236 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR 
■ growth of a pig or a child, it makes no difference, the 
• seed needs during its own growth such things, and such 
things only as are peculiarly adapted to support equally 
the germ of the plant and the germ, (only more developed ) 
of an animal. Now, land that abounds in the things (which 
are well known) that make the seeds of, our cotton and 
wheat plants, is rich land. Like water and carbon, some 
of these things are abundant in nature, and can be bought 
cheap; while others, like ammonia, potash and phosphoric 
acid, are more difficult to be hud and are therefore expen- 
sive. Every farmer should be familiar with these sub- 
stances as he is familiar with corn and wheat. Phos- 
phoric acid combined with potash, lime and magnesia, 
forms some 94 per cent, of the earthy part of both wheat 
and cotton seed ; each contains the elements of ammonia, 
and both furnish excellent manure solely because both 
have taken it out of the ground. To take manure out of 
the earth in the sliape of grain, and secondarily, in the 
form of meat, and waste both, is not farming, but simply 
killing land. Farming implies themaking of full and per- 
fect restitution to the earth that yields either grass for 
stock, grain for bread, or cotton and tobacco for market. 
Good farming implies more than this. It demands the 
increase in the soil of the elements of fertility till its com- 
mon average crops shall be 70 bushels (14 barrels) of 
corn, and 30 bushels of wheat per acre. To own such 
land in an old healt.hy and well settled district, with ex- 
cellent schools, churches, society, roads, railways, and all 
other benefits of advanced and refined civilization, is an 
object of'the first importance. So far as the South lacks these 
advantages, it is the duty of all to labor for their attain- 
ment. It is better for us to v/ear out than rust out— to 
change things for the better, rather than let things change 
our children and the community from bad to worse. So- 
ciety cannot stand still ; it will either improve or deterior- 
ate, like the land we cultivate. A great deal that appears 
gold on the outside is only galvanized with the precious 
metal, having base copper under the thinest possible 
covering. Families that unwillingly allow their tastes to 
be corrupted by the glitter and tinsil of fash equipage, 
furniture and dress, cannot possibly enjoy life anywhere. 
Their lives are in rebellion against both good sense and 
•nature, and are likely to end in shame. If less money 
were used for show and sheer dissipation, there would be 
less occasion to over tax the soil, and more means for its 
skilful improvement. Planters, their wives, daughters 
and sons, should take more interest and pride in the 
noble duty of enriching land, so that it will yield them a 
better income, support fine ffit cattle horses, hogs, sheep 
and poultry, and be the subject of praise in the whole 
county. Learn to enjoy wisely what yon have, rather 
than become mere bca.sts of burden in trying to get more 
Make home pleasant in every respect, and the homestead 
.a model of plantation neatness, thrift and contentment 
Let Order be a law unto all, that no jar shall disturb the 
harmony, no neglect lessen the industty of the laborers; 
but that all shall move forward with ease and cheerfulness 
to the accomplishment of the work before them. Raise 
an abundance of garden vegetables and preserve them as 
long as possible, that the consumption of bacon may not 
be an unwelcome, drain on the purse. All things con- 
sidered, the cheapest, and perhaps the best meat a farmer 
can have for his own table is good lamb, for lambs and 
sheep almost rear vhemselves without care or trouble to 
their owner. Fat pickled mutton put up in barrels is ex- 
cellent six monihs in a year, and costs but little. Kids 
are well worth raising for their flesh, and th%ir parents 
are at once healthy, hardy, prolific, and able to defend 
themselves from the attacks of vicious dogs. 
These remarks are made from a conviction that more 
attention should be paid to live stock, and domestic econo- 
my generally, to render the improvement of land easy 
and natural. Both plants and animals are endowed with 
a certain power of accumulating their appropriate aliment, 
as well as with the power of multiplying their respective 
species. This cumulative function is less understood than 
that of procreation, although a part of one system of organic 
life. Its duty is to aid plants and animals in the task of 
.seeking and providing food for their offspring. If the se- 
cretion of milk in all mammiferous females is one expres- 
sion of nature’s care for the young, the holding of rain 
water and the secretions of acids by which mosses ex- 
tract potash, lime and phosphates from granite rocks, a»d 
ultimately form a rich mould, are no less proofs of the 
Creator’s care in providing food for the sprouting germs 
of plants of a higher order than mosses. We have fre- 
quently employed cryptogamic plants to extract fertil- 
izers from rocks to be used in experiments in grov/ing 
wheat on artificial soils. Old field pines accumulate both 
organic and inorganic matter quite radidly where they 
have a luxuriant development. This function is curious 
and instructive in its relations to the improvement of land. 
Pines have long taproots, and longer surface roots, with 
which to drink in abundance a most diluted aliment. Their 
carbon and water, and nitrogen, in the shape of ammonia 
or nitric acid, are derived from the atmosphere. Keep 
some plant or plants, evergrowing on the land you would 
enrich, but let the soil have the debris of such vegetable 
structures. L. 
THAT CHINESE PROEIFIC PEA. 
Editors Southern Cultivator-I havebeen a subscriber 
to your useful and welcome monthly visitor for several 
years, but have never suffered my name to appear within 
its pages, and should you think this unworthy, you are at 
liberty to throw it over among the rubbish. 
Long since I learned the duty of supporting the sink- 
ing character of my fellow man. Seeing that my esteem- 
ed friend. Douglass, has had his assailed, even to stretch- 
ing to long yarns (as a correspondent said in last Au- 
gust number) I feel disposed to come up from the vault of 
obscurity to vindicate it, and I am not alcne here. My 
faithful conductor, Mr. Quinby, U. S. Marshal, after ex- 
amining “that Pea” which was given me by Mr. Douglass, 
and growing in my farm, said he could do the same. He 
was perfecly carried av/aj'' with astonishment while be- 
holding the thick clusters of peas, and the rich, thick foli- 
age. 
I have been a pea raiser thirty-five years, and profess 
some knowledge in growth, variety, importance to land 
as well as stock, and durability of seed and am forced to 
to the belief that the China Pea is superior. “I speak that 
I know, and testify what I have seen.” They are grow- 
ing thick on the ground where they v/ere planted last year, 
and if such a winter as the past would not destroy them, 
we have nothing to fear. I have sowed peas among my 
ATheat in the fall and oats in spring to advantage, and 
were I living on poor land now I should certainly sow 
the China Pea as an improver to land if not for hay, v/hich 
I know to be superior to any other hay I have ever raised, 
all things considered. 
In conclusion I would advise my old native North 
Carolinans to begin with this Pea to improve their land, 
it being much cheaper and I think better than digging 
marl, or buying guano. 
A word more. I have suffered m'y stock hogs to run 
on peas all my life and never lost one thereby. True, 
they need attention in the summer. If they get very poor 
it is difficult to recover them. If they take the staggers, 
split the skin over the brain and fill in with fine salt — it 
cures for me. If desired, more anon, 
S. J. Jones, 
Plum BayoU) Jefferson Co., Ark., May, 1857. 
