SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
259 
that had condemned him to labor, to bless and assist I 
those labors. Who, more than the tiller of the soil, lives in ! 
the presence of the Almighty 1 j 
As soon as 1 had made tire tour of the celebrated vine- | 
vard of Chateau Margaux, where I saw an immense ope- j 
ration in process, to wit; from a spot of 7 acres in extent , 
where the limestone crops out, they were removing the 
soil and grubbing up the rock with pick axes in order to 
remove that also. I took boiture for the village of Ludon, 
some eight miles distant, to deliver my letter to Dr. La- 
barthe, who, after making me. taste his wines, (among 
which was some Chateau hfargaux of ’47, worth GOOO frs. | 
:lie tun, for besides his profession he is Mayor of Ludon, j 
proprietor ofconsiderablevineyards and negotiant ofwines) | 
introduced me to the culture of the “vigyics dcs or 
vines on swamp lands, of which more hereafter. At the 
same time he showed me the manner in which the arti- 
ncial propagation of leeches was conducted, at one time 
a very lucrative business, but at present destroyed by the 
great competition. The manner of feeding the leeches is 
singular. They buy a worn-out horse which costs from 80 
to 100 francs, and drive the poor beast into the marsh 
where the leeches are kept ; in an instant his legs are 
atacked by the thousands of these voracious animals, 
which, in a longer or shorter time, varying with the 
strength of the poor brute, finish by bleeding him to death. 
The same evening I made my way back to Bordeaux. 
Tiie next morning I called upon M. Guertier to return 
my thanks to him, on which occasion he took occasion to 
increase my obligations to him by having me conducted 
through his immense wine cellars. He afterwards intro- 
duced me to M. Lo^^JET, the principal white wine broker 
of Bordeaux, v/ho carried me next day through Sauterne 
and the white wine country, and gave me a letter to M. 
Orsjbat, “negociant a Libourn,” where I went to-day for 
the purpose of visiting the vineyards of St. Emilion. M. 
Guertier has likewise given me three most valuable letters 
to gentlemen engaged in the cultivation and fabrications 
ofwines. The kindness of M. Guertier is such as I had j 
never expected to receive except at the hands of a Southern 
planter, and I feel under the greatest obligation to him. 
H. H. 
CLOVER IN THE SOUTH.-LETTER FROM C.jL. 
GROOM. 
Editors Southern Cultivator ; — I send you here- 
v;ith an agricultural letter for publication, which I receiv- 
ed some time since from Col J, Croo;u, of Greensboro, 
Ala. I have not consulted the Colonel as to its publica- 
tion, but it being on a subject of general interest to the 
planters of tue South, I am sure that he v.’ill not o'‘ je^t to 
its insertion in your journal. Yours, &c,, 
G. D. Har.mon. 
Uiica, Miss., July, 1856. 
Greensboro, Ala., May 15th, 1856. 
G. D. Harmon, Esq . — Dear S>.r : — I received your let- 
ter of the 14th ult., some three weeks ago, but being on 
the eve ot leaving home for ^lobile, had to delay the reply 
until my return. I now avail myself of the earliest op- 
portunity since my return to give you a very imperfect 
response to your requests and wishes. 
And, in the first place, as to my system of Clover and 
Grasses. I sow the red do , . r exclusively on prairie or 
lime soils. This soil is peculiarly adapted to red clover, 
as the leading compounds of the plant are lime and sul- 
phur, and the soil abounds in each, as well as the other 
fertile elements of a good soil. As such, it is in a natural 
state well adapted to the growth of clover. It sustains, 
indeed, a luxuriant growth of clover longer than any soil 
i 
I have seen or read of In most soils in this country, as 
well as in Europe, in four or five years generally the 
land becomes what is called “clover sick” and refuses to 
grow the plant vigorousl}'’ or profitably ; mine, on the 
contrary, is as luxuriant at this time as it ever has been, 
(the 14ih year,) without re-sowing or re-plowing, and 
grazed all the time, except in very rigorous weather in 
mid-winter. 
As to other grasses, (artificials,) I use only blue grass 
and orchard. These do pretty well in stitT bottom land, 
properly shaded, but do not yield half if a sixth of the 
amount of grazing which the clover does. The clover 
thrives best in the open fields. I consider the Crab grass 
(native) and the Bermuda the most valuable grasses we 
have ; and early sown rye and barley most to be relied 
on for winter and early spring grazing. I also make great 
use of Indian corn sown broad cast for green soiling. 
This last is also valuable for winter provender for stock. 
As regards my hog raising, in the next place, my sys- 
tem is to keep my sows and pigs in Avoods pastures. Sows 
enough to- produce double the number of pigs I expect to 
fatten, thus allowing for a loss of one-half I generally 
have shoats enough to fatten, by this liberal provision, 
notwithstanding the heavy losses which alw^ays take 
place from destruction by buzzards, pig-eating sows and 
other causes. 
So soon as my fat hogs are killed, I put my shoats in 
the horse lots, say in January, February, March, and 
about the middle of April they are turned on the clover, 
where they remain until they are taken up, about the 1st 
to 15th November, to live on corn and pumpkins, some 
six weeks prcAdous to being butchered. They are always 
fat while on the clover, and eat very little corn. I saw 
my hogs a few days ago, half buried in the clover, and 
fat enough for the butcher. 
You would scarcely believe me tvere I to tell you how- 
valuable my clover is to me. Besides tbe grazing of my 
sheep, calves, colts, &c.., &c., it netts me S50 per acre in 
pork alone. In addition, it requires no expense, and the 
land is improving all the time. By means of my clover 
pastures, last year, my crop was, for this country, a re- 
markable one. I made iO bales cotton, (540 lbs. each,) 
800 lbs. pork, 200 bushels corn, (wheat for use,) to the 
efficient hand ; besides sold 8,000 lbs. beef, 2,000 lbs. fat 
mutton, 1,000 lbs. butter ; had also 200 acres oats, plenty 
of sweet potatoes, field peas, cabbages, turnips, double as 
many pumpkins as I could use betore frost destroyed 
them, besides other little crops, all housed by Christmas, 
besides improvements in the w-ay of clearing, ditching, 
canaling and building to the amount of at least S‘3,000. 
I mention this not by v/ay of boasting, f)r I abhor egotism 
in all forms, and most of all in the form of purse vanity, 
but to show you that grazing or farming, if you please, 
and planting may be judiciously and ].n'ofiiably blended. 
That raising meat, fine stock of every kind, improving 
land, &c., so far from being opposed to or inconsistent 
\v ljh the best interests of the cotton planter, are necessa- 
ry for his comfort and highest prosperity, and are Avithin 
his reach. 
I never could make my meat before I grew' clover, and 
last year, besides the beef, butter and mutton, I sold 300 
lbs. pork to the efficient hand, after salting up 500 lbs. to 
the hand for use. 
I do not recommend, however, the use of red clover in 
sandy land or other than lime lands, for the sole reason 
that I believe it will require an outlay in labor and ex- 
pense of preparation, manure, lime and plaster, wdiich 
tew wull be wulling to incur. Still I believe clover to be a 
plant of the proper food and soil, (mechanically,) and not 
of climate. In truth, I am more and more persuaded, by 
repeated observations, that climate offers no obstacle to 
the successful grow'th of grasses, fruits or vegetables 
