108 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVAl’OR 
Improving Exhausted L.anci— Bermuda 
Grass— Liucerne—Kye, &e. 
Mr. Camak:— Three years ago I commenced 
farmirig under the new school system of agricul- 
ture. The year ’42 was spent in arranging lots, 
making fences and excavating pits for depositing 
leaves'and trash from the woods, and refuse 
matter from stables and the lot upon which my 
family reside. These pits, of which I made two, 
one thirty by forty, and the other fifty by twenty 
feet, were partially filled during the spring and 
summer of ’42, and during the following winter 
their contents hauled out and deposited in heaps 
12 feet apart, each way. Immediately the heaps 
(which were the ordinary size of manure heaps, 
as we drop them from a cart) were taken from 
the cart with hoes, they were all covered with a 
spade, from the soil in the field, an inch thick. 
This was the true condition of the field, without 
any exaggeration, upon which this manure was 
put. It had been planted in corn a year or two be- 
fore 1 boushtit (the year was a seasonable one too) 
and did not yield m^re than halfa barrel of nubbins 
to the acre. I planted in ’42 a few sweet pota- 
toes upon it. The vines did not average six 
inches in length, and when I dug open the hills 
in November following, it had tailed to produce 
any potatoes whatever, not even seed potatoes. 
This was the character of the field, and I have 
stated the unvarnished truth about its exhausted 
condition. After hauling out my manure, as 
above slated, I spread it broadcast and turned it 
under with a one horse turning plow, as fast as 
spread. In the autumn of ’43, 1 harvested from 
that very field at least seven barrels of corn (not 
nubbins) to the acre. The land, in its palmiest 
days, never produced more than three and a half 
barrels of corn to the acre, before ’43. I plowed 
my corn but twice after it was planted in ’43, 
and I have done so every year since that date — 
but I turn over my corn land in the fall and put 
the weeds and grass under, and cross with a 
coulter, deep as I can during the winter. 
My stables, in which I have no plank floors, ' 
are all bott med with corn stalks during the 
winter. Whenever they get dirty during the 
winter, they are forthwith covered with fresh 
leaves from the woods. In the fall and winter of 
’43 I manured about six acres ot the above field, 
as above stated, since wh'ch that portion of the 
field has had no farther manuring, but the weeds 
and oat stubble were turned under with one 
horse turning plows, last September, during 
the morninss, when I could not pull pea vines 
on account of the dews. I now have, upon that 
six acres, corn, which, if no disaster occuis, will 
make eight barrels at least, to the acre. Some, 
over half an Rcre of it, will range between ten and 
twelve barrels. 
I have about four acres in a Bermuda grass pas- 
ture. I find it vei-y valuable for all kinds ofstock. 
I never had my hogs tod > so well, as those that 
ran upon the pasture all last winter. I think 
they :eed upon ihe roots in the winter season. I 
went into the woods some four years ago and 
opened and fenced the pasture, and left the whole 
four acres surrounded with wood land. I planted 
the grass and then sprouted during the summer. 
I have never suffered a plow to go into the lot — 
As the grass will never cross the shade with 
which it is surround' d, I beg my friend John VV. 
Pitts not to use his butcher knite upon me — for I 
much prefer he should first try again, and see if 
he cannot stick it in that briar patch of his. 
And n w, since I have gotten Bermuda grass, 
I am trying to obtain a emss of the Berkshires 
to feed upon it. I never would 'nave even a 
crossbefore this, because I had no grass for them 
to feed upon. 
Oats, until this year, have for several years 
been almost a failure. I have abandoned the 
crop, and, with many others in this county, 
have substituted rye. From one acre of rye, 
which was well manured, I fed from about the 
first ot March last till first of J une, eight head of 
grown cattle and a match of horses. I fed by 
soiling, and both cattle and horses got but little 
else. They all did w^eil. When the horses 
were plowing, (which was not half the time) 
they had corn. I think it was the most profita- 
ble acre I ever cultivated. My hogs are now on 
that acre, and so soon as they glean ii, wi’l be 
turned upon another field which was sown in 
rye expressly for them. I shall not cut it at all, but 
this fall turn under the straw after the hogs have 
eaten the rye out. I never saw hogs thrive 
better — and they get nothing but the rye and 
the much feared and awfully condemned Ber- 
muda grass. 
Six years ago last April, I sowed, for the first 
time, the seed of Lucerne grass. It is a very 
valuable grass. If I had not had it, I know not 
how I should have fed my horses during a part of 
the severe drought of last year. I tried, at dif- 
ferent times in the year, for three years, and 
failed as many times, to get a stand I 
have sown the seed in April, in September 
and in October, and failed every time. I 
sowed in March, three years ago last March, and 
got but an indifferent stand. This year I sowed 
a little before the 20th of February, and got a 
most excellent stand. It grew two feet and up- 
wards in he ght. I sowed in drills one foot apart. 
I have cut it once, and in ten days from this it 
will be ready for the sickle again. When I re- 
flect upon the coldness and backwardness oflast 
spring, I am sure February is the best time in 
which to sow it in this country. I would not, 
however, advise any one to attempt to raise lu- 
cerne upon ground ordinarily fertile. I w'ould 
advise first to prepare the ground by heavy ma- 
nuring. Then raise corn. When the corn is ta- 
ken off, then manure heavily again with well 
rotted manure — then plow deep, very deep, and 
keep on plowing during all the early part oi win- 
ter, that the cold and frost may thoroughly pul- 
verize the soil, and then sow the first warm spell 
of weather in February. From my lucerne, that 
is three years old, which i am cutffng a second 
time, I have cut a plenty ot stocks that were 
over 2,V, and but very little under 3 feet in length. 
I followed your directions in the cultivation of 
Irish potatoes this year. I never could succeed 
with the crop before, though I have been trying 
for 16 years. Under your guidance I have suc- 
ceeded to my heart’s content, as w’ell as that ot 
my palate too. I have a large surplus. Now 
please tell me, in the July No. of the Southern 
Cultivator, how to keep them during the suc- 
ceeding fall and winter. It will be quite an ob- 
ject with me to save them, as I lost my sweet 
potatoe seed last winter, and a supply was not to 
be obtained. My sweet potatoe crop will, there- 
fore, be very scanty, as I have to raise altogether 
from the slip, and can procure but a few of them. 
I once farmed it for about seven years, under 
the doctiines of the old school Agriculturists. I 
found it would not begin to do. When property 
became high, ten years ago, I sold land, negroes 
and all - quit the business — read the Agricultural 
papers — became satisfied the new-school were 
leaching the riuht lessons in Agriculture — about 
three and a half years ago went to work as the 
new-school directs, and have succeeded beyond 
my most sanguine expectations. 
Charles D. Davis. 
P. S. — 1 am sure that my individual history 
in Agrieult aral matters ought to be confirmation, 
strong as holy writ, to every unprejudiced man, 
that the Southern Cultivator ought not late- 
ly to be sustained, but most liberally patronized. 
Monroe., Walton Co., Ga , ./une, 1846. 
Plowing near the Salerno. — The fields 
being without lences, have an open look; and 
the mingling ol men and wo.nen together in 
their cultivation, gives them a chequered ap- 
pearance, and renders them very picturesqae. 
In the middle ol a large green wheat field would 
be a group of men and women weeding the 
giain; the red peiticoats and the blue spencers 
ot the latter contrasting beautilully with the co- 
lor ot the fields. In one plot of gr.uind I saw a 
team and a modeof plowing quite unique, yet 
withal very simple. The earth was soft, as it 
already broken up, and needed only a little mel- 
lowing: to effect this, a man had harnessed his 
wife to a plow, which she dragged to and fro 
with all the patience of an ox, he in the mean- 
time holding it behind, as if he had been accus- 
tomed to drive, and she logo. She, with a strap 
around her breast, leaning gently forward, and 
he bowed over the plow behind, presented a 
most curious picture in the middle of a field. 
The plow here is a very simple instrument, 
having but one handle, and no share, but in its 
place a pointed piece of wood, sometimes shod 
with iron, projecting forward like a spear; and 
which merely passes through the ground like a 
sharp pointed slick, without turning a smooth 
furrow like our own . — Letters from Itahj, 
iilontl]lg QTaienifar. 
Altered from the American Agriculturist's Almanac for 
1814, and arranged to suit the Southern States, 
CAL,E1V1>AK ffOlt JVLY. 
[The following brief hints to the farmer, planter and 
gardener, will be found 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 tor 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.] 
Finish hoeing out your corn, potatoes, and 
all other crops, and make early preparation lor 
harvesting. See that your tools are all in or- 
der, and a full supply of each. Get the best 
you can procure. A man may earn the extra 
cost ol a good scythe or cradle, in a single day’s 
work, besides the promotion ol good morals, by 
the better humor he is kept in. Get rakes and 
pitchforks which you know won’t break by fair 
usage. By all means prepare a horse rake, 
which may be made as simple as a hoe. A 
man with a steady horse may do the work of 8 
men with one. 
Clover should be cut while just going out of 
bloom, when the heads are partially turned 
brown. It ought never to be spread. Let it lie 
in the swath till wilted: if they are very large 
or heavy, they may be turned over after the 
upper side is sufficiently dried. As soon as 
this is done, let them be raked into winrows, 
and soon after cocked in small high piles. This 
should always be done the first day, and if very 
hot, may be done within a few hours after cut- 
ting. Let it stand in these cocks till it has 
sweat and become cool, and comparatively dry. 
It may then be taken into the barn or stacked, 
and well salted. Lucerne is to be treated in the 
same way. Timothy and redtop should not be 
cut till the seed is in full milk, so that it w'ill ri- 
pen alter being cut. It ought never to get so 
ripe as to shell when fed out. These may be 
exposed to the sun longer than clover, but less 
than is usually practiced. Our hay is frequent- 
ly dried too much, and some who never spread 
their hay from the swarth, much prefer it thus 
cured. It is better to allow it to cure in the 
cock, when it is always safe against sun, dew 
and rain. Grass ought never to be exposed to 
the dew while spread. A few days of sun and 
dew while thus exposed, render it almost worth- 
less. Hay may always be carried into the mow 
or stack sooner, by using salt freely : at the rate 
of four quarts to the ton is our rule. Besides 
lessening the risk from rain, the salt is always 
worth much more than its cost lor the cat- 
tle and manure, and it will thus comer a tri- 
ple benefit by answering successfully the pur- 
poses of each. 
Much of the wheat, oats and barley maybe 
harvested this month. The cleanest fields or 
portions of them, should be selected lor seed, 
but not the heaviest or largest growth. Seed is 
better if grown on moderately poor land, than 
on ihe best. Prof. Sprengel has shown from 
experiments, that grain matured on the richest 
land, though eminently fitted for food, contains 
too much gluten for seed; while that which is 
produced from poor land has a greater propor- 
tion ol starch, which is the natural food for the 
young plant. The part thus selected should be 
allowed to mature the seed fully w'hile standing; 
the grain intended for consumption ought to be 
cut while the berry is yet soft, in the dough 
state. Such grain will produce more flour, and. 
of a better quality than when dead ripe, besides 
being much less liable to shelling and waste. 
Alter moderate exposure to sun, rake up in bun- 
dles, or if w'ell ripened, rake up at once, and 
bind soon alter, when it it requires additional 
curing it may be finished in the shock. If put 
in stacks, these should be carefully placed be- 
yond the reach of vermin, and so arranged as 
to have a circulation of air upward through ihe 
centre of the stack, to avoid mould and injury 
to the grain. The utmost care in stacking 
ought always to be used, to avoid injury from 
rain, and blowing down from high winds. 
Kitchen Garden . — Cabbages ol the several va- 
rieties can now be planted for late crops. Moist 
