150 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVA I OR. 
case of corn, the first effect of a scarcity, say ol 
phosphoric acid, is to make the earsnaaller, and 
the number of grains less; the next to continue 
the growth into the winter, and only when a ve- 
ry fine season occurs to ripen theearatall. But 
suppose we alternate the corn crop, which in its 
grain carries off phosphoric acid, with a hay 
crop, which requires much silica, or a root crop 
to which much alkaline matter is necessary- 
then the one crop would live upon and remove 
what the other had left in greater abundance. 
Instead of robbing the soil every year of the 
same substances, we should be exhausting it 
more equally of all; and we should be able, for 
double the time at least, to crop it without the 
risk of its ceasing entirely to give us a profita- 
ble return. We should gradually work up also 
every available substance in the soil, whether 
such as are naturally present in it, or such as 
we have ourselves added in the form of manure. 
What is true of the simple alternations of corn 
with a green crop, is more true still of a longer 
and more complicated rotation. The greater 
the variety of crops we grow, and the longer 
the interval between the successive crops of the 
same kind, the more perfectly do w’e avail our- 
selves of the benefits which an obedience to the 
suggestions of this principle is fitted to confer 
upon us. No rotation, it is true, however skill- 
ful, will alone prevent the land from becoming 
ultimately exhausted. Nothingbut regularand 
generous manuring will do this, unless there be, 
in springs from beneath, or in the decaying 
fragments of rock mixed with the foil, or in sub- 
stances brought down from higherground, or in 
the nature of the rains that fall upon the land, I 
some perennial source of those substances 
which the crops always carry ofl from the soil. 
But in a skillful rotation there is this virtue, 
that land which is subjected to it sannot be ruin- 
ed in so short a time. If one tenant use it ill, 
it may come into the hands of another before 
ruin is so far irredeemable that the farmer who 
has a rent to pay cannot reclaim it w'ith a pros- 
pect of immediate profit to himself. 
Extraorfllnary Experiment with Wheat. 
The American Agricultural Association held 
its monthly meeting on Wednesday evening. 
Hon. Luther Bradish presided. R. L. Pell, 
Esq., of Pelham, detailed an experiment in the 
cultivation of wheat, which appeared to us en- 
tirely new. He said that on the 4th ot October, 
last year, he c'eared the tops from a potato field, 
burnt them, and returned the ashes, with the 
view of sowing wheat. The seed w'as prepar- 
ed thus: soaked four hours in brine that would 
buoy up an egg; then scalded with boiling hot 
salt water mixed with pearl ashes, then through 
a sieve distributed thinly over the barn floor, 
and a dry compost sifted on it, composed of the 
following substances: oyster-shell lime, char- 
coal dust, ashes, brown sugar, salt, Peruvian, 
guano, silicate of potash, nitrate of soda, and 
sulphate of ammonia. The sun was permitted 
to shine upon it for about half an hour, when 
the articles became, as it were, chrystalized 
upon the grain. In this state it was sown at the 
rale of Sj bushels to the acre, directly on the 
potato ground, from which the tops had been 
removed, and plowed under to the depth ol five 
inches, harrowed once, a bushel of timothy seed 
sown to the acre, and harrowed twice; at the 
expiration of 15 days, the wheat was so far 
above ground as to be pronounced by a neigh- 
bor far in advance ol his, which had been sown 
in the usual way on the 1st of September, 34 
days earlier. A composition made by Mr. P., 
containingSO different chemical substances, was 
spread broadcast over the field before the wheat 
came up, at an expense not exceeding three dol- 
lars. The yield per acre was somewhere about 
seventy bushels. 
The flour made from this wheat, which 
weighed nearly 65 lbs. to the bushel, received 
the first premium at the last Fair of the Ameri- 
can Institute. The superiority of the flour was 
owing to the enormous amount of gluten it con- 
tained. Mr. P. read Dr. D, P. Gardner’s anal- 
ysis ot the flour, which showed that it contain- 
ed 18 percent, of gluten after having been dried 
bv an air pump over sulphuric acid. His rpa- 
nures were applied for the purpose of producing 
gluten. — N. Y Commercial. 
From the South Carolinian. 
Tne Southern States should go Largely 
into the Culture of Wheat. 
Wheat has acquired the first rank of all the 
cereal grains, in consequence of the nutritious 
quality and large quantity of gluten which it 
contains. Gluten is the “viscid elastic sub- 
stance which remains when wheatflour is wrant 
in a coarse cloth, and washed under a stream of 
water, so as to carry off the starch and soluble 
matters.” This substance, in a state of purity, 
is inodorous, insipid, tenacious, adhesive and 
elastic. If separated from the starch, &c , and 
kept warm, it freely ferments. It is an essen- 
tial ingredient in all grains, and is also found in 
a number of vegetables and fruits. It is also 
the essential part ot yeast, and resembles albu- 
men so nearly that it is ditncult to distinguish 
it from that substance. From the large quanti- 
ty ot nitrogen which it contains, it has been 
called the Vegeto-animal principle. Accord- 
ing to the experiments made by the celebrated 
M. Magendie, in the feeding of animals, it has 
been proven that “gelatine, fibrine, and albu- 
men, when taken singly, do not possess the pow- 
er of sustaining life.” The reverse is the case, 
however, with gluten, upon which animals 
thrive well and long. 
We go at length into this scientific descrip- 
tion of the component parts ol wheat, which 
consist of gluten, starch, sugar, gum, bran and 
water, so that our remarks may be comprehend 
ed. Starch is by far less nutritious than gluten, 
and abounds in the proportion of from about 6 
to 1 part of gluten. From all that has been de- 
veloped by the aid of science, it has been clear- 
ly proven that gluten can be varied and increas- 
ed by climate, and the character of the fertili- 
zers used to promote the growth of the plant. 
This fact has been well attested. The differ- 
ence in climate upon a fair trial and by analysis 
of the grain, has resulted in the following satis- 
factory statement in favor of the warmest re- 
gions in which wheat is grown : 
WARM CLIMATE. 
Starch. fi6.05 
Gluten 14.55 
Sugar 8,48 
Gum 4,90 
Bran 2.30 
Water ...12.30 
100.49 
Let the reader look below at the result of the 
analysisof wheai grown in a cold climate, and 
compare the great preponderance of starch with 
that of the former. Aiso observe the large 
quantity of gluten and sugar contained in the 
grain grown in a warm climate, and estimate 
the comparative value ol that which contains 
so large a proportion ot those essential ingre- 
dients, which constitute in the main the nutri- 
tious qualities of the grain, with that which is 
greatly deficient in those substances. 
COLD CLIMATE. 
Starch 71 .49 
Gluten 10. 9S 
Sugar 4.72 
Gum 2.32 
Bran 1. 
Water ..10.00 
100.49 
These statements fully show the great supe- 
riority of our climate over more northern re- 
gions for producing the most nutritious grain, 
but the agriculturist who vvishes to embark in 
the successful growing of wheat, should not al- 
low his inquiries to stop at this point ; lor that is 
only the advantage which nature has given him 
in the ingredients of this grain after it is produ- 
ced. It is the business of the Southern agri- 
culturist to apply that science to the culture of 
this grain, which will enable him to compete in 
the quantity produced, and by excelling in qual- 
ity, thus make this branch of farming profita- 
ble. Here is the uifiiculiy upon which experi- 
menters with wheal have failed, tor they did 
not understand the comparative value ot fertil- 
izers used to improve t e quality ol the gram. 
Experiments have shown that the following is 
the relative value of fertilizing manures which 
have been tried: 
Wheat, average crop gluten, 19. 0 
Raised on soil manured with ox-blood 31.24 
“ “ “ human Fseces 33.94 
“ “ “ Urine 35. 1 
“ “ “ Horse manure 13.68 
“ “ “ Cow “ 11.06 
“ ” “ Cotton seed ...16.16 
This statement is not entirely applicable to 
onr system of applying manures, lor the in- 
creased quantity of gluten both from the manure 
ot horses and cattle, is much greater than is sta- 
led; as all the urine ol ilie animals, which is 
not estimated in the aboe , is incorporated in it. 
The manure ot horses, applied as it is usually 
carried out from our Southern farm lands, is ca- 
pable of yielding an increase in gluten of 23 
per cent., instead of 13. 68 per cent., as stated in 
the above table, and is the best manure we can 
apply in large quantities to our wheat crops, it 
is more warming, and hence more beneficial 
than the manure of cattle, which is of a very 
cold nature. Imparting stimulating nourish- 
ment to the young wheal plants, it gives them 
such a healthy and vigorous start, that they 
readily appropriate all the lood which is fur- 
nished for their organs both by the soil and the 
manure, and the whole crop is soon out of 
harm’s way. 
it is our opinion, that "by the aid of highly 
stimulating manures, w'e may be able in the 
South to grow as many bushels of wheat as do 
the northern farmers, with the great aavanlage 
that in actual nutriment, five bushels of our 
wheat will be equal in value to six bushels of 
the best northern wheat. The wheat crop in 
the grain growing portions ot South Carolina 
is not subject to more vicissitudes than it is in 
the North — for their crops are equally ravaged 
and blighted by Hessian fly, rust and smut. In 
fact, if we w'ere to make the comparison, we 
would see that though they take great pains in . 
cul'ivating this grain, it is farlrom being a cer- 
tain crop, and that the reverse is the case with us; 
for with no preparation it usually makes a lair 
average crop. We have shown the influence 
of climate on thisgrain in inducing the produc- 
tion of great nutrition, and also the effect ot ar- 
tificial fertilizers ot the soil. In our next we 
propose to give our actual experiments, made 
with a view to test the effect both of soil and 
manure on grain brought from the wheatgrow- 
ing region of New York. 
Fiom the Providence Transcript. 
Butter Making. 
The annexed article is Irom one of our most 
experienced and intellectual agriculturists. Ol 
his success! ul practice we can attest, as we 
never saw finer butter, noi even in Philadel- 
phia, thi-n we have eaten at his hospitable man- 
sion. — 
Milk Apartments, rf-c — The milk cellar should 
be deep, vtrell ventilated, and dry; the bottom 
covered with stone flagging. Bricks will ab- 
sorb milk and other liquids that may fall upon 
them, and will soon contract mildew, the smell 
ol which, like the odor of cheese, vegetables, fish, 
or foul air of any kind, will be imparled to the 
cream and butter. Over this cellar should 
stand the dairy room, with shelves to set the 
milk upon in cool weather; the cellar is to he 
used during the extremes of heat and cold. The 
temperature of the milk apartment, if possible, 
should never be above 65 nor bt'low 45d. Set 
kettles should not stand in the dairy-room ; nei- 
ther should cheese-making, nor cleansing milk- 
vessels be done there, but in a convenient room 
near by. 
Cream may be kept good much longer, if it 
be kept in a white oak vessel, with a tight cover, 
and a faucet or tap near the bottom, to draw off 
the milk when it settles, before the customary 
