THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
87 
the Ayrshires would doubtless be superior to the 
Devons, and are indeed equalled by few breeds 
in this or any other country; but where the beef 
and aptitude to labor are to be taken into ac- 
count, we think the Devons must have the pre- 
ference. — N. Y. Cultivator. 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 1843. 
Baci? Numbers. — All new sub.scribers to the 
“Southern Cultivator” can be supplied with the 
back numbers. 
KLK CULTURE. 
We take great pleasure in giving place to the 
letter of Mr. Er.ntest, (page 82,) and although 
we doubt not he only designed to have us make 
an extract from it on the subject of the culture 
of silk, we prefer to give it entire, because it 
affords us an opportqnity to offer a few remarks 
on a subject of vital importance to| us as the 
publishers of an agricultural periodical, and to 
urge the necessity of fostering our own domes- 
tic literature in every department of science and 
the arts. The feeling of patronising papers 
from home is too commonly indulged by most 
of our people, and applies to newspapers, perio- 
dicals, &e. &c, in every department of literature 
and science as well as agriculture. This is one 
of the most pow'erful obstacles at the South to 
every enterprise of the kind. We are too prone 
to regard those things which are most difficult to 
be obtained, and to possess something of a for- 
eign air, as of the most imlue — while if the 
Southern people would bestow one-half the pa- 
tronage on their home periodicals and papers 
that they do upon those abroad, they would 
place them above contingencies, and enable the 
publishers to present papers of equal merit in 
every particular. This feeling is strikingly il- 
lustrated in the patronage which is given by our 
planters to the agricultural periodicals of the 
North; — for although many, and indeed quite all 
of them, are^ conducted with singular ability, 
much of the matter which they contain is of lit- 
tle value to our planters, because inapplicable 
to our climate and productions. Nevertheless 
many of them indulging the feeling that nothing 
can be accomplished as well at home as abroad, 
prefer to patronise such papers to one exclusive- 
ly devoted to Southern agriculture. We make 
no complaint at these things, for we expect no 
man to take our paper as a matter of courtesy; 
but we have observed for such a long series of 
years, the existence of this feeling throughout 
the country, that we could not forego the oppor- 
tunity whicli the letter of Mr, Ernest has afford- 
ed us, to allude to a subject of such vital im- 
portance to the whole newspaper and periodical 
press 01 the South. The maxim, "Charity be- 
gins at hovM^' is a good one, and there is no bus- 
iness in which it should be more rigidly observ- 
ed, than in the support to be extended to the 
press. Foster and cherish then your own do- 
mestic literature, and you will not only give a 
new impetus to the improvement of the age in 
morals, religion and science, but you Avill escape 
the reproaches so often heaped upon the South, 
of the want of an elevated standard of home lit- 
erature. 
With these remarks, (for which w^e shall 
doubtless be charged as being influenced alone 
by self-intere.st, but Avhich we heed not,) rve 
commend to the reader the communication of 
Mr. Earnest on the culture of silk, together rvith 
his sound, common sense, practical views upon 
that greatest of all evils, because generally the 
immediate and certain precursor of every vice. 
Idleness. 
CURING SWEET POTATOES. 
In this number we present to the reader the 
communications of two practical planters on the 
subject of curing this delicious e.sculent, both 
of whom have been imry succe.ssful in preserv- 
ing them sound until late in the spring. From 
our (. Avn observation, however, we incline to the 
opinion that the plan adopted by “A Planter” 
is decidedly preferable, and will be much more 
certain in all seasons to keep the potatoes sound, 
although we are well aware that many practical 
men prefer the heap after having tried the house. 
This, however, we are disposed to think has re- 
sulted rather from the defects in the construction 
of the house, than any other cause — an opinion 
which we have long entertained, and rvhich the 
article of “A Planter” has materially strength- 
ened. It is very apparent to our mind, and we 
doubt not will be to Mr. Powers, that his house 
was entirely too close, excluding as it did that 
free circulation of air Avhich “A Planter” re- 
gards so necessary to the preservation of the po- 
tato. 
In reply to the enquiiy of Mr. Powers, 
‘Whether any experiments have er^ecbeen made 
to test the practicability of making sugar from 
sweet potatoes,” we reply, that none has come 
within our observation, nor have we any where 
seen or heard of a single experiment of the kind. 
ANONYMOUS CONTRIBUTORS. 
We should certainly feel obliged to our con- 
tributors to allow us to give their real names to 
@ur readers as the authors of their respective 
communications. We are not ignorant of the 
fact, that many men feel some delicacy in ap- 
pearing before the public in any other than an 
assumed name; and however proper the indul- 
gence of such a feeling upon some topics of dis- 
cussion, it is decidedly improper in all commu- 
nications pertaining to agriculture. We might 
give numerous reasons for this opinion — but it 
were needless. No planter hesitates to commu- 
nicate, in his daily intercourse with his neigh- 
bor, the result of his experiments in every de- 
partment of his business, and give them as his 
own experience— then why not let the public 
know to whom they are indebted for whatever 
is communicated through the medium of the 
press'? Such a policy, would certainly give the 
reader greater confidence in the experiment and 
he would be much more disposed to test its val- 
ue when given over a real na.ne than a fictitious 
one. We therefore hope our contributors will 
generally adopt the practice of giving their real 
names. 
Catterpillars, — An English agricultural 
paper says, that a gardener at Glasgow practi- 
ces a mode of destroying catterpillars, which he 
discovered by accident. A piece of woollen 
rag had been blown by the wind into a currant 
bush, and when taken out was found covered by 
the leaf devouring insects. He immediately 
placed pieces oi woollen cloth in every bush in 
his garden, and found next day that the catter- 
pillars had universally taken to them for shel- 
ter. In this way he destroys many thousands 
every morning. 
Salt for Cut Worms. — We have seen it 
highly recommended in various agricultural 
publications to sprinkle salt plentifully over the 
beds in a garden, infested by cut worms. We 
have never tried it for this pm'pose, but should 
it fail to drive off the cut worms, it will act as a 
powerful stimulant to plants, and hasten them 
on to maturity more rapidly. — Planter. 
ON THE ROTATION OF CROPS. 
Gentlemen — A plain farmer who has been 
an attentive observer of the success he has met 
with in his career; of the influence of seasons, 
with the same crops, will, I fear, be led to be- 
lieve much of the labor of those who write so 
much about the absolute necessity of rotation, 
poisonous excretions of plants, &c., might have 
been saved; in reality, he believes the most of it 
is utterly futile. That soils will deteriorate, 
there is no question, even if there be rotation; 
that manure would be advantageous we doubt 
not; but there has been so much said about this 
matter, that it tends to keep still farther off the 
incredulous. I would therefore propose a me- 
dium course, and point out some advantages 
that many have seen and will appreciate. But 
fiist, we will examine our natural forests, where 
the -white oak, and sweet gum, &c. have grown 
for ages, without rotation, without the poisonous 
excretions preventing their growth, to the age 
of 147 years, if the rings of the growth of the 
white oak are a criteiion of age. We find in 
our forests, the land to improve, by a continued 
fall and decay of the leaf, notwithstanding the 
crop is yearly made, and is continuous. We 
also find fence rows to become enriched, in a 
surprising degree, (to the careless observer) 
notwithstanding it pioduces a yearly crop of 
grass and weeds; and yet here is no rotation 
nor would we suppose poisonous excretions. — ■ 
We know that in some of the great wheat 
growing portions of our country, that wheat has 
been gro-wn consecutively for almost half a cen- 
tur}^ We know that fields in this south west- 
ern country have grown cotton for years and 
years — and yet we are told of rotation and poi- 
sonous, excretions. Sweet potatoes, cow peas 
and pinders, will undoubtedly enrich land, 
though planted for a series of years, and tliough 
1 have known the two first planted several years 
on the same land, I heard of no decrease in pro- 
duct. The question then is, how can we imi- 
tate nature, and yet obtain the advantages of 
culture'? This will bring me to the medium 
course I propose to point out, and at the onset 
will show what I said, many have seen and will 
appreciate. Alter having planted a field two 
years in cotton, a crop of corn can be much ea- 
sier cultivated, owing to the necessity of keep- 
ing the land clean; and if the same labor be gi- 
ven to the com as usual, a better crop is the re- 
sult; their interest would point out to plant corn; 
though when cotton be changed, it is much more 
difficult of cultivation. If after com, oats be 
sown, and allowed to be fed off on the land, or 
if cut, and stock not permitted to graze — the en- 
suing year if in corn or cotton either, will be 
better — these are all facts. And the advocates 
