THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
59 
it were, abandoned, are now being reclaimed 
under scientific treatment. Guesswork and he- 
reditary notions are yielding to analysis and the 
application ol chemical principles. The writ- 
ings oi learned agriculturists in Europe are 
translated into the English language, thus pour- 
ing a body ol new light upon the path ol the 
husbandman. 
Some extracts from the celebrated Von 
Thaers principles of agriculture will be found 
in one ol the appendixes to the agricultural re- 
port. They evince the deep research and pa- 
tient investigation of that distinguished philan- 
thropist. 
Little is accomplished in an}’’ science without 
perseverance. How many bright anticipations 
have been blasted by a single unpropitious ex- 
periment! V/ithout making allowance for or- 
dinary casualties orunlorseen occurrences, how 
many efforts to improve husbandry by selection 
of seeds has failed! All has been abandoned, 
because the first experiment has not been crown- 
ed with success; forgetting that seeds. Hire an- 
imals, must be acclimated, and require certain 
food not found in every soil. The truth of this 
general remark may be illustrated by a recent 
attempt to solve the difficulty in granulating the 
sirup of corn-stalks. Scientific gentlemen at 
first pronounced the sugar from corn-stalk to be 
grape sugar only ; and hence, crystalization 
could hardly be expected. Much disappointed 
in the result, I transmitted to Boston some of the 
sugar made by Mr. Webb, of Delaware, and 
requested another analysis. The second analy- 
sis was entirely successful, proving the sugar 
from corn-stalk to be equal to the best Musco- 
vado sugar. 
In reviewing this subject, it appears that the 
juice of cork stalk cut too early will not granu- 
late; and this was the cause of the first failure. 
There is every reason to believe that all diffi- 
culties in making good sugar from this vegeta- 
ble will be removed; while the reports of this 
year show the quantity of saccharine matter 
sufficient to class the crop among the best for 
profit. * * * * * 
To Dr. Jackson we are also indebted for an 
anal sis of several grains. The superiority of 
one kind of Indian corn over another is surpri- 
singly manifest: one is filled with oil, the other 
has no trace of it; hence the superiority of the 
former for fattening animals. Some grains 
contain a large quantity of phosphate, (such as 
beans, &c.,) and hence their consumption tends 
to increase the bones of animals. Dyspeptics 
will learn fiom this why some meal (that which 
contains oil) is so difficult of digestion. For 
further remarks on this subject, with illustra- 
ticns, see Appendix No. 6to the agricultural re- 
port. 4= * * 
Among the first inquiries of the political econ- 
omist, is the question, How can the productive- 
ness ofihe earth be increased !- Modern prac- 
tice answers it easily. Manure and tillage are 
the instruments employed ; either, alone, is com- 
para'ively useless. ‘-Grapes will not grow on 
thorns, nor fisis on thistles,’’ Nor wnll sour land 
yield sweet food; the nature ofihe soil must be 
changed, and this is efiectecLby draining 
Intimately connected with draining land, is 
that of subsoiling ; indeed, the last has lately 
been substiuited for the former, with good suc- 
cess. The cheapness of subsoil ploughsbrings 
them within the reach of every farmer. 
The letter from IMr. Verdine Ellsworth shows 
what can be done by deep ploughing. By supe- 
rior culture, his land yielded thi.s year over 1-21 
bushels of shelled corn per acre — his timoibv 
meadows yielded 3i tons per acre. This state- 
ment is full of encouragement. (See appendix 
No. 5 to agricultural report.) 
Few individuals are aware of the extension 
of roots in pulverized soil. Von Thaer men- 
tions finding roots of sainfroin from 10 to 15 
feet deep in the ground. There are now in the 
national gallery corn-roots taken from one side 
of a hill of corn laid bare by the freshet, and pre- 
sented by the Hon. J. S. Skinner to the national 
gallery. The corn was planted on the 20th of 
May, and roots gathered the 14th of July, 1S4-2. 
In sixty days some of the large roots extended 
more than 4 feet, covered with lateral branches. 
1 have caused the roots to be measured; the 
aggregate length of roots in the hill is, by Mr. 
Skinner’s estimate, over 8,000 teet. The speci- 
men alluded to is open lor examination. This 
fact is here mentioned, to show the importance 
of deep ploughing, to enable the plant to find 
nourishment so much below the surface as may 
avoid the effect of drought, give support to the 
stalk, and not expose the roots to be cut by need- 
ed cultivation. Soil is made by exposure ol 
earth to the atmosphere; and. whoever wishes 
to make permanent improvements will not fail 
to plough deep, * >r ^ * 
The Hessian fly still continues to be a dread- 
ful foe to the agriculturist. Hoping to throw 
some light upon this subject, I have obtained a 
communication from one ol the most scientific 
gentlemen in this country, who has made the 
study of this insect the object of microscopic in- 
vestigation for years. The origin, progress and 
changes of this fly, cannot fail to interest; and 
it is confidently hoped that when its birth, its 
constitution, and its home are found, it can be 
attacked with more certainty of destruction. 
Mr. Herrick’s communication will be found in 
the appendix to the agricultural report, as above, 
marked No. 1. Notice of other insects that af- 
fect wheat is added. — (See Appendix No. 2 ) 
There is much to encourage the artist and the 
husbandman. The latter may feel momentarily 
depressed, by the low price of crops ; but he is 
cheered by the reflection that he is far better off 
than those in professions proverbially crowded. 
The cultivator of the soil is, in the fullest sense, 
the most independent : he raises enough to eat, 
and can clothe himself ; having a surplus to ex- 
change, it he cannot sell. How much better 
for the young man of this country to aspire to 
the enviable rank of a scientific ancLsnccessiul 
agriculturist, than to grasp at the shadowy hon- 
ors that are momentarily cast around the brow’s 
of political combatants. 
There is much to console the husbandman in 
the reduction ol-the cost of the necessaries of 
life which he has occasion to } urchase. 
Labor-saving machines are being introduced 
with still greater success. Mowing and reap- 
ing will, it is bt-iieved, soon be chiefly perform- 
ed, on smooth land, by horse power. Some 
have regretted that modern improvements make 
important changes of employment; but the 
march of the arfs and sciences is onward, and 
the greatest happiness of the greatest nmnber is 
the motto of the patriot. This is pro.moted.by 
facilities in production, whether in manufac- 
tures or agriculture; and if we are to compete 
with the world at large, we must, readily em- 
brace the cSer of genius and skill; we must 
yield to competitors equal fertility of soil, and 
win the race by superior industry and intelli- 
gence. 
Electricity. — 1 have frequently heard it re- 
marked, and believe Tt ik generally known (by I 
observing people at least,) that for the space of I 
ten or twelve years pasr, there has not been so ! 
many thunder showers as formerly, sav from ! 
ten to twenty years ago. I think that where 1 
reside, (30 miles N. W. of Boston,) there have 
not been somu,ch lighfliing and thunder in any 
three years since 1835, as I frequently knew 
previous to ’35, in -24 hours. Do you think 
that the vast quantitv of iron on our Rail R.oads 
and in our manufacturing villages has any in- 
fluence in this respect! 1 think it has, \he Rail 
Road in particular. I have learned that in the 
northern part of this Stale, (N. H .) there is no 
difference from former years. I should like to 
have the opinion ol others on this subject. C. 
Edi'onal Remarks . — We should be pleased 
to have the view.s of our correspondents on t’ne 
above subject. If the large amount of iron ex- 
posed to the atmosphere conducts off the supera- 
bundance of electricity irnperceptiblv, v. hat ef- 
fect will it have on vegetation 7 — Cult 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
For the Sonihern Cullivalor. 
Examples for Planters. 
Mr. Editor: — On a recent tour on business 
down the Chauahcochee, I found the people 
every -where alive to the important question of, 
W hat shall be done by the South to relieve the 
embarrassments resting upon her great staple 1 
Many plans have been suggested, and probably 
ail of some merit. bile passing among my 
planting friends, a few facts fell withfn the 
scope of my observation, which led to reflec- 
tions on this subject, which 1 think are practica- 
ble and proper to be adopted. 
At Eulaula, I was invited to the house of 
Col. McDonald, who is getting very justly some 
notoriety as a spirited planter, and the warm 
and zealous friend of all that tends to the im- 
provement or agriculture.^ He shewed me sam- 
ples of his cotton, which was brought to that 
market when ordinary cotton was selling at 4 
cents. For this he was promptly offered 7 cts , 
which he as promptly refused. It was shipped 
to New York, where 9 cents was at once offer- 
ed, and again refused. This cotton, I .earn, 
was raised upon common grey land; and its 
superior qualify was attributed alone to the 
handling, which he represented as tedious, so 
much so, that the quantity of land planted, and 
the quantity of caton picked, was necessarily 
greatly less than that ordinarilv planted and 
picked to the hand. Elis profit', for neatness 
arid pains taking, as you will perceive, was 
just 75 per cent.: so that he could well af- 
ford to reduce the number of acres cultivated 
and the number of bales produced in the same 
ratio, say 75 per cent, on each, and still make 
as much money as his neighbor who pursued 
the old plan. If this system was adopted gene- 
rally, or more extensively, the relief to the 
country in a reduced crop is found at once 
without the sacrifice of a single dollar in its ac- 
complishment, and with a due share of all the 
advantages, which it would soon be in-trument- 
al in bringing to the country, as an inevitable 
j result, in the reduced production. 
I The next day J passed to the house of Judge 
Taylor, in the County of Randolph. The 
Judge is living on his farm, in the neighbor- 
hood of Cnthbert, and is full of the spirit which 
a personal and practical knowledge of planting 
is so well calculated to beget. He invited me 
to see his process of making syrup or molasses 
from a little patch ol sugar cane, winch he had 
cultivated last year. H^-ery body knows that 
molasses may be .made from the cane, and this is 
not therefore the fact which I propose to report, 
but the yield This is the roint of interest, and I 
doubt not will be ol' astonishment to nine-tenths 
of those who hear it. He had cultivated nut 
quite three-fourths of an acre in cane, (common 
ribbon,), on very common pine land, a little ma- 
nured. At the time of my examination, he was 
just filling the second hogshead ol 80 gallons 
each ; and said that he had cane enough to make 
40 .gallons more— making 200 gallons of good 
syrup— and had .seed cane enough left to plant 
2f acres. This would be at the rate of nearly 
or qu:te 300 gallons of syrup to the acre, apprJ- 
priatmg from the crop only seed enough to plant 
the same quantity of land again. This, at 20 
cents per gallon, 'would be *00 per acre; and 
he assured me that it was not more difficult of 
cultivation than Indian corn, and the process t f 
boiling not half so tedious or complicated as 
the making a kehle of soap. The mill for 
grinding the cane, is a simple and cheap affair, 
which can be put up by any rough workman, 
and need not cost a planter more than ten dollars. 
Here is an outlet for a change ol labor and a 
good return in profits. Ours is indeed a country 
of resources abundant and vat led ; and if, in the 
midst of them, we shall continne to work out, 
by a blind policy, our own oppression and ruin, 
I can only conclude that we deserve to groan on 
under the burthens of our own creation. 
Very respecilullv, your obd’t. serv’t., 
If ynuton. Ga., Feb Jas. 2.1. Chx.msers. 
