VoL. I. 
AUGUSTA, Ga., JUNE 21, 1843. 
No. 13. 
COMMUNICATIONS. 
STANrORDSVILLE, PdTNAM Co., ) 
June 9th, 1843, 5 
2 ^ the Editors of the Southern Cultivator: 
Dear Sirs — I see a piece in your paper of 
May 24th, headed “Anonymous Contributors.” 
I agree with you on that subject, as I alwaj's 
take more interest in reading a communication 
with the writer’s proper name under it, than I 
do those that have some fictitious name — parti- 
cularly those that are written on the subject ot 
agriculture and its kindred pursuits. But, sirs, 
there are a great many farmers that have but 
little education, though some of us may have as 
good ideas on practical tanning, and as much 
experience in all its various branches, as those 
who have the advantage of education, and can 
write with ease all they know on the subject. 1 
should, therefore, like to see a promise from you, 
that you will set in order all communications 
that are written for your paper on the subject ot 
agriculture; — giving those that are inclined to 
write for your paper to understand that they need 
not fear to put their proper name to their com- 
munications. You will readily perceive that I 
am one of those that stand in need of your help 
in the correction of my errors, both of spelling 
and diction, U nder these considerations I shall) 
at this time, give you a few passing thoughts, 
and shall confine myself within the range of the 
planting and farming interest, and term them 
PRACTICAL HINTS, 
In the first place, every planter should strive 
to make com enough to serve him, and by no 
means undertake to make cotton to buy com 
with, or any thing else that can be conveniently 
raised at home — especially while cotton is at its 
present low price. 
No farmer or planter should undertake more 
than he can have done in its proper time, and 
that well done when it is done. This way of 
being under whip and spur the year round, for 
the sake of making a few more bales of cotton 
than could be made by taking things concern- 
ing our interest in their proper order, I think 
unwise, and could give several reasons, but one 
at present is enough. Such a planter never has 
any time for improvement, such as ditching his 
hill sides to prevent their washing off, nor for 
raising manure. He can scarcely find time to 
haul out and apply what little has accumulated 
about his stables, (if he has any.) 
All farmers should keep their fencing in good 
order; see that the holes and water-gaps are well 
stopped. It is much easier to keep pigs, as 
well as every other kind of stock, out of the 
fields, than it is to stop them out after they have 
once found their way in and committed some 
depredations on the corn, potatoes, &c. 
Every farmer should raise all the manure he 
can, and be sure to apply all he has at least 
once a year, and not suffer it to lie about his 
stable yard for two years, by which time about 
one half its fertilizing qualities have evaporat- 
ed. My plan is to haul out and apply all I have 
in the spring, invariably broadcast, except cot- 
ton seed, which I apply to the hills of my com. 
What manure I can scrape up in October, I 
have hauled out and scattered on the poorest 
parts of the field where I seed my wheat, and, 
from my experience, manure is as profitable 
used in this way as any other I have tried. — 
Strong land for wheat is better without manure 
than with it. The reasons why I might give, 
but believe it mill not be doubted by men of ex- 
perience; but on poor land for wheat, manure 
shows its benefits to the last inch of its applica- 
tion, and if the manure be of a valuable kind it 
maybe put on the land quite thinly, but never 
should be scattered on the land till every thing 
is ready to plow it in, as there is great loss by 
evaporation should it be long exposed to the air 
and sun. 
We have seen accounts, in some of the agri- 
cultural papers, of large quantities of corn be- 
ing raised per acre in some of the Northern and 
Northwestern States. Such statements may be 
doubted by some of my Southern friends for 
aught that I know. I have no just grounds to 
say that they are incorrect. But I can say to 
the planters of this State, that we need not cal- 
culate on making as much com to the acre as 
is made to the West and North of us. I shall 
congratulate the man who can arrive at one half 
the quantity, or even to 60 or 70 bushels per 
acre. Do not be discouraged, howevef, by these 
views, but let us make all we can. My rea- 
sons for this opinion are, first, our soil is not 
near so deep as it is where those large crops of 
com are made; and in this climate com camiot 
bear being planted more than half as thick as 
where they plant for those large crops. How do 
you think com would stand even a slight 
drought in this climate, and on our thin soil, if 
planted only about two and a half feet apart 
each way. I, for one, believe that it would not 
do; yet it is certain where those large crops are 
made that the com is planted very close — in 
some instances nearer than above stated. 
In conclusion, Messrs. Editors, I thank you 
for undertaking to publish a paper devoted ex- 
clusively to Southern agriculture. I wish you 
success in your laudable enterprise, and hope 
you will not lack for subscribers or contributors 
among our planters and farmers, which will 
render the Cultivator so interesting a paper that 
every man that runs as much as one plow will 
take it. For 1 concur with a writer for the 
Tennessee Agriculturist, who says, “that every 
farmer that runs as much as one plow ought to 
subscribe to an agricultural paper.” 
I am, sirs, yours respectfully, &c. 
JOHN FARRAR. 
Mount Hope, Effingham Co., > 
June 10, 1843. 5 
Messrs. Jones — I see in your Cultivator, 
page 82, a very sensible letter from Mr. Ernest, 
of Bibb county, upon matters and things gene- 
rally, but upon the subject of the silk business 
particularly. This part of his letter is particu- 
larly interesting to me, as I have been engaged 
in the culture of silk for several years in a small 
way. I fully concur with Mr. Ernest in the 
opinion that silk can be cultivated in Georgia 
as piofitably as any where else, or as any thing 
else. I will not say it can be made as profita- 
ble as cotton ever was, but as profitable as 
cotton ever can be again. 
Mr. Ernest thinks if there was a market for 
cocoons in his neighborhood, many poor per- 
sons would engage in the business, and one lady 
who had abandoned the business, had said to 
him, that she would resume it if she could get 
$2 a bushel for cocoons. I hope this market 
will not be long wanted; indeed, I will say it 
shall not be wanted at all at such prices, for I 
will give, in Macon, for all cocoons of good 
quality, $2 50 per bushel, and for the best pea- 
cocoons, $3 per bushel, and will establish an 
agency therefor the purchase of all that may be 
offered, as soon as I am advised that they can 
be obtained. I am surprised that Mr. Ernest 
has not opened such a market at his own house 
before now; for if he can buy cocoons at such 
prices, he could surely make a profitable busi- 
ness of reeling and selling the raw silk, if he 
did not choose to manufacture it. I have ob- 
taineil a machine and manufacture all I make 
into sewing silk. I have found some difficulty 
in dying the various colors without destroyiag 
or injuring the lustre, particularly the black and 
blue black. 
I send you herewith seven skeins of as many 
colors, from which I think you will conclude I 
have succeeded tolerably well in giving the col- 
ors and retaining the lustre. 
The greatest difficulty I find in the business 
is to preserve the eggs for a succession of crops. 
I have succeeded very well with the second 
crop, but I find so much difficulty in preserving 
