60 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
For the Souihern Culuvaior. 
Mr. James Camak, Editor of the Southern Cultivator ; 
Dear Sir; — I hat e received the January, Feb 
rtiary and Jlar, h j\ os. of the Southern Cultiva- 
tor, and have read them with much interest, and, 
I trust, with profit. 1 have also the first two vol- 
umes of that valuable agricultural publication ; 
and I am much pleased that the farmers of the 
South and Southwest have it in their power to 
procure a work, devoted to the cause of Southern 
husbandry, so cheap as to be within the reach of 
the entire family of the cultivators of the soil, 
and one so well calculated to interest and bene- 
fit the larmer. I make this remark after having 
been long a subscriber to agricultural publica- 
lians, and being, at this time, a subscriber to 
three other agricultural w'orks beside the South- 
ern Cultivator: and as an evidence of my opin- 
ion of the value of the Cultivator to the farmer, 
the gardener and the mechatnc, I have, since the 
commencement of the present volume, procured 
and sent to the publishers upwards of seventy 
uollars for the Cultivator. The subscribers have 
been mostly farmers, but several have been me- 
chanics, and others that cultivated only a garden. 
I was sorry to observe, in the February number 
of the Uuiiivator, that the publishers had to pub- 
lish to the world, that they had not received more 
money, up to that time, ttian would pay for the 
setting up of the type. i\ow, this should be 
mortifying to every Southern farmer. At a time 
when a state of things has taken place through- 
out the entire fcouth and Southwest, heretolore 
unknown since the introduction of the great 
Southern staple, we, for the first time, see cotton 
pressed on the market so low as hardly to leave 
the farmer or cotton grower any money, after 
paying lor his bagging, rope, and the transporta- 
tion to maiket of that -troublesome crop ; at a 
time when the cultivators of the soil need all the 
light they can possibly get ; w'heii they require 
all the information within their reach to enab e 
them to shape their course so as to make their 
honorable and important business pleasant and 
profitable — to see so little interest taken in the 
circulation of the only agricultural work devoted 
to their interests in this region of country, is a 
matter that I must acknowledge I was not pre- 
pared to see. But I trust a better state of things 
has taken place, and that there is a coming up 
fiom every quarter subscribers to the Cultivator. 
If we, as farmers, would take the .-ame inter- 
est in the cause of agriculture as w'as taken last 
year in President-making, but a few years would 
pass away until the lace of the country would 
change. You would not be accosted at every turn 
ot the road with the cry of hard times. Prosperity 
and happiness would become universal. Our old 
fields, now thought to be worthless, w^ uld be so 
improved, by a proper system of manuring and 
rotation of crops, that we would haruly realize 
that it was the same place that, a few years be- 
fore. waa considered worthless. Tell me not 
that this is a too highly drawn picture. The 
same thing has taken place in other parts of the 
world that have not the advantages we possess. 
Mr. Editor, I am lar from believing that we 
should be indifferent as to the selection of our 
rulers. 1 only call on the cultivators of the soil 
to be as industrious now in the formation of Ag- 
ricultural Societies, and in holding Agricultural 
Fairs, and in the circulating of Agricultural pa- 
pers, as they were in the cause of politics. The 
great misfortune is, we are opposed, as farmers, 
to every thing like innovation on an established 
system, if s. stem it can be called. As soon as 
an improvement is suggested, we cry out hum- 
bug. Now, Mr. Editor, for my part, I would ra- 
ther be humbugged a littie in trying to be, or to 
do something, than to soend a life in attempting 
so little as never to attain to a decent humbug. 
The farmers throuchuul this region, many of 
thvm, are not only taking the Cultivator, but are 
forming Agricultural Societies. 
I will, at a future time, give you some account 
of my farming opeiations, as I keep a farming 
memorandum, in which is entered every thing 
done on the farm from year to year. This is a 
work that I have kept for twenty years past. 
Your friend, Alexander McDonald. 
Eufaula, Barbour to., Ala , March 12, 1845. 
E 'erv me'-hanic that has a spot of land, 
though it be small, should raise some limit, both 
lor pleasure and profit. 
For the Southern Cultivator. 
Berkshire Hogs. 
Mr. Ecn’i.m I have just received your 
“SouTHKRN Cultivator,” volume third and 
third number, and have been a little amused at 
a communication which it contains trom “Clt^ti- 
hopper, of Houston county.” Together with a 
good many other things, he says: “I want to 
know the breed of hogs that will give the most 
good meat fur the food consumed ;• how to feed , 
and what to feed with, to produce flesh and 
make fat. But spare, oh, spare the Berkshires ; 
they have brought me to buy pork.” Sir, 
the above lamentation reminds me very much of 
a gentleman of my acquaintance w’ho cal.ed to 
see me sometime during the last year. In the 
course of conversation, the breed of hogs tvas 
brought up, and, like “Clodhopper,” he con- 
demned the Berkshires. 1 took him into my 
back yard, and showeu him a pig 1 had, which 
is three-lourihs Berkshire. He admitted it to be 
a fine pig of its age, bdt was learlul it would 
never be large enough. We continued our 
walk, came upon a Berkshire sow and boar. 
The boar I suppose would weigh net lour hun- 
dred and fifty, and the sow three hundred 
pounds. Well, sir, said 1, will they dol — 
0 yes, they are fine— they are large enough. 
We still pursued our walk until we came up to 
a sow, half Berkshire, the balance improved 
stock, that I supposed would weigh net five 
hundred pounds at any time when fully fat! 
My friend was much delighted with her. The 
hogs were there, and showed for themselves. 
His theory was put to flight by viy demonstra- 
tion he eoula say no more, but, turned oil and 
said, “Ah, you feed your hogs.” Now, sir, if 
“ Clodhopper” thinks that he can dispense with 
the use of corn, or a good substitute for it, be- 
cause he changed his breed, he will find himself 
always a pork buyer. 
And here permit me to say, that there are ma- 
ny hogs in the country, that have been put on 
the people lor Berkshire, thal have but little, if 
any, ot the stock about them. Some years ago 
1 received, as a present, a pair of pigs from a 
gentleman of my acquaintance, of Montgomery 
county, Alabama. My hogs were much im- 
proved by tiie cross, and consequently were con- 
sidered the best in the neighborhood. Mind, 1 
do not say the largest, but best; 1 mean by this 
that they were considered of fairsiae, and would 
yield the most flesh to the size cf the bone and 
quantity of lood consumed. 1 have since cross- 
ed them with the Berkshire. My neighbors 
think my stock still belter ; but, recollect, I feed 
them. I have the full blood Berkshire, and pre- 
fer them to the cross upon common stock. I 
never anticipated so great an advantage as ma- 
ny others expected. 
I expected to get a hog of small bone, a good 
deal of flesh in proportion when fat; one that 
would be easily fattened, and that could be fat- 
tened also at any age; and, sir, /h^ve not been 
disappointed. Now, sir, if “Clodhopper” is 
disposed to feed, and wishes to change his stock 
by a cross, I will venture to advise him to call 
on Col. David Bryant, near Belvue in this coun- 
ty, and obtain from him a pair of Kennelwoi th 
pigs. They are \a?ge, plenty large-, will weigh, 
when fully grown, from five to seven hundred 
pounds, (but mind, he feeds them.) Thev are 
generally perfectly white, very fleshy, and rone 
too much bone, and can be fattened at any age. 
All things considered, I prefer them to any hogs 
I know cf. If I have any objection, it is thal 
they may be too large for our climate— small 
bogs being the easiest to save. But then you 
know thal ditficulty could be obviated by killing 
them while young. 
While upon this subject, I will say, that I 
have no doubt of “Clodhopper’s” getting well 
paid for his trouble and expense, by feediug his 
hogs on meal in.stead of corn when they are put 
up to fatten. This I have tried to my satisfac- 
tion, and I am fully persuaded that at least ‘S‘S 
per cent, may be made by adopting the plan ol 
putting up hogs on a floored pen and feeding on 
meal, instead of Jetting them run out in a lot 
and feeding on corn. Gentlemen of the North 
say: Cook your food and you can save 33 per 
cent, by that. Of this, however, I am not prC'^ 
pared to s::y, not having tried it to my satislae- 
tion, but my intention iar to test the matter this 
fall, by using pigs ot the same litter; yes, even 
Berkshires if you please, and shouliT Jive todo 
so, you' shall know the result. 
I have tried a cross ol the Durham cattle on 
common slock, and frnd a decided improvement 
in the milking qualities— the mixed stock yield- 
ing more than double the quantity of milk that 
the common stock aoes, with precisely the same 
treatment. This emboldens me to push my ex- 
periment even as far as the lull blood, but as 
this is yet to be done, I can say nothing of the re- 
sult. One of the Buckets'. 
Talbot county, March 13, 1845. 
For the Southern Cullivalo// 
Cotton Culture—Successful Method. 
Mr. Editor; — The subject of agriculture 
advocated by jour valuable paper, the South- 
ern Cultivator, is becoming every day more 
interesting. In all pans of our Slate we hear of 
experiments being made by our most enlerpri- 
zing larmers, the success of which, suggests to 
others the importance of makingsimilar efi'orls, 
and if possible, of improving those made al 
ready. By communicating to the public the 
success, or failure of our experiments, we not 
only open the way to insure success to others in 
their undertakings, but also set up a beacen, 
which will tend greatly to prevent many from 
running upon the rock of disappointment, and, 
not unlrequenily, discouragement. Whether 
the publication of my manner of planting, ma- 
nuring, and cultivaling five acres of commoa 
pine land, will be of any benefit to the planting 
interests of Georgia, 1 will not presume to say ; 
but must only hope, that others will pursue the 
plan with increased success. 
I will state, in the first place, that my land 
would produce, without manure, about six hun- 
dred pounds of seed cotton per acre, provided 
the season w'ere favorable to its growth : and, 
in the next, that my cattle had been fed and 
penned on the land. 1 will now proceed with 
my manner of planting, manuring, &c. My 
rows, 1 ran ofl on the plan of Dr. Cloud, that is 
to say, three feet by five, running the narrow 
way with a scooter, and the wide way with a 
common shovel, and trench-plowing it with the 
same plow. I then applied ten ox loads of well 
rotted lot and stable iijanure per acre, depositing 
against eveiy scooter lurrow, a shovelfuJl to two 
hills, and following with a turning plow, covered 
the manure, by running a furrow on each side ol 
that made by the shovel. This I did about the 
last of March. On the 5th of April, 1 planted 
my little field by opening the beds very shallow 
with a small scooter; -and having first rolled the 
seeds in leached ashes, dropped against the 
scooter furrow, and over the manure, ten or 
twelve seeds in each hill, and covered them 
with a hoe. With the exception of a small por- 
tion of the field, there was a very good stand. 
After the cotton was up, and of a suitable size, 
1 plowed the middles close and deep with a sho- 
vel, having first run round it with a scooter. I 
immediately followed with the hoe, thinned it 
to two stalks, and put to it a little dirt. After 
this we had a long drouth. When 1 considered 
my cotton oat ol danger from the cut-worm and 
other insects which sometimes prey upon it, I 
again, with the hoe, pul a little earth to it to 
prevent its falling, and thinned it to one stalk. 
This was the last of May. WeJhen had a heavy 
rain; the ground becoming very vet, several 
days passed before 1 plowed my cotton : fori 
never thought it was good policy to plow soon 
after heavy rains. The afier cultivation con- 
sisted of two plowings with the sweep, and suf- 
ficient hoeing to kee; the cotton tree Irom grass. 
The result of which was, my field yielded 2CG0 
pounds per acre, being 10,3i)0 lbs. laised on the 
five. 
