THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
21 
ling hnuse a t vu story building, finished in a 
plain but coinrortabls style, with shed and pi- 
azza, having six rooms and a passage, and 
stands in a luxuriant grove of oaks about 409 
yards from the overseer’s house, with which it 
is connected by an avenue and lawn, containing 
from 10 to 15 acres. It has the usual appen- 
dages of a garden, kitchens, meat house, lowl 
house and dairy. We were also shown various 
arrangements for raising and taking care of 
stock through different stages of its growth. 
These consist of various lots of different sizes 
under good fence, and an abundant supply of 
water. The first is a wood enclosure of near 
500 acres, partly high land, and partly swamp, 
and so arranged as to be easily divided by a set 
of bars. This is intended as a permanent en- 
closure for hogs, and occasionally for sheep and 
other stock. It has a direct communication 
with the stable lot, and cow lot, through agate, 
by means of the lawn above referred to, and 
hogs are fed within 300 yards of the overseer’s 
house, which commands a view also of this lot. 
Another was a lot of 75 acres, of which about 
one half is in woods and the other in small 
grain, intended for ewes and lambs and other 
young stock, and is connected with the lawn 
around the dwelling house by a gate. The 
third is a lot adjoining the dwelling house, con- 
taining about 15 acres, half in woods and the 
other in small grain, intended for calves and 
poultry. These are in addition to the lots above 
referred to, as connected with the stable lot, all 
of which constitute about 12 in number. There 
is also a shelter with stalls for the milch cows 
in winter, and a house for food and shelter for 
the calves. In short, there is a lot for all kinds 
of stock, adapted either to summer or winter 
use, with a shelter or cover for each kind, it 
is a rule of the establishment to put all food un- 
der cover, so that we found neither oats, fodder, 
straw nor shucks exposed to the weather, but all 
were stored away in substantial buildings. The 
overseer has an appropriate house or room for the 
tools, plows, harness and wagons, and no imple- 
ment or vehicle is allowed to remain from under 
cover. The various lots adjacent to the stable 
lot and dwelling, are surrounded by good fences, 
aeatly shrubbed trees trimmed, neat and sub- 
stantial gates, and all supplied with water and 
shade. The slock on the plantation is as fol- 
lows: — about 90 stock hogs, 15 sows, with near 
400 pigs, about 90 head of horned cattle, inclu- 
ding three yoke of oxen, milch cows and calves 
— about 70 head of sheep, and trom 40 to 5,0 
hogs for the slaughter pen, all in a good and 
thriving condition. Tbe horse power is 16 
mules, and 7 horses, of wfiicb three or four are 
brood mares. The overseer reported that he 
manufactures clothing for the negroes, both 
winter and sumnrer, The supply of pork will 
be abundant for the wapts of the plantation, 
amounting to 7 Qr8,Q001b,s. That from the sale 
of wheat, rye, corn, peas, and other surplus pro- 
ducts of the plantation, he is enabled to pay the 
current annual etrpenses, except his wages, be- 
sides furnishing a'supply of ffour to his employ- 
er. 
In conclusion, we cheerfully hear lestinaony 
that for the arrangement of the plantation, for 
the reclaimed and highly improved condition 
of the land in cultivation, for the means provi- 
ded for its permanent improvement, for the sub- 
stantial and convenient character of the build- 
ings of every description, and for the general 
economy displayed in its governnient, there is 
jnanilested a skill, judgment and industry, of 
po ordinary character, and which vvas indispen- 
sable to the accomplishment of the present im- 
proved condition of the plantation. VVe ought 
pot, however, to omit some notice of the utensils 
and vehicles used on the plantation and of the 
present crop. These consist of the bull topgue 
plow, the common shovel, the half ox twisting 
shovel, the barsheare, of Northern construction, 
the sweep or scraper, and iron tooth harrows. 
Several of these are used m breaking up and pre- 
paring land for cultivation, and all except the 
barsheare, in thecultivation of the crop. There 
ate three wagons and two ox carts, with their usu- 
al app;iratus. The land seems to have been tho- 
rougiily broken up, and closely and skiiiully 
plowed and planted, plowed and laid by in the 
best mode to prevent washing. We were shown 
a field of 50 acres of corn, planted in the drill, 
which averaged over 25 bushels to the acre. 
The product was between 1300 and 1400 bu- 
shels. Another of 70 acres, which averaged 
about 20 bushels, or about the same product as 
the first. A field of 30 acres on an elevated 
ridge, yielded an indifferent crop, being cut off 
by an unusual drought. There remains from 
30 to 35 acres of corn ungathered, which will 
yield between 400 and 500 bushels. The crop 
of cotton was greatly injured by drought and 
rust, and will only yield 130 bales of the ave- 
rage weight of 350 lbs. In a seasonable year, 
the same land, under the same cultivation, 
would have yielded 175 bales. In addition to 
the corn and cotton, there were made 250 bu- 
shels ot wheat, 50 bushels of rye, a small quan- 
tity of barley, and the average crop of oats, an 
aoundant supply for the plantation — 75 bushels 
of peas have been gathered and cleaned, and 
some 10 or 12 stacks of peas on the vine. The 
hogs are a cross from a Berkshire boar, and 
sow Df the common stock. The cattle are in an 
state of improvement from a cross, by a three 
year old Durham bull, a very superior animal, 
bred by Col. B. F. Taylor, of Columbia. The 
sheep are a cross of the Bakewell breed, from an 
ewe and ram, a present by Major Thomas 
Means ot Fairfield. In making this Report, 
our only object has been to give a full, fair and 
impartial account ol the state of the plantation, 
and if we have been tedious, the only apology 
we can offer is, that it was inseparable irorq a 
faithful discharge of the office comraUtpd to v^s. 
In certification of which, we have sign^ed our 
names, this 21st of November, 1^44" 
R. C. GrRiFPiN,former Tfeas.’r. W. 'And,rew3. 
A. P. King. Jas. F. Lowry. 
Thomas Payne. Jame^ Dorn. 
J. M. Walkep^, Solomon Dorn. 
Black Oak, Nov. 22, 1844. 
Ta /?. W. R<>per, — 
Dear Sir:— The short period which has elap- 
sed sipce the receipt of your letter, requesting 
inlorrpation on the subject of the Marl experi- 
ments in this neighborhood, must be ray apolo- 
gy for so unsatisfactory a reply as this must ne- 
cessarily be. 
Previous to the year 1843, there had been but 
one instance of the application of marl as a ma- 
nure to the soil, in this immediate neighborhood. 
Its existence was known in a few localities, 
where it had been thrown out from excavations 
through our swamps, but until the use of the 
auger for boring was introduced by Mr. Ruffin, 
its great extent and almost universal presence 
was not generally suspected. By his personal 
exertions and the use ot this simple instrument, 
a vast mine of agricultural wealth has been un- 
folded, which only requires the energy and in- 
dustry of the planter to be made available. 
According to the experience of Mr. Ruffin 
and the Virginia planters, too short a time has 
elapsed since its application to our lands, for us 
yet to realize its full effects. The first experi- 
ment in marling in this section of country, was 
made by Mr. F. A. Porcher, in 1840, on 17 
acres of land, at the rate ot 1 00 bushels per acre. 
His statement is thus: Planted in cotton the 
first year, and did well. In 1841, rested; 1842, 
in cotton, with an additional manuring of 30 
horse-cart loads of stable compost, a good crop 
—140 lbs. of ginned cotton ; 1843, in potatoes and 
slips, but did badly; 1844, in corn, making 24 
bushels per acre. 
He stales a second experiment of 2 acres, 
marled the past year and planted in potatoes! 
Began to use them in August; that on the marl- 
ed land, the only good part of his crop. Mr. 
Philip M. Porcher states an experiment on 7 
acres marled in 1843. Kept one acre un marled 
for Gomparison, and treated the remaining six 
with marl, at tne rates of 250 and 130 bushels 
per acre. The season of 1843 was peculiarly 
upfavorghle, and no good effects were observed 
trom the treatment. In 1844, (the present year,) 
he picked from an acre, on which 250 bushels 
ot marl had been applied, 430 lbs. ; from one on 
which 130 bushels had been applied, 380 lbs.; 
and from the acre left unmarled, 260 lbs. seed 
cotton. The same gentleman states another 
experiment on a field of 6 acres, marled in 1843, 
at the rate ot 120 bushels per acre, applied to- 
gether with stable manure and cotton seed. 
Planted in corn the first year, and made 20 bu- 
shels per acre. In 1844, added 100 bushels of 
marl per acre and other manures; the field 
made an average of 44 bushels of corn per acre. 
It should be stated that tfie land used in both of 
the above experiments, vvas old and exhausted 
trom hard treatment. From these, and many 
other experiments in this neighborhood, it would 
appear that on old lands, but little effect is seen 
the first year after marling. 
It is to be regretted that in two instances, 
where the most marked beneficial effecis were 
seen from the application of marl, no accurate 
account of the result has been kept. 
Mr. S. G. Darant the last winter, applied marl 
at the rate of 100 bushels per acre, to 15 acres 
of newly cleared pine land. A small spot of 
30 or 40 feet square was left unmarled. No ac- 
count o( the relative production has been taken, 
but the unmarled spot has scarcely made any 
cotton, whilst a fair crop has been gathered from 
the other; the increase of production is rated at 
4 or 5 fold, or more. 
The other instapce alluded to above, is an ex- 
periment by Mr. -R. Mazyck, with green 
sand fiiarl, on a fevy acres of cotton land. The 
crop i^as pot yet been entirely harvested, but by 
comparison vvith the adjoining parts of the field 
unmarled, the increase must have been double 
at least. 
At the meeting of the Black Oak Agricultu- 
ral Society held last spring, it was ascertained 
that about 1200 acres of land, within the geo- 
graphical limits of the Society, had been marled 
during the past year up to that period. There 
is no doubt that fully the same amount of marl- 
ing will have been accomplished again by our 
next meeting in the spring. 
I am, very respectfully, &c., 
H. W. Ravenel, 
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS OF THE UNITED 
STATES FOR 1843. 
Wheat, 100,310,856 bushels 
Barley, ..3.^20,721 “ 
Oats, 145.929,966 “ 
Rye 24,280,271 
Buckwheat 7,959,410 
Indian Corn, 494,618,306 
Potatoes, 105,756,133 “ 
Hay,., 15,419,807 tons. 
Flax and Hemp, 161,007 “ 
Tobacco, 185,731,554 pounds. 
Cotton, 747,660,090 “ 
Rice, 89,879,145 “ 
Silk Cocoons, 315,965 “ 
Sugar, 126,400,310 “ 
Wine, 139,240 gallons. 
The supposed value of the above, $607,185,413. 
The articles of wheat, barley, buckwheat, pota- 
toes, tobacco, rice, and sugar, amounted to less 
in 1843 than in 1842; though the aggregate va- 
lue of all the above named articles in 1843, was 
$24,545,445 greater than in 1842. The popula- 
tion of the United Slates in 1843 was 19,183,- 
583. — Naliona.l Intelligencer. 
Simple Cure for Croup. — We find in the 
Journal of Health the following simple remedy 
for this dangerous disease. Those who have 
passed nights of almost agony at the bedside of 
loved children will treasure it up as an invalu- 
able piece of information. If a child is taken 
with croup, instantly apply cold water, ice wa- 
ter if possible, suddenly and freely to the neck 
and chest, with a sponge. The breathing will 
almost instantly be relieved. So soon as possi- 
ble, let the sufferer drink as much as it can; 
then wipe it dry, cover it up warm, and soon a 
quiet slumber will relieve the parent’s anxiety,, 
and lead the heart in thankfulness to the Power 
which has given to the pure gushing fountaiR, 
such medicinal qualities. 
