38 
THE SOUTHERN CULl'iVATOR. 
BiirrT? 
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5, 1843. 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS, &c. 
We beg leave to avail ourself of this occa- 
sion to tender to our brethren of the Newspaper 
pre'ss, and also to those friends who have taken 
an interest in extending our circulation, our 
most sincere acknowledgments ior the numer- 
ous very flattering notices they have ( aken of 
the “Southern Cultivator,” and their exer- 
tions to have it generally disseminated among 
the planters. It is alone by a very general cir- 
culation, that we canhope to accomplish much, 
in exciting among agricultm’alists a spix'it of ri- 
valry and improvement, from which we feel 
confident much good to every class of society 
will certainly result. We therefore earnestly 
hope that our friends \vill not flag in their exer- 
tions, and we pledge ourself, that whatever of 
zeal and ability we can bring to the work of 
rearing upon a firm basis an Agricultural jour- 
nal at the South, worthy of the cause in which 
it is engaged, shall be most cheerfully brought 
to bear. To accomplish successfully suoh a 
work, much depends upon the planters them- 
selves, and we hope they will not consider us 
importunate in again urging upon them, in this 
connexion, the importance of giving us their 
aid, by forwarding to us their views on all sub- 
jects coming within the sphere of our work. — 
And particularly do we desire to have such ag- 
ricultural facts as are at the command of every 
intelligent, reflecting planter. We are aware 
that very few, if any, of our planters are in the 
habit of committing their thoughts to writing, 
and many, consequently, feel some delicacy in 
doing so — but they should not be deterred from 
it by any delicacy of feeling. All we want is a 
plain statement, the plainer the better, drawn up 
in the very language in which they would com- 
municate a fact to their neighbor, and if it should 
need any polish, we will take great pleasure in 
bestowing whatever labor we may deem neces- 
sary. They should reflect, and we hope they 
will, that they are a common brotherhood, en- 
gaged in the promotion of the greatest work that 
engages the attention of mankind, and regard it 
their duty to afford to others the benefits of their 
experience and observation. If this be done 
the interest of the will be greatly 
increased, and its capacity to do good much im- 
proved. 
To Eradicate Corns. — Take a small piece 
of flannel which has not been washed, wrap or 
sew it around the com and toe. One thickness 
will be sufficient. Wet the flannel where the 
corn is, night and morning, with fine sweet oil. 
Renew the flannel weekly, and, at the same 
time, pare the com, which will soon disap- 
pear. — Leeds Intelligencer. 
A FINE BEllkSHiRE Pi&. 
We had, yesterday, the pleasure of examin- 
ing one of the finest Berkshire male pigs we 
have ever seen. He has been imported from 
Ohio, by our enterprising fellow citizen, Col. 
Joim Bonner,- of White Plains, Green county, 
and for beauty of symmetry, iiigh form and fine 
size, is unsurpassed by any pig we have had the 
pleasure of viewing. He is the produce of Mr. 
A. B. Allen’s of Buffalo, New York, celebrat- 
ed imported boar, Windsor Castle, otit of one of 
his finest imported sows, and is now about ten 
months old. Although his appearance at this 
time has doubtless been materially effected by 
his long vo)mge, (having been shipped in the 
early part ot November last, on board a boat 
that was locked up in the ice on the canal,) he 
has attained a fine size, and looks to be in fine 
health, and, wo think, will be an important ad- 
dition to Mr. Bonner’s already fine stock. We 
cannot commend in too flattering terms, the spir- 
it and enterprise with which Col. Bonner has 
entered into the work of improving the breed of 
hogs in Georgia, and we sincerely hope we are 
destined, ere long, to witness a similar spirit of 
improvement in every department of agricul- 
ture. 
PLOWING MATCH. 
One of the most important steps toward the 
improvement of agriculture, is the introduction 
and use of proper implements of husbandry, 
and the agriculturists of Europe and America, 
where much attention has been paid to this sub- 
ject, have instituted the most thorough and sat- 
isfactory tests to ascertain the comparative val- 
ue of every implement in use. With the view 
of ascertaining the value of the various kinds of 
plows introduced from time to time, they have 
instituted at all agricultural fairs “plo%ving match- 
es,” at w'hich the various plows are made to ex- 
hibit their capacities for their respective uses, in 
the presence of a committee competent to de- 
cide upon their merits; taking every thing, the 
width and depth of furrow, the beauty with 
which each executes its particular purpose, the 
weight of draft, &c. &c., into consideration. — 
The committee after minutely scaning every 
thing, proceed to award the premium to the best 
plow, and hence it is recommended to the favor- 
able consideration of the public. Although 
scenes of this sort are very common wherever 
much attention has been paid to improving the 
system of Agriculture, they are very rare in the 
South, and the announcement, a few days since 
in the city papers, that one would take fplace on 
the Commons, drew quite a crowd of persons to 
witness the novel exhibition, which was got up 
by the agent, for the introduction at the South, 
of Barnaby & Mooer’s '‘Side Hill Plow,” as it 
js generally denominated, to show its superior- 
ity over all other plows in use at the South for 
eflTectually turning land. This plow is con- 
structed with a mould board on each side, and 
by changing the beam from one side to the other, 
is made to turn its furrow either to the left or 
right, or, without changing the beam from the 
centre, to turn oifly on one side. We regret 
much that we have no cut that we might exhibit 
its form to the reader, which would be much 
more satisfactory than any description we can 
give of it. They are for sale in this city, and 
as they surpass any plow we have ever seeil 
used for turning land. We hope our planters will 
test their capacity and adaption to southern cuL 
ture. They are highly appfefeiated at the North 
and East, and have received several premiums 
at the various agricultural fairs. Of them Mr. 
E. Cornwell, in a letter to the editor of the 
“American Agriculturist ” says;— “I am satisfied 
from a practical acquaintance with the best 
plows in use, that no plow has yet been invented 
that can compete with'this for any length of time, 
as a plow for general use. Its ease of draught 
and its adaptation to every kind and shape of 
plowing, and the perfect manner in which it 
performs its work, are advantages that cannot 
be combined in any other plow,” 
For the Southern Cultivator. 
Lexington, March 18, 1843. 
Mr. Jones — Hoping your “Southern Culti- 
vator” may long be the source of valuable in- 
formation in agriculture, I seize an early occa- 
sion to communicate with your readers on the 
culture of Sweet Potatoes. I am^sure I will 
have the blessing of many a negro, baby and 
housewife next fall for this letter. 
Sir, thqmld method of planting svreet potatoes^ 
in hills and ridges, in this drj'^ climate, and on 
our hard upper country clay lands, is all wrong. 
Potatoes must have moisture and soft earth to do 
well. But they lack both in the common culture. 
Hills and ridges are the driest forms in which 
you can put the soil. Flat culture is the only 
right kind ior potatoes, or any thing else, in our 
burning climate and on our clay uplands. Po- 
tatoes should be planted as fiat, and may, in that 
way, be planted as easily, as corn. 
First, break up the land well; then lay oflf 
rows four feet wide Avith a shovel plough; run 
deep in the same track with a rooter; and then, 
if you want it perfect, deeper still in the same 
furrow wdth a common new-ground coulter. — 
Next, list upon both sides of this in the same 
way; that is, with shovel, rooter and coulter, one 
right in the track of the other. This makes 
deep work, and the deeper the better. It is soon 
done. Your ground is now ready— deep, loose 
and moist, and will keep so all summer. 
Now for planting and culture. With a root- 
er draw a shallow furrow on the top of the list, 
just over the first shovel track, to guide you in 
dropping. In this drop the seed, cut roots, sprouts 
or vine-euttings, twelve or fifteen inches apart, 
and cover lightly. Plough them a few times, 
just like corn, running close to the potatoes with, 
a rooter, and finish off each working with a cul- 
tivator, or some other plough to keep the mid- 
dles flat. 
This mode of culture is not one fourth as 
troublesome as hills; the crop is wonderful — 
This is n«t theory, but is my constant practice. 
By this mode the vines never turn yellow; the 
crop comes forward early in August, and the 
owner has no chance to talk about “small pota^ 
^oes.” 
Before your Cultivator appeared, I had pro- 
mised this article to our mutual friend, Clayton, 
^:'r the agricultural column of his Athens Whig; 
