unquestionably cause the fruits to swell and make 
them abound in juice ; while the heat will develop the 
saccharine substances to their highest perfection and flavor. 
The summer of 1853 being moist and hot, the superior 
quality and flavor of the fruits of that year will be remem- 
bered for a long time. The summer of 1854 was very 
hot and dry, and the fruits were small and insipid. 
Only one peach tree in my orchard wiiich I supplied with 
a great deal of water, produced fruits equal to those of 
1853. 
But we must have fruits that will suit our climate. 
Many experiments have been made to import trees of the 
best Northern varieties of apples ; but with a few excep- 
tions they have all proved a fhilure. Experience teaches 
us that, by following a different system, we will succeed 
admirably ; we must mainly grow our own Southern 
varieties of apples. It is but recently that such varieties 
have become known among horticulturists. Northern 
nurserymen are astonished at these fine Southern apples, 
which bid fair to throw the long boasted Northern varie- 
ties, even the celebrated Northern Newtown Pippin not 
excepted, into the shade. Nearly all these apples have 
originally been found in old Indian settlements sprung 
up from seed, and perfectly adapted to our climate. It is 
