23 
SOUTHERN C 
Excuse the wanderings of my pen. I had a particular 
object in view in the outset, but as I have already occu- 
pied more space than I intended to, I shall close without 
reaching it at present. With the best wishes for the con- 
tinued success of your time- tried paper, as well as your 
neighbor, the Soil of the South , onx: State journal, the 
American Cotton Planter^ I am, very respectfully. 
Homestead. 
Pleasant Hill, Ala. 
BOYS. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — May I not hold up to 
your youthful readers some of the characteristics of a 
farmer, with whom I am acquainted, who is now in the 
eighty-first year of his age, and urge upon them to imitate 
him. He was ever an early riser in the morning. The 
sun rarely ever caught him in bed. His languuge to his 
boys was : 
“He that would thrive 
Must rise by five.” 
He was ever temperate in eating and drinking, and as a 
consequence was uniformly cheerful. Often his family 
awoke by the soothing sound of his cheerful morning 
song. 
He always kept his “farm enclosed with a good fence,” 
which saved him from being annoyed by stock breaking 
into his fields. 0, the vexation and loss which some men 
are subjected to by keeping bad fences, and, unhappily, 
sometimes their neighbors have to shai'e with them. 
This aged farmer ever kept out of debt — he almost made 
it a rule to “owe no man.” 
“ To Creditor or Bank he’d never to run. 
He feared neither Constable, Sheriflf or dun.” 
He raised his own horses, mules and oxen, and always 
superintended breaking them, and on such occasions em- 
ployed none but gentle means, acting on the principle 
that “a gentle hand will lead an elephant by a hair.” It 
was remarkable that his animals were always “true pull- 
ers.” 
When driving his horse to the plow, or his team on the 
road you would never hear his voice above a “Mezzo 
Tone.” How different this from many. I know some 
boys, ah ! and men too, who, when plowing can be dis- 
tinctly heard a half mile. Such seem to practice the high- 
er department of dynamics. They strike, “Torte,” and 
from which proceed with a rapid “Crescendo,” until their 
power to produce sound is exhausted. I often hear “gee 
and haw” in the “explosive tone.” Of course this plan of 
driving horses is not musical. 
Now I would say to young plowmen, be calm, be gentle, 
but “ onward move.” The horse you drive is a noble 
animal ; treat him kindly, he can appreciate it and will 
reciprocate your kindness. Filius. 
Rough and Ready, Ga., 1856. 
LETTER FRO^l TEXAS. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — This section of coun- 
try is yet new in cultivation ; but die rich soil and de- 
lightful climate are inviting rapid improvements. 
As to soil, it is not inferior to the Mississippi bottom, 
and you have no idea or conception of the beauty of our 
prairies in flowering time. 
I send you a lew seed of a beautiful shrub tree, called 
“The Free -ho-lee-ah,” which I have never seen growing 
anywhere but in Texas. It is an evergreen: growsfrom 3 to 
8 ft. high; leaf green and resembling the Kalviia of Virginia; 
the flower is purple and in bunches, similar to the Locust 
flower ; the perils similar to and forming a flower like the 
pea. It blooms about the 2lst of March, and the seed are 
enclosed in a pod of the ground pea appearance, and 
generally two in a pod. 
ULTIVATOR. 
I feel confideut, if this can be raised in your section, it 
would be the delight and admiration of the ladies, as also 
other lovers of floral beauty. 
I send you a sample of Mexican Onion seed, which I 
procured fresh from Mexico. This onion is highly prized 
by the lovers of that succulent vegetable. It is without 
the strength of the common onion, being so mild you 
may eat it as you do an apple. I have seen it as large as 
a common saucer, and when sliced it looks as though it 
had been iced. 
I am told they do not grow to that perfection North as here. 
It may be so, but “they say” has injured more crops than 
ever did deep plowing. 
I want to raise the ground pea, but know nothing of 
the mode of culture. Will you please, by letter or through 
the Cultivator, give me, minutely, the mode of preparing 
ground, planting, and after-culture'? My soil is “black 
sandy loam,” 4 to 5 feet deep, based on a stratum of clay, 
lime and sand. 
Did you ever hear of the Salt Lakes of Texas '? Do you 
want to I Last month I could have taken you to fifty 
places within 30 miles of me and have shown you millions 
of bushels formed by solar evaporation, and all you had 
to do was, back your cart and pitch in. You may judge 
of the quantity and quality, when I tell you I think there 
is enough (if salt would do it) to save all the Black Re- 
publicans in this Union ; that would require a large quan- 
tity and great curative powers. 
On the 23rd of February I set ont 9 orange trees, and 
after the spring rains I mulched with chips and trash from 
wood yard, as directed in the Cultivator, and until the 
21st of September they had no rain for 4 months (and a 
scorching hot summer). They are all safe and doing well 
— credit to the Cultivator. 
I think this section is going to produce fine Sea Island 
Cotton. A small sample was tried last year at Corpus 
Christi, and received the highest encomium from judges 
in New Orleans. It will be fairly tested next year. 
With respect, F. B. 
Rancho, 'near Corpus Christi, Texas, Oct., 1856. 
CHINESE SUGAR CANE IN TEXAS 
A subscriber, (E. B.) writes us from Gonzales, Texas, 
as follows : 
I have tried the Chinese Sugar Cane here and find it an 
important acquisition to our agricultural resources. It 
stands drouth better than any other plant that I am ac- 
quainted with. It seems admirably adapted to our cli- 
mate here. Its introduction into this country must pro- 
duce an entire revolution in our rural operations. Its cul- 
ture will supercede that of Indian corn and other forage 
crops to a considerable extent, and the monopoly of 
sugar will no longer be restricted to the State of Louisiana ; 
it will afford ample opportunity of raising poultry, making 
butter, cheese, pork, lard and bacon, and be the means of 
producing a quantity of manure where that is needed. I 
doubt whether it will answer as well on poor land as has 
been represented by some writers ; except, probably when 
sown broadcast for forage. I find it easily affected by 
frost. In every other respect the accounts which I have 
seen are entirely within the bounds of truth. 
I planted the Sorgho on the 14th of April, plowed it once 
and subsoiled and hoed once. We had no rain after the 
1 3th of May. The grain matured about the middle of 
July and produced at the rate of 50 bushels to the acre 
as to the land planted, but from depredations ofbugs and 
poultry there was not half a stand. After the grain was 
gathered the stock was burned in the field and I had no 
opportunity of ascertaining what a second crop would 
have produced. The stubble is now green, the sprouts 
have been destroyed from time to time as they have ap- 
peared by stock, and recently by the frosts. E. B. 
