148 
, g O U X H E E NJ 43 U L T I V A T O R . 
The sim^plicity of the Bible, like that of all truth j 
has often eaused its pearl to be 'trampled onder the feet 
of swinje. '■!' ' • ■" ' ■ 
'Oor views of the most essential wants of Southern citi- 
zens have not ^changed during the ten years that we have 
addressed the rn through the columns'of this journal. A 
self-sustaining work, in which tens of thousands should 
eonstantly instructmne another, from their readings ex- 
jjerieoce and observation, was what we hoped to see es- 
tablished on'a permanent basis. The value of such a work 
consists not fn -the fruit of any one mind, but in the time- 
ly' eontnbmiohiS' of hundreds who know the truth and 
point of whafthhy say. Judged by the intelligence and 
hdmber ■Of i#'c6rr‘espondents, the Sa'uthem Culiindibr has 
fe-iv e4'uafe"'hnfcl' no superior in the department Of know- 
ledge- tOwhfOh'ut is devoted: Write forthe - not for-' 
gettihg tfef ' strOhg agrurnehls are best expressed in soft 
words. ' ii. ' 
' ditchingI „ 
.T omwlu- -sr'— ^ 1 
Epia’.c^s, CtipTivATOR-rr-Never haying written, 
a piece Tor publication, I now feel, the greater delicacy jn. 
atfernplfhg *'as it^ is id condemn the, theory and prag- 
tifee'df able'h "Writer as Col. Cahnon'.' Biit when T see 
& theory • *^0 ■'highly'Oxtolled, which I feel itnust result iP' 
juripuslyhl .adopted by the cotton planter, ! can/no longer ' 
lernaip pgptral and in gombatting this I will onlygiye;, 
the iessphs, of that best of teachers— experience. , , ,, , 
' in the place, perrhit ineTd say that Madison coun- 
tyj - Miss, j' has ' been One of the fairest p'ortiond of tbe 
Sunny Bomhdl Where now stretches the endless cotton 
field, once blpomed the. loveliest prairies; but man, ener- 
getic man, found it and appropriated it to husbandry. Ip 
the early settlements , we first cultivated these prairies; 
then gavd.Wtfiy the timbered hill's to the wPodmans aite S 
isfe then.gloried ijP , straight rovys, Years rolled on. Al- 
though ,th.e detecipration of our lands suggested. that some- 
ihing must be done : some one proposed “level rows,” and 
then edrdMeficcd the system’ of “ horizontal culture,” 
which i -SO' much deprecate. This plan look like magic, 
and but a few years elapsed before out* planters all enjoy- 
ed the prospect of level rows. 
Now fof the result. It sometimes rains here, but not 
more, I su'ppose, than in Georgia, and never did a rain of 
any magnitudeJall but That our hills showed that a young 
avalanche had .swept dovifn their sides, leaving Scarcely 
the vesuge.oTa row behind. The next plowing we would 
raise, another ridge of loose earth, whicii .in due course 
of time, would foiiow the first to that great emporium, 
ihe Mi-ssissippi;' The next year, to remedy this “wash,” 
we -would change the rows a little, when the water would 
accumulate, at , some other point, and another landslide be 
the result ; .-and so on for years, till, naught was to be seen 
but thefribbed I'emains” of a once fertile district. 
Your coi’respohde.nt' from an adjoining county, Mr. 
Harmo'h, 'is convinced ofthe inadequacy of this plan, hence 
the adoplion of Hill-side Bitches, of which he writes. I 
have , given you the experience of a community for 13 
long yearSr. j! So, much for “Col. Cannon’s theory.” I am 
done with it. . . 
I am truly glad'tb see the interest which Mr Harmon 
rnanifost's in ffii's* matter, Tnd hope tobe of service to him. 
Me knows -the disease ;H'ias the remedy; but, I think, 
make.s an iraprpper application. 
Nature is a model of such infinite perfection that none 
«an improve her, and we are but to look forward totheexe- 
«ution of her suggestions. Look abroad upon this beau- 
iiftd earth. Why these sUriny' hills, these broad spreading 
! uplands, tbese deep-shaded hollows, these purlihg sfrea'm'.s1 
i Are they but to vary the la n'ds cajpe, to please the eye % 
: No sirs; they are of practical utility, without -which we 
! would but have a rnighty frog-popd. Then, as we, qre 
! cultivators of the soil, let us imitate Nature, and get rid pf 
I the superabundance of water which fplls — not try to re- 
i tain it. Col. Cannon returns to Nature when/he sowg 
igrass and leaves his land level, and, of course, succeeds 
';t|hat. As I proposed to be of service to Mr. Harmon, I 
: will proceed to give the plan \yhich has .been, adopted, to 
The rejection of all othefs, in this vicinity, I cannot pmi^ 
itd say here, that to Mr. M. V, Cojlum, of.this county^ be? 
! longs the credit' of first having theorized and pracUced.it. 
I Each row should be lts own conductor — emptying jts 
j water Th some natural or artificial drain. • ^Parallel ditche^ 
I are vjJullly unnecessp^ry ' — there is no use fora ditch where 
iyou have natural drain to empty in— when you have eipp-’ 
Tied the last row leading into the upjpbT end. pf this, .dr^n^ 
• then corn e.s The, jiee4 of ditcijj.and llijs last row being, 
; faked up gives it at pnceY Noyv.the water whicH.faTls op 
jhiils above. . this' point, i^.tbgt . most . tOibe dreaded— jtbbs 
Ma'st row o.r ditch of „c,ouis.e,rises. as you ,l|uye.the.d)f.ain^ 
Co rn rnence abpve th is apd fall or drain the , ro|kVs into^i{;rif 
ithis dbes.not fill opt th,e, ‘‘cqt”.. qr hill,,ghe last row emp^yg 
qng in atTbe.iiighek point, or o,pd>shQufo fie, .rakei-oub-fpr. 
ia. secbpd djtch apd .filled, .in as, the dtkeL,'; 
.'I you have, an qulkt for ,tbe,Jasirqw.; Thusypu^seeThe.^^^ 
|drop pf vvpter is.cQntrplledTill it is .eip,p.t4ed,in.the(.n^tiji^| 
[draip.; No ,wa.ter‘ is perniitted.toJq.vsr tc.^fie rpads;, 
;or , fen/-. e, rows, being .taken pf? by^ these, filtches,.;: .Tfia fob 
'tq .be gi.yeh, ought to. be-dei-ermined foom tfiqpharacte,r ^o| 
itfie soil-— i^apdy less than tepa^cious'-spils.. T _.. . ; Y,.> 
i ' . ,. 1-'. .-t; ’A''S.UBSCR;IBpp.v;,j 
I ■ : i.-.! 
■j ;'BAISiN,G THB KEYS', iN" TIJ.SSIiis.SIPE.K. 
' Editors' Southern' CultiVat-or— I' propose ‘T o ' gtve^ 
iyou our plan for raising-Turkeys. The niale Turke^Yfbm' 
iwhic'h v/e are raising is a half cross with the Wild Turkey,' 
■and will be six years old this spring; the hens are from 
two to five years old and abiiu ten or twelve in nun>-' 
•ber. 1 have a house for them to lay and sit in ; and‘ 
?when disposed to sit, they are left on the nest, until soitie 
j five or six are disposed to sit ; from twenty to twenty-five* 
leggs are placed under each hen ; -as soon as the young 
, Turkeys are hatched out they are taken to the bat-field, _ 
as affording better protection from the haWk. I never 
give them one mouthful to ' eat, never get them up, anff 
sometirnee do not see them for a week or two.’ ’ When so’ 
treated, I have rarely ever knorwo one tb die— some are 
destroyed by hawks; pole-eats.,, minks, &a, but I gener- 
ally get four-fifehs of the .number put out. - - 
Eor five years, I tried housing and feeding them regu- 
■larly tlxree times a. day, and every year lost nine out of 
iten. They .are the most economical fowl that can be: 
.raised ; theyTequire no feeding ; but -when left free will- 
foam the fields over, destroying worms, and insects oT 
every description. Last summer they saved us about 25' 
acres of cotton from the worm ; in the fall they will readi-t 
ly fatten on acorns. 
* My opinion is that more young, fowls are killed by 
over-feeding than die from disease. J know it to be so 
with Turkeys. , A SuBscRiHEm 
Mississippi, 1857 . .} 
Prices of Negroes — We attended the sale of tlie 
property belonging to the estate of Smith Bradley, de- 
ceased, on Tuesday last. Ten negroes were sold' at an' 
average of S730, Negro women and boys brought as,, 
high as S900. Of the number sold there was one child, 
two years old and one five years bid. — Grecniiln' Enkr- 
prisc. 
