78 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
iH0ntl)la Calenbar. 
Altered from the American Agriculturist's Almanac for 
1814, and arranged to suit the Southern States. 
CALENDAR FOR MAY. 
[The following brief hints to the farmer, planter and 
gardener, will be fonnd to apply not only to the month 
under which they are arranged, but, owing to diversity 
of seasons, climate and soils, they may frequently an- 
swer for other months. This precaution the consider- 
ate agriculturist will not fail to notice and apply in all 
cases where his judgment and experience may dictate.] 
The best fresh manure for the meadow, is a 
well mixed compost. All the new barn j’ard 
manure should be scattered over the ground be- 
fore plowing, and plowed under, and it any of 
it is too long to be turned in conveniently, let it 
be placed in the furrow with a fork and covered 
by the succeeding furrow slice. It is a com- 
mon error to manure in the hill. This ought 
seldomly to be done. If the land is well pul- 
verized, as it always ought to be, the rootlets ot 
the plants will find their proper food, it planted 
within suitable distances; and instead of the 
manure yielding all its nutriment to the young 
plant, it will be thus held in reserve to be given 
up as required during the whole growth of the 
season. Corn, perhaps, is the most important 
crop in the United States, and is particularly 
deserving the farmer’s attention. It is compu- 
ted by Mr. Ellsworth, that the crop of 1842 ex- 
ceeded 441,000,000 bushels, which is, perhaps, 
an over-estimate. The stalks of this invalua- 
ble grain are, in many parts of the country, 
worth the expense of cultivation, thus leaving 
the whole crop of grain for profit and the use 
of Ihe ground. To procure the best seed and 
cultivate properly, is surely, then, a great ob- 
ject for the farmer. A rich soil should be used, 
sufficiently dry, and well pulverized. Mr. 
Young, of Kentucky, who has raised the aston- 
ishing amount of 190 bushels of shelled corn to 
the acre, says, he plows his land in the fall, 
cross-plows it in the spring, and plants from 8 
to 12 grains in each hill, at a distance of three 
feet apart each way ; covering six inches deep. 
As soon as the corn is up he starts a large har- 
row with a double team directly over the rows 
of corn, letting the horses walk in the adjoining 
furrows. A lew days after, he plows with the 
bar next the corn. This again completely stirs 
the soil. He then thins to four stalks in a hill, 
and plows three times more. The choicest 
kinds of corn only ought to be used for seed, 
and if steeped in a strong solution of saltpetre 
before planting, it will protect it from crows and 
grubs, and give it an early and rapid start. Po- 
tatoes are a very important crop, and as they 
furnish so large a share of our vegetable food, 
it is of great consequence to get the best seed, 
which may be such as give a good yield, and 
afford a solid, mealy root, of pleasant flavor 
w’hen boiled. In dry land they may be planted 
in furrows; if cold or wet, they should be plant- 
ed on ridges. Rich land is best suited to them. 
Meadows should now have attention. When 
the waste of the barn, or house, or roads, can 
be led to them, they will be found to thrive very 
much from it. VVhere the meadows have been 
laid down long in grass, the roots should be par- 
ticularly examined, and if found thin or mossy 
and the sod hard, a fine compost ought to be 
.spread on it, at the rate of eight to sixteen loads 
per acre; then grass seeds of the kind requir- 
ed, then harrowjed with a fine, sharp-toothed 
harrow. Ashes are peculiarly suited to grass 
land, as potash and its silicate are the principal 
materials of which the ground is exhausted by 
this crop, which are contained in them in large 
proportions. If herds-grass or timothy occu- 
pies the ground, it is best to omit the use of 
plaster. When it is desirable to promote the 
growth of the clovers, plaster may be sowed 
freely. If not before done, finish sowing hemp 
seed and planting tobacco and castor beans. 
Kitchen Garden.— In the fore part of this 
month all the early cucumbers, melons, cabba- 
ges, cauliflowers, Ifititce, radishes, &c., which 
have been taken out of the hot bed, remove and 
transplant into the open ground. All kinds of 
table vegetables, as peas, beans, beets, onions, 
parsnips, carrots and esculent herbs, should be 
sown early. Tomatoes, egg-plants, peppers, 
(&.C., can be planted out. 
Fruit Garden and Orchard. — All kinds of 
fruit and forest treees and shrubs that have not 
leaved out, transplant immediately. Spring 
inoculating may still be performed in the early 
part of the month. Strawberry beds may also 
be planted out, and the suggestions in the cal- 
endar for April concerningpruning be observed. 
Flower Garden and Pleasure Grounds. — The 
borders of the flower garden should be finished, 
and perennial herbaceous plants transplanted,. 
Sow seeds of autumnal flowers in seed beds, to 
be transplanted at a future lime. Set out box 
edging early in the month, or it will be liable 
to suffer from the drought. Trim hedges and 
shrubs. Give the lawns and pleasure grounds 
a top-dressing of ashes or stable manure, and 
put the gravel-walks and carriage-ways in or- 
der. 
Plantation. — Much of the work for this 
month is influenced not only by the good man- 
agement of the farmer in cleaning such portion 
of his crop as demands it, but by the quality of 
the plowing, done previous to planting. 
The month of May is considered the most 
important of the whole year, when we take into 
view the cultivation of a growing crop; be- 
cause much of the labor is depending on the 
quality and quantity of work done now. If 
done well, as it should be, the crop will not 
become foul so soon, and if much of it be done, 
the husbandman will be able to receive his re- 
turn so much the earlier. 
The cotton plants must be cleaned oulas ear- 
ly as possible, with the turning plow, after the 
first leaves are developed. Throw the earth 
from the plants, leaving ^ portion of the bed, 
which must be thoroughly cleaned, whether it 
be covered n ith weeds or not. Make it your 
object to return to your cotton fields as early as 
possible, not exceeding a week. Run around 
through the rows with a bull-tongue plow, and 
at the same time plow deep near the plants. A 
few daj^s after plowing draw the earth around 
the stems with a hoe. If this second working 
be done early, and the plants be left in good 
condition, you will find much of your after 
work comparatively easy. Before the end of 
the month, the plants will be large enough to 
dirt with a large shovel plow, which should be 
now used, and the entire middle broken out deep 
and thoroughly. 
Keep your corn fields in good order, and at 
the second plowing, drop peas, ten to fifteen in 
number, between the hills ot corn, so that the 
plow will cover them, and you will “/aff iioo 
birds with one stone." See that your cane fields 
are kept clean; an ! that your tobacco plantsare 
not eaten by worms. If previously neglected, 
rice may be sown this month. As large crops, 
however, cannot be expected from it as if plant- 
ed in March or April. 
When cane has grown about 18 inches high, 
a small quantity of earth should be drawn back 
to the plant; and in the course of the two suc- 
ceeding dressings a bed should be formed for 
them five or six inches in depth. In new lauds 
notwithstanding the weeds, much less hoeing is 
done on account of the luxuriance of the cane. 
Most of the winter grain that was .sown in 
October will require cutting this month. That 
to be used for feeding stock should be cut just 
before it begins to turn yellow, and that for seed 
leave until fully ripe. 
Those who have bedded out their sweet po- 
tatoes must set out the drawings every rain, 
having hills or ridges already prepared. 
Silk worms will have wound their cocoons 
from the 1st to the 20th of this month. Those 
you wish to reel, put in the hot sun a day or 
two, or place them in a close vessel, with a lit- 
tle gum camphor, in order to kill the chrysa- 
lides, and they can be reeled at leisure. Those 
intended for producing eggs lor the next crop, 
must be selected and placed on a moist paper, 
in a cool dark room. 
The garden is an indispensable requisite, 
and all that is necessary at this season, is to 
keep it clean, well stirred, or to sow occasional- 
ly endiye, or cabbages for fall; radishes, lettuce 
and peas, so as to give a succession of these 
vegetables. Keep them well watered in dry 
weather, and protect them by shade if neces- 
sary. 
Asricultural Correspondeuce. 
Col. Ales. AIcDonatd, Eufaula, Ala. : 
Dear Sir: — Your exertions in the cause in 
which I love to labor, induce me to ask — is 
there any good and sufficient cause why we 
may not be acquainted? If not, 1 ask that we 
may at once be, as if we had been personally 
introduced. I know not the whereabouts your 
residence is, and suppose Barbour county is in 
a portion of the Cherokee country. I have a 
number of acquaintances and friends in Alaba- 
ma, and would refer you to some of them, that 
you might learn “of whom is this man who 
asks my acquaintance.” Until you meet with 
some one, 1 beg to be my own spokesman. I 
am 40 years of age, neither rich, talented or 
good looking ; but 1 possess as much zeal for 
our cause as any other, and regret my want of 
ability to carry out my heart’s desire. I am 
well known to H. W. Hilliard, to S. J. McMor- 
ris, in Wetumpka, Col. Carter, (my brother-in- 
law.) at Mt. Meigs, and others scattered about. 
I have no pretensions to much knowledge. I 
have learned much from the field, from book,s 
andknowirg that others are, where 1 was, my 
object is only to excite in them a spirit of in- 
quiry, believing that our Great Master has gi- 
ven to the larger mass of my fellows as much 
intellect as he has awarded to me, I only ask of 
them to use the talents so given and then to try 
to induce others. 
I have perused, with pleasure, many of your 
writings, probably all of them, and hope you 
will not regard me as intrusive in this matter. 
There are so very few in this country who take 
any interest in the welfare of their fellows, or 
in the true success and glory of our country, 
that my heart yearns towards an acquaintance. 
As I am a Southerner bv birth and education — 
born and educated in Columbia, S. C. — I pre- 
sume my advance will be attributed onZy to a 
desire ot forming an acquaintance, with the 
two-fold object of knowing you, and to learn. 
Now sir, is this sufficient. 
Well. In your statements as to your past 
crop, I observe you plant 120 acres in corn, and 
gathered 1300 bushels; also, that you plant corn 
6 by 2, with a row of peas between. Allow 
me to ask, why so much distance? I began 
planting on this place, (within a mile of Big 
Black, about 15 miles east of Vicksburg,) in 
1831, and then planted corn 5 by 2. For seve- 
ral years I was scant, until, by accident, I be- 
gan to plant 4 by about 20 inches or under 
The difference from 15 bushels to full 30 or 
Last year I had 85 acres in corn, 15 of it new 
ground, that 1 gathered very little from, feeding 
it infield — I housed 2400 bushels. In 1844, I 
hadllO acres in corn, and had from 20 acres, 
not over 150 to 200 bushels, the stand injured 
from overflow, and I did notcultivate— I housed 
3050 bushels. I gathered this year, flora the 
oldest land on this place 50 bushels per acre. 
My plan is to flush deep, cover shallow, push 
early, lay by early and sow peas at the rate of 
one-iliird of a bushel per acre, as early as I can 
lay by. The peas cover the land, and assured- 
ly have enriched my land. I also use all my 
cotton seed not wanted for planting, as manure, 
and use them for cotton. 
I think, with a soil that contains lime, I can 
improve land in five years from twenty to thirty 
bushels. The evidence is on this place. In 
1837 and ’38, with ordinary overseers, land ma- 
nured with cotton seed, yielded not 20 bushels ; 
in 1844, the same land, without manure, yield- 
ed 35 bushels. I plant thin land two years in 
corn and one in cotton, and feel well assured 
tnat with peas I improve my land, and my neigh- 
bors admit it. 
I am not in a condition to drain my land ; if I 
could do so effectually, 1 think it would never 
wear out. I am living in comparatively a new 
