68 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
From the Mobile (Ala.) Register & Journal. 
Indigo. 
That a new system of planting must be adopt- 
ed in the South, is a singularly general opinion. 
For individuals to discover their errors, is not 
entirely a common occurrence ; but for a whole 
country to be convinced of an erroneous course, 
is assuredly singular, and a flattering omen or 
the probable correction of error. The least in- 
formed of our citizens appear to have picked up, 
within a few months, the solid reasons for a de- 
viation from the track that we have been in for 
years, and admit the superior good sense of the 
Northern farmers in their plan of ‘‘mixed crops ” 
This, with others, is certainly one of the lessons 
of practical wisdom, that the depresseo. state of 
things has taught our people, for the sheer fact 
is, this depression has set them to thinking. 
The idea of a “full crop” of cotton, grew up 
with the article, in our planting community, and 
strange as true, it never was applied to any other 
production of agriculture throughout our coun- 
try. Had the same idea got hold of the Northern 
and Western farmers, as regards the article of 
hemp, the same result would have followed, and 
long ere this, that plant would not have been 
worth raising. 
Unfortunately for the South, the idea which 
we now can view as preposterous in the extreme, 
has in its result destroyed for the present the 
possibility of labor directed to the production of 
the great hitherto staple of the South finding a 
fair remuneration, and placed the country in the 
awkward state of embarrassment in which we 
find it. One assurance, however, of a better state 
of things, is that unanimity of sentiment and 
views in the community, as regards an imme- 
diate change of our course and the adoption of a 
wiser one. 
A few days ago, I was forcibly struck v/ith the 
absurdly extravagant inconsistency of the course 
the country has been pursuing, by observing a 
domestic incident. On sitting down to dinner, 
certainly not a sumptuous, but simply a comfort- 
able one, I was astonished to see the number of 
States and Territories of the Union, with ditler- 
ent parts of the habitable globe, that appeared to 
be called in requisition to provide for it. I saw' 
before me a part of a ham from Westphalia, a 
middle of bacon from Ohio, a piece of Fulton 
Market beef, potatoes from Connecticut, with 
onions from Massachusetts, a pudding, the basis 
of which was produced in South Carolina, mus- 
tard from England, sweet oil from Florence, pep- 
per from the East Indies, sugar from the West 
Indies, and coffee from Java. The desert, al- 
though simple, brought together the North and 
South— apples from Vermont, and oranges from 
St. Augustine, etc., and last of all a Bologna 
sausage, made of no one knows what, but all the 
way from Italy, consequently, like all other for- 
eign preparations for the gourmand, must be 
superior. The production of Zerez in ihs way 
of liquid, and a little of France, iir the form of 
cogniac, settled the account 
I confess I was left after a heavy dinner wdth 
the reflection that the rationale of all this could 
not be laid down, and as soon as possible I quit 
reflecting on the subject. 
My last paper sugrtested to the planting inter- 
est the addition to their crops of Indigo. This 
dye-stufl, it must be recollected, we import an- 
nually to a large amount, and this consideration, 
added to the fact, that no substitute has |been 
Fund for it, the vast number o( fabrics it is ne- 
cessarily attached to, and the increase of our 
manufacturing establishments, most certainly 
offers a rational encouragement to direct our la- 
bor to its production. And to other considera- 
tions, that the labor requited for its production, 
embraces but a short portion of the year, is light 
as any other cultivation ; and admits attentiori to 
other valuable productions of agriculture, and 
last, but not least, the freight or transportation of 
this article is almost nominal. 
The last consideration to those who notice the 
expense and the time required in the different 
transportations necessary to bring the article of 
cotton to market, will be kept in view and duly 
appreciated. A large amount in value can be 
put into a small package, and by keeping in a 
dry state, this article does not deteriorate with 
age. 
From a communication made by a dyer of no 
small celebrity in the North, it is evident that 
we have a superior climate and soils for the pro- I 
duction of this dye-stuff, in addition to which the 
writer of this article had sent to him a sample of 
cotton fabric, the blue colors of which was given 
by the production mentioned in a paper hereto- 
fore, and which, for a transparent hue, could not 
be excelled. A future paper will give what may 
be to some new, and who may not be particularly 
acquainted with the mode of cultivation, the 
best soils and most approved mode; also, the pro- 
cess of preparing the coloring matter for market. 
Bouth Alabama. 
From the New England Farmer. 
Necessity of supplying the Soil with the 
Constituents of the Crops grown on it. 
The new light which the improved state ol 
science is throwing on agriculture, must be hail- 
ed by all thinking larmers with joy. At present 
this light is restricted in its radiance, but lew, 
comparatively, out of the ranks of the learned, 
feeling its beneficial influence. But the time 
seems to be approaching — let us bid it speed — 
when in the culture of the earth, science will 
guide practice, and good farming, the most profit- 
able farming, become an art which will require 
the skilful exercise of inlelligent mind, more 
than the exercise of physical power, to pursue 
it with the greatest success. 
Chemistiy, the patron-genius of agriculture, 
is now lending its aid as it never before lent it, 
to dispel the darkness which has too long envel- 
oped the farmer in hispursuit,and leachingbim 
to see, and enabling him to comprehend, ihe true 
processes by which his crops and animals are 
formed, and the necessary condhions required to 
make ihe one heavy and the other fat, at the 
least expense and with the most profit. The 
desirable light is being constantly diffused by 
scientific men, particularly in England and Scot- 
land, in lectures and communications through 
the press, and thousands seek it as eagerly as 
they do their own prosperity, and, indeed, their 
prosperity depends in an important degree up- 
on it. 
To no one, we think, are the fai mers on either 
side ot the Atlantic, more deeply indebted for 
eflorts to benefit them by imparting valuable 
scientific knowledge, than to Professor Johnston, 
of Scotland. The fLllowing abridged leport ol 
one of his late lectures before the Dumfries 
Farmers' Club, on the necessity of returning to 
the soil the constituents of the crops taken off, I 
think will interest many of your readers: 
“ The different substances of which plants are 
composed, must exist in the soil on which they 
grow ; according to the nature of the plant to be 
reared, so ought the land to be manured. Thus, 
while wheat grain contained only two per cent, 
ot ashes, hay contained ten per cent. Hence, 
the wheat required a much larger amount of' 
combustible aliment than hay. Jt was true that 
the whole ol the combustible matter was not ob- 
tained directly from the soil, as a large portion 
was derived from the air ; but from five to ten 
per cent, of the straw ot wheat was obtained 
from the soil: hence the provision made in 
'eases, that no straw should be carried off the 
land. Different kinds of hay carry off differ- 
ent quantities of inorganic matter from the so’fl, 
and consequently have different effects upon the 
land. 
“ Every plant grown, requires, in accordance 
with the nature and composition of the soil, the 
proportion of the ingredients in its ashes, ll no 
alteration of crop is made, nature will become 
exhausted in some of her resources, and the 
plant for want of requisite nourishment from 
the soil, must die. We have facts to prove that 
nature will not forever grow the same plant on 
the same soil. The Black Forest consisted first 
of oak, then of pine, and now it is again cover- 
ed with broad-leaved trees ; and as with .trees, 
so with crops; and as on a large, so on a small 
scale. 
“Different modes of husbandry have been 
adopted. Instead ol oats being grown fifteen or 
twenty years on the same soil, the rotation of 
three white crops and six years’cra.ss was adopt- 
ed: this also, has become antiquated, and now 
the preferable alternation ot white and green 
crop is adopted. Alternating crops, and adding 
such manures as have been carried off by pre- 
ceding crops, is the only profitable mode of cul- 
tivation, while nature will also assist bv the 
going on ot certain circumstances, such as the 
decomposition of minerals, &c. 
“ A soil containing just sufficient lime fora 
luxuriant crop of rye-grass, would be far defi* 
cientforeithercloverorluccrne. The soilmust 
contain in abundance what your crop specially 
requires, and consequently the necessity of 
selecting th-e manure to suit the crop wanted. 
“ The ground becomes exhausted in many 
ways. By cropping too long with either one 
kind or different kinds of grain and straw, it be- 
comes exhausted ol some of its soluble matter 
by the action of the rains, just in proportion to 
the wetness of the soil. By the application of 
proper manures, the waste n ay .be replaced. 
Feeding on the ground will replace a portion of 
the waste of solid matter, by the dung voided by 
the animals; but a great portion oi \.h^ solubhi 
lost, both by being, to a small extent, irrecover- 
able, and because of the direct waste by care- 
lessness or ignorance. Those soluble or saline 
substances, are principally contained in the urine 
of cattle, and just in proportion as it is lost, so 
is the direct waste, (iuano is not a more valu- 
able manure than the urine of cattle. By build- 
ing suitable tanks, the whole of the barn-yard 
saline might be preserved, and 900 lbs. of good 
solid matter, equal to the best Peruvian Guano, 
would be the annual produce of one cow. We 
have frequently been astonished at the results of 
certain saline substances when scattered over 
unhealthy plants, and by the first shower washed 
into the soil and immediately consumed by the 
plant as its proper and necessary food; and just 
in proportion to the ease with which it gets the 
substances upon which it is supported, and of 
which it is composed, will it vegetate and 
floui’ish. 
“ To resume : Suppose any of the substances 
of which a plant is composed, to be alread)'^ in 
the ground in sufficient proportion, then any ad- 
dition cannot do good. Suppose soda to be in 
sufficient quantity for hay, any addition would 
be unprofitab'e for a rye-grass crop, while it 
would be of immense benefit to clover or lucerne. 
And again, some soils contain it in sufficient 
quantity for every variety ol crop, consequently 
any addition would be unprofitable. Hence the 
reason of so many conflicting opinions respect- 
ing the utility of various manures. One tries 
gypsum, in whose soil it is deficient, and finds 
it an invaluable manure; another applies it to 
his soil, which is already well supplied with it, 
and pronounces it worthless. 
“ Alilk contains so much bony earth, that in 
75 years, a cow pa^tured on an acre of land, will 
carry off a ton of bones. Hence, (the Profes- 
sor ?aid,) some lands used tor dairy purposes in 
Che.shire, had, in the course of years, deteriora- 
ted to such a degree that the}'' were not worth 
more than from 5s, to 10s. per acre, just because 
the cows pastured on them had carried away all 
the bone out of the soil. Bone-dust was at 
length applied as a top dressing, and the results 
were so astonishing, that the land increased 700 
per cent, in value, and the rector’s tithes were 
increased five-fold. Any or all other manure.s, 
had the soil wanted bone, wmuld have proved in- 
effectual. The bones added just what had gra- 
dually been taken off in the lapse of years, in 
consequence of the peculiar husbandry of the 
district.” 
Fruit in the Family. — Is it not strange, in a 
country so capable of producing fruits ot almost 
every kind in abundance, that so few have ap- 
ples or any other fruit for the winter nights ? Jt 
is a fact, perhaps not known to all, that fruit 
constitutes the best desert after dinner, and it is 
most wholesome for every one. Too oft;-n fai- 
raers think, they will not live long enough to 
enjoy the fruit if thev were to plant orchards ; 
but they should recollect peaches will hear in 
two or three years fiom the bud. apples in three 
or four, and pears in a little longer time; and 
even if the older people should not live to enjo}’- 
all their labor, they should do something for 
posterity. Let the aged give a good example to 
