SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
soon ascertain what soil suits best for the successful cul- 
ture of cotton, and what sort of manures, the quantities, 
&c., suit certain soils the best. 
It is known to most of my acquaintances that I cultivate 
the poorest lands, and that I have, perhaps, been one 
amongst the successful cotton planters of the district; and 
whatever success I may have attained, I attribute to a 
close observation of the soils and manures most valuable 
to those soils, and best adapted to the culture of cotton. 
IMy exjierience is, that the gray sandy soil is best adapted 
for the reception of guano, and will give back to cotton a 
greater percent, than other kinds of manure. 
My plan is to prepare ray lands well by thorough deep 
plowing, and bedding high. About two weeks before I 
am ready to commence planting, I prepare my guano 
with equal parts of charcoal, and then open a deep nar- 
row furrow, depositing about 150 pounds of the mixture 
of guano and charcoal per acre. This 1 cover up with 
light furrows, until ready to plant, then open and plant 
my seed, which I do about the 1st to 20th April, and cover 
with the ordinary board or harrow, or with the forked 
plow, if the land is sufficiently smooth to admit of it. The 
distance of rows is the next matter; that depends entirely 
upon circumstances. The calculation should be made as 
to the probable size of the stalks, with view that the limbs 
should only slightly interlock, when grown, so as not to 
De too much crowded, nor so wide apart as to be waste of 
ground Next, as to proper culture. This is, also, a diffi- 
cult task, as that depends very much upon the season. 
The most important matter that I have ever found in the 
cultivation of cotton, is the first hoeing or chopping out; 
and my conclusion are that as soon as the cotton is up, 
and of sufficient size, say three to four leaves, it should 
be chopped through, leaving four or five stalks in a bunch 
about twelve inches apart — followed next by the plow. 
After you get over your crop in this manner, turn back 
and thin out to a stand, leaving one stalk in a hill. On 
this plan I have succeeded on the poorest sandy lands of 
Newberry districts, in making regularly every year 800 
to 1000 lbs. per acre. After it is cut down to a stand, the 
plow does pretty much the balance of the work. I vary 
the different kind of plows as circumstances may dictate. 
1 believe, though, the bull-tongue or scooter to begin with 
— and, afterwards, the old-fashion shovel and sweep — 
answers the best general purposes. As to how late cotton 
should be worked, depends also upon contingencies; 
some seasons cotton should be worked very late ; and 
then, again, this plan would prove disastrous. The same 
reasons and remarks may apply to topping. We, there- 
fore, can only be governed by circumstances. 
Picking should be commenced as soon as a hand can 
pick from GO to 100 lbs. per day, and followed up closely, 
so as to gather it before being stained or injured by bad 
weather; and, in order, too, to obtain good prices early 
in the season, when prices are always the highest. Great 
care should be taken in ginning, and properly packing. 
Every farmer who makes ten bales of cotton should have a 
good gin of his own. The fine short-toothed gin is much 
tne best, as in ginning it does not cut nor injure the staple. 
Next, good gunny bagging should be procured, and have 
your cotton well baled, say with six good ropes. The 
bales should weigh not less than 4U0 to 450 lbs. 
In the proper place, I have omitted to mention the best 
kind ot seed. There are so many varieties of seeds, it is 
difficult to .say which Is the be.st ; but my experience is, 
that the pure Pettit Gulfis the best variety for our section. 
The Boyd's Prolific has been recet)ily introduced into this 
district, and yields finely; but I am of opinion that it is 
only an improved variety of the pure cid Pettit Gulf. — So. 
Ca. Agricidt urisl: 
3^*A11 subscriptions to the Son! erji CuKivator be,gin 
with ti;e January number. j 
117 
WOOD ASHES A FEKTILIZEK, 
Ik nearly all soils, ashes are beneficial to cult-ivated: 
plants, but more so on gravelly land than clay ; the latfei 
being formed of granite rocks, naturally contains potash' 
turnips, bcfks, carrots, potatoes, &c., contains a very large- 
amount of alkalies, and to such ashes are found to be very 
beneficial, But the immediate benefit of ashes is most 
perceptible upon leguminous plants, such as peas, beans, 
and clover, &c. On grass land it destroys moss, sorre'i 
and all our sour plants. On poor, thin soil, it should be 
mixed with peat, muck, barn-yard and other organic or 
vegetable manures. Lime is excellent for wheat or corjm 
These two crops grow well wherever clover vAlI grow,, 
in calcareous soils. Barley requires a rich loam, finely 
pulverized. It will not grow well on a sandy or soft soil, 
It will always do well on land suitable for turnips. A 
strong clay, well pulverized and dry, will yield a goocl' 
crop. Clay soils always contain more or less brae. 
Wood ashes are a most excellent manure, and can bt 
used to adv^antage on almost all soils or crops. Orchards 
fatten oit them. Unleached, they act rapidly and power- 
fully; leached, they act more slowly, but continue to- act 
for many years after being applied. The mechanical 
effect on soils is to render sandy lands more compact and- 
retentive of water, while they separate and render friable 
heavy clay. Some fitrmers apply ashes as a top dressing; 
This will do very well on pastures and meadows, bus 
they should be plowed under previous to planting or sow- 
ing, so that the roots of the plants may thereby be fed. 
Salt, lime, and plaster may be mixed with ashes to advant- 
age for almost any crop, and upon all soils. Our people- 
should be careful to save all their ashes and apply them 
to their lands, and even burn them with the view of fur- 
nishing themselves with a sufficient quantity to mak-e- 
liberal applications of them to their lands, with such other 
manures as they can raise, annually and systematically. 
This is done in Edgecomb county, N. C.. with astonishing, 
success. Let all it — Arafnr. 
NOTES ON 15EE.S— ilEPEY TO MR. DIcGEIIEE,.. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — In th.e few notes I 
have had the honor of submitting to the readers of your 
journal, I purposely refrained from referring to the many 
disputes at present going on between some of the Bee 
keepers, because I thought inquirers wou^d be better sa- 
tisfied with one fact than a thousand fancies. Opinions 
are valuable only when they have truth for their founda- 
tion. The question whether bees deposite in their cells 
the identical substance gathered from the flower, os' 
whether it undergoies any change before deposited, may 
be mooted to the end of time ; and so far as lam person- 
ally concerned, I am free to acknowledge that it mak^s- 
very little difference, protdded that which I take froix tire 
comb is good honey. The disputed points lam willing tC' 
leave in the hands of experienced naturalists, but the nevr 
theory stalled by your correspondent, Mr. McGekee, I 
cannot allow to pass unnoticed. He expresses his serious 
doubts that bees collect honey from flowers, and intimates 
that honey dew is their sole dependence. Now, how any 
man of observation can have any doubt on a matter so-’ 
very plain, and one so easily ascertained, is certainiyr 
very remarkable. Has he never seen his bees visit flow- 
ers, and leave them unprovided with farina I Has he- 
never noticed again that his bees are oftener seen on those 
little flowers that scarcely have any pollen I If bees go 
about flowers for the only purpose of gathering bee bread,. 
! is it not equally reasonable to say that butterflies, an'.* 
