SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
77 
as much as ‘25 bushel of corn worth 50 cents per bushel, 
Sl‘2.50 in December, February and March 1 Try it and 
report. 
I have no sort of idea that the Rescue will, at S20 per 
bushel, begin to feed as many stock, yet I dare not dis- 
courage the Rescue, though I admit I have not confi- 
dence enough to pay S20 per bushel, and if it produces 
onhj 50 bushels per acre to pay $1000 per acre for the 
seed, it beats the Ponregranate and “Morus Multicaulis,” 
so bad that both have retired before it. 
Yours with all respect, &c., 
M. VV, Philips. 
Edwarfh^ Miss., 1857. 
OAT CULTURE AT THE SOUTH. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — Conversing with two 
planters of much intelligence as well as long practice and 
skill in planting, the Oat was alluded to, when I stated 
that our excellent ‘-Broomsedge,” whom I claim as a per- 
sonal friend, objects to oats being grown favorably upon 
the same land two years in succession, both of whom re- 
membered to hava seen a second crop of oats, and it a fair 
one, from the same land, though they had not tried it 
— the fact was a mere accident. Just here I would ask 
you to inquire, particularly, what was the result of a 
volunteer crop at the brick yard, near your city '? When 
I saw the small field the oat was small, but was improv- 
ing, and a very severe winter upon it, besides the land had 
not been plowed, and rather too much of a stand. 
In 1839 and ’40, 1 planted srme field fo oats, using a 
two horse plow both crops, preparing the land well, and 
covered with a two horse rake — land finely pulverized. 
The last crop was the best. 
We had considerable discussion as to oats injuring land. 
One of the gentlemen, about my own age, but experienced 
at the plow from his childhood, not knowing my views, 
remarked that oats did injure land, and gave the reason — 
the same I have heretofore given — and without an argu- 
ment or ceasing from his remarks until summed up, said 
the injury was in the management of the land by the 
owner — the boAl management. 
Which brought up the remark that causes my present 
writing. He said of all the varieties of the oat he had ever 
known, the one that several of us plant here is the best 
This staggered mm, as, in the month of February, he had 
said, his oat crop was lost, that his seed and labor was a 
loss from the remarkable cold weather. 
] reminded him of this. He then asked me if I had 
■plov/ed up my land and sown spring oats'? 
I told him I had, except a few acres to keep in the seed 
of the black oat. 
To this he said, although he had to all appearances 
had his oats entirely killed, having examined; indeed 1 
had looked over a part of his land ; yet as he had to supply 
another plantation with seed and was rather behind, he 
could not get time to plow up, and in postponing he found 
his oats seemed to come from the roots and his crop was a 
good one. 
This is nev/ to 'me. I certainly did not see on much of 
his land, when turnip tops had made several inches growth 
after the freeze, any sign of oat vegetation, yet there was a, 
stand, and a ciop gathered. 
This oat I have sown three or four years ; it is a black 
oat; makes either a w^inter or a spring oat ; is the heaviest 
oat I know, and does not grow so tall as the Egyptian (a 
white) oat. It begins to head out when quite low and 
grows up as it heads, so that, though of not more than h 
to 12 inches when heads are seen, the crop on good land 
will cut about 3 feet. They have sold at 75 cents and $l 
when others were to be had at 50 cents. 
1 regard the oat crop as a great object, and so far from 
regarding it is an exhauster, think it can be so managed 
as, to be an aid to improvement. There may be error in 
this, but if so, many of us are wrong. More of this ere 
long, perhaps through Frank. G. Ruffin, of Richmond, 
Va. Yours truly, 
M. W. Philips. 
Eduards, Miss., 1857. 
“HINT&i FOR STOCK GROWERS.” 
Editors Southern Cultivator — Why not say hints 
for the citizens of the South'? See page 90 of the Southern 
Cultivator for 1856, March number. There are many 
Southern men who really believe that cotton planters do 
themselves an injury by providing anything which will 
ensure a certain independence. They seem to think that 
all we make that can be made by any other people re- 
duces our customers. They seem to have the idea that if 
we make our own corn, meat and flour within the cotton 
growing region, that thus far we make people unable to 
buy our cotton. 
A project has been proposed to form a neighborhood in 
which one man will grow cotton alone, another corn, 
another hogs, and so on, and then exchange and sell the 
surplus. I ask how much money would the cotton plan- 
ter have clear '? 
My own opinion is, the Planters of the South should 
make their own supplies, such as the climate will admit 
of, except, perhaps. Sugar only, and if they have by this 
fewer purchasers, they will have more money. Because 
the diminution, if any, will be so trivial that it v/ill never 
be felt. Let any one count up the cost to buy corn, fod- 
der, meat, alone, and then how many extra bales to be 
made to pay for it. 
That the South can grow hay and make beef and mut- 
ton cheaper than it can be made in Connecticut in Mas- 
sachusetts or in New York, no one will deny if he will 
look to land worth $50 an acre. See Report of John B. 
Adger, from the Farmer rf* Planter, on the 84th and 
85th pages of the March number of the Southern Culti- 
vator for 1856. Suppose he only averaged 2 tons, his land 
not worth, perhaps, over $25 cash, it will thus be equal 
to about 3 tons of $50 land. But admit only 300 pounds 
per acre, will it not pay better than cotton 1 We of the 
South are the pronest people on the earth to talk of inde- 
pendence, and yet we are more dependent than any por- 
tion of this country at least. If we could be stimulated to 
making all necessaries, we would be on the way to inde- 
pendence, and not until then. 
As one of the citizens of the South, I am determined to 
make every exertion to not only make necessaries, but to 
make a surplus. I have done so for years, and will do it 
again. The only true policy, in my humble opinion, is 
to be, all ofus farn^ers; to have many things growing, so 
that whether it be dry or wet, whether we wake or sleep, 
something will be doing well. Rely upon no one thing. 
The reverse has and will ever cause ruin. 
Yours, &c., A Farmer. 
Mississippi, 1 857- 
In Cheshire, England, where the dairy is a great 
object of attention, it has been found that on pastures 
long used for this purpose, which had thereby become 
impoverished, the addition of bone dust to the land had 
resulted in the immediate augmentation of the crops on 
the land, of 700 per cent ! Nor, need this excite our sur- 
prise, when it has been found by the strictest examination, 
that the milk of a single cow, will, in seventy-five vears, 
exhaust the soil where she has pastured, of more than a 
ton of phosphate of lime, to say nothing of other substan- 
ces. — Ohio Valley Farmer. 
