THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
27 
For the Southern Cultivator. 
PLANTERS’ CLUB OF HANCOCK, j 
REPORTS READ BEFORE THE CLUB, 
REPORT of the Tillage and- Product of one Acre of 
Land in Corn, by Richard S. Hardwick, in 1814. 
The acre selected was worn out red land, ha- 
ving a little more silex than is usual for red 
land in this county. It would not have produ- 
ced more than four bushels per acre without 
manure, with good culture and good season. 
The Bortimer manure was used for the experi- 
ment; and although it was a failure, and but 
lew would like to make a report, 1 am induced 
to do so, first, because it is my duty as a mem- 
ber ot your Club; and secondly, because there 
is as much, or more, to be learned from failures, 
as from successful experiments, by the thinking 
class of farmers. At any rate, it points out the 
rock on which the experimenters split, and ena- 
bles others to direct their experimental bark 
around it. 
The manure was oak leaves and pine straw, 
hauled from the woods, and weeds cut from the 
corners of the fence and branch sides, and put 
up the last of September, 1843, on the Bommer 
method, and remained in the kilns till March, 
1844. There were 70 ox-cart loads used. The 
method of applying will presently be given. 
The first operation on the land, was about the 
first of February, with a colter plow, deep and 
close. The land was, however, rather dry for 
the work to be done as effectually as it should 
have been. About the middle of March, (he 
land w'as put in prime condition by a good rain. 
The manure (70 loads) was then spread, such 
portion as seemed to be necessary, reserving 
enough for future application and in a different 
way, hereafter described, and plowed in with a 
turning plow, furrow followed by a colter in the 
bottom. This done, the land was laid off in 
rows, at the distance of 7 feet, which furrows 
were re-opened with a double turner, in order to 
open them deep and well. In this furrow, a part 
of the manure was put, say filled half full; the 
rows were then bedded out complete. A fur- 
row was then run on each side ot the centre of 
this bed, at the distance of 12 inches from the 
centre, which placed thetwo rows two feet apart. 
A hand full of the remaining manure was then 
placed in those furrows at the distance of 
24 inches, taking care, however, not to have the 
hills opposite, but by measurement to have the 
hills in the rows precisely half way between the 
hills in the other row, which made the hills pre- 
sent the diamond form. On this manure I put 
my corn, and covered it with a hoe. The plant- 
ing was the 20th March. 
The first operation was about the gOth April, 
by siding the corn with a colter, plowing out the 
wide row's with the scooter; for you w'i.l per- 
ceive from the method of planting that every 
other row was 5 feet wide — the other, or narrow 
rows, 2 feet wide. Corn fiat w'ed and thinned 
to one stalk. About the middle of May, the 
wide rows were plowed with a turning plow, 
deep and well ; and betw'een the narrow rows, 
chopped w'ith a hoe. Early in June, the wide 
rows were plowed very lightly w'ith a sweeper; 
the narrow rows chopped, and flat hills put to 
the corn, which finished the cultivation. The 
season was good and the yield only 14 bushels. 
The land was measured by T. H. Audas, and 
the corn measured by G. W, Hardwick. 
A very important question now arises, w’hat 
was the cause of the failure'? Is the Bommer 
manure worthless? Or is the defect in the me- 
thod of planting or culture ? lam of opinion, 
that the failure is chargeable to neither of those 
causes; and as the cause of failure is the most 
important part of my report, I must ask the in- 
dulgence ot the Club in a few speculations on 
the cause of failure. It is well known to every 
practical farmer, that a piece of exhausted land, 
with any kind of manure, however good, and 
judiciously applied, cannot be made productive 
the first year of its application as well as it will 
after the manure anci earth have become assimi- 
lated together; or, in other words, as when the 
earth has fully taken up the salts of the manure ; 
therefore this may be set down as one of the 
causes of the failure. 
This opinion is strengthened from the fact, 
that, the manure had not undergone decomposi- 
tion enough to let out the salts for some time 
after its application. It was in what would be 
called the long siate, but having a strong smell 
ot ammonia, having been well saturated with 
the lees, wfilch is w'ell calculated to bring 
about decomposition, therefore it possessed all 
the elements of manure, but was not able to let 
them loose in time for the crop, the land of itself 
having but little of the elements necessary for 
the food of plants. The plot, of course, failed, 
before the necessary quantity or quality of the 
proper nutriment was afforded by the manure 
which had been applied. I am sustained in 
this opinion from this fact ; in the summer of 
1843, I made my first experiment in making the 
Bommer manure. In August of that year, 
when I sowed my turneps, I directed the manure 
spoken of to be applied to a part of my lurnep 
land; it was hauled and thrown over in the 
corner of the fence in the long stage, about as 
that applied to my corn, but by the neglect of 
my overseer, was not applied. It remained there 
until spring In planting the turnep land in 
corn, and manuring in the hill with stable ma- 
nure, I discovered my Bommer manure, hauled 
there the previous summer, in a fine decomposd 
state. I (iirected it to be applied in the hills, in 
the same quantity and manner that the stable 
manure was applied, and stakes drove down at 
the beginning and finishing row. I noticed 
those rows attentively through the crop season, 
and they perceptibly had the advantage of the 
rows on each side. Again, this acre of land 
was sown in wheat early in October, after ha- 
ving a slight sprinkling of manure from the 
cow-pen. The wheat now (6th December, 
1844) is much larger (so much so that the dif- 
ference is percieptible half a mile) than wheat 
sown the same day on land that produced me 
this year 40 bushels of corn per acre, with as 
much manure applied to it as was to the Bom- 
mer acre. These facts seem conclusive that 
ray position is correct. 
But another reason. It is a general opinion 
that fibrous rooted and slick leaved plants, are 
finer feeders than the tap or bulbou-s rooted wdth 
porous leaves; therefore the food that will have 
been used by the other plants, was rejected by 
the corn. 
Again, the quantity of manure used in the 
long stage, as this w'as, 1 have no doubt was in 
the way of the young and tender roots, running 
out in search of food, as well as the scarcity or 
improper quality of food; lor, on examination, 
when the corn was at maturity, I found that the 
roots had not run out iuio the rows, but were 
confined to the hill entirely. Now, if the body 
of the land had been rich, or in other words, had 
it aboundfd with the necessary food for the 
plant, they would have passed each other in the 
rows of five feet. There being no inducement, 
or rather notliing to draw them out, they had to 
content themselves in a small space and dwin- 
dle out a miserable existence in poverty and 
want. 
But another reason, which has been given to 
me by a friend, whose good sense and opinions 
I have great confidence in, but differ from him, 
at least in part, of the view he takes. 
He contends, in opposition to the opinion en- 
tertained by myself, that the salts of the manure 
are let loose, notwithstanding the manure was 
in the long stage and not sufficiently decompo- 
sed; that the manure being fully saturati^d with 
the lees wdiich is the very essence ot the manure, 
there being a natural affinity between that and 
the earth, that is, it was let out to the earth 
through the same pores that it w’as taken up, 
but the food was too strong for the plant in its 
infancy, therefore an unhealthy disposition was 
created, from which the plant never recovered. 
In support of this opinion there is one fact 
worthy of notice, and it is, t.hat the corn present- 
ed a yellow appearance from the time it came 
up until it began to tassel, when it improved in its 
color a little, but at no period did it present a 
healthy appearance. On one corner of this lot 
the land had been some little benefitted the year 
previous, by feeding some sows and pigs at that 
place. It was, however, but a very small place. 
At that place, the corn was never yellow; it 
presented a green healthy appearance through 
the whole season, and if the whole acre had 
done as well as that small spot, I should have 
made some 60 bushels, for on that corner I made 
pretty much all that I did make; therefore the 
difference to be settled between us, is, whether it 
was more from the want of food than from the 
strength or improper quality of it. His reasoning, 
however,is not w ithout some weight; for the rea- 
son of the corn thriving well in the corner above 
referred to, may be, that it had other and more 
suitable food; therefore it rejected that which 
wouffi have proved prejudicial to it, while the 
other having no other resource, was compelled 
to accept such as it could get. 
I have now, gentlemen, given you my rea- 
sons at length for my failure, and if I was sure 
they were correct, it would very much relieve 
the mortification .vhich 1 feel at a book farmer’s 
making so signal a failure. 
Sparto,, Dec. 26, 1844. R, S. Hardwick. 
REPORT of the Tillage and Product of one Acre of 
Land in Corn, by Ben/. T. Harris, in 1844. 
The land very much exhausted by continued 
cultivation for more than forty years. The soil 
chocolate. Previous crop, oats. Would con- 
sider two and a half barrels a good crop under 
the old system. Yield, 49 bushels and a i peck. 
Gathered and accurately measured on 28th Au- 
gust. 
Preparation . — On 8th March, scootered the 
land deep and close, with a colter following in 
each furrow. On 2lst March, spread 35 loads 
ot lot manure, broadcast, and scootered again. 
On 22d, harrowed over the ground and laid off 
rows 4 feet 10 inches apart; strewed cotton seed 
(germ destroyed) in this furrow thickly, and 
listed on it with scooter plow, then dropped a 
handful of ordinary size 18 to 20 inches asunder 
in the planting furrow, and a small handful of 
leached ashes on each deposite of seed. Drop- 
ped the corn between those deposites, from 3 to 
5 grains, and covered with a scooter plow. 
Middles plowed out with same plow, and cotton 
seed strewed in all the furrows except the last. 
Corn came up welL Some few hills destroyed 
by the bug. 
Cultivation . — On 15th April harrowed it over 
with a fine-tooth harrowed, running 5 times in 
the row, the object of which, was to break the 
crust formed on the surface, which was so thick 
as to exclude the atmosphere. On 23d April 
ran the colter around the corn and plowed 
the middle- with a scooter. On 24th, hoed and 
thinned to one stalk, where the stand was regu- 
lar, and to two where it was irregular. On 10th 
May, run the sweep six times in the row. On 
24lh, sided w'ith shovel plow, and run 4 turning 
plow furrows, finishing middles with shovel 
plow. June 5, laid the corn by, with sweepers. 
June 15, laid by with hoes, puaing but little 
dirt to the corn. Remainder of ashes spread 
broadcast at the time of planting; quantity used, 
3 cart loads, drawn by one yoke of oxen; the 
same quantity of cotton seed— making in all 41 
loads of manure. 
Recapitulation of Work. — Flowings, 2; sweep- 
ings, 2; harrowing, 1 ; hoeings, 2. 
B. F. H.^RRie. 
REPORT of the Tillage and Product of one .Acre of 
Land in Corn, by Mrs. Martha .Anne Lewis, iu 1844. 
The soil is grey, post oak land, in a fine 
state of cultivation, having been kept as a bar- 
ley lot, earl}' corn, (&c. Would have produced, 
with ordinary culture andgood season, without 
manure, 5 or 6 barrels of corn per acre. Sixty- 
four loads of manure used; 10 of which was 
from the stable, 3 of cotton seed, and the ba- 
lance from the hog pen, and applied as herein- 
after stated. The land was broke with a scoo- 
ter plow, from 15th to 20th January, 1844; then 
manured broadcast with the largest part of the 
manure, reserving enough for a subsequent ap- 
