370 
SOUTHERN cultivator 
DeBOW’S REVIEW ON THE COTTON CROP. 
In a long article, DeBow has reviewed the last 32 years, 
making the following deduction : 
Average latest spring frost, March 23. 
Average earliest fall frost, October 26. 
Average time between latest and earliest frost, 7 months 
and 4 days. 
Average date of first bloom, June 5, 
And for 1857 as follows: 
Latest spring frost, April 23. Earliest fall frost, aver- 
age October 20, Growing season 6 months and 3 days. 
First bloom, June 25. 
He says : Before I proceed to show what I would con- 
sider a small average or large crop for 1857, 1 will call at- 
tention to some facts. As a general rule, the magnitude 
of the crop depends upon a long or short period between 
the spring and fall frosts. In 1839, the spring opened on 
the 6th of March, seventeen days earlier than the average 
and the growing season continued twelve days later than 
the average fall frost, giving for the growing season eight 
months 1 day, and a crop of 2,177,000 bales — an increase 
800.000 bales over the year immediately preceding. The 
crop of 1840, besides the influence of a short season of 
six months and twenty-four days, was diminished by an 
overflow to the Misssissippi, and reached only 1,635,000 
bales. The crop of 1842 was very large, and it will be 
observed that the season commenced on the 22d February 
and continued until the 26th of October, a period of eight 
months and four days, yielding 2,378,000 bales — an in- 
crease of more than 700,000 bales over the previous year. 
The crop ot 1848 was an unusually short one of 1,779,000 
bales, resulting from ashort growing season of six months 
and five days, and a general visitation of the army worm. 
The crop of 1848 is again a short one of 2,097,000, show- 
ing a deficit of more than 600,000 bales from the previous 
crop ; the growing season was only 6 months 22 days, 
and there was an overflow in Red River during the sum- 
mer. 
The crop of 1 855 was an unusually large one on a 
growing season of a few days short of 7 months, but it will 
observed that the whole season was remarkably favor- 
able, and that at lease 260,000 bales of the previous crop 
Was received, which had been kept back by low water in 
the rivers in Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. 
The crop of 1856 has been variously estimated, but taking 
the present deficit at all the ports, and the probable 
amount to come forward, it will probably not exceed 
2.950.000 bales — and I believe this figure has been gener- 
ally adopted — I shall take it as a basis of calculation. 
Taking the average of the last five crops as the basis 
of our calculation, without regard to the late spring frost 
of the present season, the result will be as follows ; 
1852 crop in bales 3,262,900 
1853 crop in bales 2,930,090 
1854 crop in bales 2,847,300 
1855 crop in bales 3,587,800 
1856 crop in bales . . estimated 2.950,000 
Average of above 3,123,600 
Add 5 per ct. incr’se in cultivation. 156,200 
3,179,800 
But if the fall frost should take place at the average 
date, 28th October, the growing season will only be six 
months and three days, one month short of the average, 
and we can only expect a proportionally short crop. 
1857 average crop in bales 3.279,800 
Deduct 14 per ct. for 1 month short 
of avei'age growing season 559,000 
Leaving for the actual only 2,820,000 
From the above, I conclude that even if the fall frost 
should be protracted to the lOih of November, the latest 
period for the last thirty-two years, the growing crop can- 
not exceed 3,275,000 bales, which would be much short of 
the commercial wants of the world, and if the fall frost 
comes at the average period of the 26th of October, or as 
often occurs before that time, the crop will not exceed 
2,830,000. 
Georgia Wine. — We accepted the invitation, a day or 
two since, of our esteemed friend, John L Wynne, of 
Wilkes county, to test some of his Still Catawba Wine, 
i\ie pure juice of the grape, of the vintage of 1856, and we 
take pleasure in saying, much as we had heard of the 
excellence of his wine, it far exceeded our most sanguine 
expectation. It was indeed a most excellent, in fact a 
very superior article ; and in this opinion we were sus- 
tained by gentlemen, in the acuteness and acuracy of 
whose tastes, we have more confidence than our own. 
We had an opportunity of comparing it with a bottle of 
'•'•LtongwortKs Still Cataiobo., of the vintage of 1852, with 
which it was pronounced fully equal if not superior. 
Those who desire to taste a good article (the pure juice 
ot the grape,) of Georgia made Wine, can do so by call- 
ing at the store of Lamback & Cooper. — Augusta, Chron., 
Oct. 16. 
Fractions of an Acre for Experiment. — It is often 
very desirable to the farmer to measure off from a lot of 
land fractions of one acre, for the purpose of making a 
series of experiments upon different modes of planting, 
cultivating or manuring. To facilitate this we give be- 
low the measurement of a side of a square, containing the 
following fractional parts of an acre. A reference to this 
table will save some perhaps tedious calculotion : 
Feet square. 
1-16 of an acre contains about 52 1-8 
1-8 “ “ 731-8 
1-4 “ “ 1041-4 
1-3 “ “ 1211-2 
1-2 “ “ 1471-2 
1 acre “ “ 200 
2 acres “ “ 418 
We cannot but suggests to our readers the importance 
and advantage of combining with the usual duties of the 
farm such experiments as may easily be conducted with- 
out any interruption of the work, and yet will often lead 
to the most decisive results. If one is to plant an acre of 
potatoes, for instance, devide it into quarters, and each 
quarter into eighths, if needed, and plant one part with 
small seed, another with large, another with cut and 
another whole; manure one part in the hill, another out- 
side. On one quarter try salt to prevent the rot, on 
another lime, another ashes, &c. No man can do this 
without soon increasing his knowledge of agriculture, and 
soon after his wealth. — Granite Stale Farmer. 
Happy Farmers. — When the commercial horizon is 
shrouded in gloom; when suspension and ruin are impend- 
ing over those who but recently awakened feelings of 
envy and discontent in the breast of the farmer, by their 
show of wealth — their gilded equipages, and troops of ser- 
vants — their enjoyments of all the luxuries of life — then 
can the honest tiller of mother earth raise his head with 
pride which unscathed integrity alone can give, and thank 
his stars that he is not a “merchant prince.” Times like 
these are well calculated to demonstrate the vanity of 
“getting rich in a hurry.” While the gilded fortunes in 
anticipation by speculators, have vanished as the mist be- 
fore the morning sun, the steady but slow gains of the 
farmer are secure. There is now plenty in all the rural 
districts, while depression and want are staring the com- 
mercial and manufacturing wotld in the fs<ee.—Excha/ngc 
