THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
123 
©riginal Communications, 
Sheep and Wool, 
Me. Camak Feeling a deep interest in the 
cause of agriculture in Georgia, and an earnest 
hope for the success of the youTHEKN Cultiva- 
TOH, I am tempted, by a solicitation from you to 
its patrons, to send a few communicatioris_ for 
publication, should you deem them of sufficient 
importance for the attention of its readers. 
I regarded the publication of the Cultivatoe, 
at the time I first noticed its prospectus, as the 
harbinger of a new era for the agriculture of our 
State; and I do assure you, sir, that my expecta- 
tions have been fully realized. The influence 
produced by such a work upon the minds of our 
people is practically illustrated. Had I the means 
of dissemination, I would place it in the hands of 
every reading planter in Georgia; for it is work- 
ing wonders upon the passions and prejudices of 
those who have already been aroused by the les- 
sons it inculcates. The Cultivatcb, in truth, 
has given an impulse to agriculture, wherever it 
has been circulated, that is really astonishing, 
and in those sections of country, too, where once 
prejudice and gross ignorance of its first princi- 
ples seemed to reign. But the mist is rapidly dis- 
appearing, and we may now safely hope, that the 
day is passed when men, for shame of their ig- 
norance and prejudice, will deny to their neigh- 
bors, that there is any practical knowledge of ag- 
riculture to be gained by the study of books, or 
that book farming is all humbug. Poor simple- 
ton he must be, who now contents himself to 
“follow in the footsteps of his predecessor,” or 
to follow plans and customs because they w’ere 
the practice perhaps of his father thirty or forty 
years since. 1 am often both delighted and 
amused to witness the salutary influence exerted 
by the Cultivatoe in many sections of the 
country. It puts men to speculating, thinking 
and acting, who five years since considered their 
neighbor a visienary planter, who wmuld em- 
brace any new plan because it was derived from 
some book. These men now are not only sub- 
scribers to the Cultivator, but are active and zeal- 
ous members, many of them, of agricultural as- 
sociations, and are among the first to av^ail them- 
selves of any new theory by which they can 
“ grow two blades where they could only one 
before.” 
Such is the onwmrd march of mind in every 
section of our State, through wffiich I have tra- 
veled within the last two months. Then, under 
an awakened sense of what constitutes our dear- 
est interest as a people, striving to add to our 
happiness and comfort in this life, may we not 
cherish the hope that greater ends may yet be 
effected to accomplish what we so earnestly and 
so devoutly seek? As the system of reform, so 
honorable, has begun in Georgia, is the present 
not an auspicious time to do something for our 
agriculture by legislative provision? Permit me, 
sir, through the columns of the Cultivator, to in- 
voke your aid and the editorial corps of our State, 
in the achievement of a measure, the success of 
which will enhance one of the dearest interests of 
Georgia. It is a measure, I believe, that has 
been overlooked by most of the Slates of the 
Union ; but why should Georgia hesitate to con- 
summate a measure fraught with such manifold 
blessings to her citizens ? Will our next Legis- 
lature not grant us a law for the encouragement 
of the raising of sheep and the production of 
wool? Just reflect fora moment on the tribute 
we pay annually for our domestic cloth, while we 
have a climate and soil that cannot be surpassed 
by any other on this globe for sheep and wool. — 
Yes, it is a fact that there is not such a country 
on the earth embracing such advantages as Geor- 
gia for the raising of sheep. I write, sir, from an 
experience of twenty year’s trial and observation 
of this animal in different sections of the coun- 
try. And why shall we not live and profit by ad- 
vantages such as we have? We can! And if 
you will only bring the subject home to the peo- 
ple of Georgia, and impress it upon the good 
sense of our next Legislature, that we claim at 
their hands, as a people, the benefit of such a 
measure, it would be hailed from ocean to moun- 
tain as the richest blessing under Heaven. Then 
carinot some of our benevolent and enlightened 
legislators be induced to advocate a measure so 
iinportant ? My life for the issue, he who accom- 
plishes the task, will confer as great a bounty up- 
on his people, and build for himself a monument 
as high in the gratitude of his State, as Sir Wal- 
ter Raleigh did by the introduction of the potato 
into Ireland. 
The successful result of such a measure would 
open a new field of industry and enterprize in 
Georgia, and give employment to thousands of 
our people, who now live out a wretched and 
miserable existence ; for men who now produce 
not a pound of wool, nor afford it for their fami- 
lies, would, in less than five years, rear sheep 
“ upon a thousand hills.” 
If this branch of industry can be rendered so 
lucrative, as I shall, at another time, attempt to 
show, by an enlightened system of legislative 
action, then why not begin the work ? There is 
certainly no agricultural pursuit that promises a 
greater return upon the outlay to the planter than 
the raising of sheep. I presume that there is not 
an intelligent man in Georgia, identified with the 
soil, or claiming an interest therein, who would 
not cordially unite in promoting this branch of 
industry by legislative encouragement. Then, 
for the purpose of accomplishing a measure of 
such general and vital interest to the people of 
the State, I suggest that the next legislature 
grant an act for the benefit of sheep-raisers, em- 
bracing a premium upon the quality and produc- 
tion of wool ; a price for the head of every wolf 
killed within the limits of the State; and lastly, 
include all dogs within the State under the head 
of“ Domestic Relations,” by making your neigh- 
bor as responsible for the transgression of his dog 
as his slave, to be determined in courts ofmagis- 
trate’sjurisdiction as in common cases of “debt.” 
In subsequent communications under this 
head, 1 shall contrast the comparative merits of 
the different sections of Georgia for the raising cf 
sheep, and the breeds best suited for those sec- 
tions. Very respectfully, Jethgo. 
Reclusa, July., 1845. 
Evaporation of Manures-“Bermuda Grass. 
Mr. Camak : — I noticed in the last No. of the 
Cultivator, a communication on the subject of 
“Manures — do they sink or evaporate?” Now I 
am fond of theory which leads to practical de- 
monstrations ; but when the latter confute the 
former, I am compelled to yield. In regard to 
manures, you may take a plat of ground in the 
form of a basin, (which certainly would be the 
best location.) to test the point. Place a suffi- 
ciency of stuff on it, that, if converted into ma- 
nure by the quickest process possible, would form 
a coat one foot thick over the whole surface. — 
Now I will venture to assert, that it you let it 
remain in the basin until fully decomposed, it 
will not be two inches thick. Dig now in the 
soil and you will find it the same depth as before, 
with the addition of the manure. Nov/ will Mr. 
‘ Salamander’ tell me wffiat hasbecome of the bal- 
ance, if it does not evaporate? My experience 
as a practical farmer for about thirty years, has 
taught me that manure always rises and never 
sinks. In my early days I cultivated poor pine 
land, and made con.^-iderable manure, plowed 
shallow and manured in the hill. My reasons : — 
In the first place, the land was shaded by the 
trees, and the fall of the leaves (or straw) and 
grass created a sort of soil which, uniil it was 
exhausted by being exposed and cultivated, pro- 
duced tolerably well. As soon as we passed 
through that soil, it became a continuation of 
coarse sand. After manuring in the hill, let there 
come a heavy rain and you would find a large 
portion of your manure in the middle fur-i'ow. — 
This every piney wmods farmer knows. Try the 
experiment of digging where you have manured 
heavily ; get below' where you have plowed, and 
you never find your manure, nor any of the ef- 
fects. The land being porous and heavy, the 
.manure light, all the valuable properties are lost 
by the action of the sun. 
My next experiment was on an bid farm in the 
county of Wilkes. Here I had lands that once 
were very fertile, but were almost destroyed by 
skinning. In fact, I inquired of several farmers 
how the^ could tell how' much they had in culti- 
vation, as there appeared to be as many acres in 
sedge as were cultivated in the same field. My 
first object was to procure some of Freeborn & 
Hitchcock’s cast iron two horse plow’s ; the next 
was to get a large shovel wdth a wing on each 
side, similar to the turning scooter, the only dif- 
ference being, mine was large with two wungs, 
cleaning the furrow out well, drawn by two hor- 
ses, as deep as they could pull it. Then I placed 
all the rough manure I could get in my’ stables, 
and corn talks trod to pieces in my lot, in those 
farrows, bedding on it deep with the two horse 
plow, (the cast iron plow.) My neighbors object- 
ed to my manure as not being sufficiently rotted. 
It dry, my corn would burn up they said; yeti 
made corn to sell. This was in ISIP. I have used 
. this kind of plow’ ever since, and though I may 
not have succeeded as well as some persons at a 
distance, I have generally made good crops and 
raised fine hogs. I have lived in this county for 
the last twenty- two years, and have notone loot 
of sedge land on any that I opened myself. I 
have purchased several farms that have some 
sedge on them. 
But, sii, in stating my’ own experience in farm- 
ing, I have necessarily left a part of the first 
question behind — does manure sink or evaporate? 
When I got on the clay’ lands I nlow’ed deep. 
Was it because it had a foundation that w'ould 
not let the manure sink? No. It had a soil, 
which, although exhausted, w:as fine and sus- 
ceptible of improvement, on account of its 
firrriness, and not so likely to suffer by evapora- 
tion. I used manure in its rough or new’ state, 
because it had not lost two-thirds of its value by 
evaporation, (wffiich is the kind we farmers call 
w’ell rotted.) I used that sort because it will go 
three times as far, and do about the same good. 
I plowed deep to prevent evaporation and to re- 
tain moisture, and enable me to plow’ my crop 
well. Now, in concluding the subject, T will ask' 
any candid man. for his own satisfaction, to dig 
a hole (or pit) on any kind of soil, (where it has 
been manured the best,) and see if he can find 
any appearance of m.anure below where it has 
been plowed. I would go farther, and invite the 
chemist to rest it, ard then try the same quality 
of soil at the same depth, and I am w’ell assured 
that they w’ill agree w'ith me that manure never 
sinks but evaporates. 
Perhaps I ought now to quit; but there is an- 
other subject I must speaKof; and that is Eer- 
mudag;rass. I see it recommended by a number 
of intelligent gentlemen, (I cannot say farmers.) 
I have been acquainted w’ith it fon twenty-seven 
years, and have had a good deal to do wi’h it, 
and think I ought to be somewhat acquainted 
tvith it. I look upon it as the worst curse a fa- 
ther could pronounce upon his son, to leave him 
a farm stocked w’ith Bermuda grass. To old men 
I have nothing to say on the subject. Let them 
t:y’ it if they see proper. But to young farmers, 
let me exhort them not to be led away by the fa- 
vorable opinions of others, who, I would hope, 
recommended it after avery partial acquaintance, 
but to examine some of the many fine fields in 
Georgia which have been and will remain curs- 
ed W’ith it to the end of time. 
Newton Co., July, 1945. A Coen Maker. 
Ou the Application of Manure. 
Mr. Camak: — What is the most proper man- 
ner of applying manure so as to derive tbegreat- 
est benefit Irom it? I ask the question because, 
from the heading of an article in your May No., 
page 70, 1 conclude that you are in lavor of bury- 
ing in preference to top-dressing. 
The writer of the article alluded to says, 
“There is a popular opinion that manure sink.s, 
&c.” ‘ And farther on, “But is the popular opi- 
nion true, that manure is wasted hy sinking.” 
He then goes on to prove that it is not true, by 
the clarifying effects of a barrel of sand, the 
“operations of nature” in purifying rain water, 
and finally adds, “i have shown that manure does 
not sink, but evaporates.” 
Now, sir, I happen to be one of (hose persons 
that have imbibed that “ popular opinion,” and, 
until “ Coatswood,” from analysing the “nearly 
pure water” that runs fiom the barrel, can prove 
that it contains nothing derived from the “ im- 
pure liquid manure” thatw’ould be beneficial to 
the growth of plants, I shall not be satisAed that 
none of the manure sinks even as low as the 
spiggol hole at the bottom of the barrel. But, 
on the contrary, I must believe, that all that is 
soluble of the manure, except perha'ps a part of 
such salts as might chemically combine with 
the sand, comes out wiih the apparently pure 
water below. We but rarely find spring water, 
that has percolated ihrough strata of many feet 
in thickness, entirely deprived of its impurities. 
I believe that something in a gaseous form is 
