4i 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
From Uie Albany Culti Valor. 
Mr. Colinaa'9 Eiiii'opeaii Agricultu-re. 
The second pari ut mis work has taade ils 
appearance. The great ditiiculty of (irocturing 
tlie information sought, in an exact and anihen- 
tic torm, amidit the etn.harrass-mentS'anil i-treun 
veniences « liieb surround a stM'anger, are men- 
lioned as reasons why thispoition o! the worK 
bias been so lomr delayed. Mr. Colman says 
he cannot promise his liiirdand fourth numbers 
at any' particular ti:i>e,, but assures us that no 
oureasonabfe delay shall be permitted, fie has 
yet to- visit Ireland, some oi the counties of 
Scotland, the dairy portions ol England, and the 
fi.ix and hoD districts, in the sfiiing he iniends 
to visit the continent, and hopes to be able to 
return lu this country in autumn. 
The first division of the number before 
us, is devoted to a continuation ol remarks on 
ihe AlloLnisnL sijsbmi. Under this head, many 
useiul tacts aregiven, showing the large amount 
ol sustenance wtiich the soil, under proper ma- 
nagement, is capable of yteldirtg— lliough, as 
Mr. C. says, it is probable that the “-utmost pro- 
ductive capacity of art acre of land by any crop 
has not yet been fully determined.”^ 
An instance is mentioned where a man has 
snppo-rted himsell, wile and son, Irom two acres 
of land, lor which he paid a reniot .Sd5,60; and 
in ihe course of seven years saved enough from 
the produce ol his two acres to purchase two 
acres at lo^-lSri per acre. In another case, 
six acres, under spade cultivation, is slated to 
have given an average of hay-two- bushels ol 
wheat per acre-. Another witness brought be- 
fore the Parliamentary committee, testified that 
trn the estate ol L-ud Howard, Barbot Hall, 
Yorkshire, twenty-eight bushels ol wheat had 
been obtained from a quarter of an acre y being 
at the rate of 112 bushels per acre. Mr. Col- 
n^an- thinks, however, that the accuracy of this 
statement may be considered doubillih 
At Horshanr, in Sussex, some seed wheat, 
brought from Australia, was sowti in rows 9 
inches apart, and hills & inches apart, only one 
seed in a place. At this rate it took lbs. 
seed per acre — at 03 lbs. per bushel, one bushel 
of seed would plant mure thart six acres. 
The-yieldol this wheat was ailherareofll bu 
shefs per acre. Some of the straw was six feet 
high. 
A laborer, John Harris, in Sussex, produced 
the following crops Pom his allotment. “ One 
acre and 12 rods, wheat, 53 bushels- Italian 
acre ol oais, 6-1 bushels; 30 rods of barley, 13^ 
bushels; 20 rods ol peas, b'.'shels; one acre 
of potatoes, 404 bushels; haltanacreol turnips, 
150 bushels; 10 rods of carry's. 34 ions ; 15rods 
of mangel-wurtzel, 3 tons. The resiot his land 
-was occupied as green food for his cows, such 
as cabbages, rye, clover, lares, &c. He kept 
two cows. He had trom eight to twelve ptg< 
all winter, and they consumed all his potatoes, 
and his turnips, mangel-wurtzel, and carrots, 
were given to his cows. He lattened 20 stone, 
or 900 lbs. pork, which he sold to the butcher. 
He sold 6 shoats at 3 months old, tor store, and 
one pi? lor roasting; be also sold 2 sows in pig 
for S12,25.” 
An instance is m-entioned where a man in 
Sussex, John Piper, who occupied four acres, 
and kept two cows, worked one of the cows in a 
cart, bv which he makes an annual saving oi 
S21- Not withstan !i g the cow i- worked, “she 
makes e>ghL paimds of butter a vvectr, besides 
furnishing s-^onie milk tor the tamilv.’’ 
Great pains are taken in all cases to save the 
manure. Nothing is wasted The animals 
are stall-fed, and only tu ned into a yard a lew 
hours a day for exercise. Brick orstoneiank-^, 
well cemented, are sunk near the cow-stables 
and pig-sties, for the reception of all the liquid 
manure. “ The contents ot these tanks, on be- 
coming lull, are pumped into a small cart with 
a sprinkling-box attacned to it, like that u.'ed 
foi watering streets in cities, and distributed 
over the crops, always with tiie gieatest advan- 
tage, and with effects immediately perceptible.” 
All which Mr. Colman saw, convinced him that 
there is no necessity tor impoverishin? the soil, 
but that under the right mapagement, it wifi 
keep itself in condit on, and be ever improving. 
Tile allotment system, though so evidently be- 
neficial to the poorer classe.s, is strongly opposed 
by the tarmers in general. In relation to the 
causes of this- oppo'ition, it is alleged that the 
farmers are not willins to lessen the dependance 
ol the laborers on them- lor support — that the 
preai cropsobt lineu undersuch nice cultivation, 
contrasted^ with those ot the farmer, tend to 
throw the latter i-nto ih^ shade, or by proving 
what the land i* capah e of pnHueing, may in- 
duce the landlords to-raise therr rents-. Besrdes, 
it is said the lanners are unwilling- o see the la- 
borers appear in the markets in competition 
with themselves, h-fr. Colman ob-serves that 
whether these reass-.iTS actually exist or not, the 
“ mo'ivesnamed,al-as T are butioo eonsisteai with 
the weakness, and too otten-unrestratned selfish- 
ness, ol hitman nature. Every, man certainly 
lias a fair right ‘ to live,’ and the duty of every 
just man is to ‘letMve.^ Blessed be the day, 
ifcome it ever should, when every man wrll 
learn that his own true prosperity is essentially 
concern-ed in the prosperity of his neighb-or, and 
tliai no gratification on earth, to a good mind, 
is more delkt-oiis than that which is reflected 
Irom the haftpines-s (tf another, to which lie has 
been himself in-strumentalT’' 
Some of the allotments are managed by men 
who act i.n the capacity of school-teachers, and 
the scholars, who are boys from eight to four- 
teen years of age, perform the labor ot cultiva- 
ting the crops — working on the farm a given 
number ot hours each day in return for their 
instruction. Tl>e system works well, both for 
the boys, and the condition and product of the 
grounds. Yet Mr. Colman feels constrained to 
add bis “strong conviciijn that the education 
ot the laboring classes is not viewed with favor 
by those who move in a higher condition of 
life.” “Every approach, therefore,”' he con- 
tinues, “in this direction, is likelv to be re.s-ist- 
ed ; and this feeling of superiority pervades, 
with an almost equal intensity, every class in 
society, above the lowest, Irom the master of 
the household to the most rnertiaKbeneaih whom 
there is any lower depth. Educaiion is the 
great leveller of all artificial distinctions, and 
inav therefore be well looked upon with jealou- 
sy.” 
Q'toMily of Sieil per Acre. —Under this head 
we find al-sc) many useful facts and e.xperiments. 
The English firmers generally practice very 
thick’ sowing, and it is the opinion of some very 
judiciou.s cultivators, 'hat a very large portion 
of Ihe seed may be saved, and quite as larse, if 
not larger, erojis be ob’ained, as there are now. 
Some experiments strongly support this opi- 
nion. The practice in England .is to sow from 
24 to 3 bushels of wheal per acre. One man 
has reduced his quantity to only thcee pecks per 
ac'e. He, however, drill and hand-hoes every 
thing, clover seed excepted. He sows one and 
a half bushels ol rye, two bushels of oats, seven 
pecks of barley, and two bushels of peas per 
acre. In cultivating cabbages, he allow.s one 
to three square feet. He has produced 45 bu- 
shels of wheat, 104 bushels of oats, and 40 bu- 
shels ot barlev, to the acre. There is no doubt 
ihat by substituting the drill, for the broadcast 
mode ot sowing, a large portion of seed nuight 
be saved. 
S'eeping Seeds. — Considerable has been said, 
during the pa.sl year, of a ihode ol steeping 
seeds, intr"diiced by .Vlr. Campbell, of Scot- 
land. Mr. Colman introduces one or two let- 
ters from Mr. Campbell in relerence to tliis 
subject. The steeps he einploys, are sulphate, 
nitrate, and muriate ot ammonia, nitrates of 
soda and potass, nd combinations of these. 
One experiment given, is in substan?:e, the fol- 
lowing: Sonae earth was dug up 6 feet below 
the surf-ice, which was totally destitute of or- 
ganic matter It was sown with seeds which 
had 1")“.^ soaked in these solution.^, and p’'"' 
duced plants with seven or eight stems each, 
while plants from the unprepared seeds pro- 
duced no more than three stems each. They 
had Dot reached maturity when this statement 
was given, and of course, the relative yield of 
grain c..uld not be told. 
Spade Husbandry. — This mode of cultivation 
seems to be exieiuiing itself in Great Britain,, 
and under the cheapness of hand labor which 
there prevail-, is found fully remunerating. 
The principle is the same as that of subsoil 
plowing. The best toid lor the work, is a three 
pronged fork, 14 inches deep, and 74 inches 
wide. This works easier than a spade, and 
pulverizes the ground better. Though, as Mr. 
Colman observes, spade husbandry cannot be 
generally introduced int'j the United States with 
advantage, yet he says there are some cases in 
which it might be lound profitable, such as on 
farms where the poor are kept. In England, 
no farm is ever co-nn-ected with a pauper esta- 
blishment, and some caution is there used, les-l 
those establishments be found too comfortable 
and attractive. Mr. Colman cites the example 
of a man in New England, who from only seven- 
acres of land, sells annually ^2,500 worth ot 
produce. 
Condition of Ltaborers. — .Mr. Colman says, 
“it is with England a question of tremendous 
importance, wbaf is to become of the vast accu- 
mulations of the people, which- are continually 
increasing here at the rale of from seven hun- 
dred to a thousand per day. * * * The 
subject, it appears to me, and perhaps wholly 
from my being unaccustomed to a condition o 
things in any degree resembling it, is daily as- 
suming a feariul aspect ; 1 do not mean danger 
to the government, for the government seems 
never to have been stronger, but fearful in its 
bearings upon the public peace, the public mo- 
rals, the security of property, and the slate of 
crime.” Mr. C. does not pi etend to ofiter a re- 
medy for this state of things, but seems to think 
the allotment system the be^t which has yet been 
lievised, as it is, at all events, capable ol im- 
proving, to some e.xieni, the laborer’s condi- 
tion. 
Progress of AsricuHiure. — Under th-is head, 
Mr. Colman gives an interesting description of 
the great imDrovemenis which have been made 
arH are s-iTll going firward in England, by 
means ot draining, irrigation, &e. Of the Live 
slock, he speaks in the highest terms, but does- 
not go minutely into this subject, intend- 
ing to take it op by itself herealter. He 
speaks not ol the cattle as seen at the cattle 
shows, but as they are seen every Monday in 
the Siuithfield roarket, and at the other smaller 
market's and fairs in various parts of the king- 
dom. He -says — “here are cattle and sheep of 
several distinct breeds, and all of rem.arkable 
ex-ellence of their kind ; I do not say perfect, 
for that, in almost all cases, would be assuming 
too much, but leaving very little to be desired 
bevond what has been attained. Their condi- 
tion and form, their symmetry, their fatness, are 
admirable; and each breed is seen retaining its 
distinct properties; and what is most remai ka- 
ble, showing how much can be done by human' 
art and ski'l, in improving the animal furm and 
condition, and bringing it to a desired model.” 
Applicalion of Sleat/i to Agricidiure. — The 
application of steam to the plow, so tar as Mr. 
Colman has heard, has not been attended with 
much siiceess. Steam engines are extensively 
used in some sections, lor threshing grain. In 
the Lothians of Scotland, it is said that the use 
o! steam power lor this and oihei purposes, 
saves one quarter of the horse power required 
on the farm. A very important item, as the 
keeping of horse teams is the greatest single 
source of expense to the British tarmer. A .six 
horse steam power, usually threshes trom 30 to 
40 bushels of grain per hour. Mr. C. suggests 
that in the prairie districts oft ur western coun- 
try, wherever coal can be had, stearr- power 
might be advantageously used for many farm 
purposes. 
A very important use of steam power in Bri- 
tain, i.s the conveying nl live stock to market 
by means ot s eamboats and railroads. Caiile 
are brought in immense numbers to Smithfield 
market by these conveyances, without loss cf 
