THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
73 
formed at the rate of about an acre a day of eight 
hours work, with your team moving at the rate 
of two miles or two miles and a quarter per hour, 
so that they may work comfortably every day 
in the week. You desire your plowman to fol- 
low his team, and execute his part with entire at- 
tention to what he is about, v/ithout perturbation, 
without sweating, withoutfretting, and especial- 
ly without swearing, which some men whom I 
have known, both at plowing-matches and in their 
own fields, have deemed indispensable to the pro- 
per performance of their work, in which matter 
I beg leave to say I always entirely differed from 
them in opinion, having never yet discovered any 
reason why men, who assume to belong to the 
order of rational animals, should, by their pas- 
sion and the indecency and profaneness of their 
language, degrade themselves below the brute 
animals which they undertake to govern. Now, 
in all the particulars which I have pointed out, 
the plowing hsre will be done exactly according 
to a prescribed form. I said, in my first report, 
that the plowed land resembled a ruffle shirt just 
come from under the crimping iron. The repre- 
sentation is perfect. 
“ I attended, among others, a plowing-match 
at Saffron Walden, where there were at least 
ten competitors, with lots of an eighth of an 
acre ; and, as well as I can remember, the fur- 
row slices were to be seven inches in width and 
five inches in depth. It was not a match against 
time, although the work was required to be com- 
pleted within a certain time. I do not misstate 
when I say that I do not believe there was the 
variation of an inch, in the whole field, in the 
width or depth of the furrow, or a single crook- 
ed line, or even one solitary balk. The fields or 
lands were struck out before beginning. Two 
horses composed a team, and the plowman was 
his own driver. Some boys under eighteen 
were allowed to enter as competitors for boy’s 
premiums. I went over the field in an ecstacy 
of admiration at its uniformity, neatness, exact- 
ness and beauty. ***** 
“There are two points, which have seemed to 
me, (says Mr, C.,) always particularly to test the 
skill of a plowman. The one is the mode in 
which he lays out his land, and strikes the first 
furrow ; and the second, that in which he finish- 
es the last furrow. In the case to which I have 
referred, the last land remained, at the close, a 
single unbroken strip of equal width, from one 
end of the field to the other, lying like a stretch- 
ed out ribbon, which, as the plowman came 
down the course, he turned without breaking, 
and with perfect precision, from one end to the 
other. In this instance the horses seemed al- 
most as well trained as the driver, and inspired 
with equal emulation. The finishing ot the 
ends of the lands is always a work of great care; 
they are cross-plowed, and the whole affair is 
completed with equal neatness throughout.” 
After a description of the mode of plowing in 
old times, even in New England, according to 
the recollection of his earl}' days, Mr. C. says; — 
“ Somewhat of this experience may have been 
necessary, to enable me to estimate properly the 
excellence of English plowing, when the imple- 
ment seemed to move through the ground with 
as much quietness, directness, ease — I may al- 
most add grace — as a boat through the water, 
with its sails spread to a favoring breeze, and an 
accomplished steersman at the helm. * * * 
“ The usual practice is for the plowman to be 
at the stables at lour o’clock in the morning, to 
clean, water and feed his horses, and to be in 
the field at work by six o’clock. With a short 
time to rest occasionally, he continues his plow- 
ing until two o’clock, when he returns to the 
homestead, the horses are thoroughly cleaned 
and rubbed, and watered and fed, and at last lit- 
tered for the night — eight hours being consider- 
ed as a day’s work; and, in ordinary cases, an 
English statute acre, of the same size as an Ame- 
rican acre, is his allotted stint. * * * * 
“ I shall be asked, perhaps, what advantage 
comes from this exact mode of performing the 
work. It might be enough to answer, that, in 
every species of labor, and in every practical art, 
what is done should be well done, and perfec- 
tion, how far soever he may fall short of it, 
should ba every man’s great aim. It might be 
enough to say, that the moral influences upon a 
man’s own character, and life, of habits of ex- 
actness, order, care and neatness, are always 
great, and of very serious value ; but I may con- 
fidentl} add, that the perfection with which land 
is tilled is of great importance to the crops, and 
directly conducive to their perfection and abun- 
dance. The man, too, who studios to plow and 
cultivate his lands in the best manner, will be 
anxious to have his implements of the best kind, 
and to keep his team in the best order and con- 
dition. Indeed, multiply as we will the excuses 
for slovenliness, irregularity and carelessness, 
there cannot be a doubt that habits of order, ex- 
actness and carefulness, in all respects, are di- 
rectly conducive to, nay, are the true founda- 
tions of, all profitable arrangement. I may add, 
likewise, that where everything is kept in order, 
and all work proceeds by rule and system, 
though these rules may sometimes appear ex- 
treme or severe, affairs are managed at less ex- 
pense of labor and tim.e than in a more negligent 
and reckless mode.” 
Agricnltural Experiments. 
Professor Hardy, of Randolph, Macon College, 
Va., in an essay on Guano, its nature and use, 
which is published in the April No. of the F’ar- 
mers’ Library, lays down certain rules by which 
Agricultural experiments should be conducted. 
We have copied them below, in the hope that, 
coming from such high authority, they will be 
regarded with some small degree of respect and 
attention. They are : — 
1. The object of the experiments should be, 
io test the comparative value of different manures 
as to specific crops. Statements of a general, in- 
definite nature are of little value. Precision is 
as important as correctness. 
2. The quantity of land manured in each case 
should be measured ; the kind, cost and amount 
of each manure, and the time and manner of its 
application should be given ; the crop, when 
mature, should be carefully gathered, weighed, 
or measured ; and the relative cost of the ma- 
nure per 100 lbs. or bushel should be precisely as 
certained. In all instances an equal portion of 
unmanured land should be cultivated. 
3. If scientific men coula be employed, the 
land, the manures and the crops should be ana- 
lysed. While this cannot be expected in but 
few instances, it should be attempted whenever 
it is practicable; and the result must be highly 
creditable both to American science and Ameri- 
can husbandry. 
4. Every agricultural club and association 
should have in view at all seasons of the year 
some well defined specific objects to be accom- 
plished. The subjects requiring, the attention of 
the intelligent farmer are numerous and interest- 
ing; and no season should be permitted to ar- 
live without bringing the results of som.e well- 
conducted, skillful experiment. 
Deep Plowing. 
In the 5th Number of Colman’s European 
Agriculture, just published, we find the follow- 
ing remarks on this very important subject; 
“ The loam, or vegetable mould, he says, is with- 
out question, the great source or medium .,;f 
nourishment to the plants. Be it more or less 
deep, it is always safe to go to the bottom of this, 
and, by gradually loosening a portion of the sub- 
soil, or lower stratum, and incorporating it with 
the mould, and rendering it accessible to the air 
and light, it acquires the nature of mould, and 
the whole arable surface is enriched. The deep- 
er the soil,- the more deeply the roots are permit- 
ted to descend, and the more widely they are en- 
abled to spread themselves — unless they pene- 
trate a stratum unhealthy from wet or the too 
great prevalence of some unfavorable mineral 
substance— so much the more luxuriant and pro- 
ductive is the vegetation likely to prove. The 
depth to which the roots of plants will go down 
in search of food or moisture, is much greater 
than a superficial observation would induce us 
to suppose. It is confidently asserted that the 
roots of some plants — such for example as lucern 
and sainfoin — go to a depth of fifteen, twenty, 
and even thirty feet. This seems scarcely credi- 
b'e. Red clover is known to extend its roots to 
the depth of three feet, and wheat to the depth 
of two or three feet, where the condition of the 
soil is favorable to their extension. Von Thaer, 
the distinguished agriculturist, says ‘ he has 
pulled carrots two and a half feet long, the tap- 
root of which was probably another foot in 
length.’ The tap-root of a Swedish turnip has 
been known to extend thirty-nine inches; the 
roots of Indian corn, lull six feet. These state- 
ments may appear extraordinary, but by the free 
and loose texture of the soil, it is obvious a good 
husbandman will give every opportunity for the 
roots and their extremely fine fibres to extend 
themselves as far as their instincts may prompt 
them.” 
AGRICDLTURAn SCIENCE IN FrANCE. — M r. 
Walsh, in a recent letter from Paris, writes as 
follows: 
“We have regular reports of the sittings of 
the Convention ol the Agriciiliurisis of the 
North. The Government lends it all counte- 
nance and aid, and manifests a strong desire to 
establish societies and committees in every dis- 
trict of the realm. A general .scheme for this 
purpose was submitted on the 7ih instant to the 
Convention by the inspector general of Agri- 
culture, and wasfreely and fully di.?cussed.” 
Shepherd’s Dogs. — S. IVl. Hell, West Alex- 
ander, Washington county, Pennsylvania, in- 
forms us that he can furnish a few of these 
dogs; “ price SlO per pair tor puppie.s — grown 
dogs, price in proportion.” A fe'w of these va- 
luable animals, ol pure blood, can also be had 
on application at the office of the Fanner’s 
Cabinet, Philadelphia— price $5 each . — Albany 
Ctdlivator. 
An ounce ot silk worm eggs, it is said, will 
produce thirty-five thousand worms. 
