307 
SOUTHEEN CULTIVATOE. 
ed the students in their regular duties on the farm grounds, 
I would have them make annual excursion, for botanic 
and geological study. 1 wish to see a system of educa- 
tion established which shall develop more fully the powers 
of observation, of correct reasoning, of just analysis and 
of drawing correct conclusions from the facts observed 
and the analysis made. And would not the system I am 
I laying before you accomplish these ends 1 Is it not based 
j upon the true Baconian Philosophy, of induction of prin- 
jl ciples and practice from observed facts 1 Who can esii- 
j mate the amount of useful knowledge a youth would ac- 
1 quire in three or four years, say from fourteen to eighteen 
years of age, under such a system of observation and ex- 
:) periment as I have mentioned 1 Would he not know 
2 arithmetic 7 Could he not survey a fields Would he 
“ not be familiar with Botany, Mineralogy, Geology, and 
;; Chemistry 7 Would he not be familiar with the compo- 
-i sition of soils and manures 7 and of plants and grains 7 
I; We have had exhibited in Georgia within the past 
; year, a noble illustration of the high estimation in which 
i agricultural knowledge is held by one of our most dis- 
j tinguished citizens. I allude, of course, to the liberal en- 
: dowment of the Terrell Professorship in the State Univer- 
sity for Agricultural Chemistry by Dr. Terrell, of Sparta. 
I can speak of this donation, so fur as the ayiimns of the 
endowment is concerned, in none other than in terms of 
the highest commendation, but I cannot think, however, 
that the mode of applying it is altogether the most effec- 
tive and best calculated to accomplish the end' desired. 
Had the same amount of money been expended in found- 
ing an Institution such as I have sketched, it does strike 
me that it would have accomplished a much larger 
amount of good. It is true, a learned and competent Pro- 
fessor has been found in Dr. Lee to fill the Chair, yet we 
know, that what we learn practically in all the sciences — 
Botany, ^Mineralogy, Geology and Chemistry — which 
sciences are xhtfrayne v:ork and sonl of agriculture, is of 
infinitely more value to us than the demonstrations of the 
lecture room, however learned and beautiful. These, we 
know are soon forgotten. What we most want to advance 
the noble science of agriculture is the blending together of 
the demonstrations of the lecture room and the demonstra- 
tions of practice. Let the student see the operations as 
well as learn the fact. 
Much good sense is found in a short article in the Janu- 
ary number of the Soil of the South, taken from the IVork- 
ivs; Farmer, called “Agricultural Education.” Its recom- 
mendations tally with my plan. Please let me hear from 
you at your earliest convenience. If I have failed to make 
myself fully understood, I shall be happy to write you 
again. I am just out of bed from an attack of Neuralgia, 
and I am scarcely able to write at all. 
Very truly, your obedient servant, 
Carlisle P. B. Martin, 
Synodical College, Griffin, Ga., March, IS.3.5. 
[Soil of the South. 
CKOPS IN NORTH ALABAalA- 
Editors Southern Cultivator — I have read your re- 
qv;est — that your friends should send you brief accounts 
of the condition of the growing crops from their respective 
neighborhoods. 
I have never written a line for an agricultural paper in 
my life, but as I believe the farmers in this county are 
just at this time too much engaged in politics to attend to 
your request, or even their own farms, I have taken up a 
feather just to tell you that we have now, after a long 
drouth in the early part of the season, a very fine prospect j 
for an abundant crop of corn, if not of cotton. The corn 
is well grown where it has been carefully tilled, and is j 
shooting and silking, and the rain is now pouring down 
in torrents, and soaking well-plowed ground thoroughly, 
which, for the month previous, has been sufficiently 
watered; and the present rain will make an excellenJ 
crop if we should get no more. Colton that was planted 
early, say from the 6th to the 15th of April, looks fine, and 
is blooming and boiling; but later cotton came up very 
irregularly, and a good stand was not obtained till the 
latter part of May, when a rain came and brought up the 
seed. Of course the late planting cannot yield abundantly, 
unless the fall season should be very propitious. The 
wheat crop is harvested, and very abundant, more so than 
for many years. Late oats are very good, and have gener- 
ally been, or being, cut; but the winter or early variety, 
owing to the unusual spring drouth, did not grow very 
high nor head well. Yours truly. Junior. 
North Alabama, July, 1855. 
FOR FARMERS-ONE ACRE OF lAND. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — If you think the fol- 
lowing worthy of a place in the columns of your valuable 
journal, insert it for the benefit of its numerous readers : 
4.8-iO square yards exactly one acre, neither more 
or less, but the very thing itself 
69.57 yards square, or C9 yards and inches each 
way, is nearly one acre. 
208.71 feet square, or 208 feet and 83^' inches each way, 
is nearly one acre. 
2,5043^ inches square is one acre nearly. 
A piece of land 10 by 484 y'ards; or 20 by 242 y’ards ; 
or.30 by lOli^ yards; or 40 by 121 yards; or 50 by 
96 4-5 yards; or 60 by 80^ yards ; or 70 by 69 1-7 yards ; 
or 80 by 663^ yards; or 90 by 57 7-9 yards; or 100 by 
48 2-5 yards, is exactly one acre, neither more or less. 
Yours respectfu^lly, A. L. McC .. 
Selkirk, S'. C., Sept., 1855. 
ORIGIN OF VARIOUS TREES, PIA1>TTS AND SHRUBS. 
AVheat was brought from the central table-land of 
Thibet, where its representative yet exists as a grass, with 
small, mealy seeds. 
Rye exists wild in Siberia. 
Oats wild in North Africa. 
Barley exists wild in the mountains of Himalaya. 
Millet, one species is a native of India, another of 
Egypt and Abyssinia. 
jMaize was brought from America. 
Canary Seed from the Canary Islands. 
Rice from South Africa, whence it was taken to India, 
and thence to Europe and America. 
Peas are of an unknown origin. 
Lentils grow wild on the shores of'the Mediterranean. 
Vetches are natives of Germany. 
Chick-Pea was brought from the South of Europe. 
The Garden-Bean from the East Indies. 
The Horse-Bean from the Caspian Sea. 
Rape-Seed and Cabbage grow wild in Sicily and 
Naples. 
The Poppy was brought from the East. 
The Sunflower from Peru. 
The Lupin from the Levant. 
Flax or Linseed is, to Southern Europe, a weed in the 
ordinary grain crops. 
The Nettle is a native of Europe. 
"Woad is a native of Europe. 
Madder came from the East. 
Dyer’s V/eed grov/s in Southern Germany. 
Safflower came from Egypt. 
Dill is an Eastern plant. 
Hops, Mustard, and Caraway Seed com.e to perfection 
as wild plants in Germany. 
Anise was brought from Egypt and the East Archipela- 
go. 
