182 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
{For the Southern Cultivator.'] 
SCRAPS FROM AN EXPERIENCED HAND. 
Distempkr in Dogs. — Some 3 years ago, I had two 
choice Newfoundlands, as we now have. Both had the 
Distemper — one of them had every appearance of dying 
during the day. A friend from Louisiana was on a visit 
and was certain he could cure. He took the best one and 
apparently slightest diseased, and gave him a ball — mixed 
with flour, molasses to hold the ball, and calomel. That 
dog died the same day. I gave the other about a small tea- 
spoonful of arsenic. It got well. I had cured dogs before 
but I was fearful with the favorite. I have cured the worst 
mange with the same remedy. Be careful and don’t con- 
fine the dog. I have known the distemper cured several 
times with half teaspoonful of arsenic at a dose. In my 
younger days I scraped pewter and mixed v/ith lard. 
Bermuda Grass. — I guess, Bermuda, is Bermuda — no 
varieties that I ever heard of before. I have sought for 
seed and called for seed for the past 13 or 15 years. But 
one man ever saw a seed before, and he declared it was as 
large as turnip seed and round like one, and he only saw 
07ie. I have the grass from the best land in these parts to 
as poor as I care to own, and have the grass from Mr. Af- 
fleck, from St. Jo de Cuba, from 2 to 3 other localities seen 
it when imported into South Carolina, by Aynesty Hall, 
in 1819 or perhaps 1818, and these are all identical, save 
a little difference in appearance on rich and poor lands ; 
but when put on same land no manner of difference. 
“Broomsedge” sent me some of the great pest of the up 
country as Bermuda ; but it was grass, and but little more 
like Bermuda. 
The Herbemont Grape — Correction. — Col. Abraham 
Blanding is the name — not Blandon. He was well 
known in Carolina. 
Grafting or Budding. — My experience give the pre- 
ference to the terminal buds. W. 
At Home, 185G. 
ROT IN COTTON. 
We copy the following from the Liberty (Miss.) Advo- 
cate of a recent date : 
Mr. Forsythe — Dear Sir : — In a former communica- 
tion, I alluded to the rot in cotton, which when properly 
considered deserves more than a passing notice. Millions 
of inhabitants are dependent upon the culture and manu- 
facture of the great Southern staple for employment. The 
disease does not effect the Northern producers, when they 
can obtain enormous prices for their produce, or the 
manufacturer, when they can buy our staple for a mere 
song — which is not warranted by the proper statistics. 
In 1849, the Manufacturing companies of Manchester 
adopted the following resolution : 
Resolved, That we consider all reports relative to a short 
crop, such as overflows, worms, &c., altogether humbug. 
They are now raising the cry of largecrops in order to keep 
down the prices. I fear we have given them too much 
rope to take it up v/ith ease, unless we make a long pull, 
a strong pull and a pull altogether. They are now like 
the negro’s horse — have two good eyes and won’t see. It 
is fearful to contemplate, when we consider the ravages 
the disease is making upon the cotton plant, and so little 
said or done to remedy the evil. Let us take a retro- 
spect of the cotton plant. When the Deity in his good- 
ness gave our forefathers the virgin soul — with their rude 
agricultural implements — the old black seed to cultivate 
— which was so peculiarly adapted to his situation — 
when cotton gins were among the things uncumbered, the 
pioneer, with his wife and little ones, after their daily 
toil in gathering their cotton in, assembled around their 
pine knot fire to disengage the seed from its linty fibre, 
whilst the mother and daughters converted it into yarn to 
barter it for the necessaries of life. Thus time passed on 
until the plant began to run out, and the rot made its ap- 
pearance, which caused a new importation of seed, dif- 
ferent from the black seed; which caused arts and 
sciences to be put in motion to prepare it for marKet — then 
the disease disappeared. 
Time passed on and no very great change was made in 
the seed until Col. Abbey, of Mastadon notoriety, made a 
fortune in a very short time by selling his seed at fifteen 
to twenty and over fifty dollars per bushel, which went 
off like hot cakes — proved to be more valuable than the 
cotton itself There was a general stampede among the 
planters who should make the next fortune selling seed, 
and at the same time heaping denunciations upon the 
Colonel. By a little care in selecting and an improvement 
in name we soon had a catalogue of names, such as Al- 
varado, Brown, Pitt, Willow, Hogan, Sugarloaf, Silk, 
Vick’s 100 seed, and a host of others. Those that succeed- 
ed best in giving a big name and puffing most bore off the 
palm and wore title of Colonel, and even went farther — for 
instance, Gen. Mitchel’s Prolific Pomegranate, &c. Each 
of the above varieties suceeded very well for two or three 
years, and then sank below par. All the notoriety was 
given to the variety, when half was entitled to a change of 
lutitude. The different varieties have been mixed up so, 
until it has become corrupted, and the corruption has be- 
come epidemic. 
We are now where our forefathers were with the old 
black seed. Many of our old standard planters pronounce 
it identically the old black rot. I have been a close ob- 
server of the disease since it made its appearance. It 
seems to be worse when we have a warm, cloudy spell of 
weather, of five or six days. Apparently all the bolls will 
mildew and rot in a few days. One would suppose that 
it was atmospheric — not so. We had just such weather 
ten years ago, when the rot was not known. 
I see a certain M.D. has sent some beetles and diseased 
bolls to the Smithsonian Institution for examination. I 
cannot reconcile myself that it is the effect of insects. If it 
was, we would have had an immense quantity ofit during 
the reign of the army worm in 1846, and the boll v/orm 
since; they stripped the foliage, cut the rind from the boll, 
punctured the pods and even embedded themselves into 
them, yet they opened beautifully and the disease was not 
known. 
A correspondent of the American Cotton Plo.ntcr says 
it is caused from the want of new, healthy and sufficient 
quantity of pabulum. I must beg to differ with him. 
Some of our old hills have suffered these many long years 
for want of a sufficient quantity of healthy food, yet the 
rot did not appear. If any soil shall produce healthy pa- 
bulum, it should be fresh land. My experience is, the 
disease is a little worse on fresh land than old land. I 
cannot see why the disease has not made its appearance 
before now, if his theory is true. Many planters say, a 
change of seed, a short distance, is beneficial. In this I 
agree; but I prefer a change from a northern latitude, and 
a district that is not infected, for the following reason : — 
The best latitude for cotton has been considered that of 
Vicksburg. The latitude has gradually been going farther 
north. The crop of our county from 1840 to 1850, excell- 
ed, per acre, that of Yazoo, or Holmes county. Since 
1850, up to the present time, we have retrograded, while 
they have increased — the boll worm has disappeared and 
the rot is scarcely known. The picture is truly discour- 
aging. We may obey the mandates of the Scriptures — 
‘'•what thou doest, do with all thy might” — and yet be but 
little better off than “one that provideth not for his house- 
hold.” Nebraska. 
|^"Cultivate your heart aright, as well as your fa.rm : 
and remember, whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap. 
